THE HEROES OF KRAKOA DEBUT!
It's a changing if the guard as the first X-Men team of Krakoa debuts! One era ends as a new one begins, and the handoff happens here.
32 PGS./Rated T+
X-Men #21 seems to be once again a broad outline from Hickman hinting at things to come through interactions and data pages while at the same time being a really beautifully executed issue from an art point of view Read Full Review
Every artist brings some brilliant, beautiful panels to each page. The issue is filled with great visual moments and tones that draw the eye. Read Full Review
Overall this final issue was a stunning piece of work from a group of very talented people. It delivered some outstanding moments that will be remembered for years to come while also looking to the future of what's next for the mutatnts. Read Full Review
X-Men #21 gives us a little preview of things to come in the new X-Men series coming out. Jonathan Hickman gives us another good issue that raises questions and piques our interest. Where things go from here are anyone's guess. The pencils and colors illuminate the page and bring all kinds of different perspectives to the issue. X-Men #21 is a book that will leave you wanting more. Read Full Review
Instead, Marvel seemed to have other plans. The latter half of the book feels like Marvel just showing off its celebrity friends. It's a bit jarring seeing folks like Eminem, George RR. Martin, and Kevin Fiege in a comic book, drawn very realistically. However, these cameos do serve up a great moment for Scott to lay out his journey and what the X-Men are all about. It's a great moment that adds to a pretty cool issue, showing the X-men at their best. Read Full Review
Jonathan Hickman does a fantastic job presenting the Hellfire Gala as a major event in X-Men #21. The way the X-Men are announced to the world along with the scenes involving Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Emma Frost added to the importance the Hellfire Gala has to the franchise. The artwork from Nick Dragotta, Russell Dauterman, Lucas Werneck, and Sara Pichelli further emphasize how this is a can't miss event for X-Men fans. Read Full Review
Jonathan Hickman says farewell to the 'X-Men' flagship title with help from four superb artists. Read Full Review
"X-Men" #21 celebrates the best parts of Krakoa and teases the future of the mutants. Read Full Review
Another nice bunch of vignettes from the Hellfire Gala. I'm enjoying this event so far, though it's largely just been simmering along these past two weeks. Read Full Review
As a single issue, X-Men #21 feels like a coda to the intense stories that preceded it. Read Full Review
For the main event title within the HELLFIRE GALA, one would think the weight, importance, and quality of this issue would be strong, entertaining, and significant. However, as Hickman's X-MEN run comes to a close, he passes the torch with no big splash, no questions answered, and no big appeal. Read Full Review
This is an issue worth picking up for the art alone. It's a fun read, but it's also not a satisfying read, acting more as a tease for next week's Planet-Size X-Men. Read Full Review
X-Men #21 is completely unsatisfying. Hickman writes well, and there's some definite setup for the future going on, but this isn't House Of X/Powers Of X quality, and it's not even close. If one isn't on board with the meandering, oh so clever riddles of the Red Diamond Sinister Secret pages, then it's going to do nothing for the reader. It feels like set up for the sake of set up and says very little. Now with more celebrity cameos! It's perfectly fine, but it feels like it's trying to be profound and fails at it. That said, at least it looks amazing. All in all, it's perfectly fine, but it's not going to whet anyone's appetites. It doesn't even feel like it's meant to; it's infuriatingly open-ended. It's endemic of Hickman's time on the book, for better and for worse. Read Full Review
What with getting locked up over a little misdemeanor and then getting things together for my new place out in the 313, I've been sleeping on a lot of the books that have been coming out over the past two weeks.
Luckily, I was able to feast my eyes on Hickman's latest, via X-Men number 21.
The Hellfire Gala was every bit as extravagant as promised, given the lead up over the past several months to the special event, it was only right.
The art was gorgeous. I could have swore that Phil Noto's brush was on a couple of pages, but surprisingly several other artists (including one of my favorites in Sara Pichelli) did their just due within the panels.
One of my top 5 emcees, Eminem, made an appearance in the book (alongside Paul Rosenberg); not his first appearance in Marvel Comics but definitely one more memorable than his Mighty Avengers No.3 cover for the MMLP2 promo run circa 2013.
Aside from one of the rulers of rap, you had the ruler of the seas A' la King Namor, starting off the tale by bodying a conversation with Professor X and Magneto by really throwing his royal weight around, punctuating the conversation with going to the Avengers and probably showing his ass over there as well too.
Hickman really gets Namor down here, The first mutant publicly known transcends the exclusive tribalism of homosapiens superior because no matter what he recognizes himself as a man of two worlds and the sea's of Atlantis gave him a crown where as a seat on the Krokoa council would be a step down for him.
Genetics be damned, Namor is a man of objectivity, and Hickman is able to speak his language better than any writer of the Fantastic Four has since their return after Secret Wars.
Shit makes me want to pick up Hickman's fabled run of the Fantastic Four (despite me not really being interested in not title save for any issues with Dr. Doom)!
That's what any good book should do : inspire the reader to want to revisit the backcatalog of the writer and the other artists responsible for putting together the 32 page magazine, and this issue of X-Men nails that shit.
I was skeptical of the focus on the outfits that were harped over since Kid Omega's return arc via X-Force, but after seeing Storms back in a one-piece, I kind of get it now.
The announcement of the new X-Men lineup felt fresh, even though I was privy to the information via Blerd Without Fear, and other such comic book centric podcasts months prior.
Luckily, when this reveal actually happened in the issue, I had forgot the solicitations and was filled with just as much surprise as Laura Kinney was stuffing her face with kabobs on her claws.
I never read the Gambit & Rogue mini-series that they had, so I was lost as to how they even turned up in a eXcalibur, but seeing them here at the ball reminded me of how good they look together. Honestly, they should be the poster children of relationships in the X-Men universe, not the convoluted Summers family.
And speaking of the Summers', since Cable is going after one of the Stepford Cuckoo's, it seems he has his father's taste (at least that inheritance doesn't translate into eyeware), but after the way that Frost welcomed everyone attending the galla and performed something of a psychedelic psy-op that made me feel tranquil and proud, I can understand what Summers and Shaw see in the metaphorical and literal White Queen.
But of course the Black Queen had to upstage her. Typical Jean Grey shit. And esoterically speaking, the darkness must always overtake the light, though never have I seen such a beautiful spectacle of this axim portrayed in literature. Eclipses are rare enough.
Enough slobbing of the knob though, this issue did have a drawback or two.
Namely that I have no idea what Mr. Sinister was talking about in the little tabloid insert, but I really don't care because I am prepared for the next issue of Hellios to be funny and action packed as usual, though this insert did take away from the overall peacefulness and serious tone of Hickman's book. Keep that shit over there.
Just as well, if Marvel comes out with a poll for best dressed (since they had such a large emphasis on the wardrobe over past issues) Storm's going to win bar none and even though. I mention this since she had her send off issue in Marauder's, but that still doesn't feel like it's enough.
What is her future going to be in the coming X-titles and John Ridley's new Black Panther?
After the role she played at the end of Ta-Nehesi Coates' run, she honestly did not look like she wanted to be on Wakanda or lift the annulment between her and T'Challa.
Plus, Eminem and the other celebrities didn't look out of place at the gala - but the Avengers sure did.
I can only wonder if this issue is going to be leading up to an Avenger vs. X-Men 2? Which wouldn't be the greatest since that storyline got panned just as bad as Civil War 2 , but it could still happen.
Few missteps, alot of celebration & alot of open ended questions that can only lead to future storylines that should be heralded by Hickman giving the success of his game-changing run punctuated hugely here by the comic book series that made "Giant-Size" a thing. And this wasn't even billed as a special issue.
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Enjoyable and very nice to look at too! Wish Hickman did more with these 20 issues but overall we got more good than bad. I'm hoping phase 2 (or are we at 3 yet??) is better. The art put this above. Dauterman and Werneck need to do more X-Men.
A solid issue here. It doesn't read like the final issue of a series, but it's not exactly meant to be that. It's more so meant to be a gateway to a new phase of X-Men stories. Either way, I particularly enjoyed Scott's response to Kevin Feige (which was kind of a weird cameo, at least to me). Hickman always writes Scott so incredibly well, and that reigns true here.
This is a good issue. It doesn't really act as a finale, but I don't think it was ever intended to be a finale, just the end of a phase.
Was this a hint that the Xmen Marvel Movie universe is coming? I hope so otherwise that Kevin Feige Cameo was so corny I couldn't help but laugh out loud. A pretty solid issue that is more of a see you later than a goodbye from Hickman. There could have been so much more to be honest but I am satisfied with what we got.
Decent issued. Just wish we got some actual payoff without more teases. But this is a long game I know.
gotta say.... not bad at all. Not bad at all. plus, i love the kevin feige cameo.
Kevin Feige, so cool.
Jonathan Hickman covers his exit with a big smokebomb of foreshadowing and a carousel of a-list artistic performances. I'm satisfied with the new X-Men roster, but the foreshadowing is potentially annoying. I found the finale particularly frustrating; the ONE thing Marauders #21 established was that Emma's fireworks presentation was supposed to be shocking and revelatory. This did NOT fit the bill.
It's got scads of style but it's short on substance. Speaking of style, how ******* terrible is Magneto's outfit? He looks like the Ringmaster's evangelical cousin.
I liked the Namor past it the start and there were some ok parts throughout but, dang that was a dud ending for being the end of the series. Especially after last issue.
too slow for my taste.
A mixed bag. Definitely had it's moments. Namor trolling Charles and Erik was especially entertaining. X-Men #21 is pretty much about setting up the next phase of Hickman's run. Other than that I'd say this is actually a pretty underwhelming final issue. I'd rather Duggan's first be numbered as X-Men #22 instead of a new #1. Oh well. So while this wasn't bad, it just felt like another set-up issue rather than a proper send-off to the first stage of Hickman's run.
Really hope Planet-Size X-Men gets better than this because this was Hickman winging it once again.
Very little going on, too many artists. It's more of a tease
Jesus Christ
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