• Written by: Gerry Dugan
• Art by: Assorted (there’s a lot)
• Colors by: Assorted (also, a lot)
• Letters by: Virtual Calligraphy
• Cover art by: Phil Noto
• Cover price: $8.99
• Release date: July 26, 2023

X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 kicks off Marvel’s version of the Met Gala in style as a host of mutants, human dignitaries, and superheroes gather to witness the election of a new X-Men roster and enjoy a night of drinks, dancing, and haute couture. Then it all goes so very wrong.

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Is It Good?

Well, you have to give Gerry Duggan credit. X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 gives the Krakoa-era of the X-Men a long overdue shakeup that makes the Red Wedding in the Game of Thrones look like a family spat at Thanksgiving. It’s impossible to predict where the story heads next, but for now, the Krakoan era’s future is uncertain.

Duggan’s script centers on the Hellfire Gala, 2023 edition, where all the cool people gather to show off their unique fashions. The mutant attendees have a new plus one as Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, receives the resurrection Protocol treatment when it’s revealed she is the first Inhuman/Mutant (more on that in a minute). Just when the party reaches the election of the new X-Men roster, Nimrod dive bombs the party from orbit, killing most of the roster, and proceeds to target every Omega-level mutant with haste. Dr. Stasis arrives with a kill switch that secretly sends every human who partook of mutant medicines to fly into a murderous rage. An army of Iron Sentinels (see the Invincible Iron Man series and Feilong’s machinations) fly in to obliterate the Tower. And before Jean Grey can shut it all down, Mora X shivs her with a blade coated with Blightswill.

In short, Orchis and their allies thought of everything. Dr. Stasis ultimately delivers one simple command – All mutants leave Earth now via the gateways pointed off-world.

How’s that for a party? Again, credit to Duggan for taking a big swing. That said, big doesn’t mean good, so let’s dig in.

Does the outcome feel important, impactful, or at least attention-grabbing? Yes, yes, and yes. Even if you’re not a fan of the Krakoa era or haven’t been keeping up and have no idea what’s happening, you can tell this is a really bad situation for mutant-kind.

In general terms of writing execution, Duggan ticks all the right boxes. Duggan’s pacing is excellent. For a rapidly-developing issue like this one, Duggan’s page turns are excellent. There’s a lot going on, but the threads develop smoothly and are easy to follow, and the open-ended ending has a clear line of sight to the next steps, even if you don’t know where those steps lead.

What about the whole Kamala Khan resurrection thing? Yeah, it felt tacked on, out of place, and poorly explained. Charles and Emma claim they knew she was a mutant the whole time but waffled over whether or not to tell her, and they don’t know (yet) in what form her mutant powers will manifest. I’d be willing to bet they’ll look a whole lot like her powers on the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series, but what do I know? Overall, Ms. Marvel’s rebirth felt as tacked on as her death did in Amazing Spider-Man, so Marvel seems intent on fumbling everything about Ms. Marvel to align her with her MCU version. Good job, Marvel. Good job.

How’s the art? I’m not kidding when I say a LOT of artists were tapped to get this comic done. Too many to list out without making the credits look ridiculous. That said, the art looks great, and the handoffs from one artist to the next are all but invisible. The art style could be best described as the typical Marvel house style, but the style is at least consistent from front to back, which is quite an achievement considering the number of artists involved. The battles feel big. The figure work and coloring are excellent, and the overall visuals are great.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 makes the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones look like a family spat during the Holidays. The assault on Krakoa is massive, intricate, and effective. For once, it feels like there are true consequences of death for the mutants, something that’s been missing since the start of the Krakoa era. It’s impossible to guess where mutant-kind goes from here, but this just may be the shakeup the X-Office needed. Oh, this is also the comic where Ms. Marvel comes back to life, and it’s as contrived and rushed as you could imagine.

8.5/10