Review by Frank Plowright

Much has happened on Arakko during X-Men Red, but instead of picking up on the aftermath of the tragedy and turmoil seen during Vol. 2, Al Ewing begins with Storm on a date. As might be expected, it’s interrupted, but in terms of reading it’s for the greater good.

Disagreements in Krakoa’s ruling council and the society falling apart in the wake of Sins of Sinister has in other titles come across as much whining of their own making, at least before the Orchis orchestrated massacre, but Ewing has Charles Xavier articulating his anguish poignantly. It incorporates ethical issues and personal failure along with a side dish of immoral behaviour and it’s a harbinger of what’s to come.

What’s to come indicates yet again how the impending doom of the X-Men is down to many unlikely sources allied against them. Here it’s Genesis. former ruler of Arakko and Orchis as the silent partners. Genesis is another step up the rung of Ewing constantly escalating the threats manifesting in X-Men Red. Vulcan now seems positively mundane.

Jacapo Camagni supplies the sample art by virtue of contributing the greatest amount of pages. Everything here is drawn extremely efficiently by a number of Italian artists, all capable and talented, but none of them really raising the roof. Still, that’s infinitely better than complaining about multiple artists whose style doesn’t mesh.

Ewing ends with a focus on the being formerly known as Apocalypse, back when he was still known as Apocalypse in the distant past, and how he’s doing in the present well removed from Krakoa. Apocalypse has lived for millennia, and we’re given his history with the mutants of Arakko, showing his first horsemen, his relationship with Genesis, and what they’ve been up to since X of Swords. As he’s such a single-minded brute it’s difficult to have any sympathy for Apocalypse, but Ewing almost pulls that off in as he also details the history of Arakko. Apocalypse obviously has a big part to come, and that plays out in Vol. 4.

This is all very clever, but enjoyment really comes from how caught up anyone is in Arakko and their history. If you’re not particularly captivated it’s possible much of the political manoeuvring playing out here will transmit as pompous and sterile.