X-Tremists #5 Drops An A-Bomb Into The Age Of X-Man
by Tony Thornley
Jubilee is one of the X-Men franchise’s most popular but underestimated characters. For years she’s been seen as a fun, beloved but ultimately unsubstantial character. X-Tremists #5 shows us all how wrong that is.
Leah Williams, Georges Jeanty, Roberto Poggi, Jim Charalampidis, and Clayton Cowles give Jubilee the spotlight she deserves in the conclusion of this Age of X-Man series.
Jubilee has remembered her past life in the Prime universe, starting with her son Shogo. Her life a lie, she recruits her teammates, themselves infuriated at the manipulation, to burn it all down. Will their rage be enough to end the Age of X-Man?
Williams takes a fairly rote plot and fills it full of emotion and depth. Jubilee has had great spotlights before, but we’ve never really seen how much restraint she shows day by day. Her love for Shogo is palpable too, driving the entire story. For Williams’ first miniseries as Marvel, she’s shown a remarkable grasp of character, while still driving the plot and action forward. I’m thrilled to pick up what she works on next.
Jeanty and Poggi put the emotion on the page so well, from Jubilee’s enraged snarl on page 1, panel 1, to the pain and fear every other character goes through. Their depiction of Jubilee is the clear highlight, but late in the issue they illustrate a sequence with Iceman, the last of the team to remember, that stays tight on Bobby as he suffers through the pain of what he’s going through. Each character gets at least one such moment in the issue, and it’s great work. Charalampidis adds so much atmosphere with his color art, giving the story a great depth that helps carry the action forward.
We’re mere weeks from the end of the Age of X-Man, and if this issue is any indication, the end of the event is going to be explosive.
X-Tremists #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.
