While the new “From the Ashes” era of X-Men has kicked off several different books with various tones, the mainline title spearheaded by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman keeps things traditional. With mutants across the globe no longer having a place to call home, it’s up to Scott Summers to do what he does best: saving mutants. In the series’ second issue, we see the X-Men go up against… aliens? Both the X-Men and alien invaders seem to be after a new mutant. But how does this issue succeed at setting up this new era for the team, and for new readers?
Marvel Comics
The issue itself moves rather fast. Most of the story is centered on Scott, Psylocke, and Magik battling against the invaders in San Francisco. Throughout the book, a main attraction is the overall cohesiveness of Scott’s new iteration of X-Men as the team interactions switch up from the series’ debut issue. Scott’s leadership is on full display, showcasing his ability to strategize, delegate tasks, and extend his arm to those in danger. That said, the story feels easy to follow and slightly surface-level. None of this is particularly new for the X-Men, so the story itself feels lackluster. This is at least slightly alleviated by the final page, which provides some direction on what theme the overall series will be shifting towards. In last week’s Uncanny X-Men, it was hinted that Scott and Rogue would inevitably be at odds, with Scott representing a modern version of Magneto. The intention behind this does become slightly clearer as the issue concludes, which adds a sense of mystery and intrigue to the series as a whole.
Marvel Comics
Artist Ryan Stegman collaborates on this issue with inker J.P. Mayer and colorist Marte Gracia. One of Stegman’s strengths, his beautiful action sequences, is truly on display in this issue as the X-Men fight against these alien invaders. Stegman’s thick line work benefits from this environment, as the giant ships feel much more menacing because of this. Mayer’s deep ink work helps elevate the artwork by adding an extra layer of depth to these scenes by making things seem more realistic. Additionally, Gracia’s color scheme further supports these moments, as high-intensity action sequences pop off the page. One of the best examples of this is when Juggernaut is used to make an explosive entrance; this moment feels like it benefits from the trio’s talented artistic creativity.
Marvel Comics
X-Men #2 is a very good issue, but it spends a little too much time building up to the final few moments. As such, the story moves by quickly and ends up appearing as a story where a lot happens to accomplish very little. Furthermore, the story continues to carry an open door policy for new readers, who shouldn’t be too confused with the narrative structure, but the story’s depth feels lacking as a result. This is slightly different than the prior issue, which certainly made a strong impression by jumping right into what this new era represents. The issue works as an exciting action story, but besides that only offers a glimpse into the direction of the series as a whole. Additionally, the story has a backup which concludes the story “Deadpool/Wolverine: Weapon X-Traction”, which may be of interest to some readers!
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