X-Men United #2
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Tiago Palma
X-MEN DIVIDED! Mutantdom’s newest institute of higher learning has barely welcomed its first students, and things are already going down in flames. Meanwhile, an elite team of mutants has to travel through time on a mission alongside none other than CAPTAIN AMERICA!
The X-Men’s Hellfire Gala, mutantkind’s biggest—and sometimes deadliest—celebration, is back for another drama-filled night of mystery, betrayal and Omega level fashion in X-Men: Hellfire Murder #1, hitting stands in July.
As is tradition, X-Men: Hellfire Murder #1 will be written and drawn by a spectacular lineup of current X-Men creators including Jed MacKay, Gail Simone, Eve L. Ewing, Saladin Ahmed, Erica Schultz, Tony Daniel, Luciano Vecchio, Federica Mancin and more! Once more, the giant-sized one-shot serves as a capstone to the last year of X-Men storytelling with reunions and romance abound, and simultaneously sets the stage for what’s on the horizon with startling developments like the formation of an all-new Hellfire Club and the murder of a key mutant figure.
HOMICIDE AT THE HELLFIRE GALA!
When an iconic mutant power player is murdered at an exclusive masquerade hosted by Sebastian Shaw, it falls to Wolverine and Jubilee to solve a locked-room mystery that has dire consequences for all mutantkind. Everyone is a suspect. And the party isn’t over yet…
The secrets won’t be the only thing stunning readers. As always, your favorite mutants will be decked out in unforgettable attire! Leading the design efforts will be Marvel’s Stormbreaker artist Luciano Vecchio, following his acclaimed work on last year’s Hellfire Gala issue, X-Men: Hellfire Vigil. A certified expert in mutant fashion, Vecchio outdid himself this year with dramatic and unique masquerade looks. Can you guess who’s behind each mask?
Check out Vecchio’s cover along with a variant cover by R.B. Silva and RSVP for X-Men: Hellfire Murder #1 at your local comic shop today!
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
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
X-Men United #1
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Tiago Palma
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!
Expatriate X-Men #3
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Francesco Mortarino
TARGET: DARKCHILD!
X YEARS LATER, MELEE, BRONZE, RIFT, COLOSSUS, MS. MARVEL and the crew of the Dragonfly face DARKCHILD herself. She wants something they have, and she has something they want. But just when they need to band together most, their group of insurgents is being torn apart by lies and deception. Will they escape with their lives or be swallowed by the whims of the Limbo Lands?
This March, the X-Men come together to build a new way for mutantkind to thrive in X-Men United! The previously-teased series, part of the line’s upcoming Shadows of Tomorrow era, will be by written by Eve L. Ewing, following her acclaimed work on Exceptional X-Men, and drawn by Tiago Palma, the rising star who made his Marvel Comics debut earlier this year in New Avengers.
The ambitious series unites the entire X-tapestry—from different generations, factions, and eras—under one, eXciting initiative, turning the classic concept of a school for mutants on its head with the introduction of Graymatter Lane! Founded by Emma Frost and with faculty including Wolverine, Magneto, Beast, Rogue and Storm and guest instructors from throughout the Marvel Universe, Graymatter Lane is more than simply an academy—it’s the central hub for mutant interaction across the world and beyond! This venture represents a bold undertaking that requires all hands on deck, but not all of the X-Men are ready to embrace the idea of another mutant institute for higher learning!
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 the greatest of the X-Men as teachers 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 will feature connecting covers by Stefano Caselli, the very piece used at New York Comic Con to announce the X-Men’s exciting Shadows of Tomorrow era! It arrives to shelves March 11, 2026!
Expatriate X-Men #2
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Francesco Mortarino
(C) Raúl Angulo (L) Ariana Maher
(CA) Francesco Mortarino, Raúl Angulo (VCA) Ario Anindito, Betsy Cola, Marcus To and Erick Arciniega
GUERRILLA WARFARE!
X YEARS LATER, BRONZE, MS. MARVEL, RIFT, MELEE and their guerrilla flotilla make their way upriver, evading the surveillance of both REVELATION and the U.S. Army. It’s clear that their recently rescued charge LYREBIRD is not who he seems to be. And withholding some details leaves his life on the line, as the team approaches the LIMBO LANDS… and the truth.
UNITED BY WAR! X YEARS LATER, like the fallen and reassembled United States, the new team of MS. MARVEL, BRONZE, MELEE and RIFT rises! They have seized control of the Mississippi River waters that divide mutantkind from the rest of humanity. Feared and powerful, their guerrilla tactics keep them in control – until a high-stakes mission to extract a valuable asset threatens to tear them apart. Can they hold together when everything’s on the line?
Story: Eve L. Ewing
Art: Francesco Mortarino
Color: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Ariana Maher
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Expatriate X-Men #1
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Francesco Mortarino
UNITED BY WAR!
X YEARS LATER, like the fallen and reassembled United States, the new team of MS. MARVEL, BRONZE, MELEE and RIFT rises! They have seized control of the Mississippi River waters that divide mutantkind from the rest of humanity. Feared and powerful, their guerrilla tactics keep them in control — until a high-stakes mission to extract a valuable asset threatens to tear them apart. Can they hold together when everything’s on the line?
Expatriate X-Men #1
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Francesco Mortarino
UNITED BY WAR!
X YEARS LATER, like the fallen and reassembled United States, the new team of MS. MARVEL, BRONZE, MELEE and RIFT rises! They have seized control of the Mississippi River waters that divide mutantkind from the rest of humanity. Feared and powerful, their guerrilla tactics keep them in control — until a high-stakes mission to extract a valuable asset threatens to tear them apart. Can they hold together when everything’s on the line?
