The following originally ran in the Weekly Planet 9/5/18.
Superheroes inspire us. They’re better than we can be. They’re kinder, smarter, frequently richer. Though none of us can lift a car, those in capes and spandex can teach us the why of their good deeds even if we can’t replicate them ourselves. They are an ideal to strive toward and I have never read a better ideal to strive toward than X-MEN: RED.
Jean Grey is back from the dead. Resurrected by the Phoenix Force that made her an icon, she’s come back to a world she barely recognizes. Deeply divided, flowing with hatred, where you can’t trust anything the people in power are telling you. Misinformation is everywhere. Persecution of mutants is at an all-time high. And an old foe is behind it all.
Jean gathers some trusted allies to form one of the most interesting and unique X-lineups I can remember. Nightcrawler. Storm. Gambit. Namor. All-New Wolverine and Honey Badger. Together with a Wakandan strongman and an technopath, they’re going to break through the lies and save every mutant they can from their underwater base, “Searebro.”
Each issue of X-MEN RED just gets better and better. I find myself welling up at least once with every new installment. X-MEN RED is the perfect superhero book for this exact moment. It’s full of hope and goodness at a time when that is sorely needed. It’s a Superman book starring nine supermen.
Writer Tom Taylor (Injustice, All-New Wolverine) has a tremendous series on his hands. I love everything the man has ever written and X-MEN: RED is shaping up to be my favorite yet. Taylor has a warm, beating heart at the center of everything he’s done. Whether they’re using their healing factors to cure an island of injured people, dropping Atlantis in the middle of a desert, or are Deadpool, the characters he writes run with the vibrancy and kindness I wish from all superhero comics. I’m going to cut myself off here for fear of expounding on his virtue for pages and pages.
This first volume is drawn by Mahmud A. Asrar (All-New All-Different Avengers, Totally Awesome Hulk), who is only off the book to draw the hell out of some Uncanny X-Men later this year, then to become the main artist on Jason Aaron’s Conan the Barbarian early next year. RED is one of the best-looking books on shelves. It’s full to the brim with gorgeous, kinetic action sequences and stunning character designs. Asrar is one of the best talents in recent memory and I’m going to cut myself off here for fear of expounding on his virtue for pages and pages.
This week, X-MEN: RED VOLUME ONE – THE HATE MACHINE hits our stands at FP. It’s the best X-team book in… five years? Six? Seven? In my personal opinion, maybe twelve. I think we have an all-timer on our hands here, folks. I’m romantically in love with this comic book.
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