X-Men Forever #1 has a lot on its plate. Not only is it tackling threads that’ve been set up in Immortal X-Men, it’s also tackling the core concept that was set up in House of X/Powers of X. Not to mention it’s offering more insight into the events of Rise of the Powers of X. Such an undertaking would be a lot even for the most seasoned of writers, but in Kieron Gillen’s case it feels rather effortless.
After all, Gillen did write Immortal X-Men and is currently writing Rise of the Powers of X – he’s used to juggling an ensemble cast alongside big science fiction concepts. It’s also impressive how Gillen weaves all the threads of his narrative together; Destiny’s connection to Sinister in Immortal was preceded by her vision of the machine god known as Dominion, while the beginnings of Charles Xavier’s mission to save mutantkind in Rise are laid out in full. This is the same kind of storytelling that fueled Jonathan Hickman’s approach to HOX/POX and it’s great to see Gillen embracing it in full.
Marvel Comics
For Forever, Gillen is joined by yet another superstar artist: Luca Maresca. Maresca has a gift for illustrating the larger than life concepts of the X-Men, especially in the opening pages. When Destiny is witnessing the rise of Dominion in one of her visions, it features Dominion’s ominously large head in the center – surrounding by images of Cyclops on trial while Colossus and Wolverine take out a Sentinel. Yet there’s also room for more emotional moments; Xavier’s face is constantly wracked with guilt and grief, for example. I also have to commend Maresca for giving Destiny some very expressive moments, especially in the present day where she’s wearing her trademark golden mask.
Colorist Federico Blee also helps set the mood with a muted palette of colors. The White Hot Room, once shining with nigh-angelic light, is more dim and dingy. Xavier is often shown in shadows, reflecting the dark actions he’s taking to save mutantkind. Despite its title, X-Men Forever is laced with a sense of finality that’s reflected in every aspect of its creation.
X-Men Forever #1 is the beginning of a carefully crafted coda to both the Krakoan Age of X-Men as well as Kieron Gillen’s run with the mutant heroes. They say all good things must come to an end, but Gillen seems determined to make that end worthwhile.
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