X-Tremists #4 Starts The Rebellion
by Tony Thornley
Nate Grey’s tenuous grasp of his control over the Age of X-Man has been one of the unifying themes of the event so far. By far the weakest grip was on the cast of X-Tremists and this issue shows it completely shatter…
Leah Williams, Georges Jeanty, Roberto Poggi, Jim Charalampidis, and Clayton Cowles give us another incredible character study. They also show why these are the worst possible characters X-Man could have made his secret police.
In the moments immediately following last issue, Northstar contemplates his mortality and… something that’s missing. Within a few days he gets a tip that one of his outlets, an emotional speakeasy run by Julio Richter, might be in danger. What follows could mean the end of Department X and the entire Age of X-Man…
Williams has stated several times that she built her cast with multiple prominent queer characters in order to face the problem of queer erasure head on. She delivers in this issue, taking three of the most prominent gay X-Men and putting them front and center in the story. It’s not simply just making a “statement” though, framing it as a fantastic character study of Northstar, probably one of the most prominent X-Men who’s not gotten a great spotlight.
Jeanty, Poggi and Charalampidis bring the script to life. Northstar has never been a character known for his emotional depth or vulnerability, but their art, combined with Williams’ words, has shown how deep and human he is, without taking away from what has already been established. It builds to a conclusion focused on its characters, built on a unity of story, line art and color, with an absolutely triumphant last page.
I cannot say enough how this has been one of the best single series to come from Marvel in years. It’s emotional, funny, thrilling and without a doubt an excellent read.
X-Tremists #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
