X-Men Blue #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jorge Molina & Matteo Buffagni
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel
A review by Gregory Brothers
Back in November of 2012 Brian Michael Bendis brought the original five X-men to the future as current day Hank McCoy was trying to find a way to convince Scott Summers to change his militant ways. The team has headed out on several adventures since then as they adjust to living in a future that is totally different than anything they have dealt with before. Over time various members of the team have come and gone as they have dealt with those differences. With X-Men Blue the original five have come back together with a specific goal.
X-Men Blue #1 joins the reunited team as they are already enroute to their first mission. Cerebro has alerted them to mutant activity upon a luxury yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Quickly the team finds the target as they come face to face with classic X-men villain Black Tom Cassidy, who is attempting to rob the passengers of the yacht. As any long time reader of the X-Men will tell you, Cassidy is rarely alone, and predictably another classic villain joins the fight. Through working together, the team can dispatch the villains while saving the day. As the successful mission ends the team heads back to their base of operations where we find out the team is following the directions of a surprise leader.
X-Men Blue #1 does an excellent job or reintroducing the time displaced classic team, without feeling like he is just retreading stories with the team. The interactions and tension between the teammates show that each of them have changed over time, while also showing that they want to work together to show the world that they are heroes. The use of classic villains provides a bit of nostalgia while reminding the reader what the younger Cyclops is dealing with because of the actions of the older version of himself. Having Jean in the position of leadership also provides a unique take that, in the end, will provide tensions and various storylines that will be able to be explored later.
The design of the uniforms has a classic feel to the with the prominence of the X on various parts, however each member’s uniforms are custom to them with distinctive styles and colors for each. The coloring throughout is bright and eye catching while character deign matches what you would expect with younger versions of themselves. The use of movement and panel placements help to emphasize the size differences between the original five and the enemies they encounter.
The Verdict
Buy it! X-Men Blue #1 is what I fell in love with when they brought these characters into present day. The team has grown from the fish out of water stories to have a goal which is to show the world that they are indeed heroes. Bunn strikes the perfect balance of serious action and snarky quips that X-Men books were once known for. While the team have serious goals and issues they are dealing with, there is also that air of lightness and character interaction that lead to later character development. The twist at the end raises questions as to if this team is on the right side of this fight, or if they are being manipulated by outside forces.
