Each month, the creative team of NYX reminded Marvel Comics fans what it meant to be a fan of mutants and the X-Men. It wasn’t just the uncanny powers or astonishing battles. The purpose was to show the battle for acceptance (something people worldwide can understand). Sometimes that meant using their abilities to take down their enemies. A lot of the time, they used their voices to stand up and bring people together.
At first, this series started with Kamala Khan, Sophie Cuckoo, Anole, Prodigy, and Wolverine (Laura Kinney). Eventually, Synch, Hellion, and others joined the NYX revolution in NYC. The more people joined, the more dangerous it got for them. Thankfully, no matter how bad things got, no one abandoned the cause.
For me, the emotional scenes within this series are what made it great. Sometimes it was the happiness in how characters like Anole and Laura have evolved as heroes. There are other moments that bring tears to my eyes, due to the bigotry they face. The final issue of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing’s NYX brought both.
NYX No. 10 creative team
- Writer: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
- Artist: Francesco Mortarino
- Colorist: Raul Angulo
One of the antagonists in this series was Mojo. His mission in NYX was to take the people of New York (and eventually the world) and “eat” their beliefs. Being his unwilling fans would sustain him. The NYX mutants were having none of that. Sophie used her powers to connect people and use their love and happiness as a weapon to defeat Mojo. It worked, but one of Mojo’s captives was Kamala’s mutant-hating cousin. That’s when things go from inspiring to disheartening.
After Kamala found out she was a mutant, she embraced it. Ms. Marvel put the X-Men “X” on her uniform to signify that she was with mutants. It was a brave move considering this happened during the Fall of X. But this caused people who were once fans of Ms. Marvel to look at her differently. Sadly, someone she loves is among them.
During this issue, Kamala thought about revealing who she was to her cousin in the hopes that he would change how he thought. Instead, he said: “Never tell your parents. You’d break their hearts.” Kamala immediately broke down in tears. It didn’t help that at the end of the issue, Kamala mentions to her father that Ms. Marvel is taking some time off, and her father says, “I bet her father is very happy.”
The story for Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel will continue in Giant-Size X-Men. It will be interesting to see what’s next. This writer believes that her parents already know about their daughter's superhero life. There’s a reason her father said what he did at the end of NYX No. 10. He’s probably proud of his daughter, but worries about her. And, we know how smart Kamala’s mother, Muneeba, is and how she pays close attention to detail.
Hopefully, this has a happy ending for Ms. Marvel. However, when it comes to mutants and the X-Men, even happy endings come with tragedy and heartbreak.