REVIEW: ‘A.X.E.: Judgement Day,’ Issue #1

A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 is written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Valerio Schiti, colored by Marte Gracia, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Ever since forming the sovereign nation of Krakoa, the X-Men have managed to make themselves virtually immortal thanks to the group of mutants known as the Five. But this does not sit well with the Eternals, especially the newly crowned Prime Eternal Druig. Druig seeks to wipe out all mutants, citing their newfound resurrection as violating the Eternals’ law of “correcting excess deviation.” The Avengers — who have recently come into conflict with the Eternals — work to stop Druig’s plan, gaining some unexpected allies among the way.

The comic book crossover event has become a subject of debate in recent years, with most fans treating it as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, events like Civil War II and Heroes in Crisis feel less like stories and more like a collection of moments guaranteed to draw shock value. On the other hand, books like Supermassive and King in Black feel properly epic because there was an actual buildup to the event, and they actually take characters in a new direction. Judgement Day thankfully looks to be leaning into the former, as story developments concerning all three of the groups involved have led to this moment.

It doubly helps that Gillen is attached, as he has a gift for working with large ensembles and the various character dynamics that fall within them. Judgement Day not only shows the X-Men and their reaction to the Eternals’ declaration of war, but it also reveals the kind of monsters that Druig is willing to cut deals with in order to achieve his goals. And on the Avengers’ side, they confront Sersi only to learn the magnitude of the threat Druig poses. Gillen’s dialogue shifts between the wry, such as Sersi telling Iron Man she needs a Bloody Mary before talking about potential apocalypses, and profound, with a discussion between Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Destiny about the fate of mutant-kind. In short, this is the thinking man’s comic book event — which should go a long way toward dispelling the notion that these types of stories can only be about mindless fighting.

Judgement Day is also one of the best-looking event comics, thanks to Schiti and Marte. Schiti’s no stranger to event comics, having drawn the Avengers/Fantastic Four storyline Empyre and Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men swan song Inferno; here, he ups the ante. Page after page features mind-melting artwork and massive scenes such as Professor X and other mutant psychics dueling the Eternals’ Uni-Mind and Sersi hovering above Earth with Echo and Captain Marvel. All of this is given rich dimension by Marte’s colors, which often take a dark hue due to the apocalyptic nature of the book. Case in point: Cowles’ caption for this book, which usually depicts the narration of the “Great Machine” that the Eternals are sworn to protect, has shifted from a cool blue to a dark blood red. Ominous doesn’t even begin to cover it.

A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 ties together Marvel’s three biggest ensembles for an event of epic proportions, with stellar scripting and phenomenal artwork. With such a great opening issue, I have faith that the rest of the series will continue to impress. And given that the events of Judgement Day are set to spill out into the Marvel Universe, there’s no telling who comes out unscathed and who doesn’t.

A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.