Jed MacKay continues where he left off in X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1 with Amazing X-Men #1. Joined by artist Mahmud Asrar, who is no stranger to X-Men work over the past few years, the duo advances the story of the time-displaced Cyclops and Beast in this new dystopia forged by Revelation.
One of the most interesting parts of seeing future scenarios such as these is seeing how the characters have changed. Vegan, pacifist, incompetent Glob is now a gun-toting Rambo-figure, highly competent and highly deadly, going toe to toe with Cyclops as a leader. Animalia hints at a relationship Beast has not yet experienced, while Schwarzschild, last seen in the present trying to kill the X-Men, is now one of them.
It’s a fun change, and adds an interesting flavour to this leaner, meaner X-Men team. Jed MacKay, via Age of Revelation #0 and Overture #1, sets up a mystery: Beast and Cyclops were told that Revelation punished them, stripping them of their speech and ability to function and communicate. However, from Animalia’s words and what we saw of future Cyclops in #0, this seems to be a lie. Why the future X-Men are lying to them, and why their future selves would want them to lie to them, is an enticing and intriguing mystery angle.
MacKay also uses smaller details, like Cyclops’ concern over not being able to contact Jean in this future. The friendship between Cyclops and Beast, which has been long neglected, is finally played up and focused on, which is a joy to read. Seeing these dynamics play out makes for a strong issue, as is revisiting a surprise character in the ruins of the X-Men’s old home. After another encounter with Wolverine, who is Revelation’s “Angel of Death,” the team winds up in the Limbo Lands, an area of America even Revelation doesn’t touch. And as the issue ends, we see why. The name is self-explanatory, and reunites more of the X-Men team, though not on friendly terms. The Limbo Lands are ruled by Darkchild and her knight, Juggernaut. And with that cliffhanger, Amazing X-Men ends.
It’s a strong opening issue. The dynamics between the characters are engaging, the central mystery of why Cyclops and Beast are being lied to is intriguing, and the small details about Cyclops’s thoughts on contacting Jean and learning from Schwarzschild are smart and add to the realism of the situation. The action sequence may be a tad repetitive, given how the previous issue ended, but it is not overlong.
Mahmud Asrar and Matthew Wilson provide the art and colours for this issue. Wilson’s more muted, autumnal palette suits the mood and setting of the issue perfectly, and Asrar’s work is smooth, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. He does a good job rendering the designs Stegman conceived for the event, and the splash page at the end is an example of his years of experience with the X-Men.
Amazing X-Men #1 is an exciting and engaging continuation of the events from Age of Revelation Overture #1. With the main mystery component set up and the promise of more fun character dynamics to come, Jed MacKay, Mahmud Asrar, and Matthew Wilson set the stage for an exciting second issue and build on the momentum from the start of the event.
‘Amazing X-Men’ #1 Review: MacKay’s New X-Men Mystery
With the main mystery component set up and the promise of more fun character dynamics to come, Jed MacKay, Mahmud Asrar, and Matthew Wilson set the stage for an exciting second issue and build on the momentum from the start of the event.
