The first month of Marvel’s ResurreXion of the X-Men has been a busy one. We’ve already had a major controversy, a delay, and four new titles to absorb. Hopefully the dramatics are behind us and readers can simply enjoy their comic books. With X-Men: Gold #3, Kitty and company make a statement.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Kitty Pryde and her team of X-Men haven’t settled into their new lives before being thrust into their first conflict. The new Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants attacks the UN and kidnaps NYC’s mayor. It’s up to our mutant heroes to resolve this mess and attempt to keep human/mutant relations in tact.
Writer Marc Guggenheim didn’t waste any time throwing this team of classic muties beauties into a familiar scene. The Brotherhood is more of a routine foe, allowing us to get accustomed to this new team compilation. In these first three issues, the focus has been on Kitty. Guggenheim quickly establishes her as the bold, bad-ass she can be. Ms. Pryde isn’t taking her new role lightly, she wants the world to know that the X-Men are back and they’re not to be trifled with.
Guggenheim’s dialogue hammers home the point that Kitty doesn’t have time to waste, and she’s also very prepared. Her veteran X-Men status shines through and even overshadows valiant efforts by the other longtime mutant champions. Learning some new operational lingo, like “violent extraction”, emphasizes the point that Kitty Pryde and her team are not to be taken lightly.
Despite her silly new code-name (Prestige Worldwide), Rachel Grey also steps up early into the series. Her “psi-fight” with Mesmero is a delightful highlight from the issue. Having established the older characters already as the weathered war heroes that they are, now is the time for readers to get to know the young students.
It’s a real shame that artist Ardian Syaf created such controversy and will no longer be with the team. Syaf’s art really makes these pages sing, picking up the script’s tempo and running with it. The art team plays a significant role in portraying Kitty Pryde as the bad-ass leader. It’s a major relief for readers who last saw her during her romance with Peter Quill.
Frank Martin’s coloring is crucial in making this book in particular feel like home for old-school X-Men fans. X-Men: Gold is still a relatively dark visual experience compared to X-Men: Blue, but Martin sheds light through color and balances out the heavy ink.
With three X-Men titles having come out last week (due to delay), Gold didn’t necessarily stand out. Being the only X-title this week did it plenty of favors, allowing readers to take their time absorbing it. Blue is catching everybody off-guard by how great it is, keeping these two titles apart is a must with the double-shipping schedule to let them both truly breathe.
Now that we’ve gotten the starter course out of the way, the team established, and the world full of fear, let’s get weird. X-Men: Gold is absolutely worth the time of any X-Men fan.
What do you think so far? Which ResurreXion series do you like the most so far? Let us know in the comments below!
