Arakko’s Great Ring needs rebuilding, but that doesn’t stop Abigail Brand from enacting her plan. Can Cable figure out what her goal is? Find out in X-Men Red #8 by Marvel Comics!
X-MEN RED #8
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Madibek Musibekov
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Jordan D. White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 2nd, 2022
Previously in X-Men Red: After the battle with the Eternals, Arakko lost Magneto and cast out Weaponless Zsen. Storm took Magneto’s old seat, and Lodus Logos is the new regency of Sol. With Arakko attempting to replace their lost council, Abigail Brand continued her secret plan. A plan that Cable and Wiz-Kid have some information on. However, they still need more data before they can incriminate her.
A PLAN GONE WRONG
X-Men Red #8 starts with Cable recruiting Weaponless Zsen as a mercenary. They, along with Wiz-Kid, Manifold, Thunderbird, and Khora, track down the part of Cable’s antivirus that Brand stole. The group tracks the virus to the home of the Progenitors. As they look around, they find a video about Vulcan, a sleeper agent for Brand. Then they are suddenly attacked by a robot with a voice coming out, insinuating that Abigail has control of the Progenitors.
Meanwhile, an emergency diplomatic meeting between Shi’ar and the Kree/Skrull Alliance is in session, with Frenzy and Nova in attendance. The conference is a ploy for peace, but suddenly, Vulcan attacks could almost certainly lead to another galactic war!
A LOT GOING ON
The Abigail Brand stuff is neat, and I enjoy some of the ideas. However, I picked up X-Men Red #8 to learn more about Arakko. While this story mentions Arakko briefly, it discusses S.W.O.R.D. and the lasting implications of Abigail’s treachery. Just because we threw Weaponless Zsen in the mix doesn’t make it an Arakko comic. I don’t want to imply that Cable’s new team isn’t engaging; I just don’t believe we are following the promises that the book gave me. Let’s go back and talk about the new Brotherhood that Storm set up. Let’s see the results of grieving for Magneto. Let’s find out who will be in the Great Ring. I hope that whatever plan Marvel has for this comic, this information will have lasting implications for the comic title.
BOTTOM LINE: FALSE PROMISES
The art and story of X-Men Red #8 are solid, and I don’t hate the premise. I am disappointed that we are not looking at what I perceive to be the comic’s main characters. However, there are a ton of good ideas here that will make this comic a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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X-Men Red #8
X-Men Red #8 takes us away from Arakko and Storm and into the perspective of Cable, which does a disservice to the comic title as a whole.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com