X-Men Gold: The best Marvel comic book out
By Mark Lynch
X-Men, Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
The case for X-Men Gold as the best Marvel comic book out now.
The X-Men have always been one of the premier teams in Marvel Comics. Their movies may not do the numbers that the Avengers franchise does, but their comic books are always some of the best. Their crossovers usually stay within the X-Men titles and have a deeper meaning than just fighting. For example, the arcs Messiah Complex, Second Coming, and God Loves, Man Kills are all titles that deal with oppression and how a set of minorities have to fight despite the overwhelming odds against them. Of course, there is also the amazing action that goes along with it.
After the events from Infinity in 2013, the X-Men went on a bit of a lull. The stories didn’t have the same depth to them. And with the Terrigen Mist killing off mutants, it looked as if the X-Men titles were going the way of the dinosaur. Thankfully, X-Men Gold has come and renewed hope and has become a must-read comic.
The X-Men are still hated and feared
A phrase used a few times in issue one of X-Men Gold was, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Wolverine maybe Old Man Logan and Rachel Grey is going by Prestige, but that hasn’t changed the team and what they represent. They still Protect a world that hates and fears them. Without using characters like Magneto and Nathaniel Essex (yet), the X-Men Gold has started the series with a very similar theme; hatred.
Lydia Nance grew up being abused by her mutant father. Like many people, abuse can lead to the hatred of the person or group that attacked you. This isn’t an excuse, but this is the way it goes at times. The irony in Nance’s plan is that she uses mutants to further her cause. She hired Mesmero to mind control mutants to make them look like a menace. Despite Kitty Pryde and her team defending and protecting the city, they’re still looked at as villains.
One moment that hit me was a comment by a warden in issue 26. He said, mutant existence was a crime. He said, “It’s not bigotry, it’s survival. Mutants are the next step in evolution…but the previous step isn’t going down without a fight.” All Kitty Pryde could do was sit in awe of what she was hearing. A feat a lot of oppressed people have had to deal with. Attacking him or lashing out at all would have taken away from what the X-Men stand for. Instead, Kitty swallowed her pride (pun not intended) and moved on.