X-Men, Vol. 1

X-Men (2024) (Single Issues)

by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman (Penciler), Netho Diaz (Penciler)

From the ashes of the Krakoan era, a new team of mutants rises to herald in the next great age of the X-Men!

The mutant nation of Krakoa is gone, and the anti-mutant organization Orchis has fallen — but the X-Men remain, always. As Cyclops, Scott Summers leads, because that is what he does. As Beast, Hank McCoy builds, because that is what he does. And from their new home in Alaska, the X-Men raise a flag of defiance. Mutant business is their business. Join Scott, Hank, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper, Magik and the unstoppable Juggernaut as new forces in the world move into position, battling for the destiny and philosophy of the mutant species. And when a crisis arises in San Francisco, the X-Men must test their mettle against an entire invading alien fleet! But how did they come to possess their new HQ, the Factory, and how difficult a position does that put them in? Plus: the shocking return of Trevor Fitzroy and the Upstarts!

COLLECTING: X-Men (2024) 1-6

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Adventure

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2025

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I'd hoped, even if Cyclops inexplicably looks like he's 14.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of a new era for the X-Men after the end of Krakoa. Scott Summers leads what can only be described as a ragtag bunch comprised of Juggernaut, Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Magik, Kid Omega, and Temper as they search for mutants who have had their gene triggered as adults. Whilst the team is a far cry from some of the more iconic line ups of time gone by, MacKay does well to make them mesh. However, as this volume is heavily comprised of plot set up, none of the characters get to shine past surface level traits and veiled dynamic potential. It is definitely enough to get people interested, and if the seeds planted are able to sprout, this could be a fantastic X-Men run in the making.

actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Willow Heath]

It's hard to say much about this fresh start to the X-Men status quo, mostly due to how so much of it feels like setup. But also because it's an incredibly stripped-down and action-packed opening arc. MacKay hits the ground running here, giving us massive brawls and plenty of superpowered explosions. It's fun, bombastic, but also full of heart and plenty of setup for a promising story that will surely continue to unfold nicely. I'm strapped in for the ride!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to Jed's Avengers run it's never bad, has some great MOMENTS but overall kind of misses the mark on what makes his work so good.

I will admit I like Juggernaunt here, Magik, and Cyclops but Beast is a total bore, and I didn't really understand or care why magneto was there and what he was doing. The villains are okay at best, and nothing to write home about. I think the main issue is for every epic moment, we have alot of just "Okay" moments that don't hit the highs I was hoping.

So I like it enough but honestly Ultimate X-Men is the best X-Men title currently out.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so begins the new era of X-Men. I actually read the six issues separately, I’m just logging it under the trade because it’s easier.

Jed MacKay. I tell you what, his writing just has a sensibility and tone that I vibe with. His runs on Black Cat and Dr Strange are some of my favorite stories EVER. Even his Avengers is really good.

I’m really liking this take on X-Men. The art is cool and different too. Great read.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not loving any of the books in the post-Krakoa, from the ashes, era. It feels like a major step back for the franchise. Either way, I have tried to engage with each series in good faith. This one feels the most regressive of all for some reason. I think it’s in no small part due to Ryan Stegman’s art which feels straight out of the early 2010s era of Jason Aaron, Art Adams, Cullen Bunn, etc runs. I was a fan of his Spider-Man stuff, but it’s pretty inconsistent and rushed here.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average start, but nothing to be ashamed of. The plot can be read comfortably and may reveal some good surprises in the future. On the other hand, I don't like Stegman or Diaz. Not that they're bad, but their semi-cartoony style isn't really suited to the story.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-MEN 2024 has Scott Summers and Magneto moving to the wilds of Alaska in order to live in an old Sentinel processing plant while their old mansion is converted into a prison by a much of mutant-hating bigots. That's some pretty heavy stuff for the people who used to be sitting on the tropical beaches of Krakoa and enjoying polycules. The Alaskans being mostly okay with the X-men and the government harrassing them regardless of their doing their own thing is enjoyable to contrast.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

“From the Ashes - A New Beginning” is off to a pretty solid start! It pains me to see mutants scattered across the globe and fighting just to exist yet again but part of it feels so simple again. Just small groups dealing with their own thing, easier to read each issue without worrying about how it connects to the other series. I like the team that’s assembled in this corner of the mutant side of Marvel, and their new home is pretty metal (pun intended and also just quite literally), living out of a former Sentinel factory this team rushes to the sites of newly activated mutants to get them to safety so they may learn how to use their power. I’m curious to see how this continues with a mystery villain activating latent mutant powers in humans.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I haven't been impressed. The characterization is all wrong--the art is an extension of that. Why does Cyclops look like a teenager? The whole cartoony style doesn't work.

Cyclops is petty. Magik is usually way more interesting. She's generic now. Did they undo all of Quentin's Krakoa character development? Temper (terrible name) is a terrible, one note person. I don't care about her at all. Juggernaut is there.

Disappointing. Beast is at least interesting. Potential that I feel will not pan out well after the evil Beast debacle (which was fantastic).

[Andrew Shaffer]

Bring back Krakoa…?

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 stars

[Andres Pasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un 3,5 parte bien. Está en racha MacKay

[Cody Wilson]

I've made a general rule of not posting the ridiculous amount of weekly comics I read on here but since I read these six issues of X-Men in one sitting, I figured I'd write up some thoughts.

I notoriously avoid X-Men because the continuity and interconnectivity seems like a nightmare from an outsider's perspective. But, given the recent initiative under editor Tom Brevoort, I've given X-Men another chance to wow me. I've been enjoying Gail Simone and David Marquez's Uncanny X-Men, which channels the "heart on sleeve" melodrama of Chris Claremont. I originally passed on Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman's X-Men title because I've found MacKay's recent Avengers comics to be slow-paced and uneventful, despite enjoying his writing elsewhere such as Black Cat.

However, I'm a massive Stegman fan (been following his work since Scarlet Spider) so I eventually caved after hearing decent buzz around the book. And I'm glad I did. This X-Men series is fast-paced and chock full of character moments and subplots. Self-contained done-in-ones is the perfect format to start off a new team book. MacKay's scripting of X-Men is clever in a way that's familiar to his Black Cat run but oddly missing from his Avengers.

I understand why hardcore fans of Krakoa X-Men may dislike the book, especially given its backwards-looking appeal to 90s nostagia. But as a new reader who hasn't read any 90s X-Men (and generally doesn't care for 90s comics), these first six issues of MacKay/Stegman X-Men work perfectly well as a jumping on point for me. The few times I dipped my toe into Krakoa, I found it impenetrable. By comparison, MacKay makes sure to establish relevant pieces of continuity, making the series accessible.

The main appeal of X-Men is the dynamic, detailed artwork by Ryan Stegman. He is a powerhouse. While infuenced by 90s artists stylistically, Stegman operates at a higher level of storytelling. He captures crucial moments spot-on with impressive range, from Juggernaut launching himself into alien spaceships to Cyclops crying in a bathroom. I could rave about Stegman all day, but X-Men is a must-read for his fans. Inkers JP Mayer and John Livesay do justice to Stegman's pencils, and colorist Marte Gracia is incredible as always. This is one of the best-looking books on the stands and fans are spoiled to get regular Stegman interiors. Fill-in artist Netho Diaz may not operate at the same level as Stegman, but he maintains the visual tone of the book with competent work.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and I loved it! Its probably one of the best X-Men books I have read in a while. I wasn't a fan of the krakoan era and haven't read it fully atm but I like how this one took the fallout of that with Krakoa dead and X-Men shattered basically and Cyclops leads a team of anti-heroes and fights evil mutants and other villains who will harm his people and all. I like how this one volume is consisting of so many stories and focusing on different members and really exploring the dynamics between the team.

Also setting up so many threats like you have the mysterious 3K Group and also having Cassandra nova return and the tease of it is awesome and has me excited. Then there was that issue vs Trevor and his Upstarts and I don't remember coming across them before but them being this youtube stars fighting X-Men is kinda neat idea and also ties to the larger arc and also Sugar man is such a strange choice for a villain.

And then there are the new mutants like Ben, Jennifer and Piper who have their own stories of how their powers activated after they were old already and that is a fascinating thing and I like how with Piper we got into the story of the Iron night and what happened with the sentinel in Alaska and the location of the team being here as this is Scott's childhood home is such a good choice and it actually provides so many potential considering all the Alaskan legends and myths and what all the X-Men could face. And also its like the last corner in the world and thats awesome.

Its a great return for the team in this new era and I am looking forward to what this run brings!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every X-Men comic is going to have a hard row to hoe after Krakoa. That was one of the highest heights of writing for the line ever, and new editor Brevoort's clear disdain for it makes the fallback even more problematic.

MacKay makes the best of that that you can, primarily by actually remembering that Krakoa happened. He properly plays up the repercussions for the Beast, Quentin, and Cyclops at a bare minimum, each affected by the ending in their own way. (A lot of the other characters, especially Illyana and Cain just barely get any characterization, sadly, so hard to say if Krakoa affected them.)

And MacKay also makes good use of continuity. A new, modern look at Fitzroy and the Upstarts is probably the highlight. But there are little bits scattered here and there, touching back both on Krakoa and older days.

But the art is horrible. Cyclops in particular looks like he's about 16.

And there's very little here that's actually new. It's the exact sort of return to old tropes that we all expected when Krakoa got rolled back, even if it's written decently well, unlike the last time Marvel pulled this garbage, in the garbage era of X-Men Blue and Gold. That quality of writing had me wavering toward a 3.5 and a round-up to 4 stars until the last issue which revealed, hey yet another mutant disease because it was so innovative when we did it with M-Pox after too many years of Legacy.

There are apparently no new ideas, at least not with Marvel bringing over literally their longest-serving editor to make sure nothing innovative happens in what could be their most future-looking line (and has been at times, under Morrison and Hickman).

Sigh.

[Jacob Gatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 6 issues of X-men by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, have consistently been some of the best books on comic shelves for the last couple months. It feels like a fresh breath and a bold new direction for the X-men.

Generally with the X-men, it’s widely regarded that the continuity and long history of the team is essential to reading anything recent. It’s at times considered difficult to hop in at most points because almost every run is inflicted with the repercussions of the last. Which I think is pretty cool that it’s long history has consequences, rather than being thrown away with every new creator that hops on the book (I’m looking at you, Amazing Spider-Man). The only trouble with having such a deep and long history, is that it often times makes it hard for new readers (like myself) to hop into the X-books. I can happily report however, that this is a great time to hop in on the X-men if you’ve been waiting for a chance.

Sure, there is a lot of question marks throughout about what lead them up to the place the main X-men are at in this story, but the writing and art are so wonderful that it’s a great time regardless.

As someone who got into the X-men with the recent “X-men 97,” it’s so nice to be able to read this new run as it comes out, and get to know some characters I know so little about. Stegman’s art is some of the best in the business right now, and perfectly suits the narrative Jed MacKay is spinning.

If you wanna read X-Men, hop in on this! (And, also Uncanny X-men by Gail Simone.)

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krakoa was always going to be a hard act to follow, but you can count on Jed MacKay to do what he does best whatever book he's on, so this first From The Ashes relaunch trade is a solid reintroduction to the X-Men.

We've seen them try to come back from tragedy before, so there's not a massive amount of reinventing the wheel here, but the dialogue is solid, and every character has something interesting going on, even if we don't get to touch on much of them very deeply just yet. The new villains seem to be far-reaching across the X-Books, and I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the continuity references, especially for characters like Idie and Quentin where it could be easy to just pretend some stuff didn't happen to them.

Ryan Stegman's a great artist, and I'm glad to see him back on a mainstream Marvel book. His Beast looks a little creepy, but otherwise he's on top form, and fill-in artist Netho Diaz does a good Stegman impression too.

Good start, as expected from a creative team like this. I have hope for this new era.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es uno de los principales cómics de los X-Men a seguir en esta nueva era post Krakoa y post Orchis. Ahora el grupo se ha ido a Alaska a un sitio similar al de la era de Bendis. Un lugar metálico, sombrío y muy cerrado. El equipo nuevo está conformado por Cyclops, Magik, Magneto, Psylocke (Kwannon), Juggernaut, Beast e Idie. Además, algunos otros que se van agregando.
El cómic empieza cuando el grupo libera a Wolverine de unos remanentes de Orchis y recogen a un mutante llamado Ben Liu. Aparte de este rescate de mutantes que es algo clásico cuando se forma un nuevo cómic o grupo, también hay roces de Cyclops con el agente Lundqvist de la organización gubernamental ONE en la que Scott habla de que los mutantes están perjudicados por los EEUU quienes no los defendieron de Orchis.
Lo primero que no me gusta de esta serie es el dibujante, lamentablemente no me gusta su estilo, es más, considero que le quita seriedad y hasta me distrae de los eventos que suceden. El grupo no está siendo tan bien dirigido por el escritor quien no explota adecuadamente la personalidad de cada uno de ellos a mi parecer, han juntado a Kwannon con John Greycrow lo que no me agrada. Al final aparece
una villana psíquica muy conocida que forma del nuevo grupo 3K que será la gran amenaza.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Krakoan Age burned me out.

So when Brevoort assembled his new teams, while being happy Krakoa was sunk, I was still slow to read these even as I collected them.

I have to say, this is my first MacKay book. I’ve been noticing his rising fame, but had yet to partake. Stegman is not my style. Maybe his art could grow on me, but I think it would need to be a different book.

This has the unfortunate feel of the blip of books after Secret Wars that, despite having great to decent writers, proved crippled by the larger Marvel picture. This doesn’t have some of the same meta-struggles, but it similarly feels disconnected from something larger. Obviously, anything feels small scale after Krakoa and they need something smaller, but… thus feels a little listless.

Here’s hoping MacKay wins me over. I may just be a curmudgeon longing to pick up my old Claremont books. For right or wrong, I have a little more hope in Simone’s Uncanny which I will read next.

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m currently keeping up with this run through single issue but I’ll log them as the books as they come out. This is the first time I think I’ve fully engaged with X-Men like this and I love it! There’s obviously stuff im picking up as i go since I haven’t done backwards to the beginning of Krakoa yet which makes things a little confusing but that’s just the price of getting into comics sometimes. I’m really enjoying everything from the story to the art so I’m excited to be part of the comics X-Men fans finally!

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Following Hickman’s ‘Age of Krakoa’ era was never going to be easy and I commend the more grounded approach here but frustratingly it never hits a high. The fun of the X-Men is the ability to create quirky teams but here the team feels unfocused and a little unbalanced. The small feeling stakes in these first 7 issues don’t help and whilst some stuff is set in motion very little hooked me here. Knowing that at least 2 of the more interesting characters featured have solo books concerns me for the longevity of this main X-Men title.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Krakoan age is over. Now Cyclops's band of X-Men are using a Sentinel factory in Alaska as a base. New mutants are suddenly popping up that are older, having left puberty behind long ago. The story is moving pretty slowly, especially since they are now publishing 18 issues a year. The art is pretty good, although Stegman has adopted a cartoonier style here.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't historically been the biggest fan of MacKay's work and I was a little nervous about him taking over the flagship X-Men title. While it's far from perfect, I like the story and art in this volume more than I thought I would. I'll probably miss the Krakoan era of X-Men for years but this is a solid effort and I'll keep reading.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

time to catch up on some x-men! i..... can't remember where we left off with fall of x. i guess krakoa's gone and everyone hates mutants again and the team is wildly spread out but also only in america? this line up is so random but i love that all the mutants know each other and have some history so you can pull together any team and make it work

[Natalie (Rosie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art style is my biggest complaint - the storyline is shaky as well but could be promising. The art makes all the characters look childish and gives characters odd proportions that are just off putting. In addition, far too many things were rushed in the transition from Krakoa to From the Ashes and it really shows in certain areas not just in this X-Men comic but the entire line.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Krakoan era is a hell of an act to follow. MacKay and his collaborators are more than up for it though. This is a beautiful looking book with vibrant colors that pop. It's also got some incredible character moments, awesome action set pieces, continuity deep cuts, and the introduction of a new, exciting mystery. I had a blast.

[Myah · Rating 5 out of 5]

as someone new the x-men, i was tentatively excited for this series. i wouldn’t say i know much about the characters in this run, but already they are winning me over! i’m so excited to see where this goes

[Ian Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid start to the new era

[Tor · Rating 2 out of 5]

God this was so overwhelmingly MEH.

Also super disappointed that Quentin is being drawn and written as if he's 14 again despite all the growing up it felt like he did during the Krakoa era :/