- Written by: Jed MacKay
- Art by: Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons
- Colors by: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
- Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
- Cover art by: Ryan STegman, JP Mayer, Marte Gracia
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: January 29, 2025
X-Men #10, by Marvel Comics on 1/29/25, finds Scott and the X-Men returning to Alaska where an O*N*E team is waiting for them. This time, Scott is done being reasonable.
Is X-Men #10 Good?
Recap
When last we left the Alaska-based mutants in Uncanny X-Men #8, the Raid on Graymalkin crossover concluded with the collected teams of mutants getting summarily dismissed by Warden Ellis. The X-Men recovered their kidnapped teammates, but Charles Xavier chose to stay behind. The issue ended with Rogue and Cyclops’s teams parting on unfriendly terms.
Plot Synopsis
In X-Men #10, Agent Lundqvist and the agents of ONE (the Office of National Emergency) show up on the Factory’s doorstep in response to the Raid on Graymalkin while the X-Men are still in New York. Magneto directs the mutants present to prepare to fight or flee to safety as he reminds Jennifer and Ben that his supposed Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Syndrome (R-LDS), “supposed” because it was never proven or established anywhere else, means his powers are wildly stronger than he can control when in use.
Before the standoff can turn into a fight, Scott and the X-Men return from New York through a portal. Scott orders everyone to stand down and invites Agent Lundqvist in for a chat to prevent any bloodshed. At first, the conversation is formal, but formality spirals into outright threats, backed up by two developments.
First, as Scott and Lundqvist talk, the Hellions systematically attack unmanned ONE facilities to destroy records, tech, resources, and more. Lundqvist becomes enraged, but Scott coldly informs the agent that this is the price the government will pay for turning a blind eye to Graymalkin’s actions.
Second, Scott dares Lundqvist to open fire on him or any mutant present. If Scott is killed by government agents, he has orders in place to destroy every unmanned government facility in the country. And God help anyone responsible for Scott’s death when Phoenix finds out. Lundqvist knows he’s in a stalemate and leaves with the promise to relay the word that mutants are off-limits.
The issue ends with Kid Omega asking Scott if he was bluffing, and Scott replies by giving Kid Omega the real reason he’s on the team.
First Impressions
Future generations may want to study how and why Jed MacKay’s best work on this series comes when Scott is in a tense standoff with Agent Lundqvist. X-Men #10 isn’t perfect, mainly due to the suspension of disbelief required in a few spots, but the above-average emotional energy and drama, which you don’t regularly see in MacKay’s work, really sell it.
How’s the Art?
Generally, Netho Diaz and Sean Parsons’s art is pretty darn good. Besides a brief montage of Hellions destroying buildings, X-Men #10 is all about the tense battle of wills between Scott and Lundqvist, so the burden is on the art team to sell the heated drama between the two characters. There are a few moments where the anatomy looks cartoonish (see Magneto’s hands in the opening scene), but on the whole, the issue looks great.
What’s great about X-Men #10?
Fans of Cyclops are going to love this issue. It’s a long-standing argument that no world power should be able to intimidate a group of people who have the power of gods and stars at their disposal, so Scott latches on to that realization and lays down the law to Agent Lundqvist better than Magneto or Xavier ever have (at least in many years). MacKay has an earned rep for crafting stories with weak adversaries, but when he overcomes that weakness, his work shines.
What’s not great about X-Men #10?
As great as the drama level is in X-Men #10, you do have to suspend some disbelief. The Hellions systematically destroy a handful of O*N*E facilities without breaking a sweat, even with Sentinels present, and nobody responds to the attacks? Further, where was this level of surgical maneuvering during the sloppy Raid on Graymalkin? Scott wasn’t a master badass in the last issue, but now he’s a force to be reckoned with and feared in this one, which doesn’t track very well.
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
X-Men #10 is one of the better issues in the series showcasing Scott’s acceptance as leader of the X-Men and his position that the mutants are done being messed with by the government. Jed MacKay offers up a rare banger by escalating the drama and emotional energy, and the art team’s output is darn good considering this issue is almost all dialog.
8.2/10
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