Secret X-Men #1

Here’s my issue with X-men comics as of late: there’s too much going on. Sue me…but also stay with me here. With so many series branching from X-men and the co-mingling of Devil’s Reign, there’s just too much story going on for me and I simply can’t keep up. What’s even worse is that the comics all inform each other, making it so that even if you religiously read every issue in a run, you will still get treated like a newbie comic virgin that gets backhanded by a deep reference into obscure canonical events from branching series. This happens and it infuriates me. I can’t afford to buy everything that gets put out pertaining to the world of X-men! Just write a single, fun storyline that doesn’t have as many layers as a club sandwich does.

However much X-men tends to let me down, I’m not the kind of person that easily gives up on gifted youngsters. Must be the teacher in me.

I took a wild shot at Secret-Xmen, having no idea what I was going to get into and no background knowledge of where these cats were coming from. Within the first two pages, it was evident that this was the best X-Men that I’ve picked up in a long time…perhaps ever.

Sunspot gets commissioned for a job by Deathbird while he’s getting plastered at an epic Shi’ar festival. It’s the voice that writer Tini Howard gives Sunspot that gets this comic off to a good start: a character with perfectly measured arrogance, sincerity, lovable humor, and the beginnings of an exceptional leader. Sunspot (Roberto) agrees to lead a team of X-Men on a secret rendezvous at an undisclosed location to meet Deathbird and secure the package. With a simple email, Roberto’s hand-selected lineup of endearing young-mutants await at his door, completely oblivious to the fact that they’re about to be wheels up before they can shake their hangovers. The story progresses at break-neck pace with twists, turns, time jumps, and…a word jumble puzzle!

The best part about this run is that it hardly refers to or depends on whatever is happening in the greater realm of other X-men comics. These kids are going straight up rogue on a clandestine mission, hoping that they can prove their worth as prospects for the next line of X-men. As long as that remains a constant, this comic has nowhere to go but up. The story is a head-scratching twisteroo of conflicting information. Sunspot gets hired to do a job by one person, and then gets hired to deviate from the job by another person; each claiming that the other person is wrong. Too bad there are no X-men with super instincts. All the team can do is trust their new secret leader to guide them righteously on the path to respect and recognition. But, is Sunspot ready for such a big responsibility? He sure thinks so.

Everything about the story is captivating and entertaining. The only thing better than the story is the amazing team dynamic. Every person on the team is young, unseen, and eager to march head-on into danger, no questions asked. Some teammates, like Marrow, take every dangerous moment as a valuable opportunity to test their limits; like when Marrow decides to forgo a test run on her literal exo-skeleton bone spacesuit (She covers her whole body in bone), and jumps straight into the vacuum of galactic abyss with no concern for her own safety. With other reckless characters like Strong guy, Cannonball, Boom-Boom, and Banshee, the team can be nothing less than a supercharged frat-party hopped up on Four Loko and testosterone. Luckily, Forge, Armor, and Tempo keep the team grounded with their stoic-like wisdom and low-intensity. The only member they forgot to bring was the most crucial of all; a psychic. What an oversight. If you were able to complete the world jumble in the comic, you would know which secret psychic the team will eventually end up obtaining. But, If you couldn’t, then you’ll have to wait and find out.

I am definitely going to subscribe to this comic for as long as it runs. It’s got everything a fan could ask for; a ragtag team of lovable youngsters, a head-spinning mystery, intriguing character exploration, and questionable motives that just might eventually pit the Secret X-Men against each other, leaving them to resolve their issues as mature young adults and overcome their youthful arrogance in order to accomplish the mission and prove their worth. At least, that’s the projection that I see this story taking, and I am all for it.