• Written by: Jed MacKay
• Art by: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Livesay
• Colors by: Marte Gracia
• Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
• Cover art by: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Marte Gracia (cover A)
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: December 4, 2024

X-Men #8, by Marvel Comics on 12/4/24, begins the Raid On Graymalkin crossover when Cyclops learns of Beast’s kidnapping and launches an all-out offensive.

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Is X-Men #8 Good?

First Impressions

If you’ve been hankering for an excuse to see all-out X-Men action, writer Jed MacKay gives you the thinnest excuse possible to make it happen. On the one hand, the action and Scott’s prowess as a strategic field commander are a long-overdue joy to witness. On the other, the ending, a very specific reference, and one bit of character work don’t make a lot of sense.

Recap

When last we left the Alaska-based mutants in X-Men #7, we learned Magneto confined himself to a levitating wheelchair when his powers spiraled out of control during the battle with the Wild Sentinel that attacked the town. Magneto concluded his condition is somehow related to the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols. Meanwhile, Temper and Magik returned the young girl they took from her home (without her mother’s knowledge or consent) after Beast ran a genetic test and confirmed the girl was NOT a mutant. However, the test may not have revealed the full picture. The issue concluded with Beast getting kidnapped in broad daylight while walking in the town of Merle, Alaska.

Plot Synopsis

We begin with Beast waking up in his cell in Graymalkin prison. Warden Ellis explains she captured Beast with the express intent of turning him over to the government officials of Terra Verde in exchange for a hefty donation to Graymalkin’s operations. Why? According to the Editor’s Note, it has something to do with the events of X-Force #6, which also comes out this week.

The comic switches to the Factory. The X-Men now know about Beast’s kidnapping, and Cyclops has initiated a plan to bust up the prison to retrieve his friend. Cyclops systematically issues orders to prepare for total victory.

Inside the prison, Beast enters the cafeteria for Lunch and accidentally crosses paths with Jubilee and Calico, who were captured in last week’s Uncanny X-Men #6. Warden Ellis saunters by with her guards to inform Calico that she’s free to go, thanks to her family’s wealth and political connections, as long as she signs an affidavit declaring she’s not a mutant. Calico refuses, prompting one of the guards to make ready to beat her with his baton on the Warden’s order. Beast intervenes and gets a bloody beating to spare Calico the pain.

Suddenly, alarms start blaring as the X-Men arrive on their ship. Kid Omega coordinates the attack on multiple fronts. Cyclops teleports inside the prison with a strike team of Temper and Psylocke. Magik keeps the reinforcements outside busy by summoning demons from Limbo, and Juggernaut stretches his quads nearby as a warmup for his big entrance.

The issue ends with Cyclops’s strike team taking out guards with ease. However, he hits a wall when he runs smack dab into Rogue and her Uncanny X-Men as they arrive at the exact same time for the exact same reason.

What’s great about X-Men #7?

If you’ve been itching to see the X-Men kick ass and take names with as much force as possible without getting lethal, this issue is as good as we’ve seen in a while. You’ll get a newfound respect for Cyclops’s effectiveness on the battlefield as a tactician, strategist, and leader.

What’s not great about X-Men #7?

The issue stumbles in three areas, mostly annoying inconsistencies.

First, the reference to explain Beast’s capture occurs in X-Force #6, but not the X-Force #6 which also comes out this week. The Editor’s Note references an X-Force #6 from the Krakoan era that was published almost five years ago, tying Tom Brevoort’s From The Ashes era back to Krakoa… again, creating a paper thin excuse to get Cyclops into the fight.

If the president of Terra Verde wanted to nab Beast to get his revenge, why would he contact a prison warden several years later and offer a hefty donation to the prison to get the job done when there are probably dozens of mercenaries who would deliver Beast to the Terra Verde president’s front door at a cheaper price. You get the strong impression MacKay threw something together at the last minute because he couldn’t think of a clear way to get Cyclops angry enough to attack Graymalkin.

Second, Warden Ellis is wildly different in this issue than how she’s portrayed in Uncanny X-Men. In the other title, Ellis is cold and calculating but simply portrayed as a person with an ugly job to do. Here, Warden Ellis is portrayed as a one-dimensional stereotype of a prison warden who gets off on inflicting pain on the prisoners. You get the impression Jed MacKay and Gail Simone didn’t spend enough time collaborating on Warden Ellis’s personality.

Last, but not least, why would Cyclops launch an assault on Graymalkin without telling Rogue when Rogue made it explicitly clear she also intends to attack Graymalkin? Their collision here seems ill-conceived and clumsy. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for Cyclops to call Rogue and say, “You’re right. We need to take down Graymalkin. Meet us there in two hours.”? The teaser for the next issue suggests their collision will lead to a fight. If true, it’s completely unnecessary, thanks to the shoddy setup.

How’s the Art?

Ryan Stegman has returned to art duties, and Stegman’s art style works until it doesn’t. Between the X-Men acting like groomers and a lot of dialog-heavy issues that go nowhere, this was a rare opportunity to present high-class ass-kicking. Stegman does deliver the ass-kicking in question, but the hard-hitting tone is offset by occasional panels of cartoonish humor that deflate the dramatic tension. Why is Juggernaut stretching his hamstring like he’s about to go for a run? When Cyclops and Psylocke run through the prison, why are they kicking up clouds of dust like Charlie Brown racing towards Lucy holding a football for kicking?

If you want to be badass, be badass. If you want to be cartoonish, be cartoonish. Don’t try to be both at the same time.

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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.

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

Final Thoughts

X-Men #8 commences the Raid On Graymalkin crossover when Cyclops decides to take the fight to his enemies. Jed MacKay’s script goes a long way toward elevating Cyclops as a leader on the battlefield, but the setup and conclusion don’t quite work. Plus, Stegman’s battle action is generally solid, but his choice to inject moments of cartoonish silliness deflates the dramatic tension.

6/10

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