Exiles, Vol. 4: Legacy

Exiles (2001) (Collected Editions)

by Judd Winick, Jim Calafiore

They are the Exiles, reality hopping nomads forced to repair the broken chain of time. In each new universe they travel to the team must complete a mission before moving on. Their only guide is the mysterious Tallus, a bracelet talisman that provides guidance, although sometimes oblique, as to what the Exiles are to rectify.To fail at a mission means returning to their original worlds -- forced to live a life in a fractured timeline. If they succeed, the team moves to the next reality and the next mission. Their final goal is to repair each member's own timeline and return to it.The dangers they face are real. Some may never return home. In this adventure, The Exiles face their greatest challenge to date... a world overtaken by the Legacy Virus. The team loses one of its most valuable members...and the loss sends them into a tailspin. Collecting #20 - #25

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.

Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.

Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.

Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume of the Exiles. This one collects two three-part stories.

The first sees the team jumping into a world where 90% of the population has been infected by a bizarre amalgamation of the Legacy Virus and the Transmode Virus. Despite Mimic’s depression making him want to end himself, it’s actually another founding member of the team that ends up make the ultimate sacrifice. The artwork’s not great on this one but the story is a real corker.

The second story doesn’t actually feature the Exiles at all. Rather it’s a tale of their darker counterparts in Weapon X. All kitted out with a new leader, Weapon X find themselves on an Earth where an evil Iron Man has conquered the entire globe apart from the Inhumans’ refuge of Attilan. Weapon X’s mission? To help evil Tony defeat the Inhumans. Great story and great work from guest artist Kev Walker; I didn’t even miss the Exiles too much.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

As before the Exiles are intriguing, but Weapon X may even interest me more, even if they're shown less. The Tony Stark ending tale held the most promise but was a little disappointing, although the ending of it rocked in a haunting note. Humor is again rich with Morph, romance of a dark sort exists amongst some characters, and there's a loss already (depressing). Curious how they will exist without that person in the graphic novels to come.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se tutte le storie contenute in questo volume avessero avuto il tenore della Saga conclusiva, "Legacy" avrebbe beccato le cinque stelle.
Il primo trittico di storie è una variazione sul tema sulle Saghe del Virus Legacy e di Phanlax Covenant; caruccio, ma utile solo per gli sviluppi futuri, in quanto rimuove Blink non solo dal ruolo di leader, ma anche dalla squadra. E però sul finire che spingiamo davvero sull'acceleratore.

La serie mette un attimo in panchina i protagonisti principali e dà spazio ad Arma X, già apparsa nei numeri precedenti e presentata come una versione spregiudicata degli Exiles, utilizzata dal Tallus per missioni dai risvolti molto più tragici (si, una X-Force ante litteram). Il gruppo si trova in un mondo dove Iron Man ha forzato la mano per diventare presidente degli Stati Uniti il re del mondo e il gruppo si trova lì per aiutarlo nell'ultimo obiettivo che gli manca.

Applausi innanzitutto per la scelta geniale di dare spazio ad altri protagonisti dopo un grande risvolto di trama. Questo non solo crea aspettativa curiosità nel lettore, ma da modo anche di rafforzare le caratteristiche del gruppo principale. Quelli di Weapon X sono davvero delle merde e, pur essendo squadre gemelle, appaiono sul serio come dei cattivi: che qui, per giunta, aiutano altri cattivi; ma nel contempo, avere un gruppo del genere ti permette di "maltrattarli" e infilarli in storie veramente tragiche e drammatiche, sottolineando ancora di più quanto la missione degli Esuli sia difficile e stressante. Qualcuno potrebbe etichettare il tutto come mero filler, ma non è così.

Alle matite di questa storia, un giovanissimo sporchissimo e imprecisissimo Kev Walker, che rende il tutto ancora più marcio e oscuro.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This may have been my favorite volume so far. The first story deals with a world where the Legacy Virus has spread and then evolves into a Phalanx invasion. The second story deals with the "Exiled" Weapon X group rather than the Exiles as they find a world where an evil Tony Stark has conquered the Earth and is attempting to conquer the galaxy. The only thing standing in his way is the Inhumans. This one was a powerful story, really on a different level than most of the series so far.

[Lexie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strap in folks we're back and I'm mad.

Spoilers exist but I'm not spoiler-shading for a series two decades old.

I said last time (in vol 3) I was pretty sure we were reaching my stopping point in the series. I was right! I stopped at issue 22. Why? Because Blink leaves. Sorry she is "sent home" and as much as I like Magyk and Nocturne, I was in the series for Blink.

So I stopped. Yet the series has 12 and half more volumes, which I own, so I will continue it.

Unless every arc is like the second reality arc of this volume in which Tony Stark is the tyrant he was aways accused of being. I did not enjoy that arc. And if I had picked up issue 23 way back when and saw the series decided to u-turn away from the Exiles... I woulda screamed murder.

Please god let this get better. And like...is the whole point of the Exiles to basically visit every awful reality? Cause I can see why Mimic is like "fuck this shit".

[Lillian Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the Legacy story. Although losing another member of the team was a wrench (even if they just returned to their timeline).

Didn't like much about the second story in the tpb. With an Iron Fist is a dark story with the Weapon X team of Exiles. Its mostly about manipulation, sacrifice, and death and destruction. This 3 issue story had a completely different artist to the rest of the run, and that art was nasty. Lots of scratchy line art and panels where it was hard to establish what was happening. Hope this artist isn't in for a long run.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Exiles is a great series. I'd recommend it for fans of Marvel comics and What If fans.

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good sad stuff

[JD Waggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welp, that was dark.

This is a pair of stories in several installments: the first is the Exiles dealing with a reality in which a virus has changed pretty much all superheroes into cyborgs intent on taking over the world. The second is a reality in which Tony Stark has become emperor of everything and is generally a power-hungry asshat pitted against the Inhumans; the Exiles don't even show up in this storyline as it's the Weapon X team who comes to the meddling.

I feel like this series is now existing just to take all of the characters that have a certain ethical standing in what I know of them from other comics and grind them into the floor. I'm not wild about watching heroes become villains; that's not my kind of story. Also the Vi-Locks were drawn was unsettling for reasons I can't quite figure out--they were a reminder of why I usually don't like graphic novels. I don't like to see what's being described.

It was an okay addition to the series, but definitely not my cup of tea. At all. (And I really don't like Weapon X.)

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winick's writing continues at the level of excellence I'm not used to seeing for such long stretches. Am I biased a little because I've been taking my time reading a volume a night as my wind-down and afterward I'm always doing so much better? Maybe, but so be it.

Yet again, there was a moment where I reacted audibly. This one was a "nooo!" complete with an instinctual flare up of defiance. That's what good storytelling should do for you.

The series is actually perfectly designed for trade paperback reading before it was really a thing. They have 2- or 3-part story arcs that make great cutting off and starting up points in the overall narrative.

And...I like that we continue to switch back and forth between the Exiles and Weapon-X. The kinds of missions and the manners by which each team completes them is thought-provoking. This is not a tale of blacks and whites, but of grays.

At this rate, I think I'll be done with the series in about two weeks. I look forward to the journey.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, the storylines are so interesting. It's cool to learn about these multi verse worlds. Why does Forge usually seem to end up bad? Also, I can't believe it just ended like that.

[Jason Culpepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love both the "exiles" and the "weapon x" teams.

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exiles Legacy explores the aftermath of effects of the Legacy virus and builds upon readers’ understanding of the rival multiverse-hopping team Weapon X.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun alternate universe hopping adventure. This collection has two stories: the Exiles have to save a universe from a Phalanx/Legacy Virus hybrid, and Weapon X has to save a different universe from the fallout of a war between Tony Stark and the Inhumans.

Winnick has a better sense of characters than many of the people who were writing X-books at the same time. The melodrama is more of an accent to his stories than a driving force. His evolution of Morph from goofy, misogynist hornball, to smart comic relief has made the title a lot easier to read.

I also enjoyed the art change from Califore's more cartoonish Exiles story, and Walker's more cross-hatched Weapon X storyline. Each style gelled well with the tone of the stories.

I recommend this for all X-fans looking for some fun outside of the usual continuity.

**********Updated during 2022 reread*********

This might be the best volume of The Exiles. There are quite a few obvious tropes that Winick manages to subvert at the very last moments. He also uses a ton of narration boxes, particularly in the Weapon X story.

I often complain about these "Claremont boxes" as I grew up reading them when they were at their worst: "The snow was cold as snow and the snow cold snow brushed against his skin causing him to shiver...because of the cold." But the reason the Claremont run was so beloved is because, for a long time, they worked. They fed you a back story that wouldn't have been interesting to see unfold. And that's how Winick uses it here.

i want to double down that if you loved the moral questioning Claremont era of X-Men, then this is one of the better 21st century X-books on the shelves. If you're not a huge fan of that style, then this is just pretty good. But worth the read, either way.

[Jedi Sunni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good book overall. The character development was a little weak, but the narration kept the story flowing smoothly. I was also impressed with the fact that there was more fighting and less politic. I didn't expect Weapon X to have such a big role in this book as well and that's what made just an average story for me. the ending was actually kind of weird and incomprehensible. my rating for this book is a 3.0 out of 5.0.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be my favorite series of this modern x-book reading that I have undertaken.

There were a couple of moments (one in particular) in this volume that straight-up shocked me. The writing continues to be good and the art is good if lacking a little bit of punch.

Really, though, this is such a fun series. Certainly worth the read for an x-fan or a fan of the older What if comics.


Reread in 2020. Still really enjoy this series - particularly Winick's volumes.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still telling good tales, though now without the great art of Mike McKone. Again, Calafiore does a great job, but it's not the same. I love Kev Walker's painted art in Magic: the Gathering, but his sequential stuff for comic books just isn't the same. The team loses a member, one that will surprise everyone.

[Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so I love the Exiles, and really enjoyed their story here, but Weapon X continues to steal the show. Seriously - the evil Tony Stark vs. the Inhumans (and let's throw Weapon X into the mix) story is gold.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another post-modern twist on the "classic" (if pointless) What If? tales of the late 20th century Marvel canon. Not that interesting, mostly i think because of the interchangeable protagonists in these stories, coupled with some pretty average writing and stilted staging of most panels.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An end of an era as the Exiles lose a famous face. The team must battle a world overrun by the technovirus plague, only to finally see a fan-favorite fall from the active roster. In order to build suspense, the Weapon X crew is back, under Gambit's leadership, in an excellent heist tale.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good outing with 2 stories, a legacy virus one, and a stark vs inhumans one. Some great moments,especially in the Stark storyline. Interesting that it is the Weapon X team not the Exiles in the 2nd story. A great read.

[Centauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

the legacy virus planet, meh, whatever. the iron man story though. that was nuts! power hungry, power mad, power obsessed...I so can see stark like that. that alone made the read worth it...the rest was a waste of time

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I won't be reading any more of these. It is a shame; this is a great concept with great characters, but the heavy incessant narration killed it.