Written by Olivia Aiere
The X-Men are quite expansive in comics. With countless team variations and spinoffs, I’ve only scratched the surface myself. Marvel Rivals had introduced me to Emma Frost, a fashionable telepath who joined the X-Men after fighting against them with the Hellfire Club. This summer was the start of the White Queen’s own series — Emma Frost: The White Queen — set during her time with the Hellfire Club as she deals with a conspiracy against her.
In the Issue #1, a team of X-Men consisting Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine crash Emma’s party looking for a mutant revolutionary. Emma figures there must be a mole in the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle that sold information to the X-Men and allowed them to infiltrate her defenses. Emma herself is accused of being the mole, and then starts a worldwide journey in search of allies who may still help her. She travels to Rome, Hong Kong, and Las Vegas to seek out anyone of the exclusive club owners who still believe her.
Issue #1 also introduces Noor, a telepath who Emma takes under her wing. Noor is similarly ambitious to Emma but might not have what it takes to survive amongst the ruthless elite of the Hellfire Club. As Emma’s prodigy, Noor learns lessons of survival and how to climb in the club. Noor isn’t in the spotlight often but is a very interesting addition to the list of mutants in the Marvel universe, as telepaths are always extremely powerful and have a tendency to be unpredictable. Noor’s mentorship with Emma plays a critical role in the conflict of the finale, giving Noor a moment to shine and demonstrating her potential.
The fifth and final issue of Emma Frost: The White Queen came out on October 29th. It’s not an action-packed conclusion, but it does give Emma a satisfactory arc as she proves her cunning and intelligence. Emma is a quick thinker throughout the series and maintains her bravado and style while testing allegiances. She even shares an inspiring moment with a young girl on a bus in Hong Kong, encouraging the girl to be proud of herself despite what other kids say. This kindness helps add layers to Emma, foreshadowing her eventual heroic side when she joins the X-Men.
Amy Chu’s writing makes for a very fun read throughout the short series. The characterization of Emma before her time with the X-Men is great to follow through the issues. The art by Andrea Di Vito is gorgeous to look at and the designs of all of Emma’s flashy fits are perfect additions to her wardrobe. Sporting the usual white and fur combo among other outfits, Emma’s closet travels with her and gives her the elegant look she’s known for.
The disappointing part of this series is how short it is. While Chu did a great job writing Emma’s endeavors, the conclusion left me wanting more. Everything was wrapped up neatly and set up characters like Noor and Tessa for promising future stories, but the ending itself comes a little quickly. A few more issues to tee up the finale could’ve given a bit more weight to the ending. The experience of reading this series is still really enjoyable, so it is worth picking up the series–or the trade paperback when it comes out in February–to join Emma on her journey.
