Battle of the Atom is over and thus begins a new era of the X-Men. We kick the BoA aftermath off with an ambitious new title. Amazing X-Men has been teased as the return of Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) and is created by an all-star creative team. So does this dead mutant come back with pride and glory? Is it good?
Amazing X-Men #1 (Marvel Comics)
I have to say, while the part of this comic took that place at Westchester was reminiscent of classic X-Men and a lot of fun, the scenes in heaven were simply fantastic. Kurt is in the most glorious place of all creation but yet he still feels melancholy and empty. In part, that has to do with regrets about his first life but mostly, I think he just wants to be an X-Man again. These scenes are packed with emotion and drama leading up to an exciting and different feeling brawl between Kurt and an unusual enemy. It is really awesome to see Kurt back in action again and the first fight of his return was definitely a good one.
EPIC!
While it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, the concept of bringing up the central villain at the beginning then only returning to him at the very end is a good fit for this book. The villain confronts Nightcrawler early on in the comic then appears only again on the last page. As the cover suggests, the villain in this story is Azazel, someone who deserves more spotlight in the Marvel universe. Other than Azazel telling Kurt that he was Kurt’s father (awkward and unnecessary bit of dialogue) the scenes with the red pirate are terrific.
Kurt knows he’s your son, no need to remind him.
I am very pleased with this new team of X-Men as well. An unlikely group of adventurers are thrown into a situation instead of forming on their own free will, a storytelling technique that feels fresh and much less forced. My only gripe with the roster as it stands now is the fact that Wolverine is part of it. I think we all have enough Logan in our lives; I think he appears in eight monthly titles at this point.
Jason Aaron writes well, especially in terms of dialogue. He could write an entire school day minute-by-minute at the Jean Grey School and it still wouldn’t be boring. All of the quips and lines of banter are witty and fun to read. I absolutely adore the new relationship started with Bobby, Warbird and Angelica. It brings out Warbird, an interesting character usually overlooked, to the forefront and makes a little love triangle, an always fun story-telling technique.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but I can’t seem to tell how this comic will fit in with the rest of the X-Men universe. Will this become the flagship title? How does this adventure effect the All-New X-Men? My guess is that this will really only affect the adults of the X-Men and will leave the All-New to do something totally out of the norm. It is ambitious, moving a whole group of mutants to heaven and I’m not sure how well Jason Aaron will be able to handle it.
9.5
- All of the scenes with Kurt in heaven are zippy and fresh
- Dialogue is witty and funny
- Art is flawless
- Promising roster
- Just because you don’t have enough already, some more Wolverine
And how could you tell a story about heaven if there wasn’t, well, heavenly art to accompany the writing? Ed McGuinness is a fantastic penciler and his prowess really shows in this comic. The action flows well and all of the characters look great. The inks in shading, while standard, also help out the books lively atmosphere.
Is It Good?
Oh yeah. An ambitious and well-made premier of a promising new series.
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