- August 16, 2023
Dark X-Men #1 Review
Written by: Steve Foxe
Art by: Jonas Scharf
Coloring by: Frank Martin
Lettering by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editing by: Lauren Amarao, Jordan D. White
Now, I’ve never been a fan of Madelyne Pryor, nor have I been a hater. I just straight up haven’t gotten the chance to love this character. One moment, she’s getting all of this great character development in New Mutants, and the next she’s basic supervillain for Dark Web… or at least the beginning, I dropped that event pretty fast. It’ll be nice not only to get some real time to understand her but to see her bounce off a bunch of characters she’s not on the verge of fighting. That’s what’s drawn me to Dark X-Men #1.
It certainly wasn’t going to be the rest of the cast.
The Weird Cast of Dark X-Men
Dark X-Men has to be one of the weirdest X-Men line-ups out there. It’s full of characters so far down the popularity totem pole that asides from Gambit and Havok, I thought most of these characters were new. It gives the creative team a lot of potential for creating character dynamics, and based on this first issue, I’m willing to bet on who will stand out.
Azazel’s personality jumps off the page, already looking to be the devil on the Goblin Queen’s shoulders; Havok is showing off how much bottom energy he has; and in a strange twist, Gambit somehow seems like the straight man. It’s a wild dynamic in issue one when you put it into context.
The addition of cameos from the Children of the Atom is also welcome. Those characters were incredibly fun and relatable as teen superheroes. I’m glad to see that they haven’t been forgotten about.
The Art of Limbo
I have to admit, I have mixed feelings on the art. Some characters seem better realized than others, but if there’s one thing that they definitely got right, it’s the Doom-vibe the Goblin Queen brings wherever she goes. And I mean the video game Doom. The world always feels a bit more red when she’s on page, and that makes the book visually distinct from the other X-Books.
This does mean that some people won’t be into the art. What I find so special about it, will come off as grungy and gross to other people because it almost feels like it’s supposed to. But I still think it’s worth giving a chance, at least for the first issue.
Thank You For Reading!
So suffice to say, I think you should give this book a chance. I think you have a good chance of enjoying it. It’s different from the other X-Books going on, and it will introduce you to a ton of new characters. I think something new can be good for the soul now and then, even if the Goblin Queen is not.
Also, there wasn’t as long a pause between posts this time, hooray again! This means we’re at my stock ending phrase. This is where I say, “if you liked this review, please like and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the blog.” Thank you for reading!