Dark X-Men #2 (of 5)

Comic Watch

Dark X-Men #2 is written with such richness that it's disappointing to see the evidently passionate work of Steve Foxe & Jonas Scharf be constrained to a mini-series within the Fall of X. Both beautiful and thrilling, there isn't a Marvel team book quite like out right now.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: An enjoyable, action-packed adventure filled with a great, dark tone. The premise continues to be intriguing because every element of it is rife with conflict both internal and external. I like seeing a contrast between Madelyne Pryor and the Goblin Queen and it will be interesting to see how and when they finally clash. This is definitely a dark series and the dark surprises make me excited to see where it goes next. The Art: Scharf skillfully delivers on the dark elements of the story with art that is stark and beautifully detailed. The imagery wonderfully plays into the dark and dangerous elements of the story.

AIPT

Dark X-Men #2 hits the ground running, keeping our protagonists on their toes and off-balance. It's a fun and spooky ride, but it's still anyone's guess where this train is heading. Will Madelyne and her X-Men save the world, or will their efforts put even more at risk than ever before?

ComicBook.com

The Dark X-Men creative team is doing a commendable job of applying horror genre stylistic touches to a Marvel superhero story. It's obvious in Jonas Scharf and Frank Martin's artwork, with its heavy shadows and dark color palette applied to moments of body horror and infernal imagery. It there's in the text as well, as Steve Foxe uses the narration to set the oppressive mood, and sprinkles the dialogue with turns of phrases like "coppery heat" to describe the consumption of blood and flesh. The focus on mood results in a sluggish pace of the plot—much of Dark X-Men #2 is spent on bickering between teammates and the filling in of backstories—but it's a worthwhile tradeoff when the mood is apple this well.