The Hellions deal with the aftermath of the destruction of the Murderworld cloning lab in Hellions #16, by writer Zeb Wells, artist Stephen Segovia, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Ariana Maher. Wells builds up a lot of plotlines in this issue, and while it’s all set up, it’s still very entertaining.

The Hellions wake up the ruins of the lab, each reacting to what just happened. Nanny is about to kill Sinister when the X-Men show up to check on them. Back on Krakoa, Cyclops and Emma discuss what happened, as Greycrow threatens Empath and Nanny tells Orphan-Maker that he doesn’t need her anymore. From there, things get even more intriguing; as Cyclops tries to stop Kwannon from leaving Krakoa after she sends Wild Child away, Empath seeks refuge with Emma, Greycrow gets ready to hunt him down. Nanny is forced to self-destruct her ship when the right tries to take control of it to get the baby robot back and kill a bunch of mutants.

There is no way that last issue’s events were not going to be a big deal, and Wells plays with that perfectly in this issue. Fans still have to wait to see what’s going to happen next with a lot of things in this book, but Wells does an amazing job of setting things up. Set-up in comics is an art; either it can be a little too verbose and boring, more like exposition than anything else, or it can be dynamic and build tension. Sometimes the former method can’t be avoided, and as long as the payoff is good, readers don’t mind in the long term. The latter is, of course, the superior method, and that’s the one Wells pulls off in this issue.

Everything about this issue is an open wound for everyone. Kwannon lost the only reason she worked for Sinister at all, the only thing she wanted. Nanny has rejected Orphan-Maker ultimately, ready to move on to her next child, something O-M can’t handle. Havok is devastated by his actions, but Emma offers her unwitting catspaw a salve- the possible resurrection of Madelyne Pryor. Empath seems almost sad about having to hide out at Emma’s White Palace, away from the Hellions. Wild Child has been rejected by his alpha Kwannon, and Greycrow is ready to take righteous vengeance on Empath. The only person who isn’t around is Sinister; he’s referred to, of course, because he is untouchable, and the fact that he’s missing from everything underlines this. Wells does a great job of laying out the raw emotion of every character. It makes the build-up so much better and builds just the right amount of tension. The entire team is in the wind and what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Segovia is back on pencils, and everything looks great. Wells’ script lives and dies by emotion in this issue, and Segovia captures it expertly. There’s an early shot of Kwannon in the rubble, looking devastated. Greycrow’s righteous anger jumps off the page. There’s a couple of panels of Empath’s eyes after making a joke about how none of the Hellions understood his humor where he looks devastated and alone. Wild Child looks like a beat dog, and Nanny and Orphan-Maker’s body language tells readers all they need to know about what’s going on inside of them. Segovia brings all of that life, and it’s amazing.

Hellions #16 is an issue of build-up expertly done. Wells lays out a script that is heavy on emotion, and it lands amazingly, with Segovia’s pencils bringing it all to life. This is set up done right.

Grade: A