Uncanny X-Men was notably absent from Marvel’s X-Men line during the Krakoan era, a decision that seems purposeful. With Hickman trying to reposition mutants into a new status quo, the mainstay X-title went dormant. So, with the line’s “From the Ashes” relaunch in 2024, the return of the Uncanny moniker as a monthly title clearly was a statement about the promised direction of the X-stable. Thankfully, Marvel delivered with Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 1: Red Wave. It stands out as the most emotionally grounded and narratively focused of the new batch of titles, with the team’s fractured legacy providing fertile soil for compelling character work, especially through Rogue, who takes center stage in a role that feels earned and meaningful. Add in the awesome art from David Marquez and Javier Garrón, and you have the best book in the current X-line, bar none.
This trade collects Uncanny X-Men (2024) issues #1–6, plus a short from X-Men #35 and the Free Comic Book Day 2024: Blood Hunt/X-Men one-shot. The story opens with Professor X gone and the X-Men in disarray, both physically and ideologically. Rogue reluctantly steps into a leadership role, pulling together a core group taping into close friends like Wolverine, Gambit, and Jubilee as they attempt to shepherd a new generation of mutants, dubbed the Outliers. Along the way, they face off against Sadurang the God-Snake, a new antagonist named Sarah Gaunt, and the mysterious threads surrounding the imprisoned Charles Xavier. The action oscillates between heart and horror, with major set pieces in the Louisiana swamps and a deepening mystery that connects the Outliers, Gaunt, and Xavier’s dark past.
Marvel
Gail Simone is one of the best comic writers currently in the business, and she brings a layered emotional intelligence to this run. Rogue isn’t just leading because someone must; she’s leading because it’s the only way she knows how to survive the loss of Krakoa and the dream that once gave her life meaning. Simone doesn’t flatten Rogue into a stoic commander. Rather, she’s grieving, unsteady, and profoundly human, which makes her heroism all the more compelling. Like with the best Simone books, the dialogue between our cast crackles. Gail smartly plays with perspective, giving Jubilee moments of introspection and sidelining Wolverine just enough to let others shine. Even the book’s main villain, Sarah Gaunt, feels less like a cardboard cutout and more like a chilling and formidable force. There’s real thematic weight behind grief, legacy, and identity which make these issues feel like more than just another team book.
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Artistically, these issues are a knockout. David Marquez and Javier Garrón bring both dynamic action and intimate emotion to the page. Marquez captures nuance in facial expressions with stunning clarity, while his monster designs are standout creations that lean into horror without losing the book’s visual cohesion. The training sequences with the Outliers brim with kinetic energy, and the horror beats, like Rogue’s visions of Logan or Gaunt’s claustrophobic stalking of Xavier, all look incredible. Colors by Matthew Wilson enhance every mood shift, from warm bayou tones to eerie twilight blues. Honestly, this is some of the best art on an X-book since Pepe Larraz’s high points during the Hickman era.
Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 1: Red Wave effectively threads the needle by giving readers new character beats to these iconic characters without retreating into nostalgia. I have lamented the back-to-basics approach the X-line has leaned into following the end of Krakoa, but this book honors the weight of that era, while planting the seeds of something new and emotionally resonant. Simone is doing career-best work here, balancing intimate storytelling with high-concept stakes, and the art team delivers at every turn. If you dropped X-books this year, pick up this trade and see what you’ve been missing.
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