X-MEN: LEGENDS #1
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Brett Booth
Colorist: Guru-Efx
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Mark Basso
Release Date: February 17, 2021
Cover Price: $4.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What it’s about…
ALL-NEW TALES STARRING YOUR FAVORITE X-MEN, SPANNING CLASSIC ERAS!
Break out the yellows and blues, fire up the Danger Room and snap on your pouches as legendary X-writers return to classic eras of the mutant superheroes in ALL-NEW, in-continuity stories set during their fan-favorite runs! Fabian Nicieza kicks off the series with a special saga of CYCLOPS and HAVOK, as the SHI’AR return to Earth in search of the FORSAKEN ONE! But what secret will the Summers brothers uncover, and how will its revelation change what you thought you knew about the X-Men?
Get ready for a story decades in the making! And come back each month as we dive deeper to expand the X-MEN mythos! Welcome back, legends: Hope you survive the experience.
Rated T+
What I thought about it…
Perhaps the most fondly remembered era for the X-Men was the early ’90s when people like Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, and more relaunched the entire line of X-Men books. The X-Men were split into Blue and Gold teams, and issue sales went through the roof. Now writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Brett Booth bring readers back to that popular era with the new series X-Men: Legends.
I thought X-Men: Legends would be a standalone series, but Nicieza’s story takes place within the continuity of the 616 Universe and features an untold tale of the Summer Brothers (and its cosmic!). Despite taking place in the past, the story never feels dated or out of place. There is the nostalgia of course, but Nicieza did a great job making the story feel fresh and even added a little bit of humor. Hopefully, this is something that will continue for the rest of the series. And it looks like X-Men Legends will finally resolve some of the many unresolved plotlines from the 90s.
When it comes to the art, I should admit that Bret Booth has been a favorite artist of mine since his days drawing Backlash over at Wildstorm. But X-Men: Legends #1 may just be his most unique work yet. Booth and inker Adelso Corona deliver some solid art in this issue, but it’s very different from his other stuff. The art here has more of a Steve Skroce vibe to it, that’s not a bad thing mind you, just surprising from a veteran like Bret Booth.
Besides the story and art, one of the other things I liked about X-Men: Legends #1 is the throwback cover. For nearly twenty years most Marvel covers have been glorified pin-ups. But Legends #1 bring back the corner box and even the old school X-Men logo. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the $4.99 cover price. But I suppose they couldn’t go back to the $1 cover price of 1991.
If you were a fan of the early ’90s X-Men like I was, X-Men Legends is a must-read. This issue mixes the tone of the era with great adventures and sharp dialogue and cool art. This book is an easy read, and I’m glad I took a chance on it after being burned one too many times by the X-Men books. And with other classic X-Men creative teams on the horizon, I’ll be adding this series to my pull list.
X-Men Legends #1 Grade: B+