Axo, Bronze, and Melee are well on their way to becoming proper mutant superheroes. They’ve foiled an evil plot and faced down a true supervillain. Not only that, but they emerged from the experience largely unscathed thanks to the aid of their X-Men mentors. Exceptional X-Men #11 finds the cast celebrating this victory and kicking off the series’ third arc with some sci-fi shenanigans and a guest appearance from Ironheart! The issue’s creative team is made up of Eve L. Ewing, Federica Mancin, Nolan Woodard, VC’s Travis Lanham, and Tom Brevoort.
The trio of teen X-Men are literally on a walk in the park when Trista Marshall notices something out of the ordinary. Alex and Thao argue over whether or not the strange phenomenon warrants a call to Kate Pryde or Emma Frost when the situation evolves drastically. Aggressively emerging from this strange portal is Tank–the Ironheart villain, not to be confused with Colossus’ recently retired alter ego. Speaking of, Riri Williams arrives quickly, but Bronze and Melee have already jumped into action. Together, the young heroes are able to avoid any collateral damage or injury to nearby civilians. However, Tank exits through the portal once more before he can be apprehended. Ironheart stays on-site to study the space-time anomaly at the center of these events while Axo, Bronze, and Melee hustle over to their training center.
The book shifts upon the trio’s arrival. Instead of their usual team training or one-on-one mentoring, it’s a surprise party! To mark their success after being thrown up against the likes of Mister Sinister, celebrations are in order. Emma, Kate, Bobby, and Priti have decked out their gathering space for the impromptu ‘Teamiversary.’ While the party may be for the teens, this scene is where the issue turns its attention to Kate. As the beginning of a new arc, the park shenanigans did an efficient job of dropping in new players and plot devices like Ironheart, Tank, and the mystery portal. The focus on Kate Pryde is where the emotional stakes for these next few issues are set.
It’s been about a year since Kate’s burnout caught up to her, which the ‘-versary’ party theme nods at on a meta level. Despite her protestations, Pryde has chosen to become an authority figure in the lives of these teen mutants, and the dangers that Axo, Bronze, and Melee keep being exposed to is spiking her anxiety. What was meant to be a light and fun celebration has instead brought the pain from Kate’s core to the surface: can these students become X-Men without the level of trauma that Kitty underwent? And if wondering about the impact she’s having on the teen’s wellbeing wasn’t stressful enough, the woman Kate’s been dating would love to DTR, like right now. If I had all that on my mind, then perhaps I too would not look where I was walking and fall into the still-open park portal just like Ms. Pryde does at the end of the issue.
Marvel
Kate takes center stage so that Exceptional #11 can establish the primary emotional stakes for this new arc, but Ewing and co. are still able to weave fun and interesting beats for the other cast members as well. Trista gets a couple of new life developments as her crush Reggie works on asking her out via text. On top of that, we also learn that Bronze and Ironheart were play cousins once upon a time, years before becoming part of the superhero world. Riri and N.A.T.A.L.I.E. bring a welcome sci-fi comedy energy to the issue that is sure to please newly minted fans of Ironheart on Disney+. The subtlest character beat of the book belongs to Axo. No one comments on it, but Alex appears to suppress his powers the entire issue. His skin remains the same neutral hue throughout and he offers no insight into the emotional state of anyone around him. This may just be a reaction to his recent experience being held captive by Mister Sinister, but it could reflect a larger rejection of his powers as a whole.
Focusing on this issue’s flaws, I’m happy to report that there isn’t much worth discussing. I’ll admit, Ewing’s 2019 Ironheart series is still on my list to read, so I wasn’t super familiar with Tank. Exceptional certainly doesn’t handle him poorly, but I still wouldn’t fully say I understand what his deal is. Still, this is the opening issue of this arc, so questions being left unanswered is more of an opportunity at this moment than a failure. We’ll just have to check back in at the end of this timey-wimey trip to see if it all wraps up.
Issue #11 also marks the first time that Mancin covers full interior inks duty, taking over from Carmen Carnero. That being said, the transition is a rather smooth one, especially considering Carnero and Mancin worked together on the interior inks for the previous issue. On top of that, Woodard’s colors remain vibrant and maintain a sense of continuity in the art. Mancin and Woodard’s action and dialogue scenes are already lovely, but I found myself just enjoying the people-watching in the park backgrounds as I read.
Exceptional X-Men #11 sets the table for the story to come and has fun doing so. It’s packed with a party, a slew of character beats, and emotions running high for ol’ Ms. Pryde. Plus, Ironheart only adds to the fun for what will surely be an integral arc about what the meaning behind this book really is. Here’s hoping they have enough time to tell that story before the whole X-Line gets swept up in the Age of Revelation this fall.
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