Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


X-Men Gold Annual #1 Review: Visiting the Britain Family

Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, and Rachel Grey of the X-Men have been invited to visit Captain Britain and Meggan's new baby. The five of them have a connection thanks to their Excalibur days, and the three X-Men are eager to see Brian and Meggan's child.

Meanwhile, Starhammer, an alien whose species was wiped out by the Dark Phoenix, has an axe to grind with Rachel, current Prestige and former Phoenix.

In a back-up story, a girl and her aunt venture to see Storm in New York City.

X-Men Gold Annual #1 cover by Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and Chris Sotomayor
X-Men Gold Annual #1 cover by Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and Chris Sotomayor

I know, I just went on a tear about the current state of X-Men comics during my review of Astonishing X-Men #7, but I had to give this one a look because of the Excalibur connection. That was always a quirky and cool team, and Captain Britain has always had a place in my heart. I'll probably be revisiting X-Men: Blue thanks to yet another Venom crossover event.

To make this more awkward, I actually really liked the X-Men Gold Annual. It's weird and has a lot of heart to it.

Brian and Meggan's daughter is a super-smart baby. Before you begin having Baby Geniuses nightmares, this one is actually cute and endearing. It doesn't spout off adora-one-liners. It's actually a curious and charming infant trying to understand the world in which it lives.

The only drawback is a weirdly selfish breakdown Meggan has over the baby. She wanted to raise a normally developing child, but Rachel and Kitty are able to calm her down. It's not a good or relatable moment because it makes Meggan appear to despise who her crazy intelligent baby is.

The Starhammer plot turns into a fight, of course, but the ending to it is actually kind of sweet and clever. Guggenheim and Williams pull some good moves on this one.

The back-up story is actually quite good, too. It's an endearing and optimistic tale of a young girl trying to meet her hero while navigating the prejudices people hold against mutants and the X-Men. It discusses the importance of heroes, optimism, and looking out for one another. It also ends in a delightfully satisfying manner.

Its main flaws are the cheesy dialogue like, "Stormazing," and some of the random pop culture drops that shallowly make the kid seem modern (Flo Rida, Harry Styles).

X-Men: Gold Annual #1 art by Alitha E. Martinez, Craig Yeung, Jay David Ramos, and Dono Sanchez-Almara
X-Men: Gold Annual #1 art by Alitha E. Martinez, Craig Yeung, Jay David Ramos, and Dono Sanchez-Almara

Alitha E. Martinez gives the art for the first portion of the book, and, with the exception of the occasionally odd face, it is quite good. Captain Britain's costume looks especially good, and Starhammer looks pretty neat too. Jay David Ramos and Dono Sanchez-Almara's color work is quite good, too, and the first portion is overall bright and appealing.

Djibril Morissette-Phan's artwork in the short backstory looks quite good too, and Michael Garland's color art matches it in style and quality.

X-Men: Gold Annual #1 still gives me some hope for the current run of X-Men comics. It's still flawed, and I by no means think this is some kind of turning point. However, it is quite enjoyable as a standalone story, and the team does a very good job of turning in an emotional and upbeat tale. I recommend this one. Check it out.



Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Joshua DavisonAbout Joshua Davison

Josh is a longtime super hero comic fan and an aspiring comic book and fiction writer himself. He also trades in videogames, Star Wars, and Magic: The Gathering, and he is also a budding film buff. He's always been a huge nerd, and he hopes to contribute something of worth to the wider geek culture conversation. He is also happy to announce that he is the new Reviews Editor for Bleeding Cool. Follow on Twitter @joshdavisonbolt.
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.