NYX #3: They got the beat, so pick up your feet…

NYX is back, and as the cover suggests, this issue focuses on Anole, everyone’s favorite lizard licking, big-armed New X-Man, who’s trying to make it in the big apple after Krakoa went down in flames. There’s a road side vigil at the gas station that’s in honor of the young mutant who was killed there last issue. We get a new status quo for Anole, and there’s a plot twist that I can’t wait to see play out. So let’s get on with it, shall we?

Lanzing and Kelly continue this run telling the story of these five disparate mutants who are trying to survive in this post Krakoan world. After last issue where we lost a mutant at a gas station, Kamala, Anole, Laura, and Sophie are there to pay their respects to one of their own, when they’re met by a group of anti-mutant protesters. As the two sides’ hostilities amp up, we see Caliban, Sobinur, and a handful of new Morlocks come up to pay their respects to the fallen. Seeing Lanzing and Kelly giving us some familiar faces who are forming memorable factions of the X-Men world before Krakoa is an interesting development. Especially having Caliban and Sobinur from Arakko as co-heads of the new Morlocks. Seeing someone like Anole, who’s mutation definitely marks him as being one of those who can’t hide who they are, opens the door for all types of character development. Seeing him join them, yet refuse to hide in the sewers opens up so many avenues to take him on, and makes him all the more interesting to me.

Kamala and Sophie’s relationship continues to grow, as Kamala ingratiates herself to her new mutant community, but after the twist I’m not sure where they’re going with this. Sophie being a plant by Empath opens the doors to so many things in the future, but one has to wonder how she will be able to mask the scents of Empath’s group from Laura, whose animal instincts are for sure to pick up the others scents. It’s clear that it’s going to set up some big confrontation between the two groups, but it all comes down to how it’s handled. Also, is all of this connected to Mojo, and his mutant growth hormone operation, or is that something that’s going to be addressed in Laura’s upcoming solo book? Lots of questions, and even though I’m not a fan of the Mojo reveal from last issue, I’ll give it a shot.

Francesco Mortarino’s art continues to improve with every issue, and I especially enjoyed his rendition of Caliban. No longer is he the gaunt looking ghoul who addresses himself in the third person, nor is he the muscle bound Hellhound of Apocalypse. He’s powerful, and proud of his mutant heritage. Yes, he’s back in the sewers, building a new Alley for other of the “ugly mutants” who aren’t able to hide their mutations from the “flatscans” (as a kid of the 90’s seeing this phrase brought back tickled me), but he’s not afraid to come to the surface and save those who need saving. Their tactics aren’t like those of the X-Men, who the Morlocks see as a force to keep the status quo with the pretty mutants. I’m excited to see who else is a part of Caliban and Sobinur’s new mutant community.

Lanzing, Kelly, and Mortarino’s run is shaping up to be more interesting than at first glance, I can see the threads coming together. Between Empath, and his newly formed group, to Mojo’s thriving MGH enterprise, to these new band of mutant hate groups, more specifically the Purifiers in this book, the crew are dropping plots that’ll help propel this series to at least 12 issues. Coming up with new ways to tell stories that don’t feel reductive to past stories is an arduous task, but I’m hopeful the team can accomplish that. It’s still not a perfect book, but it’s interesting enough to keep up with.