The clock strikes midnight, and it’s the dark dawn of a new era. The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing, and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire. Midnight X-Men #1 is written by Jonathan Hickman, drawn by Matteo Della Fonte, colored by Arthur Hesli and lettered by Cory Petit.
Adam Reck: Austin, I don’t know if I like it here. Nawlins was kind of spooky, but I feel like we might be in some real danger!
Austin Gorton: I’m sure it’ll be fine; there’s all these priests around after all.
Adam: Surely their giant red axes will protect us!
That’s right, for those who might not have been reading along, Austin and I had been dutifully following the latest volume of Uncanny X-Men, but we have decided to move north and into a new alternate universe filled with bloodthirsty vampires! You a big vampire guy, Austin?
Austin: In general, yes. Love me some Dracula in his various forms, I’ve read some Anne Rice, and am a devotee of a certain blond hunter of vampires. In the context of the X-Men? Not really. It seems overplayed (yes, we get it, Dracula had a thing for Storm that one time) — though maybe I’m still just stinging from “Curse of the Mutants” and all those years Jubilee was stuck as a vampire. Which makes me the perfect person to co-review this series about … vampire X-Men.
Adam: Well you’re looking at a onetime card-carrying Anne Rice fanboy (back in high school at least), and I really do enjoy a good vampire romp, not to mention being a big horror movie fan, AND I’m a fan of our writer here, Jonathan Hickman. So Midnight X-Men seems tailor made for me to enjoy!
Austin: It is the Hickman of it all that pulled me into this, despite my reservations about X-Men/vampire shenanigans, and I was very pleased to see some classic Hickman-ian touches already in the series.
Let’s get to it!
Bad Religion
Adam: I want to start by talking about Matteo Della Fonte’s artwork. The other two Midnight books have a certain personality based on their art. Benjamin Percy’s Fantastic Four feels more like an Indie horror with 2000AD’s Kev Walker on art, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Spider-Man has very manga-influenced artwork from ScieTronc. But immediately I’m struck by how realistic and grounded Della Fonte’s art is here. Which is a style in and of itself, but it reminds me far more of John Bolton’s Classic X-Men backups than anything else and bounces between softer daytime linework and deep bold inks in the night and underground. First artistic impressions?
Austin: I was not previously familiar with Della Fonte’s work, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, art-wise, but I’m digging it. I hadn’t hit on the Bolton comparison, but now I can’t unsee it. It also strikes me as being very akin to Gene Colan and Tom Palmer’s Tomb of Dracula work, an artistic style I tend to think of in terms like “lush” and “atmospheric” and “dark vibes-based,” which are completely apt qualities for a vampire story. Midnight FF may have the indie horror vibe, but this is much more classical horror in its styling, and I like it.
Adam: The naturalistic quality of Della Fonte’s art serves the opening quite well as we are introduced to Cardinal Stryker as he meets with Bishop Kurt Wagner, and already we’re being served up teases (Nova Roma) and references (God Loves, Man Kills) and twists on existing lore (Kurt, who as we know is not a real priest on Earth-616, here is a bishop, but not Bishop), all while we get the lay of the land. I like this version of Nightcrawler who is both in service to Stryker and his Purifiers and also — as we learn — seemingly has amnesty from M-Pire (we’ll get to that in a second) Storm and her clan. It’s not what I expected when I saw the cover of this issue. I expected a swashbuckling Van Helsing, and maybe we’ll get that? But I like where we’re starting.
Austin: It immediately establishes a status quo that is more complicated than a simple, “the traditional villains — Stryker and the Purifiers — are heroes and the traditional heroes — the X-Men — are now amoral vampires!” inversion, and for that I am grateful. In true Hickman fashion, the political status quo is complex, and reminiscent of the various political machinations happening on Krakoa (one of the things I especially love about that era). We have humans and vampires, but also different kinds of vampires, and different kinds of X-Men with different loyalties from others, and characters like Nightcrawler who are stretched across multiple factions, plus Magneto and his crew, who seem like an additional faction in and of themselves. It adds a level of first-issue intrigue beyond the basics of a world with vampires living out in the open and the humans trying to stop them.
They’re M-Pires, Get it?
Adam: Okay, so there’s a lore dump (complete with a data page about how to kill different kinds of vamps), but mainly exposition from a group of young people in hoodies breaking into an underground vampire compound: Vampires are humans turned into vamps, but mutant vampires are M-Pyres or “Empyres.” Who says Hickman doesn’t have a sense of humor? Dude’s got jokes.
Austin: Oh how it warmed my heart to get a classic Hickman data page! And that “how to kill a vampire” lore was interesting (adamantium in place of the traditional silver as the metal best suited to disable a supernatural creature, because of course it is), and I wouldn’t be surprised if the distinctions it makes become plot relevant soon.
Also, yes, “Empyres” is some top-notch punnery (even as it calls to mind the early 2020s cosmic event of the same name).
Adam: The hoodie brigade stumbles onto techno-Reaver-vampire-coffins before being attacked by said vampires. This is where I’m sure more time with this lore will be helpful, because we’re already being told there are multiple clans of vamps and empyres and names are being thrown around including a symbol that looks vaguely Krakoan, and before I can really wrap my head around it, empyre-Gambit and some colleagues show up and start killing Reaver-vamps.
Austin: The Reaver-vamps give us yet another iteration of vampire, the cyborg vamps! They also seem more zombie-like, in that they’re not merely drinking blood, but devouring internal organs as well. Though perhaps that’s just how the vampires in this universe eat.
Adam: Yeah, the Reaver-vamps are just straight up eating people. It’s pretty gory. Amid this we’re also introduced to — and I kid you not — the House of X where Magneto and the Brotherhood hang out and decide what they’re not allowed to do because of vampire truces and whatnot.
Austin: It’s like a little House of M mixed into our vampire alt-universe! House of X includes Polaris and Havok, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, as well as Toad and Unus the Untouchable.
Adam: Loved that Unus was in the mix and is “always right?”
Austin: As mentioned above, I like the added wrinkle this brings to the setup, maintaining the classic idea of Magneto as some kind of opposing force to the aims of the X-Men (presumably) but making it more complex than a straight moral inversion. I’m fascinated to learn what kind of agreement has handcuffed the famously “I do what I want!” Magneto. Also by the idea that this dark universe filled with vampires might also be the best one for the Family Magneto in terms of everyone getting along and being together?
Adam: So while Quicksilver has discovered the situation with the Reaver-vamps, hoodie-squad and Gambit’s crew, they all quickly agree there’s nothing they can do. But maybe there’s someone who can?
The Last X-Man
Adam: Have I mentioned yet that I’m loving this book? It’s doing all kinds of Hickman nonsense and it looks friggin’ great, but when Cyclops shows up and starts ZARKing all over the place? Then I knew we were cooking.
Austin: Hot damn. Things were humming along just fine, and then Hickman and Della Fonte drop in a Big Damn Hero moment for Cyclops?!? Eff yeah. That shit’s like catnip to me.
Adam: Also, because of the hoodie and the decoding prowess (not to mention the muted colors), I immediately thought the POV character was Kitty Pryde. And surprise! It ain’t Kitty — it’s HOPE. Let’s GO. (On second read, it’s very clear this character has red hair and I’m an idiot, but whatevs.)
Austin: Hey, at least you suspected someone. Me, I was too busy enjoying the Cyclops of it all to even speculate that the girl in question was Someone and not just a random bystander. And I have to say, while I know Kitty has her fans, Hope’s presence — and what it means for things like the Phoenix Force and the future of mutants given her narrative history — is far more intriguing a choice.
Adam: I’ll admit I have zero idea where this is going, other than it’s very clear the “peace” that “must hold” obviously isn’t going to last for long! I’m on board for all the zany worldbuilding and zinger references we’re getting. Bring on the next issue!
Austin: Same. I feel like I had to stop myself from using the word “intriguing” to describe everything I liked about this issue, but that really is its strength: Hickman and company have created a storytelling engine that is far more intriguing and complex than the simple elevator pitch of “the X-Men, but vampires.” Color me pleasantly surprised.
X-traneous Thoughts
- If you’d like to hear more about Hickman’s thoughts regarding this book, his collab with Della Fonte and other stuff, tune in to the latest Battle of the Atom podcast.
- The ad copy intro on the credits page is very cringe.
- We see Vampire Storm take out Jean, notably wearing her Phoenix attire, suggesting either that the Phoenix Force is a vampire now or that this strain of vampirism is stronger than the Phoenix Force (or both).
- “Citizen [Trish] Tilby” is a fun idea for ongoing background narration moving forward.
- What does it feel like to get punched by Glob Herman? Is it like getting smacked in the face with a water-soaked pool noodle?
- Vampire (?) Psylocke is wearing her Lady Mandarin armor.
- A large statue of Exodus slaying someone implies his importance in the history of Stryker and Nightcrawler’s church — another example that breaks the traditional human vs. mutant binary.
- What was the Five Lights Experiment?
- Why is Nightcrawler “owed” protection from Storm?
Buy Midnight X-Men #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom. Follow him @adamreck.bsky.social.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him @austingorton.bsky.social.
