X-Men: Red has consistently been a highlight of the Krakoan era, and thankfully, issue #10 does absolutely nothing to change that. As both an individual issue and as an installment in an ongoing series, X-Men: Red #10 shines by resolving and preparing plots in spectacular fashion. Writer Al Ewing and artists Stefano Caselli and Jacopo Camagni have another excellent issue on their hands, and one can only hope that post-SOS, this team is able to deliver us more adventures from Arakko.
Ewing has always been excellent with setting tone in short order, and the opening three pages of this issue display that superbly by showing us the beginning of the Storm/Vulcan confrontation that we only got a peek of at the end of issue #9. What follows is an incredible display of payoff to the running storyline(s) of many of Red’s principal cast of characters, along with a handful of isolated moments and reveals that really take this issue to another level.
That there is so much going on in this issue, yet it still manages to feel smooth and coherent rather than cloying or overwhelming, is a testament to Ewing’s writing and pacing skill. However, while the pacing doesn’t hurt the issue, the brevity of the events is certainly felt as things wrap up relatively neatly in preparation for Sins of Sinister. This isn’t all bad, though, as leaving more events unresolved than are currently would make the wait for Red’s (presumable) return following SOS even more unbearable.
Art is, again, in form here as well, with Caselli and Camagni rendering the conflict between the two omega mutants, and the B-team’s encounter with Orbis Stellaris and the aliens behind Vulcan’s villainous (re)turn, beautifully. The contrasting electric blues and vibrant oranges, cool gray interior scenes, and space-y/sci-fi scenes are nothing new for Red, but given that they are so consistently portrayed on the page, it’s always a highlight issue-to-issue.
The only real complaint I can levy against the issue is its aforementioned brevity; that there are only 22 pages of real content here feels criminal, as everything feels like it’s happening just a little fast. However, again, there is a wealth of content on display here in order to bring this portion of the story of Arakko (in 616) to a close. If I really want to nitpick, I have two more “complaints”:
- Nova and Frenzy do not appear in this issue despite appearing on the cover. In my opinion, their positions there are more befitting some of the other members of the fledgling Brotherhood, or maybe Manifold, given his importance to the issue.
- S.W.O.R.D., the direct predecessor to Red, was canceled after 11 issues. It is known that Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants will carry the same feeling of Red into SOS, but it is unknown whether or not Red will continue as an ongoing series following SOS and going into Fall of X. Perhaps the X-Office is planning to launch a new series with the same creative team; time will tell, but it’s still a little frustrating.
In short, X-Men: Red #10 is a satisfying and near-flawless issue.
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