Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Ramón Pérez, David Curiel, VC’s Clayton Cowles, Tom Muller, and Ben Oliver

Release Date: July 15th, 2020

Price: $4.99

Jonathan Hickman resumes his one-shots accentuating some of Marvel’s best and brightest artists. Now, he aligns with Ben Oliver to provoke a story about the Master of Magnetism, Magneto! Krakoa may be merely for mutants, but mutants nonetheless are expected to do business with the human world around them. Let’s dive into this issue to see what deals are made with the Master of Magnetism in this week’s GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: MAGNETO #1 by Jonathan Hickman.

This one-shot was intriguing, to say the least. As usual, Hickman gives readers a cold open and requires X-fans to discover the direction and purpose of the narrative. By the end of the issue, readers will see who Magneto is doing business with, however, the objective and motive for the transaction were a bit opaque. Additionally, a few of the focuses seemed a bit trivial and caused this reader to wonder the overall point of this story, as well as these Giant-Size issues across-the-board. Are they exclusively to showcase the artist who has dabbled in X-titles in the past with no real narrative drive or importance? Furthermore, rumors have spiraled that these Giant-Size issues all intertwine somehow and in some fashion. Maybe fans need all the pieces to see the puzzle? But I, myself, need the puzzle box as a guide and I simply can’t see how or why these Giant-Size issues fit together. So, this reviewer is leaning towards speculation and rumor on that front as of today. However, I could be wrong.

Readers, it’s an incredibly fast story and easy to follow. By the end of the issue, the anecdote does feel complete but the art was a bit confusing at times, especially during the action sequences in the water. Did the beast swallow Magneto or not? And if not, how did he escape? Plus, I wonder if too much happened too fast which merely added to the disorganized context of some of the elements to the story. For example, the INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE portion of the story where Magneto has to choose the correct shell didn’t really make sense within the story or have a genuine purpose that I picked up on. I’m still a bit perplexed as to which shell Magneto chose. Did he NOT choose a shell at all but destroyed one instead? My point: the speed of the narrative mixed with too many quick aspects within the story culminated into difficult complications of understanding within this week’s tale. Readers, a ton happens in a short amount of time with very little direction and pacing to make your head spin. If that’s your cup of tea, then this issue is for you.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As Hickman’s stories go, this wasn’t his best work. However, even the average Hickman tale is better than many writers and storytellers today. In general, this week’s GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: MAGNETO #1 seems to be solely for the Magneto fans of the world. The overall story could easily be summarized in one or two sentences to catch fans up later who truly need to know what happened in this issue for future events, especially if it’s deemed important. However, right now, it seems like an extra issue that’s not overly significant to the Dawn of X or X of Swords landscape. If money’s tight, I’d skip it this week. Nevertheless, if Hickman is your guy and Magneto is your man, I’d pick it up to see his underwater adventure as well as the special guest star that makes for a dynamic pair.

7.9/10

If you’re interested in GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: MAGNETO #1, click HERE to get a copy! If you’ve been really digging Hickman’s X-MEN, click HERE to get your hands on related trades, volumes, and issues. Lastly, if the X-MEN are your all-time favorite hero team, click HERE to snag some of the very best issues and trades from this extraordinary team throughout the years. 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.