The X-Men are one of Marvel’s most famous and beloved teams. The group of people with fantastical powers stemming from their DNA have been mainstays of comic shelves since they were created.
In recent editions they were even able to make a country out of a living island named Krakoa just for themselves. But unfortunately, like everything in comics, it didn’t last.
The X-Men were split apart at the fall of Krakoa; each smaller group formed their own X-Men, trying to figure out what to do. Professor Xavier proved to be someone far less altruistic than previously thought. Those who once believed in his dream were left without direction.
One such attempt to remake the X-Men is led by Rogue in Louisiana. Originally just looking for a place to stay, the group of Rogue, her husband Gambit and Wolverine were quickly met with new mutants.
These new mutants are a group of young mutants known as the Outliers, who now have to learn how to harness their new abilities like many generations before them. I really enjoy this new group of kids.
Sometimes when new characters are added to established stories, they can drag down the plot. They end up being more of an attempt to just get new people reading and not to improve the story.
This is not the case with the Outliers. The group feels like a completely natural addition to the X-Men lore. Not only that, but their addition adds new possibilities to the older group. This is because, outside of Wolverine, none of the group are known for being very nurturing or parental figures. It is fascinating to see them in these new roles.
And this lies at the heart of why I enjoy this run so much. The book has the most focus on the found family aspect of the X-Men. This series is more grounded and low-key than most X-Men books.
You won’t find any stories that require the Louisiana X-Men to save the world. Instead, it focuses on a group of people just trying to figure out how they are going to live in a world that hates them.
Within that hateful world, there are also quite a few people that would like to get rid of them; one of those people is the Warden. The Warden is a woman who has retrofitted the X-Mansion into a prison for mutants.
She is an amazing villain because she is just awful. She hides behind powers stronger than herself and folds under the lightest threat back at her. This makes for a villain that is a lot of fun to hate.
I would suggest this book to any readers that want to get into the X-Men stories. It is the perfect place to hop on for new readers. The fact that it’s after the end of the biggest event means that there is nothing you need to read beforehand.
It’s lower scale means you are given the chance to get to know the characters naturally before big events kick off.
Andrew Barnes, staff writer
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