Amazing X-Men #1 Is an Action-Packed but Isn’t a Revelation (Review)

“From the Ashes” started out like a house on fire, but the rise of DC’s Absolute Universe mostly kicked the X-Men books out of the top of the sales charts in late 2024. Since then, the X-Men books have been running on fumes, with books getting canceled and usual guaranteed sellers falling down the charts. “The Age of Overture” seems to be the next try to bring the X-Men books back to prominence, and Amazing X-Men #1 is one of the flagship titles of this three-month story. While the book does a great job with its fast-paced action, it’s basically alternate universe 101 in annoying ways.

Jed MacKay’s X-Men has been one of the better-selling X-Men books, and “The Age of Overture” is his baby. Amazing X-Men #1, in my opinion, has a lot of the same problems that X-Men has. I’m just going to come out and say it — MacKay should not be writing A-list team books, and Amazing X-Men is yet another example of why. This is a fine book, but it wears all of its surprises on its sleeve. MacKay’s X-Men mostly works because it copies the homework of two different X-Men series — Morrison’s New X-Men and Bendis’s Uncanny X-Men — and Amazing X-Men #1 only works as a story because it’s basically just doing the most basic alternate universe story you can imagine.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Fast-paced action that keeps readers engaged	This is the most basic alternate universe story ever, with nothing special going on
The art is detailed and well-rendered	Telegraphs the series’ twist within the first few pages
	There’s no hook to make readers keep reading unless they already like MacKay’s X-Men

As far as plot goes, this book is basically just about running from Revelation to get Cyclops the information he needs to stop Revelation in the past. It’s simple, and there are several little “surprises” that will be revealed as the book goes on that are basically telegraphed to readers already. The book shows off an important X-Men location to show the changes to the world, and mostly revolves around the X-Men running from the Angel of Death, Wolverine. That’s pretty much the whole book. As far as it goes, it’s not terrible, but it’s also not at all interesting if you’re not already invested in the ideas of “The Age of Revelation”. This is an “Age of Apocalypse” redux, and while it doesn’t copy that story, it’s still copying every basic alternate universe story ever.

If you like MacKay writing the X-Men, you’ll like this story. If you don’t and are giving this a try to see if “The Age of Revelation” is interesting, I don’t really see that happening with Amazing X-Men #1. There’s nothing wrong with the writing of this book, but there’s not enough to make this series a must-buy, or a must-read. “From the Ashes” has worn the X-Men down; a lot of people are using “The Age of Revelation” as an excuse to drop the books for three months. If they’re using Amazing X-Men #1 to give them a reason to read this story, that’s not going to happen.

Mahmud Asrar’s Art Gives a Mid Comic Great Art

MacKay does give readers, a fast-paced action-packed book, and Mahmud Asrar’s art does basically all of the heavy lifting for this comic. Asrar’s character designs look great, especially Glob Herman, fitting the tone of this hopeless future. The issue starts out in a lush forest, and Asrar’s pencils renders that beautifully. It’s an interesting way to show a dystopian future — lush and green, giving the impression that things are better, but there’s the feeling of wrongness. This is a jungle in the Northeastern United States; it’s not supposed to be there. Asrar’s background does some cool worldbuilding without using any words.

The action scenes are very cool; Asrar’s style lends itself well to giving readers kinetic action scenes, and that’s on display here. The line work throughout the book is strong, and the detail never flags. The character acting captures the emotional turmoil of the script, which helps put readers into the minds of the character. Amazing X-Men #1 looks fantastic, and that’s pretty much the only thing it has going for it.

Amazing X-Men #1 is yet another example of “From the Ashes”‘s weaknesses. This is the most basic alternate universe story ever, and while I wouldn’t call it badly written, it’s not going to make anyone realize that “The Age of Revelation” is actually amazing. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the great art, this book would have nothing going on for it. Amazing X-Men #1 is a book with a mid script and gorgeous art; if you’re not already invested in “The Age of Revelation”, this issue isn’t for you.

Amazing X-Men #1 is on sale now.

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