Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Lucas Werneck, David Curiel, Erick Arciniega, VC’s Clayton Cowles, Tom Muller, Jay Bowen, and Mark Brooks
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 9th, 2023
To me , my… no one. Xavier had a dream. Now he has nothing. This is the Fall of X. Let’s dive into Immortal X-Men #14 by Kierron Gillen to see how Xavier is handling the events since the Hellfire Gala 2023 #1.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Immortal X-Men #14 Review.
THE DISPATCH
To any reader expecting to move on immediately from the events at the Hellfire Gala, come in prepared to wait a bit. Roughly a third of the issue is basically a replay of Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 which was rather disappointing (not the Gala this issue). I understand the need to catch fans up. However, this is where writers need to know their audience. Who’s diving into Immortal X-Men #14 that hasn’t read Hellfire Gala 2023 #1? Honestly, like two people. My point is that we wasted a third of the issue for a handful of people when we could have received more to THIS story now. And I absolutely hate when creative teams do that.
FINALLY, after our trip down memory lane from the Gala, fans see Sebastian Shawn’s play in all of this. Truthfully, not only did I expect to see more of this angle but readers also see very little for the page count given to this story beat. No one would be surprised to see that Shaw helped sell out his fellow mutants. Nevertheless, readers learned very little as to what he did and what he really gained from any of it. Gillen merely points out Shaw’s status quo and quickly moves on after wasting even more page count with little focus on the current state of affairs.
Keeping up with the same theme of trivial and wasted page count, readers get a little Xavier but we learn nothing more about him since the Gala. Will he attempt vengeance? Retribution? Suicide? Well, you won’t find out… anything really. Other than some outstanding art surrounding Xavier, we get absolutely nothing at all related to him.
So, what was the point of Immortal X-Men #14? I’m glad you asked! Literally, the final four pages. Now, if I tell you anything about those pages, I’d spoil literally the entire issue making the purchase of the comic rather pointless. So, I won’t do that. You’ll have to at least go to the shop and flip through to those last four pages on your own. Nevertheless, it’s those pages of value that will provide a sense of worth to the issue. However, I was not a fan of the biblical symbolism portrayed by Gillen on those pages. I feel like it was done in poor taste and merely played off of a certain character’s name in order to incorporate the symbolism.
ART
Lucas Werneck and David Curiel are definitely the highlights of Immortal X-Men #14. The opening pages with Charles really hit the mark in terms of his emotional and psychological state. Moreover, the facial smirks from Shaw as well as his surprised smugness were perfect examples of this art team understanding the characters well. The only real knock I can provide for the art team is that it appears as though they reused the same Charles panel numerous times throughout the issue instead of producing different angles, perspectives, and vantage points of his psychological state. It’s not the end of the world but it adds a sense of passivity in the creativity that doesn’t sit well with this reviewer, especially with the first third of the comic being a replay of events from the Gala already.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Immortal X-Men #14 doesn’t move the Fall of X forward much at all. It does provide one big answer at the very end of the issue. However, that doesn’t make it worth the buy since one could merely summarize that reveal in a sentence spoiling the very need for this issue at all. Charles, Shaw, and the recap make up 85 to 90 percent of Immortal X-Men #14 and provide no further foundation to the Fall of X making this installment rather skippable. Additionally, the biblical symbolism at this issue’s closure was also done in poor taste. Sure, I’ve seen far worse comics than this. Nevertheless, the story beats revealed for the cover price simply don’t match up well at all. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!