Midnight X-Men #1
/1.webp "Midnight X-Men #1")
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| Writer | Jonathan Hickman |
| Artist | Matteo Della Fonte |
| Cover Price | $5.99 |
AN ALL-NEW, ALL-DISTURBING UNIVERSE BEGINS HERE! The clock strikes midnight, and it's the dark dawn of a new era. The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire. Blockbuster comic book writer Jonathan Hickman returns to the X-Men with a hunger for blood as this new world of terror reimagines the heroes of the Marvel Universe!
CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top
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10
Nerd Initiative - Megan Nichole
Oct 07, 2026I went into this not knowing what to expect, and was left with every expectation surpassed. Midnight X-Men #1 is dark; it’s brutal; it’s a home run. I cannot recommend this issue enough! Do yourself a favor and make sure it’s on your pull list! Read Full Review
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10
Pastrami Nation - Nolan Smith
Oct 11, 2026It’s a dark, bloody, thought-provoking take on the X-Men that feels tailor-made for the Halloween season. Read Full Review
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9.0
AIPT - David Brooke
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 proves Jonathan Hickman still knows exactly how to make the X-Men feel dangerously unpredictable. Read Full Review
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9.0
Henchman-4-Hire - Sean Ian Mills
Oct 10, 2026Writing, art and concept all come together nicely for what is essentially an extensive What If…the X-Men were also vampires. Read Full Review
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9.0
Comic Book Revolution - Kevin Lainez
Oct 11, 2026Jonathan Hickman once again reminds the world why he is a master world builder with Midnight X-Men #1. Throughout this debut issue Hickman utilizes iconic parts of the X-Men franchise and alters them in a way that the reader has a sense of familiarity with the world while feeling like it is something completely new. Read Full Review
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8.5
Graphic Policy - Logan Dalton
Oct 11, 2026Vampires and X-Men are two of my favorite things so Midnight X-Men #1 was an easy sell to me. And it lives up to the hype as Jonathan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte, and Arthur Helsi build a vicious, theocratic world with the faintest sliver of heroism. Read Full Review
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8.4
Comic Watch - Anthony Bergamini
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 is a dense, brutal, and surprisingly mature reinvention of the X-Men that blends Hickman’s trademark world-building with R-rated horror, but whether all of its ambitious ideas can come together remains the biggest question. Read Full Review
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8.3
Graphic Policy - Brett
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 is an interesting start that teases an expansive thought out world taking the best from modern vampire properties. Read Full Review
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8.0
Fanlight Zone - Richard Coryell
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 is an ambitious, visually striking debut that gives the X-Men a compelling gothic-horror makeover. Jonathan Hickman’s dense world-building can be confusing at first, but the intriguing character dynamics, large-scale conflict, and atmospheric artwork from Matteo Della Fonte and Arthur Hesli make this alternate reality worth exploring. It is a strong opening issue with enough mystery and momentum to bring readers back for the next issue. Read Full Review
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8.0
COMICON - Anton Kromoff
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 is an intriguing alternate reality story full of classic characters viewed through a horrifying lens. Beyond that, there’s a story here that’s laced with mystery and is gripping enough that I want to know what happens next. I see a lot of possibility in this first issue, enough that I want to stick around for more. Read Full Review
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8.0
Comic Crusaders - Al Mega
Oct 13, 2026The bigger picture is where Midnight X-Men earns its place in Marvel’s expanding horror experiment. The mutant metaphor has always revolved around fear, persecution, identity, and the struggle for acceptance. Here, that familiar tension gets twisted into something far uglier. What happens when the people society feared actually become the nightmare everybody accused them of being? Hickman doesn’t offer an easy answer, and that’s part of the fun. There’s also a wicked little irony in watching a franchise built around protecting a world that hates and fears mutants transform into a story where humanity has very good reasons to be terrified. Read Full Review
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8.0
Comic Book Clique - Gabe Foster
Oct 13, 2026This story has so much room to grow, and I’m very excited to see where they go with this after having a very strong start, in my personal opinion. Read Full Review
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7.5
Comical Opinions - Gabriel Hernandez
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 picks up a few years after Blood Hunt left off when mutants, humans, vampire clans, and vampire mutants find their fragile peace about to collapse. Jonathan Hickman’s script is well-constructed, even it feels like an extended What If, and the art teams delivery is first rate. Read Full Review
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7.0
Super Hero Hype - Matt Morrison
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 may prove a difficult read for the new readers this series is meant to bring in. Existing fans of Marvel’s Mutants will fare better, as being familiar with the core cast makes them equipped to note the changes. Figure out who is who, however, and you’ll be treated to a terrific illustrated tale of terror. Read Full Review
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7.0
IGN - Jesse Schedeen
Oct 07, 2026Midnight X-Men #1 is a fun read, just not one that meets the admittedly high expectations surrounding the series... not yet anyway. But there's plenty of room to grow here. Read Full Review
USER REVIEWS Back to Top
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10
Plot
Cardinal Striker informs the U.S. Bishop—Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler)—that the Vatican is preparing an offensive against a new species of mutant vampires known as "Empyres" (derived from "Mutant-Vampires" or "M-Pires"). These new vampires are lethal and retain their powers after transformation. The Vatican wants Kurt to lead this offensive.
A truce has existed between mutants and vampires for years; however, mutant leader Magneto and his team—Polaris, Havok, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch—monitor every move. In the event of vampire attacks, they deploy their secret weapon: Cyclops, who eliminates the vampire versions of Gambit, Glob, and Empath.
Empyres die in much the same way as human vampires, though they are imm more+ Like • Comment -
10
I was a little worried when I saw that the ratings for this first issue were merely “good”, but I needed have worried: after reading, this is classic, brilliant Hickman. I’ve never particularly cared about any comic with a vampire in it, but Hickman has me here with some new twists on old friends (and excellent Easter egg nods to X-Men history). I absolutely can’t wait to see where this story is going. Far and away superior to the other two Midnight books that launched today. The most excited I’ve been for a Marvel first issue in a very long time. Hickman, you’ve done it again.
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10
I wasn't expecting much from this book given the generic premise, but I should have been more inteligent than doubting a Hickman book. He always nails the dialogue and worldbuilding.
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10
The best of the midnight books.
Lots of factions being setup with the church, vampires, empyyres and mutants. the history of the characters sounds interesting to delve into and Cyclops is awesome, interested in how Hope is going to be involved will she be the first in a new x-men team recruited by scott? plenty to enjoy here. -
9.0
I expected the worst from Midnight X-Men, but it turned out to be the one of the three Midnight #1s I enjoyed the most. Storywise, we're already knee deep into the intrigue and mystery. Surprisingly, it all feels quite character-driven, which doesn't happen often in a Hickman book.
The art is very realistic and fits the vibe of a horror soap opera.
My only complaint is the one I have about the Midnight books in general: why another universe? Why not try to make the original X-Men, FF, and Spider-Man great again, since all of them currently suck. Seriously, this book may be perfectly written and drawn, but in the end it's just a "what if" story.
So, I will definitely read the next few issues, because the story looks int more -
9.0
A little confusing because we're just dropped into the world cold, but I'm extremely excited by the setup. Can't wait to see what comes next.
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9.0
Yep. I'm in.
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8.5
The second best of the midnight books and the best Xmen title currently being written. The characters are interesting. the world seems huge and full of interesting factions. I feel like we did this same exact stuff in the Ultimate Wolverine and Avengers but its fine. I have one main issue with the series and its not currently present. its the name on the book. Jonathan Hickman starts everything and always leaves. its my perpetual issue with him. and the books suffer each time he does it. I hope he stays. I hope he can remain way more focused on main characters than he did on Ultimate Spiderman which had little to no Spiderman. Hickman is talented and this artist Matteo Della Fonte is terrific. I hope this keeps up.
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8.5
I really wasn't sure what to think of this book when it was announced. The premise seemed interesting enough. I've always loved Hickman writing X-Men, but I can't remember reading much horror from him. Luckily, this ended up being my favorite of the three Midnight books. First and foremost, Fonte's interiors were very good, and probably the strongest of said Midnight titles. Though, the story was also very strong. Hickman did a really nice job of establishing a lot of interesting things that can be built upon going forward, without making the issue feel too cramped, in my opinion. This could, definitely, end up being a great book if everything goes well.
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8.0
I was kinda hoping this was the one who was going to blow me away. It didn't happen.
For now..
We're still in the first issue and things can turn quickly as they need time to build the story and to explain how this world works.
And that , ladies en gentleman, is the fingerprint of Jonathan Hickman.
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4.5
Generally, I’m a huge Hickman fan—his 2010s work is absolutely brutal. But this first issue disappointed me. It feels like Hickman telling the same story over and over again.
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9.0
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8.0
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7.5
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