In X-Men #29 from Marvel Comics, written by Gerry Duggan with art by Joshua Cassara, Doctor Doom reveals his own X-Men.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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X-Men #29 Review:
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine team up once again, and head to Latveria for a special mission… Only to encounter Doctor Doom’s own version of the X-Men. Yikes!
Host Alex Zalben kicked things off stating that Joshua Cassara’s designs for Doom’s X-Men are “next level… These feel instantly iconic.” And he also shouted out of the opening sequence where Doom calls Professor Xavier mentally in the middle of the initial announcement of Krakoa.
“This whole issue is so good,” added Justin Tyler, though he did feel like it stood apart from the general Fall of X event. Zalben clarified on that front that Duggan has stated this was an idea he had — Doom’s X-Men — that he really wanted to try out before they wrap up the Krakoa era. “So this is 100% that, and I love that he did it,” Zalben said.
Tyler felt this was reminiscent of Jonathan Hickman’s run on Avengers, when he’d had a few “random people” fly to Russia to go on a mission. Tyler also thought it was very fun that Wolverine “gets his *ss handed to him in a way that we don’t usually see… He’s absolutely ineffective the entire time… Great Doctor Doom issue.”
Wrapping up, Zalben noted there’s a “great kickoff” at the end of the issue that is “horrifying” and seems to point to where things are going in Rise of the Powers X and Fall of the House of X. “So overall, really good issue, very fun,” Zalben said.
X-Men #29 Official Synopsis:
ENTER: DOOM’S X-MEN! With the X-Men at their lowest point, yet another group has moved to claim their title…this one a band of patriotic Latverian mutants loyal only to the great and terrible Doctor Doom! Beloved and celebrated by the nation they are bound to protect, this is one squad of X-Men for whom the Fall of X has given way to glorious summer.
