X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1 by Leah Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There were two things I was fairly certain of before I started reading this comic: 1) Magneto did not kill the Scarlet Witch; and 2) The Scarlet Witch is not dead. After reading #1 I’m still fairly confident on both points.
Why don’t I think Magneto killed Wanda? Because that’s the obvious, simple answer, and the one that X-Factor have reached by the end of #1. Therefore, it must be wrong, else what’s the point of this series? A mystery with an obvious solution is no mystery at all. Personally, while I have no idea who killed Wanda, I think this series is leading to the revelation that Wanda (and Pietro) are actually mutants after all, and are Magneto’s children. It’s a retcon that needs undoing, particularly as it was only done because Fox had the rights to all the mutants…
This is great stuff, which effectively explores how grief effects people. This is partly why I’m sure Magneto didn’t do it, he’s clearly grieving here and doesn’t seem like a man with a guilty conscience to me…despite everyone around him interpreting his actions in this way. The book, surprisingly, also explores grief from the perspective of the deceased. After all, the deceased is no normal woman…she’s the Scarlet Witch. She once rewrote all of reality. So thinking she could be choked to death seems a little naïve.
The art is also superb, which we’ve largely come to expect from the current X-line. When the X-books are good at the moment they are simply the best of modern super-hero comics and this is no exception.
Also, if you enjoyed Leah Williams’ X-Factor run and were sorry to see it come to what felt like a premature end, you’ll enjoy this, as it’s very much a continuation of that book.
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Random Ramblings Of A Ragamuffin 