In superhero stories, heroes and villains never die, which we all knew would be the case for Magneto. Killed last summer to save the people of Arakko–Krakoa’s sister mutant colony–mutants need him now more than ever with Xavier in the wind and a plethora of mutants dead or missing. Enter Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio’s Resurrection of Magneto, a four-issue series to bring him back, but that is if he wants to be back.
At $5.99, this comic feels like a bargain. It’s a lengthier read with a lot of trippy concepts to wrap your head around. It’s a mix of spiritual and sci-fi, landing somewhere in the middle for fans to attempt to comprehend in all its wonderment. At its core, it’s a story of Storm going through trials and levels, not unlike Dante’s Inferno, as she navigates levels to reach a place where mutants go between life and death.
The richness of this story comes by way of Ewing’s laying out where Storm is at any present time, what it means to break through that level, and what it all might mean in the grand tapestry of X-Men lore. Dominion comes up, yes, but also places like the Well Beyond Worlds. Ewing is a master at connecting current stories to snippets of lore or Marvel history, and you get that sprinkled throughout this issue. It strengthens the story in ways that will have fans reading back issues while also making this fictional world seem all the more accurate and well thought out.
Marvel, give us more Blue Marvel, please.
Credit: Marvel
We all know Storm is a badass, and this issue confirms it in multiple ways. She can do no wrong, from her lack of fear in risking her own life to save Magneto to her ability to use her powers in places that are not of the physical world. At times, I found it tricky to understand what exactly she was facing or fighting–and whether or not there were stakes–but at opportune times, Ewing would stick a bit of captioning that helped make it all make sense. One in particular reads, “All I can truly do is hope–that my power in this place is symbolic enough to sting.” It’s not that Storm is conjuring literal lighting blasts, but conjuring blasts based on her symbolic strength in all realities. It’s a wild concept that carries throughout the issue.
Vecchio’s art matches the mind-bending concepts Ewing supplies. When a certain mutant villain explodes into a body of mouths, it’s impressive and inventive. When we see half of Magneto screaming in pain and the other half opened up with his organs displayed, it’s equal parts religious and body horror. There are epic visualizations of things not unlike the angels in the Bible, so incredible a human mind would collapse after seeing them. Vecchio somehow captures equally trippy elements, making them believable and understandable.
Resurrection of Magneto blends sci-fi and the spiritual in a work like a 21st-century version of Siddhartha. Storm is on a spiritual journey to save Magneto’s soul in a story that elevates the superhero narrative.
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