X-Men: Days of Future Past is a classic X-Men story taking us to a dystopian future where Mutants are hunted and rounded up. It has spawn takes on television, film, and inspired so many similar stories, some even in the X-Men comics. But, how did things build up to that world? X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #1 kicks off a new series that explores that.
Written by Marc Guggenheim, X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #1 begins to flesh out the 30 years of events that lead to the dystopic future we’ve come to known. After opening with “year 28,” the comic rewinds a bit with some quick hits and moments before settling on “year 18.” This is the year that featured some major key events, one a riff on another classic story, that lead to the detention of Mutants and the turning of the public not just against them but also heroes with powers as a whole. It’s all pretty basic with little surprises and shocks, feeling a bit void of emotion.
That’s part of the issue with X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #1. While the comic does fill in the gaps, the way it’s presented leaves out an emotional connection and punch that should happen. It feels much more like a bullet point of events instead of an impassioned allegory about unchecked hate and othering groups for political gain. It goes over the basics but leaves things generally at the surface level.
The art by Manuel García is good. With ink by Cam Smith, color by Yen Nitro, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic has a bit of a retro style to it. What’s interesting is subtle changes in designs in this alternate world, reminding us that things have gone wrong. It’s small choices but they help make it clear we’re on a different timeline and path than what we are used to in these classic stories. The pages too are packed reflecting a first issue that covers a lot. There could easily be multiple splash pages but instead even the major visual moments share pages with a few more panels. It generally works but also feels like it emphasizes that this debut issue wasn’t given enough room to breathes.
X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #1 isn’t bad. It begins to fill in the gaps as to what lead to the world of “Days of Future Past.” It’s all logical and you could see how it’d shake out. But, the comic rushes through some of the history, leaving the emotional build to the side. It takes use through the history but never really builds to anything, instead it’s quick hits or we’re dropped into the key moment. There’s an emotional connection that feels like it’s missing.
Story: Marc Guggenheim Art: Manuel García
Ink: Cam Smith Color: Yen Nitro Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
