- Written by: Jed MacKay
- Art by: Netho Diaz, Sean Parson, Livesay
- 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: February 26, 2025
X-Men #12, by Marvel on 2/26/25, reams up the X-Men with Alpha Flight to save Cyclops from a team of mercenaries.
Is X-Men #12 Good?
Recap
When we last left the Alaska-based mutant team in X-Men #11, the warning systems within the Forgery picked up an object from space heading straight for the Forgery. Cyclops led a strike team to investigate. Near the American/ Canadian border, the X-Men tracked the signal to Corsair, Cyclops’s father and all-around scoundrel. Before greetings and discussions could be completed, a giant, lobotomized space whale, aka an Acanti warship, entered Earth’s airways to attack, driven by a group of alien mercenaries. Their target? Scott Summers. The issue ended with Canadian super-team Alpha Flight joining the fight.
Plot Synopsis
X-Men #12 picks up with the X-Men aboard the Acanti warship. Despite their best efforts, the X-Men are fought to a standstill because the ringleader behind this assault came prepared. Who is it? The genius who planned the attack is Dr. Starblood, and the good doctor is paid handsomely for his efforts by Captain Karkos.
Why? Captain Karkos believes he can coerce Jean Grey, aka Phoenix, to do his bidding if he holds Jean’s mate hostage.
Alpha flight arrives under the strict probationary control of Department H because they’re still technically prisoners (see the 2023 Alpha Flight miniseries very few people actually read) to assist with alien hostiles in Canadian airspace. Guardian and the new Vindicator work with Temper to slow the mercenary ship down. The rest infiltrate the ship, disable the whale’s hearts, and teleport to safety as the ship crashes.
The issue ends with hearty handshakes, mercenaries held for extradition to the Kree/Skrull Empire, and a last-minute announcement that Charles Xavier has escaped.
First Impressions
Quick, energetic, and to the point. Jed MacKay’s simple adventure hits the spot if you’ve been hankerin’ to see the X-Men act like superheroes once again without the complications of a soap opera melodrama or a need for historical foreknowledge. It’s refreshing to get an X-Men tale that has the team go in, beat up the bad guys, and get out.
How’s the Art?
I like Netho Diaz’s work on the title. That’s not to say Ryan Stegman did a poor job on the early issues, but I’d be lying if I said the title is suffering without Stegman’s artistic style. Diaz’s eye for action and movement is super great, and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo’s coloring choices are fantastic.
What’s great about X-Men #12?
It’s strange to think that a simple, straightforward superhero story is somehow a rarity within Marvel comics, but here we are. Jed MacKay’s action/adventure tale gives superhero fans everything they’ve desperately craved for over a decade – big action, stakes, clear goals, a moderate amount of drama, and a satisfying conclusion.
What’s not great about X-Men #12?
The lead-in and context for Alpha Flight’s arrival requires more than a little backstory, especially the contentious interaction between Guardian and Vindicator. MacKay does his best to give you a montage primer in the beginning, but the primer isn’t necessary if you read the 2023 Alpha Flight miniseries. The extra page space could have been used to give the rescue scenes more meat. As such, one story element is shortchanged to accommodate the other.
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 #12 ends the two-part adventure with big action and energy. Jed MacKay’s interlude between complex melodramatic arcs and crossover events is more entertaining than the grand designs of the X-Office. MacKay would do well to do more stories like this one in the future.
8/10
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