It’s war on Arrakko and nothing will stop it, even with the Hellfire Gala putting mutants in grave danger. The battle pits Genesis who wishes for the survival of the fittest brand of society, against Storm, who seeks peace. Peace is foreign to the Arraki, but can a society rife with war have any chance to rise up and fight Orchis?
That latter question isn’t the focus of X-Men: Red #14, which instead heavily focuses on the battle raging on Arrakko. The Hellfire Gala does play some part, but mostly to remind us war can feel futile when your people are being attacked elsewhere. This issue does well to capture the high stakes of the war and establish the powers on both sides. This is a war that could rage for a long time, even with Storm on one side.
Al Ewing utilizes captions very well in the opening pages, setting up Genesis’ moves to gain an edge. These captions fall away when the story switches to Storm but come back at opportune times when the battle is raging. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see Genesis in any dialogue scenes, though, which reduces her role to more legend in the fight versus Storm, who talks about tactics and the status of the battle. That makes the war a bit one-sided from the reader’s perspective.
Look at these crazy mutant powers!
Credit: Marvel
Other characters that get cool moments include Nova and Sunspot, who are basically like generals under Storm. Ewing has carved out a unique bunch of characters, and the wartorn culture of Arrakko is fascinating to see. It’s a different look and feel for X-Men comics, that’s for sure. It’s also nice to see Isca get a moment, however brief.
The war scenes are masterfully done by Yıldıray Çınar, who makes the chaos of it all effortless. There are some creative mutants on the battlefield we’ve never seen before, which helps spark the imagination as you ask yourself what their powers are. This series has always been good with quieter moments which works well when a character admits to loving another. It’s tender, and you’ll believe their bond is true.
Intermixed with the war scenes are histories of Arakko told as if on scrolls. They add context and history to the people adding a lofty history on top of all the fighting. This adds a bit of purpose to the war scenes and continues to build on a corner of the mutant universe that’s still very new.
X-Men: Red #14 pulls off an all-out war that feels heavy on high stakes and impactful moments. That’s not easy to do, especially in one issue, but by the end, you’ll believe Storm and her army are fighting for their lives.
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