The first comic of the From the Ashes revival, X-Men #1, is a welcome return to form. Its biggest sin is also its greatest strength: familiarity. There is not much that is original in this comic, but the sense that we’ve seen this all before is comforting after the chaos of the Krakoan Age.
X-Men #1 centers around a new team of Mutant heroes defending a world that hates and fears them. Cyclops serves as the field commander, leading the more combat-minded Mutants on missions. Conversely, Beast, as Base Director, supervises those Mutants whose gifts are better geared toward support roles. The issue alternates between Beast guiding a local sheriff through their base, and the field team facing a new enemy called “The Fourth School.”
The Fourth School are the weakest aspect of X-Men #1. Described as “a mix of Human, A.I. and mutant,” they are functionally the same as the Reavers, the Prime Sentinels, and every other cyborg menace to Mutantkind. The only twist is that they somehow manifested Mutant powers as adults.
X-Men #1 seems familiar, but that’s a good thing
It seems to be assumed that anyone reading X-Men #1 will already be familiar with the sizeable cast of characters. This is probably true, but it is easy to see how this might make the book inaccessible to new readers. That said, Jed MacKay does a surprisingly effective job of unfolding the recent history for new readers.
Unfortunately, X-Men #1 falls into the same trap as many ensemble comics. Most of the cast are not defined well beyond their powers and codenames. Psylocke suffers the most in this regard, though a former romance between Kid Omega and Temper is established.
Thankfully, these issues are offset by the truly funny dialogue throughout the issue. One fantastic line involves Cyclops having to sarcastically “repeat things you already know” to Kid Omega in order to justify some necessary exposition. The friendly snark between the heroes will be comfortably familiar to longtime fans of the X-Men franchise.
The artwork by Ryan Stegman is similarly well-executed. Stegman’s style is vividly detailed yet boasts a smooth simplicity. He is also a good visual storyteller, and the panel-to-panel action flows freely. He is well supported by J.P. Mayer’s inks and Marte Garcia’s colors.
On the whole, X-Men #1 doesn’t do anything unusual with its premiere issue. It promises a fresh start for Marvel’s Mighty Mutants, but it does little to change up the classic formula beyond a new base and some new members. In this case, however, the comic feels more like a homecoming than a bold new direction, and that is quite welcome.
Grade: 4/5.
X-Men #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
