X-Men #1, written by Jed Mackay (the mastermind of Blood Hunt), is the perfect reintroduction of Marvel’s iconic team, and an excellent first step in the “From the Ashes … a New Beginning” series for the entire X-Men Universe.
The issue, set in the aftermath of the Fall of Krakoa, finds the team operating out of an abandoned industrial complex in Alaska. This new team is comprised of Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Magik, Kid Omega/Quentin Qire, and Temper.
Their first mission is to save Wolverine and a group of “new mutants” from being held hostage. Meanwhile, Beast must convince the local police that this new X-Base and its inhabitants are there to live peacefully and protectively of the people in the area… despite what Magneto might have to say.
The comic feels like it could have come off the shelves during the halcyon days of the early ’90s when the animated series was one of the best shows on TV and the comics were delivering at such a high level. The amount of action, humor and character work are reminders why so many of us fell in love with the seminal Marvel franchise in the first place.
Yet, while the jokes (thanks mostly to Kid Omega and Cyclops) abound and the action is top notch — it’s really the emotional arc that makes this issue so good. The desolate Alaskan tundra is the perfect place for X-Men to start over. It’s a stark, barren and remote landscape (as we saw firsthand in True Detective this season), but also the absolute antithesis of the Eden-like Krakoa. Like we saw in True Detective, an Alaskan setting can be used in the most haunting of ways, and with our heroes settled into a former Sentinel factory, the horrors humanity has imposed upon the X-Men are literally in their living room.
This issue also does a clever job of setting up the Gail Simone penned Uncanny X-Men via the involvement of Wolverine. It was done in such a natural and seamless way and it builds excitement for that book which was recently described as a Southern gothic horror story.
X-Men #1 is 100% worth picking up — whether you are a long time comic reader or you’ve recently gotten back on the “X Train” via X-Men ’97 or Deadpool & Wolverine. For those wondering, the “From the Ashes…” series also includes: NYX (featuring Ms. Marvel and Laura Kinney), Phoenix, X-Force, and Exceptional X-Men plus issues of Wolverine, Laura Kinney: Wolverine, Storm, Psylocke, The Avengers, X-Factor and the limited runs from Dazzler, The Sentinels and Mystique.
X-Men #1 is now available at your local comic book store.
