• • Comic Book Reviews
• May 25, 2022

Legion of X #1 Review

Written by: Si Spurrier

Art by: Jan Bazaldua

Coloring by: Federico Blee

Lettering by: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Editing by: Anita Okoye, Sarah Brunstad

Legion of X follows up one of the best arcs in this era of X-Men with the Onslaught Revelation. That means I’ve had high hopes for it. So suffice to say, I set myself up for a little disappointment. I would not say that this book’s writing quality isn’t good anymore, so much as the concept feels different, and not in the best way.

It feels like it’s trying to show what mutants have instead of police. It seems like a logical conclusion that every civilization needs some kind of law enforcement. In real life those are cops, and their institution is corrupt to say the least. What mutants come up with is supposed to feel like a peaceful and empathetic alternative. Reading this issue, it just feels like Nightcrawler has created the mutant police with extra steps.

It’s like every time the book tries to show how empathetic these law enforcement officers are, the characters then do something just like a cop would. Nightcrawler talks about not wanting to just ‘enforce’ the law, yet he recruits the Juggernaut whose first reaction is always to punch someone. He wants his agents to show empathy first, but he sends out ForgetMeNot, a mutant whose power makes true communication all but impossible, and causes a fight.

I firmly believe this is on purpose and that Si Spurrier has a plan for all of these mismatched pieces. Way of X slowly built up to its magnificent crescendo. My lack of enthusiasm here just means that I and others who are conflicted about this issue are going to have to be more patient.

So don’t expect this series to hit the ground running. This issue doesn’t do that, making it quite different from the other titles from Destiny of X. This means it’s not the best starting issue of Destiny of X, but not the worst, and it’s worth keeping an eye on for better or worse.