Comics for Y'all

The X-Men comics relaunch once again. In many ways, the 2024 reboot is poised to be one of the most controversial kickoffs for a new mutant era, that is, since the last overhaul in 2019. The difference this time around, if the ever-truthful internet is to be believed, is those with doubts are seemingly more likely to put the book down, as opposed to giving it time. The Krakoa experience invigorated the fanbase and felt like the first real step forward after years of being trapped on a treadmill for many. Until of course the mutant island no longer retained the shine it once had. Even in the past era’s dying days, a sense of progress lingered for longtime readers. Perhaps the greatest hesitation for this new series is that it will drag the mutants back to a tired status quo from which they had barely escaped.

Staged from a repurposed Sentinel factory in Alaska, the new headquarters for the X-Men is one of the more aesthetically compelling components of the setup. Where the utopian island was a showcase of mutant abundance, the scaled-back base is a beacon of their struggle for survival. Unfortunately, this beacon is not any brighter than those of the past. The X-Men have always had an impressive home to fall back to, but Krakoa seemed to offer a more rich and unexplored home setting. I am not immediately curious or clamoring for stories that stem from the new situation, even with the dynamics of having human neighbors, as I was in the previous one.

While the base seems vaguely reminiscent of a former pre-Krakoa era, the tone around the characters is more outright in this fashion. The roster and general aesthetic are resetting hard to a post-Morrison-inspired direction. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach, or even surprising, considering it also aligns with some of the most popular versions of the characters, outside of comics in particular.

There is an argument to be made that the X-Men come in two distinct flavors culturally. The first stems from Chris Claremont and the animated series, and the other is based on Morrison and the early 2000s movies. Krakoa as imagined by Hickman was almost a true subversion of the dichotomy, but still leaned into the Claremont-esque side of the brand.

In terms of characterization from the kickoff issue, Cyclops was the standout and felt in line with his past depictions, by and large. There’s little doubt that even after having it all, Scott is more than prepared to fall back to being an X-Men team in the typical manner as needed. The others are less inspired, but they all hold at least some potential. I feel some resentment towards Beast’s memory loss after the recent dense and long-running Benjamin Percy line of comics. Hank may not remember, but I do. Magneto and Xorn were perhaps my low points, just because I wanted more from their introduction, and their designs were depressingly uninspired.

The truth of the matter is that this is not the previous era, and if readers were worried about a return to form, they should be hesitant about this series. Hopefully, some of the better aspects of the Krakoa era will influence and shine through as the title continues, but maybe not. I’ll continue reading, with an open mind to being surprised or won over, or both. But it certainly feels that a requirement to enjoy the new era may be the abandonment of attachments to the most recent one. Of course, this is also a long-running superhero comic, and this is just the first issue for the new team, so patience for more issues or a trade may be key for readers on the fence. There’s nothing here that begs to be read weekly, but if the quality picks up, the book won’t go unnoticed.

• X-Men 1 (2024), Jed MacKay (writer), Ryan Stegman (penciler), JP Mayer (inker), Marte Gracia (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer), Tom Brevoort (editor).