By Robin Jones
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
He was the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Manipulator of metals. Ex best friend of his now arch enemy. Father to Scarlett Witch and Quiksilver and now, finally, after 50 years of being X-Villain number one, Magneto gets his own solo series!
Written by Sinestro, Deadpool and Sixth Gun writer Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez Walta who has worked on Thunderbolts and Astonishing X-Men, this comic straight away sets the tone of what’s to come. Walta’s art is darker, grittier and much less superhero-y than tradition Marvel comics. What Bunn and Walta are doing is carving the way for a disillusioned Magneto to renew his vendetta against those who oppose mutantkind. Magneto has effectively become a one man X-Force, a mutant Punisher, out for revenge and twisting his actions into a vindicated personal crusade. Devoid of the Brotherhood or the X-Men, he is a loose canon, aimed squarely at the enemies of mutant kind.
If, like myself, you aren’t up to date with Brian Michael Bendis’ X-Books, Bunn sets the stage for you, enabling it to be a perfect jumping on point. The narrative really gets into Magneto’s head, establishing how he is striving to forge his own identity again, deciding upon where his principles lay, where his boundaries extend to and skims the surface of his motivations. Bunn is doing a great job of delving into Magneto’s psyche, and I really hope he continues this focus on Magneto’s mental state and explores the hidden depths of such a conflicted mind. The action scenes Bunn sets up as well are beautiful and brought to life wonderfully by Walta’s art work.
As stated previously, this book has a very different tone to the rest of the Marvel universe, with darker tones, more washed out colours and this reflects Magneto’s mental state. This is a grim looking book, world weary and jaded. There are several notable panels where Walta’s work stands out tremendously, one of which involves Magneto forming himself a new set of armour out of metal gleamed from the shocked bodies of a troupe of police officers. There’s also a very grizzly scene involving fillings which Walta’s art perfectly presents to you in all its nasty glory! This is a kickass comic setting a new tone for Marvel’s premier X-Villain!
I give this 9 out of 10.
Use your mutant powers to control your aunts mind and get her to order you the whole Magneto series HERE.
For more comic views and reviews follow Robin on Twitter at @Hulksmash1985
Posted on March 7th, 2014
Category: PULP FRICTION, REVIEWS
Tags: Comic Blog, Comic Reviews, Cullen Bunn, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Magneto #1 Review, marvel comics, Mutants, Robin Jones, X-Men