Charles Xavier has had something up his sleeve for a while, and while we got parts of his story, we finally get some answers. Check out X-Men Forever #1 by Marvel Comics!

X-MEN FOREVER #1

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Luca Maresca 
Colorist: Federico Blee 
Letterer: Clayton Cowles 
Editor: Jordan White 
Publisher: Marvel Comics 
Cover Price: $4.99 
Release Date: March 20th, 2024   

Previously in X-Men Forever: Orchis attacked the Hellfire Gala and decimated the mutant nation of Krakoa. Some went to the White Hot Room, others went to Arakko, and a small handful fought for their lives on Earth. However, the more significant threat is the Dominion, Enigma. Now, Xavier works with Cypher, Mother Righteous, Askani, and Rasputin IV to defeat the digital god.

X-Men Forever #1 starts with the first time Destiny met Enigma in 1899 when listening to Enigma Variations and specifically the variation known as Nimrod. This shows that Destiny and Enigma had an arrangement she kept to herself from the beginning. This comic also discusses that Charles Xavier sent Orchis after Mother Righteous to capture and use her. Additionally, Cypher is not the Cypher we are familiar with. In reality, Xavier activated a clone of Cypher and put in the parts of Sinister that remained in his brain. With everything explained, they send Rasputin IV to fight Dominion and Askani to assemble a team. They plan to resurrect the Phoenix, but perhaps something else is up their sleeve.

X-Men Forever #1 starts with an excellent premise of answering questions that needed answering. I was on board with filling up plot holes in the story. I liked some of these explanations, but when we hit the cliffhanger, and there was another plot point unrevealed to us, I found myself frustrated. Some aspects of this Krakoa conclusion have been a slog. A lot is going on, and a bunch of it is unexplained. (I’m looking at you flying Rasputin IV) While I don’t find much characterization within this issue, it was refreshing to just read some of the lost momentum coming back. And if we ended the story with “Let’s resurrect the Phoenix,” that would be great! However, we didn’t do that; instead, we pushed another secret between Xavier and the audience. We don’t understand anymore, which doesn’t bring me joy. While a good mystery or cliffhanger is fun, it has been going on for too long for the X-Men titles.

Visually, I think X-Men Forever #1 does a decent job. I particularly liked the use of color, which adds to the craziness of No-Place. While the line work didn’t stand out to me, it was consistent, so good work overall by the creative team.

There have been some significant inconsistencies with the latest X-Men runs, but I think this is a step in the right direction. While I don’t agree with all the creative decisions, we may get everything wrapped up well within the next few months. 3.5 out of 5 stars for X-Men Forever #1.

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X-Men Forever #1

70%

70%

On the Fence

X-Men Forever #1 finally answers some questions to the reader that will provide needed insight into what is going on.

• Wiring

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• Coloring

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