Marvel has been on my mind lately—both in fantastic and not-so-stellar ways. Many fans are not thrilled with a lot of the comics, which is showing up in sales, and rippling down last week with some layoffs. Not everything sucks, and there are some fantastic Marvel comics I am enjoying—Venom, surprisingly, for me, I enjoy. X-Men titles seem to be hit-or-miss, but there are some good ones.
Now, it’s been almost two years since the end of the X-Men’s Krakoa Era, and to be fair, it has been a bit of a rocky road for all things X. Again, even here, there have been some stand-outs. Take Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men, which has been consistently one of my favorite titles from Marvel. From that week, Marvel releases are always my first pick.
Throughout the entire run, it has kept an X-Men lineup of Rogue as team leader, Gambit, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee. Their home base is rather un-X-Men-like. It’s in New Orleans, Gambit’s hometown, and in truth, these X-Men have kind of stepped away from the usual things you would expect from almost any X-Title.
In truth, they are not interested in battles and fighting (Not that their fair things haven’t come their way!). They are staying at Haven House, a multi-generational, “haunted” New Orleans manor owned by Marcus St. Juniors that serves as a makeshift family home for the X-Men. And after the last few years of what’s been happening with X-Men, it makes for a different but fresh take on these characters.
Adding to the mix were four teenagers introduced in that first issue: Ransom, Jitter, Calico, and Deathdream, known as the Outliers. Gail Simone chose the name Outliers to highlight how this squad sits at the edges of mutant society — characters with strange, subtle, or easily overlooked powers who don’t fit the classic X‑Men mold. Okay, admittedly, when the book first came out, I was of the opinion: “I really just want X-Men stories, not adding to an already crowded X-Men mythos.”
That quickly went out the proverbial window! Over the course of more than two dozen issues, Simone has slowly unfolded the characters and, bit by bit, turned them into some of the most endearing teen characters in recent memory. Each issue, I look forward to seeing what those teens will do next!
In a fantastically fascinating twist, the core adult X-Men have de facto adopted the teens. All of them have taken on a protective, parental role with the Outliers. It takes all of them in new directions, peeling back new layers of the adult X-Men, while remaining true to the core of the characters.
Take, Rogue, leader, she’s not just keeping the Outliers alive from the things around them — she’s also guarding them from the emotional shrapnel of a world still reeling from Krakoa’s fall. Under her watch, the Outliers aren’t simply trained; they’re sheltered, steadied, and given room to breathe. Gambit, also front and center, acts as the street-smart dad, whose instincts and hard-learned lessons give the Outliers a grounding no textbook could.
From a fan standpoint, Jubilee is an interesting choice because I remember her as a teen when she first entered the X-Men mythos. She fills the space between big sister and peer mentor, the one who remembers what it’s like to be the kid in the room. She’s the emotional translator, the spark that keeps the Outliers from collapsing under the weight of everything they’ve inherited. Her role may be softer, but it’s no less essential.
Nightcrawler, ever the soul of the X‑Men, acts as the team’s quiet moral compass. He’s the one who reminds them — gently, consistently — that being a mutant isn’t just about surviving the world, but choosing who you want to be inside it. His presence gives Haven House its heart.
And then there’s Wolverine, the Grizzled Guardian, the last line of defense when the world comes knocking with bad intentions. He’s shifted fully into the grandfather‑mentor phase, the one who stands at the door so the kids don’t have to. In this new family dynamic, he’s the anchor — the old soldier who finally understands what it means to protect something worth keeping.
Like many fans, I am not always convinced that certain creators attached to certain Marvel Comics titles– will translate into something I will actually enjoy. In some ways, I have come to expect not to enjoy many of the new Marvel releases, given my track record as a fan. Simone’s current run, Uncanny, is uncannily good.
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