REVIEW: ‘Immoral X-Men,’ Issue #1

Immoral X-Men #1 is written by Kieron Gillen, penciled by Paco Medina, inked by Walden Wong & Victor Olazaba, colored by Jay David Ramos & Chris Sotomayor, lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Nathaniel Essex, aka Mister Sinister, has reshaped the world in his image, including the mutant nation of Krakoa and the members of its ruling body, the Quiet Council. But someone has stolen Sinister’s secret lab from under his nose — and the rest of the Council isn’t too keen on following his orders.

John Milton infamously wrote in Paradise Lost that it was better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. Gillen decides to put that to the test, showcasing that Sinister’s empire is a hell of his own making. He rants to one of his many clones that the Council is questioning his orders, showing that he overlooked a glaring flaw in his plan. Even though Sinister overrode the rest of the Council’s genes with his own, their base instincts still remain. Professor Xavier, for example, feels regret at using his psychic powers to make a rebel cell jump to their deaths. But the biggest problem is Emma Frost. Gillen writes most of the issue from her perspective and makes it clear that she is not to be trifled with. Sinister learns this the hard way when he tries to ambush her in her sleep and ends up running for his life.

Since this is a storyline focused on Mister Sinister, it’s a chance for Medina and the rest of the art team to showcase plenty of body horror. The biggest example comes when Sinister unleashes a new group of mutant chimeras on Emma — all of them have Cyclops’s DNA. There’s a Cyclops with three heads, and another Cyclops looks like an unholy fusion of Groot and Rocket Raccoon. And one of the Sinister clones suffers a horrible death, his flesh literally falling off his bones in clumps. Compared to the paradise that is Krakoa, as well as Sinister’s Victorian overhaul of New York, which features blimps soaring across the sky and glittering skyscrapers, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Cowles continues to be a stalwart letterer, designing the data pages that fill in most of the lore for this new reality. My favorite is the page featuring the Council’s manhunt for Sinister. Each one of his hiding places is marked on a globe with his signature red diamond, and the corresponding number features a paragraph describing why he chose to hide there. It gives insight into how characters like Doctor Doom and Black Panther are faring in this new universe, and Gillen brings enough of his signature snark to stop things from being a dry read.

Immoral X-Men #1 showcases that Mister Sinister’s worst enemy is himself as the Quiet Council starts to show signs of rebellion. Not only does this issue continue the political themes that have populated the Krakoa Era, but it also sets the stage for the next phase of the Sins of Sinister storyline. Fair warning: new readers will likely have a bit of catching up to do.

Immoral X-Men #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.