If there is anything that fascinates the celebrated comic writer – and one of my favorites – Grant Morrison, is an exploration and meta commentary on existence and the psyche. Although revamping the X-Men for the 2000s as a vehicle for this may strike as odd at first sight, what transpired is a landmark run that truly brought the Children of the Atom to the 21st century albeit with a very tragic start and a shift away from the classic costumes they are known for. By removing their greatest threat from the board and allowing them to breathe and have their own culture and taking hold new directions, it sparked so many new ideas and stories for the X-Men that I would unflinchingly state that this run is one I found very hard to put down.
It only stumbles during the climax as what (or who) you’d expect to be their greatest challenge becomes somewhat an emasculated presence regardless that their newfound sense of security made them ironically more vulnerable to their presence than ever. However the intention of how this is also a meta commentary on pushing outdated agendas makes perfect sense upon reflection. Also, knowing a lot of Morrison’s biography helps give the reader a deeper appreciation of this book, especially his love of Batesonesque metacommentary and it’s dizzying origins – screaming it’s presence outright in the final pages of his run. With the renaissance the title brought about, it hard to imagine what their world looked like after the floodgates had they never opened until Disney decided it preferred to supplant them with the Inhumans. Thank God they purchased their movie rights back and Jonathan Hickman brought them back to their former glory now…
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