Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: R.B. Silva, Marte Garcia, Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 29th, 2020

After issue one, while our X-Men team went to an Orchis research facility to free enslaved mutant children, the team inadvertently liberated this highly evolved being known as Serafina. Serafina gained her abilities after advanced exposure to temporal energy that garnered her with super abilities. However, our leadership team of X-Men has tracked her down towards Ecuador. Let’s dive into X-MEN #5 by Jonathan Hickman to see if Wolverine and his team can successfully bring in Serafina and figure out more details as to how and why she was evolved, created, and her purpose.

Now, this is what we’ve been missing X-fans! Finally, we get something with substance, purpose, action, and teeth. Readers, the past couple of issues have felt like old tv shows like MTV CRIBS, GOLDEN GIRLS, or even CNN NEWS. But this is the first issue of the main X-titles that has felt like HOXPOX to this reader. Sure, you won’t find answers in this installment. However, you have action, fervor, passion, engaging characters, unique villains, and the Hickman creativity that has simply been missing since HOXPOX concluded. Plus, these temporal, superpowered, techno-advanced “humans” seem like a genuine threat to a mutant race with super abilities and resurrection. Ultimately, the weight, the glamor, and imagination feel like it’s finally back.

What this reviewer loved the most about this issue were the endless possibilities that the Vault cracks open for the future of this franchise. Furthermore, the variety of mutants that Hickman incorporated into the narrative with thorough explanations was incredibly intricate and frankly diabolically clever. I found myself looking up and exploring more details about the extra mutants used in this issue, which I almost never do. My point is; as soon as the issue was done, I left wanting more instantly. And that my friends, is when you know you’ve read an amazing comic. The questions that continued to surface after reading the issue, as well as the speculation towards the direction of the story moving forward, are what made me excited throughout HOXPOX and it feels so good to have that feeling back again.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Jonathan Hickman finally recreates the magic, excitement, and allure that originally elevated this series to new heights back in the summer and brought the X-Men back to the forefront of the Marvel Universe. The issue was extremely well written, easy to follow (other than the temporal mumbo jumbo), and weaved together elements from HOXPOX and issue one of X-MEN that have been lacking in recent months. Readers will hang on every word of this issue and will ultimately leave feeling engaged and overly curious as to what’s going to happen to the mutants in the Vault and what these new techno-evolved humans have to do with our story moving forward. Fans, I couldn’t put the issue down and left wanting more, which are the first signs of an outstanding comic. If you’re a HOXPOX fan or X-MEN fan, this issue is for you. If you’ve been feeling a bit down on our favorite mutants, this may be the issue to recharge your batteries and rejuvenate your energy for the series. Pick this issue up and add this series to your pull list! You’ll be glad you did!

9.3/10