2012
WISE Score
A stylish, drama-heavy retelling of the X-Men's first year that swaps clunky 60s dialogue for modern teen angst.
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If your kid is curious about the X-Men but finds the original 1960s comics unreadable (and honestly, they kind of are), this is the book to hand them. It treats the characters like real people with real insecurities, and the art is fantastic.
It's not a deep, philosophical masterpiece, but it's a very solid 'Season One' primer. It manages to modernize the origin story without making it 'edgy' or cynical, which is a rare feat in modern comics.
Best for 11 and up. It's written at a Young Adult level, focusing on the social friction of being a teenager as much as the superheroics.
It handles the 'found family' dynamic well, focusing on the original five mutants as teenagers rather than just soldiers. There is plenty of snark and teen posturing, but the core is about loyalty and belonging.
Reimagining the 1963 origins with modern sensibilities and Jamie McKelvie's clean, expressive art style gives the classic mutant powers a fresh, visual energy.
Standard superhero fare. Expect punch-ups, energy blasts, and property damage, but it avoids the grim-dark gore or explicit content found in some modern 'prestige' comics.
The mutant metaphor for prejudice and being 'othered' is front and center. Seeing it through Jean Grey's eyes adds a layer of empathy for the new-kid-at-school experience.
Marvel's 'Season One' initiative was a smart move that didn't always land, but the X-Men volume is one of the high points. For years, the barrier to entry for X-Men was the sheer weight of its own history. This book wipes the slate clean. It takes the core premise—five teenagers at a private school for mutants—and asks what that would actually feel like in a modern context.
Dennis Hopeless (the writer) leans into the soap opera elements that have always been the X-Men's secret sauce. You get the rivalry between Scott Summers and Angel, the isolation of being a mutant, and the looming threat of Magneto. But by centering it on Jean Grey, the story gains a much-needed emotional anchor. She's the newcomer, the 'audience surrogate' who lets us see how weird and stressful Xavier's school really is.
Jamie McKelvie's art is a huge part of why this works. If you're used to the hyper-muscular, cross-hatched style of 90s comics, this will be a breath of fresh air. It looks more like an indie comic or a high-end animation storyboard. The characters have distinct fashion senses and expressive faces, which makes the 'teen drama' parts of the book actually land.
It's worth noting that this isn't an 'action-first' book. While there are battles with the Sentinels and the Brotherhood, they often serve as backdrops for the character development. If your kid is looking for wall-to-wall explosions, they might find this a bit talky. But if they like character-driven stories like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse or Ms. Marvel, this will be right up their alley.
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