UNCANNY X-MEN #26 – New Changes

Creative team – Gail Simone, Luciano Vecchio, Matthew Wilson, Clayton Cowles, Edgar Delgado

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with Uncanny X-Men #25!

The Story

Gail Simone brings the most intriguing story to Uncanny X-Men that, by the end, you’ll be wanting more and more. What starts off innocent enough turns into something that’ll leave you with many questions. Starting off, Rogue and Gambit are on a date night with the conversation flowing about the future. Things are going beautifully until the two are interrupted with a scream. Now, it’s time for Gambit and Rogue to do what they do best and save the day.

Back at Haven House, everyone is struggling in their own way. Nightcrawler’s girlfriend isn’t returning his calls after Mutina threatened to kill her. The kids are having horrible nightmares from the traumas of their pasts. With the nightmares of the young X-Men, we see exactly what kind of baggage these kids are carrying with them, which really puts it into perspective how strong they are. Building a new life while harboring these things like Ransom’s hostage situation or Jitter’s life with an abusive mother is admirable and inspiring. However, this isn’t even the part where things get weird.

We’re taken into a what appears to be a different reality, and the Outliers are all in new stories that resemble characters of the past. For example, Ransom is in a soccer game that goes negatively, which really resembles Sunspot’s origin. What’s even stranger is that the characters don’t remember each other once they’re brought together at the X-Mansion. By the last page, your mind is pretty blown by how the story ends, leaving you looking up the date for the next issue because you just HAVE to know more.

The Writing

When I tell you there’s no better time to jump into Uncanny X-Men if you haven’t already, I mean that. The things Gail Simone is doing with the Louisiana X-Men are some of the most depthful and compelling things I’ve seen done with the team. In this particular comic, the mystery is so large, that you can’t even fathom how high the stakes are. There’s a chance here to make a huge change to the X-lore, and there’s really no one better to take this on than Gail Simone.

In Uncanny X-Men #26, there’s a feeling of change with every member in the book. Rogue and Gambit are looking into the future and having their family heavy on their minds. Nightcrawler is in love and trying to figure things out with MacKenzie. The Outliers are finding themselves trapped in the past of the X-Teams and possibly having their own stories rewritten, but with the cloud of mystery surrounding the story, that’s only my assumption. Big things are happening in Uncanny X-Men and I am more than excited to see what happens next.

The Art

Luciano Vecchio handles the art of the comic alongside Matthew Wilson and Clayton Cowles. Something I love about Vecchio’s work is that he brings the emotions of the story to life in a way that is powerful. Throughout the comic, there’s many different heightened emotions felt by the different characters and each one is given their own room to grow. Whether it be the Outliers’ nightmares, or Rogue’s worry about Gambit, or Ransom’s confusion at the X-Mansion, there’s no denying the power that Vecchio put behind the drawings.

Matthew Wilson, who always delivers top quality when handling the colors, does it again with Uncanny X-Men #26. Making the mutants the vibrant focal points, Wilson lets the characters looks speak for themselves on every page. The comic is filled with bright colors juxtaposing the darker tones, but what really seals the deal is the last page we’re left on, which Wilson absolutely knocked out of the park. Clayton Cowles handles the lettering of the comic and harnesses the emotions of the characters perfectly. In the Outliers’ nightmares, Cowles allows the reader to feel every negative emotion the characters feel through the dialogue, making it easy to understand them.

Final Thoughts

The Uncanny X-Men gets better and better and at some point, I’ll sound like a broken record saying it. There are some extremely exciting things happening in this run, and it’s never too late to check it out!

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let me know in the comments what you thought of The Uncanny X-Men #26!

This review 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 The Uncanny X-Men #26, 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!