In X Deaths of Wolverine #1, Moira MacTaggert is fleeing for her (now one) life. After deceiving them with the goal of a better future for all mutants, she has been cast out of the X-men. Moira has survived an assault from Mystique, who cut off her arm and used a special technology to strip her of her mutant resurrection abilities. Having gained a fresh appreciation for mortality, Moira ends up back in Scotland, where she is now on the run as she battles cancer, survives an attack from Mystique, and evades the CIA. Meanwhile, Black Tom senses an unrest in nature and Logan emerges on the scene.

I immensely enjoyed this comic. The first issue of X Deaths of Wolverine is part of the X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine series, a run of two interwoven tales – the Deaths and the Lives – in which Logan’s past meets his future as he travels through time to various points in history to prevent the deaths of X-Men. This issue is lengthy, but fast-paced, easy to follow, and has good artwork. While there is a lot of action, the panels are not so action-heavy that the reader misses out on good dialogue and meditation on the unfolding plot. What really stood out to me was the focus on the survival aspect of the story. The reader really feels Moira’s fear and vulnerability. I also loved the fable about death around the middle of the issue; it sets the mood and brings an appropriate touch of myth to the story (which I always love to have in my comics).

I have always felt that the X-Men stories capture the mythical nature of comics in a unique way, with their emphasis on god-like humans, and death and resurrection. This issue is an exciting contribution to X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine, and I look forward to following Logan’s interactions with time and other X-Men in following issues.