Reflections on "This Week In X-Books"

For just over a month, I had committed to a weekly round-up of the X-Men-related comic books released by Marvel. Now I want to take a moment to reflect on how I feel that went, as I'm now at a crossroads; asking myself the question of whether to continue with that approach to posts or not.

I think, quite clearly I do not. There was a lot of good that came from that structure and I feel that I definitely improved as each week went by. Amongst other things, adding appropriate credits and reaching more interesting conclusions about the texts I was examining were things that I found myself really coming to terms with, but I can't help but feel that this structure was a failure of what I wanted this blog to be. These quickly became reviews, rather than analyses, and, while there is a fine line between the two, I want a consistent blog identity that aligns with my interests. Particularly, I am interested in the intersection between the cultural and the political. Reviews rarely give me the opportunity to delve into the ideologies and discourses surrounding these texts, partially due to how little content is in each issue, but also because I end up examining multiple issues, from different series', spanning characters and genres, in one sitting. I end up looking at how comic book issues work as individual entities, not looking into the wider culture around them or indulging in any deeper form of commentary.

A lot of my ambivalence towards continuing these kinds of posts comes down to turning this whole project into something I feel like I can proudly share across social media and to my peers. Reviews of niche media is not something I think would interest most people in my networks, but posts with more rigour and exciting commentary on contemporary culture should. It may not, but, at the very least, that is the kind of writing I'd like to be seen doing. That isn't to say I dislike commenting on "niche media", rather I want to do so in a different way. Writing pieces that are fewer in number, but of higher quality, should also allow myself to build up a broad portfolio of written work. The blog, in its current form, is currently nothing more than a sample of my writing style.

No doubt the most significant positive thing these weekly posts did for my blog was creating a consistent flow of content, so, with how I move forwards, I'll be considering how a minimum one post a week system has benefitted the state of this blog. I may simply move X-Books of the week down to a singular Book or I may force myself to work on something new and exciting on a weekly basis. I can imagine myself still doing the occasional review post, but I want the main drawing point of this project to be draped in cultural studies.


Those five "This Week In X-Books" posts show development in how I write and construct posts, but it is development in the wrong direction. While I may not completely abandon that format, I want to put more time and effort into creating higher quality pieces that I am more willing to share.


This post could be taken as a commentary on the state of X-Books released this week. 

This Week In X-Books - 07/02/2018

You will notice certain books feature different credits than I usually bother to include. All creatives involved are valuable and worthy of credit or discussion, but, for the purposes of this blog, such information is extraneous. I feature the creatives whose contributions I discuss specifically. 


A particularly pleasing week, with a very tough decision to elect one title above the others. Whilst there is still some clear problems at an editorial level, individual creative teams are providing some really sound X-Titles.

Obligatory Mention: Iceman #10

Written by Sina Grace. Art by Robert Gill.

Iceman has been in a weird place ever since entering the 'Legacy' initiative at issue 6. 

Grace has tried to link things up in a meaningful way, giving Daken and Iceman's new students significant panel time, building up to the confrontation of this issue, but it has never felt quite as compelling or meaningful as those first five issues did.

This is a fine issue, but the same things that brought the previous issue down remain here. The dialogue seems wrong, the tone seems off and the pay-off of previously established concepts and characters just isn't compelling. These problems are much fewer, but still make themselves clear.

Iceman has been an important, exciting series, but it really feels like it has run out of purpose and steam. It sets up a good concept for next month's finale issue, but that issue feels like it comes 6 months too late.

3. X-Men Gold #21

Written by Marc Guggenheim. Art by Diego Bernard. 

Gold, I now realise, must be appreciated for what it is. This book has never intended to change worlds or views, never intended to be anything more than an homage to days gone by, but in that stagnation, there is enjoyment to be found. This is not an issue to blow people's minds or one to convert them into enjoying Gold, but it is a perfectly functional superhero romp.

Light character and continuity gripes aside, Guggenheim manages to successfully, retroactively, make the earlier incarnation of the Brotherhood more compelling. It makes you wonder if the opening arc should have been two issues longer, so as to further address the deeper character back-story and conflict that we finally see here, but part of the appeal of Gold has been how quickly it has burned through its stories. Further explanation of the new Brotherhood, particularly dealing with their relationship towards long-term antagonist Nance, was much welcome. The inclusion of Magma, following up on that first story, was also a very good idea here. I think it would be quite smart to include her on the main Gold roster going forwards; she's a more excitingly obscure character than Guggenheim's other picks and has already been given some interesting development.

Rachel has been getting some consistent development throughout this title, which has been really enjoyable, but I think we have a significant turning point in this issue that isn't done right by. Rachel gets a new costume and what may be a new outlook on life to coincide with a power boost, this didn't necessarily need more time, rather the reflection we got wasn't as meaningful as it needed to be. The Kurt/Rachel relationship also still leaves a lot to be desired.

With Old Man Logan leaving the team (in an oddly understated sequence), we seem to be moving into what feels like a team with more of a personal touch by Guggenheim. It is still harkening back to classic paradigms, but without Logan clouding the action, future stories can address the characters Guggenheim actually wants to develop. I would usually take issue with how Logan's departure held no consequence or resonated with any other character, but his very status as an alternate version of a known entity means a reader just can't bring themselves to be attached to them and, thus, it doesn't hurt the story when someone like Kitty doesn't seem to care about his leaving either.

Decent art by Bernard rounds off this opening to the build-up to Marvel's "Wedding of the Century", reconciling Kitty's haircut into something much more tolerable and giving this classic, unchallenging story a classic, unchallenging art style. Complaints can certainly be made (it never does feel that Guggenheim has done his homework or learned from his contemporaries), but this issue was just pleasing.

If you can stop worrying, and learn to love (/tolerate) it.

2. X-Men Red #1

Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Mahmud Asrar. 

It was tough deciding between this and my number 1 pick, Rogue and Gambit #2. Both are of extreme quality, but I think this issue just slacks behind. That being said, it is a stunning achievement with very few drawbacks, promising a series that holds a dramatic vision for what the X-Men are and what they can be. 

I do have one gripe. It may be further explained and justified later on in the story, but, with that opening sequence, the title immediately seemed to lack any semblance of nuance or subtlety. A mother attempting to murder their child because they turned out to be a mutant just doesn't feel like the tangible, personal kind of mutant metaphor the 21st century needs. It comes across as strange, because the rest of the book deals with its politics with a deft hand. The complexity of UN politics, the reasoning behind a Namor and Wakandan alliance, the new Jean-led vision for mutanthood all serve to make this title far more exciting and relevant than its contemporaries.

Asrar's art feels right, if at times a little uninspired. He manages to effectively toe the line between the superheroics and the seriousness, which just helps to bolster Taylor's scripting. I think the art doesn't truly get a chance to show off with the first issue's overall story. Hopefully this changes with future issues and the story gets to expand into more fantastical territory. It is a good first issue, but it suffers from lacking scale and depth. If it is a superhero romp it needs the former, if it's a personal tale it needs the latter. Red is currently in limbo between these two elements, meaning that it leaves important developments (such as Namor's allegiances) out whilst gaining little in return. But, it is story structures like these which make reviewing serial mediums so difficult. Many of my gripes may come in later issues, as it seems like Taylor is setting up a 5-6 issue long story arc that switches between present action and flashbacks to introduce the book. If that is the case, this issue may retroactively improve, but, as it stands, this book has me wanting more character-driven pages.

Reviewers have compared this to a "back to basics" X-Title, but I don't think that's a very good comparison. Gold and Blue are the "back to basics" books, with casts and concepts that feel mostly redundant, whereas Red feels like it is carving a new path. It reutilises key franchise elements, without a doubt, but certainly not "basic" ones. These aren't standard superheroes, they reek of politics, much like Morrison's mutants did. And speaking of Morrison...

Spoilers follow. 

Cassandra Nova's return was dramatic and glorious. Instantly putting our heroes on the run is a good way to situate Jean's ongoing mission and will help the presentation of blind intolerance towards mutants go down much easier. In fact, the sequence that I had most issue with on my first read through can, somewhat, be more tolerated in a world where a group of mutants have seemingly killed a UN ambassador. It's a great pick, but may feel somewhat misused depending on the direction of Charles Soule's Astonishing X-Men series (which features Nova's counterpart Xavier). Because of that series it is hard to tell whether ResurreXion still exists in a "post-Xavier" world; Jean's speech and approach in this issue certainly seems to suggest it does. Moving forwards it'll be interesting to see if each book keeps its action to themselves, but I get the feeling editorial just won't be able to resist derailing their titles.

Despite what seems to be a complaint ridden write-up, I greatly enjoyed this issue. It has characters I love, with a strong new direction, with enough plot twisting and reveals that it has been great to go over the issue a few times just to take it all in.

Very excited to see where this leads.

1. Rogue and Gambit #2

Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Pere Perez. Colours by Frank D'Armata. Cover by Kris Anka.

My pick of the week, Rogue and Gambit, follows up its first issue in a way that keeps the characters developing and the sauciness simmering. The "sex-factor" of this book is off the charts; tension, kissing and Kris Anka covers all come together to make a book which seems to have gotten published on horniness alone. The core plot is yet to really develop into something interesting, but the character work is far too delicious to ignore.

The art is immaculate, featuring lovingly rendered, steaming, sexy portrayals of our heroes, with a splash page that is a delight to any fan with a long-term investment in, not just this pairing, but the X-Men franchise itself. Two flashbacks are used to meaningfully develop our main characters, both of which switch art and colouring styles somewhat to create a great visual representation of the 'past'. Demonstrating the separate perspectives Rogue and Gambit have on their relationship, these sequences are fantastic moments that give a lens to unseen moments in X-History. Thompson has, so far in this series, done really well to embed and build upon X-Men continuity. In many ways, this series feels like more of a succession of the grand X-Men story than the flagship books do. 

Alongside the flashbacks demonstrating different perspectives, we get to see Rogue finally address her feelings for Gambit. It's a small moment, but it feels earned. There were countless reasons for the walls to go up, when they come down there is just as many. It seems she needed some plot-driven push to get her to the point of honesty with the relationship that Gambit always had, and, now we've touched on this 2 issues in, it sets up three issues of further more meaningful discussion surrounding who these characters are and what they mean to each other.

There really isn't anything to write home about the plot. There's a mystery, but that isn't what is keeping me so entertained page by page and into future issues. The core characters, the charm and the art is setting this up to be one of the biggest X-Books of the year. Currently, I can see myself gifting this series when collected in trade, as I really do just want to share the unmitigated joy that reading this has brought me.

Thompson is delivering with Rogue and Gambit what X-Men: Gold could not; using old and familiar paradigms to tell new and exciting stories.