Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Russell Dauterman and Iban Coello

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 26th, 2020

Jonathan Hickman brings back the very first of the “Giant-Sized” X-Men issues this week in what hopes to not only showcase some of the amazing and talented artists at Marvel but also give X-fans some of the essential stories they’ve been craving. Let’s dive into this week’s GIANT-SIZED X-MEN JEAN GREY AND EMMA FROST #1 by Jonathan Hickman and see if two of the world’s strongest telepaths with emotionally woven pasts can put their history behind them and work together for the good of friend in need.

Readers will get a remarkably visual display in this week’s adventure. Simply sit back, relax, and soak in some outstanding art by Russell Dauterman and his creative team. Jonathan Hickman may have materialized the idea surrounding this issue but the true storyteller this week is Dauterman. To give readers a heads up, there are only about three actual pages with words and a fourth page with only one word on it! Therefore, grab this issue for the sheer artistic display Dauterman and his team develops for X-Men fans of all ages.

Comic lovers, Dauterman’s illustrations will seize your attention from the first splash page through to the brutal, intriguing end. The panels are laid out beautifully making the story super-easy to follow with dynamic graphics that bring each page to life. Matthew Wilson’s colors were sharp and vibrant drawing this reader deeper into the issue leaving me wanting so much more.

Now, I’m not going to lie. There were many aspects of the issue that were a bit confusing at times. However, Hickman makes sure to end the issue by informing everyone of what went down making the issue well-explained for anyone that couldn’t follow along as the art dictated the story in a hauntingly eloquent way. Readers may be confused after their first read as to what is happening on some of the pages. However, I feel this is the case because of the artistic style that Dauterman uses throughout this giant-sized installment. Nevertheless, please don’t take that as a knock on the art at all. Each page was absolutely gorgeous.

The biggest problem with the entire story is the sheer importance of this issue. Technically, the actual plot of this narrative could be described in about three or four sentences. Therefore, if you were interested in skipping the issue, you certainly could while getting filled in by a quick summary from your friends and not miss a beat with the overall anecdote. The main reason any comic fan would buy this issue is for the art and the stunning visual display that it is. Therefore, if you are in the art over story camp with comics, then this is your issue. If you are in the camp of story over art, then you may just want to take a hard pass and get a summary from your friends. That said, even though I am in the story over art camp, I’m still all-in on this week’s first giant-sized issue due to the amazingly mesmerizing display by Dauterman and his team.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, the purpose of the issue was displayed well, Dauterman’s dramatic illustrations captured the cerebral conflict with true imagination, Wilson’s color choices easily helped express the mood of the issue, and all while the art team had an opportunity to show off their chops. Together with the premise firmly laid out by Hickman, the first of the five giant-sized issues appears to be a success. This reader can’t help but wonder where our mutants go from here because the protocols that have been put in place just don’t seem to be working at all. Give it a read and tell me what you think!

8.5/10