X-Corp #5 (X-Corp by Tini Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is odd…I had no idea this series was ending and now it seems to have finished. Suddenly. Out of the blue.

I guess this was inevitable, the series got off to a bad start. The first few issues were dull and confusing, and an X-Men book that was more about corporate takeovers than superhero adventures was always going to be a tough sell. But cancelling it now really makes the whole thing feel pointless.

So, this comic is ok. The writing’s solid and the art is decent, but it’s not something I can recommend to anyone else because…well…it’s over already. Unless I’m wrong and it isn’t. But I do wonder if any of the plot threads in this comic will be picked up elsewhere.

Right now it feels like a lot of promising new X-books are fizzling out, and that’s a worrying trend.

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X-Corp #4 (X-Corp by Tini Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“…and the whole thing with Layla and his baby was just so crushingly sad. (Don’t worry, nobody died!)” I wrote in my review of #3…and it seems I spoke too soon, because when you’ve got Jamie Madrox in your comic, it’s only a matter of time…

This is shaping up to be a great series. I had my doubts at the start, but it’s hit its stride now. I loved the twist that faced wit the threat of a corporate rival, rather than doing the usual X-Men thing of fighting them, they just bought the company out from under them instead.

That said, that tactic seems to have come back to bite them in the but…

The inclusion of traditional villains on this “team” makes for an interesting dynamic, and I trust neither Mastermind or Selene…especially Selene. I mean, she’s an ancient, evil, vampire goddess. She’s obviously up to no good and X-Corp is going to pay a heavy price for keeping her around. But she’s fun!

I also like the exploration of the similarities between Warren and Monet, and I’m thankful that the temptation to end that scene with them kissing was resisted…for now. I wonder if they’re going to bring up that he used to date her erstwhile Generation X teammate Paige.

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X-Corp #3 (X-Corp by Tini Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, thank God, that’s more like it! After a rocky start this series has finally found its feet.

Of course, that might just be because this was a more Madrox centred issue…and the whole thing with Layla and his baby was just so crushingly sad. (Don’t worry, nobody died!)

But, yeah, I really enjoyed this, even if some of the non-Madrox related stuff was still a little confusing. I think I’ve generally got a handle on what’s going on. This book is fun and touching and that’s a good mix.

There are clearly more revelations to come, and if the book continues to be this good then I’m more than happy to stick around for them.

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X-Corp #2 by Tini Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, that was better…

Which, after #1, wasn’t really hard. But, yeah, I can see some potential here, but it’s still not being fully realised. And the big problem is that it’s still not clear what this book is really about, or what X-Corp really is exactly. This book definitely benefits from tying in to the Hellfire Gala, as it gives it a bit of a clear structure and a setting we are, by now, familiar with. Also, having people shit on Fenris is always fun. I’m a little confused by the inclusion of Mastermind, who we last saw in the pages of Hellions, as there was absolutely no mention of those events here…and, also, I don’t trust Wyngarde. He’s a shit, always has been, always will be.

But, yeah, this still suffers from being very boring, and again I struggled to stay awake while reading it.

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X-Corp (2021-) #1 by Tini Howard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not gonna lie, I genuinely struggled to stay awake while reading this.

This comic commits the twin sins of being overly long and boring.

It’s all business meetings and capitalism and blah, blah, blah.

I don’t get the point of this, I don’t get why this comic exists and the first issue does a very poor job of explaining it. And the art is…just okay. And just okay doesn’t really cut it in the X-books right now.

I really hope this either improves dramatically in the next few issues or ends quickly.

This feels especially painful given the recent announcement of the cancellation of X-Factor, which is a far, far better comic.

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