Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Stefano Caselli

Color Artist: Federico Blee

Cover Artists: Russell Dauterman & Matt Hollingsworth

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Reviewer: StoryBabbler

Judgement Day has come, and Mars and the Arakkii mutants are under assault! However, the new mutant Brotherhood is far from out of this fight as Storm and Magneto rally their teammates and brethren to press on. See how the Brotherhood deals with the war machines of Uranos the Eternal in X-Men Red #6.

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 Red #6 Review.

Review:

The issue picks up from the last one with the Arakkii mutants, or what’s left of them, trying to fend off Uranos’ war machines that were left to mop up the rest. However, we also got to see that some of the leaders of Arakko are far from finished as we see here. The introduction to the issue has a slow start and is a little underwhelming but the comic gets right into the action after that.

Al Ewing finds a unique way to make use of all the Arakkii mutants as far as characters and their powers, some more substantial than others. He finds a way to provide both recap on past events, current events, and the fight to come in the comic. It’s all about the martian mutants fighting for survival against Uranos’ war machines that come in a wide variety of forms, weapons, and abilities, some looking excitably Sci-Fi and others looking out of place in the story.

But like previous issues in this series, Magneto is the meat of this story. The comic gives exactly what people would be expecting after seeing Magneto seemingly rise from the dead in the previous issue. Now, the comic does provide an explanation for this extreme application of Magneto’s powers. I won’t lie, I don’t buy it, but Al Ewing uses this to the fullest in this comic setting up a set of strengths and weaknesses for Magneto in this “enhanced” state. In the end, Magneto steals the show once again as the main character, more than Storm who plays more like a supporting character.

It’s even Magneto’s fight that ends up dominating most of the pages in this comic book. His opponent in the comic is an…odd choice to put it mildly. But it’s here where readers will get all of the best action, dialogue, character interactions, and artwork. Speaking of artwork, Stefano Caselli and Federico Blee really pull out the big guns for this issue same as the previous one. They convey the wide range of character expressions, their designs, and definitely the action. There’s even a cool moment with Magneto and Storm in the fight that I won’t spoil, but it’s not bad.

SPOILERS:

Now, here’s where I get into some negatives and spoil a few things for this comic and A.X.E.: Judgement Day #4. So fair warning for spoilers in both comics.

Now, by the end of this comic, Storm, Magneto, and co. realize that to truly defeat Uranos’ war machines, they need to defeat the man himself. They don’t do that here of course, and we see this fight play out in the fourth issue of Judgement Day. Here’s the thing: the fight with Uranos is pretty quick and underwhelming. I won’t spoil any more than that, but it’s not going to be as epic as this issue builds it up to be. For those wondering if we’ll see it play out in more detail in the next issue, it’s possible but unlikely, at least for a good portion of the comic. Why? Several reasons.

First, the synopsis says that the next issue will focus on dealing with Isca the Unbeaten, (the lady in red and gold armor). Which means she could take up a lot of the pages in the comic. Second, the next issue will have too much on its plate. There are still multiple subplots that were set up from the series’ beginning that are still unresolved, like Vulcan’s madness. Third, there’s still the whole matter of Abigail Brand and what she’s been up. So, there’s going to be a lot for the next issue to wrap up and set up, which means the fight with Uranos will likely be a quick handful of pages at best before transitioning to the real main story.

Final Thoughts:

X-Men Red #6 continues to show the Arakkii mutants’ defenders fend off against the war machines of the Eternal Uranos. Like previous issues, Magneto and his fight steal the show for most of the comic in terms of action, dialogue, and art. There is an explanation for his current state of being, but readers’ mileage will vary on whether or not they buy it.

7/10