Sometimes even superheroes need to take a break. In New Mutants #24 by Vita Ayala and Danilo Beyruth, Krakoa's heroes reflect on their dramatic battle against the Shadow King and gather themselves for the coming days ahead. The issue is both an ending and a beginning, resolving multiple story threads while establishing new plot points that will follow the team into "Destiny of X." In doing so, the issue reminds readers why they fell in love with the New Mutants in the first place and why the team is worth following on a monthly basis.
New Mutants #24 opens with Magik reflecting on Krakoa's shortcomings and her team's ongoing struggle to communicate effectively with other mutants. At the same time, Dani Moonstar seeks to undo some of the damage dealt by the Shadow King's manipulations by consoling Wolfsbane, reinforcing their bond. As they resolve to stick together, the heroes meet with Karma and visit Cosmar, who has also struggled with personal problems. Together, the trio presents Cosmar with a way to reclaim her body without enduring the Crucible. Elsewhere, other team members reconnect with their loved ones, including Warpath with Thunderbird and Gabbi with Wolverine. On the heels of these moments of reflection, Magik makes amends with a former enemy, not realizing that doing so could threaten everything the X-Men have fought to protect!
Since taking over New Mutants last year, writer Vita Ayala has layered the book with complex commentaries on identity, bodily autonomy, and the ways people respond to trauma. Though these ideas have primarily played out as subtext to the overall narrative due to the team's battle with the Shadow King, Ayala moves them into the forefront of the story for New Mutants #24. The issue is one of the most rewarding reads of the series to date, paying off multiple plot threads in rapid succession. The stories of Cosmar's body issues, Amahl Farouk's victimization, and No-Girl's transition into Cerebella all reach well-earned resolutions. Ayala accomplishes this feat through their exceptional understanding of the New Mutants' various voices and a compelling script that trusts the reader to follow the interwoven threads.
Similarly, Brazilian artist Danilo Beyruth immediately understands New Mutants' visual identity in this issue. Beyruth has drawn an eclectic mix of titles for Marvel, including The Unbelievable Gwenpool and Man Without Fear, and excels at balancing extraordinary character designs with grounded, relatable emotional beats. This talent is crucial for scenes such as Cosmar's identity crisis, which literally twists reality as her feelings overwhelm her. Beyruth shatters the panels around Cosmar during this moment, reflecting her inner turmoil. Dan Brown's colors further enhance the gravity of this sequence by channeling Cosmar's skin color into the use of her mutant abilities. This decision makes the young hero's powers feel like an extension of her internal struggle and hammers home a crucial moment in Cosmar's story.
New Mutants #24's streamlined plot also benefits the story of the series as a whole. It is common for superhero comics to focus on action over character and treat the heroes as static pillars of virtue who bounce between one catastrophe and the next, without any need for reflection. While doing that can keep things exciting, it can also inhibit a story's ability to connect with readers on a deeper level, making it easy to lose interest in the cast. By taking the time to explore the bonds between New Mutants' cast, the creative team showcases how these characters value each other in this issue. In addition, doing so makes the potential perils of future threats substantially more significant because readers understand what the heroes are fighting for.
As a whole, New Mutants #24 is an excellent read that wraps up the team's latest struggles with a neat little bow. Vita Ayala continues their superb examination of how mutants grapple with real-world struggles, and the art by Danilo Beyruth and Dan Brown gives the story a sensational style that highlights the heroes' humanity. As the New Mutants prepare for an encounter with the Goblin Queen amidst "Destiny of X," issues like this show how valuable the mutant metaphor can be when used correctly and how creators can use superheroes to tell emotionally-complex stories.
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