• Written by: Eve L. Ewing
• Art by: Carmen Carnero
• Colors by: Nolan Woodard
• Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
• Cover art by: Carmen Carnero, Travis Lanham (cover A)
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: November 20, 2024

Exceptional X-Men #3, by Marvel Comics on 11/20/24, finds Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost coming to blows over what to do with a trio of young mutants.

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Is Exceptional X-Men #3 Good?

It’s safe to say that readers who weren’t hooked by the first two issues won’t have their minds changed by Exceptional X-Men #3. Writer Eve L. Ewing takes the middle school mean girls’ approach to superhero storytelling to new heights with Cat (Kitty?) Fights, teenagers engaging in the worst Twitter (X?) speak, and a sedate plot. There’s no urgency or gripping drama to hold your attention, so if you’re in the mood for an X-Title seemingly built for the Young Adult (YA) crowd, this is as good as it gets.

When last we left Kitty Pryde in Exceptional X-Men #2, fate put Kitty in the wrong place at the wrong time to intervene on behalf of a pair of mutants who got mixed up in an altercation with a pack of bullies at a High School soccer game. Kitty decided the way to deal with Bronze’s unwanted attention was to pair Bronze up with the other mutants her own age. Unfortunately for Kitty, the ploy backfired when the mutants showed up at her doorstep looking for training. The issue concluded with Emma Frost showing up at Kitty’s doorstep at the same time.

In Exceptional X-Men #3, the issue picks up immediately where issue #2 left off, with Emma Frost leading the trio of young mutants away with her psychic control. Kitty demands Emma release the youngsters, and their bickering escalates into a full-blown fight. Suddenly, Priti, Kitty’s roommate, arrives and tells the mutants to knock it off without batting an eye.

Later, everyone sits down for a cup of tea to discuss what to do. Emma wants to lease a space in upstate New York, but Kitty is adamant that neither she nor Kitty should train anyone, especially far from home. Priti giddily chimes in with a suggestion to use a warehouse she inherited from her family for a training facility.

A few days later, the cast of characters assembles at the warehouse to introduce themselves formerly, explain their powers, share fun facts, and exchange pronoun information. Emma shows up late with X-Men costumes for the group and scares the bejeezus out of everyone by mentally conjuring a swarm of goblins to attack the group without telling anyone it’s an illusion.

The issue ends with Iceman showing up and freezing Kitty in ice for fun.

What’s great about Exceptional X-Men #3?

Eve Ewing’s pace is slow but steady and moving in a clear direction. The entire point of this series is to craft a new mutant team that isn’t the New Mutants, so Ewing is accomplishing the basic task. Further, if the goal is to craft the YA version of the New Mutants, Ewing nailed it.

What’s not great about Exceptional X-Men #3?

There’s no sense of urgency, stakes, or dramatic impact. A YA-themed comic need not be completely devoid of depth or emotion, but that’s what you get here. In every sense of the word, this comic is “soft.” In particular, why is Priti, who isn’t a mutant from what we can tell, startled by any of what’s happening? Nothing hits, and nothing matters.

Digging deeper. The dialog is just plain horrendous. These teenagers don’t talk like teenagers. Instead, they talk like a Tumblr message board. Some of the lines delivered will make you cringe so hard you’ll crack your spine.

Last but not least, Tom Brevoort’s X-Office has taken to having multiple titles that involve longtime X-Characters interacting with minors without their parent’s knowledge or consent. If you were the parent of a teenager, and he or she went off with a pair of strange women for hours at a time and came back bruised, sweaty, and wearing a weird jumper, wouldn’t you be a little concerned? It seems the dysfunctional X-Office has officially entered the “Groomer” stage of storytelling.

How’s the Art?

Generally speaking, Carmen Carnero’s art is quite good, almost too good for Ewing’s script. The brief bit of action is well done. The facial acting is on point or as on point as it can be for a group of emotionally dysfunctional characters, and the layouts are solid. That said, it would serve the title better if Nolan Woodard had incorporated more contrast between light and dark to inject some mood into the scenes. Every panel has the same flat brightness, which is boring to the eye.

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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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Final Thoughts

Exceptional X-Men #3 continues to lean into a YA version of the New Mutants with mean girl cat fights, teenagers who talk like they live on Twitter, and a complete lack of drama or urgency. Carmen Carnero’s art is excellent, and Eve Ewing’s plot is predictably moving toward where you expect it to go, but this issue is soft in every sense of the word.

6/10

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