Immortal X-Men, Vol. 2

Immortal X-Men (Collected Editions)

by Kieron Gillen, Mark Brooks (Cover Art), Lucas Werneck (Artist)

Judgment comes, courtesy of the Eternals…and the Quiet Council grows suspiciously quiet. With one notable exception: Do you think a man devoted to Hellfire cares one jot? Let's find out! Plus, even if you're the heart of the X-Men, there are days you just want to tear out other people's hearts. Judgment day is one of them. What extreme steps will Nightcrawler take in the name of the Spark? Collecting IMMORTAL X-MEN (2022) #7-10.

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2023

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

At last mutant realism sets in in Krakoa, I questioned multiple key X-villains buying into the Krakoan project and here I am at the certified beginning of the beginning of its end and post Judgement Day and the loss of a Quiet Council member, Sinister makes his move, and reveals where he stood all along! Top that with key reveals from the birth of Krakoa; as well as more Moira story; the best series of the Krakoa era continues to deliver with this delicious prelude to the Sins of Sinister
Three Stars, 7 out of 12.
2025 read

[Sean Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

...huh?

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, the X books just keep getting more complicated. All the time.

This book takes takes place just before Judgment Day 5 and Nightcrawler's desperate missions. Then, the real next phase of the X-books begins. Sinister has always been the monster in their midst, but nobody really knows his endgame. Now he is making his play.

Did I enjoy this book? Not really. Does it have huge implications? definitely!! If you do not want to get pulled into the next stage of the X-MEN books, don't read this book it will pull you in. The book finishes with a full page cover gallery, a couple of full page varient covers, and a thumbnail variant covers.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite fun and again this does different one shot focus of the Quiet council and its cool and I like the sinister issues and like the one set in the past when Destiny first met Sinister and I love how Mystique maybe Sherlock holmes lol in MU atleast but then again the reveal sets up a lot of stuff to come with Sinister and like really exploring his twisted mind and the danger he possesses and sets the stuff for "Sins of sinister" event really well. Also that Kurt issue was cool too, finally him getting some spotlight. But yeah one story that ties into an event and then the back half sets the stage for another event.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does Gillen always overwrite his comics? I have no patience for his blathering, scene-filling word balloons.

Words words words

And me spending most of the time speed-reading the essays-in-word-balloon form, hoping I can hold the entirety in my head for when I might get a clue who is monologuing.

Was that a speech by Sinister or Xavier?

Oh who cares in the end.

Does Gillen get paid by the word, or is this his homage to Claremont?

I’m honestly not convinced I know what happened in this story - I was concentrating so hard on trying to figure who was talking, I didn’t concentrate on what they were actually doing.

Reading others’ reviews, I remember enjoying moments like the Mystique/Destiny backstory, and how Sinister kept Groundhog Day’ing a way to…accomplish some goal (I’m still not clear what his mission was) - but boy I wish there was a Cliff Notes version with 1/4 of the text.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spotlight on Mr. Sinister and what he's actually up to with his Moira clones and schemes. I've come around to actually enjoying storylines featuring him as he brings a frenetic combination of devious smarts and blinding egotism to make his eventual (apparent) errors and (seeming) downfalls believable and entertaining.


"Think you've got me outfoxed? Do go on..."

[Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're a monster, Nathaniel. Don't worry, I'll always be here to judge you."

[johnny ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolute gas.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small step down from the first volume, but perhaps that' s because there are only four issues here, so we don't get to spend as much time among these wonderful weirdos. We also get fewer big reveals, since at least one those issues is spent in a Judgment Day crossover. Oh, and then we get a backstory issue for Mystique, Destiny, and Mr. Sinister, which is...interesting, but I'm not sure how it'll play into Sinister's whole deal.

And that "whole deal" really arrives in the back half of this volume. Sinister shows up at the Quiet Council intending to kill them all, but his plan is sprung by Destiny, so he must use a Moira clone to reset the timeline...repeatedly. It's an absolute hoot and sees our man Sinister built up, then brought right back down. Oh, and it also reveals Professor X is now a Sinister clone. Sorry, I guess there was one big reveal after all.

Lotsa Sinisters running around right now! Seems like they could use some kinda mini-series or something. *wink*

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immortal X-men and X-Men Red are two top tier books post Hickman's run on the series.

As mentioned on my previous review, it is great to see Gillen back into the X-Men fold. And writing Sinister once again is a beauty to read.

The events of Judgement Day was a wonder to read. Definitely one of better big events that Marvel have released. But outside of the X-Men and Eternals... I have not seen any other series have any really affect post the event. So it doesn't feel like it has really done anything for story of Marvel as a whole.

Though, for the X-Men... There is definitely more to come. Sinster's plans come to fruition...

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kieron Gillen wrote the most exciting title during the Krakoan Era since Jonathan Hickman wrote House of X/Powers of X that relaunched the entire X-Men line-up. With Immortal X-Men, it focuses on the Quiet Council, each of its members having their own agenda that may not be for the benefit of Krakoa and their people. Around the same time Gillen was writing this, he was doing the crossover event A.X.E.: Judgment Day, in which the secret of mutant resurrection went public and as expected the Eternals launched an attack on Krakoa.

As the first issue of this volume takes place during the course of this event where a destructive Celestial called the Progenitor was judging the people of Earth, you might be initially baffled if you haven't read A.X.E.. However, Gillen manages to maintain what is great about Immortal X-Men, in that it may juggle a lot of characters, all of which are facing an impending doom due to the stakes of Judgment Day, it all feels coherent with one character narrating the whole issue, in this case Nightcrawler. Given how Kurt Wagner has always tried to look at the sunny side, his narration shows a somewhat darker side due to the current threat towards mutants, whilst taking a number of risks, not least of which sharing the mutant gift of resurrection by bringing back Captain America, which could have huge repercussions. Also, from now on, Nightcrawler should just rock a beard!

The next issue (drawn by Michele Bandini) is a complete change of pace as it opens in New Mexico in 1943, where Mystique breaks into a military facility and discovers scientists doing god knows what and experimenting on mutant children. As Destiny greets Mystique, the rest of the issue goes back even further as the story becomes a 19th century detective thriller where the two lovers track down a murderer and uncover the origins of Mister Sinister. There is so much to enjoy from this issue alone, from seeing the beginnings of Nathaniel Essex and how it implies that his plot has been building for over a century, Gillen brings a level of depth and fun towards Mystique that it's hard to resist. This largely comes down to her shapeshifting ability where she turns into a 1940s pin-up girl to infiltrate a facility, or turning into Sherlock Holmes to investigate a case during the Victoria era.

From the very beginning of Immortal X-Men, Mister Sisnter has positioned himself as the book's MVP as he is a mad scientist who is mischievous and has plenty of funny one-liners, and has managed to be part of the Quiet Council. From his rogue clones running amok (go read Gerry Duggan's X-Men run) to his army of Moira MacTaggert clones, Sinister attempts to take out the membership of the Quiet Council, to varying degrees of success, putting a hilarious sci-fi spin on Groundhog Day.

For as much comedy Gillen shows, there is still tension as Sinister edges closer to his goal, which causes the Council to retaliate. Juggling so many characters from the many mutant teams to single players getting to shine, such as Kate Pryde and Xavier (both narrating their own issue), it is a miracle that artist Lucas Werneck keeps the whole thing visually consistent. Along with colourist David Curiel, who seems to be using every colour available, Werneck draws so many characters in a single page that rivals the epic work of Pepe Larraz.

Ending with a huge twist, which sets up the crossover event Sins of Sinister, Immortal X-Men continues to be the standout title from this current era of X-Men comics.

[Matthew Randell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my favourite Krakoan-era story so far. Almost a series of character one-shots, but set with a backdrop/story thread of Mr Sinister's reality-resetting scheming. Lots of great insights into council members and some shocking twists along the way.

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just exquisite.
It dares to travel deep into each of the characters portrayed in each issue and really shows what makes them thick. And we’re so far gone from the perfect heroes… and I’m so glad we’re there!

[Bertazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE KIERON FUCKING GILLEN!!!

[Liv]

vibing so hard and completely confused ❤️

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed a few of the view points in this volume. Mainly the final issue inside Charles Xavier's psyche. But once again, which happens a lot in X-men books is events cascade all around the main story, and you can be buried in several story lines all at once. I enjoy the complexities, but sometimes you would have to say it's just bad storytelling.

I haven't looked ahead to see the plans for this series but things could rebound here and if not the other X-books continue to be strong.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinister is so good- just a perfectly evil character. Him dying his way through Moira’s clones time abilities.

Almost all of the story takes place in the comic and not in a separate book.

Brooks cover art is amazing these would make such great posters.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. I enjoyed this one, but I found myself having to read it over a few times to really grasp what was going on. Sinister is up to some serious shenanigans and the reveal in this volume will have some of the biggest implications for Krakoa since the beginning of the island nation. Excited to see where this goes.

[salomé · Rating 3 out of 5]

on comprend pas tout car j’ai l’impression qu’il faut lire d’autres livres pour comprendre complètement l’histoire ?

nightcrawler chouchou <3
Destiny et mystique restent l’highlight de l’histoire depuis le début

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank god Gillen and Ewing are really carrying this line right now, and the second half of Immortal might be stronger than the first, especially since we have so much building for Sinister!

Brilliant tie in issue for Judgment Day with Nightcrawler, more dips into the past with Mystique/Destiny/Nathaniel Essex, and the final two crescendo issues with Kate and Xavier, it's all just so good, and purposeful. Gillen has already been on fire the last few years and I'm happy he's trying to steer this Sinister shaped ship

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s definitely getting better with time. There was a issue where I was like why is it so boring? But it was only 1 issue.

[Bingus Boingus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning with a tie-in to A.X.E., this Volume primarily is about Sinister and his machinations... definitely an important set up for the upcoming "Sins of Sinister". I've always loved him as a villain, and it is nice to see him embracing that, having planned so far ahead that he actually can't be stopped...
Highlights:
- First story involves Nightcrawler and his very intricate mission to get to Moira on the ORCHIS satellite. Being forced to die, respawn and teleport over and over again to be able to get past Nimrod long enough to rescue her definitely takes a toll (could this be the reason for his newer horns on his head?)
- The rest of the Volume deals with Sinister and his plan to kill off the Quiet Council. He's been cloning and replicating versions of Moira and using them to test theories on what order to take them out. Eventually killing Hope (one of "The Five" that makes resurrection possible) he believed he won, but the other 4 were able to use Synch to clone her powers and resurrect her.
- Sinister is caught by the X-Men and brought to the Quiet Council for judgment, where he gets the punishment of burial under the chambers, same as Sabretooth and Omega Red did. But... he gets the final laugh....
-... because after the meeting, Xavier goes back to his quarters and removes his helmet, showing the Sinister triangle on his forehead. How long has Sinister been in control of Xavier?

Another great entry in X-Lore. Recommend... though you definitely can't start here.

[Alex Sarll]

Still a series of character spotlights as much as anything with a through-plot, and none the worse for that as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy seeing an issue on something like Nightcrawler's pragmatic hope even at world's end, and Kieron has always had a particular knack for this digging down into a character for a single, almost self-contained issue; the difference between this and his Batroc story, or a given issue of Singles Club, is that now it's being done to fill out a big ol' crossover which is also being run by him. But in so far as there is a thread running through this volume, and Immortal as a whole, it's the long and vexed dance between Destiny, Mystique and Sinister. I was particularly taken with the various literary pastiches in the Victorian issue, and most of all with the detail – perhaps not original here, though I've never encountered it before – where Sinister, AKA Nathaniel Essex, initially tries to name the X-Gene the Essex-Factor, and mutants Essex-Men, because of course he would.

The second volume comes in a little short compared to the first, wrapping up after four issues so as not to awkwardly overlap Sins Of Sinister; this affects me not a jot, given I read this series in singles anyway, but the dented symmetry still irks me ever so slightly. Other than that, excellent superhero comics, not least in often barely being recognisable as a superhero comic beyond the pop culture significance of the leads.

[Michael Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Issues 9 and 10 of Immortal X-Men should go down in history as two of the greatest issues in X-Men history. We see the culmination of some of Sinister’s plotting with the Moira Machine and the Quiet Council. We still don’t know the exact goal he was working toward, but these two issues, particularly #10, do more to synthesize the current mission statement of the X-Men than just about anything else I’ve read in a long time.

Told from Xavier’s perspective, it’s all about what the X-Men do to police mutantkind. It addresses the challenges in comparing the plight of mutants to other, real world, marginalized groups (mutants are actually dangerous). It’s really well done and adds depth to Xavier as a character and to his “dream,” while also building up to a pretty great cliffhanger that teases what I assume is Sins of Sinister.

The other two issues are also great. The Nightcrawler spotlight is set during Judgment Day, but doesn’t really get waylaid by the fact that it’s part of an event. Honestly something I’ve come to really like about Judgment Day is that the concept allows for character driven tie-in issues that only loosely have to address the overall plot. We see the role Nightcrawler played in the climax (a significant one), and it even comes back up in Issue 9 as something that built up relations with the Arakki mutants.

The other issue, #8, focuses on Mystique and Destiny in 1890s London dealing with Mister Sinister, further laying the groundwork for Sins of Sinister and his forthcoming betrayal. It’s a great glimpse into their past, and I had a lot of fun with it as a flashback.

The art from Lucas Wernick continues to be superlative. Even when some aspects aren’t my favorite or seem to lack some detail, the other components of the panel make up for it.

Overall, a great volume and probably the best title from this part of the Krakoa era.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume of Immortal X-Men opens with a Judgment Day tie-in featuring Nightcrawler, before heading into a Sins Of Sinister prelude three-parter focusing on, you guessed it, Mister Sinister.

Look, Kieron Gillen writing Mister Sinister is a recipe for perfection if you ask me. Gillen's voice for Sinister is the perfect mix of arrogant asshole and self-righteous idiot, and it just works. The issue where he's working out how to kill the Quiet Council without letting on that he's the bad guy? Perfection. We also get some insight into the multiple Sinisters that have been running around, like Doctor Stasis over in Gerry Duggan's X-Men, and that's sure to cause problems going forward too.

And the Nightcrawler issue might be the best Nightcrawler story in years too, while we're at it. While Si Spurrier is working his magic on the blue elf over in Legion of X, Gillen takes him for a single issue ride as part of Judgment Day that reminds us just how freaking cool Nightcrawler can be when we least expect it.

Regular series artist Lucas Werneck pencils three of the four issues here, while Michele Bandini steps in for one. Great combination, very solid and clean artists - I've been waiting for Bandini's star to rise for a while now and this is a good trajectory.

Gillen's unique voice and focus bring the Immortal X-Men through one event and speeding right into another without losing any of what makes this series so unique.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinister as a bad guy in the Krakoa era feels like some of the best parts of the Deadpool-as-comedy energies and combines them with some good mutant violence and time distortions to make a plot that feels fun and in a similar spirit to some of Hickman’s better stories. Gillen and Werneck operate at a level that feels worthy of the current X-men series, using logical stakes and mystery more as the core to drive the plot than actual existential threats (especially coming out of the Eternals war or whatever that crossover was, where threats might feel silly). Anything that seeks to undermine the Krakoa experiment feels compelling to me, and while they’ve presented Shaw and Beast and Amal Farouk as possible internal threats, this is probably the one in the most intrigued and unnerved by given how Sinister seems to always be flirting with mad science in the background of every X-Men arc since the emergence of Krakoa. Looking forward to Sins of Sinister, to say the least.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something Sinister this way comes...

We get a glimpse of how the Quiet Counsil dealt with the Judgement Day event. Sinister's role in it is expanded on. Shaw gets more backstory than we've seen from him in YEARS. There's even a fair amount of dialogue about Nightcrawler explaining more of his new mutant faith/religion, "The Spark".
======
Want some excellent storytelling and great art? Read this serious. Volume 2 is more of the same things that had the first volume getting great reviews. Everything has a point and at no point will you feel lost or confused.

Bonus: Wow. Will somebody explain how/why Nightcrawler grew horns?
Bonus Bonus: Cy Cat and Professor Plod? Pet Avengers vs X-Menagerie, please.

SUPER BONUS: Moira's mutant ability is too much of a mcguffin. Seriously.

[brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic prelude to Sins of Sinister.

Issue #7 is a Judgment Day tie-in focusing on Kurt, and its good to see so much love for the character, especially since he's been more-or-less a supporting character throughout the Krakoa era.

Issues #8-10 focus on Sinister and his ultimate scheme of immortality and control. Though its vague what his end goal really is, Issues #8 and #9 portray him as a manic, yet often 'dumb smart' villain that's fully capable of what he intends to do. The reveal in Issue #10 is interesting, and I really am looking forward to what awaits in the Sins of Sinister.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sí que Kieron Gillen GOZA poder guionizar el "salseo político" muti del Consejo Silencioso, pero desde luego, su foco argumental estaba MUY dividido en responsabilidades tales como el evento Judgement Day o adelantar el de Sinister. Lo cual aquí sí que tenemos esos retazos tangenciales pero a modo de "trámite" para cohesionar y cimentar mejor. Por ejemplo, también está el "cliffhanger" de ese Colosso integrándose en el Consejo. Pero si eres ajeno a X-Force y el Lobezno de Benjamin Percy a priori tampoco tienes que sentirlo algo que suma en expectación en una cabecera que quizás debería ser la columna vertebral de todo el panorama Krakoano TOTALMENTE disperso y disgregado.