Writer: Gerry Duggan
Art: Joshua Cassara, GURU-eFX, VC’s Clayton Cowles, Martin Coccolo, Jesus Aburtov, Jay Bowen, and Tom Muller
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$3.99
Release Date: September 28th, 2022
One of the best stories to hit the X-Men books since Jonathan Hickman began his run gets revisited in this week’s X-Men #15 by Gerry Duggan. Let’s dive into X-Men #15 as Duggan revisits a group of hyper-evolved humans from a civilization where time proceeds quicker than our own – otherwise known as the Vault! Yet every time the X-Men confront these Children of the Vault, they retrogress to the Vault, developing and adapting further, becoming even more advanced, and harder to thwart with each evolution. However, will they be stopped this time? Let’s jump in and find out as X-Men #15 of kicks off!
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 X-Men #15 Review.
THE DISPATCH
After realizing the success that the Vault arc had, Duggan decides to revisit one of the most creative stories to hit any X-book in years. And after exploring the first pages of X-Men #15, you’ll see that the very same creativity hasn’t been forgotten. To those comic fans who love high-tech, time-warping, fake-out narratives, X-Men #15 is right up your alley. Readers will get all the action, death, destruction, and devastating effects without all the consequences throwing a wicked curveball as this issue kicks off.
Moreover, Forge fans will get an absolute kick out of this issue. It’s been a long time since he’s been the main man of an issue. And, it looks like many more to come until this arc is complete. Additionally, fans will instantly see the time and thought Duggan had to invest in order to make this issue work. Readers will continue to say, “well, what if…” as they flip through the pages only to discover Duggan arriving prepared with almost all of those answers. There is no doubt he most certainly did his homework.
And lastly, I love the premise of X-Men #15. The fight that always appears to be between the Children of the Vault and the X-Men expands to the entire Universe… as it should if readers would take a step back to see what the Vault is actually creating. The Vault is something to be feared by humanity just as much as mutantkind. Yet it’s never been looked at from that angle until now. Their abilities and powers would make them a force coupling these essentials with a drive that would put them on a collision course with universal destruction on a scale just as big as any threat Marvel has ever seen. Frankly, Duggan has created a premise this reviewer would love to see play out in an actual event.
ART
Joshua Cassara and GURU-eFX had an absolute field day this week. The plethora of characters, mayhem, and action they got to portray was downright impressive. Character deaths from the Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider top the list of outstanding renderings showcasings the range Cassara has which should hopefully open up more writers to scoop him up post haste.
However, this should come across as no surprise. These two rockstars have been on X-Force with Ben Percy and knocking it out of the park ever since. Ultimately, it’s their painted, almost portrait tone that I simply can’t get enough of. The texture is real, the fights are raw, and each scene is graphic with amazing detail. I hope Cassara and GURU-eFX get to stay on the book for a bit to show other readers what they can do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’re an X-Men fan, Duggan hits right at the heart of one of the best stories to come out of this developed Hickman Era. Sure, the love story aspect has been thrown to the wayside, however, Darwin hasn’t been forgotten! Moreover, Forge fans will love the science, scheming, and creative display surrounding the development of X-Men #15. The only knock I can really give the issue is that fans just jumping in should definitely read the issues pertaining to “The Vault” back in Hickman’s run, which I believe were X-Men #5 and X-Men #19 by Hickman. These will give fans a better foundation as to what they’re stepping into. So, fans that recently jumped on board with Duggan may be a bit confused. But otherwise, this story has the makings of something special. And this reviewer hasn’t been this excited about an X-book in months! Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!