The brutal conclusion to the âRed Waveâ storyline is here. The Uncanny X-Men face an unstoppable force of evil and death who reveals a shocking secret, but they may not survive long enough to face it. Will the next generation of young mutants stand by Rogue and her team or join the other side? Uncanny X-Men #5 is written by Gail Simone, drawn by David Marquez, colored by Matthew Wilson and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
Jake Murray: Welcome to another edition of ComicsXF ToX Uncanny X-Men. Ah cainât ⊠sorry ⊠I cannot wait to dig into the action from the last issue of this seriesâ first arc, but first of all, hello, Anna. Howâs it going?
Anna Peppard: My wrist isnât broken and Iâm not stuck reading sonnets with a speech therapist to try to cure my Canadian accent, so I guess Iâm mostly fine ⊠though like a lot of us, less fine than before Nov. 5. Anyway, the sun still rises and mutants are still uncanny and Iâm doing my best to focus on that.
Jake: This issue is a neat microcosm of this initial arc for me: overall enjoyable, but there are some ⊠curiosities, writing decisions that Iâve found quite distracting and detracting through these first five issues. The Charles Xavier girlfriend-in-a-retcon phenomenon weâve discussed at length in previous reviews is definitely one, its disconnectedness from continuity is another, and there are a couple more that rear their head in this issue that weâll get to later.
Now that weâve fired up our horses and rounded our vowels, letâs get to the issue.
Deus Ex Mutant
Jake: Plot summary time. Letâs keep this snappy. The issue opens on a rather bashful Rogue receiving elocution lessons, but itâs not long before reality begins to bleed through as the page turn reveals Rogue lying prostrate, bent and broken at the hands of Sarah Gaunt. As Sarah begins to torment and torture her, our hero is pulled onto the astral plan by Harvey X, the child she witnessed dying in the first issue. Harvey reveals his seemingly limitless power set, including telepathy, a healing factor and precognition. He reveals it was he who led The Outliers to the X-Menâs door to protect them from Sarah. It also turns out that, by touching her hand in the hospital in issue #1, he also lent Rogue his powers. She is then able to heal her broken wrist, get into Sarahâs head and wreck her MIND, BODY AND SOUL.
Meanwhile, the other X-Men and The Outliers prepare to battle Sarahâs assembled forces as they descend on Haven House in Louisiana. Mutants young and old hold back the zombie horde admirably, concluding in a beautiful moment of synchronicity as Gambit uses the Eye of Agamotto he stole in issue #1 to destroy Sarahâs army as his wife dispatches their leader.
For what itâs worth, the story also seems to absolve Xavier of any wrongdoing. It turns out Sarah wasnât pregnant with his child but wanted to trick him into thinking she was? She then got pregnant a few months later? I have to admit, I found this a bit confusing.
Anna: Itâs very confusing. First of all, Iâm confused about why we spent so very many valuable pages with Charles Xavier in this story arc, only to have him be completely unimportant except as a misdirect. Granted, this is a subjective gripe; you could argue we needed to spend that long with Charles to make the misdirect land. But for me, it doesnât land, partly because of the additional confusion around the timeline, where Sarah apparently tried to convince Charles she was pregnant a full year before she actually was.
It seems like it would make more sense for her to try to convince Charles the baby was his after she became pregnant? If only because this would help explain why heâs so central to her villain origin story. As presented, Charles is just some guy Sarah briefly dated before having a baby with a totally separate person in a presumably different country a year later. Short of âsheâs just crazy like thatâ (which doesnât help subvert the monstrous-mother trope weâve discussed in past reviews), I canât quite understand why Sarah is so focused on Charles. Maybe there will be more to it later? Maybe Charles is involved in the development of her powers, in some way? It does seem, in the flashbacks, that she intentionally seeks him out for some undisclosed reason. But it feels, right now, like weâve wrapped up Sarahâs story.
I do hope we revisit this story at some point, since I continue to have a lot of additional questions about what Sarahâs powers are and how she got them. I also have a ton of questions about her âfollowers.â But weâll dig into that in a bit.
Jake: The same applies to our new mutant Swiss army knife Harvey, who at least got a classic fade-into-the-ether exit to cap off his big hero turn. If Charlesâ exes are a staple of X-history, unearthing mutants with the power to control the world and everyone in it is another franchise classic. The way Simone and Marquez revealed Harvey X to be the deus ex machina mutant who saves the day was so ridiculous I sort of loved it. Breaking his and Rogueâs conversation up into three scenes, in which a new power is revealed each time via this ludicrous escalation of reveals, is funny to me because itâs very knowing.
The line âYes. Okay. Iâve been keeping another secret. Sorry.â prefacing the reveal of Harveyâs healing power after the previous two scenes had already revealed telepathy (via a classic âfade to whiteâ astral plane moment) and precognition (via a tantalizing array of future projections) reminds me of an improv troupe who are a little bit high off their own supply. Marquezâs construction of these panels is absolutely brilliant. He nails the punchline every time, whether by framing Harvey X as a literal Jesus figure standing among some absurd looking future timelines, or ironically downplaying his vast power by drawing his face with a cartoonish bashfulness, or giving him a smug Charles Xavier grin as he reveals his final secret. Itâs not played off really seriously, which is a relief because itâs almost impossible to take it that way.
Mutant finishing school
Jake: Weâve made quite a few jokes about Rogueâs dialect throughout our coverage of this series so far. Yes, the phrasing was a little tortured and ridiculous; yes, it was way over the top, even compared to famed phonetic accent enthusiast Chris Claremontâs conception of the character, but after a few issues Iâd begun to accept Simoneâs choice to celebrate this aspect of Rogueâs identity. What I never expected, and honestly what I have a hard time accepting, is the decision to not just draw attention to it explicitly but to use it to represent Rogueâs insecurity about her leadership ability.
As much as I enjoy any characterâs internality being explored in the way Simone does here, Rogue letting something like her upbringing be a barrier to her role as an X-man doesnât ring true to me. Throughout her history, Rogue has shaken off perceived barriers to connecting with others, whether that be her upbringing in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, her lack of worldliness (see the poignant scene with Gateway in Uncanny X-Men #230) or steaming headfirst into creating the most batshit team of X-Men imaginable in Mike Carey and Chris Bachaloâs X-Men.
And thatâs not to say that because sheâs not been that introspective, or particularly insecure about anything thatâs not her powers, that she can never be. What this series and this era of X-Men comics should do that it hasnât done, though, is acknowledge the history itâs diverging from and why itâs different. I like the instinct to explore Rogueâs class, but the way itâs presented in this run is the dialectic equivalent of a strawman argument. The decision to make her dialect broader and more stereotypical than itâs ever been before, to use her class as a reason for her self-doubt, both doesnât chime with her character history, nor is it something thatâs really been seeded in this run before this issue. The series sometimes feels like it exists in a vacuum, which is something I struggle a bit to get past.
Anna: You nailed my main issue with this elocution lessons subplot, which is that it was introduced in issue #5 of a five-issue story arc. This makes it feel less like a structuring theme of Rogueâs journey in this series and more like an unearned bid for depth in a story thatâs sometimes struggled to achieve much depth beyond the pretty universally accepted fact that kids dying is bad (unless theyâre been transformed into monsters against their will, but weâll get to that).
While I love that Simone is centering Rogueâs perspective, and while Iâve enjoyed some individual moments of her internal monologues, I still wish I had a more grounded sense of Rogueâs specific perspective amid the events that supposedly led her to this place. What is her specific reaction to the (sort of) fall of Krakoa? Why has she become somewhat reluctant to be a leader? Where are these new insecurities coming from? Obviously, Simone doesnât have to info dump answers to all these questions in a single issue or story arc. But I canât quit contemplating the strange fact that while Iâve been given lots of access to Rogueâs thoughts in this series, and while her individuality does shine through, I donât have a strong sense of how her history informs her perspective.
I have a similar issue, but more so, with Jubileeâs brief foray into monologuing in this issue. Thereâs nothing âwrongâ with Jubileeâs internal monologue; itâs composed of facts about her general deal. But itâs nothing more than that. She basically states her origin story, saying (paraphrasing), âIâm a mall kid turned semi-reluctant superhero and my bestie is Logan.â Except this is her origin story circa the mid-â90s. Weâre not offered anything specific about her history since then, which I guess is helpful for readers who might only know Jubes from X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men â97, but a bit empty for those of us whoâve followed her beyond that.
Battle of the sainted mother
Anna: So remember how Uncanny X-Men #1 ended with a young girl, human name Rosa, mutant name Fawn, with antlers and deer legs who was being pursued through the woods by creepy dudes with lightsabers and the bigoted words and sharp claws of the villain subsequently revealed as Sarah Gaunt? Last issue, we learned sheâd been transformed into some kind of gothic and I guess evil version of herself by Sarahâs still-mysterious powers. Which raises the question, is Sarahâs entire army, which Gambit refers to as a âcult,â composed of transformed mutants?
With regard to Fawn, specifically, we donât know whether sheâs still alive in some capacity, or if her body is just a zombie husk controlled by Sarah. Gambit does tell us that some members of Sarahâs army apparently got less monstrous, or at least less determinedly evil, somewhere off panel after Rogue took down Sarah. After which, this new X-Men team thatâs supposedly dedicated to starting a new tradition of training and protecting mutant youth just lets them wander off into the forest. Except, I guess, for the many members of the army Logan killed. Maybe their bodies just conveniently dissolved like so many video game baddies and undead Hand ninjas before them?
I know itâs just a show and I should really just relax, but given that the first issue of this series wrapped with Fawn shouting âNoooooo!â after a series of scenes depicting her as excessively scared and vulnerable, it feels like Iâm supposed to care about her fate. Except that none of the X-Men seem to care at all? Granted, itâs not the first time the X-Men have said they care about keeping teens safe only to recklessly endanger them for the sake of letting talented artists draw cool kills. But I have to admit I expected something better from a book thatâs done a lot of posturing about the importance of mutant family. Why do some kids get saved and soothed and obsessed over while others get stabbed?
Speaking of stabbing, while Iâm trying to appreciate Simoneâs attempt to address the still-very-weird fact that Kurt decided to gleefully murder people during the fall of Krakoa, the moment didnât quite land for me. Basically, Ransom observes that Kurt used to have a sword, to which Kurt replies, âIâm not a killer, Ransom. I thought I was. I was wrong.â But Kurt didnât use his sword to kill people during the fall of Krakoa (his one on-panel kill involved teleporting a guy into space), and heâs used swords for many years during eras in which he definitely never killed anyone (swords were, for instance, a big feature of Dave Cockrumâs defiantly lighthearted 1985 Nightcrawler miniseries). There was also that whole âHope Swordâ thing, but if this era wants to forget that, thatâs honestly fine with me. I fully acknowledge Iâm getting lost in the weeds here, but this series has been accumulating character moments that just feel slightly âoff,â and for me, this was one of them.
Jake: A lot of the issues youâve highlighted all tie into one of the overall frustrations I have with this run, which is prioritization of characters and plot lines. The greatest opportunity Simone and Marquez hold in their hands to create a connection between the audience and their series is one they themselves have created: The Outliers. Brief origin stories, a training montage and some cool moves aside, theyâve been shoved into the background while a Charles Xavier moral outrage fakeout, Sarah Gauntâs confusing motivations and Rogue doing My Fair Lady take center stage.
Itâs not a case of selective hearing that these will be the elements from the first arc that I remember. Itâs simply what has received the most page time. However, this series still has an opportunity to be interesting. With The Outliers on the cover of issue #6, and a promise to return to the âEndlingâ mystery that was teased in issue #1 (remember that?), it could happen soon.
Anna: I hope so. I want to trust that this series knows where itâs heading. Simone certainly has the experience to prove she knows how to write long-running serials, and Harvey Xâs return this month did provide a nice bookend to where we began. But a lingering sense of placelessness keeps on keeping me at a distance. Maybe a renewed focus on The Outliers will clarify the bookâs mission statement.
Until then, take care of each other out there. Fighting evil is important. But for those of us who donât have mutant healing factors, so is eating and sleeping and hydrating and cuddling on the couch with your sweeties and your pets to make sure youâre strong enough to fight it.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- A highlight of the climactic battle was Marquez drawing another spectacular transformation for Calico and Ember, this time into a glowy girl-and-her-horse version of the Juggernaut.Â
- No jokes about Rogueâs sexiness this week, although Sarah Gaunt does say âWake Up. Or Mummy Spankâ to her, so you tell me which is worse?
- The word Gambit uses to refer to the Eye of Agamotto, âfifoletâ is a word from Cajun folklore referring to a bright light in the swamp said to misdirect or disorient those who try to follow it, which is a hell of a reference.
- Similarly, when Jitter says âthis is so damn rabak!â she is using Malay slang for âout of control.â Impeccable research from Gail all around.
Buy Uncanny X-Men #5 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Anna Peppard
Anna is a Ph.D.-haver who writes and talks a lot about representations of gender and sexuality in pop culture, for academic books and journals and places like Shelfdust, The Middle Spaces and The Walrus. Sheâs the editor of the award-winning anthology Supersex: Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero and co-hosted the podcasts Three Panel Contrast and Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! Follow her @annapeppard.bsky.social.
Jake Murray spends far too much time wondering if the New Mutants are OK. When he's not doing that, he can be found talking and writing about comics with anyone who will listen. Follow him @stealthisplanet.bsky.social.
