REVIEW: ‘X-Terminators,’ Issue #1

X-Terminators #1 is written by Leah Williams, illustrated by Carlos Gomez, colored by Bryan Valenza, and lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham. It’s published by Marvel Comics. After an extremely bad breakup with her boyfriend, Alison Blaire – aka mutant superhero and occasional pop star Dazzler – wants to blow off some steam. So she calls up fellow mutants Jubilation “Jubilee” Lee and Tabitha “Boom Boom” Smith for a night of drinking and (intended) debauchery. However, the three mutants soon find themselves in a fight for their lives, and things get even worse when Laura Kinney/Wolverine is added to the mix!

The pitch for this book was extremely popular. Putting four of the most popular female X-Men in a story that’s more akin to a grindhouse thriller than a standard superhero romp? That’s not a bad hook! But the premise is undercut by the execution, particularly when it comes to Williams’ script. The opening pages feature a content advisory warning that says the book contains “crude humor, alcohol usage, partial nudity, strobe effects, violence, and some of your favorite mutants acting like absolute dumbasses.” Funny. But then it follows that up with the title “This Book Is Absolutely Transgressive,” and the contents are…not that. The Carnage series is more transgressive, and it’s about a literal serial killer. This book, on the other hand, falls into the trap of thinking that excessive cursing and violence make your book more adult. Every other word is censored, which comes off as less “transgressive” and more try hard.

Honestly, the biggest draw of the book is the artwork from Gomez, who previously teamed up with Williams on the Amazing Mary Jane series. Gomez’s art walks the fine line between action-packed and horrifying, with just the right hint of sultry. The action-packed bits start from the very first page, as Dazzler dashes through a horde of bloodthirsty vampires, nonchalantly blowing bubble gum and firing off light blasts. The horror comes from the aforementioned vampires, hence the gore and bloodshed. And the sultry part comes from how Gomez focuses on…the most common superpower the mutant heroines share. It’s especially prominent with Boom Boom, who spends most of the issue in a sundress studded with hearts and matching glasses.

The art really pops thanks to Valenza’s colors, especially when he differentiates between the three heroines’ different powers. Dazzler’s energy blasts are bluish-white, while Boom Boom’s look more like miniature suns. And the settings are perfectly suited to the horror setting; a murky pool of greenish water contains a floating mass of vampires, while a bluish-black setting is revealed to be a massive labyrinth. And the lettering from Lanham literally leaps off the page, with literal “vroom” and “kaboom” sounds breaking through the panels. It’s fitting that a chaotic, messy book has chaotic, messy lettering.

X-Terminators #1 is mostly carried by its art, with a story that doesn’t live up to the potential it promised. Having been let down by The Trial of Magneto, which Williams also penned, I hope this title doesn’t suffer the same fate. But so far, it feels like the Spice Girls attempting to do a cover of the Wu-Tang Clan.

X-Terminators #1 is available wherever comics are sold.