When it comes to that sweet, sweet melodrama, is there anything better than the X-Men? Take X-Men: Book of Revelation #2, which crosses the halfway point of its three-issue run. The first issue gave us an inside look at Revelation’s operations, and in the second issue, a plot to overthrow him is underway. At the heart of it all is Kitty Pryde, who has taken on a new form, adding a layer of complexity that longtime fans might want to check out.
X-Men: Book of Revelation #2 opens where we left off, as Elbecca hurtles towards the ground and a ghostly Kitty Pryde attempts to save her. Fabian Cortez threw her off a roof in order to gain more favor from Revelation, and it’s clear that Revelation’s inner circle is quite messed up. This leads to a satisfying flashback revealing how Kitty ended up turning into a ghost, and a team-up that could save Revelation’s life.
A strength of this issue is how writer Jed MacKay shows the dysfunction of Revelation’s “perfect” utopia. It’s anything but. Through Elbecca, we see how cruel the inner circle can be to a child, while Kitty is a victim of Revelation’s fascist control. With so many backstabbers and secrets between them all, including a secret revealed around Kitty’s actions, one can see that this future is one even the top brass wouldn’t want to live in.
The use of panels here to show them falling is nicely done.
Credit: Marvel
This issue also wraps up with a cliffhanger that feels very important to the larger event, as Apocolypse will eventually come knocking. I won’t spoil it, but I was surprised by the twist in this issue, showing how MacKay and artist Netho Diaz are plotting this tale quite nicely.
Diaz’s art is as sharp as ever, with the ghostly Kitty looking ephemeral and supernatural. Flashbacks are easy to discern with a slightly different style and a totally different color tone. The layouts, particularly the straight edges of the gutters, continue to give the book a unique feel. At times, the gutters seem to add little, as if to convey that these characters are boxed in, while in other pages they’re used to create a 3D effect as characters reach past the gutters.
X-Men: Book of Revelation #2 delivers the kind of rich melodrama and sharp political tension that the X-Men do best, peeling back the glossy façade of Revelation’s regime to reveal a nest of betrayal, cruelty, and rebellion—all anchored by a standout portrayal of Kitty Pryde and a final twist that meaningfully raises the stakes for the entire event.
You must be logged in to post a comment.