Of all the X-books that have been coming out since 2019, Hellions has perhaps been the most pleasant surprise. Writer Zeb Wells doesn’t seem to miss a beat with these characters as he weaves a web of stories that always seem to come back.
It’s this reason that Hellions feels like it truly does make the most of each of its issues, making each one feel necessary. The Amenth plot from X of Swords is a huge player in this storyline, as is the story of Kwannon’s child, which Wells was seeding the groundwork for from the very start of this run.
Tarn has been a fun character to see, someone who is creepy and at the same time, entertaining. To have Tarn and the Amenth plot lead straight into Sinister’s chimeras is just too good to ignore. Chimeras were huge in House of X/Powers of X and they signaled some pretty nasty stuff on the horizon for mutants in Hickman’s work. It’s awesome to see some of those plots come back in the main story — and it does a lot to not only make Hellions stand out in the X-line, but feel important.
Image: Marvel Comics
A lot of the current X-titles are just very self-contained and although certain stories may be fun on their own, it’s hard to get a sense of why any of this matters. Hellions doesn’t have this problem, as seen by Sinister’s continuous misdeeds and the introduction of chimera. It’s clear this plot is only just getting started, and with Inferno on the horizon, exciting stories here seem guaranteed.
The art isn’t bad by any stretch, but it tends to look much better on action sequences and panels of characters in conversation rather than close-up shots that rely on showing off the characters’ emotions. The action Roge Antonio draws are engaging, making use of the characters’ powers.
Hellions #15 displays the wonderful dysfunction of the team and makes the book feel relevant and fresh, including in plot beats that feel like they have major implications.
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