Reviews

X-Men #9 Review

  • Written by: Jed MacKay
  • Art by: Federico Vicenti, Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer
  • Colors by: Marte Gracia, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
  • Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
  • Cover art by: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Marte Gracia
  • Cover price: $4.99
  • Release date: December 25, 2024

X-Men #9, by Marvel Comics on 12/25/24, flips the script on the Raid On Graymalkin when the Uncanny and Adjective-less X-Men stop fighting long enough to defeat their common enemies before fighting again about an old friend.

Is X-Men #9 Good?

First Impressions

The penultimate issue in the 4-part crossover is weird, primarily because things happen so quickly that you’re not quite sure what’s happening. Writer Jed MacKay is under pressure to deliver as much story as possible at a brisk pace, but some of the twists and turns are more confusing than intriguing.

Recap

When last we left the fightin’ mutants in X-Men #8 and Uncanny X-Men #7, Cyclops led the team on an assault on Grimalkin prison to tear the building down and rescue their friend, Beast. Cyclops’s team collides with Rogue’s Uncanny team, coming to blows after a psychic push from Warden Ellis’s in-house mutant, Scurvy. The issue ended with both teams pausing to gawk at a maximum security cell uncovered by Juggernaut’s unstoppable charge through the building.

Plot Synopsis

In X-Men #9, the “forced” battle between X-Teams comes to a close when they face off against Warden Ellis’s Trustees and the Wolfpack Sentinels.

Elsewhere in the prison, Nightcrawler BAMFs out of nowhere with Psylocke. Out of Scurvy’s range, Nightcrawler notices they don’t feel the overwhelming anger towards each other, so they decide to stop fighting and work together. They wander through the lonely corridors and happen upon a very large door, but Nightcrawler suspects Psylocke was led to the door by someone influencing her mind.

Meanwhile, Cyclops and Rogue’s teams defeat their mutual attackers and briefly suggest working together. However, their truce is short-lived when Rogue voices her intention to free Charles Xavier. Cyclops is adamantly against letting Xavier out.

Warden Ellis receives input from her underlings that they can’t handle this many X-Men at once. She orders Scurvy to initiate something called the White Light Protocol. When the disagreement between Rogue and Cyclops begins to escalate, Scurvy approaches the bickering leaders and activates the While Light Protocol, blinding every mutant present with a brilliant white light. When their vision clears, they see Nightcrawler and Psylocke have arrived, walking behind the freed Charles Xavier.

What’s great about X-Men #9?

Jed MacKay gives readers a fast-paced, action-heavy issue to keep the drama and energy high. The first fight between X-Teams felt more forced than it needed to be, but the rationale behind Cyclops and Rogue’s second spat (Should they or shouldn’t they free Charles Xavier?) is the type of melodrama the X-Office should use more often.

What’s not great about X-Men #9?

Fast-paced, high-energy scripts fall short when the important scenes aren’t developed fully or read like they were cut short. Psylocke and Nightcrawler’s walkabout through Graymalkin comes in fits and starts that barely qualify as a subplot. Scurvy’s White Light Protocol literally looks like he shined a white light on everyone, and the release of Charles Xavier, which should be a big moment, happens off-panel.

You can’t deliver wow moments when so much of the issue feels like a collection of shortcuts.

How’s the Art?

Generally, the art team’s output looks great, particularly during the action sequences. The one area where the art falls short is in the similarity of facial features between Scurvy and Charles Xavier. That could be intentional, since we don’t know what the White Light Protocol is supposed to do (maybe it’s tricking the X-Men into thinking Scurvy is Xavier), but the net result is confusion.

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 #9 is an energetic, action-packed, albeit rushed, issue. Jed MacKay keeps the sense of urgency up when the X-Teams fight Warden Elli’s minions and each other, and the art team’s output looks excellent, but MacKay’s script cuts too many corners to make sense of everything that happens.

6/10

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. 

Leave a comment