X-Men: Tooth and Claw #1 – A New Beginning For Two Original Mutants!

X-Men: Tooth and Claw #1

Writer – Alex Paknadel

Artists – Phillip Sevy & Diogenes Neves

Colorists – Michael Bartolo & Arthur Hesli

Letter – Clayton Cowles

Cover – Mike McKone & Morry Hollowell

The Story:

How did two of mutantkind’s most dangerous villains become part of Cyclops’ X-Men? After the fall of Krakoa, Magneto and Beast struggle to find there place in the world. Magneto tries to find a way to cope with the loss of his powers while Dr. Hank McCoy wrestles with the possibility of his own Beast nature leading him down the path to villainy.

The Writing:

The most impressive thing I have to say about Alex Paknadel’s writing is that, while I know what happened to Beast and Magneto leading up to this issue, I am not an avid X-Men reader and I did not feel lost in any way. The story was laid out in a pleasing and easy way that let me know where each of these men were mentally and emotionally. On top of being an easy read, both stories were very enjoyable.

Magneto’s frustration at his current situation and Beast’s concern over his possible future were on beautiful display and I felt deeply for each of them. While I have to say that Beast’s story is the one I enjoyed more, he is my favorite X-Man, Magneto’s story did not disappoint.

This was my first introduction to Paknadel’s writing and I was incredibly impressed by the handling of a mimic story. It can be confusing when two characters are referring to themselves as the same person and Paknadel handled it effortlessly.

The Art:

The art in both of these stories was wonderful. The action and emotion were easy to follow and it complemented the story well. Especially in conveying the mental state of both Beast and Magneto. The anguish on Magneto’s face as he witnesses a car crash and can’t physically help and Beast’s deep concern and unease were on brilliant display.

Much like the writing, the difficulty of portraying two characters that look and act the same is steep, however, subtle differences helped to identify who was who. If I have one small nitpick, it would be in the character design of Beast. While he was illustrated well, this was not my favorite look for the character.

Overall Grade: 9/10

While not a perfect book, it was very close. The fact that I could come into this story having not read the Krakoa or From the Ashes storylines and not be lost, it is a testament to this creative team. This book made me remember why I loved reading the X-Men titles and makes me want to dive back into the mutant story head first!

Check Out More From Derek HERE

What did you think of this issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!