Before she became a mainstay of the heroic X-Men, Emma Frost had another role: White Queen of the Hellfire Club! As she grapples for power with the rest of the Inner Circle, witness Emma’s ruthless ascent to the top! And when she discovers there is a mole within the Hellfire Club leaking secrets to their sworn enemies, the X-Men, Emma will stop at nothing to uncover the truth! Take a deep dive into Emma’s past, learn shocking secrets and be prepared to bow down to the White Queen! Emma Frost: White Queen #1 is an intriguing start that shows the politics, tension, and betrayal within the Hellfire Club.

When it comes to X-Men villains, I always enjoyed the Hellfire Club. The idea of a secret society like them that mixed danger, political machinations, schisms within, and sex appeal, was a combination that should have been far greater than it ever truly was. They’re classic villains but compared to others, they always felt a bit second tier, but top second tier. Still, I loved them and wished we got to see more, an evil counterpart (other than the Brotherhood) to the X-Men’s vision of hope. So, Emma Frost: White Queen #1 is a nice and fun start showing us more of the society as a celebration is had, the X-Men attack, and Emma Frost suspects a traitor amongst their number.

Written by Amy Chu, Emma Frost: White Queen #1 is an entertaining start that feels like a mix of throwback and modern comic. There’s some moments, like the X-Men attacking, that is right at home in the 80s while other aspects, not so much. And that makes an interesting mix of tone of the comic, one that works and works well. This isn’t a continuation of recent Marvel releases that has writers returning to earlier time periods in their run for “hidden stories.” It feels like the beginning of a story that really stands on its own, without the need to know of continuity or even care when it takes place. Chu builds up Emma in an interesting way as both a loner and a leader, someone who is clashing with others in high positions but also commanding respect and can get them to bow to her.

Andrea Di Vito‘s art is good. There’s a lot packed into the pages with a party present and the art teases the decadence of the attendees. With color by Antonio Fabela and lettering by Ariana Maher, the visuals look both modern and a bit of a throwback, much like the story itself. There’s one particular page of Storm’s wrath that’s awesome and well worth checking out.

Emma Frost: White Queen #1 is a solid start that shows off a lot of potential for what’s to come. The story is a good setup for the main event and art looks good. If this goes in the direction I think it’s going, it should be a really entertaining series that fans of the X-Men won’t want to miss.

Story: Amy Chu Art: Andrea Di Vito
Color: Antonio Fabela Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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