If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when almost 75 years worth of Magneto’s rage over the killings of mutants is unleashed, then this book might just be for you. One warning, though: this is going to get heavy.
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Javier Fernandez
“PROFILE OF A SUPREMACIST”
• In the most brutal issue yet of this new noir/horror series, Magneto ruthlessly dismantles the latest threat to mutantkind…
• …and we gain a greater understanding of why his mission is so important to him.
There was a modicum of skepticism I had surrounding the announcement of a Magneto solo title largely because the character didn’t seem to be in a place that required his own series to explore further his position in the Marvel Universe. Then I read “Uncanny X-Men” #16. Then I read “Magneto” #1. As it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
With Cullen Bunn writing, Magneto has been steered back into the role of an anti-villain who has taken into his own hands the vengeance of every mutant killed in hate throughout history and now plans to wipe out as many threats to mutantkind as he can find. It’s an interesting place for a solo X-Men title to be, for sure, but with this fourth issue Cullen Bunn really shows that he knows what he’s doing.
One of the things that is rather striking about “Magneto” is how Cullen Bunn and Javier Fernandez use violence in the book. For a character who was largely born in violence, it makes sense for him to turn that violence on his oppressors. However, for a comic existing in the main Marvel Universe, this book is a little more brutal than most. I mean, there’s an entire section in this issue where Magneto attacks three humans with a length of barbed wire and Fernandez does not shy away from portraying the damage that would cause. That makes this book stand out a lot from the usual crowd that rarely has its title character use his power to inflict such damage on others (except for maybe “The Punisher”), and if done incorrectly that could have easily killed the book.
Thankfully, while the art shows the horrific nature of Magneto’s actions without shying away from it, the writing goes a long way in explaining why he took that approach. Cullen Bunn’s writing really digs deep into how Magneto is now and where he came from through the narration to explain (not justify, mind you) his actions taken against the humans. It’s a move that reminds me more than a little of Garth Ennis’ time writing “Punisher”, specifically the MAX title. Magneto becomes a force of nature thanks to Javier Fernandez’s artwork – which retains the moody shadow work of Gabriel Hernandez Walta while keeping a cleaner, slightly more conventional line – but Cullen Bunn’s writing allows for an exploration of the human psyche and motivation behind those actions. Because of that, “Magneto” becomes a much more complex story than you would think and it’s easy to count this as some of Cullen Bunn’s best work at Marvel.
But there’s more to “Magneto” than just Magneto himself; there’s a story to build here, after all. While we’re already four issues in, this series has definitely been a slow burn as it focuses on single issue stories to build a base focusing on the character’s new direction as opposed to jumping straight into multi-part arc storytelling. That’s a risky move as sometimes it works and feels like a refreshing take on the character (see: “Moon Knight”) and sometimes it feels like the title is spinning its wheels before really taking off (see: “Black Widow”). This edges over to the former rather than the latter, but only just. While Bunn is going a long way to establish that, gee, Magneto sure doesn’t like when humans try to commit mutant genocide, he’s doing so that it sets up Magneto as a genuine threat of a character even despite his recent power drop. It’s been a slow burn that works, but it’s now getting to the point where this should really be building to something soon or it will all be for nothing.
Continued belowAs the solicitation states, this is a book that falls closer to horror than anything else in the Marvel Universe and that allows for some really unique artwork. Javier Fernandez joins the series here, in place of Gabriel Hernandez Walta, to bring some incredibly moody artwork that really conveys the horrific tone of the book. While, as mentioned, Fernandez’s linework is a lot cleaner and simpler than Walta’s is, Fernandez is still a great fit for this book thanks to the moody work with shadows in the inking and the use of brutal, unflinching violence. It’s artwork that really fits Marvel’s style of making each book look nothing like any of their other books.
“Magneto” is taut, violent, unflinching and ultimately a complex look at man haunted by the violence of his past using that to save others from the future he exists in. Cullen Bunn has finally found a book at Marvel that plays to his strengths and he seems to put his all into this book, crafting a direction for Magneto that feels unique but still speaks to the classic origins of the character. The artwork for this makes it all the better as Javier Fernandez infuses each page with an oppressive atmosphere that makes the violence all the more brutal and genuinely surprising for a book not part of Marvel’s MAX line. While things could do with picking up, it’s still a strong start that keeps climbing.
Final Verdict: 7.3 – It’s getting there, it just needs that kick into high gear to propel this book in a character-defining series.
