‘X-Men: The Hellfire Murder’ #1 has beautiful gowns, but a predictable ending

Opening on the reveal that Sebastian Shaw’s invited the movers and shakers of mutantkind to his own spin on the Hellfire Gala, each and every person in attendance naturally suspicious of his intentions for the night. Especially after last year’s Hellfire Vigil, one can’t help but raise questions about Shaw’s invitation. Of course, it wouldn’t be a murder mystery without each suspect having their own motives for the masquerade.

Shaw, after his recent release from Graymalkin Prison, threw this gala specifically as a call-to-action of the world’s mutants, claiming they’re all weak and unable to do what needs to be done for the good of all mutants.

An average, totally not alarming sentiment to be made by Sebastian Shaw, a guy totally not known for his criminal activities and betrayal of the other mutants at said masquerade.

Psylocke and Cyclops are trying to enact their own murders, of the heads of 3K: Joseph, Magneto’s clone and Astra. Ironically, they think the masquerade with everyone in various states of disguise will be the perfect locale for their deaths. Unfortunately for them, someone has already had that idea. Emma and Namor have a deviously flirtatious moment, and Temper and Ransom have their own long-burning romance begin to blossom.

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Kitty and a mystery woman dance together, until the night’s events are cut drastically short with the reveal a murder has taken place amongst the party-goers.

My spoiler-free review: the story flows well enough between the different writers and artists, but the intentions behind the murder and the reveal of said murderer fell a little flat for this particular reader. The concept of a masquerade murder with characters as iconic as the X-Men, who have had such specific color schemes and imagery associated with them does fall a little flat with the basic general knowledge of each character. A point acknowledged in-universe, but one I felt I had to raise regardless.

Obligatory spoiler warning here, as I will be discussing who’s murdered, Wolverine and Jubilee’s investigation and the murderer’s identity. So, from here on out: spoilers abound.

The murder victim? The one and only host of the Hellfire masquerade: Sebastian Shaw.

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Obviously, nobody is particularly broken up about the reveal of the mutant white supremacist’s death. They are, however, trapped with the security system automatically locking them inside the Hellfire Club with the premature demise of its owner. Which leaves Wolverine and Jubilee reluctantly taking it upon themselves to solve the crime.

Easier said than done, when nearly everyone in attendance has one reason or another to want Shaw dead.

The usual and most easily suspected suspects are interrogated first: Emma and her terrible, colored history with the man and Kitty, as Shaw was responsible for Kitty’s Krakoa-era death by drowning.

However, both have alibis for the time around Shaw went missing.

Through a series of deductions made by Wolverine, Jubilee and the numerous people they talk to at the masquerade, they get closer to solving the big mystery. But the closer they get, the higher tensions get amongst party-goers who can’t leave. Sure, most of it could be chalked up to people feeling a little stir-crazy. Save for the fact former Hellion and current member of the Brotherhood Empath is amongst the crowd, stirring up rage and distrust.

Wolverine sniffs out what doesn’t add up, and finds himself cornered by Mystique and the Brotherhood of Mutants, in a late-stage reveal that it was them that set up Shaw’s demise with Mystique’s own shape-shifting abilities. They plan to use his wealth and resources to aid mutantkind, instead of betraying it, as Shaw did.

The mystery around this murder is as dissatisfying as the murder itself.

Sebastian Shaw is a character that anyone and everyone would get in line to murder, his death is not shocking or compelling in any way that previous Hellfire-adjacent murders were.

For the final time: A MASSIVE SPOILER for the tail-end of the comic: the real murderer, who killed him before Mystique’s clever triggering of the security system could kill him, was Emma Frost.

There is nothing particularly dynamic about Emma Frost as Sebastian Shaw’s killer. In fact, this isn’t even the first time she has murder and/or maimed him for his actions against her or those closest to her. Obviously she had more than enough motive, but for a comic that is meant to set the stage for the next year of X-Men comics, this felt drearily predictable.