Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men is comic book comfort food

X-Men: From the Ashes was a bold move by Marvel Comics. Putting things back to the way they were after years of prosperity for mutants wasn’t something X-Men fans looked forward to. The Krakoan Age was the first time that mutants seemed happy. Sure, there was a lot to criticize, but it was a young nation trying to figure things out. Krakoa didn’t come into its own until it was in the White Hot Room (read X-Men: Forever No. 4 and Uncanny X-Men No.700 for that story).

So what do you do if you’re Marvel Comics? You get an epic creative team that reminds comic book readers that nothing stops Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants. That team is historically phenomenal writer Gail Simone (Batgirl and Deadpool) and brilliant artist David Marquez (Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man and All-New X-Men) to create Uncanny X-Men. And, if that isn’t enough, you bring in the Rogue-led team of Wolverine, Gambit, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler. Plus, there are five new mutants called the Outliers (Jitter, Ransom, Ember, Deathdream, and Calico).

You can tell that this run of Uncanny X-Men will be one of the best. Yes, it’s a bit early to call this run a classic since it's only on the fifth issue. However, every historic run has a beginning that lets readers know where the story is going. In this case, it’s the re-emergence of the X-Men to the world and the “Don’t call it a comeback” story of Anna Maria (Rogue) who's fighting new threats from humans. Among the enemies is a group jailing mutants in the old X-Men mansion led by their warden, Dr. Corina Ellis.

Dr. Ellis is capturing mutants like Charles Xavier and possibly using Theresa Rourke Cassidy (Siryn) to battle the heroes. The X-Men have fought villains using their own or former teammates, but Eillis is different. She's cold and heartless, but you can tell there’s something else there. She isn't like the Graydon Creed or William Stryker who hates mutants. It seems like a job to her. However, like I said, there's definitely more to it.

There's likely a reason Dr. Ellis wants to be called warden instead of doctor. Plus, she wouldn't have called the X-Men for help with her former employee (and now prisoner) Sarah Gaunt if she hated mutants. She would have dealt with it herself. Or, at the very least, attempted to capture Rogue after the deal was done.

In closing, I just want to say this comic book is what people love about the X-Men. There’s a ton of family moments between them and Gail Simone isn’t hiding it. Jubilee and Rogue have both touched on their love for Logan as a mentor and father figure. Gambit continuously reminds the readers that there’s no one for him except Anna Maria. And Nightcrawler will always be the fun uncle or big brother wherever he goes. Then, the Outliers are brought in and have already established themselves as more than teammates and friends. They’re bonded and won’t let each other fall without a fight.

In short, whether it’s for the story, characters, beautiful art, or fantastic fight scenes, buy Uncanny X-Men. You don’t want to be the only X-fan not grabbing this monthly.

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