PopCultHQ received an advance review copy of AGE OF X-MAN: THE X-TREMISTS #1 from Marvel Comics. Available February 27th, 2019, the creative team for this series features writing from Leah Williams, art from Georges Jeanty, inks from Roberto Poggi, colors by Jim Charalampidis, and lettering from VC’s Clayton Cowles.
Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…
Age Of X-Man: The X-Tremists #1 (of 5)
Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Jim Charalampidis
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
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Main Cover Artists:
Rahzzah
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ENTER THE AGE OF X-MAN!
A perfect world doesn’t just…happen. It needs to be cultivated. That’s where the X-Tremists come in. Psylocke, Iceman, Northstar, Blob, Jubilee and Moneta protect people from threats they won’t even know existed, including the most insidious threat of all – love.
PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
AGE OF X-MAN: THE X-TREMISTS #1 (of 5)
The omega-level mutant X-man has reshaped reality into a near paradise. Everyone on earth is a mutant and the X-men are a benevolent team of proactive heroes standing watch and aiding a world that doesn’t seem to need them all that much.
Department X, kind of like the grunts to the X-Men’s glamour, are tasked with tidying up a minor infraction. The routine excursion quickly turns out to be more than anyone bargained for.
Writing:
It’s clear that Leah Williams is a high-level Uncanny X-fan. The writer shows a great ability to juggle a range of themes in this opening issue. This from someone who is relatively new to penning comics. Williams’ past work includes a great Excalibur reunion in X-Men Gold Annual #1 and the solid diamond X-Men Black: Emma Frost. Her writing almost calls back to the more renowned runs of Chris Claremont, but lands closer to Scott Lobdell’s work. There’s no shame in being compared in part to THE definitive X-writer of the 90s.
Williams makes fine work out of balancing the humor, banter-filled day-to-day antics of the “team” before slamming them into a wall of heavy themes and mature realization. This issue places the reader deep into the emotional repercussions of this new alternate reality more than any of the other Age of X-man titles.
All the writers, for the most part, have so far worked at their best when they’ve bought into the alternate reality’s rules completely and Age Of X-Man: The X-Tremists #1 is the clearest example of that. As an overall work, with voices like Williams exploring the fringes, Age of X-Man is shaping into the most original use of the characters in decades.
Art:
Most recently of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight and The American Way, X-fans will recognize Jeanty’s Adam Pollina-meets-Kevin McGuire style artwork from Gambit, Weapon X, and numerous fill-in work since the 90s. The man has been around the block a few times and is still able to bring a freshness and boundless energy to his panels.
Character-wise, he does a great job of tinkering with each team members look and personality while still leaving them recognizable enough. He seems to make the most of their mutant powers too without completely unleashing.
Although one of the great things of Age of X-Man has been the visual uniformity in all its books, capable artists like Jeanty find a way to still get across their own style too. It’s a balanced effort by a balanced artist who appears to be having as much of a good time exploring this reality’s quirks as the reader.
Colors:
The colorists all seem to be happily working in unison on the Age of X-Man line, at times moreso than the writers and artists. The seemingly agreed upon palette works to give this series its visual identification.
Jim Charalampidis works well within these boundaries to produce the tones of the false utopia while giving figures enough visually to influence the way the reader will perceive them. Most recently of Teen Titans, Charalampidis proves himself more than capable of establishing his X-credentials with this issue.
Letters:
Clayton Cowles, ladies and gentlemen. Virtual Calligraphy’s MVP. Working 24/7/365 to maintain his crown as the best letterer working in comics today. Read almost any review on this site written in the last year if you want a glimpse at how sharply skilled and freakishly diverse this man’s body of work is, and then add consistency to that description once you notice the lettering in X-Tremists maintains that same grade of quality with ease.
PopCultHQ’s overall assessment
This storyline (Age of X-Man titles) is giving a host of new writers the chance to shine and stake their claim in X-Men history. On the strength of this, I hope that Leah Williams gets a chance at the regular book. This could have very easily been weighed down by its themes and direction but it forges forward. A good first issue that I have the feeling might grow to become the highlight of the Age of X-Man crossover.
PopCultHQ’s Rating:
4 out of 5 Stars
AGE OF X-MAN: THE X-TREMISTS #1 can be purchased on ComiXology and
available at your local comic shop and online retailers on Wednesday, February 27th!
Follow the creators online!
Writer – Leah Williams
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Artist – Georges Jeanty
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Inker – Roberto Poggi
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Colorist – Jim Charalampidis
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Letterer – Clayton Cowles
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Publisher – Marvel Comics
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