X-Men Forever #3: Parental Triangulation

It’s odd, but deeply satisfying to witness Mystique being so expertly redefined as one possessed by monstrous lovez and over the past three years Gillen has done so with deliberation. The family squabble at the center of this book (Mystiques rage and love vs Irene’s selfish terror, and Kurt caught between them trying to diffuse the violence) plays out in a manner that will be instantly familiar, despite the presence of massive firearms, to adult survivors of dysfunctional parents. Gillen’s greatest strength as a writer is his ability to wrap a nugget of dazzling psychological realism in the candy coating of this genre and its tropes.

The fact that he has managed to do so, here, in a believable way, while still furthering the plot of the story, is a testament to his skill as a writer — even if he did have to clean up another one a lesser writer’s messes in order to do it. Seriously, I’m glad to see the end of the ‘Hope Sword’ and all the fetishized Haller nonsense that accompanied it, especially when it was painfully obvious that, during the conversation between Nightcrawler and Exodus, the word they were groping for was ‘faith’ and not ‘hope’. 

As I said, this family drama occurred in the middle of a literal warzone, one which tied together stories from over three years, across the entirety of the X-Men, including the mostly-forgotten Rogue and Gambit series. The fact that Gillen managed to grant each character at least one moment of real emotional heft was a testament to his tremendous skill.

In this medium, the skill of the writer is defined by the skill of the artist. Luca Maresca is an artist of tremendous skill, and he has brought his greatest strengths to this story. The body language of his characters conveys as much as the dialogue (Destiny, stiff and fearful in an unlikely embrace was a highlight) and his action scenes are both well shot and tremendously impactful.