Uncanny X-Men #15 Is a Master Class of Borrowing From the Past to Tell New Stories

Uncanny X-Men has been setting the bar very high for the rest of the “From the Ashes” X-Men books. The book’s latest story has seen the Outliers discovering the truth about their new base, Haven House, and Uncanny X-Men #15 shows exactly what the X-Men have been sitting on since they moved her. “Dark Artery” has introduced readers to Lady Henrietta, a powerful mutant who has been around for a century, guarding a mutant secret unlike anything readers have ever experienced. Uncanny X-Men is the best current X-Men book, and this newest issue shows off exactly why, as Gail Simone and David Marquez take readers on a terrifying ride through the past.

Simone promised that Uncanny X-Men would be something of a Southern Gothic horror book, and Uncanny X-Men #15 does a tremendous job of capturing that feel. The truth about Haven House is revealed both through flashbacks and current day exposition, as Lady Henrietta tells the Outliers the story of the Penumbra, a Hell-like place for the dead who hurt mutants. A big problem with “From the Ashes” since the beginning has been the way the majority of the books rehashed Marvel’s merry mutants’ history. Uncanny X-Men has done a tremendous job of sidestepping this; while Simone has definitely captured the flavor of the past — specifically the more character focused of X-Men legend Chris Claremont — she’s been telling stories that aren’t as obviously rehashes as some of the other X-Men books. “Dark Artery” is yet another example of that.

The mystery of Haven House and why Gambit chose it as the X-Men’s newest base has been one of the major questions of the book, and the answer is so much cooler than readers could have imagined. Simone’s ability to weave together character and plot is one of the reasons this story works so well. A big focus of the issue is the camaraderie between the Outliers, as the four young mutants show just how much they care about each other when Deathdream makes a decision that could change his life forever. The Outliers are some of the coolest new mutants ever, and Simone has done a great job of giving each of them distinct personalities. They are the majority of the focus of the issue, and it’s great to see the way they work together and play off each other. One of the best things with Simone’s writing has always been her ability to do a lot with a little, and she does that with Outliers. Ransom is the leader, Deathdream is the weird one, Calico is the one with secrets, and Jitter is the group sweetheart. Simone is able to show off who each of them are with some simple dialogue, and she’s able to fit in so much character all while creating a great plot and dropping lore on the readers.

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Marquez’s art is fantastic, but that’s no surprise. This is a very dark issue, lighting wise, but Marquez never slacks on the detail. His character acting is amazing, really selling the emotion of every scene. There’s a moment between Jitter and Calico that works so much better because of Marquez’s art, capturing love, fear, and surprise in two panels. This issue has some great action scenes, and Marquez is able to capture the sense of motion that action scenes need to work.

The Penumbra, the otherworldly place under Haven House, has a simple design and it works so well because of Marquez’s art. Anyone entering the Penumbra gets gothed up — there’s a dress code for Hell apparently — and Marquez creates great alternate costumes for both the Outliers and the X-Men. One of the things that fans have loved about this book is the sexiness of the characters (the last issue with everyone in their underwear was talked about constantly in X-Men fan spaces), and Marquez keeps that up in this issue as well. Looking at Marquez’s Wolverine in his cut-off jean shorts will definitely make readers realize why Wolverine is such a ladies man. His Man-Thing looks sensational, and it’s enough to make readers want him to draw the character more.

There’s so much to love about Uncanny X-Men #15. Team books have gone through a lot of changes over the years, but Uncanny X-Men is an example of borrowing the structure of the past and making it work in the present. This issue has everything a reader could want — expert character work, fun lore, exciting action, and tremendous art. “Dark Artery” has been a blockbuster so far, and this penultimate issue will definitely hype readers up for the story’s end.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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