A Comic Book Editorial
From the ashes of the old arises a new direction in the existence of Marvel’s mighty mutants. With uncharted territory ahead of them, the Children of the Atom have arrived at an impasse…
The evolutionary road of Marvel Comics’ most popular and often controversial characters has ended an arc in the landmark final issue of X-Men #35 (which is considered in legacy publishing terms Uncanny X-Men #700). The issue, published in June 2024 and entitled “Dream’s End,” centered on wrapping the long, convoluted “First Krakoan Age” storyline and setting the stage for an all-new start for the beloved and often maligned mutant heroes. It’s a far cry from the days that marked the X-Men franchise among the best-selling books to beat.
In recent times, the contemporary story arcs practically elevated the X-Men and the ever-increasing mutant population to near-god-like levels, further forcing their ostracizing among humanity and even the rest of the superhero community. The X-Men had long called the upper crest Westchester, New York suburbs home and inhabited a mansion that served as their campus, which sat on top of a multi-level subterranean headquarters. As the mutant population grew in astronomical measures, many immigrated to the continent nation of Genosha, becoming easy targets for enemies.
As the X-Men and those other mutants they swore to protect were under further threat (see the events of 2019’s House of X and Powers of X), the Pacific Island Krakoa returned to the picture, this time as a sentient being. A mutually symbiotic relationship soon develops, and the Earth’s mutants, again under the protection of the X-Men, establish a new home and nation on Krakoa. Ever since, Krakoa has supported the X-Men, who further evolved, becoming nearly immortal, and soon discovered that even their new sanctuary comes with a price.
The insulation of the X-Men led to years of power struggles and discontent, as the mutant population found that even their leaders couldn’t keep the peace. Eventually, the arc was no longer sustainable, it would seem, and no matter the refinement, the storylines just got increasingly eccentric, deviating far from anything that even felt identifying, especially to longtime readers. A sea change was inevitable, and the #35 issue in the latest run signals that “a new beginning” is in order, one that perhaps leads us back to Professor X’s dream.
The First Genesis.
The original cast of characters was introduced in X-Men #1, published in September 1963, and created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who had ushered in a new way of telling stories that put Marvel Comics back on the map. What set this group apart from their contemporaries, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the assembled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that comprised the Avengers, was that these teenagers were all students under the tutelage and protection of Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant.
In Marvel mythology, a “mutant” is an individual born with a genetic trait, an X-gene, and with unique gifts and abilities that set them apart from other humans. Unlike similar heroes introduced at the time whose origin stories were often the result of a freak science experiment, like Spider-Man, or were exposed to unpredictable amounts of radiation as in the case of The Hulk, or the members of Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, born with their superhuman powers and were considered outcasts.
The general population feared mutants, and in retaliation for their hateful attacks, mutants among their ranks used their gifts to protect themselves for their gain. The powerful mutant Magneto emerged as the leader of a brotherhood dedicated to a new world order with mutants on top, with humans subservient to his will. The self-proclaimed Master of Magnetism became an arch nemesis of the X-Men and would find himself at odds with Xavier, who was a long-time friend and one-time ally. Since the beginning, the X-Men were determined to rise above ignorance and prejudice and defend all.
As the teen heroes matured, their popularity wained some, but a renaissance -- a second genesis -- would soon arrive, and the X-Men prepared for the first of its "all-new, all-different" era. In August of 1975, legendary Marvel creatives Len Wein and Dave Cockrum pursued bringing to comics a book more reflective of the world's diversity. Giant-Size X-Men #1 brought together the first "next generation" representative of Charles Xavier's dream of a better tomorrow. The new roster included Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine, Banshee, Thunderbird, and Sunfire.
All-new, All-Different, and ready to make a proper debut, Uncanny X-Men #94 introduced the new group in August 1975 and began one of the longest terms for a creative writer on a single ongoing series for Chris Claremont. The historic run spotlighted the X-Men and would prove a monumental move for the imprint as sales skyrocketed for the publication. During the run, Uncanny X-Men remained at the top of Marvel’s best-selling list with story arcs courtesy of Claremont and future collaborations that, at the core, resonated with readers in a very human, very emotional way.
Too Much of a Good Thing.
There was no stopping the X-Men’s success! The comic book remained Marvel’s best-selling book well into the 1990s, outselling many other popular books. However, the X-Men weren’t necessarily achieving the mainstream notoriety of Spider-Man, Captain America, or The Fantastic Four. The exception, of course, was the scrappy anti-hero among them, Wolverine, whose more violent and feral tendencies appeared to capture the imagination of readers the most. The character’s mysterious past also added to his mystique, and Wolverine soon emerged as a solo star headlining his series.
The 1990s proved to be the most advantageous era for the X-Men brand! Capitalizing on the original book’s success, several spin-offs emerged, including a junior team of mutants, The New Mutants, a separate team consisting of the original core five named X-Factor, Excalibur were based in the UK, and eventually a paramilitary force of futurist freedom fighters calling themselves X-Force. With the various spin-off titles earning Marvel huge revenue, the decision was eventually made to relaunch a new title to enhance the main group’s profile further: X-Men #1 emerged as the best-selling book in 1991.
The new book’s phenomenal popularity also led to an animated series that ran for several seasons and reemerged as X-Men ’97 on the lexicon as an original series featured on the Disney+ streaming service.
In the new millennium, the X-Men would achieve mainstream popularity across all media, including feature films, when X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer, arrived in theaters. Starring Hugh Jackman as the aforementioned claw-wielding Wolverine, the character and the actor would achieve a superstar level unparalleled in the genre. Audiences couldn’t get enough of Marvel’s mighty mutants, and given all the tangent series appearing on the market, the editorial staff started finding ways to eventize crossover storylines that expanded the drama or pitted the X-Men against rivals like the Avengers.
The formula proved profitable. Inevitably, the bubble would likely burst. Eventually, the saturation of the X-Men brand proved too much even for veteran creative writer Claremont, who decided to end his historic run with Uncanny X-Men #279, published in 1991. After his departure, for longtime fans, it felt as if the guardrails were off, and although the mythology passed onto able creative hands, the genie was out of the bottle! Marvel had very big plans for its intellectual properties, and eventually, with Marvel Studios, the multi-media arm of publishing, making gains, changes took place that would have repercussions across the industry.
All-New, All-Different…
The new millennium's first decade would prove a major turning point for the comic book industry as blockbuster adaptations of superheroes to the big screen became more lucrative and attractive to Hollywood studios, as did rebranding and/or creating jumping-in points for new readers. They became incentive and more marketable. The 2000 theatrical release of X-Men was well-received, and a sequel soon followed. In the comics, narratively, the X-Men inhabited a far more hostile world to mutants and became far more isolated. Their conflicts very often become centered on internal strife and personally consequential matters.
Perhaps it was a by-product of the fact that the X-Men were not under the immediate IP offering that Marvel Studios could benefit from for their big-screen cinematic universe plans (at least not until recently). Still, the X-titles soon became islands (literally) onto themselves, laying the road for the “Krakoan Age.” Because of the assault on the X-Men by the nefarious villain Onslaught, most of Earth’s heroes were erased, only to be restored later by Franklin Richards. The role of the X-Men in defending their kind from persecution continued, and the Charles Xavier School became a sanctuary for many. The safety of its hallowed halls would prove temporary.
Time and again, year after year, the X-Men found themselves hunted or haunted by circumstances that continuously pushed the characters outside the realm of the ordinary until it felt like mutants had evolved or been elevated to a new level. This sort of dialogue was more familiar with other denizens of the Marvel Universe, like the Inhumans or perhaps even the Eternals. The X-Men felt oft removed and far from the stories that had endeared them to readers over the decades. Had the true mutant fan and reader done the unthinkable and aged out? That’s how it’s been feeling, certainly for this die-hard fan. I had been aching, hoping really for a return to the familiar.
From the Ashes — A New Beginning!
So, with the closing of one era, yet another dawn begins. This one is a rise “from the ashes” — still very much “on brand,” especially with Jean Grey’s Phoenix over the decades elevated to a particularly potent role among the X-Men pantheon, but alas — no, the “rise” doesn’t have anything to do with Ms. Grey. Instead, it’s a divination of the full-on fate of the Island Nation of Krakoa and the mutant population it sought to harbor. It becomes apparent that the X-Men adversary, Apocalypse, is not having it and strikes with deadly intent to prevent this “next phase” from ever happening.
He is stopped by the X-Men, who choose to “stay behind” while Krakoa and its mutant nation ascend (to exactly where, why, and what anyone’s guess is), but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have the emotional resonance of a cosmic tale like “The Fate of the Phoenix,” published in the 80s. The Chris Claremont and John Byrne classic was of tremendous scale and consequence and was still rooted in humanity and emotion, which made readers care about the 2D characters on the page. I read the last issue of X-Men #35 and was just grateful to get through it. It was nonsensical and felt unfamiliar.
Now, readers are being sold the new bill for an X-Men publishing event that will focus on “a new beginning,” yet I’ve read X-Men #1 (LGY#301), and I’m no closer to loving the revisionist history than I have been for the last two decades. The writing from Jed MacKay is wittingly inviting, but the voice of the characters (that should be familiar) is missing; the spotlight is profoundly more significantly placed on contemporary players. The art by Ryan Stegman is also genuinely impressive, with beautiful detailing and well-crafted symmetry for all the movement taking place, but it all looks plastic and articulated.
The ship used by the X-Men, “The Marauder,” is a flying train that is inconsistent from panel to panel. Cyclops’ task force is commandeering the headquarters, a once-machine-smith lab for crafting deadly hunter robots called Sentinels — seriously, what could go wrong? Although it has been several seasons since the Juggernaut has switched sides and fights on the side of the angels alongside his former enemies, the X-Men’s penchant for recruiting enemies into their ranks is not new. It often ends with the anticipated result — eventually, someone has to pick a side.
I’m grateful that the franchise still has the steam to garner such interest and inspire all-new iterations, but let’s look at the obvious hit: the animated series X-Men ’97 has been such a success because it adapts and emphasizes story arcs from an era when the X-Men were at their height, and [somewhat] still adhering to a core. I realize that my opinion may be unpopular, but there’s something to be said for gravitating to the tenets of nostalgia. It’s the rhythm everyone recalls. We’ve been promised a rise from the ashes, but so far… well, I’ve got my Hoover vacuum, just in case.
Marvel Comics X-MEN #1 | written by Jed MacKay, with art by Ryan Stegman | is available now. Pick up a copy at your local comic book retailer.
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