REVIEW: ‘NYX’ Issue #3 (2024)

NYX (2024) #3 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, art by Francesco Mortarino, colors by Raúl Angulo and letters by Joe Sabino. The death of a young mutant brings out both the best and worst of New York.

Following the concept of the previous issue, the attention shifts to a different character. In NYX (2024) #3, it is the turn of Anole to be in the spotlight. Fired from his job at the nightclub, the most visible mutant in the group is struggling to find his place. There is a sad tone to this book, all centered around a memorial for the mutant. But it quickly moves from the surface to undergound, into the old Morlock tunnels. The layers within this city and this comic make the book intriguing. There is the city that everyone sees before the characters venture beneath into the seedy underbelly.

What changes for this issue is that underneath is where a community is being built, with the surface being unsafe. Anole finds a collection of mutants with some of the most visible mutations. It is harder for them to fit in within the city. Tension builds within, leading to a moment that can feel eerily similar to something that happened before in those tunnels.

While the themes of this comic lean closer to the community than superheroic, an action scene is needed and warranted to keep people safe. It’s perhaps too brief, but what we do get is exhilarating. The final part of the comic returns to a part of the series that has been bubbling under the surface for a while, delivering a devastating twist that might derail a blossoming friendship.

Anole becomes the heart of the issue, but the rest of the group is just as involved. Anole’s adventure raises the question of names and what people are called. Several names exist for the various factions of mutants, which creates impressions and stereotypes. The conversations within this period are exciting and beautifully written. Anole gets more emotional, whilst those he speaks to remain calm and expressionless. This allows for the main character to have a therapy session, not an argument.

Unlike the previous issue, the other characters have much more of a role in this issue. Wolverine, Prodigy, Ms Marvel, and Sophie Cuckoo all attend the memorial, with their distinct personalities making the issue busy and full of voices. The friendship between Kamala and Sophie hits a few small snags, largely due to how they were raised. After dealing with extremely unsavoury figures, they both have their own ideas of how to deal with the situation.

Kamala was raised and inspired by noble heroes who never sought to cause lasting harm or kill. Sophie was brought up under Emma Frost’s wing, who is much more ruthless. This creates an interesting debate, where neither is necessarily wrong, but one comes from anger, not compassion.

The art is outstanding again. The characters always look great out of costume because they are regular people, not just superheroes. However, one of the key elements of this issue is the concept of visible mutations. Laura, Kamala and Sophie look like regular young women with no outward signs of being a mutant. But Anole has scales and one arm is much larger than the other.

The design of him and the other mutants in this issue is sensational. It shows their sensitivity and brilliance, with some being big and imposing while others are small and vulnerable. Mortarino is also fantastic at facial expressions. Through these come brilliant representations of anger, sorrow, and loneliness. The fight scene towards the end of the book is phenomenal, unleashing most of the young mutants. For the first time in this series, they get to battle alongside each other.

The colors are also brilliant. Above ground, most of the shades are normal and natural. Both Mortarino and Angulo have tried to make New York look as recognisable and “human” as possible on the surface. But down below, in the Morlock tunnels, things change.

Greens and purples are everywhere due to the growth of plants, adding warmth to the surroundings compared to the harsh, beige skyscrapers above ground. Various colors on the skins, clothes and additional body parts of the mutants make the issue visually fascinating. This issue requires a lot of dialogue, but the lettering makes it easily digestible.

NYX (2024) #3 continues to be something different. At its core, the comic is a story about finding a community and trying to connect to others. That part is easily relatable, no matter where in the world you live. However, some storylines are unavoidable for a mutant. These threads have woven themselves into the fabric of New York, causing trouble on all levels.

And through each character’s viewpoint comes a new look at the city, with their own problems and approach to life. What makes NYX (2024) #3 interesting is that most of the time, the mutants aren’t trying to save lives or be X-Men. They just want to live.

NYX (2024) #3 is available where comics are sold.