Heroes Reborn: Magneto & the Mutant Force #1
- WRITER
- Steve Orlando
- Artist
- Bernard Chang
- Letterer
- Clayton Cowles
- Cover Artist
- Nick Bradshaw, Rachelle Rosenberg
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2021-05-26
- Colorist
- David Curiel
In a world without the Avengers, what becomes of the X-Men? That's the question at the heart of Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1, the latest one-shot spinning out of the Heroes Reborn event. Writer Steve Orlando and artist Bernard Chang use the unique landscape of this alternate history to show mutantkind at their lowest, fighting for their right to exist. Despite this bleak premise, Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 has an underlying theme of hope and showcases the powerful themes present within the metaphor of mutants.
Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 opens with a flashback to a decade earlier, when Charles Xavier fought alongside Magneto and the Mutant Force against the Squadron Supreme. Things go horribly wrong for the Mutant Force when Magneto is paralyzed in battle and Xavier is seemingly lost. In the present, the Mutant Force struggle in their fight for equality. However, things begin to look up when Magneto reveals to Emma Frost that he is having visions of Xavier and that he may have survived as a psychic imprint in Magneto’s mind. The team then hatches a plan to use Emma’s powers to travel the psychic landscape and save Xavier. Naturally, the Squadron Supreme attack the Mutant Force’s oasis on Island X, threatening to end Magneto and Xavier's lives.
Since Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 isn’t tied in with the mainline X-Men books and only has loose connections to the main thrust of the Heroes Reborn event, Steve Orlando has a unique opportunity to play with some of the more obscure members of the X-Men mythos. While the book is headlined by Magneto and utilizes Rogue, Emma Frost, and Jubilee, Frenzy stands out as the character to benefit the most from this one-shot. She comes across as strong and valiant in the face of impossible odds. Orlando’s use of the mutant metaphor comes through in her dialogue, as Frenzy talks about how mutants are entitled to their anger after years of abuse, neglect, and false promises from the Squadron Supreme. This tension poignantly reflects the struggles that many oppressed groups face today in the real world, which gives the book an added emotional relevance.
Bernard Chang’s art is a great pairing for Orlando’s script. Chang’s chiseled characters are well equipped for the action-packed story, and they look incredible against the epic landscapes. Chang distinguishes the psychic battle from the conflict on Island X by using creative layouts and panel gutters, which allows for some of the book’s most visually interesting moments. The splash page where the Mutant Force travels into Magneto’s mind is stunning, and the closing sequence with Magneto is gripping. Beyond that, Chang fleshes out his crowd scenes with rarely seen X-Men characters such as Grizzly, Surge and even Skullfire from X-Men 2099. Seeing these eclectic faces from across X-Men history thoroughly enhances the “otherworldly” vibe of Heroes Reborn.
David Curiel delivers some superb colors in this issue, too. While Chang uses gutters and layouts to distinguish the different landscapes, Curiel’s colors further enhance the effect. Curiel utilizes a textured wash over all of the psychic scenes, which creates a weathered and worn look. This contrasts with the clean, heroic visual style of the fight on Island X. These decisions, along with Clayton Cowles’s vibrant sound effects and strong lettering, ensure that it is easy to distinguish the various acts of the story without getting confused.
Overall, Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 is a book that’ll surprise many tenured X-Men fans. The story explores a unique corner of the Heroes Reborn universe and enhances that world by revealing the complicated relationship that the Squadron Supreme has with other powered groups. By using its status quo as a means of shining a spotlight on underutilized heroes and oppressed minorities, Steve Orlando and Bernard Chang show that regardless of what timeline or continuity they’re in, mutants are a force to be reckoned with.