Coming off of his celebrated run on Moon Knight, it felt inevitable that Jed MacKay would eventually be handed the keys to another iconic franchise. Naturally, when a place on the X-Men staff opened, MacKay found himself thrust into a leading role. His run on X-Men has already kicked off to a fun start (even if it fails to match the heights of the Krakoan era), and the X-Men: Homecoming trade paperback is proof enough of that.
Krakoa was a time of relative peace and prosperity for the X-Men, but that time is now behind them. From the Ashes has introduced an all-new scenario that demands an all-too-familiar response. With Beast back to his old self and mutants once again suffering villification, the X-Men are more important than ever. Unfortunately, X-Men: Homecoming proves that the rest of the world does not necessarily agree.
The underlying idea of the entire story of this book surrounds a series of mysterious mutant manifestations. While most mutants see their X-genes activate at puberty, many adults have started to mutate. It’s a fun premise that helps to give the world more of a reason to fear the X-Men. After all, it makes total sense to be afraid of turning into a fish-lady or a reality warper.
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Additionally, seeing the team make a new home in a sentinel factory is an excellent touch. The irony is surprisingly fun, and it ties into the Avengers’ decision to live in an Eternal for a few years. All of these new bases help to set books apart, and it is no different for X-Men: Homecoming.
Each member of the team is also a great part of the story. Cyclops provides much of the starpower, alongside Beast, Juggernaut, and Magik, but it’s always fun to see lesser-known characters get centerstage. Temper is the highlight of the book, as her struggles with morality and trust are genuinely heartwrenching. She does not always get much attention, so seeing her as a member of the mainline X-Men team is a wish come true.
The writing quality is not the only highlight, of course. The art is generally excellent, save for a few key panels. Marte Gracia’s coloring remains an unsurprising highlight and continues to elevate this book even beyond the already-high expectations. Ryan Stegman and J.P. Mayer make an excellent team, especially when it comes to fight scenes. Beast does look somewhat wonky at times — as does Quentin Quire — but the vast majority of X-Men: Homecoming is exceptionally well drawn.
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The X-Men: Homecoming trade itself is also a breath of fresh air. The four-issue paperbacks of the Krakoan era were far too short, rarely providing much for the price. This book contains Jed MacKay’s X-Men #1-7, which is more than enough to make for a more substantial experience. It provides a much smoother experience, even if it was still a quick read.
There are still some issues with the book, of course. The Krakoan-era paperback style, which saw paperbacks that spanned the entire line, might have been better suited for some of these pages. After all, Scott’s conversation with Rogue makes little sense without the larger context. Readers who are just reading X-Men: Homecoming will likely be baffled by those exclusions. A recap page, at least, might have been nice for anyone who has not kept up with other books.
At many points, X-Men: Homecoming also fails to explain why the rules have suddenly changed. Despite decades of X-Men rescuing young mutants, the entire team is suddenly resistant to the idea of rescuing mutants before the age of majority. Parental consent is important, but it was never much of a concern when the X-Men were brainwashing Kitty Pryde’s parents or saving mutants from uncaring families. It’s odd to see this suddenly be a significant concern that earns Temper the team’s ire.
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The last major issue is Juggernaut. It’s always fun to see him trouncing enemies, but he does not have much of a role in this story. Though he often spits out lines that any reader or moviegoer could recite by rote, none of them have much greater meaning. He has a small section in the story that sees him share an interesting note, but the rest of the story simply underutilizes him. It’s hard to see why he is really necessary when Cyclops and Magik already fill his role with ease.
Allin all, X-Men by Jed MacKay Vol. 1: Homecoming is a great start to a new era. It has some critical flaws, but they can easily be overlooked for the spectacle of it all. Future trade paperbacks will determine just where this story goes, but it has been fun for now. It’s worth picking up, especially when Marvel is finally shying away from the four- and five-issue paperbacks of old. This is much more like it!
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