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A review by rakoerose
X-Men Gold, Vol. 1: Back to the Basics by Marc Guggenheim
4.0
I always love seeing the X-Men in different situations and configurations - it keeps things fresh and exciting!
“And normal’s always been in short supply for this outfit. It’s like gold.”
I enjoyed seeing Kitty’s takeover as leader and her more rough and tumble style of leading. She feels more involved than Xavier did because she’s been part of the group so long and goes out with the team as their leader instead of staying back (which wasn’t a fault of Xavier - just a difference). She has a lot more of a realistic view on the treatment of mutants and is aware that they are fighting an uphill battle every day. Just... more gritty, less idealized in her thinking. I like it!
A side tangent: I’m (honestly) ridiculously biased towards enjoying anything with Nightcrawler in it because I adore that funky little man. Kurt has always been one of my favorites among the X-Men and I love this older version of him we see here.
I also think this new setup also shows a lot of the struggles of fighting so immensely to be recognized and not demonized or hated for who you are, dedicating years to it, and the disheartening view when you look and see that not much progress has actually been made. Or perhaps it’s even backsliding. It’s no secret that the mutants represent a different form of racial prejudice and outright racism. The word “race” is directly on the page.
Focusing on the story of these issues - they were quite gripping! Non-stop and yet we could see the toll it took on them to keep fighting over and over. Some interesting mysteries and good foundation laid for me to want to keep reading. Stunning action scenes that really showcased their abilities and their ability to work as a team in tandem.
I thought this was a great first volume! I look forward to picking up the rest sometime soon.
“And normal’s always been in short supply for this outfit. It’s like gold.”
I enjoyed seeing Kitty’s takeover as leader and her more rough and tumble style of leading. She feels more involved than Xavier did because she’s been part of the group so long and goes out with the team as their leader instead of staying back (which wasn’t a fault of Xavier - just a difference). She has a lot more of a realistic view on the treatment of mutants and is aware that they are fighting an uphill battle every day. Just... more gritty, less idealized in her thinking. I like it!
A side tangent: I’m (honestly) ridiculously biased towards enjoying anything with Nightcrawler in it because I adore that funky little man. Kurt has always been one of my favorites among the X-Men and I love this older version of him we see here.
I also think this new setup also shows a lot of the struggles of fighting so immensely to be recognized and not demonized or hated for who you are, dedicating years to it, and the disheartening view when you look and see that not much progress has actually been made. Or perhaps it’s even backsliding. It’s no secret that the mutants represent a different form of racial prejudice and outright racism. The word “race” is directly on the page.
Focusing on the story of these issues - they were quite gripping! Non-stop and yet we could see the toll it took on them to keep fighting over and over. Some interesting mysteries and good foundation laid for me to want to keep reading. Stunning action scenes that really showcased their abilities and their ability to work as a team in tandem.
I thought this was a great first volume! I look forward to picking up the rest sometime soon.