Marvel Comics has been on a roll with their “From the Ashes” era X-Men titles, and NYX is next up. Set in New York with younger mutants, writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly focus on the younger mutant point of view. With Ms. Marvel leading the charge, this should give X-Men fans something a little different.
NYX is a strong first issue, with Ms. Marvel leading the charge as the main character. She narrates the book and is the central focus as she embiggens her way through New York, running into fellow mutants. In a post-Krakoa era, NYX sets up the fact that mutants are scattered, with bigoted groups targeting them left and right. The entire issue establishes most of the characters on the cover and an evil team they will likely face.
Utilizing Ms. Marvel as the central figure makes a lot of sense. She’s familiar, for starters, but also living a messy life between her secret identity, recently becoming a mutant, and her hopefulness in everything. She’s a good guy who does the right thing. She’s a good shining light for a series that will likely pull together a mutant team. She’s also walking a fine line between mutant and conventional hero, as the public isn’t aware she’s a mutant yet.
Her personality is juxtaposed right off the bat when she runs into Sophie Cukoo who is a bit jaded with a more serious mood around things. The dynamic between the two is very fun, as Sophie doesn’t mind upsetting others or breaking the rules, while Ms. Marvel always wants to avoid doing that.
You’ll really like their relationship.
Credit: Marvel
Their professor in college is Prodigy, who wants to go by Professor Alleyne and is pressed on his lecture by Sophie, who seems to delight in annoying him. Soon the characters are rushing off to a bar to meet Anole when they run into a conflict with a bigot. It’s dangerous out there and a clear sign of how things have changed for mutants, even with Orchis out of the picture.
The only other good guy who pops up is Wolverine, who is a kind of big sister to Ms. Marvel. She’s overprotective and should be interesting to watch develop once this “team” comes together.
The cliffhanger page will have readers talking. The “From the Ashes” era isn’t just about mutants surviving, but villainous mutants trying to thrive.
My only gripe is that this book is more of a Ms. Marvel book than a team book, at least in this first issue. It’s possible the focus will shift going forward, but I was surprised she was the central character and used to introduce each of the other main characters.
The art by Francesco Mortarino is great, especially the character acting. Kamala’s emotions are robust, and you’ll feel right there with her. Meanwhile, Sophie is a bit of a devil on her shoulder and has a conniving, if not innocent, way about her. These characters come off the page and feel quite real. Dynamic double-page splashes like Ms. Marvel running through traffic four stories tall are super fun, and there’s a direct conflict with an evil mutant that’s heavy on the effects. For how much dialogue is in this book, Mortarino does not miss.
At a time when the mutant narrative is shifting, NYX centers itself on Ms. Marvel’s true heroism. NYX #1 is packed with character moments as it sets up a team that New York City deserves—if it’ll take them. NYX allows its characters to emerge as fully dimensional individuals, serving as an antidote to readers who want more than just action scenes.
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