The legacy number is 700, so you know that things are about to get weird for your favorite mutants. Your Major Spoilers review of X-Men #35 from Marvel Comics awaits!

X-MEN #35

Writer: Gerry Duggan/Al Ewing/Kieron Gillen/Chris Claremont
Artist: Joshua Cassara/Phil Noto/Lucas Werneck/Leinil Francis Yu/Walter Simonson/Mark Brooks/John Romita Jr./Scott Hanna/Jerome Opena/Luciano Vecchio/Stefano Caselli/Salvador Larocca
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr./Phil Noto/David Curiel/Laura Martin/Sonia Oback/Marcio Menyz/Matt Hollingsworth/Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Jordan D. White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $9.99
Release Date: June 5, 2024

Previously in X-Men: All good things must come to an end, and as good of a thing as the Krakoan era has been for mutantkind… its time has come at last. The tragedy and triumph of Fall of the House of X, the madness and mystery of Rise of the Powers of X… They have all come to their end and led to this moment that will change the future of mutantkind for years to come.

NO PARADISE WITHOUT AN INFERNO

With the war between Orchis and the mutants at an end, Professor Charles Xavier has turned himself over to the authorities to be punished for his crimes. Before he can be locked up, though, he has to deal with the consequences of his actions, as one of his oldest students has become his enemy, and his oldest enemy is once again his friend. Charles and Magneto have a little heart-to-heart, once magnetic force has saved the Professor from Wolverine-murder, and the irony that they have officially switched sides is not lost on either man. As for Krakoa, the end of an era comes in a very literal sense, as the mutants thought lost to Orchis’ manipulations are found once again… and they bring a few more friends along. The change in seasons is not a welcome one for the artist formerly known as Apocalypse, and he wants to make his arguments about survival of the fittest in some very terrifying ways. Nightcrawler has to face his own worst impulses, as well as his mother and father, and once again, everything is Charles Xavier’s fault, while Cyclops and The Beast plot a return and Gambit and Rogue just want to enjoy some downtime.

Oh, and Charles Xavier is even more paranoid and manipulative than we all suspected.

“I TOLD YOU SO” LOSES ITS LUSTER

Having viewed the Krakoan era of X-Men in its entirety, I can tell you that its biggest weakness is the same as this issue’s biggest weakness: The idea of utopia isn’t really tenable in comic books, where visually interesting conflict is the name of the game. A world that doesn’t need heroics would be dramatically inert in a lot of ways that would unravel the fabric of comic book storytelling. This issue spends a lot of time unraveling what went wrong with Krakoa as a nation-state, and that does make for some good moments of dialogue, of combat, and of closure, but since the X-Men will continue with a big relaunch, none of it really gets to be as final as it wants to be. The huge number of artists at play means that it’s sometimes hard to follow the progression from page to page, but makes for a number of big statement pieces. Colossus arriving to give En Sabah Nur an uppercut that could sink the Bismarck is a particular standout piece for me. My biggest complaint about this issue, other than a ten-dollar price point, is that the crimes of Charles Xavier have never been clearly outlined for me, instead left to vague notions of mind-control, corruption, and a general feeling of badness. Then again, given that he admits to psychically altering the minds of the greatest geniuses on Earth years earlier, just in case he was ever locked up by them, is a bit damning.

BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS… A LOT

The real bottom line of X-Men #35, which is also X-Men #700, is that the massive scope of the Krakoan era requires this book to summarize a lot of characters’ situations, leaving things like Forge’s status abstract and unexplained, putting Kitty Pryde behind a bar joking about her exes, and leaving one major player stabbed to death, making for 3 out of 5 stars overall. Any book with six writers, a dozen artists, and literally thousands of characters to account for was always going to be an uphill battle, but this one pulls off a lot more than I expected it would, and also delivers one of the most gorgeous, complex, and interesting covers in recent memory. (I want it as a poster.)

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X-MEN #35

63%

63%

The Stage Is Set

The notion of "putting the toys back in the box" has consequences positive and negative, but this issue mostly manages to walk the tightrope, wrapping things up with some important moments, and finally giving Chris Claremont's idea about Nightcrawler's real parents a chance.

But man, is it spendy.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  6
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