X-Men: Gold #13 hits shelves this week, being the first X-Men title of Marvel Legacy. A new era for the publisher sees our mutant heroes tossed into the ratings obsessed madness of Mojo.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
“Mojo Worldwide” starts off with Mojo tricking a large chunk of the X-Men into facing off against their “greatest hits.” Rachel Summers is at the center of the issue, she’s been going through some strange changes after unleashing more of her potential power.
Mojo separates the mutants into teams and throws them into different eras of X-Men comic history. More obsessed with ratings than Donald Trump, he broadcasts his deadly game across the globe.
This first crossover between the two main X-Books promises to be a classic tale with the vibe of X-Men in the 90s. There will no doubt be politically charged moments at some point. Hopefully Guggenheim and Bunn can tastefully execute and not hit us over the head with political satire and easy jabs.
I know the mission statement of both ResurreXion and Marvel Legacy was to return characters to their former glory, and I appreciate that. However, the amount of times in the last three months that I’ve seen mutants playing baseball is absurd.
This could be a communication breakdown between creative teams, but seriously tone it down. You would think baseball was the only thing that made Claremont’s run so memorable with how many times we’ve already seen X-Men take the field.
With the massive roster of mutants at Guggenheim’s disposal, including some duplicates, its impressive how he juggles them. Everybody gets a moment, everyone has a part to play.
X-Men: Gold has been getting better with every issue, this crossover story has the potential to kick the title into overdrive.
One thing I’m hoping for is a solution to the duplicate problem. Jimmy Hudson and Bloodstorm could possibly find a new place to call home in this multi-versal adventure.
Despite being one of too many Wolverines, Jimmy’s scene with Old Man Logan was a delightful moment. Guggenheim addresses the elephant in the room without inciting an eye roll.
Silly and ridiculous family trees come with the comic book territory, especially when it comes to X-Men history. Keeping continuity intact without losing readers in the insanity is a balancing act Guggenheim seems to have no problem performing.
There are pros and cons to this art style. Certain characters look fantastic with this almost-cell-shaded texture, like Mojo and most of the human looking X-Men. It does no favors for Colossus, who looks like a T-1000, especially without the plate lines usually drawn on his metal skin.
For the most part, it’s a visually satisfying issue. There’s a lot of fun had in the various wardrobe changes, like Cyclops wearing Logan’s famous Days Of Future Past jacket.
This is a jumping on point, thirteen issues after a jumping on point. X-Men comics are fun and colorful again, X-Men: Gold is a true testament to that. “Mojo Worldwide” has all the potential in the world to be exactly what fans want from both ResurreXion and Marvel Legacy.
