X-Men Legacy #1

            The cover of X-Men Legacy #1 feels more like a work of abstract art than it does the first impressions of a comic book, and yet, despite the mania that is taking place on the page, it’s a surprisingly telling portrait of what the book itself contains. The first issue is unfocused, tragic, beautiful and surreal in one fell swoop, and it has the promises of being one of the best books to come out of Marvel’s quasi-reboot.

            We open with David Xavier, the son of Professor X, working on control of himself and his immense power with Merzah the Mystic. The scenes that take place within David’s mind are as breathtaking as they are disturbing, and the way that the entire situation that Simon Spurrier (Extermination, X-Club) and Tan Eng Huat (Annihilators) is set up is truly artful.

            The book does what many of the Marvel NOW! titles have failed to do in their first issue, which is really get things moving while also creating something that, as a work, can stand on its own two feet and dance with the big boys. This issue tackled the tough task of opening strong, giving themselves room to move forward, allowing new readers to assimilate with the characters and the story and give a satisfactory ending with grace and poise.

            The point is that this issue was impressive, and is also the best Marvel NOW! issue to be released yet.

            This was also, far and away, the most artistically driven issue to be released from Marvel in quite sometime. The art had as much, if not more, bearing on the understanding of the story than the words did, and especially in the more important parts of the book, the art really took center stage. The colors are absolutely marvelous (see what I did there?) and the drawings really promoted a feeling as opposed to an idea.

            What I’m saying is that this book shows eons more promise than any of the other that I’ve read so far, and also that if I could cuddle with one Marvel NOW! release, it would be this one. It’s got heart, it’s got meat and I, for one, am very excited.