Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Rogê Antônio, Stephen Segovia, Rain Beredo, and Ariana Maher
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$3.99
Release Date: July 7th, 2021
The HELLIONS are tumbling asunder. Havok’s embarrassment and guilt of his placement on the team proceed to sever him farther from the others. Greycrow continues to pursue Psylocke with no prevail while Psylocke remains wavering between her team and Sinister’s sway. Meanwhile, Orphan-Maker continues to be ignored by Nanny as her love forges forth towards her new Smiley A.I. baby she discovered from the Right. However, even with all this team turmoil, our HELLIONS will need to find a way to rally together soon because the Right wants that baby back post-haste and something else extra sinister is brewing on the horizon! Let’s dive into HELLIONS #13 by Zeb Wells to see if the team can get their $&@$ together before it’s too late.
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CLONE CONSPIRACY
The chickens are coming home to roost Bobby Boucher! And, Wells uses HELLIONS #13 to zig when X-fans thought he was going to zag. Look no further than the cover of this issue to sprinkle some light onto the $&@$ storm Sinister, Kwannon, and the rest of the HELLIONS are ready to face. Nevertheless, this reviewer was stunned at the big reveal as the curtain was pulled back towards the conclusion of the issue. There is no doubt Sinister’s Secrets will be revealed before this story arc is complete. However, what will remain in the wake of these secrets? Only time will tell and I, for one, can’t wait to find out! Plus, Wells barely scratches the surface on the mutant A.I.!
Now, not only was this installment of HELLIONS cleverly fetching but it spiraled back to prior storylines, which this reviewer absolutely loves. Oftentimes, writers and creative teams dive into a riveting story never to pick it back up again. Maybe it’s due to the series ending? Maybe it’s simply because they chose not to dive back in? However, when a creative team re-enters a past plot thread that was believed to fade into the abyss, it makes the reader feel like their comic is important and valued. It gets fans reinvested and entices readers to go back and reread past issues. That’s exactly how you’ll feel after HELLIONS #13. And, I highly recommend going back to rediscover some of the intriguing concepts of the connecting issues you may have missed before, including the Hodge issue as well as the X OF SWORDS tie-in.
ART
Rogê Antônio does an admirable job mirroring what Stephen Segovia has done in the past as well as on the covers. Yet, I found myself struggling in smaller panels to distinguish the facial expressions and mannerisms of the characters due to the dark line work and heavy shading. There was simply less definition than what HELLIONS readers might be accustom to. However, when given ample space to spread out the story, the detail and components made HELLIONS the visual display it’s been in the past. Additionally, when sufficient space was given, some of the facial utterances were a bit elongated and more cartoony than transpired in prior issues. All that being said, Antônio still delivers a commendable display that helped enhance Wells plot placing readers into the belly of the story.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even though Wells’ Sinister wasn’t as snarky or witty as he’s been in the past, HELLIONS #13 was still wildly intriguing and full of surprises that will keep readers waiting for the ax to fall. I can’t help but feel for Kwannon as this issue wraps hoping the team can understand the circumstances set before her. Additionally, as Wells threw the curveball that was this week’s Sinister Clone Conspiracy at our feet, readers are still left wondering more about Smiley and this mutant A.I.! I can’t help but be excited for the future of the series as this reviewer continues to champion this title as one of the best X-MEN titles on the market. There is no doubt that readers need to pick this issue up post haste! And afterward, let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!