DEATH OF X #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule
Artist: Aaron Kuder
Colorist: Morry Hollowell
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Release Date: 10/5/16
Price: $3.99
Plot: The tense rivalry between the mutants and Inhumans starts here! The event that started the war between the X-Men and Inhumans is finally revealed in part 1 of the 4 part series Death of X.
Story: Before the X-Men and Inhumans face off in the event Inhumans vs X-Men, we get Death of X: a four part prequel comic that depicts what originally sparked conflict between the two warring races.
If you’re not caught up on the recent events regarding the mutants and Inhumans, here’s a little refresher: Black Bolt (leader the Inhumans) detonated a Terrigen Bomb over NYC. That Terrigen Bomb created what is known as a Terrigen Cloud that’s floating above Earth’s atmosphere. Terrigen is what’s responsible for turning humans into Inhumans. Oh, and did I mention the mist also kills mutants?
Jeff Lemire and Charles Soule waste no time in jumping right into the story. It begins with Cyclops and crew heading to Muir Island after receiving a distress call. It’s there they discover something is amiss.
Elsewhere the Inhumans are dealing with their own problems. Crystal and her squad of Inhumans arrive in Japan just as the Terrigen Cloud created a new Inhuman. However, moments before they get to him, Hydra shows up. The battle between the two groups was brief but still pretty cool to see.
The rest of the issue fell a little flat to me. My main concern with Death of X is that it’s pretty predictable so far. Therefore, there’s no real payoff at the end of book when Cyclops declares war against the Inhumans after discovering the Terrigen Mist is fatal to mutants. We already know that the Terrigen Mist is deadly to mutants.
Death of X promises to give us answers on what happened in the eight month gap between Secret Wars and now. However, we’ll have to wait a little longer to truly get to the point of this event. For instance, what happened to Cyclops and Emma Frost is likely being saved for the events finale. As a longtime X-Men fan it’s far too early to tell whether Death of X and Inhumans vs. X-Men will restore my faith in Marvel’s mutants.
Art: The art in this issue is pretty good. Not spectacular, but much better than expected. I really like the way Aaron Kuder draws the characters. More specifically, the panel where Jamie Madrox is dying stood out to me. The detail on his sickly face is stunning.
Morry Hollowell’s colors are also good. The dark blue and green hues in the panels with the mutants and the bright colors with the Inhumans really sets the tone between the two opposing forces.
Verdict: Overall, Death of X #1 is an okay issue. New readers who aren’t familiar with the latest happenings of Marvel’s warring races might enjoy this while longtime fans might wanna consider skipping the issue till part 4.