X-Corp #1
Krakoa has a new business plan in X-Corp #1, by writer Tini Howard, artist Alberto Foche, colorist Sunny Gho, and letterer Clayton Cowles. While this book has a superb cast, its premise and the action in the book don't really make it seem like a necessary addition to the X books.
The issue starts with Penance and Angel making a commercial for the new X Corporation before meeting up with Xavier. From there, the book alternates between Penance recruiting Trinary and Jamie Madrox for X-Corp and Angel going to Brazil to speak with Jean-Paul Kol, who Xavier worked with to get Krakoan drugs on the market. Kol wants more money, and his company is bringing a case in front of the UN about Krakoa's use of the Savage Land to grow Krakoan flowers. As negotiations break down, Penance, Trinary, and Madrox bring the X-Corp flying headquarters to Brazil. Kol's forces destroy the lab in the Savage Land, and Angel escapes to the flying headquarters.
Even though she helped co-write the X Of Swords one-shots and was a key figure in the story's development, Howard doesn't sell this one as well. It's not bad, but it's just kind of hard to care about what's going on. Penance is sort of all over the place- for some reason, she's decided to become a corporate raider of some kind. Her trademark arrogance is kind of there, but she also loses control of herself now, which is not something that's ever been a part of her character. Although the book tries to say it's because of the Penance part of her… except that's not a thing that's ever happened before. The reason for it is pretty simple, and the book even brings it up-it's going to be used to show the dichotomy between her and Angel, who has his Archangel side under control. Still, it's also a fundamental misunderstanding of who Monet St. Croix is- even if she was to do something so pedestrian as to lose control, she'd do it in private and wouldn't let it affect what she was doing. All of this mischaracterization feels like a way to artificially inject drama and bring Monet down to Earth, but that's not why anyone likes Monet- they like her because she's arrogant, cutting, and perfect.
The rest of the book is aggressively bland, even though it stars Jamie Madrox and Monet, two of the most entertaining mutants ever created. The cast of the book is fine- and sure to grow by one since, in discussion with Xavier, Monet says there will be a fifth member of the board of X-Corp- but what's the point of this book? Is it just to show corporate maneuvering? Isn't that what Marauders is for? Marvel's inclination to release an X book for everything can be cool, but this book's first issue doesn't really give readers any reason why this book has to exist. That's not to say it won't in the coming chapters, but this was also a problem with the first few issues of Howard's Excalibur- the premise wasn't well defined enough in the books opening stages beyond "mutant magic", which can mean anything. This book's premise so far is "mutant corporation," and that feels much too broad.
Foche's art starts out kind of weak. His linework is very clean and simple, but it's also kind of bland. The best way to describe it is that it looks a lot like the early DC work of Stuart Immonen- it's competent but without style. Gho's coloring is very good, as usual, though, and as the issue goes on, the art looks better. However, it's mostly just as bland as the rest of the book.
X-Corp #1 is, at best, an underwhelming first issue. Howard doesn't really make an argument for why this book needs to exist, which is very important in a first issue. She mischaracterizes the book's star to make her fit the book, which is a shame because this book would be a lot more interesting with the old perfect Monet at its head. The plot itself is alright, but it's nothing special. Foche's art is clean, but it's also bland, and it doesn't really do anything to elevate a pretty mediocre comic. X-Corp's premise is so broad that it's worth sticking with to see how it will develop, but it's a bit of a chore to read.
