X-Men Red #6
The Brotherhood takes the fight to Uranos’s death machines in X-Men Red #6, by writer Al Ewing, artist Stefano Caselli, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer Ariana Maher. Ewing and company knock this one out of the park, but that’s to be expected.
All over Arakko, the war against the Eternals’ death machines rages on. Storm joins the fray, quickly using the powers of an Arakkii mutant to survey the field. As Magneto, using his magnetic powers to keep his heart beating, makes a terrible discovery, three new members of the Great Ring reveal themselves. Storm shows up and uses her powers to supercharge Magneto, allowing him to defeat the latest threat. Together, the Brotherhood plans the next phase of the battle.
This is an action-packed issue, and Ewing does an amazing job of not only illustrating that but also showing the resolve of the Arakkii. There are two big developments in this issue. The first is Sunspot’s discovery of the Night Seats of the Great Ring and their role in Arakko’s history, illustrated by an infodump page. There’s also some more history on the Fisher King, which makes the character all the more fascinating. He’s the biggest wild card in the book, and Ewing keeps finding ways to make him even more interesting, calling him an Omega of nothing, which is very intriguing.
Later, Storm and Magneto form a mutant circuit, something that was verboten before in Arakko. Apocalypse used to do it before the coming of Amenth, but much of Arakko’s history was lost. Seeing two of their society’s leaders use one changes things. Ewing makes sure to underline how Arakko’s people always fight together, and introducing mutant circuits to this society could change everything for them. It’s another excellent development in a book full of them.
Caselli and Blee are brilliant in this issue. Every scene they draw is impressive. It’s nearly impossible to pick one that stands out. Caselli’s figure work and detail never flag, and the man is a master of character acting; just the way he draws Magneto when he’s struggling to keep his blood pumping is brilliant. Blee’s colors capture the darkness of Arakko, but it never feels dark. He makes the colors pop when he needs to wonderfully.
X-Men Red #6 is fantastic. It’s weird to read this book and think that X-Men sells more than it. Ewing is showing why he deserves his reputation as one of Marvel’s best, and Caselli and Blee make it all look amazing. Judgment Day has been full of great tie-ins, and this issue is yet another gem.
