When I first had heard of Death of X, like many other X-Men fans I was upset. I said this is Marvel’s way of finally getting rid of some of my favorite characters. Then I started paying attention to some of the press. I saw they announced Jeff Lemire, and Charles Soule would be writing the series, and that intrigued me. I then saw the fantastic art of Aaron Kuder, and then I really had to see what this series was all about. The first issue had set up some big stakes, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. With the second issue, I am still enjoying this book, I just wanted a little more from it.

Now that isn’t to say I won’t be satisfied when this miniseries is over.  This book takes place in the past, and is showing us what Cyclops did to become such a hated character in the Marvel universe. The big war is coming with IvX, which will begin once this book ends. I will say I am excited to see where this book takes us before the big Inhuman vs. X-Men war.

This book paints Medusa, Crystal, and some of the other Inhumans in a good light.  Some people may not like that, especially if they feel that Marvel is trying to push the Inhumans to replace the X-Men, but most of the mutants are trying to do the right thing here as well. Forge will be using his tech to find mutants, while Hank McCoy is looking for a cure. Storm is trying to talk about things diplomatically with Medusa, and find a non-violent solution to their dire problem. As for Cyclops, and Emma Frost, well they are going about things much differently. This issue tightens the rope of tension around everyone a lot tighter.

We get to see more characters enter the story in this issue, both in the inhuman and mutant form. Storm is featured here prominently, and this issue does a good job of showing the contrast between her and Scott as leaders. Crystal, Iso, Gorgon, and Daisuke play big roles here and are seemingly trying to do the right thing.  There are also old mutant favorites that appear like Sunfire, Colossus, and Strong Guy as they arrive for a funeral of their lost friend. I have to admit, I may have gotten a little too excited when I saw Strong Guy, so the nostalgia here is working.

Medusa’s hair looks so good in this book. Aaron Kuder does such a good job of filling entire panels with the iconic red locks.  Kuder’s art is very unique. So often you hear about how well an artist draws characters.  Kuder does a nice job there too, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t ignore the little things in the background.  The landscapes, houses, towns, and everything else in the scenes have such nice details that many artists would ignore. I really liked the colors in this book by Morry Hollowell and Jay David Ramos, and the inks by Jay Leisten, Cam Smith, and Scott Hanna as well. They do a good job of complimenting Kuder’s art and make each panel come to life.

I have high hopes for the remaining issues, and this issue sets up something pretty big on its final page. It is becoming obvious it is not going to end well for everyone, and we already knew some of that by what is going on in the current X-Books. I am sticking around for the remaining issues, and I recommend that you do too.

Story: Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire Art: Aaron Kuder
Ink: Jay Leisten, Cam Smith, and Scott Hanna Color: Morry Hollowell and Jay David Ramos
Story: 7 Art: 9 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review