Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Pepe Larraz
Published by Marvel Comics
The X-Men are back in New York.
We have a shiny new team formed and ready to save the planet.
Fresh off the heels of a nearly three-year-journey to reimagine what it means to be a mutant within a world that lacks basic humanity, Gerry Duggan has taken the reins from head writer Jonathan Hickman.
Moving the X-Men’s headquarters from the comfortable surroundings of Krakoa to the far less welcoming Big Apple is definitely a tonal change.
If it were me, the house zoning permits that X-Men needed to register for alone would have had me running back to my favorite sentient island far away from those urban settings.
While I enjoy the Krakoa location much more, I promised myself to give this title and the new writer a few issues before passing any judgement on its virtues and missteps.
In general, writer changes can be a bit clunky, especially when a writer has to follow the path Hickman blazed. His writing team broke ground on themes that previous X titles never attempted to address.
Despite the changes, this is a hopeful beginning. Duggan’s style is lighter, but where he might lack in existential depth, he makes up with pure creativity.
Let’s just say the issue gets a bit meta by including Ben Urich, Marvel Universe’s most famous journalist, into the mix.
Apparently Cyclops is an admirer of Urich’s work. It is an obvious baton passing moment. Duggan, as Cyclops, shows his admiration for Hickman, the Head of X writer, by making Urich the proxy to Hickman.
Or, maybe I am reading too much into the Cyclops/Urich exchange? I doubt it though.
Aside from the charming dialogue between mutant and human, this issue is indeed action heavy with a lot of surprises. I won’t give it all away but let’s just say I never imagined an X-Men team transforming into a mecha-like giant robot.
Godzilla watch out!
Thank you Polaris and Synch for doing some epic transformation. One of the greatest attributes of mutants is that anything is possible..
As a series I have no idea where Duggan is taking us. I do think it is worth your time to stick with this title and see his vision for these characters.
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