Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars Review & Spoilers: E Is For Extinction # 1 By Chris Burnham & Ian Bertram

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e is for extinction 1

Published: June 24, 2015
Rating: Rated T+
Writer: Chris Burnham
Cover Artist: Ian Bertram

 Hey guys and gals,

Welcome to Battleworld, part of the Secret Wars banner as we follow a new Xmen story. E for extinction comes at us from Marvel with an interesting take on events happening post destruction of the Multiverse.

The story starts off 10 years after the death of Charles Xavier, we find ourselves overlooking a night club with a mixture of Humans and Mutants. Beak presumably one of the main characters is also seen making moves on some ladies in the club, giving us a little taste of skill before he is interrupted by the arrival of futuristic sentinels. waisting no time the new Xmen lead by their leader old Magneto swoop in and save the day in quick fashion, allowing Beak to reunite with his team. After the Xmen show off their powers and send the threats running for the hills we come to panels explaining the extremely late arrival of Cyclops and Emma Frost, failing at an entrance in comparison to the active Xmen. Looking old an quite pudgy I enjoy the blunder that is Cyclops without his full active powers and age on his side (I never cared for Cyclops) and following the wise cracks towards Emma’s age, and a Pat Benatar reference, we continue the issue.

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We then cut to The Xavier Memorial Education Nexus, a school in which the gifted are brought to and taught while being protected by the Xmen. We see how Magneto has assumed the roll as the head, and quite shockingly he seems to have had a change of heart, normally he is hell bent on the destruction of human kind for the survival of his race, the mutants. This time around it seems he has a better understanding that more can be done with the acceptance of both races, but yet he still has his beliefs in proving mutants are Homo Superior. It is too early to tell, but I am enjoying how well Magneto is written this issue, always been one of my favorites and it seems he still holds strong in this adaption.

Next we find ourselves in Mutopia Medical Center, this is where we see Beast for the first time looking rather different, yet still having his signature blue coat. Things get a bit freaky when he plugs a man up to his machine, (via his manhood) and proceeds to pinpoint all sperm that carry the X gene in his body. The couple in the office is seemly interested in having a Mutant child for fear that if they don’t, their child will not have a chance at competing and surviving. During this awkward process of identifying the targeted sperm, Beast explains the gifts and the curse of being a Mutant, and how there is no way to tell how the gene will effect their offspring. Making it impossible to predict what gifts will be passed down.

Feeling outdated Cyclops has some interesting interactions with Emma who he is assumably dating (I came to this conclusion because they are in bed together) and they are giving insight into the fact the Xmen are losing their abilities. Something is draining their energy and it not just old age causing the problems, determined to find the source Scott and Emma set out find help from an “old” friend.

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It is not long before Scott and Emma find Wolverine, he is sitting at a bar and they enlist his talents for helping them rejuvenate their powers. Not sure how much help he will be because his healing factor as well as Scott’s blasts are a none factor. Turning their attention to the future they set out to face what is suppressing their evolutionary hierarchy, once they are in a compound in which Scott fails to mention where, they go through the guards rather effortlessly. Once through the threats they bust open a locked door to find a man bound and in a mask, his only words are..

“Which of you has come to take my place?”

This was a cool first issue, it does a good job setting up the story arc and I find the artwork being crude fits the scenes and storyscape. Rating this I would give it a 7/10 there were some slow parts in the issue and I feel if you don’t know every bit of information about the BattleWorld storyline, you may need to catch up before reading this issue. Other than that I give it a decent rating and I’m sure some will find this entertaining.

– Grainbelt Jones

Mr. Jones has been a life long nerd, he started collecting vinyl, action figures, and comic books at a very young age. As he grew older his passions evolved into Djing, producing music, writing and traveling. He caught the wrestling bug in 95 after going to the first WCW episode on TNT, at the mall of America, and has been hooked ever since. A new collecting habit of wrestling tapes was born that night where he learned the history of wrestling as well as taping the present weeks during the Monday night wars. Through that process he became a lifer and the habit is not easily broken, and shows today in his mid 20's. His passion for art shows through his music and his obsession with comic books, which has also transformed into a hefty collection. You can expect good articles and reviews on, wrestling, comics, games and figures and anything else Mr. Jones may decide to tackle! Hope you enjoy! Thanks!!