Comic & Manga Reviews
Man, I thought the first volume was chaotic (and admittedly fun). X-Factor Vol. 2 leans even heavier into the commentary, satire, and yes, chaos. It’s a mixed bag, as there are some elements that I really enjoyed.
The fall of Krakoa shook everyone, readers and characters alike. At least, that’s how it felt to this reader. So, naturally, I tried to make a point of checking out all the new From the Ashes series, including X-Factor.
Where the last volume introduced new characters and brought a different team together, Uncanny X-Men Vol. 2 took everything a step further. We still have our favorites on the team (have I mentioned how much I love having a Rogue-led team?), but things are morphing and changing.
Okay, there are a few key phrases you can waggle in my face that will get me to read an X-Men series. “Rogue-led” is one of them, and “Written by Gail Simone” is another. So, I knew I was going to check out Uncanny X-Men the moment it was announced.
Six new series popped up at the beginning of From the Ashes (and many others followed), including Exceptional X-Men. This team offered a slightly different take on the mutant team thing, focusing on the newest generation, with unwilling teachers at the helm.
It’s a new era for the X-Men, and only time will tell if that’s for the best. That said, I’m happy to see that Scott is in charge of at least one of the X-Men teams. His team feels a little like coming back home for the X-Men. There are new twists, obviously, but there always will be.
Of course, Jean Grey is getting a solo series during Marvel’s From the Ashes. It would be strange if she didn’t, right? Phoenix Vol. 1 really lets Jean/Phoenix off the leash, sending her off into the larger universe, and boy, are the stakes high.
At this point, I think I’m fully caught up in what I had read from the Krakoan era (yeah, I hadn’t gotten far before I got distracted, and I hate that). I’m happy to be making new progress with this story and am eagerly awaiting a few anticipated reveals and twists.
As an anthology, Dawn of X Vol. 1 collects six issues, ranging across different series. Naturally, this means that while there’s (probably) something for everyone, not all of it is going to hit. I can already tell there will be subplots I love, and some subplots I’ll be happy to get through.
Here marks the end of the (well, this) Darth Vader series. It was a good run, and overall, I really enjoyed it. This series could be read as a standalone or alongside the main Star Wars plot. The whole series, from start to finish, occurs between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and until now, I hadn’t really thought about what occurred in that time span.
Quirky Cats Comics 