THE UNCANNY X-MEN #36 – Facing Your Demons

Creative Team – Gail Simone, Luciano Vecchio, Matthew Wilson, VC’s Clayton Cowles

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with The Uncanny X-Men #35!

The Story

In the journey for Gambit to be cured of the demon that’s made itself at home in his body, he’s happened upon a few dark characters. Gabriel was a hard one to swallow, but he seems a lot more tame once they meet Repent. Repent is a mutant like any other we’ve encountered. He comes with a wild backstory and an even wilder mutant power. As dynamic and intimidating as he is, he’s Gambit’s only chance for salvation.

Meanwhile, in Louisiana, the X-Men, along with M and Quicksilver, have made it their mission to get revenge for Howler, a young mutant who has been abused and raised to fight other young mutants. The X-Men and the New Mutants bust into the compound where Howler was held to rescue the other young mutants and come face to face with Calamity, the mutant monster who takes pleasure in punishing the children. In this story, we get a look at exactly how passionate Wolverine feels about how these kids are treated. Wolverine puts his best moves in the spotlight and with the help of M, justice is served.

There’s no better word to describe this issue other name ‘satisfying’. After seeing all that Gambit has endured along with Rogue, who’s been by his side every step of the way, there was something beautiful about how it was all handled. Plus, we got a very fascinating backstory for Repent, who gets more and more compelling as a character the more you learn about him. With the Louisiana X-Men and New Mutants, we see them prove what being an X-Men is all about; taking up for mutantkind and saving those who can’t save themselves. This was a passionate issue that was a perfect ending to this arc.

The Art

This issue was brilliantly illustrated from beginning to end. Luciano Vecchio has an excellent mix of action and horror as we see quite a few monstrous pages. With Gambit, Vecchio leans deep into the demonic and dark aspects, with Repent’s mutant powers on full display. The panels were drawn to show the sheer power of the exorcism with expertly drawn details that made the scene feel larger than life. Matthew Wilson comes in with his coloring talents and bings the perfect amount of vibrancy that puts a spotlight on the powers. With bright green contrasting the purples and reds in the panels, it was nothing short of gorgeous. Clayton Cowles excellently captures the heightened emotions of the characters through their dialogues. You can feel the menacing tone of the demon that takes over Gambit and the strong and powerful tone in Rogue’s words as she does whatever she can to save her husband.

Final Thoughts

This was SUCH a good ending to this arc. How everything ended, how the characters handled the situations, and the pure emotions that ran throughout this issue, everything was beautifully handled. Gail Simone, Luciano Vecchio, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles should be very proud of themselves for this one.

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let me know in the comments what you thought of The Uncanny X-Men #36!

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 #36, 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!