After “Way of X” kicked off Nightcrawler’s role and responsibilities on Krakoa, Si Spurrier is continuing the story with an expanded team, new challenges, and some intergalactic politics. So, how does it do? Let’s take a look and see…
Written by Si Spurrier
Illustrated by Jan Bazaldua
Colored by Federico Blee
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesSI SPURRIER AND JAN BAZALDUA BRING PEACE, LOVE AND JUSTICE TO KRAKOA!
Krakoa has its laws – but does it have justice? To remain a mutant sanctuary, Krakoa must safeguard itself against those who would damage its peace or traumatize its people. The lost must be found, and the wicked must face redemption – or retribution. It’s up to the ever-soulful swashbuckler NIGHTCRAWLER to keep the spark alive and LEGION to host his unique team in the psychedelic mindspace called THE ALTAR. With PIXIE on point, JUGGERNAUT as a one-man riot squad and a host of X-favorites on the beat, the LEGION OF X will do anything to protect mutants’ right to pursue happiness and hope.
Kicking off with a hunt for a missing Arakkii god and a skinjacker possessing innocent mutants, read this issue and come meet WEAPONLESS ZSEN, ORA SERRATA…and a villain worth praying for. The DESTINY OF X bares it heart and soul right here!
“Legion of X” continues not far from where “Way of X” ended, give or take enough time for Kurt to build his new team. We’re guided to the current status quo by Legion as he narrates to a newly revived mutant who seems to mean a lot to him (and we see who and why later in the chapter). But this guides us in to the start of the story nicely, where we see Nightcrawler handing out assignments to his team – some are important for the story, others are just for flavor.
The most important thing is how this helps introduce the team, their goals, and the overall concept. While there are plenty of “X-Men” titles focusing on individual teams off of Krakoa, “Legion of X” is more focused on the island itself, its laws, and maintaining order there. The comic is sure to focus on the three laws of Krakoa, as it provides reasonable interpretations outside of just the word as written (which is good, because having “make more mutants” as a law can be a very concerning commandment if taken at face value).
As for how the comic introduces its key characters, it handles that nicely by showing them in action. “Legion of X” assumes we’re already familiar with the characters used in “Way of X,” so mutants like Pixie and Lost aren’t given as much of an introduction, but we still get to keep up with them and get a good feel for the characters. For others, though, we’re given more time to get to know them.
For instance, a surprising major player is ForgetMeNot, a mutant with the power to… be forgotten as soon as someone looks away from him. The comic makes a running gag out of people forgetting him in mid-conversation, but it also makes it just a little bit tragic. (I actually had to look him up after reading the comic, and discovered that I’ve read comics with him in them before… I’d just totally forgotten about him. Go figure.)
It also serves as a way to get Juggernaut onto Krakoa, in spite of not being a mutant (and his introduction is glorious). After all, he’s an important part of the X-Men mythos, so they had to work him in somehow.
At the same time, it uses these introductory scenes to establish and build upon the plot lines that’ll be carrying this comic forward. There’s a “skinjacker” storyline being set up, but Legion also seems to be getting a quest of his own, plus a mission for Nightcrawler. And it looks like all of these will be tying together in one way or another.
In fact, although Nightcrawler’s team and mission is mostly focused on Krakoa, he spends a fair bit of time on Arakko. It’s great to see Kurt and Ororo interact, given Storm’s new role on Arakko, but the comic also shows us how Nightcrawler meshes and clashes with the Arakkii ways.
Continued belowMost importantly, it plays with the Marvel universe’s concept of gods, explores how the Arakki mutants would view them, and sets that up against Kurt’s own religious beliefs (even if it means referencing a… let’s say “controversial” storyline from long ago). This builds on Arakki culture and society, fleshing out this new world more and introducing new characters (including, maybe, a new romantic interest for Kurt? Time will tell).
So, story-wise, there’s a lot going on, but it balances things out nicely. Does the artwork do the same?
As a matter of fact, Jan Bazaldua’s art and Federico Blee’s colors are excellent. Jan’s illustrations provide this very solid and clean style that I’m very fond of – it makes each panel easy to take in, keeps the visuals clear, maintains consistency across each page, and still adds enough detail to really look good.
And when it’s necessary, the artwork can go to pretty crazy places too. Legion’s “bubble reality” includes some strange, Escher-like designs, as well as some cosmic scenes where space is malleable and thought becomes reality. It’s not easy to pull it off in a visually clean way, but Bazaldua does it.
This is helped immensely by Federico Blee adding color to each scene. The color work in the bubble reality and astral scenes are just outstanding, adding to the bizarre nature of the realm and brightening up the space in a bright blend of colors.
When we’re on Krakoa and Arakko, the color work becomes a more natural tone, but still uses bright shades to draw the reader’s eye to key characters while they stand out against darker backgrounds and side characters. Similarly, shades of red and orange fill the background of the Arakko scenes, as is appropriate for the red planet, formerly known as Mars.
Like the illustrations, the colors are bold, clean, and easy on the eyes, while enhancing the details and designs. In short, the artist and colorist make an excellent team.
Overall, “Legion of X” #1 carries on the story from “Way of X” nicely, while serving as a good jumping on point for new readers, expanding both Krakoa and Arakko, and bringing in a nice assortment of characters and intersecting plots well suited for them. It’s another strong entry into the Krakoan age of the X-Men.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – A solid start for the latest adventures of Nightcrawler, Legion, and the merry band of mutants they’ve assembled.
