For fans of the current era of Marvel’s X-Men, X-Men: Xavier’s Secret #1 won’t be exactly new. The one-shot collects the first six issues of X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic which were released last year. But the repackaging aside, the series (or rather, this issue) offers two stories that are worth revisiting: Jean Grey and Scott Summers dealing with surprisingly relatable relationship issues before Jean’s departure from Earth and a revelation of Charles Xavier’s crimes during the Fall of the House of X.
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Written by Alex Paknadel, X-Men: Xavier’s Secret offers two complete stories with two very different tones. In the first, “Eversong”, Paknadel explores what’s next for Jean and Scott now that she’s taken on the Phoenix — less in terms of what that means for the world and mutantkind, but what it means for them as a couple. It’s an interesting take on the situation, one that shines an important and needed light on the interpersonal relationship between these two characters. Framed as a horror story that happens to be set during a getaway for Jean and Scott, readers follow as something is luring people into the frigid Norwegian landscape searching for something. After a bit of conflict over Scott not being exactly forthright with Jean, Scott ends up among those being lured on the mysterious search. What works here is that we get to see Scott’s vulnerability and his genuine fears as well as how Jean doesn’t quite seem to hold them with the same weight he does. It’s an interesting look at the dynamic of their relationship and while the story ends in a seemingly solid place, readers might find themselves asking just how secure they really are.
Where the story falters, however, is that it tries to make a parallel between what is going on between Scott and Jean with the mysterious force controlling the minds of those being lured into the cold. It’s a bit heavy-handed and doesn’t really land. Whether or not it’s intentional, Jean comes across as misguided as the force she’s up against when it comes to Scott. The story’s horror framing also falls a little short with a too-tidy reveal of what is actually going on.
As for the second story, we delve into Sally Floyd’s investigation of Charles Xavier’s acts during the war, watching as the journalist spirals from simply doing a news story into a full-on conspiracy theory investigation, all while burdened by her own demons. In terms of the two stories, this one is a bit more successful. We follow along as Sally grows more and more obsessed with finding answers, digging deeper into Charles’ motivations and trying to sort out what would make him do the awful things he was accused of. However, the story doesn’t exactly exonerate Charlies. Sally does indeed get the full story, but we find that she’s gotten the full story a few times before — and every time Charlies meddles with it. There’s no real resolution, just what is presented as a seemingly temporary act of mercy that is likely to have consequences down the road.
In terms of art — both stories feature Diogenes Neves with colors by Arthur Hesli — both stories are visually pleasing. Particularly, “What Charlie Did…” is very nuanced, with Sally’s grief and self-sabotage through drinking presented in a way that feels like it goes deeper than the words on the page. This is especially noticeable when we get to the end and we see Sally transformed and what starting over looks like for her. The art is similarly nice in “Eversong”, though all of the characters have sort of a skeletal appearance that is, at points, a little distracting.
With the X-Men about to clash with the upcoming “Raid on Graymalkin” crossover and Jean’s adventures in the Phoenix series ongoing, putting the X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic together is good timing. Not only does it remind regular readers of the events that brought them here, but for those who have been following the team less closely since the start of the Krakoa era, it serves as a quick primer for what might be an explosive next chapter. But while it’s timely and helpful, X-Men: Xavier’s Secret #1 feels mostly like a bridge to these larger stories. With some slight missteps in the stories being told, it feels like this is one series that didn’t necessarily need revisiting.
Published by: Marvel Comics
On: January 22, 2025
Written by: Alex Paknadel
Art by: Diogenes Neves
Colors by: Arthur Hesli
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
