Immortal X-Men vol. 1
The Jonathan Hickman era of “X-Men” started out with a bang but ended with a whimper. It’s a cliche way of putting things, yet one that’s wholly appropriate for how things wound up As someone who has been following the adventures of Marvels Merry Mutants for a few decades now, I’m no stranger to disappointment when it comes to seeing a vaunted run not pan out the way we were hoping. I keep reading because even when that happens there’s the hope that whoever follows will deliver something better.
So when it was announced that Kieron Gillen would be stepping in after Hickman’s exit, I was excited for what the future would bring. Particularly since the final page of “Inferno” implied that “Immortal X-Men” would be picking up on the developments established in that title. Given the writer’s track record and the appearance that he would have a great deal of freedom to dictate the future of Krakoa going forward, there was no reason not to be hyped for this title. Which is why I’m a little disappointed that this first volume of “Immortal X-Men” is just good rather than great.
While the title “Immortal X-Men” is a nod to the mutants’ newfound immortality as part of the Krakoa Era, it’s not that indicative of what this series is about. The focus here is on the members of the Quiet Council and their agendas, both stated and hidden. With the resurrection of Destiny, and the revelation of Moira’s betrayal the council has not been as stable as it has been in recent weeks. They’re about to get another shock as well with Magneto announcing his retirement to Planet Arakko, thus freeing up another seat on the council.
This plot thread doesn’t take up the whole volume, thankfully, but it’s the kind of small-scale offering that marks most of the storytelling here. It also leads to Selene creating a monster out of the External Gate for everyone to fight, Emma revealing the existence of Doctor Stasis to the council and Mister Sinister’s reaction, and the mutants’ involvement in the “Judgment Day” crossover as well. None of this is bad and there’s plenty of Gillen’s trademark cleverness and wittiness to enjoy while reading it all. It’s just that if you were expecting the writer to stake out a definite long-term plan for this series, then you’re not going to find it here.
In fact, what this first volume feels closest to is his run on “Uncanny X-Men.” That was a short-lived but well-liked tenure which found the writer dancing between the raindrops of multiple crossovers, dealing with the fallout from storylines in other titles, and doing a much better job of it than you’d expect. With “Judgment Day” sticking its nose in here, “Sins of Sinister” currently ongoing, and “Fall of X” slated for later this year you get the feeling that the writer is doing his best once again to tell stories that set up and feed off of those events. He hasn’t lost his touch there, however, but it’s clear that he wasn’t given the kind of freedom I was expecting to chart the future of the “X-Men.”
If there is any kind of through-line for these issues, it’s the utter bastardry of Mister Sinister. Gillen’s initial run on “Uncanny” offered up a take on the character that was so diabolically fabulous that it has since become the de facto interpretation of him. So when the first issue is all about him and his attempts to utilize a certain mutant power to game reality itself in his favor, only for them to go horribly awry, you’d expect it to be tremendously entertaining. And it is! Better still is the fallout when Sinister tries to be heroic by juicing up to kaiju size in the following issue, and that Doctor Stasis revelation which actually manages to catch him off guard. I realize it’s all part of the lead-up to “Sins of Sinister” but the character is written so well, with his arrogance and struggle coming off as equally delicious, that the volume’s focus on him is absolutely one of its strong points.
While Sinister is arguably the focus of this volume, and gets all of its best moments, it should also be noted that subsequent issues are structured as to provide individual character spotlights. Hope gets center stage in the second issue, followed by Destiny, Emma Frost, Exodus and Sebastian Shaw. These are all nice to see and it’s good to see a previous Gillen-written character like Hope get some proper focus to remind us that she’s a capably violent and sweary soldier in addition to her part of the Five. The dive into Destiny’s mind and powers was also appreciated in light of her absence from the franchise pre-”Inferno” as was the insight into Exodus as he’s always been defined by his fanaticism in following other characters rather than any ideals of his own.
There isn’t a bad dive into each featured character in the issues described here. However, I was kind of hoping for a bit more given the single-issue focus on each of them. What I got from each portrait was insight rather than revelation. I may have come to understand these characters a bit more but I can’t say that we got a definitive take on any of them from this first volume. At this rate, Gillen’s work with Sinister from his previous run on “Uncanny” is going to stand as his most noteworthy interpretation of any character primarily associated with the “X-Men.”
The art in this volume comes mostly from Lucas Werneck with Michele Bandini pitching in on issues 4 & 5. It’s all good work for what is a very talky series. Werneck makes a good first impression with his WWI-era encounter between Sinister and Destiny shifting immediately to the mad scientist’s over-the-top hideout. What the artist presents here is effortlessly stylish and eye-catching with his characters emoting well enough to keep you invested in their conversation. This is all true to a lesser extent for Bandini, who nevertheless manages to sell the tricky task of giving us a Sinister who looks concerned and unsure of himself for a few quick scenes.
While the focus on Sinister is great, it doesn’t quite lead to a volume that marks the start of a memorable “X-Men” run. With all of the crossovers currently intruding and scheduled to intrigued on this run it feels that Gillen is back to reacting to them rather than telling his own story. I realize that there have been a lot of “X-Men” runs that have had similar issues, but not many of them were written by one of my favorite writers in the business, who I know is capable of greatness. For now, it looks like I’ll have to satiate myself with the writer’s abilities to plan through the chaos, make me laugh while I’m doing it, and art that’s able to sell everything he’s doing. There are worse fates to be had than to read an “X-Men” title that is just good, after all.