X-Men #1 (2024) Review

Background – A new team arises to protect… well, everyone? Maybe? That’s still up in the air.

Writing – Now that Krakoa is finally over, we have our first mutant sighting. Actually, make that SIX. The X-Men race to save 6 mutants and Wolverine who was caught trying to save them, only to find that the six mutants are adults and are allied with the enemy. After the battle, Wolverine walks away from the team and disappears. In a second plot thread, Beast gives the local police chief a tour of the new base.

Let’s break the team down:

Cyclops: Cyclops is… well, he’s Cyclops. While nothing big happens in terms of his character development, Scott once again shows why he is the best leader the X-Men have ever had. Beast even refers to him as the greatest combat leader he has ever seen and Beast has served on the Avengers when Captain America was in charge.

Beast: This is a very confusing characterization for Beast. The last Beast we had broke bad, sacrificed his life at the last second to save Wonder Man, and we were left with this cloned earlier incarnation of Beast. This Beast was supposedly from the 1980’s / 1990’s period (in real life) so he was a much more jubilant, empathetic, and “Oh my stars and garters” type of Beast. What we get here is a good & friendly Beast who is still incredibly sad and dare I say, depressed. It’s very apparent he holds guilt over what his evil self-did, but he also holds resentment for never having the chance to experience Krakoa. I thought we were getting a joke-cracking Beast, not Astonishing X-Men Beast.

Psylocke: It honestly took me a minute to remember that this is not Betsy anymore and considering that it’s been damn near 5 years since they separated her and Kwannon, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Outside of the Fallen Angels series (which was close to a parody) and The Hellions (which was almost as depressing), Kwannon has received almost no character development since entering her own body. Since this is just issue one, I really hope Kwannon develops her own personality outside of being a ninja.

Magneto: I guess Magneto could be considered the “New Headmaster”… if this was a school, but considering it’s not, I have no idea what to call him. Magneto has taken over Xavier’s job and position within the X community but is still more than willing to fight for mutant rights and lives if it calls for it. He also looks ridiculous in his hover chair wearing parachute pants and a red striped shirt, along with his helmet. Does being the new headmaster mean that he has to float around in a chair? I guess so.

Glob: Glob lives in the base and is a farmer. According to the book, he’s useless in battle. OK then!

Magik / Juggernaut: These two are supposed to be our comedy relief and they actually do an adequate job in that role. Whether it’s arguing over rock, paper, scissor strategy or acting like a brother / sister combo, these two are a bright spot in the book.

Temper: Idie has had a strange X history. She started out as one of the first mutants “born” after M-Day. She then became a large factor in the Schism between Scott and Logan which ripped the X-Men apart for years, attended the Jean Grey School, dated Broo (a Brood), then got sent down a pit on Krakoa for killing some mercenaries. Then she got out of the pit and spent the last 2 or so years (real life) fighting Sabretooth. After all that though, I know next to nothing about this character. Except for her fling with Broo, she really hasn’t exhibited any lasting character traits, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with her here.

Wolverine: OK, so Wolverine is not a main character in this book. Actually, I’d be surprised if we see him again over the next 5 or so issues, but I’m sure he’ll be back. What this issue does for him is set up the status quo for his other two books. Wolverine is done. He’s tired of trying to rebuild every few years (a sentiment we X fans can agree with.) He tells Scott not to follow him or try to find him and leaves. We know that he’ll show up in Uncanny X-Men as well as his own solo title, but the problem arises with the idea that not everyone who reads Wolverine reads X-Men. If I’m a brand new reader, how will I know why Wolverine has ended up in the woods? Although not egregious as some story examples like this one (I’m looking at you John Byrne’s Doom Patrol), as a new reader, I’d find the lack of info annoying.

Kid Omega: Finally, we arrive at the biggest plot hole and problem character of the book, even more so than Beast. We have just spent 5 years (if not more) watching Quentin Quire mature and develop into an adult character who could still give off snark, but wasn’t a total brat. This book seems to have reset him almost all the way back to square one. He’s helpful but acts like a petulant child, which after all the growth is just infuriating to see. Add to the fact that just one month ago he was dead and we get ZERO explanation of how he has returned, and you get one very annoying character situation. I REALLY hope Jed McKay has a plan for Quentin, because if he doesn’t, all this is just depressing.

Artwork – The art works … and it doesn’t work. In the positive column, some of the character designs work nicely. Temper’s design is great, with her being half fire and half ice (at least her uniform and her eyes that is. She doesn’t look like a weird Human Torch / Iceman combo). Giving Magneto a hover chair is a nice touch if not a bit silly). Juggernaut and Magik in black make for a great looking tag team duo and Cyclops looks like a team leader should (his costume looks great and is something refreshingly new for him.) The colors in this issue are AMAZING. Everything is so vibrant and really catches the eye. The big art moments would have to be Magneto’s arrival, Psylocke’s arrival after having snuck into the Fourth World base, and in a darker moment, Wolverine’s vivisection on a X cross (what is with villains and their love of nailing him to a giant X?) The Wolverine panel in particular is a great call back to the Reavers and Uncanny X-Men 251, one of the most popular X-Men periods (and my personal favorite.) The coloring in this panel is SPOT on.

Now onto the negatives. First of all, while Cyclops does look great, he also looks VERY YOUNG. He looks like he has been de-aged 10-15 years for some reason. When the previews hit, I actually thought he was another time displaced version of himself again.

Then there is Beast. A lot has already been mentioned about this version of Beast, and I second all of those complaints. WHY does he look like this? This is supposed to be the Beast from the Avenger / Gold and Blue team days, so why does he look like a racoon? Those circles around his eyes are a VERY weird artistic choice.

Psylocke looks like she’s from the X-Men movie franchise with her black leather outfit (I’m assuming that’s what it is… it does look like it.) I was never a fan of the look but accepted it because that’s what we were going to get in the movies at the time. This isn’t a movie though, it’s a comic, and that means I want to see some superhero outfits. It worked for Grant Morrison because… well, they are Grant Morrison. God bless him, but Jed McKay is not Grant Morrison.

As for Magneto, his clothes look ridiculous (he looks like Mr. Furley from Three’s Company.)

Final Thoughts – This has the makings of a very excellent book, but as it stands, it’s just great. On the positive side of things, It has a great mystery in the activation of adult mutants (which I think should be impossible), a town that is a former sentinel town that is trying to foster a relationship with the X-Men, and some great characterization from SOME of the X-Men, namely Temper, Cyclops, Juggernaut, Magneto and even though he doesn’t stick around, Wolverine.

The negatives are glaring though. Kid Omega has almost COMPLETELY regressed to his earlier pre-Krakoa attitude (that’s not even mentioning the fact we don’t know how he’s alive), Beast is a mix of emotions even though he is supposed to be from a LONG time ago, and Psylocke doesn’t even get to do anything in this issue except fight. Plus, the fact that the team’s first enemy is Orchis, which was supposedly destroyed at the very end of the Krakoa, is a bit of a letdown. I was really hoping for a new (or at least returning) villain. Add to all that some of the art choices and the book struggles to get out of the gate.  My recommendation: Pick this up so you at least know what’s going on and then make your decision. It’s not incredibly offensive, and there’s still hope for a better future.

Final score: 3 out of 5

Publisher:  Marvel

Writer:  Jed McKay

Penciler: Ryan Stegman

Inker: JP Mayer

Colorist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Marte Gracia

Genre:  Superhero

Format: Monthly

Release Date: 07/10/2024