If you've written the Noir books off as pointless ventures, take a look at X Men Noir #1. You might be surprised that there's actually a good story underneath the gimmickry and heavy inks. Read Full Review

The art is coloured. Thats the first mistake. Noir is back and white, and colour only works well in the way Frank Miller coloured in Sin City. But once past this, the issue actually looks good. The costumes are in keeping with the time period, and the backgrounds have enough blimps to convince me the story is not taking place in the present. The lighting is well done, and artist Dennis Calero makes wonderful use of shadows throughout the entire issue. The interrogation scene with Xavier in particular is a prime example of Caleros use of light, with the characters being draped in moody shadows, hiding all sorts. So besides the colour, Caleros art is amazing, capturing much of the visual elements of the film noir genre. Read Full Review

X-MenNoir #1 is ultimately a frustrating and unsatisfying start to a series that is saddled with an unfortunate cover price. While I hate to come down so hard on something that feels quite fresh, it didn't succeed in selling me a story or visuals that I can feel comfortable investing in. Give it a shot if you must, but don't expect to get too much out of it. Read Full Review

I like all the parts of "X-Men Noir" far more than the whole, and every bit that sounds good in theory doesn't seem to work in execution. Maybe it's Calero's art that ruins any goodwill I might have toward this comic, but I found the first issue to be utterly disappointing, and I don't know that I'll stick around to find out if the series rises above its premise. Read Full Review