Fanboys Anonymous

I have been a long-time fan of the X-Men. I grew up with the original animated television series, which featured perhaps one of the most iconic lineup of X-Men to date. Almost every member of that cast has gone on to do great and wonderful things. One member, however, seems to have fallen into obscurity as of late, especially after the loss of her mutant powers. Jubilation Lee (aka Jubilee) is a character that I've always found endearing and am ecstatic that she's finally making a reappearance in this new installation of X-Men.

Brian Wood is the writer for this fourth volume of the series. He's dabbled in the X-books before, but all eyes are on him now as he becomes the captain of a flagship Marvel title. Teaming up with penciler Olivier Coipel, X-Men #1 is beautiful to look at. There is an attention to detail in Coipel's works that just jumps out of the page at you and draws you into the story.

Wood does a nice job of setting things up right off the bat. At the end of the first issue, you know quite clearly who the bad guys and the good guys are. The plot is not anything we haven't seen before, but it's a tale that you really can't get bored of: evil and good team up to stop even bigger evil. Perhaps my one complaint about this introductory issue is the lack of explanation into Jubilee's background. Newer X-fans might not be familiar with her past, and even long-time X-fans could probably use a refresher on where she's been.

Wood also has a nice grasp on the personalities of the characters and the dynamic between them and others. It's hard sometimes for a writer to step into the shoes of such iconic personas, but Wood does so effortlessly, writing dialogue and actions that ring true to each and every character.

Overall, X-Men #1 did not disappoint. This lineup of X-(Wo)Men is made up of the classic female characters that everyone knows and loves. Harking back to the X-Men of the 90s, this is sure to be a great ride for both new and old readers alike.


Score: 8.5/10