Marvelous X-Men #2 Explores A World Without Family
by Tony Thornley
If anything’s been clear about the Age of X-Man, it’s that this is not your typical superhero story. It’s explored the drawbacks of a utopia, and explored a world where one person has way too much control, in a very negative way. This issue explores why that’s a bad thing in a big way.
Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Marco Failla, Matt Milla, and Joe Caramagna continue the core story of the Age of X-Man. It also puts their characters in the position of questioning their world in a much different way than previous issues of the event have.
The X-Men stop a riot began in the aftermath of one of Apocalypse’s peaceful demonstrations. The encounter leaves the team shaken though. Several of them are haunted by visions of a past they don’t remember, while others are shaken by the encounter itself, and the presence of one specific person in particular…
This issue puts one of the strengths of this event so far front and center- this isn’t a story about the events, it’s about the people. In this issue, Magneto and Laura Kinney both are center stage, and we get together see how their family bonds shaped them- and how the absence of them have affected them for the worse. It’s a dynamic that comics don’t go into often enough, and it really makes the issue shine.
Failla and Milla are able to make this relatively low-stakes issue a lot of action. The riot is quelled quickly, but just like the script is about the characters, the art shows how it affects them, both during and after. One particular highlight is Storm, who doesn’t actually do much this issue, but in the background, it’s clear she has so much happening in her head. And that’s just one example of of how much the team packs these pages, and it’s such an engaging read.
This event is not getting enough press, but it’s one of the most fascinating and engrossing events from the big two in years.
Marvelous X-Men #2 is available now from Marvel Comics.
