Every week there are enough X-Men books to warrant their own review roundup. So, here it is!
Mr. & Mrs. X #1
Kelly Thompson has really been on a roll lately. Following X-Men Gold‘s messy wedding issue, Thompson turns the magnifying glass on the couple that actually got married: Rogue and Gambit. The majority of this issue recaps X-Men Gold #30 but retells the story from the perspective of the actual happy couple.
The first half is just a lot of fun, with a multitude of great character interactions and dialogue throughout the wedding and reception. Thompson has an incredible grasp of the characters, breathing life into a few mutants that have been dull for years now. Following the wedding, the story shifts towards a cosmic honeymoon that sets the stage for the rest of the series. The twists and turns are engaging and compelling, and it’s hard to not be pumped for the next issue.
Thompson is accompanied by artist Oscar Bazaldua and colorist Frank D’Armata. The art throughout the issue just about matches the writing in quality. The characters look great, the backdrops are gorgeous, and the expressions are lovely. Some of the characters have especially round faces, but this isn’t enough to ruin the beauty that is this issue.
Mr. & Mrs. X has the potential to be the best X-Men book of the decade. Check it out.
8.5/10
X-Men Blue #32
X-Men Blue continues to focus Magneto breaking and pushing his mutant agenda once more, with only Jean’s team able to stop him. Cullen Bunn continues to struggle with making the various characters interesting, as well as giving them appropriate voices. The fight that consumes the majority of the issue is a bit too wordy, which leads to troublesome pacing throughout. This is a shame because the young mutants and Magento actually have some intriguing setpieces that should be exciting.
Andres Genolet and Matt Milla’s art is inconsistent throughout the battle. The art is fun and allows the action to progress as naturally as it can with its script. Milla’s colors make the book shine, while Genolet’s lines mostly capture what needs to be seen by the reader. There are many facial expressions that are just absolutely off, which will disconnect the reader from pages more than once. X-Men Blue # is so close to being a solid issue of X-Men, but it is held back by weak dialogue, poor pacing, and spotty art.
5/10
X-Men: Grand Design – Second Genesis #1
The timing of my birth took place during an awkward time in comic book history. I was born in the mid-nineties, and on top of that, I wasn’t exposed to a lot of superhero stories outside of all of the animated series’ of my childhood. As a result, a decent amount of me learning about superhero stories came from just reading on Wikipedia later on in grade school. I especially did this with X-Men, taking in as much of the lore as I could. Of course, understanding the history of X-Men is a big undertaking.
X-Men Grand Design Second Genesis by Ed Piskor is exactly what kids like myself needed when we were reading Wikipedia articles in the 2000’s. Ed Piskor covers an incredible chunk of X-Men lore in just 41 pages and covers it well. The pacing works, and at no point does the issue feel choppy. The sequences just flow from page-to-page. The art is also stellar and is a refreshing take on the style of the era.
Those who are interested in understanding the history of X-Men should absolutely be reading this series. It’s both entertaining and effective, summarizing decades of storytelling in a way that has never been done so well before. Marvel should release more accessible series like this one.
8/10
X-Men: Wakanda Forever #1
The “Wakanda Forever” event is now pulling in the mutants, as Nakia heads to Brooklyn. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, “Wakanda Forever” focuses on Nakia, an ex-member of the Dora Milaje. Nakia has been driven mad by her desire to marry T’challa. Her madness leads her to Storm, who she despises due to her close relationship with T’challa.
Writer Nnedi Okorafor is working with an interesting enough premise, but the issue is mostly flawed by both pacing and shoddy art. Okorafor’s dialogue between the various X-Men characters is well done and is possibly the best part of the issue. Unfortunately, this is short-lived, and the issue falls apart when Nakia arrives. Nakia channels bad versions of the various X-Men, leading to what was the most boring fight in an X-Men book this week.
Artist Ray-Anthony Height struggles with multiple expressions, and most of the X-Men just look strange in many panels across multiple pages, especially Rogue. Everyone else looks fine here, especially the Dora Milaje and Nadia (Who genuinely looked terrifying in some panels).
Overall, X-Men Wakanda Forever #1 falls flat and it is hard to recommend it to anyone who isn’t especially interested in Storm’s relationship with the Dora Milaje.
