Review: MAJOR X #1

MAJOR X No. 1 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rob Liefeld
PENCILS: Rob Liefeld
INKS: Rob Liefeld with Adelso Corona and Dan Fraga
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
EDITOR: Jordan D. White
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Rob Liefeld and Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
VARIANT COVER: Whilce Portacio with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2019)

X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Major X created by Rob Liefeld

Comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Rob Liefeld started working at Marvel Comics in 1989.  He drew the cover of New Mutants #85 and became the series artist and co-plotter with issue #86 (February 1990).  However, it was with New Mutants #87 (March 1990), Liefeld's presence and creativity exploded on Marvel Comics, as that issue introduced one of Liefeld's first, big-time (co-) creations, the mutant warrior-hero, Cable.

In New Mutants #98 (February 1991), Liefeld and his collaborators sprang his greatest (co-) creation, Deadpool, on the world.  Deadpool is probably the most famous superhero character introduced during the last three decades.  Two live-action feature films starring the character have grossed over 1.5 billion dollars in global box office.

Liefeld and Marvel would later launch a new X-Men comic book series, X-Force, in 1991, but less than a year later, X-Force #9 (April 1992) marked the end of three years of edgy new characters and explosive character redesigns, as Liefeld left Marvel to begin his own publishing ventures.  Four years later, however, Liefeld would return to Marvel Comics in 1996, the first of two decades of an on-again, off-again Marvel Comics-Rob Liefeld relationship.

Rob is back at Marvel again to introduce a... new mutant character, Major X.  The character is the star of a six-issue miniseries, entitled Major X, that will ship twice a month from April to June 2019.  Liefeld will write the series.  The first issue is drawn by Liefeld (pencils and inks) with Adelso Corona and Dan Fraga (inks); colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr.; and lettered by Joe Sabino.  Other artists will also provide art for series.

Major X #1 opens with a strange visitor appearing at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters (a.k.a. “the X-Mansion”).  He is called “Major X,” and he is from another dimension or plane of existence known as “the X-istence.”  He needs Cable's help, but Cable just wants to hit Major X.  Plus, Deadpool fights a familiar-looking foe, and Wolverine steps in.

Once upon a time, I was a regular reader of Rob Liefeld's X-Men related comics and other stuff he did for Marvel.  I even tried to read Liefeld's mostly unreadable Image Comics title, Youngblood, but I gave up after the fourth issue or so.  If I remember correctly, Liefeld took one year to deliver all four issues.  Maybe, Youngblood is where it all went wrong for Liefeld.

His early Marvel work (1989-92) had spark.  No one had seen anything like it before.  Liefeld's art, with its screwy dynamics and incorrect compositions, leaped off the page.  His graphical style seemed perfect for superhero comics.  For various reasons (such as his inability to keep a consistent publishing schedule), the novelty wore off.  It is as if Liefeld had his time, and then, he and his work were things that just cropped up to remind readers of what was and what could have been – once upon a time...

Major X is like that:  once upon a time, this would have been something really fun.  Major X and Rob Liefeld don't seem as desperate as Madonna to still be relevant; they both want to be something hot.  Liefeld's drawing might still be tolerable... to some, but his writing and storytelling are as poor as ever.  Romulo Fajardo Jr.'s coloring is quite pretty, though.

Maybe, Marvel Comics, Liefeld, and collector-minded fans hope that Major X will be another Deadpool (by far Liefeld's most famous and popular comic book creation).  Yeah, if Major X does become a hot character, great... for Marvel and Liefeld.  I wish the comic book Major X #1 had tried to be great.  Maybe, the rest of this series will be...

4 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.

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