Comics

Published on August 31st, 2023 | by Howard Smith

Realm of X #1 REVIEW @gronbekk

Realm of X #1 REVIEW @gronbekk Howard Smith
Score

Summary: Readers can have some fun here.

4

Fantastically Good


Prophecy Foretold

Transpiring moments after escaping a harrowing death at the hands of Orchis at the Hellfire Gala, a sea of mutants was subjected to traveling through the gates. For the sake of humanity’s survival, these mutants were transported to unknown destinations across the universe in Realm of X #1. However, this specific band of mutants has been prophesied to arrive in the land of Vanahiem, one of the Ten Realms. Mirage, Marrow, Magik, Typhoid Mary, Dust, and Curse seem to find themselves in the middle of a civil war with the one called White Witch, but their arrival signals the end of a beginning within the realm. The only problem that the group seems to have trouble with is Magik’s power, which doesn’t seem to be working at all. The bad news is Curse escaped the arms of Magik and explored Vanahiem on her own.

Skillfully written by Torunn Grønbekk (Red Sonja), Realm of X #1 is a fun adventure for the X-Men that readers will come to enjoy by the end of the last page. Grønbekk has written a story spinning out of  X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) to be incredibly entertaining to read. The way the story is developed feels like a fairytale and undoubtedly hits that mark. While the story focuses on the initial threat at hand, Grønbekk does well to make Typhoid Mary as obnoxious as possible in a good way. Mary’s complaints, disdain, and lack of care make her a great addition to the overall cast of the main story. Furthermore, Magik in this kind of situation adds a new hurdle that rightfully should help her character grow along the way. It’s uncertain how the prophecy will utilize the X-Men in this sense, but there is an impression Grønbekk will reveal in due time as the story progresses.

Uniquely, the story is backed by amazing visual illustrations from Diógenes Neves (The Flash, New Mutants, Raven). Neves is no stranger to the world of X-Men. Thankfully, Neves provided awesome artwork that captures that fantasy adventure radiating through each page. Realm of X #1 wouldn’t be the same without Neves. Notably, some may miss this detail that is favorable throughout the comic book, which is the consistency of the panels. Moreover, each panel is designed to fit the situation in each moment, but what readers should pay attention to is how transitional the panels are displayed. They have a hint of chaotic displacement. Fascinatingly, the panels serve a purpose as if the world the X-Men have found themselves in is reflected in the panels themselves. Overall, Neves contributed his illustrative skills with excellence.

Regarding excellence, Rain Beredo’s (Blackout, Captain America, Damage) coloring work gave Neves’ artwork a beautiful array of colors that blended well with the comic book. The coloring work alone is a marvel to read from cover to cover. Realm of X #1 received a great deal amount of coloring work from Beredo, but the takeaway from the work is the sheer amount of dedication and sharp eyes to detail to capture so many colors after one another. Meanwhile, Clayton Cowles (Astonishing X-Men, Bitter Root, Black Widow) did a wonderful job at lettering the comic book. The cool aspect of Cowles’ lettering is the way the captions are written in an old-style font that gives the story its adventure narrative.

Last, but not least, Stephanie Hans (Black Widow, Dark Wolverine, DIE) creates a cover that is bursting with excitement. The cover is awesomely drawn to fit the concept of the story being presented. It’s a great hint as to what is going on in the comic book.

Realm of X #1 is a comic book that Marvel fans should pick up and read to continue the remnants of what happened at the gala. While this story branches off onto somewhere else it is still a part of the whole event currently still going. For X-Men fans, you don’t want to miss how these ladies get out of this one. Be sure to pick this one up at your local comic book store or where copies are sold.

Comic Details

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: Diógenes Neves

Color Artist: Rain Beredo

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Stephanie Hans

Editor: Lauren Amaro

Publisher: Marvel Entertainment


About the Author

howard.smith.hls@gmail.com'

Howard is a passionate collector and avid reader of comics who resides in the city of Washington, D.C. His love for all things pop culture extends beyond the pages of comics, as he attends popular culture conventions both locally and out of state. Whether he’s searching for rare comic finds or engaging in video games, or reading manga he manifests an opportunity to celebrate his fandom. Follow along as he explores the worlds of superheroes, sci-fi, and beyond, always with a keen eye for adventure and a deep appreciation for the art of storytelling.


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