-
X-Males #15 (2022)
- Author:
- Gerry Duggan
- Artist:
- Joshua Cassara
- Letterer:
- VC’s Clayton Cowles
- Cowl Artist:
- Martin Coccolo, Jesus Aburtov
- Writer:
- Marvel
- Value:
- $3.99
- Launch Date:
- 2022-09-28
- Colorist:
- GURU-eFX
The newest Hellfire Gala introduced some modifications to Marvel’s X-Males’s line-up, with the workforce now consisting of Jean Gray, Synch, Iceman, Havok, Cyclops, Magik, Forge, and Firestar. The X-Males are a well-rounded workforce consisting of powerhouse mutants with complimentary energy units, able to tackle any risk the mutant-island nation Krakoa ought to face. Written by Gerry Duggan with artwork by Joshua Cassara, colours by GURU-eFX, and letters by Clayton Cowles, X-Males #15 follows the workforce as they return to a looming background risk, the Youngsters of the Vault. This concern has no scarcity of motion and units the stage for a narrative with the very best stakes.
The Youngsters of the Vault have been looming within the background for a while now. These foes exist within the Vault, a subject of temporal acceleration the place time runs a lot quicker than it does exterior. Just a few months exterior the Vault is equal to a couple centuries inside. The Youngsters of the Vault are extremely advanced post-humans who imagine they’re the true inheritors of the Earth, not mutants or people. Duggan expertly makes use of the circulate of time in comics and the way it may be distorted to showcase how a lot of a risk these enemies pose.
Forge has been laborious at work making an attempt to resolve the issue the Youngsters current, and the options Duggan has written are ingenious and terrifying. Excessive stakes and humor are balanced deftly as Forge catches the workforce on top of things on the severity of the risk, all of the whereas appearing prefer it’s simply one other regular Tuesday. The workforce’s chemistry is a blast to learn. Some workforce members have been on the squad for fairly some time, and others are model new. The backwards and forwards this permits for is nice comedic aid. Duggan balances all this whereas additionally giving the reader every thing they should know in regards to the Youngsters of the Vault if that is their first time assembly these characters.
Cassara’s artwork matches the story completely. There is a gritty high quality to the motion sequences that elevates the affect of each blow. There are a ton of powers on show, and so they all get their moments to shine. Duggan does an ideal job utilizing narration to arrange many emotional beats, and Cassara brings it house with panels that carry the complete weight of what is being depicted. Virtually the entire artwork is confined inside panel borders, so when scenes prolong to the sting of the web page, they’re particularly impactful.
GURU-eFX’s colours work hand in hand with Cassara’s artwork. With so many powers getting used all through, it is necessary that they stand out. Nighttime scenes are particularly putting, with vibrant blue, pink, and orange highlights. Cowles’ lettering is nice, as ordinary. The Youngsters of the Vault have an inverse dialogue field once they first seem — a black balloon with white phrases — which makes them stand out instantly. Telepathic communication additionally includes a distinctive textual content balloon making it straightforward to discern what dialogue is going on contained in the characters’ heads.
The one space this concern falters is not within the pages of the e book itself however relatively when it was launched. Judgment Day is in full swing within the Marvel Universe, but this e book does not point out it in any respect. There aren’t any editors’ notes indicating when this concern takes place within the timeline, which may make it a complicated studying expertise for followers who’ve been following together with the occasion and are attempting to position this story in continuity. Excluding that, X-Males #15 is an excellent begin to an intriguing story. Duggan and the remainder of the inventive workforce juggle immense stakes, humor, and excessive ideas to craft a memorable concern.
