Mutants from both main X-Men teams have been sent to Graymalkin Prison. Now, it’s time to bust them out. Your Major Spoilers review of X-Men #8 from Marvel Comics awaits!
X-MEN #8
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 4th, 2024
Previously in X-Men: Hank McCoy also known as Beast, was kidnapped outside the Alaskan headquarters of the X-Men team headed up by Cyclops. In Louisiana, a young mutant named Calico, along with Jubilee were also captured. All three were sent to Graymalkin Prison, which was once Xavier’s School.
TONIGHT, THERE’S GONNA BE A JAILBREAK
X-Men #8 opens up with the warden of Graymalkin Prison speaking to the president of Terra Verde, laying out their plans for Beast. It’s also revealed that Terra Verde and the Roxxon Corporation have a close relationship. Back in Alaska, Cyclops gathers the team and informs them that Beast has been captured. Kid Omega uses his powers to track Beast to Massachusetts. Back at the prison, Calico and Jubilee try to settle into prison life when they’re joined by Beast. The warden then arrives and tries to convince Calico to sign an affidavit, claiming she isn’t a mutant so she can be released and the prison can receive a hefty donation from Calico’s mother. She refuses, which causes many problems and ultimately leads to Beast getting beat down by prison guards. The X-Men then arrive on the scene, flying a giant airship. The team infiltrates and begins bringing the fight to the guards when they meet their first Trustee, mutants who are under the control of the warden.
GETTING THINGS STARTED WITH A BANG
As this is the first crossover event in the new era of X-Men books, it was a solid choice to kick this off with a mostly action-focused issue. In fact, Jed MacKay puts a lot of faith in the readers to have been completely caught up with multiple series, to a fault. In a few instances, there’s an editor’s note directing readers to a past issue when the relevant information really could’ve been shared in a single sentence or line of dialog. There’s not a ton of plot here to examine, which is just fine because the action is great. Each member of the team gets a chance to shine and do something cool and in the case of Kid Omega, exceptionally creative. Surprisingly though, the action is not the best thing about this book, that distinction belongs to all the little character moments, some of them as little as a single line of a dialog. For example, one of the best lines comes from Cyclops when he puts the kibosh on murdering prison guards he’s accused of not being fun anymore, to which he replies “Please, I was never fun”, which feels both like a playful acknowledgment of his reputation, but also an embracing of it. Another great example is Calico getting a chance to embrace her identity and then Beast sacrificing his body for her to do this.
NOT QUITE MATCHING THE TONE
The art in X-Men #8 is a bit of a mixed bag. For the most part, it’s fine. The action is smooth and easy to follow. Also, some of the background touches effectively enhance what’s happening in the foreground, like in a scene where Beast is getting beat, the entire background is filled with onomatopoeias depicting just how many whacks he’s getting. On the other hand, there’s a level of cartoonishness that doesn’t quite fit the subject matter or the tone. Even with some of the quips and one-liners, it never comes off as silly, whereas the art, on some occasions, does.
BOTTOM LINE: A POWERFUL AND EXCITING KICKOFF
The post-Krakoa X-Men books have lacked the same steady hand that had become the norm with them, but this may be the evidence needed to prove that there is a vision for these books and there are things they’ve been heading towards. A lot of good action coupled with great character moments makes X-Men #8 a solid read, front to back. The art sometimes feels out of place, but not enough to derail the issue at all. 4 out of 5 stars.
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X-Men #8
X-Men #8 is a great opening to this first crossover. It sets an exciting tone and gives everyone a chance to shine both with the action and with their own character moments. If it keeps this pace, this will be a fun crossover.
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Writing8
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Art7
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Coloring9
At a young age, Jonathan was dragged to a small town in Wisconsin. A small town in Wisconsin that just so happened to have a comic book shop. Faced with a decision to either spend the humid summers and bitter winters traipsing through the pine trees or in climate controlled comfort with tales of adventure, horror, and romance, he chose the latter. Jonathan can often be found playing video games, board games, reading comics and wincing as his “to watch” list grows wildly out of control.