Writer: Gerry Duggan, Ben Percy, and Leah Williams

Art: Lucas Werneck, Nolan Woodard, VC’s Clayton Cowles, Tom Muller, Stephen Segovia, and Sunny Gho

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 5th, 2020

The Scarlet Witch yearned to undo her negligence from the past by restoring millions of the dead Genoshan’s. However, what’s returned from the dead were mutant zombies. Needless to say, when the Cotati touched down in Genosha to invade, the plant creatures from space were met with a bit of a surprise. But that’s not all! Thrust smack in the middle of this plant vs zombie crusade is a small group of X-Men AND the botanical Golden Girls otherwise known as the Hordeculture. Let’s dig down deep into this week’s EMPYRE: X-MEN #2 by Gerry Duggan, Ben Percy, and Leah Williams to see if this situation could possibly grow into something worse.

Ladies, Gentlemen, and elderly nursing home attendees, this issue was one of the most exciting and action-packed X-Men issues since Jonathan Hickman rebooted our beloved X-Men. From page one, the fighting is relentless! Plus, the interaction between the Hordeculture and Magik was almost inspiring. Duggan, Percy, and Williams melted their styles together and cultivated an extremely dynamic and fun second installment that was genuinely one of my favorite X-issues to date AND the best EMPYRE issue overall, which includes the main titles!

Magik takes center stage in this issue, as well as the Hordeculture. Sure Jamie Madrox, Penance, and Angel get their fair shake but they mostly take a back seat to the main ladies who manage to find common ground in an attempt to salvage whatever they can from Genosha. Now, I know there are many X-titles on the market right now but this reader absolutely loves this team of mutants led by Magik and hopes to see more of this group (including the Golden Girls) in the future. Furthermore, the ending of the issue opens the door for even more inventive and creative mutant interactions that may inspire some fantastic future teams and storylines.

Moreover, the issue is fast, not too wordy or cluttered with word balloons, and super easy to follow even for new readers. Sure, some minor background on Magik’s abilities and the Hordeculture would be helpful to the newbies. But overall, this creative team hit the mark beautifully. The stakes felt high and the characters’ motivations were real and validated. The humor wasn’t too much and the story merged together nicely. The only aspect of the issue this reviewer felt was lacking was the zombie angle. However, there was so much going on this issue that you barely noticed they were missing in action until the issue wrapped up.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Duggan, Percy, and Williams did such an amazing job that this reviewer had a difficult time seeing any difference in writing style from one page to the next. They blended their styles together so well and formulated one of the best X-Men issues released since HOUSE OF X/ POWERS OF X. This X-fan couldn’t put the issue down and simply can’t wait for issue three. If you’ve been dying for action, Magik’s aggression, and the Golden Girls of botany, this issue is right up your alley. Readers will love this issue and I highly recommend picking this series up. It’s a must-read for any X-fan and frankly, is the best issue of EMPYRE I’ve read so far AND it’s a tie-in! Pick this issue up and let me know what you think.

9.3/10

If you’re interested in EMPYRE: X-MEN #2, click HERE to get a copy! If your interest has peeked towards this EMPYRE event, click HERE to get your hands on related trades, volumes, and issues. Maybe you’ve been really digging Hickman’s X-MEN run? In that case, click HERE to get your hands on the latest Dawn of X trades and comics. And finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for the read and continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.