The final battle of the Arakko Civil War is here! Can Storm and her allies win against Genesis? Find out in X-Men Red #18 by Marvel Comics!

X-MEN RED #18

Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Yildiray Cinar
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Editor: Jordan White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 13th, 2023

Previously in X-Men Red: Storm and her allies have tried to teach the people of Arakko a way of peace after they suffered millennia of war. However, when Genesis returned with her Annihilation Staff, a battle was sparked between her and Storm. En Sabah Nur returned and gave Storm the power to create the island Kaorak, leading to the final fight against his wife.

X-Men Red #18 starts with a dynamic opening of Genesis summoning Arakko to fight for her, leading to a battle between Kaorak and Arakko Island. While that happens, Ironfire fights the White Sword, and Storm engages with Genesis. Storm knows how to work around the staff and warps her intention to be able to strike at Genesis, but Genesis still gains the upper hand. Meanwhile, the rest of the Great Ring fights Genesis’ army.

While the fight wages on, Storm touches the Annihilation Staff, and the staff tries to betray Genesis in favor of Storm. Storm lets the staff talk as a distraction and summons enough lightning to destroy the sentient weapon before it can tell her to miss. The fight is over; Storm has won, and Arakko must rebuild. However, both sides suffered many casualties, including Fisher King, who allowed Xilo to merge with Ora Serrata, resulting in his death.

This story arc has been all over the place for me. The story threads are strong, but there is so much going on; I would instead read a novelization of it and call it Game of Arakko or something. But that doesn’t negate the impact of X-Men Red #18’s choices. I was upset by the death of Fisher King because the creative team did an excellent job of making me attached to this character. In a way, though, his death symbolizes the end of Arakko’s old ways, and perhaps we can get some new and intriguing stories.

Arakko is a great place to explore new ideas with the X-Men mythos, and I am really on board with it. I like that Storm is here, and the new mutants created are engaging, albeit sometimes overwhelming, to keep track of. The art in this issue is excellent, and I was in the moment every single comic page. Great work by the creative team.

X-Men Red #18 started with the idea of terraforming Mars and created a new cast of characters that I enjoy. Made in the modern-day with modern-day storytelling tropes, this comic has done an excellent job of keeping my attention. With that in mind, X-Men #18 is a solid 4 out of 5 comics.

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X-Men Red #18

80%

80%

Solid Stuff

X-Men Red #18 brought an action-packed conclusion to an intricate storyline in a compelling way.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
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