X-Men: Red (2022) Series Review

I adore X-Men: Red. It makes a VERY strong case for being the best X-Men title since House of X/Powers of X. It’s certainly my favorite and probably one of the best X-Men runs since the turn of the century. I can only put a handful in the same league as this. 

In this review, I’ll be covering X-Men: Red as a whole, all 18 issues. X-Men: Red is a sequel to S.W.O.R.D. by Al Ewing, as well as a direct follow-up to Planet Size X-Men #1, where we see the mutants of Krakoa terraform Mars and transport Krakoa’s sister nation, Arakko, to the planet’s surface. The issue also saw Storm named the Regent of the newly-renamed Planet Arakko and the Speaker for the Solar System. 

Before I get into this series, I have to acknowledge the uncanny ability Al Ewing has. In this era of comic books, there is no writer, in my opinion, who is able to fit so much story, lore, and character in a single issue quite like he does. X-Men: Red has a huge cast and he is able to balance all of the characters, clearly defining who they are and where they align, along with building so much lore and story for this nation of Arakko. There was plenty of world-building within the pages of “X of Swords”, but Al Ewing takes that and dives so much deeper into what it truly means to live in Arakko and be an Arakkii mutant. He does this through the perspective of three mutants we’re all familiar with and it’s done so effectively.

Now, for the story of X-Men: Red, which I have to basically break down into two parts: issues 1 to 10 as the first part and issues 11 to 18 along with the one-shot X-Men: Before the Fall – Heralds of Apocalypse #1 as the second. I’m doing this because while there is sort of an overarching story, the series as a whole is more of a saga about this new planet and nation, and for most of the first half we mainly get issues that build the nation, the characters, and this overall world that Al Ewing plays in, and I can definitely go on for days telling you about each and every single issue. While I would love to do that, that would take forever, so instead, I’ll only do that for the first issue and then cover each part as a whole.

So, let’s get to it…

Part One

This series opens with such a striking first issue. We’re taken back to just before the first Hellfire Gala, when Arakko was still an island. Storm is pinned to the ground by a younger version of herself. This younger Storm is actually the omega-level Shape-Shifter Queen and the current Regent of Arakko. Storm has challenged the Regent for her title. This is Arakko, this is how leaders are chosen. We see the Regent declare that Arakko doesn’t belong to Storm, that she didn’t shed any blood for this nation. Storm rebuttals that she had been fighting her own battles, and while the Regent opted for youth, currently Storm has more experience as she freezes the Regent completely. The Regent then makes a final declaration:

This whole sequence represents what this series will be for Storm: learning her place in this new Arakko and what this nation can be.

Afterwards, we shift to Magneto and the set-up for his story in this series. He meets a fisherman on a secluded island and introduces himself as Max, as in Max Eisenhardt, his birth name, showing a change of direction for this character. He wants to build a home, and in this conversation it’s clear he’s been emotionally hurt and doesn’t want to show it since he thinks it’d be weak to. The fisherman assures him there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and this journey for Max seems to be more therapeutic for the character, to say he’s been through a ton throughout his life would be an understatement and to have his dream for mutants be torn to shreds by the world at every step, he feels he’s at the end of his journey at this point.

“How can you be strong if you won’t heal what’s broken? How do you heal without saying where it hurts?” 

The rest of this issue is dedicated to establishing Sunspot and his place on Arakko as the owner of a new bar, the Red Lagoon, but there’s some scheming he’s obviously up to in order to ensure he protects this nation the way he can. We then get a conversation between Storm and Abigail Brand where Storm is offered to join Brand’s “X-Men of Mars,” which causes Storm to begin pondering her feelings as Queen. She doesn’t want this new Planet, or herself, to be caged by “thrones and crowns”, as she says. Storm then finds Magneto, the Fisherman, and Sunspot, declaring that the Planet needs a group to defend it, a Brotherhood.

The rest of this first half really showcases how this Brotherhood of Arakko operates. Magneto would soon join the Great Ring of Arakko, after challenging and defeating Tarn the Uncaring, a vicious character, and taking his seat on the council, the Seat of Loss. He and Storm then agree to live as Arakkii, meaning there would be no Krakoan resurrections for either of them, with Magneto even going so far as to destroy his and Storm’s Cerebro back-up drives. By the end of issue 10, the Brotherhood consists of Storm, Magneto, and Sunspot along with some Arakkii like the Fisher King, Sobunar of the Depths, Lactuca The Knower, Syzya of the Smoke, and Khora of the Burning Heart, all of which are on the Great Ring except for Khora. Really the entirety of this part of the series is dealing with Storm’s struggle with power and trying to prevent Arakko from being under the control of Krakoa, directly opposing Abigail Brand, leader of S.W.O.R.D., as she desires to do exactly that, control Arakko politically. 

It’s a very nice commentary that’s handled very well because the image of a Krakoan mutant, Storm, ruling Arakko looks very imperialistic and this series very much kills any weight that argument may have held. Storm wants to support Arakko’s progression as a nation on Mars, rather than lead them on what SHE thinks is right. We see this time and time again throughout this series, she’s always deferring to the Arakkii for how they would like to handle situations. There are many incidents that rise up where Storm absolutely could have solved them her way, but it’s not her place to. After all, even if she does earn the right to be “of Arakko”, she’s not native and she doesn’t believe it right to rule a nation and people she doesn’t natively belong to.

Before I wrap up talking about this section of X-Men: Red, I have to also highlight a very special moment that happens in the X-Men: Red tie-in to “AXE: Judgement Day”: the death of Magneto. During the one hour Uranos was unleashed, he nearly annihilated Arakko and literally ripped Magneto’s heart out. Magneto makes a last ditch effort to keep the blood pumping throughout his body, for the time being. He then launches a counter attack with Storm and Iron Man, and together they defeat Uranos. This would be Magneto’s last moments until the forthcoming “Resurrection of Magneto,” also written by Al Ewing. And what a magnificent final moment it is, as with his final words he tells Storm to watch Xavier’s back, that Xavier will be backed into a corner by their enemies and martyr all of the mutants. Storm promises to do exactly that. It’s a gut-wrenching moment, and one of the best in this era of X-Men.

“He is a good man, Ororo. We must be wary of good men… For what will they not do… to show how good they are? Watch him.”

Part Two

Now, with Part One laying the foundation and correcting the very imperialistic image of Krakoa’s involvement with Arakko, the second half of this series takes Storm and the Brotherhood’s approach to leadership and really drives it home. Those themes don’t go away, but we do now get a series that lends more focus to the sci-fi elements that we all truly deserved, and it’s knocked way out of the park. This part of the series follows up on two major events that rocked the X-Men line:  “AXE: Judgement Day” and “Sins of Sinister”. Arakko has seen destruction and turmoil, and now it’s time to repair this broken land and take a breather. 

The second part of this series begins with Storm finally confronting Xavier after Magneto’s passing. They’d talk about their history and Storm really questions Xavier minimizing her efforts as a young goddess providing for her people, just to “fight the good fight.” 

Xavier then tries to probe Storm’s mind for Magneto’s final words but she resists, overpowering Xavier. Storm eventually reluctantly tells Xavier after he expresses his fear of Krakoa falling after the revelation of Sins of Sinister and being worried that he may still have some Sinister programming left in him. Storm then tells Xavier that Magneto’s concern was rooted in knowing the kind of man Xavier was, because he was his friend, but that Storm does not consider Xavier a friend anymore.

I absolutely love this moment. Once again, it really drives home how selfish Xavier is. Even though he has good intentions and big dreams for mutants all over the world,  a lot of times his dream comes at the cost of the individual’s personal life. Minimizing Storm’s work while she was in Africa was wildly insensitive and even if she had saved the world and universe many times since, it doesn’t automatically mean the people that Storm was helping out are in a good place now. It’s a wonderful moment between these two characters that really could have happened years ago, but after all these years and Storm’s growth on Arakko, it hits very hard. 

While this is happening, someone emerges from the External Gate of Arakko, which hadn’t been used since “X of Swords”. It’s a former champion of the White Sword who fled after the Ivory Spire and the other 99 champions had been conquered by Genesis. He is Jon Ironfire, and he comes with a warning from the White Sword:

This brings us to X-Men: Before the Fall – Heralds of Apocalypse #1, which serves as both an interlude to X-Men: Red but also delivers one of the best exposition dumps that I’ve seen in quite some time. Here we have Apocalypse philosophizing the meaning of strength and its connection to survival to a daemon until they’re interrupted by Genesis, Apocalypse’s wife. She wants to return to Earth, but Apocalypse refuses, so Genesis looks to persuade him by having a duel, and during this battle they reminisce about the past and we finally get the untold history of the ancient mutant nation of Okkara. 

Thousands of years ago, before there was Arakko and Krakoa, there used to be one island nation, Okkara, that housed the second generation of mutants. Okkara was split in two by the arrival of the elder god, Annihilation, and its horde of daemons from another dimension, Amenth. A long war followed that would eventually end when Apocalypse sealed the breach, leaving Genesis, their children, the Okkarans and the nation of Arakko within Amenth. This newly formed nation of Arakko would go on to fight the daemons for a very long time. Genesis led the Okkarans against the Amenthi daemons during this time, becoming a warrior-Queen. After many years of fighting the Daemons and being betrayed by her sister, Isca the Unbeaten, Annihilation would offer Genesis his mask, in turn she would be in control of the daemons. Apocalypse knew this, however what he didn’t know is Genesis would also be given the option to bring peace to Arakko and the Okkarans but she refused while still taking the mask. 

After “X of Swords”, the Annihilation mask became a staff, which isn’t as powerful, but has a more subtle influence, more in the power of suggestion. After finding out that Genesis had peace for her people in the palm of her hands and refused it, Apocalypse yielded, and this would be a glimpse of what the second half of X-Men: Red would be, a battle of philosophies. Peace vs War. Can a warrior nation truly settle down and change? Or must they always have a battle to fight to prove their worth and right to exist. Genesis wants Arakko to remain as it was. Apocalypse wants them to move on and move forward from the pain they’ve suffered. After learning about Arakko’s destruction at the hands of Uranos, Genesis becomes unimpressed with the state of Arakko. She raises her army of daemons along with her children, conquers the Ivory Spire, defeats the White Sword, and makes 99 of his 100 champions fall under her banner.

Heralds of Apocalypse would honestly become one of my favorite issues of the year. Since “X of Swords”, we’d been teased about Okkara and Arakko before their integration into the greater Marvel universe, and it blew me away here. The general theme of this issue is “the revelation never ends,” with it ending on that quote. Which is fitting all over. It’s primarily about Apocalypse, whose new chosen name means revelation. We learn of Okkara and what happened all those years ago that caused the Arakkii to be stuck in Amenth. We learn of the deal Genesis was given by Annihilation. This era of X-Men has continued to deliver this evolution and clarification on what Apocalypse’s dream for mutantkind was. For those who’d been long time fans, it’s always been summed up as being “survival to the fittest”, but what has that ever meant and where did this great dream even come from? We get the first answer vaguely during House of X/Powers of X, and then it’s clarified here along with the answer to the second question.

Now, back on Arakko, Genesis interrupts the Great Ring as they hear Jon Ironfire tell them of Genesis’s arrival, and they decide what their next move is. This is where we immediately see Genesis’s power and influence over the Great Ring, verbally embarrassing every member as she condemns them for not only falling at the hands of Uranos, but not being able to finish the job and full-on kill him either. This led to several members turning heel and believing in her idea that the Arakkii were made to be weapons, that their gifts define them. Storm interjects, questioning if that’s all they can be, and Genesis counters by questioning Storm’s place in all of this. Things begin to escalate quickly as Genesis challenges Kobak and Sobunar challenges Storm, but Lodus Logos asks Lactuca to teleport Kobak, Storm, Jon, Xilo and himself away. Running away from a challenge was against the ancient laws of Arakko, however Lodus Logos would claim he was justified. This is all to prove that Arakko is much more than what they once were. That the Arakkii challenge was obsolete. Genesis did not see it that way, unfortunately, and this would spark a war between Storm and her followers and Genesis and her followers. Storm represents the new era of Arakko: those who fought and bled for the nation, that all the years they spent fighting in Amenth was enough for peace. Genesis represents the notion that it was not enough, and that quite possibly no amount of fighting could ever be enough. 

This war is a classic clash of philosophies: old versus new, and the first victory of this war would be one of propaganda. Genesis woke up Arakko Prime. It was the shot heard around the world, if you will. Arakko is alive again, and the mother of Arakko has returned. 

This would go on to be a war that lasted many weeks in-universe, and I can absolutely describe every minor detail that happened, but really that’s not productive. The real big thing about this war is you visibly see the difference between Genesis’s side and Storm’s. Storm respects and preserves the traditions and mindset of the Arakkii while still showing them they’re allowed  to evolve and progress. However, Genesis and her side want to keep the ways of old, they want to be able make their own rules at every turn. It’s not enough to fight and bleed on the battlefield for a millenia for peace, it will never be enough. 

Storm’s side is really just a big fat “says who?” to Genesis. Why do the Arakkii have to be viewed as weapons and nothing more? Why is a scholar, an artist, or a poet viewed so low in comparison to an omega-level pyrokinetic? Obviously, raw power isn’t the measure of a person’s worth, nor should it dictate the lifestyle of an entire nation. That is the big discussion in this war. When the nation of Arakko was introduced, all we knew was that they were a nation of warriors who fought for their lives day in and day out for generations. That’s all they knew. Storm is simply trying to allow this nation to move on and move forward. Genesis just can’t let it go, and for a warrior queen who simply hadn’t lost, why would she want to? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? 

The climax of this war sees Storm finally taking Genesis head-on, as we see raw power in Genesis versus versatility in Storm (not to undermine Storm, she is obviously wildly powerful, but she uses her power differently than Genesis does). During their fight, Storm is spoken to by the Annihilation staff and the one thing that has been fueling Genesis and her will to start this war turns on her: power. Storm learns that Annihilation wants her instead of Genesis and it offers great power to rule both Arakko and Earth, to embrace the “Goddess that you are.” Of course, as we’ve seen in this series Storm has denied the concept of monarchy for this nation, and so she is not moved and refuses. She finally destroys the staff, freeing Genesis from its possession. This allows Arakko to now follow the new path that the Arakkii deserved and that Storm was shepherding, something Apocalypse had been wanting for a millenia, ever since Okkara had first split in two. Peace.

As a whole, this series is so impactful and informative, and will definitely be remembered as one of the best X-Men series ever. It does so much for Ororo as a character, sends Magneto off beautifully, and is home to such a rich level of world building for one of the greatest creations in X-Men history: Arakko. In their comic debut, the Arakkii were depicted as being barbaric because they spent a huge chunk of their history fighting for their lives against daemons in Amenth. Their traditions would then fall in line with that, so much so to the point that members of their council are chosen by fights to the death, and every single member on the council are Omega-Level. However, as you see more of Arakko in this series, there’s more to the nation and its people. They’re not barbaric, far from it, they are a people that have just had a rough go of it. Al Ewing adds so much depth and character to this nation and its people, and it was very much needed. It’s honestly fascinating because every single issue is chalk-full of so much content. You always get meaningful dialogue, awesome character moments, amazing plot developments, and shocking turns that really drive home the quality and purpose of this series. If I ever had a real complaint for this series, it would be that I wish the Genesis War had maybe one or two more issues, but even then what we have is an action-packed sci-fi war that truly transforms the nation for the better. And THAT is how you make a meaningful mark on a franchise. 

There honestly aren’t enough words to cover what this series does in a review, please do yourself a favor and read X-Men: Red. Honestly, read all of Al Ewing’s X-Men work.

“Two islands are one– the old and the new, in harmony to build the newer yet. And in this union of opposites, the true spirit of Okkara is reborn… Look at us. Look at all of us. We have finally become what I intended us to be…”