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Creative Team – Alex Paknadel(writer). Diógenes Neves(artist). Arthur Hesli(color artist). VC’s Clayton Cowles(letterer). Martin Cóccolo & Matthew Wilson(cover artists). AKA, Justin Mason & Rachelle Rosenberg(variant cover artists)
Published by Marvel Entertainment
“In the wake of the fall of Krakoa, the X-Men are forever changed. As Jean Grey prepares to take her place among the stars, she and Cyclops share a last night together, only to discover a hidden mystery that threatens to pull them apart. Meanwhile, what was supposed to be a mundane article about Charles Xavier’s monstrous acts during the war turns into something far stranger for journalist Sally Floyd. Can the X-Men survive the shadows lurking in their pasts, or will their new era begin in tragedy?”
The Stories
In the first story of X-Men: Xavier’s Secret, “Eversong”, we see the final moments between Jean and Cyclops before Jean takes off to start her life in the galaxies. (You can read the reviews of Stephanie Phillip’s Phoenix here!)
Jean has plans to leave Earth take on her responsibilities as the Phoenix, protecting the galaxies. Scott isn’t too happy that Jean will be leaving, so he tries to have one last perfect night alone with her. Of course, that’s not how it goes when Scott’s mind and body is taken under control by a cosmic power. They spend their last night together in true X-Men fashion, saving lives.
In the second story, “What Charlie Did…”, we get a better look at the crimes that Charles Xavier committed during the Fall of Krakoa. The world views Charles as a monster, rightfully so. He murdered, he hurt those he loves, and he manipulated those around him to see out his plans. But is there more to the story? Journalist, Sally Floyd, sure seems to think so.
As she gathers information on an article she’s writing about Xavier, she realizes there’s much more than meets the eye. There’s blackouts, clusters of time missing from her memory, and not just her’s, but people she interacts with too. She tries to get to the bottom of it all, but will need a little help from the ultimate source.
The Writing
I really enjoyed this look into what gave us the state of From the Ashes with Jean, Scott, and Charles. Seeing Jean and Scott’s last moments together really enhanced where we started with the current run of Phoenix. With Charles Xavier’s story about the crimes he commited, it all makes perfect sense as to why he committed those crimes. Alex Paknadel gave us a great inside look at Charles Xavier, and Jean and Scott, filling in the gaps of the Fall of Krakoa and the time immediately after that.
The Art
The artists of X-Men: Xavier Secret brought a lot of heat to the story with their art that brought the story to life. The first story, Eversong, had so much attention paid to detail, with the use of different contrasting colors, it made each page even more stunning than the last. With the second story, “What Charlie Did…”, the way Diógenes Neves captures emotion through facial expressions and body language is amazing. It really adds so much depth to the story.
Final Thoughts
I really do love these comics that fill in any gaps, and X-Men: Xavier’s Secret is probably one of the best ones I’ve read in awhile. I really appreciated that it was two stories in one, and showed us how the pillars of the X-Men got to where they are today.
Overall Grade: 8.8/10
This article was written by Megan from the Vigilante Vibes podcast! If you liked my review, be sure to check out my other reviews! Let me know what you think of X-Men: Xavier’s Secret #1, or tell me what comics you’d recommend me trying out! Find me on my socials, and check out my Marvel podcast, Vigilante Vibes, by clicking here!
