The X-Men have been torn asunder, so a new team must rise to fight Orchis because no one else will. That’s the basic premise of Uncanny Avengers, which spins out of the events of X-Men: The Hellfire Gala 2023. In that book, Xavier’s dream is dashed, millions of mutants are possibly dead, and the announced X-Men team is largely dead or broken up. Now it’s up to Captain America, Quicksilver, and Rogue to form a team and help all mutants in need. They’re going to need the help.
For any X-Men fans on the fence about this series, know that it is very much a continuation of the X-Men struggle and heavily features X-Men characters. Uncanny Avengers #1 opens with M.O.D.O.K. and Dr. Stasis opening a sci-fi-looking tomb that will go on to become Captain Krakoa. The evil villains are well written here, setting up the big mystery of this story arc as we ponder the identity of Captain Krakoa. Since Captain Krakoa was once Cyclops, many assume it’s him, and he appears to be leading a mutant outfit yet secretly enacting Orchis’ plans. Thus, this series is a continuation of where the X-Men go from here and a battle between Captain America and Captain Krakoa’s teams.
Meanwhile, Captain Krakoa does some recruitment of his own. He’s forming a new New Mutant Liberation Front, and the team is fairly powerful. I won’t spoil who is on the team, but it certainly leans into the villain category.
Speaking of teams, this issue sets up the Uncanny Avengers well. Writer Gerry Duggan has the skeleton of the team recruiting, and Psylocke and Penance are in their crosshairs to join. The recruitment involves an attack on an Orchis camp, and it’s a good bit of wartime writing. Heroes don’t normally kill, but it’s abundantly clear they must at this time.
Psylocke is a dangerous hero!
Credit: Marvel
Javier Garron’s art is super clean and pleasing to the eye. It has that in-your-face look Marvel is known for, with great colors to back it up by Morry Hollowell. It’s almost as if the characters are popping off the page, be it a psi-blade or Captain America’s shield reflecting oh so cleanly. There are some good creative bits like Deadpool looking through his own stomach after a hole is blasted through and how cool Quicksilver looks as he speeds around.
What makes this issue work so well isn’t necessarily the art or the plot, but the character work. Duggan makes sure to balance the attention on the various characters on both teams, giving us just enough Deadpool comedy or Psylocke’s super seriousness. It’s pretty obvious that Captain America is deadly series and in wartime mode too, which helps make this team feel a touch different from past iterations. It’s also nice to get a quick check-in with the underground X-Men team of Kate Pryde and Ms. Marvel. Attention to detail is high in this book.
There’s also a slightly zoomed-out presence in the book, which helps add to the stakes and general viewpoint on mutants in the Marvel universe. That’s aided by Dr. Stasis giving a speech early on, but Ben Urich is also a main character in this issue. Given Duggan’s work with Urich in past issues with Cyclops, it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used going forward. He’s mostly established here, though, so don’t expect him to save Cyclops or anything just yet.
Fans of the X-Men and Avengers will enjoy every second of Uncanny Avengers. It balances character and action with a heroes-at-war angle that suits the dark time Marvel’s mutants are in. This is great adrenaline-charged superhero comics.
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