Review: ‘X-Men’ #13 Is Flawed But Gorgeous

Marvel’s X-Men have been to hell and back in the last year, and in X-Men #13, that’s very nearly literal.

This chapter of X-Manhunt comes from Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Fer Sifuentes-Sijo, and Clayton Cowles.

Charles Xavier has made it as far as San Francisco with Storm’s help. Ororo has lost control though, and now Cyclops and his team need to take Charles in while battling the entity in control of an omega-level mutant. It’s going to take everything they have to save the day.

There’s some good and some bad in this issue. The good is far and away how MacKay writes Juggernaut and Quentin Quire. Juggernaut’s fierce determination shows how he truly fits on the flagship X-Men team, and how well rounded of a character he’s become. His dialogue about his abuse from his father walks the line just perfectly to avoid melodrama. Quire on the other hand is still a crafty kid, making up for his inexperience by simply outthinking Xavier.

This issue just falls apart when it comes to both Xavier and Storm. The plotline of Storm’s possession, carrying over from her solo series, didn’t work there, and it’s confusing and unclear here. It’s incredibly out of character for Ororo to be so calm about losing her agency. Xavier in the meantime has unclear, muddy motivations (with no mention of Xandra, his daughter the and catalyst for his escape) and apparently is psychically driving people mad — a plot point that is told with no hint of it shown on page.

The art in this issue is incredible though. Diaz is growing more as an artist by the issue, especially the further it gets into the run, and he’s able to distance himself from Stegman’s style more and more. Parsons keeps his lines clean through most of the issue, elevating the inks. For the psychic fight between Xavier and Quire though, Diaz shifts into an inkwash style that is incredible to look at. After getting a few pages of it here, I truly hope to get a full issue (or at least two thirds or so of one) in this style. It’s genuinely beautiful to look at, even if the actual content is sinister Xavier duplicates and a swarm of locusts.

Sifuentes-Sijo uses incredibly bright colors through the main story, giving it a very strong superhero feel. He also matches the inkwash of the psychic pages with colors that almost feel like watercolors.

Cowles complements the script with solid lettering throughout. He continues to show how good he is though, by incorporating the letters into the art, and using font and bubble style to help tell a story.

X-Men #13 is available now from Marvel Comics.