Welcome to the Dark X-Men? Hope everyone survives this experience! There’s a new team of Dark X-Men after the Hellfire Gala. Madelyne Pryor and Havok lead the team with Zero, Emplate, Azazel, and Archangel initially making up the team but the addition of Gambit, Maggott, Gimmick, and Albert to come. It’s a team that screams dysfunction but that seems to be part of the fun of Dark X-Men #1.

Written by Steve Foxe, Dark X-Men #1 takes the fun in X-Men dysfunction and ups it a few levels. Havok is attempting to keep things in check. Madelyne Pryor is balancing her new role and her penchant for killing. Then there’s all the rest of the team members who have no issues with giving into their desires. It’s all part of the fun of the series.

But, what’s truly great about Dark X-Men #1 is how it makes sure to fit in to Fall of X. This isn’t simply a team of screw-ups and villains stepping in, it deals with the fallout of the new status-quo. Madelyne is the ruler of Limbo and there’s diplomatic aspects to it all. There’s mutants looking for safety. There’s Havok dealing with his personal issues. It takes all of the basics of the X-Men and turns it all up to 11 and then some. It’s everything that makes the X-Men great but twisted around a bit. It’s villains doing good… or at least trying to.

The comic features art by Jonas Scharf and it’s generally really good. A backup story focused mostly on Havok stumbles a bit in the visuals, partially because the rest of the comic is so solid. Frank Martin provides the colors and Clayton Cowles handles the lettering. The art does a great job of balancing the insanity of the comic itself. There’s small demons and goblins running around, there might be a car eating an Orchis soldier, it’s the small details that adds to the already solid style of Scharf. What’s also great is the comic leans into its more demonic aspects without going overboard and making it a horror focused comic. Like the comic series Dark Ride, the horror aspect is part of the look but not the defining look, this is still a superhero comic.

Dark X-Men #1 is a lot of fun. Action. Humor. It’s exactly what you’d expect going into it and has me excited to read more.

Story: Steve Foxe Art: Jonas Scharf
Color: Frank Martin Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle