Jed MacKay’s current X-Men series has been a mix of interesting ideas and superhero spectacle, and the latest trade paperback continues that approach. Comfortably finding itself the flagship title within the current From the Ashes era, these issues move the team into some surprising directions while mixing in plenty of action and character drama. It’s not without its rough spots, but overall, the stories and visuals land more often than not.
Collecting issues X-Men (2024) #11–18, this arc finds the X-Men defending the Alaskan town of Merle when a mysterious fugitive pursued by a cadre of alien killers shows up on their doorstep. Cyclops leads the team against the galaxy’s deadliest warriors, with help from their old allies in Alpha Flight. Magneto and Beast have their own subplots, including Erik’s memorable clash with a Sentinel and Beast facing off against Wyre, a non-mutant member of the shadowy 3K program.
Marvel
MacKay uses these threads to introduce the 3K X-Men, a ragtag group with sharp personalities and unknown motives. I’ve always been a sucker for these secret, alternate X-Men groups that pop up from time to time, so this was a welcome introduction to this current arc. Structurally, MacKay does a nice job on the mostly fight-focused scenes, layering in character moments and giving Cyclops and Magneto standout beats. While this book often found its way to the bottom of my weekly comics to read, reading these issues all at once was largely entertaining, even if some plot lines feel more like setup for future arcs.
The art shifts across the collection, starting with Ryan Stegman and Netho Diaz, whose clean layouts and kinetic fight scenes give the action a lot of energy. His work makes the stranger characters, like the pudgy but dangerous Juice, look dynamic and fun. Later issues bring in Emilio Laiso, whose slightly looser, more animated style has a different vibe but still delivers on character expression and big moments. There’s some inconsistency from the artist changes, but both approaches keep the book visually engaging and fun to follow.
X-Men by Jed MacKay Vol. 2: Hostile Takeover delivers an enjoyable mix of superhero brawls and character-driven drama, with some promising seeds planted for the future of the team. If you’ve been following MacKay’s X-Men, this is a solid continuation with enough strong writing and lively art to make it worth picking up.
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