Bishop devoted his whole life to a dystopian future fighting for survival. Now that he is Krakoa’s Captain Commander, he must teach his skills to the next generation. Check it out in Bishop: War College #1 by Marvel Comics!

BISHOP: WAR COLLEGE #1

Writer: J Holtam
Artist: Sean Damien Hill, Victor Nava, and Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Espen Grundetjern
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Sarah Brunstad
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 8th, 2023 

Previously in Bishop: Bishop is a time traveler from a time when mutants and humans were brutally killed or captured by a corrupt government. He swore that his own past would never come to fruition. Now Bishop works with Krakoa to offer a different kind of future. Recently, he proposed a new training program to simulate war games for the younger generation of mutants.

Bishop: War College #1 portrays Bishop as a brutal teacher who pushes his mutant students to the limit. So much so that Armor, Surge, Cam Long, Aura Charles, and Amass walk out on their training when not granted a break. Bishop is also informed that he only has one more day with these students due to his extreme teaching methods. Frustrated, Bishop requests help from Tempo and Wrongslide. Tempo creates a time bubble to give him more time, and the students are forced to fight Wrongslide repeatedly.

Suddenly, the Fenris twins attack Bishop and reveal they are working for Orchis. Bishop and Tempo fight the twins but are teleported to a new timeline. The students and Wrongslide are affected by Blightswill and lose their powers. When Bishop wakes up, he meets an alternative dimension X-Men. One where everyone is Black.

I didn’t read the solicitation before picking Bishop: War College #1 to review. The cover features the all-Black X-Men, and I expected this comic to be more about that. Instead, I found this issue mostly about Bishop as a teacher and mentor. As a college professor, it was an interesting commentary on an aggressive teaching style. But I can’t help but be slightly disappointed that we didn’t get this new X-Men team until the last page. Nor did we set up why Bishop is the point of view character for this team. Bishop is an engaging character, but there isn’t a theme of him feeling out of place in the new mutant nation. In fact, his relationship with his students seems to be the more significant plot point at the current moment.

However, the bits of character development I saw between the students and Bishop were incredibly well thought out. The art is impressive, and I appreciated all the character designs and decisions. Great work for the creative team. Maybe I should have read the solicitation before reading the comic.

Bishop: War College #1 was a good read and presented the question of what good leadership is. It also showed Bishop’s perspective and desire to protect his students when push came to shove. This comic is 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I can’t wait for the next issue.

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Bishop: War College #1

90%

90%

Great Work

Bishop: War College #1 has creative commentary on Bishop’s aggressive teaching style and promises an engaging plot line.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  9
• Coloring

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