WELCOME TO GRAYMATTER LANE, LEARN TO SURVIVE THE EXPERIENCE! “Build a school,” Charles Xavier told them, and the X-Men have done so – but in a manner nobody saw coming! Welcome to Graymatter Lane, a place where mutants anywhere in the world can come together in unity to teach one another the skills needed for their survival! With instructors including Wolverine, Beast, Prodigy, Magneto and more, and a campus unlike any before seen, it’s the crossroads of the X-Universe as a student body from across the globe works to take mutantkind to the next step in their evolution – and to cope with a brewing threat to all of their number! X-Men United #1 delivers an ok school experience but the clash between leadership is the interesting aspect.

Written by Eve L. Ewing, X-Men United #1 brings back the proper school aspect to the X-Men. With a twist on the actual “school,” the comic introduces the initial class and the teachers for an experience that has some potential but overall doesn’t quite excite. Where the comic does shine is the clear lines drawn as to whether a school should exist at all?

There’s some divisions between the leadership of the X-Men with Cyclops on one side and on the other, quite a few who want to continue Charles Xavier’s concept of a school. Cyclops has been shaped and shifted over the years going from the one you’d expect to follow Xavier’s “dream” without question to a leader who’s grizzled and a bit more militant. There’s teases here that this will be the conflict that defines the current arc of X-Men stories, and there’s potential for something interesting and transformative by the time it’s done.

For the most part, X-Men United #1 is an introduction issue. We get a lot of detail on the school with a focus on its security, which you know means it’s not secure. There’s also a new generation of mutants that don’t really stand out. And that’s where the issue drags. The characters, beyond their powers, aren’t really given much as far as a backstory which just makes them background characters and keeps the teachers in the forefront. It’s a class that’s set up to be forgettable. Add in with the opportunity to really pull from the massive amount of characters, the one that are in the comic feel rather standard.

The art of X-Men United #1 is decent. Tiago Palma packs in a lot and the school opens itself up for some interesting visuals. But, beyond a few pages and panels, those visuals never quite hit their potential. With color by Brian Reber and lettering by Joe Sabino, the comic looks nice but not all that exciting. It’s fine but not defining.

X-Men United #1 isn’t a bad debut but it’s also not exciting. It shows off some nice concepts and has potential to be something interesting but beyond the final page, there’s little that’s really memorable. With a mutant class that doesn’t really stand out, it’s focus is the teachers more so than the students. It needs to really define itself and stand out from what has come before and in this debut, it falls short.

Story: Eve L. Ewing Art: Tiago Palma
Color: Brian Reber Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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