It’s time for the 3K X-Men and, well, the regular old Cyclops-led X-Men to throw down in X-Men #17. Kid-Omega may be off the board, but Magneto is souped up on dextroamphetamine-x and powering a Sentinel, so the playing field feels evened. Then again, maybe that’s the point.
X-Men #17 opens and closes with the new human mutant enemy, Wire. He works for a mysterious shadow group that speaks to him via goggles from a location called 3K. Sort of the eyes on the ground, he’s been managing the fight from afar and giving the 3K shadow group intel. In this issue, he’s observing the 3K X-Men fight Cyclops, Magik, Juggernaut, Psylocke, and Temper, while nearby Magneto mans a Sentinel as he fights Casandra Nova’s kaiju mutant. While he watches, the reader is privy to each battle, though Magneto gets more page time.
In between the fight scenes, which are dynamic and excitingly drawn by Ryan Stegman, writer Jed MacKay digs into the 3K shadow group through their squabbling. They’re not exactly on the same page, with one arguing that her Magneto clones are a dead-end tactic. In another scene, Wire delivers a dismissive comment to Cassandra Nova about her kaiju mutant. This shadow group isn’t the most well-oiled machine.
Fun page!
Credit: Marvel
As far as subplots are concerned, fans of Kid-Omega won’t want to miss this issue. There’s an interesting use of his powers that should spark conversation. Xorn also plays a part in his scene, while Beast and a new mutant at the Factory also get some page time. The latter is setting up a confrontation in the next issue.
Fans looking forward to Cyclops and his team may need to curb expectations. They’re only four pages long, though one is an impressive full-page splash. Cyclops fans won’t want to miss this scene, which serves as another reminder that he’s a total badass.
Instead, Magneto gets a lot more time on the page, delivering speeches while controlling the Sentinels. Stegman and his art team of JP Mayer and Livesay, along with colors by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, do a fantastic job with scale and detail. There’s an impressive full-page splash featuring a small cabin in the foreground and the looming Sentinel and kaiju, which effectively conveys the danger the public is in. With seven pages devoted to this fight mixed in with the 3K shadow group arguing, it’s undoubtedly the primary focus. Though, as a one-on-one fight, it does make you wish for more of the X-Men team scenes.
X-Men #17 leans into Magneto’s might and a kaiju-sized confrontation, offering thrilling art and a taste of big revelations to come. But those expecting more team-focused action may feel shortchanged by the issue’s uneven focus. Still, the issue’s visual grandeur and brewing plot threads suggest even bigger battles and twists ahead.
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