NYX #1 Comic Review

Written by: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly
Art by: Francesco Martarino
Colors by: Raúl Angulo
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Sara Pichelli, Federico Blee
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: July 24, 2024

NYX #1, by Marvel Comics on 7/24/24, launches the next team of mutants in the From The Ashes era when Ms. Marvel returns to ESU, makes unusual friends, and crosses paths with a hate group.

Is NYX #1 Good?

Boring, predictable, mediocre, and regularly nonsensical. No, I’m not describing the next Zack Snyder film. We’re talking about NYX #1 from Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly. Admittedly, Marvel met my expectations with their next release in the From The Ashes era, so make of that what you will.

Lanzing and Kelly’s disappointing tale begins with Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, embiggening her way across the George Washington Bridge from Jersey City to NYC in full view of thousands of people. She wears her traditional Ms. Marvel outfit (not the X-Men upgraded version she received during the Fall of Krakoa) and a winter coat that appears to change size on every panel. After the Krakoan era, mutants are outlaws and Kamala just wants to get back to normal college life… by enrolling in a class about Krakoan history taught by a mutant, Prodigy.

Oy! We’re only a few pages in, and I already want to throw this comic across the room due to the sheer number of inconsistencies and logical flaws. Why are the mutants considered outlaws, and yet, they still operate and work in full view of the public? Why is Kamala concerned about maintaining her secret identity when she’s running around doing hero things, wearing a domino mask that wouldn’t fool a toddler? Why does Kamala’s winter coat keep changing size to match her embiggening? Why is she wearing the same winter coat and scarf when she gets to school as a civilian if she doesn’t want to be recognized? Is it bad art or a bad script? I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Near the ESU campus, Kamala runs into (literally) Sophie Cuckoo, and the two become fast friends. They both know each other by reputation, but this is their first direct contact. Sophie decides she and Kamala should stick together for class, and Kamala marvels (ahem) at Sophie’s forthrightness when she heckles their professor, Prodigy, during his Krakoan History class opening remarks. Prodigy’s speech paints a grossly rosy picture of Krakoan life and the mutants’ share of responsibility in Krakoa’s downfall. Sophie has no qualms about loudly correcting the record.

After class, Sophie convinces Kamala to go to a club to let off steam and socialize. At a bar/club called Turn Key, Sophie orders a drink from their mutant bartender, Anole. Soon, Anole is accosted by two members of a conspiracy/hate group calling themselves Truthseekers. One member harasses Anole with gotcha questions while filming with his smartphone, and the other pulls out a bowie knife to cut off one of Anole’s fingers. Sophie and Kamala intervene, but when Kamala accidentally punches the bouncer in the brawl, only she and Sophie get thrown out.

Hold on a sec’. I’ve got to bend from the knees with this one. This scene was so heavy-handed, that I’ll have to exert some extra energy to get the words out. On second thought, it’s worse. This scene is so heavy-handed, that it comes across as just plain stupid.

A bar accepts mutants to the point of hiring them in public view (Anole). Two humans decide to cause trouble in full view of everyone while one of them wields a deadly weapon. The bouncer gets a bloody nose in the ensuing brawl, but only the mutant girls get thrown out. Further, the bouncer says “New rule, No mutants” while he has at least one mutant employed inside and left alone with the Truthseekers. What is this nonsense storytelling?

In the first scuffle, Kamala gets her hand on the Truthseekers smartphone. She calls Prodigy to ask if he knows how to break into a phone because she intends to find out what the group is planning. Suddenly, Kamala (somehow) runs into X-23, who destroys the Truthseeker’s phone and warns Kamala to stay away from serious hero stuff because she isn’t ready.

This scene has no reason to be here other than to introduce X-23 into the title, but the introduction is clunky and weird. How did Kamala run into X-23 without noticing her? Why did X-23 destroy the Truthseeker’s phone? Why would X-23 believe Kamala isn’t ready for “serious” stuff after Kamala died in ASM, was resurrected on Krakoa as the only Inhuman/Mutant hybrid, ran a detention center in Civil War II, etc. etc. In short, Kamala’s done more in the Marvel Universe than X-23, so this scene is a bizarre misunderstanding of their mutual experience levels.

When Kamala swings her way home, she just so happens to arrive at the 34th Steet terminal just as it explodes. Kamala somehow concludes the explosion is due to the Truthseekers. When Kamala looks for survivors or anyone trapped in the subway platform below, she encounters another mutant who calls himself The Krakoan. Dressed in an outfit that looks like a vague cross between Xavier’s Cerebro helmet and Magneto’s classic body suit and cape, The Krakoan begins directing rubble and subway cars at Kamala while taunting her about being a traitor to mutant-kind for trying to save humans. When Kamala moves to stop train passengers from getting crushed, The Krakoan flees.

Admittedly, this scene delivers a standard fight with decent energy. Kamala never explains how she concluded the Truthseekers were responsible for the explosion, and The Krakoan never explains why he blew up the 34th Street Station. Consider this scene a fight without any purpose other than to introduce yet another character.

Later, Kamala meets up with Sophie to chat and eat (of course). When Kamala gets home much later, her brother warns her about keeping her identity a secret because she was on the news (of course), and we learn the true identity of The Krakoan, his agenda, and his allies.

Overall, NYX #1 meets expectations with bad plotting, predictable character shenanigans, clunky dialog, mediocre art, and all-around terrible creative choices. When this title was announced, I couldn’t find anyone who genuinely had high hopes for its success. That lack of enthusiasm appears to be justified.

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

Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts

NYX #1 starts a Ms. Marvel-centric book when Kamala Khan goes back to ESU and makes more than one mutant friend along the way. On paper, this series sounds like a perfect pitch to appeal to the YA crowd, but the nonsensical script is riddled with introductions that come out of nowhere, plot holes galore, heavy-handed social lecturing, and a villain reveal that’s about as enthralling as reading the obituaries. Plus, the art team follows the rule of “make it look pretty, forget about making sense.”

3/10

We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:

Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics

If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.

Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.