X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike #1 manages to deliver both setup for the coming challenges Krakoa will face in the near future, as well as delivering poignant commentary on the media and how easily hate can spread through our world. Read Full Review

Now, if youre into reading comics for an escape, this one isnt for you. Youll see the undertones of reality smacking you in the face. Moreover, X-Men: Before the Fall Mutant First Strike #1 isnt necessary to understand the overall dynamic of the X-books anyway. Meaning, it is skippable. Nevertheless, I wouldnt recommend that especially if only to see how creative Orlando puts his own spin on the culture today. Id give it a good read if I were you. However, you're not going to want to read it for the excitement or action because you'll find very little. Its more for the subtle metaphors that may gravitate your attention this week. Read Full Review

This is a really fun, really pointed issue that touches on a lot of things that I enjoy about the Krakoa Era of the X-Men. This is the X-Men, a whole bunch of them, doing good in the face of prejudice and evil. Read Full Review

X-Men: Before the Fall Mutant First Strike #1 isnt an essential issue. That being said, it's still a solid one. The issue doesnt reveal much but it does give the Mutants one big heroic hurrah before the Fall Of X. Read Full Review

X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike #1 is a solid step in the direction of Fall of X thanks to a return to X-Men form that remains rooted in the Krakoa era. Paired with solid art that balances the individuality and cohesiveness of mutant abilities, the story provides a natural progression of the mutant nations place in the world. While not as flashy as some of the other Before the Fall one-shots, Mutant First Strike is an entertaining and indispensable story of empathy and compassion. Read Full Review

The issue lacks urgency, but it makes up for that with thoughtfulness and fine craftsmanship. Read Full Review

Orchis continues its machinations to take down mutantkind. The beginning scene is devastating, but mostly the issue is the mutant response team communicating to each other while on clean up duty. While I enjoyed this issue, it could’ve been better.

There is nothing really wrong nor great about this story but we have seen it and read it many times before. We can't just be doing this all over again. If Fall of X is more of this then it's going to be a pointless repetitive exercise and I'll have to pass.

Marauders was always a story of wasted potential — first under Duggan, who had the anarchic energy but no direction, then under Orlando who had a direction but no fun — and this is a fairly appropriate headstone for it. The ideas here aren't terrible, but they're poorly implemented. For instance, the idea that prejudice would be inflamed by the knowledge that a mutant suicide bomber wouldn't even be committing suicide is a great idea, but it's just a 90's retread: it's a false flag by the newest iteration on the already-unsuccessful idea of "Friends of Humanity" which is for some reason run by Judas Traveller who feels like he was chosen entirely at random and bears little resemblance to his original depiction. The whole thing is earnestly unsubtle, disjointed and joyless in the way of so much of Orlando's work outside of Scarlet Witch, with art that communicates well enough but leaves the characters off-model, and it's eminently skippable. The only thing this really has going for it is Baledon's wonderful cover (which has precious little to do with the contents) more

Liked the artist!

I haven't read comics in years. The last time I really did was the 90's when X-Men and vertigo were life for me. Fast forward thirty years and my kids are grown and I've decided to take up reading comics again. With the internet it's easier than ever. My ex husband recommended I start with powers/house of X and I loved them. I chose this next since it's new and a one shot. After reading this I'm a little disappointed. This is just the same old stuff they were doing back in my day but this version seemed pompous for some reason. I really didn't like the X-Men. That threw me for a loop. Disliking my favorite team? It may just be this writer or a fluke. I thought this was very boring as well. If I paid five bucks for it I'd be mad as hell. It may also be that I've skipped a lot of plot line since house/powers first came out but it didn't seem reading this needed much backstory. I will say I loved seeing Warren in his X-Factor style outfit. I hope future X reading goes better. I'm sure it will. more

This was soooooo boring. I really don't like Orlando's writing style most of the time but here I believe he did a decent job, it's just his plot is bleeeeh. I only watch wrestling recaps on youtube and have been for years now so I'm no expert but this feels like the days when WWE were pushing Roman Reigns as a babyface and no one was buying into it. That's how the Krakoan mutants feel in this issue. They're supposed to be concerned and doing the right thing but I just don't care or buy into it. I just want to boo them like fans did Roman. How does someone make the reader so indifferent to and irritated towards the key players of the book they are writing? They are nothing but magnanimous through the entire book yet I still just want to see them all eat a shit sandwich for some reason. Anyway, the plot is the same old tired humans hate mutants and the mutants act empathically proving they are more human than the haters are. It gets really repetitious and dull after a while guys. This issue isn't bad, it's just banal and bland. The cover is really cool though. more

Kudos to Orlando's deep cuts but this was literally a litany of just mutant reports one after the other.

I really can't with Orlando. His stories are always disjointed, and he tries to write social commentaries in his X-Men, and it's ok (it's the X-men after all), but it's always heavy-handed and it lacks complexity.

I was hoping to find interest in the event, but only found storytelling where all action was disjointed and had no depth along with story that didn’t interest me. Bishop either has been de-aged and I didn’t read it or being drawn 20 years younger.