Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 25th, 2020

Leave it to the New Mutants to find a way to bring an entire Wave of the Brood right to Earth’s doorsteps. While searching the Galaxy for Cannonball, our New Mutants arrived home with a King Brood Egg as a memento… you know… like a keychain of sorts. Well, it attracted a $&@$ing mess to Krakoa leaving Scott and some other Summers’ Brothers to lead this King Egg off-planet and into space post-haste! However, that’s not all that happened in the last issue. Readers discover that the Starjammers were hired by the Kree Accuser to retrieve the Brood Egg and deliver it to him. But, as we can tell, that didn’t work out for them so well. So, how in the world will Scott save his Pops and the Earth from a Brood onslaught? I mean, it’s not like he’s got anything else to do, right? Let’s dive into X-MEN #9 by Jonathan Hickman and iron out more of the ”brooding” narrative.

Jonathan Hickman concocts some narrative surgery as he slides into history the premise of the King Egg. He takes the time to retcon an idea that is straightforward, effective and makes the current story flow well. The idea itself seems insignificant to most but it adds substance and layers to a story that seems unnecessary to most readers, yet it anchors the narrative creating a sturdy foundation for the current story and many more to come. Hickman is great at incorporating the small details to drive home his narrative while also weaving something brand new into the Marvel mythos that can be later picked up by any writer to run with in the future. It’s a quality that oftentimes gets overlooked, but not by this reviewer. It’s the minutia that makes a story great and this issue has it in spades.

The next nuisance of this story that’s extraordinary is Hickman’s explanation of the Brood. To new Brood readers, Hickman quickly intertwines a backstory and psychological profile of the entire species in a unique and otherwise intriguing way through Jean’s telepathic abilities. Again, it seems so trivial on the outside but it elevates the intensity and suspense of the issue by gliding in snippets of information that in turn carry so much weight within the issue making it come to life in a thrilling way. A tale, that too many writers could be generated solely through surface-level dialogue and action, has developed into a suspenseful nail-biter with so many possibilities, as well as adding a variety of foundational characters and pieces to the story. These are qualities of a seasoned writer that many still have a difficult time infusing into a narrative and Hickman does it flawlessly, which is what makes him one of the best comic book writers today.

FINAL THOUGHTS

if you recall in my last review, I stated how refreshing this story was that it gave us a break from evolved techno humans, hate monger human organizations, and future Sentinel takeovers. This is a heavy story that contains the Kree, the Shi’ar, and the X-Men. It’s galactic and equally as impactful as the other storylines developing in the Dawn of X titles but X-Men fans don’t have to take a break from the other storylines since they’re still trucking along in the other X-titles. That said, Hickman gives long time fans another aspect of the X-Men that has been missing for a long time now, which is the Space Opera alcove. Sure, we got glimpses of it in the NEW MUTANTS title for a bit. But ultimately, this is a continuation of his work in that X-title. By sprinkling in minor details, and layering on psychological aspects of the Brood, Hickman makes readers feel like they’re running with the X-Men and fighting off the Brood alongside them. If you love being apart of the story, enjoy space adventures, and love intricate plot twists, this is the story for you. If you’re stuck inside or self-quarantined, pick this issue up digitally and let me know what you think.

9/10

If you’re interested in the X-MEN and want to help us out, follow this Amazon link HERE for Comics, Graphic Novels, and related Trade Paperbacks. If your more interested in the DAWN OF X titles, follow this Amazon link HERE. Thank you so much for your continued support!