When Hellions first launched, many wondered how a team comprised of mostly unpopular characters would fare in the Dawn of X lineup. Since then, Hellions has long since proved its staying power — and issue #14 is another exciting entry in the series that opens up a myriad of exciting possibilities to come.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Hellions #14!
The opening pages with Storm and Tarn are quite good, even if the more political nature of these pages doesn’t quite fit the Hellions mold. While Ororo was on Marauders for the first two years of the new X-Men stories, she was wasted. Now, as she sits on the Great Ring of Arakko, she is finally getting her much-deserved spotlight and it’s great to see her take charge and take care of business like this.
The designs of the Amenth characters are really eye-catching, and this is truly only a plot that could exist in this era of X-Men. It’s nice to see Hellions not just exploring Amenth but Arakko on Mars as well, taking advantage of the world Reign of X and Dawn of X created as opposed to certain other books in the line that still feel run of the mill.
Hellions has thrived as a character-driven series, but issue #14 doesn’t have the character moments that make this series so great. What it does have, however, is plot beats that make the reader excited to see more. The Hellions finally finding out about Sinister’s betrayal was a great moment, but perhaps the best moment was a line after that reveal, when Sinister admitted to starting his Chimera project.
Image: Marvel Comics
House of X/Powers of X stressed the importance of Chimeras and Sinister mucking everything up, in addition to emphasizing the importance of Mars and the breeding pits. After the Hellfire Gala, Mars is a huge player in the mutant world, and now Chimeras seem to be on their way as well. It’s an incredibly exciting thing to toy with, playing with these ideas set forth by House of X/Powers of X and it makes the title feel more relevant like it’s working towards things that will inevitably play into the endgame story of the Hickman run.
The concept of Chimeras is also exciting for the idea of seeing some of those characters again, like Rasputin IV, who played a role in the Powers of X storyline. The possibilities are way too exciting not to look forward to.
Hellions #14 might not be the character-driven story we’re used to getting from this series, but the plot is exciting enough to ensure its place as one of the best series Marvel is publishing right now. Zeb Wells is crafting an increasingly intriguing narrative while Roge Antonio has proved himself to be the perfect fit for this book.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login