X-MEN: THE HELLFIRE MURDER #1 – A Party Like No Other

Creative Team – Saladin Ahmed & Joëlle Jones(pages 1-3, 7, 8, 13, 50), Gail Simone & Luciano Vecchio(pages 4, 5, 34, 35, 47), Erica Schultz & Aaron Kuder(pages 6, 11, 12, 16, 17), Jed MacKay, Tony S. Daniel & Mark Morales(pages 9, 10, 19, 20, 33), Eve L. Ewing & Federica Mancin(pages 14, 15, 26, 27, 48), Saladin Ahmed & Federica Mancin(pages 18, 21-25, 28-32), Saladin Ahmed, Cory Smith, & Oren Junior(pages 36-46, 49), Fer sifuentes-Sujo, VC’s Ariana Maher

Published by Marvel Comics

MORE FROM NERD INITIATIVE HERE!

The Story

This comic review is brought to you by the dynamic duo of Megan and Shawn!

Shawn – This was a fun take on the traditional Hellfire Gala. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story, but man, what a unique ending. The best part of the writing for me was how each writer was able to feed off of each other. Despite the story trading hands almost every two pages, the story flowed together beautifully.

Speaking of beautiful, I love that the Hellfire event has become a chance for Idie and Val to rekindle their romance. It’s become a beautiful, almost running gag now. Additionally, Gambit’s solution to make Rogue soup to keep her happy is so hopelessly Gambit, and I loved it.

Megan – Continuing the tradition of the Hellfire Saga, X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 brings enthusiasm, drama, and action, but this time, it also brings murder. With the energy of a murder mystery party, the story starts pretty innocently. Sebastian Shaw is fresh out of Graymalkin Prison and is looking to throw a shindig. He invites the mutants of the world, including the X-Men from Louisiana and Alaska, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Joseph and Astra of 3K, and many more heavy hitters. Everyone there is skeptical, and everyone seems to have their own agenda. All is going well until the news strikes; there’s been a murder. Not knowing where to turn or who to blame, the mutants have to scramble to find the killer and find the reason for the murder.

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder is a full-course meal that leaves nothing out of the story. There’s the mystery of it all, there’s a sexiness to the story that comes hand in hand with the past Hellfire Galas, and there’s the raised emotions as no mutant can trust the other. With an all-star writing team such as Saladin Ahmed, Eve L. Ewing, Gail Simone, Jed MacKay, and Erica Schultz, there was no going wrong here. This was a home run straight out of the park.

The Art

Shawn – What an absolute rockstar list of artists on this issue. Like the writing, the art flowed well from artist to artist while retaining distinct characteristics of each artist. The Hellfire Masquerade costumes were beautifully designed and perfectly colored, with Kitty Pryde’s and Idie’s being my favorite of the bunch. The colors were perfect in every panel.

I really loved the dramatic art shift in the postlogue of the story. It was not only beautifully colored but also a beautiful stylistic shift from the rest of the story that set it apart in unique ways. The artists in this issue, using a variety of panel shapes and styles, also added to the uniqueness and impact of the story. Ariana Maher is the thread that ties everything together and ensures a consistent story across the artists and writers.

Megan –X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 is filled with the work of some extraordinarily talented people. Joëlle Jones, Luciano Vecchio, Aaron Kuder, Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, Federica Mancin, Cory Smith, Oren Junior, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and Ariana Maher all put so much into their parts of the artwork that all led up to a very memorable event. There’s a signature uniqueness to the work of each artist that I loved seeing shine brightly in the comic. The drawings of the comic were beautifully detailed down to the last feather. The colors were dramatic and bold, which added to the energy of the gala. The lettering, done by Ariana Maher, captured the style of each mutant perfectly. Together, the artists really put their talents on full display.

Final Thoughts

Shawn – 10/10. Another outstanding issue in the Hellfire Saga, which in some ways seems to set the stage for what comes next. I’m excited to see where we go from here. Nothing to change about this story. Every line written, colored, or drawn was perfect.

Megan – 10/10. I’m a huge fan of the past Hellfire Galas, and this one exceeded my already high expectations. X-Men: The Hellfire Murder brings excitement, allure, and mystery to the history of the X-Men Galas in a huge way.

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let us know in the comments what you thought of X-Men: The Hellfire Murder!