Deron Generally
Deron Generally
X-Men Red #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Mahmud Asrar
Colors by Rain Beredo
Letters by Cory Petit
Cassandra Nova has taken her world our of hate to Warsaw and is meeting with the President in order to continue her plan to have human based Sentinels in every country around the world. In a nearby village, a police officer warns his mutant friend to run before a new law goes into effect at midnight.
I really liked this scene because it illustrates the different facets of mutant life, including allies that don’t all wear X. Seeing a mutant be warned by a friend to leave for the safety of himself and his family is a moment we rarely get to see in many X-Men comics and that makes them special when the creative team decides to show that side. We also get to see the other side of the equation as Gambit breaks into the Louisiana hospital where the man who killed the young mutant Gambit was trying to help continues to rant and rave about his hatred of mutants. We also get the all too real commentary from political pundits on television giving their sides of the incident.
Bravo to Taylor for incorporating those moments as a means of showing how Nova’s nanites aren’t the only threat. As Jean and her team show themselves to Remy, the new member of the team Trinary is able to turn off the device and Jean utilizes her team to show the young man some compassion and even forgiveness. A moment that would normally be left out of a comic, but is used to good effect in this one.
Gambit doesn’t have a lot of time to question what is happening as Jean, Storm and the rest of the team decide that they need to back up the fleeing Polish mutants as they try and leave the area by sea. Something that is both complicated by the military and solved by Namor when he arrives. There is some great writing in this series and even better character development as Jean and her team have a deeper sense of purpose and a more coherent plan in what they’re doing. I love how coordinated they are in the action scenes and there is a moment at the end of the issue that caught me off guard and intrigued me at the same time.
