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Marvel's Devil's Reign: X-Men #3
- Artist:
- Phil Noto
- Colorist:
- Phil Noto
- Cover Artist:
- Phil Noto
- Letterer:
- VC's Cory Petit
- Price:
- 3.99
- Publisher:
- Marvel Comics
- Release Date:
- 2022-03-23
- Writer:
- Gerry Duggan
The King is dead. Long live the Queen. In Marvel's Devil's Reign, Kingpin rose to power in New York City, declaring all costumed vigilantes -- and therefore, the X-Men-- enemies of the state. Emma Frost, the telepathic White Queen, dared to oppose him. In response, Kingpin framed her and Elektra for a murder she did not commit, that of the girl Isabella she protected long ago. Since then, Emma Frost has been on the run from New York to London, desperate to clear her name, reunite with Isabella, and dethrone the King from his ivory tower.
But her journey isn't getting much easier. The English police force has her in cuffs and the Hellfire Club isn't about to go down without a fight. Thankfully, Isabella is all grown up and is ready to repay her debt to Emma Frost. Whether their teamwork gets them out of London, back to Krakoa and New York, and clear Emma's name, however, is another question.
Though she is often overlooked, Emma Frost is one of the more complicated characters of the X-Men roster. Her character arc over time saw her go from villain to hero, mentor, friend, and guardian -- but she never lost her edge. As the White Queen, she is cold, intimidating, calculating, shrewd, and at times, ruthless and violent. But she isn't without her sense of humor, creativity, or warm protectiveness and loyalty.
All of these traits are put on full display in Devil's Reign: X-Men #3, where she gets to display her psychic powers -- and wittiness -- without abandon. Writer Gerry Duggan handles her character gracefully. She tears through the Hellfire Club and the British police without effort. She humiliates Union Jack. She catches Kingpin at his most vulnerable moment. At the same time, she respects the lives of some of the people and animals she psychically controls. She's gentle and consoling towards Isabella but that chilly psychic interior is never far from the surface.
At times, Devil's Reign: X-Men #3 reads like two separate stories -- one at breakneck speed, and the other a screeching halt on the brakes. While character studies and emotional drama are all well and good, as is usual for the X-Men, things are more interesting when a character actually uses their powers. Such is the case with Emma Frost dominating the British police force with her mind control. It's a reminder that the White Queen is a lethal and serious threat. But it's hard to remember that when the scene is so darn funny.
On the other hand, once the action slows, so does the story. The resolution to Emma clearing her name feels too quick and anticlimactic. While the final scene of her confronting Kingpin is satisfyingly tense, it, too, ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. This isn't quite the ending this arc deserved, but, thankfully, a stinger hints that the arc is set to continue.
Artist Phil Noto's sense of composition and visual humor is top-notch. The fight scenes -- particularly the White Queen's telepathic rampage on the British police -- harken back to the golden age of slapstick. He shows astute use of line weight. Characters have subtle facial lines to convey emotion, aging lines, hair, and clothes. Noto's outlines are thick with a slight fuzziness. His use of color is subdued but effective. In pages with full-color washes of solid hues, Emma Frost cuts a clear figure in white, ensuring that all eyes remain on her.
Devil's Reign: X-Men #3 doesn't quite live up to its climactic setup, nor does it make for a satisfying finale overall. However, it does serve its purpose as the conclusion for one particular arc while setting up and leaving space open for more loose ends to be tied. Luckily for the audience, there may be more adventures and scores to settle on the White Queen's quest to conquer Kingpin.