Headlines may have focused on Jonathan Hickman returning to X-Men via Longshots, but the real pearl in this oyster is the return of Mojo. He’s one of the most outrageous, loud, and sometimes comical villains in all of comics, who is particularly timely in this day and age where television as we knew it is dying. In fact, Longshots is all about Mojo figuring out how to get audiences with no budget and no television networks left since the 3K gene bomb took out everything. Now it’s up to him to find an angle to get viewers and make that coin once reserved for M*A*S*H (look it up!).
For an X-Men comic, Longshots is all about the comedy. The opening scene is proof of that, with a gag about Mojo’s lawyers being turned into pigs and each one being killed by Mojo since they don’t have the answers he wants. Co-writer Gerry Duggan shows his comedic side ala his Deadpool run throughout, with some jokes working well (X-Babies getting the spotlight), and some not so much (Bishop practicing one-liners).
To get his new show on the air, Mojo needs to assemble a team, starting with Hellcat. From there, the story follows her as she convinces characters to join her team, from hilariously kicking down a door and tranquilizing Rhino, to simply yoinking people when their heads are turned.
Hellcat is off the rails.
Credit: Marvel
Outside of visual gags and jokes, the character dynamics aren’t yet on display. If anything, this is a heist-style start with the real team aspect kicking into gear next issue. Hellcat certainly gets the most attention via her take-no-prisoners approach to everything, and it’ll be fun to see Wonder Man interact as well. If anything, Mojo is the star stealing the spotlight whenever he’s on the page. Alan Robinson draws him in a grotesque way, with long teeth and pulled-back eyes, looking frightening. Really, all the art is great, with a high level of detail and plenty of fun layouts.
As far as how this fits into Age of Revelation, this is mostly a side adventure at this juncture. Seeing non-mutant characters and where they’re at is fun, though little time is spent digging into their exploits up until now. If anything, the main conceit of Age of Revelation being set ten years into the future simply allows the creative team more license to mess around. Messing around is really what this is all about, making it less of a must-buy in the event’s grander scheme, at least as far as this issue goes.
Longshots #1 thrives as a wacky, satirical side quest with Mojo in the spotlight, skewering TV culture while setting the stage for a chaotic team book. It’s not yet vital to the Age of Revelation event, but with sharp art and irreverent humor, it’s an entertaining diversion for fans who like their X-Men stories weird, loud, and a little grotesque.
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