It’s fairly obvious Marvel is leaning into the badass female superheroes these days, and the upcoming Mystique series adds to that. Sometimes a hero, a lot of the times a villain, Declan Shalvey aims to give Mystique the appropriate focus, especially after her importance during the Krakoa era. Now, in the From the Ashes era, the character is going full espionage, working behind the scenes to protect mutants and steer their safety. With an advance copy in hand, I had to dish out my thoughts on this awesome first issue.
From the very first panel, it’s apparent that Mystique #1 benefits from Shalvey’s writing and drawing of the series. The story hones in on a location deep in the woods, only to find a direct threat outside the door and the character within calmly waiting. The visuals draw you in before the story zips off to a new location.
Like any good espionage tale, there are plenty of scene changes. Mystique is built for a good spy caper, given her ability to look like anyone. A prominent mutant is involved when she first appears, and there is plenty of action. Shalvey reminds us she’s a master at sneaking around but also fighting. She’s quick and studied, with awesome scene-stealing moments before the story switches to new scenes. If you like Mystique as a rogue fighter, you’ll love how Shalvey depicts her.
Credit: Marvel
Also in this story is Nick Fury Jr., who has a new role to which many will relate. No longer at the highest level, he’s pushing papers and somewhat stumbles onto Mystique’s case. Shalvey smartly uses this character not only to add governmental elements to the espionage story but also to give us a larger sense of what S.H.I.E.L.D. is up to in the Marvel Universe. That helps give this book a wider breadth, making it not some insular X-Men comic but an important piece to the larger universe.
If you’re worried Mystique will be purely good, know that she does an immoral thing or two that’s extreme but still heroic. She certainly doesn’t have a “no kill” rule.
Like any good espionage tale, there’s a McGuffin and twists and turns. If there was any weakness in the story, it’s that it follows a few familiar tropes. One can see how it may play out. However, the art elevates it beyond something standard as Shalvey delivers some of the cleanest-looking art of his career. When Mystique shifts into other mutants, you’ll believe those mutants are there.
Matt Hollingsworth colors the issue to perfection, creating good backdrops for the characters to pop off of. His use of hues is particularly good, like in an underwater shot with darker blues shading up to striking yellows to convey the surface.
Mystique #1 is a comic anyone can love, thanks to its strong use of the title character and a look at the state of S.H.I.E.L.D. Strong visuals and a good, thrilling story permeate the atmosphere of adventure and mystery.
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