Immortal X-Men #5
The battle against the Uni-Mind brings Exodus back to his past in Immortal X-Men #5, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Michele Bandini, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Clayton Cowles. This issue is basically an expansion of Judgment Day #1 while also doing great character work with Exodus.
This issue expands on the Quiet Council meeting from Judgment Day #1. The Uni-Mind attack makes Exodus remember his past, digging into his origin and his confrontation with Sersi a thousand years ago. When the Council realizes the Uni-Mind is attacking, Emma, Hope, and Exodus work together to push back the assault. After the Hex rise, Exodus rides forth to destroy them, as a knight should.
Praising Gillen’s writing at this point feels cliche. Kieron Gillen is the best writer working at Marvel right now and one of the masters of the modern superhero comic. This issue is a crossover with Judgment Day, and it works brilliantly. It helps that Gillen is writing both books, of course, and he chooses to focus most of the page real estate on Exodus’s origin.
Exodus is already one of the highlights of this book, and this issue digs even deeper into him as a character. He’s a true believer in the divinity of mutants; this is a religion to him. From his first confrontation with Apocalypse, to the Satan of his self-created religion and overcoming temptation, to meeting Magneto, who he sees as a prophet, to his present-day protection of Hope, the savior of mutantkind, Gillen lays out this new religion in exactly the right terms.
Bandini’s art has improved since the last issue. It was good before, but it’s a lot better now. The previous issue felt a little stylistically all over the place, but this one feels like he grounded it in a personal style. The figure work and character acting are top-notch. There’s not a lot of action in this chapter, but there are some very cool scenes regardless. It all looks phenomenal, which is the point. Curiel’s colors are lush and wonderful. Bandini is a good artist, but it feels like after the last issue, he and Curiel have gelled better than before.
Immortal X-Men #5 is an example of the perfect way to do a crossover issue. Gillen ties it into Judgment Day but does it in a way where this still feels like Immortal X-Men, focusing on one of the book’s more interesting characters. Bandini and Curiel have worked together much better on this issue than last. All in all, another fine issue.
