▪	RELEASED BY:		DEL REY
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		RAINA TELGEMEIER  & DAVE ROMAN / ANZU
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		178
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		08/11/2009
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		08/06/2009
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

The main heroine is Kitty Pryde the girl who can phase through solid objects. She grew up feeling like an outcast as a mutant. When the handsome Eric Lensherr (Magneto) whisks her away to a special school, she fears the worst. Instead she discovers that he, along with a telepath named Charles Xavier, have founded a school exclusively for mutants. Another surprise for Kitty is that she’s the only girl!

Adjusting to life at the academy is no easy task. She’s unsure and overwhelmed by the good looking guys who are often arrogant and flaunt their powers, a very different attitude than what she grew up with, fearing herself and what she could do. When the incredibly beautiful ‘Angel” invites her to join an exclusive club, it’s an offer she isn’t allowed to refuse. The Hellfire Club is made up of Havok, Pyro, Angel, Forge, and Longshot. She quickly finds a platonic friend in Forge who is the most down to earth out of this unruly lot of spoiled rich boys and powerful mutants. But it’s Pyro who soon dominates her thoughts – and her life. Their romance starts out like a flame, fast and hot, but it quickly becomes a dangerous brush fire that is starting to rage out of control.

A trip to New York shows her what these boys of the Club are all about. She has to choose a side and oddly enough, it lands her in the arms of the one boy she can’t stand – Bobby aka Iceman. He’s given her the cold shoulder ever since she first came, but when trouble starts, the hero within awakens in Kitty and she saves the boy. But the fallout around her is terrible. Charles Xavier and another boy are hurt and what the Hellfire Club will do next is anyone’s guess. Life at the academy just got dangerous…

It is a thrilling take on classic X-Men characters. I liked how they took a wide range of favorites from different arcs and ages of X-Men comics. There’s Ororo (Storm) sporting the mohawk she had briefly in the 80s and it never looked so good. Beast is there, a silent but eye-catching Remy LeBeau (Gambit), a captivating and mysterious Nightcrawler, the most likeable version of Scott Summers (Cyclops) that I’ve ever come across (he was always too stuck up and stiff for me), and a cast of new characters about to be introduced in the second volume, hinted at in the preview at the back of this volume. With all the re-versioning Marvel has done over the years with the X-Men, it wasn’t jarring to see a different take by Del Rey. What I could not anticipate was how enjoyable and intriguing it would turn out to be. Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier obviously know their mutant heroes and know them well in the way they portray and fit them into the story with adept skill. The art style by Anzu is the closest to truly capturing the manga style as I have ever seen in an OEL. The bishonen boys, the shojo style to the overall look, especially Kitty, and the flow of the imagery are outstanding and would sit on the shelf proudly next to any shojo title. In fact, some of the style here and there, especially with the Hellfire Club and beautiful men in striking school uniforms reminded me of a very popular manga called Vampire Knight. Now to be fair, Anzu’s art is not as consistent or as polished, but there are moments in the illustrations where it comes close and no doubt most readers will be eagerly awaiting the second volume to find out and to see what (and who) happens next.

IN SUMMARY:
An outstanding revision of classic X-Men characters (both heroes and villains) in an original English language manga that captures an attractive shojo style mixed with intrigue, mystery, and romance. Marvel fans will be thrilled at the enjoyable retelling of many famous mutant heroes and villains in this involving hidden gem.