Featured Review: X-Corp #1

Writer: Tini Howard

Artist: Alberto Foche

Colors: Sunny Gho

Designer: Tom Muller

Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover: David Aja

 

X-Corp has taken a strange path to release. Initially announced in Carmen Carnero’s goodbye letter in the back of October 2019’s Captain Marvel #11, the series was originally intended to release the following winter, but a combination of world events and scheduling issues saw the series scrapped. Then the summer and Empyre: X-Men #1 arrived. The issue began with a tease of X-Corp—the organization, not the comic—that, it turns out, was a tease for X-Corp—the comic, not the Organization. The comic was resolicited almost exactly a year after its initial release date. Finally, it has arrived on store shelves in May 2021. But, you may be asking, is it any good? To which I say, “It’s complicated.”

Spoilers for X-Corp #1 from this point forward.

As an individual issue of a comic book, this one is fun and entertaining. Sure, Foche and Gho’s characters have dead eyes and oddly plastic-y, doll-like skin, but the art is quite good otherwise. Figures and backgrounds look good, and the layouts are engaging. The problem here is the writing. Or rather, the plotting. The dialogue is quite good and establishes the characters well. Except Multiple Man, but no one has written that character properly since he was leading X-Factor.

Those eyes

Perhaps more importantly, I have no idea what this comic is about. There is the titular X-Corp, run by co-CXOs Angel and M, that manages the various medicines that Krakoa produces and related ventures. Jamie Madrox and Trinary are board members. Jamie and his duplicates also run the research lab behind the aforementioned medicine. That is all very interesting and cool worldbuilding. But what is the comic about?

Not even the plot of this issue knows. This issue has two plots: M assembling a team/board—though there are a few spots left open—and Angel’s meeting with an executive X-Corp bought out that attempts to blackmail him. Both are entertaining, although the latter is treated as though the thread has finished despite having no semblance of a conclusion. If it were treated as a continuing thread, it would be clear this story will be about X-Corp fighting a battle to not get Krakoa booted from the U.N.

Instead, there is a (partial) team built and the public is now aware of the titular company, but what that team will do going forward is a mystery. The aforesaid Empyre tie-in made it clear Krakoa has plenty of money and little interest in pure wealth accumulation. It is certainly not just as a way to assist humanity. Even if that is being saved for a big reveal, some hint should exist to explain what this group of characters will be doing in future issues, other than PR.

X-Corp #1 is a good initial installment in a story without a premise. That is frustrating. However, as a single issue in and of itself, it is quite entertaining and worth a look. Hopefully, next issue will answer the questions this one did not deem worthy of even posing. A sense of direction could make this series one of the X-line’s strongest to date.