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X-Men #14
Marvel Comics

Comic Books

‘X-Men’ #14 is the X-Men in their element

This issue makes you wish the rest of the series had this vibe and hopefully, future issues do too.

Judgment Day continues on, and X-Men #14 is another issue of the X-Men at battle with the Celestials. The issue does a great job of dealing with its themes and with balancing its team roster, for the most part.

When Duggan started his X-Men run, oftentimes it felt like the Scott and Jean show, leaving the other characters to be largely unfocused on unless in small bursts. So far with the new team, the balance of panel time between the cast is much more equal, giving everyone a chance to have their own moment. Often I’d be reading the series and wondering “where is Rogue? why isn’t she doing anything? Why isn’t Laura in this issue? Why didn’t Shiro speak at all?”

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That’s not a problem with the new team, and it seems like Duggan is leaning into the special aspects of each his characters to make the story work most. The best example of this is the journalist segment, in which she is told to drop the “gay” mutant from the title of her Iceman article by her editor. “Why do we need to know? Why is that important?” he says, echoing what many real life people say when gay folks are open about their own sexuality or are featured in media. After Iceman fights his battle, he gives an interview with the journalist.

The mutant metaphor can be sticky at times, there’s no doubt about it, but this issue is a really effective use of it. When Bobby tells the interviewer about how he grew up being told to “hold something back” and how he was “hiding who [he] really was” its the perfect intersection of what the mutant metaphor can be when used effectively. He’s not just talking about his mutation, he’s talking about being gay — and the text isn’t afraid to say that point blank.

X-Men #14

Image: Marvel Comics

The mutant metaphor is kind of a catch-all for all “othered” people, but having Bobby talk about this experience in such a pointed way where he’s saying he’s no longer afraid to be proud of who he is – it’s a great way to examine how Bobby being gay gave him that experience as well as his mutation. The language here is so specifically coded to get that message across, and it’s a really great scene that culminates in the journalist telling her editor she refuses to erase “gay” from the headline because she won’t censor the truth to appeal to narrow-minded individuals.

Saying the “gay” part out loud as well as the mutant part is what makes the metaphor work, paralleling the two experiences to make use of the metaphor. When you have your characters in these positions say that part out loud, it’s what makes the story reach so many readers instead of hiding behind the metaphor entirely to avoid explicit references to bigotry in our real world. When you have Taki talk about his disability, Monet talk about her religion, or Bobby mention how he lives as a gay man, that’s what makes the metaphor really work.

There’s some nice team rapport between all the characters, featuring that familial banter that makes X-Men comics so fun historically. At many times, this issue feels like reading a classic story from before Schism where everything became so gloom and doom. It’s a nice return to form for the series.

Scott’s interaction with the Celestial at the end and his banter with Magik are great, giving Scott his own badass moment where he stands up in front of the Celestial and says “not today.” The first year of the Krakoa era I had lamented that Scott hadn’t really felt like himself and was being written more like he was stuck in the ’90s era. But this feels like the Scott who lived through Utopia and the Revolution era, confident and not willing to stand down against his enemies.

Havok didn’t really get much to do, but it didn’t feel too jarring when so many other characters on this team did get a spotlight. CF Villa’s pencils shine during fight sequences, and the shot of Scott walking through the snow with his visor being the only light in the area looked awesome.

All in all, X-Men #14 was another fun return to form of sorts and had some great, powerful moments. This issue makes you wish the rest of the series had this vibe and hopefully, future issues do too.

X-Men #14
‘X-Men’ #14 is the X-Men in their element
X--Men #14
X-Men #14 was another fun return to form of sorts and had some great, powerful moments. This issue makes you wish the rest of the series had this vibe and hopefully, future issues do too.
Reader Rating1 Vote
8.5
Iceman's segment is a great use of the mutant metaphor
Scott is feeling more like himself
Havok didn't really get much to do
8.5
Great

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