Imperial War: Exiles #1 is a comic that’s working on two fronts. It’s meant to pick up in the fallout from Imperial, as the various empires on Marvel’s cosmic stage are now embroiled in war – and the Shi’ar Empire is among them. It’s also meant to launch the upcoming Exiles book next year, which will feature Professor Charles Xavier in a lead role alongside his longtime love, Lilandra, and their daughter Xandra.
The “Exiles” title is definitely familiar to X-Men fans, as it often refers to a team made up of alternate versions of the mighty mutants. Imperial War: Exiles #1 sees Steve Foxe and Jonathan Hickman taking a different approach; this series focuses on Xandra, Xavier, Lilandra, and Deathbird becoming exiles from the Shi’ar empire. Foxe and Hickman waste absolutely no time, as their script powers through chase scene after chase scene and lays the groundwork for upcoming issues of Exiles.
The duo does manage to do the impossible, and that’s finally giving Xavier a purpose outside the X-Men. He’s been a teacher, and more recently a villain, but a conversation between himself and Xandra reveals that he wants to try a new role: that of father. Given Xavier’s track record in that area, he’ll have a long way to go but it’s the most interested I’ve been in his characters since the Krakoan Age of X-Men. Xandra too starts to grow as a character, learning how to survive in a galaxy that wants her dead.
Marvel
The space-faring action in Imperial War: Exiles #1 looks absolutely gorgeous, and that’s thanks to Francesco Manna. Manna’s no stranger to Marvel’s cosmic landscape, having illustrated a few issues of Phoenix, but Exiles #1 lets him take it to a whole new level. Under his pencils, spaceships streak across the sky, warping through space and exchanging fire. He also gets to draw nearly the entirety of the Shi’ar Superguardians, and as a result, utilizes all different types of superpowers. Cosmic Marvel fans should also keep their eyes peeled for appearances from other space faring characters, especially the ones who will make up the new Exiles.
Manna’s art is rendered in vibrant color by Erick Arciniega, who utilizes different colors for each scene. Shi’ar itself is shown in flames, smoke trailing into the air to create an amber haze representing the shifting order of things. The black of space is lit up by shining emerald starships and reddish-orange bursts from their engines. It’s blue, though, that’s the lingering color. That variety of color is represented in the Exiles as well, whether it’s Lilandra’s shining silver armor, Xandra and Deathbird’s royal purple gowns, and Xavier’s blue and silver Cerebro helmet.
Imperial War: Exiles #1 continues to shake up the cosmic landscape, this time giving Charles Xavier a new purpose outside the X-Men and putting a cosmic spin on a classic X-Men team. Out of all the potential series Imperial is setting up, Exiles now jumped to the top of the list – or at the very least, is neck and neck with the upcoming Planet She-Hulk.
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