NERD INITIATIVE

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

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with The Uncanny X-Men #27!

The Story

The Uncanny X-Men #28 has so much happening, so much excitement, that by the end of the comic, you’re left asking “wait, that’s all?! I want MORE”! That speaks on how well Gail Simone is able to keep the readers invested in the story, to the point they’re begging for more by the last page. In this issue, we continue the “Who’s Sleeping in My Bed” arc that has turned the world of mutants upside down in the most interesting way. The New Mutants are back, but are very, very off. The Outliers are at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters fighting off Sentinels. On top of all that, something extraordinarily dark is happening in Graymalkin Prison.

Starting with the prison, we get a little backstory on why Corina, the warden, is as hateful as she is to the mutant population. Even going as far as bringing in her mutant brother, it seems Corina has always hated mutants with a fiery passion. Her first introduction to a mutant was her abusive brother who tortured her as a game. That doesn’t excuse her behavior of how she’s treated the mutants of the X-Men world, but it is interesting to see just how deep rooted her hatred goes. Speaking of her brother, he is a piece of work. I’m very interested to where this goes because the Graymalkin story is absolutely brutal, and I love it.

Now for the Outliers! Our favorite young mutants are in the place of The New Mutants at Xavier’s Mansion watched over by Moira MacTaggert. Taking on the Sentinels for the first time, the Outliers are completely lost and extremely confused because everything feels off. Jitter knows she has romantic feelings for Calico, but can’t understand why. Deathdream sees Ransom as his brother, but couldn’t explain how come. Mutina is there with them, and she’s as pleasant as ever. As aggressive as Mutina is, she does bring some positives along with her, like the fact that she can read emotions in others. She can tell that the X-Men at the mansion have no emotion and no thoughts in their heads. Mutina realizes that these mutants aren’t real, which adds even more mystery to all of this.

Back at Haven House, Rogue is more than aware that something is off with these mutants, but they’re no help when they’re asked. Actually quite the opposite. Sunspot actually gets aggressively upset when asked questions by Jubilee. These New Mutants are wanting a fight, and they don’t care who they’re taking out.

The Writing

This story gets better and better the more complex it gets. Usually I’d say this was all gas and no breaks, but I feel that just isn’t a strong enough way to describe it. Emotions are high, the action is fantastic, and you truly don’t know what’s going to happen next.

With the Haven House, the X-Men are battling through confusion, worry for the Outliers, and the confusing feelings of having to fight these New Mutants. At the Mansion, confusion is all over the board, but with the Outliers, there’s very different emotions. Even in a world where they’ve never met, they don’t remember each other, their love for each other shines through. This shows the best in a particularly adorable moment between Calico and Jitter, who know they love the other, but have no explanation for it. At the prison, there’s something dark and spooky happening. We’re learning more about Corina’s backstory, but we’re also getting treated to some amazing mutants making appearances.

The Art

Along with a fantastic story, you have to have fantastic art, and when Luciano Vecchio, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles are on the creative team, that’s exactly what you’ll get. There’s so many different tones throughout the story, and Vecchio brings them all to life in a beautiful way. The characters look otherworldly and gorgeous. The fights are the highest of energies, and makes you feel as if you’re in the action yourself. Vecchio also has some fullpage panels that are absolutely stunning, such as one in particular involving Deathdream putting his powers on display.

Alongside Luciano Vecchio is Matthew Wilson, who always brings a beautiful array of colors. However, I have to admit, in this run, this issue has to be Wilson’s best work yet. Wilson perfectly captures the comic booky energy with vibrancy, but also is able to portray that everything is confusing and upside down in the story with colors that bring a whole new level of depth. Clayton Cowles handles the lettering, and once again, knocks it out of the park! With a beautiful flow of dialogue and excellent usage of sound effects, Cowles makes the reading experience even more amplified with his expert lettering talents.

Final Thoughts

The Uncanny X-Men #28 does so much more than packs a punch. It’s like taking an uppercut from the Hulk. There’s so much to love in this comic, and this arc as a whole. The creative team continues to knock it out of the park and sing to our X-Men-loving hearts.

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let me know in the comments what you thought of this issue!

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 #28, 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!