All Bloody Roads Lead Here: ‘Dark X-Men’ #3 Review

Mutants had their nation ripped away while their people were killed or scattered. Dark days are all that remain currently. Living up to its name, Dark X-Men #3 shows just how dark things have become and how much darker they will be.

Another fantastic grim, emotional, heavy issue from Steve Foxe, Jonas Scharf, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles.

I’ve made it clear before that the tonal whiplash of “Fall Of X” is quite jarring at times. Each book should be unique and offer its own spin. Yet, the severity of this event should be something of a steady through line. This is one of the series that walks the fine line and showcases just how bad this whole thing is for mutants, while still finding that overall X-Men spirit everywhere it can.

We see our team of dubious X-Men dealing with issues on two fronts. Protecting the Morlocks from their fallen Angel, while also trying to reach out to another hidden community of mutants and their protector. Things take a very brutal and painful turn for one of the groups, while the other finds that not all want or need their help. Tons of action, plenty of deep character moments, some really great Krakoa exploration, and even some fun are found here.

I’m just going to say it: If we don’t see Feint/Gimmick/Carmen Cruz in the post-Krakoa age it will be a true crime.

One of the beautiful things about this era has been the focus on truly diversifying the mutants in the spotlight. This brings new depths and shines to characters we already knew but also seeding in fresh new characters with unique views and spaces.

There is a legitimate fear that with the Krakoa era ending, a lot of these characters and progress could be lost (especially those that transcended the simplistic label of ‘villain’). We won’t know till the era ends and the new one begins, but I really hope that these characters/concepts are not cosigned to character limbo.

Speaking of character stuff, what Foxe does with Emplate/Krakoa to kick things off is just so good. There are a lot of spaces that needed exploration during this era that didn’t get the page space, for various natural reasons. One of those was about how the amnesty and promise of Krakoa wasn’t as grand as House Of X made it out to be. A lot of what Foxe is doing here is finding ways to maximize the exploration of the era while chronicling part of its conclusion.

Hitting those marks is helped by how expressive, dark, and heavy Scharf’s artwork tends to be. Plenty of deep detail, making the world and moments feel so real, with just enough sharpness to speak to how rough things are for the characters. A dark story needs this type of artwork because we have to feel that the moments are really dangerous and that this particular team is just as dangerous. Artwork that is just as likely to cut us with its roughness as Archangel is to cut with those wings.

Each space feels fully unique and full of its own personality, as Scharf gives them their own quirks and Martin provides varied color palettes. This includes the right amount of more vibrant lighter colors to contrast with the heavy number of shadows and much darker weighty colors. From the sharp blood-red hues seen previously to some strikingly bright yellows and others.

Together they effortlessly weave between the superhero sentiments that come with these books and the heavier horror vibes this one needs. It takes a certain touch to create imagery that is brutal, devastating, and dire without becoming too overly gory for gore’s sake. Gambit’s dispatch of Archangel is a perfect example of this. Extremely detailed in horror but in a way that pulls back from being clearly grotesque with blood or other elements.

Such sentiments of hitting those heavier and darker tones are felt in all the lettering too. Cowles finds ways to change up the various fonts, bubbles, and more in order to really help us hear distinct voices. Just some shifts to bubbles, making them scratchy or jagged, ensures we know that the villainous Goblin Queen should be raspy and terrifying. Same as how Havok’s bubbles speak to the fact that he’s struggling since his near death and his vocal cords are devastated (which happens when one takes adamantium to the neck).

Dark X-Men #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.