Review by Karl Verhoven
When written by Zeb Wells Hellions must either have sold like blockbusters and Marvel wept into their spreadsheets when Wells quit, or printing has become so cheap that there was nothing to lose by taking a punt on a hardcover combining all three paperbacks. Or perhaps there’s another explanation for such an expensive presentation of material that rarely hits above average.
It begins with almost all Marvel’s mutants relocated to their own kingdom of Krakoa, and the logical consideration that some among them remain feral, wild cannons or positively malevolent. However, if they can be allocated to Mr. Sinister for rehabilitation, some good may result. Yes, that’s like booking childcare with the scruffy old guy down the street that has some vague criminal conviction, and sure enough it quickly goes wrong. That, though, seems to be Wells’ intention, plotting out the route to hell being paved with good intentions, while his view of Hellions is an X-Men title dealing in stalk and slash horror.
Mr. Sinister’s arch nature is a gift to any writer, but Wells is inconsistent, characterising him as sly, snarky and manipulative, but sometimes prone to explanations rather than pithy soundbites. “The heroes of Krakoa and Arakko travel their globes collecting swords for the privilege of dancing into a meat grinder”, is his neat assessment of the X of Swords crossover. The other major character is Psylocke, and she and her complicated continuity are an anchor weighing the series down. There are some explanations in the text pages, but as she becomes ever more prominent readers unfamiliar with every nuance of her background will be puzzled.
Unlike so many other X-Men related titles relaunched in 2019, in Stephen Segovia Hellions has an artist who sticks with the series almost until the end, drawing 75% of the run. His storytelling method is cramming in the panels leading up to a pin-up page, and concentrating on figures, leaving colourist David Curiel to fill in the backgrounds. What’s there is well drawn, and the longevity is appreciated, but the cost is minimal backgrounds. It should also be noted that Hellions is extremely violent, and Segovia doesn’t hold back, so some scenes aren’t for the timid.
Wells does throw in unpredictable surprises twisting events or perception of a character, but just not often enough to compensate for plots that don’t hold the interest. You’re recommended to try a Hellions comic or two before springing for this hardback. Alternatively try the paperbacks starting with Vol. 1.
