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A review by billyjepma
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus by Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
It’s a bit scatterbrained as a collection, and if I hadn’t read both X of Swords and Hellfire Gala alongside it—which wasn’t nearly as difficult as it could’ve been—I might rate this slightly lower, since it essentially lacks a driving sense of momentum. But taken as the backbone of the broader story Hickman and company are creating, this is quite the achievement. It builds off the exciting rebranding of HoX/PoX with more thought and care than I’m used to seeing from a major relaunch. The soul of these stories is familiar, and doesn’t stray too far from what we usually associated with the X-Men, but the trappings around them are bold and big and fascinating to watch unfold. All of the art is good-to-great, as well, and I really appreciate how consistent the style of this era is even when drawn by an ever-growing collection of artists.
The anthology-adjacent structure works, too, and, even if it does lead to some inconsistent plotting on a broader scale, it gives Hickman time to dig into various characters and ideas in ways I often found very refreshing. Are there a few too many issues that don’t amount to much independently or collectively? I think so, but even the “filler” here—although I loathe that word—is rarely uninteresting. My biggest complaint is probably how rushed the ending feels. After 20 issues (and more, if you include the crossovers), Hickman’s time as the lead ends abruptly. It feels like we’re still in the early stage of this story, and seeing its architect step aside from the driver seat this early is a little disappointing. Admittedly, he had spent several years on the book by the time he got here, so I don’t begrudge the decision, especially considering how definitive an identity he created. I can’t say I expected to find myself this into a mildly convoluted X-Men saga, but I’m glad to be here! I’m eager to see if the next phase of stories keep their hooks in me the way this one did.
The anthology-adjacent structure works, too, and, even if it does lead to some inconsistent plotting on a broader scale, it gives Hickman time to dig into various characters and ideas in ways I often found very refreshing. Are there a few too many issues that don’t amount to much independently or collectively? I think so, but even the “filler” here—although I loathe that word—is rarely uninteresting. My biggest complaint is probably how rushed the ending feels. After 20 issues (and more, if you include the crossovers), Hickman’s time as the lead ends abruptly. It feels like we’re still in the early stage of this story, and seeing its architect step aside from the driver seat this early is a little disappointing. Admittedly, he had spent several years on the book by the time he got here, so I don’t begrudge the decision, especially considering how definitive an identity he created. I can’t say I expected to find myself this into a mildly convoluted X-Men saga, but I’m glad to be here! I’m eager to see if the next phase of stories keep their hooks in me the way this one did.