Generation-X debuts, focusing on the school side of this new era of X-Men. ResurreXion has been great so far, now it’s time to dive into the strange mutant youth. This crop of students will be Jubilee’s class of weirdos.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
With Kitty Pryde acting as not only X-Men team leader, but also headmaster of the school, she’s stretched pretty thin. Jubilee is brought in to teach and mentor a group of misfit mutants. Some old, some new, all strange in one way or another.
Newcomer Hindsight gets a full taste of what students at the Xavier Institute can expect along with their education. He witnesses a teen mutant brawl, has his thoughts invaded, sees a colorful cast of fellow students, and anti-mutant extremists. It’s become the standard for this kind of book to initially star a reluctant young mutant, overwhelmed by their first day.
Writer Christina Strain does a fine job making sure this doesn’t feel like a stale introduction that readers are all too familiar with. Any X-Men fan has read this story multiple times before, Strain makes it feel fresh. There’s an effective balance between new faces and old favorites that immediately buys trust from readers.
A book like this is absolutely necessary to make the world of X-Men comics feel populated and real. For every powerful physic, there should be an Eyeboy. Not all mutations are glamorous or superheroic. When it comes to mutants, the weirder, the better.
It’s also important to have a title focusing on the school, since it’s the heart of what X-Men comics are. Xavier’s dream lives and dies with the school, Kitty knows that. Her being overwhelmed by this new dual-role is relatable and satisfying. Not only is she dressing the part of headmaster, but she also made it clear to Quentin Quire who’s in charge.
The success of this book may heavily rely on Strain’s voice for Quire. His characterization sets a tone, he’s always an important figure in the mutant youth. Grant Morrison and Jason Aaron portrayed Quentin best, he was the fiery heart of a lot of great stories. His character has also been mishandled in the past, let’s hope Strain can wield the narrative power of Kid Omega justly and this book can reach its full potential.
The rest of the class is fun, once Hindsight buys in and starts interacting with the other students the book should begin finding it’s hopefully very weird identity. Generation-X cannot be an effective title by being “cookie cutter”, it seems Christina Strain is up to task and ready to embrace her abstract side.
Visually, the art team (Amilcar Pinna & Felipe Sobreiro) also appears to be ready and willing to unleash their inner-weirdo. A strong script can make for compelling mutants, but the art is crucial to make these lesser known characters really sing.
Already this looks and feels very different from the other X-Men titles. The brief displays of powers and gifts act as a preview of splendid things to come. There’s a lot of personalities to juggle here, Amilcar Pinna illustrates each character in their own disctinctive way. Generation-X looks like it’s a lot of fun to create and it translates well into a beautifully strange visual reading experience.
Generation-X is definitely worth your time. This first issue scratches the surface of its potential, let’s hope the creative team dives deep and delivers a wild ride. Their hearts and heads are in the right place, readers should expect a fun comic book going forward.
What did you think of Generation-X? What’s your favorite ResurreXion title so far? Let us know in the comments below!
