Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. After a huge shift in the status quo, the X-Books relaunch with a flagship title written by a famous creator from genre television. It’s pitched as a back to basics premise where the X-Men are focused on heroes again. All of this is viewed through the eyes of Kitty Pryde, who returns to the team after an extended hiatus. I am pleased to say that these similarities aren’t just skin deep and X-Men Gold looks to be the most astonishing X-Men title in years.
Writer Marc Guggenheim knows his X-Men, that much is obvious. While some recent writers may have had a few character voices down, nothing feels as cohesive and Claremontian as the team in X-Men Gold. Kitty gives a speech about acceptance, Kurt is everyone’s best friend, Colossus is a softie, Storm bears the burden of her actions, Rachel battles with the legacy she represents, and Logan is the gruff cowboy he excels at playing. After years of battling for survival, it is refreshing to see the X-Men be heroes again.
The counterpoint to this is the issue of stagnation. This book and the recent X-Men Prime are setting up the new status quo with an eye on the future. Guggenheim seeds future stories organically into the plot without sacrificing momentum. Characters are moving forward, while still remembering their past.
The book isn’t perfect. A scene between Nightcrawler and Storm doesn’t hit as well as the story wants and at times it feels like characters are talking directly to the audience. The art by Ardian Syaf isn’t as tight or detailed as I had hoped and some of the faces end up a little wonky. A softball scene (yes, there is softball) that should be filled with fun cameos ends up generic thanks to a lack of detail on the character models. Frank Martin’s colors, however, do a great job setting the tone for the book.
X-Men Gold has one mission, set up the new status quo and reassure disgruntled readers that this is the X-Men they know and love. It draws from every era and synthesizes them into something new and exciting. It is a palate cleanser for fans who have lost their appetite for the X-Men over the last few years. As for me, I am eagerly anticipating the next issue. Marvel has rediscovered what people love about the X-Men, now they just need to ensure they don’t forget the most important thing to mutantkind’s survival, evolution.
On sales 4/5/17
Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
