X-Men #37: Omega-Level Title Card

X-Men #37 diverges from the middle pages of DNX #1, jumping almost immediately into the psychic battle between Kid Omega and Cassandra Nova. Primarily, the issue is both a flashy battle and an interesting ideological clash, fitting for a conflict taking place in a psychic battleground. Cassandra represents what Quentin could have become, with viciousness and cruelty misdirected at the wrong target.

As simultaneously one of the most powerful and overly boastful members of the X-Men, Quentin is a character many fans have a love/hate relationship with, myself included. He has been both the heart of many teams and also the most annoying member, sometimes even taking up both slots in one issue. By going up against Xavier’s evil twin, Quentin is taking on his own character arc, meaningfully separated from the X-Men in a life-or-death showdown.

While the fight serves its purpose for the ongoing DNX event, it’s also Kid Omega’s way of putting it all on the line. There isn’t a more dangerous telepathic villain than Cassandra Nova in Marvel’s catalogue, and Quentin diving into her twisted mind solo would be a suicide mission for most heroes. Despite the fact that Quentin doesn’t actually change because of the fight, he takes on a meaningful leading role for the first time since his storylines on Krakoa.

The confrontation’s artwork is brutal and packs the violence of Quentin and Cassandra’s psychic duel. Panel lines thin out, and the weight between panels tilts right and left as both psychic powerhouses go all-out in a dangerous “brainscape.” Certain pages turn into a literal bloodbath, turning the panels’ lines into gory red waves and a page’s gutters into all-consuming darkness that enhances the action’s savagery with a heavy punch.

Arthur Hesli’s coloring is similarly gritty and powerful. Both the colorful psychic trails that Quentin leaves and the sandy texture of the brainscape’s desert add immersion to the issue, allowing the reader to get lost in the page turns as the characters move from panel to panel. The issue tosses around blood sprays, clouds of sand, and glowing energy plumes as dynamic lighting for the characters and the scenes.