While the mutants of Krakoa have opened their shores to heroes and celebrities of the Marvel Universe, the Children of the Atom are stuck on the outside. Let’s take a closer look as Benny (Marvel Guy) takes center stage in Children of the Atom #4. Brought to us by Vita Ayala, Paco Medina, David Curiel, and Travis Lanham.
Kenneth Laster: It looks like I can loosen the tie on my rented tux this week and put on a backward baseball cap! We are back to hanging out with our fellow teens. What were your initial thoughts as we sit at the lunch table, away from the hubbub of the Hellfire Gala?
Cassie Tongue: I was ready for a party! I appreciate how Children of the Atom has its own storyline. As someone drawn to character beats and connections this issue kept me entertained. I didn’t even need telepathic concerts or drunken Hellions. Never mind hot mutants in magnificent gowns. Okay, maybe I wish we were at the gala a little bit. Anyway, onward!
B-B-Benny and the X(kids)
Cassie: This issue continues the trend of switching narrative voice. In Children of the Atom #4, we get to swim a little deeper with Benny, AKA Marvel Lad. Benny has been consistent in the first few books: a pessimist, a quick wit, protective of his younger brother Daycrawler (or Nighty-Nightcrawler, as he might prefer). Benny is angry, but that’s mostly all surface-level stuff. The anger hides a lot of pain. It’s no surprise his belongings are covered in Deadpool and Wolverine iconography. He clearly admires their strength. It’s part of why he has the username “Weapon Xtra” on Vibecloud. P.S. “Snikt Snakt” is a hell of a song title.
Benny says he discovered early on he was replaceable and learned not to need anyone in return. He says his chosen family is everything. So it makes sense that we see the powers he uses as Marvel Guy are the ones he names in a flashback as the most dangerous. Benny wants to keep his people safe. What do you think about Benny and this new perspective on our kids?
Kenneth: As always, I love how much thought and care Vita Ayala gives each of these kids. I was nervous about getting to Benny and Jay Jay. Their archetypes fall out of the realm of characters I’d normally be interested in. I am happy to be wrong. Ayala gives us another great insightful look, not just at this character but how he exists in this world. Ayala subverts Benny’s emo edgelord persona. Instead, he is fiercely protective of those he loves. Many writers of teen characters would stop at edgy and go no further, but not Ayala. The extra thought put into Benny makes him feel like a full character with honest and relatable motivations. The motivation to protect the few he lets in plays out in the action beats, like when Benny is caught trying to save Jay Jay.
The POV prose of Children of the Atom #4 could fall into a kind of tell-not-show situation. The exciting interior lives do not take away from the plot, a credit to Ayala’s writing. The character quirks are relevant to the ongoing story. Considering all the delays, hiccups, and shuffling around this title, it’s genuinely impressive how Ayala manages to keep the characters so defined. Are there any more developments on Benny we should discuss?
Cassie: Maybe not about Benny, but the team. We’ve learned a lot about the team’s interpersonal relationships. CotA #4 exposes the central love triangle hinted at in issue #1. The love triangle between Buddy, Carmen, and Gabe is messy, queer, and relatable. There are many social hiccups, but they come down to awkward adolescent misinformation. Kenneth, wanna talk about teenagers in love?
Kenneth: Oh yes! We get some good drama for my gossip-starved life right now in that we have love triangle developments. In the first issue, Buddy pines after Gabe and is sad because she says he and Carmen have a “connection.” Later on, we see Carmen pining for Buddy. In this issue, we have verbalization from Carmen that she is a Lesbian. She assumes everyone already knows. Much like her mutant inspiration Scott Summers, she has no idea what is happening in her social circle at all, which is quite funny.
I also have a minor dark horse theory of Buddy maybe not a great person? Not in a like, “big bad” way, but in a very believable “oh no, my white friend is caucasian caucasian” way. She’s very much been the pioneer of pursuing the mutant identity thing to certain extremes beyond the rest of her friends. I can see it being a part of her being a single-minded leader archetype. There’s something about her assuming her two Black friends were together over a shared “connection” that makes me question all of it.
It would not be unheard of for white people to cling to a cultural identity they feel entitled to, whether they belong or not, to feel more special. It’s all very topical, although I could be completely wrong. It would definitely be an interesting gradient to the series. After all, these kids are now explicitly (mostly) human, so we are already wading in the waters of an appropriation allegory. It appears very possibly Buddy may serve as a window into that.
That’s [not] a mutant
Kenneth: Every issue we learn just a little bit more about these kids. The recap page officially drops the pretense of the kids maybe being mutants, all except for Carmen. What are your initial thoughts on the book somewhat unceremoniously dropping the ambiguity here, Cassie?
Cassie: It’s not surprising! Now that we’re on the other side of the Carmen reveal from the previous issue, maintaining ambiguity would more likely hold the story back rather than let us evolve. Ayala’s confidence and deftness with story evolution keep us moving forward. We’ve had three issues to consider how we feel about these kids. In issue #4, we see more of who they are, and we can start tackling conflicts and story beats in earnest. What do you think about the new status quo and the flashback scene?
Kenneth: I am a little torn on the ambiguity drifting away. I think this premise shifting reveal needed to be clearer in the text. The first couple of issues were very much in the vein of “they aren’t mutants, but there’s something else going on.” The overall mystery boxing of this era of X-books muddled what could have been a more obvious human cosplayers reveal. Here, it feels a bit abrupt. I agree with you. That said, the deception helps the reader develop sympathy for these characters before we dive into dealing with the implications of their actions and behaviors.
On to the flashback! We see what these kids’ deal is and where their power originates. We also get at the crux of Benny’s role within the group. Benny’s protective nature kicks in, and we see his responsibility for the most dangerous power. It’s good for comics to acknowledge how pheromone powers are so weird and ethically dubious. It is an interesting choice for the explicitly ace character to be responsible for those powers.
They’re Only U-Men
Cassie: You know when you want to crash a party and then you get attacked by people who want to harvest you for mutant parts? That’s never a fun time. The fight raises concerns for what might happen to these kids. Will their identities be revealed? The fight also increases the stakes. There’s a connection to the characters and when they are in danger, we feel the threat all the more. Medina and Curiel bring new clarity to the action sequences here, and it’s all leading up to another surprise ending. What’s your take on the fisticuffs?
Kenneth: Listen, I am still the sicko who misses Bernard Chang on Children of the Atom but I cannot deny the effectiveness of Medina’s panel layouts. The clarity of the fight layout shows how fast the kids were taken down. I agree with you Cassie, everything we’ve learned about the kids so far has raised the stakes, especially following Benny’s emotional monologue. Overall, Children of the Atom #4 really sells his rescue of Jay Jay.
Speaking of Jay Jay, we are on the precipice of everything coming together as the next issue will focus on his perspective. I suspect we’ll see these U-Men’s connection to Gorilla Man and his ominously big helping hands. There’s no way to have answers come to light like the attempted harvesting of genetic material that only one of you might possess (this feels like a sentence Mr. Sinister once said). That’s all for a future issue. Any final thoughts on our juveniles in jeopardy?
Cassie: It feels like we are rocketing towards a reckoning. There’s nothing like harvesting to lay all your secrets bare, you know? And with the X-Men coming to the rescue and revelations on the horizon, things are going to get intense. I’m ready for it, and I trust the team to tackle the complex issues at play with the gravity they deserve.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Benny’s bass drum is decorated with the words Phoenix Force because of course, it is.
- Buddy reassures Benny that if they got to Krakoa, they really would meet Wolverine: “We could make a beeline to the first Krakoan bar to make sure.” These kids know their mutants.
- We need a six-issue mini on Wolverine’s shirtless photoshoot for that poster in Benny’s room.
- Browsing UncannyUniverse for mutant news? Try these videos: ‘What’s up with the X-Men and swords?’ and ‘Which heavy-hitting X-Men have been seen cuddling in public? The answer may shock you!’
Kenneth Laster is a critic, cartoonist, and cryptid with a movie degree.
Cassie is an arts and culture writer living on Gadigal land in Australia. For 10 years she’s been working as a professional theatre critic, and is delighted to finally be writing about her other love: comics, baby.
