Uncanny X-Men #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Gail Simone, art by David Marquez, colors by Matthew Wilson, and letters by Clayton Cowles. This is part of the From The Ashes relaunch of the X books. Rogue and Gambit find Wolverine, trying to make sense of their purpose following the fall of Krakoa.
This series instantly takes a different direction from X-Men #1. That book clearly has a drive, with Cyclops creating a community in a northern town. This series has a listless unease, with the characters trying to find their place in a new world. They travel across North America, taking in locations and objectives with opposite scales.
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In Mexico, Wolverine, Rogue, and Gambit gather to remove a dragon from an ancient cultural monument. Straight from there, they meet up with Nightcrawler in a hospital to visit an extremely sick teenager. This grounds the comic and plummets the tone from grand and adventurous to real and devastating. Both instances are perfect examples of what the X-Men stand for. They save the world, and they inspire.
The book feels big, with Simone establishing three different scenarios for this new team to find themselves in, with the final one being a creepy folk horror story. And each of these individual stories is already seen to be connected, laced together through the scenes to stoke a mystery. The pace fluctuates perfectly, speeding up in the fight scenes but slowing down to drag emotions out of the most heartbreaking moments. There Each one of the segments is as surprising as the other, considering the variety in mood and what the X-Men encounter.
The cast is much smaller than X-Men #1, which works in its favor. In Uncanny X-Men #1, the focus is on Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine. There are cameos of other characters to show the synergy between the books, with Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and other longstanding members of the X-Men making appearances. The reduced cast draws out the personality of the main trio, who are more than capable of carrying the comic on their own. There are other characters included, all adding something unique to the book. The dragon is an ancient, noble being brimming with arrogance.
In contrast, the sick kid is adorably excited and able to meet his idols. The dialogue is sensational, with Simone able to jump between characters and understand how to adapt the speech patterns. The scene in the hospital is the best of the book. It features positivity and humor, but shock and unease quickly sets in. A tragic, terrifying use of Wolverine’s sense makes it sadder, beautifully written by Simone.
That period in the hospital is the turning point for the book. The characters lose their positivity and swagger, with shattered confidence and a lack of sense of place. It’s a perfect opportunity to take stock of recent events and let out the confusion and frustration following the fall of Krakoa. Uncanny X-Men #1 leans into the connection between the characters. This is especially the case for Wolverine and Rogue, who can understand each other without saying a word.
The art is phenomenal as Marquez works in sync with Simone. When the scale and tone changes, so does the spectacle within the art. The dragon in the first tale is massive, making the heroes look miniscule compared to it. As the first fight of the series, it carries a terrific amount of majesty. It is surprisingly brutal, with the heroes’ abilities and the dragon’s power on full display.
But in the hospital, the comic gets personal and intricate. It relies on facial expressions and body language to convey its intense emotions. The subtle looks on Wolverine’s face alert the reader that something is wrong while the young boy is so happy and overjoyed. The tender moment between Maxwell, the kid, and Rogue is poignant and just as impactful as the confrontation with the dragon. The third part of the book changes elements again, introducing some sinister creature designs that are unnerving and slightly scary.
Uncanny X-Men #1 is delightfully colorful, bringing out the vibrancy in the character’s costumes. The dragon is a brilliant mixture of green, yellow, and red, proudly standing out against the sandy Mexican landscape beneath him. But when the book needs to get scarier, dipping into the horror genre, the pages get darker, and the shadows extend, obscuring what is behind the tree line of the forest the heroes enter. The lettering is fantastic, utilizing custom fonts for inhuman creatures to add gravitas to their voices.
Uncanny X-Men #1 is a near-perfect new beginning. X-Men is about rebuilding, while Uncanny is about exploring and helping. Simone’s script is sensational, with the characters leaning on each other in their most vulnerable times. The genre of the book changes without being too dramatic a shift, merely offering examples of where the comic will head next. The small cast makes the book feel like family. The art is flawless and dripping with gravitas and drama.
Uncanny X-Men #1 is available where comics are sold.
