How do you cope with the loss of paradise? This is the question at the heart of the From the Ashes relaunch of X-Men, and no title so far exemplifies that question more than NYX. The mutant island nation of Krakoa is no more and its diaspora is left to pick up the pieces. And like so many of the world’s diasporas, many Krakoans find their new home in New York City, holding onto what community they have left.

This first issue of NYX is told largely through the perspective of Ms. Marvel. She is an interesting character to hinge the first issue on seeing as she never quite got to experience the promise of Krakoa and is still exploring her newfound mutant identity. Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly pick up the thread of Kamala attending college courses in NYC that was established in her last run of solos. The school that once was receiving funding from an anti-mutant hate group now is host to a ethnic studies course on Krakoa and its diaspora, taught by Xavier’s own Prodigy, now going by Professor Alleyne. Kamala is attending this course alongside her new friend and Prodigy’s former classmate at Xavier’s, Sophie of the Stepford Cuckoos. Other Xavier’s alumni like Anole and Laura Kinney the Wolverine also make appearances in the comic, as a bartender and vigilante respectively. Seeing Kamala bounce off between these characters is fun and interesting. Alongside these more positive budding relationships Kamala runs into several threats in this issue, one being a anti-mutant group called the “Truthseekers” and another being the mysterious self proclaimed Krakoan dressed in a mix of Magneto and Professor X’s Krakoan costumes, who may or may not have a connection to members of the books cast that should provide for some interesting drama. 

This book should be a particular treat for fans of the Academy X run of comics, that subsect of the X-Men fandom have long been asking for a book that centers around characters from that series and NYX seems like the answer to their prayers. 

I find myself in a curious position vis à vis this book. I myself am a twenty-something queer New Yorker college student. The characters in this book are largely teenager to twenty-something allegorically (and in some cases literally) queer New Yorker college students who are members of a diaspora. This is a setup that is quite similar to my own life. Thus I feel a certain draw to this book that’s subject matter so closely relates to my lived experience. I will admit to getting a kick out of seeing the infamous Highline sculpture, the Vessel in the issue. I eagerly anticipate seeing more NYC landmarks throughout the following issues. The characters feel pretty authentic to my lived experience, Lanzing and Kelly pretty solidly land the voice of my generation. 

The art by Francesco Mortarino feels like a step up from his work on Avengers, the first page in particular is quite stunning, partly due to Raul Angulo’s quite excellent colors. The characters look appropriately youthful and the rendering of NYC is well done. I’d compare Mortarino’s faces to Luciano Vecchio’s work, but while it’s similar in the angler nature of the faces it’s still suitably different and it’s own thing. In general the issue doesn’t have so much visual spectacle but the art team makes it a compelling visual treat. 

Overall NYX #1 isn’t the most flashy of first issues but it’s laying down a lot of interesting tracks, the characters aren’t really a team yet but honestly I think that’s not exactly what the book is going for. NYX seems to be telling a story about a group of young mutants finding their place in a world post the fall of their homeland, and it does a pretty damn compelling job doing it. This is definitely a book to keep an eye on.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Francesco Mortarino
Color: Raul Angulo Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read 

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

This isn’t a book about X-Men. This is a book about mutants living past the end of their world and into a new beginning. This is Ms. Marvel embracing her mutant life in the neon streets of the Lower East Side. This is Anole trying to keep his head above water. This is Wolverine in the shadows of Bushwick, protecting her own. This is Prodigy writing history as it happens – and Sophie Cuckoo finding her own way. The news reports are bleak. The streets feel dangerous. There’s something lurking underground. Evil coming from every direction. But they’re determined to make it. This is mutant community. This is mutant pride. This is NYX. NYX #1 takes the post-Krakoan era to New York City where some of the younger mutants are trying to live their lives.

NYX #1 is an interesting debut of a comic. Mostly from the perspective of Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel herself, the comic feels like a series of short introductions to the key characters from this series. Kamala is in school where she bumps into Sophie. Prodigy is now a professor. Anole is a bartender. And Wolverine is doing her thing. All of it is a setup for what’s to come, a story that feels more like a throwback to classic X-Men when they were a clear parable about the racism and hatred experienced in the real world.

A new organization is driving up the hatred towards mutants who have integrated back into society and doing what they can to live their lives. The organization wants to get rid of them, blaming them for incidences they may not be behind and lying about their rate of crime in the age of misinformation and social media. At its surface, the story feels like its taking on the anti-immigrant hysteria and exaggeration of the current reality of crime in the United States. But, writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly don’t make it so neat and clear as it turns out there’s a new Captain Krakoa who wants a return of the mutant nation and is in fact terrorizing the city. It feels like a rather odd ploy but the end of the comic reveals the whole gang behind the current state of things, all of it teasing an interesting direction.

The art by Francesco Mortarino is solid with color by Raul Angulo and lettering by Joe Sabino. It’s not a comic that has a lot of flashy fight scenes, there’s a few, but instead there’s a lot of different moments and settings with a lot of characters packed in. It does a solid job of balancing all of that and making it all flow nicely so it feels like different worlds but at the same time, the same city. All of the characters look good and there’s no surprising deviations when it comes to designs and the art. It’s very good overall.

NYX #1 is an interesting start and it’ll probably take the first arc to really sus out some of it. Lanzing and Kelly raise some intriguing points with writing history and doing so, so soon after events. There’s also the anti-immigrant feel to the mutant plight, but then there’s the twist as to who is causing the attacks. There’s a lot of questions raised with this first issue but so far, it feels more like a throwback to what has come before.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Francesco Mortarino
Color: Raul Angulo 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: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle