X-Men #16 featured image
Reviews

X-Men #16 Review

  • Written by: Jed MacKay
  • Art by: Netho Diaz, Sean Parson, JP Mayer, Livesay
  • Colors by: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
  • Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
  • Cover art by: 
  • Cover price: $
  • Release date:

X-Men #16, by Marvel on 5/7/25, pits the X-Men against the X-Men(?) when Cassandra Nova’s new team of mutants arrives to claim the title.

Is X-Men #16 Good?

Recap

When we last left the Alaska-based mutants in X-Men #15, the team learned that the twin Piper Cobb absorbed in her mother’s womb picked this moment to assert itself and be free – by taking over the corpse of a space whale. Unfortunately, 3K and Cassandra Nova got to the twin first to broker a deal of support and freedom as the Kaiju-sized corpse rampaged towards town. The issue ended with the team’s best hits not hitting hard enough to stop the monster and 3K’s adult-onset mutants arriving on the scene as a new team called… the X-Men.

Plot Synopsis

In X-Men #16, the battle expands onto two fronts. Scott and the field team are immediately attacked by this new group of mutants calling themselves the X-Men. In a brief flashback, we learn the team is the Santo Marco Six – a group of adults with activated mutant powers via the technological intervention of 3K (see X-Men #1). To become the new face of mutant strength, the Santo Marco Six must prove themselves in battle.

Any attempts to stop the Kaiju-sized beast headed for Merle will have to wait as the team fight begins. Scott radios Beast to tell him he has the job of stopping the beast. Beast gives Magneto a shot to temporarily suppress his condition, and Magneto heads out to stop the rampaging behemoth by suiting up in the shell of the disabled Sentinel that stopped over Merle for so long.

The issue ends with a stalemate in the first-round team fight and Mech Magneto stepping onto the field.

First Impressions

Jed MacKay continues to capitalize on the success of the last few issues by turning in another action-heavy comic with stakes, cool moments, and surprises. The plot isn’t moving very far, but you can see some of the loose threads tying together, and the action is enjoyable enough to hold your attention.

How’s the Art?

The X-Men title is fortunate enough that you have two great artists, Ryan Stegman and Netho Diaz, who are complementary enough to each other that there’s no discernible shift when they swap in and out of art duties. This time, Netho Diaz takes the helm, and the results are excellent, which is a must in an action-heavy issue. For my money, I prefer Diaz over Stegman, but it’s a difference of inches.

What’s great about X-Men #16?

Jed MacKay brings several factors to the X-Office that have been missing for too long – fast-paced, meaningful action, upbeat pacing, urgency, and stakes. Besides the formation of the Santo Marco Six as a team, you don’t learn anything new, but you’ll have fun while you wait.

What’s not great about X-Men #16?

Jed MacKay is using the shiny spoon approach by creating a bunch of wow moments to cover for lingering questions. Why does Magneto believe he has some kind of syndrome brought about by the resurrection protocols? Why is no other mutant showing the same level of illness or has brought up the existence of said condition? MacKay hand-waves the emergence of Magneto’s illness and now relies on it as a significant plot point, but it reads as inauthentic and inorganic to the story.

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 #16 is a fast-paced action fest that pits the X-Men against the X-Men. For readers starving for a superhero comic that shows superheroes doing super things, Jed MacKay’s script is a cool sip of water in a dry desert. Plus, Netho Diaz’s pencils are stellar. That said, Jed MacKay’s tale is short on plot and long on hand-waved contrivances to artificially pile on the drama.

7.5/10

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