X-Men #21 Review

Marc Guggenheim’s space opera continues as Manifold Tyger, a S.W.O.R.D. agent who was secretly placed at the Peak by the Providian Order, has attacked Storm and Cecilia Reyes. I do wish that the Providian Order was explained in more detail — all we gather is that they are an organization who has commissioned the twisted genetic experimentation of several species. In this issue, we see the debut of the Broodskrulls. They are under the control of a Genengineer who is not named here, but whom we know from last issue is Sharada Darthri.

Jubilee is my favorite character of the five X-Men who have been this title’s primary cast, and I appreciate that Guggenheim lets her have more of the spotlight here. We see Jubilee use her vampire fangs to attack, something we don’t usually see, and it looks fierce and awesome. Cecilia Reyes was a surprising addition to this title’s cast — she hasn’t appeared much since Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men. Cecilia and Jubilee have some great moments of teamwork as they try to save Storm’s life. I like that Jubilee contemplates turning Storm into a vampire, saying, “I could bite her. Turn her into a vamp. Undead’s better than, y’know, dead-dead.” It’s one of the funnier moments of dialogue where Guggenheim really captures Jubilee’s character well.

Not every member of the X-Men receives much time to speak in this issue. I wish Rachel and Psylocke’s brief interaction could have been extended. Monet is mostly overlooked as well.

There are moments in this issue when the art is good — really good. Dexter Soy gives Agent Brand an intimidating, powerful presence in fight scenes, and I like how he draws Jubilee. There are other moments where the art style doesn’t leave much of a positive impression. Guggenheim has the tough task of juggling a full cast of strong characters, and I like the focus he gives Jubilee and Cecilia here. However, this arc lacks the excitement, suspense, and emotional connection that the first arc with Arkea and Shogo had.

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