Swordwielding women slaughter fascists and so much more in X-Men #32. In one fell swoop, Magik's mutant gift is restored and she's reunited with two of her oldest friends. Though balking not once, but thrice at bringing Illyana and Kate Pryde's intimacy to the next stage, the issue as a whole is still a whole lot of fun. Read Full Review

The issue is hampered a bit by lots of references to events occuring in other "Fall of X" books. Otherwise, this issue represents a solid outing that will put a smile on the face of a longtime X-Men fans. Read Full Review

To all good things must come to an end, and its never been more true than it is with Big Two flagship comics. Duggans run has had some amazing peaks and valleys, but sometimes the lows seemed to outweigh the highs, and really distracted from my overall experience. Duggan will have to end on the highest of notes, or it could put a blot on this era that has revolutionized the world of Marvels Merry Mutants. Read Full Review

Who are these people? This is not the X-men. I'm ready for Krakoa to end. Maybe next issue there won't be so much blood. Save that for Blood Hunt in a few months. Read Full Review

While I did see this as an improvement over last month's issue, I'm still not entirely invested in this. I feel as though this series is just coming out to give readers something until the new relaunch as opposed to just ending until the summer. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid read on both the writing and art fronts. However, I just feel as though this could be something more.

It's fine and it reads OK but I'm just not into what's happening since it feels like I'm reading emotionless sequences. Ok A then B then we add C like a robotic dictation. Don't get me wrong there is attempt at infusing emotions here on every panel but it's not working for me. This should be enjoyable but it's not. The clear winners so far for me are Guillen and Ewing who continue doing great work on their books. Noto is a great artist who does it all including the coloring. His art works well on the still sequences but the action stuff is lacking or he was rushed.

Art: 3/5
Story: 3/5
Total: 6/10

I was able to enjoy this issue enough by just shutting off my brain and enjoying time with 2 characters I really enjoy. Duggan's over use of pandering phrases in all his stories has become so cringy at this point and come across as cheap when they're valid themes that can be displayed intelligently with some subtlety.

SPOILED REVIEW.

Purchased issue #32 of X-Men for the Russel Dauterman Trading Card variant cover. In this issue, as I’ve read it, we find a few ragtag members of the X-Men executing a mission to save captured mutants from the Reverend Stryker Education Center for Disadvantaged Youth, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The weak men of Orchis maintaining the facility are slaughtered without ruth by one of Krakoa’s War Captains Magik, while hampered by gift blocking nanomites, as well as the always-lurking-in-the-shadows-ready-to-save-the day, Kitty (‘cat, Kate, Kathrine) Pryde. Hell hath no fury like scorned hellfire gala party poopers. Magik and Kitty slaughter men attempting to stop the intrusion by slashing them to pieces; blood splattered everywhere for all to see. Ironically an iron sentinel could prove more than a match for our heroes but thank all the goodness in the Marvel universe that X-Woman Polaris was able to finish putting on make-up in time to help rid Magik of her mite infestation and work together to douse the sentinel, that Polaris led to them, with water. SKRAKABOOM, indeed.

I think that about sums up the story. Oh, in case I neglected to mention it, we learn that Magik is a War Captain of Krakoa. A key reveal to be sure.

I liked the cover. more

This issue was actually quite average (a 5.5 i would say). But, I'm tired of seeing Polaris with a cup of coffee. It's not funny Duggan.

This was a confusing hodgepodge that was the latest disappointment in the Fall of X. Gerry Duggan's script throws various plot elements at the wall, hoping some will stick, but ultimately leaving us with a disjointed mess. The issue lacks focus, bouncing from scene to scene without a clear narrative flow or explanation. Characters randomly show up from out of nowhere when they have either been MIA completely or are part of other ongoing stories.

One glaring weakness is Duggan's portrayal of the female X-Men. Gone are individual, complex personalities. Instead, they're reduced to one-note stereotypes, trading snarky quips with little to distinguish them from each other. Its as though he's writing these characters for meme-potential and its infuriating. This shallow depiction is a disservice to the rich history of female mutants, especially for an issue released so close to International Women's Day.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is the X-Men's casual approach to violence. Duggan portrays them resorting to a "kill-first, ask-questions-later" mentality, a stark contrast to the core principles of mutants, even prior to Krakoa's laws. The most egregious panel in the issue sees Magik "relaxing" in room of blood-stained walls left in her trail. This willingness to take lives, even in the face of extreme situations, feels like a betrayal of everything the X-Men have stood for for decades.

Phil Noto's art, while generally stylish, doesn't fare much better. The action sequences lack the dynamism needed to convey the power and energy of mutant combat. The panels often feel static, failing to capture the urgency of the situations at hand.

X-Men #32 is a disappointing issue through & through. I'm not expecting much from this series before Krakoa ends, but I'd at least like to enjoy reading an X-Men comic until then. more