Review: ‘Dark Web: X-Men’ #1 Rocks The Christmas Trees
by Tony Thornley
Dark Web is in full swing this week, and in Dark Web: X-Men #1, the mutants face the Inferno. And since it’s Christmas in New York, that means some Christmas carnage.
Gerry Duggan, Rod Reis, and Cory Petit burn some Christmas trees. They deserve it.
Maddy Pryor and Ben Reilly’s invasion is in full swing. While Spider-Man is doing his best to keep the city together, the X-Men know exactly what to do. While Cyclops, Jean, Havok and Magik head to Limbo, Iceman and Firestar team up with Spidey to stop a bunch of Christmas trees from eating ice skaters. Yep, the Amazing Friends are BACK.
Duggan knows this event is just fun, and he steps back for this issue, gives Reis a bunch of fun stuff to draw, then scripts over it. Yes, there are a few larger plot elements for later in the mini. For the most part though, this is him giving Reis an opportunity to cut loose, while reuniting Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar. It’s a blast, just fun popcorn comics.
Reis though goes all out and it’s fantastic. He turns all sorts of everyday objects into monsters with jackhammers, e-scooters, buses, and of course, Christmas trees into toothy beasts. His sketchy, Sienkiewicz-inspired style makes the silly scary, without being too serious. It elevates the issue and could tell the entire story on its own, dialogue free.
He also gives the events a fire-like sheen with his colors. By using a lot of reds and yellows, he centers the terror in a fire-like hue, then turns that on its head when Firestar takes center stage. Petit also adds a lot with his letters, playing with exclamations and sound effects to fit with Reis’s art.
This issue was a lot of fun, and shows this crossover can’t be taken too seriously, which is a good thing.
Dark Web: X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
The X-Men’s descent into Limbo is just a hell of a lot of fun. It’s beautifully illustrated, and incredibly silly in the best ways.