Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: andres genolet, angel, Beast, bloodstorm, cullen bunn, cyclops, emma frost, fantasy, iceman, Jean Grey, magneto, Marvel Comics, matt milla, sci-fi, superheroes, white queen, x-men, x-men blue

X-Men Blue #32 Review: Blue vs. Magneto for the Fate of Emma Frost

Magneto wants the White Queen dead, and he is willing to tear through however many people it takes to make that happen. The X-Men refuse to let Emma fall, so they are now dueling their recent ally in the streets. Worse yet, Magneto is on Mutant Growth Hormone and even more powerful than usual. Can the X-Men save Emma's life? Can this team be salvaged?

As we've established, I'm an easy sale when it comes to compelling Magneto stories, and X-Men Blue continues to provide one with this comic. It's not often we get a wounded and vulnerable Magneto, but Cullen Bunn is giving us one here. Emma put him in the position of killing mutants with the Mothervine, and the X-Men abandoned him when he needed them most. Erik is processing these emotions in the only way he knows: violence, destruction, and threats of death.

Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Bunn showed us an Erik Lensherr like this in his Magneto solo series from a few years back, so it shouldn't surprise me that Bunn is so good at telling a story like this.

There are moments that don't quite click. The X-Men are a little too forgiving of Erik considering he was just threatening to kill random bystanders. They're even soft on Emma in the wrap-up sequence. Also, there's a random moment where Cyclops thinks Beast is dead that serves no purpose other than the briefest of shocks and raised stakes that immediately dissipates when Erik somehow instinctively knows that Hank isn't dead.

Andres Genolet's work has its ups and downs. There are scenes where the team can look randomly cartoonish, and mouths and lips get an odd treatment. That said, Magneto still gets plenty of panels of badassery, and the X-Men's powers look quite cool throughout the book. Matt Milla once again provides a vibrant and eye-catching color palette, giving this comic an extra jolt of vitality through its visuals.

X-Men Blue #32 works very well for me, but, once again, Magneto is my all-time favorite villain/anti-hero/whatever he is on any given week. This is a classic duel between the original X-Men and their greatest foe; the only differences are the stakes, setting, and context (okay, that's pretty much everything, shut up). I dug the hell out of it and can recommend this book easily. Check it out.

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