The fate of mutantkind will be decided here! Prepare for a new team of X-Men for a new Marvel Universe. Today, Marvel is pleased to present your new look inside EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1! Eisner Award-nominated writer Jeff Lemire (All-New Hawkeye, Sweet Tooth) and chart-topping artist Humberto Ramos usher mutantkind into a new era for the flagship X-Men title of All-New, All-Different Marvel! Eight months have passed, and the X-Men are in dire straits. A cataclysmic event that has altered the destinies of both Mutant and Inhuman. Many of the X-Men have gone missing – including their wayward leader Scott Summers. It will take the remaining X-Men to forge mutantkind into something stronger. Something extraordinary!
Storm, along with Colossus, Magik, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Jean Grey and Old Man Logan will lead those who are hated and feared headlong into tomorrow. Welcome to the new Marvel Universe, X-Men – hope you survive the experience! It all starts this October as Lemire and Ramos bring you EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1!
What I thought
Storm talks to herself while thinking about deceased mentor Charles Xavier. Magik rescues a persecuted mutant girl before meeting up with what remains of the X-men: Storm and Iceman. They make plans to save their race and go to young Jean Grey who has left the life of the hero behind. She reads Storm’s mind to find out the current state of mutant affairs but refuses to join them. In Russia Colossus has gone back to the life of a farmer and his sister comes back to take him back to the team. Nightcrawler meanwhile is facing down a band of mutants who are taking him back to their employer for experimentation. The tale ends with the team finding Old Man Logan from Secret Wars.
This is the “All New All Different X-men” that has been touted for months now. My first thought was just how same old it felt. Mutants hated, feared, hunted? That has been the central tenet of X-men since the 60’s. Alternate timeline versions of established characters on an X-men team, yeah we have seen that too. A team that needs reuniting, yes we’ve seen that too. (Shrugs) what was there to get excited for in Extraordinary X-men? Colossus went back to his country to farm…we saw that last time in HOM. Old Man Logan would have been a great reveal but marvel told us that was happening months ago. Storm as the central figure in this new status quo is an interesting thought, love her hair by the way but the costume is flat. I enjoyed the character driven moments and while it was formulaic it has a certain nostalgic charm. Jean is approached as the “heart” of the X-men…every time they have an estranged member this is the same speech given. I have many problems with the story logic…for one if mutants are being sterilized that does not equal end of the mutant race since it’s been established mutants can be born from normal humans and conversely mutant parents can give birth to normal humans. It’s contrived but hey let’s see if Lemire can do something with this. The art is on point, no doubt about it. The cover is stylized and eye popping. Extinction in X-men is played out as hell…Legacy Virus, M-day etc. Even the notion of a mutant haven to save the race is not new…Asteroid M and later Cyclops’ Utopia. It’s all been done before.
Overall the pervading feeling I left Extraordinary X-men #1 with was just how also-rans it felt. While the Terrigen mists may be killing and sterilizing mutants this status quo which lacks originality, a sense of urgency or gravitas leaves this just plain old ordinary X-men. We give this issue 2.5/5 stars
Lose the stupid mohawk. Regardless of what Marvel has done to the character, she is still Queen of Wakanda in my opinion, and should be attired accordingly.
I agree sir . lose the mohawk .
with respect I entirely agree
I would like to make a few brief comments
For me , this story really fell flat
.As you say in your review , we have seen it all before
Having Logan show up on the last page was the final nail in the coffin .
Every thing is going back to what it was . Marvel put us through that pointless Battle world and and still unfinished Secret Wars just to bring us back to essentially the same spot
Unhappily I also got the distinct impression that the writer was simply” phoning it in” or working from a check list he got from Marvel H Q .He did not seem to be invested in the story or connected the characters . From reading his independent work ( Sweet Tooth , Underwater Welder ) I know Mr Le Muire is capable of thoughtful interesting work featuring engaging characters and satisfying stories.
Sadly I see none of that here
The art was slick but cold
I think you were overly generous in your rating
I for one love storm with a Mohawk . I was first introduced to her with it. Anyone that knows the Storm character, knows that she is a trend setting and trend following woman. She changes her hair and her attire with her mood ( just like any real woman ).