The issue begins with a recap page, catching new readers up on the last five issues of “Uncanny X-Men.” As in those prior issues, the recap page uses a standardized format seen across the other ongoing “From The Ashes” X-Men titles.
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While the cover suggests all the Outliers will be stars, the preview pages are focusing on Calico. She’s previously said the other Outliers are her only friends and in a one-page flashback, we see why. Apparently raised in a wealthy family (she is a horse girl), Becca had a controlling mother who kept her from befriending any “lower-class” girls.
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The comic then jumps back to the present day with a line-up shot of the X-Men. Rogue is again the narrator (indicated by her trademark green text boxes) and Wolverine is still wearing a blindfold after the Hag skewered his eyes in issue #4. It seems that Calico isn’t keen on going to school, and when the X-Men try to calmly talk her down, she has Ember back kick Wolverine. Even with his unbreakable adamantium skeleton, a horse kick can’t be a fun experience.
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Garrón’s art is in-keeping with the style Marquez set. It helps that the issue still has the same colorist, Matt Wilson, so the palette is unchanged. The main difference is Garrón’s line art hues a bit more cartoony, especially the characters’ larger facial features. Marquez (who will be back in issue #7) makes his character look softer than Garrón does. (Compare Marquez’s big-eyed, full-lipped Rogue to Garrón’s stone-faced Gambit below.)
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Back in issue #5, it was revealed that Rogue is taking speech therapy to tone down her Mississippi drawl. Note how, in her green text box above, “I” is now written as it’s spelled instead of the “Ah” previously used to indicate her strong accent. This seems to be part of a subtle trend in Simone’s handling of the X-Men; they’re becoming more assimilationist. During this run, they’ve generally been calling themselves by their birth names — Anna Marie, Remy, Logan, Kurt, and Jubilation — instead of their mutant ones.
Based on other previews, it seems that “Uncanny X-Men” #6 will be a transitionary issue. Issue #7 is set to be part of a new arc called “Raid on Graymalkin.” (Graymalkin being the mutant prison that was built out of the ruined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.)
“Raid on Graymalkin” will be a four-part crossover between “Uncanny X-Men” and Jed MacKay/Ryan Stegman’s “X-Men” (starring Cyclops and Magneto). It’ll unfold like this:
“X-Men” #8 — Part 1
“Uncanny X-Men” #7 — Part 2
“X-Men” #9 — Part 3
“Uncanny X-Men” #8 — Part 4
After that, “Uncanny X-Men” issue #9 will pick back up with the Outliers’ coming of age story. The trouble doesn’t end there though — back in issue #1, it was prophesied that one of the Outliers is “The Endling” and will spell doom for mutantkind. At this point, it could still be any of four; perhaps issue #6 will drop more hints or further develop the Outliers so the eventual reveal is all the more upsetting.
“Uncanny X-Men” #6 releases on November 27, 2024. “Uncanny X-Men” issues #1-5 are currently available in print and digital.