This month in comics featured the debut of some huge crossovers and an absurd amount of new X-Men comics. While a lot of the splashy, important issues fell short of expectations, there are lots of great comics on the fringes of DC and Marvel’s publishing lines and tons of titles extending beyond the Big Two! After the incredible success of “House of X” and “Powers of X,” it was pretty exciting to see where the X-Titles were headed next even if it didn’t turn out to be the direction I wanted them to go in.
Biggest Disappointment: Dawn of X
Arguably the most important development during October 2019 in the world of comic books is the expansion of Marvel’s X-Men line of comics. Marvel wrapped up Jonathan Hickman, R.B. Silva, and Pepe Larraz’s dual introductory X-Men series to initiate the ‘Dawn of X.’ The critical reception and buzz has been positive thus far, but Hickman’s incredibly specific tone he is bringing to the X-Men comics may not be able to be replicated by other creative teams. This month was also the start of the first proper “X-Men” ongoing series. There was a lot of X-Men material in October but not all of it lived up to the high standard Hickman brought initially with “House of X” and “Powers of X.”
The most buzzed-about book of the month is the brand new “X-Men” #1. The title retained a disorienting vibe and cunning look into the Nation of Krakoa. The first chapter expanded on some of the ideas Hickman brought to the initial series. Hickman continues to enjoy the new status quo heralded by having so many dead X-Men back into the limelight. The chapter featured an intriguing look into the current state of the Summers family. The one aspect the script was lacking is a big status quo shift or development that a first issue needs. It would have been great to have Marvel and Hickman really justify why a new #1 was the right move in this case. The big revelation for the story came with the post-credits scene featuring a tense conversation between Scott Summers and his father Christopher. Hickman’s most important moment in the issue was one that was carried by subtext instead of a distinctive plot direction.
Veteran artist Leinil Yu joined Hickman to illustrate the issue. Yu’s interpretation of Krakoa is vivid and interesting but lacked the sense of intrigue and cohesion that Larraz and Silva lent to their mini-series. Yu has collaborated with Hickman before in “Avengers” and various other comics. The creator has even spearheaded the visuals on event mini-series like “Secret Invasion.” Yu’s pencils and Hickman’s script were both solid in the context of “X-Men” #1 but they didn’t carry the bombast readers may expect from an issue titled “X-Men” #1. Instead of hitting the gas pedal for future entries in ‘Dawn of X,’ “Marauders” #1 slowly brought a team of Mutant pirates together. Again, this was an entry that followed-up on the world of X-Men with solid writing from Gerry Duggan. The best part of the story is the beautiful pencils from Matteo Lolli which did a great job matching up with the “House of X” and “Powers of X” saga from a visual standpoint. There was no standout moment of subtext or greatly intriguing plot development (aside from a brief scene with Kitty in the very opening of the issue.)
I feel largely the same about “Excalibur” #1 that I did regarding “Marauders.” The issue had a great visual aesthetic thanks to artist Marcus To but the script from Tini Howard only found brief moments of greatness. ‘Dawn of X’ has good intentions that don’t immediately pave the way for greatness. I hope the supplementary titles and core “X-Men” series will be able to find a stronger focus in the months to come.
2nd Biggest Disappointment: DC’s Black Label comics in October
DC had an avalanche of new comics debuting in their Black Label line in October. The publisher oversaw the launch of “Harleen” in September. In October, “Joker: Killer Smile” and “Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity” joined the line of comics. The through-line here is that DC is tying together a ton of Joker and Harley Quinn content in this line of comics that may prove derivative. I can’t determine why the publisher decided to launch so many similar titles at the same time. Some of the books are interesting in their own right like the noir storyline of “Joker: Killer Smile,” but there is so much similar content with the line flooding the market that the book is competing with its comics in the same line. The decision to release so much Joker content in October seemed to backfire on DC this month.
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Most amusing crossover debut: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Hellmouth” #1
The official relaunch of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer saga at BOOM! Studios debuted their first crossover with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Hellmouth” #1. While the story may have lacked the tension readers were expecting from a huge event, the opening chapter of the story featured a pleasant narrative to intersect the Buffy and Angel titles from BOOM!. The event is notable for being one of the very first times in the revised continuity that Angel and Buffy have met face-to-face. While the idea of a Hellmouth opening up in Sunnydale is a little thin, I can’t help but be charmed enough by the subdued tone in the writing from Jordie Bellaire, Jeremy Lambert and the art from Eleonora Carlini to want to know what is happening next.
Biggest Surprise: “Teen Titans” #35
I did not expect to be talking about “Teen Titans” during the month of October. Issue #35 dialed up the tension so high that I was initially in disbelief of its greatness. The past couple installments featured harrowing yet (seemingly) minor squabbles surrounding the team. September’s issue featured a truly shocking revelation. I was assuming writer Adam Glass would find a way out of the previous cliffhanger for #35. However, Glass committed to the revelations surrounding Roundhouse and brought the story to a shocking emotional direction that I was not anticipating. The “Teen Titans” are even openly condemning Damian Wayne’s practices. It doesn’t hurt that the excellent Bernard Chang crafts nimble, visually dynamic pencils perfect for arguing superhero teens. Out of everything discussed in this column, “Teen Titans” #35 is the clear winner in terms of quality. Check it out.
Best Surprisingly Consistent Ongoing series: “Aquaman”
It should come as no surprise that a comic book starring DC’s infamous aquatic hero Arthur Curry is falling beneath the radar but Aquaman #53 merits further attention. The artwork from Robson Rocha is beautiful, perfectly rendering Sea Gods as mortal men obsessed with apples. Rocha is a strong pairing with writer Kelly Sue Deconnick who has been world-building on the series teaming up Arthur with Sea Gods of the past. DeConnick and Rocha recently reintroduced Aqualad to the DC Universe. The duo is balancing a lot of metaphorical plates including this issue’s central focus; the reintroduction of Aquaman’s fiancee, Mera, Queen of Atlantis. The superhero soap opera has a gorgeous visual direction and a host of supernatural elements that made it stand out from the pack this month.
While the majority of the big titles this week can be underwhelming, there are still more than a few solid books lurking beneath the cracks. Based on some of the upcoming solicitations I have no doubt that future X-Men issues are going to feature some more interesting and ambitious plotting.
