X-Men #23 

Writer – Gerry Duggan 

Artist – Joshua Cassara 

I recently finished the Sins of Sinister crossover and caught up with most of the X-men titles released in May over the Memorial Day Weekend. The first 2 X-Titles for June were Immortal X-Men #12 and X-Men #23, which I read over the weekend. 

Two firefighters are nearly killed in a structure collapse when they are rescued by a giant Sentinel that looks like Iron Man! When the giant automaton scans one the firefighters and detects he’s a mutant, the robot goes in for the kill. The first responder is saved by the X-men at the last possible moment. Cyclops and his team try to take down this brand-new Sentinel but bite off more they can chew. 

I have been dipping in and out of the X-Men since House of X/Powers of X kicked off the Krakoa era. I am invested in the Merry Mutants once again to see the fallout of Sins of Sinister and how it will lead to the Fall of X later in the year. 

A story as simple as the X-Men vs Sentinels takes a dangerous turn when the Sentinel is made of Stark Tech. When I showed my friend the cover to the issue, I explained to him it looked like a Stark Sentinel and you’ll see how Orchis’ brand-new invention off the assembly line was made. The issue opens with a tease of Mother Righteous vs Doctor Stasis and ends with a surprising villain meeting with Emma Frost on the island of Krakoa. The seeds of this year’s Hellfire Gala are being planted and it is an event you will not want to miss in July.

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the X-Men for various reasons (like so many X-Titles and not enough money to buy them all, for example), now is the time to jump back into the action. I have been trying to spend less money at the comic store, but I am going to try to keep up with Immortal X-Men, X-Men, and X-Men Red for the foreseeable future. These were the three I picked up recently and they are a perfect mix of what’s happening behind the scenes on Krakoa and Arrako and in New York City. 

Please let me know if you have taken a break from the X-Men altogether or if you have been keeping up with them in the comment section. I’m curious to know where you stand. 

Next Issue – “POGG UR-POGG FOR HIRE! Hired for the dirtiest of jobs, a deadly mercenary comes crashing into the X-Men right at their most vulnerable moment! But not just any mercenary—finally, the breakout fan-favorite from X OF SWORDS, Pogg Ur-Pogg, returns!” In Stores July 5^th, 2023.