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Magneto (2014)
Magneto, Vol. 1: Infamous
Once the deadliest, most feared mutant mastermind on the planet, Magneto is no longer the man he was. After allying with Cyclops and the X-Men, he became a pawn in another man's war. But now, determined to fight for mutantkind's survival on his own terms, Magneto sets out to regain what he's lost...and remind the world why it should tremble at the sound of his name. Magneto will safeguard the future of the mutant race by hunting down each and every threat that would see his kind extinguished — and bloody his hands that they may never be a threat again.
But as horrors from his past loom large and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pursue him, will Magneto soon become the villain he once was? And how will a mysterious woman from his past affect his mission?
Collecting: Magneto 1-6
But as horrors from his past loom large and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pursue him, will Magneto soon become the villain he once was? And how will a mysterious woman from his past affect his mission?
Collecting: Magneto 1-6
136 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2014
25 people are currently reading
733 people want to read
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,102 books1,060 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
September 2, 2022
After years of not liking anything written by Cullen Bunn, he comes along with this superb ongoing Magneto series! Perfectly partnered with the daringly original Magneto / X-lore art of Gabriel Hernandez Walta. A lesser powered Magneto moves away from Cyclops resistance and confronts anti-mutant causes faces to face, as SHIELD agents pursue him. 8 out of 12.
2018 read; 2014 read
2018 read; 2014 read
March 6, 2015
Shallow Comics buddy read this week is RED. Because we're lazy, and it's fairly easy to find a superhero whose got some sort of red on 'em...somewhere.
Okey-dokey.
I'm just not feelin' Magneto in this one.
Really sorry about that, because this was one I'd been looking forward to since his exit from the Uncanny X-men.
Oh well.
The story centers around Magneto (still not at full power) slurking around small towns, and rooting out anyone who has wronged mutants.
He's an ass, and he doesn't seem to mind torturing folks to dispense his particular brand of justice. His inner monologue is the narrator on this journey, and he's pretty self-aware as far as his faults go.
I guess that's supposed to make him honest and intriguing.
I think it just makes him a sadistic dickhole.
I could probably get on board with a cool anti-hero fairly quickly, but the biggest problem for me was that Magneto's inner voice was dry and boring.
I don't wanna hear him ramble on and on about his bullshit mutant ideals.
Either say something funny or say something meaningful.
Otherwise, shut the fuck up, Grandpa.
I didn't truly hate this, but I didn't like it.
Recommended for fans of Magneto only.
Okey-dokey.
I'm just not feelin' Magneto in this one.
Really sorry about that, because this was one I'd been looking forward to since his exit from the Uncanny X-men.
Oh well.
The story centers around Magneto (still not at full power) slurking around small towns, and rooting out anyone who has wronged mutants.
He's an ass, and he doesn't seem to mind torturing folks to dispense his particular brand of justice. His inner monologue is the narrator on this journey, and he's pretty self-aware as far as his faults go.
I guess that's supposed to make him honest and intriguing.
I think it just makes him a sadistic dickhole.
I could probably get on board with a cool anti-hero fairly quickly, but the biggest problem for me was that Magneto's inner voice was dry and boring.
I don't wanna hear him ramble on and on about his bullshit mutant ideals.
Either say something funny or say something meaningful.
Otherwise, shut the fuck up, Grandpa.
I didn't truly hate this, but I didn't like it.
Recommended for fans of Magneto only.
March 24, 2015
It’s mutant mania week!! Another jaw dropping banner from Kat Stark!!!
Two wrongs don’t make a right. And understanding this complicates Marvel’s task in trying to make Magneto, one of the more despicable villains in comic books, anything resembling a sympathetic character. In his quest to protect and elevate mutantdom, he’s got a lot of blood on his hands. This is a fact that’s never bothered him.
Marvel uses flashbacks to Magneto’s Holocaust experience and Genosha (where millions of mutants were killed), as well as throwing Magneto up against people who are more contemptible than he to garner some understanding and support. Instead of creating more character grey area it just comes off as obvious and heavy-handed narrative machinations.
Antiheroes, which isn't a category that Magneto can be squeezed into, don’t wipe out a police station to get to a terrorist suspect. Magneto shrugs off the concept of collateral damage, as he uses his narrow world view to justify his actions.
If the reason Marvel printed this violent book is to open up a dialogue on the merits of Magneto and his quest and possibly larger issues, then it works to a small degree. It’s also a reasonably successful attempt to separate itself from the pabulum that DC publishes.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. And understanding this complicates Marvel’s task in trying to make Magneto, one of the more despicable villains in comic books, anything resembling a sympathetic character. In his quest to protect and elevate mutantdom, he’s got a lot of blood on his hands. This is a fact that’s never bothered him.
Marvel uses flashbacks to Magneto’s Holocaust experience and Genosha (where millions of mutants were killed), as well as throwing Magneto up against people who are more contemptible than he to garner some understanding and support. Instead of creating more character grey area it just comes off as obvious and heavy-handed narrative machinations.
Antiheroes, which isn't a category that Magneto can be squeezed into, don’t wipe out a police station to get to a terrorist suspect. Magneto shrugs off the concept of collateral damage, as he uses his narrow world view to justify his actions.
If the reason Marvel printed this violent book is to open up a dialogue on the merits of Magneto and his quest and possibly larger issues, then it works to a small degree. It’s also a reasonably successful attempt to separate itself from the pabulum that DC publishes.
July 17, 2014
Remember that scene from X-Men: First Class where a young Magneto hunts down some Nazis in post-war South America and executes them? That’s the basic concept of this series with an older (and less powerful) Magneto roaming across America as a wandering angel of death, avenging any and all wrongs against mutants by mankind.
It’s actually a brilliant concept for the character because Magneto’s gone from being the quintessential X-Men villain to, recently, an almost heroic figure while retaining some of his darker tendencies. He’s kind of like the mutant Malcolm X, standing for a good cause but using questionable means to support it, so it’s in keeping that he would kill and still be the anti-hero of his story.
What’s frustrating about this series is how vague the two stories in this book are when you think about them as a whole – but when reading them, you don’t actually notice that quality. So the first story arc is, I think, about some scientists doing Dr Mengele-esque experiments on human subjects to create human/sentinel hybrids, while the second arc is…. um… about The Marauders? I don’t know anything about these characters but they mean something to Magneto. They have a fight and then there’s that bizarre final page. So…
But, like I say, when you’re reading the book, it’s quite easy to follow – Magneto is incognito (take away the costume and helmet and he’s just an ordinary bald dude) and being hunted by SHIELD. He’s popping up all over the country violently executing people who’ve hurt mutants. Simple! But when Cullen Bunn introduces a plot, things start to wobble a bit.
Bunn gives Magneto a strong, resonant voice which is personable, even likeable, distinctive and sounds reasonable, in contrast to his very dark actions – the ways he kills is extremely violent. Though when the people he kills turn out to be nasty pieces of work, hurting mutant kids and whatnot, it’s hard not to feel righteous about Magneto’s murders. He’s not killing for the sake of it, he’s doing it for a purpose, and though you could say an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, you get a strong feeling that that’s how Magneto’s wants to play it and damn the consequences. Which is kinda cool – don’t get many of those Marvel types with their own series!
Bunn throws in some flashback scenes to World War 2 and we see a young Magneto witnessing horrific violence at the hands of the Nazis, so you know where he’s coming from, but he’s also very aware that he’s become like the monsters who once tormented him. There are a lot of grey areas in this book and Bunn brilliantly walks the line between light and dark with Magneto.
Thinking about the book as a whole though and it’s harder to figure out what the point was – it doesn’t help that there’s no real antagonist. Magneto’s just getting stuff done… whatever that stuff is. We know it’s probably in service of the mutant cause though. Probably.
It almost doesn’t matter though when the main character is so well written and the moments when Magneto becomes Magneto are so exciting, like the opening chapter when he walks into the police station and uses various bits of metal to form his trademark costume, appearing in the midst of them, floating. So good!
Artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art is terrific, from that splash page I just described to drawing Magneto’s victims’ faces – he acutely captures their pain - and I liked how he represented Magneto’s powers like how he feels the metal in the police station just being around them with small panels displaying a gun or a paperclip. Jordie Bellaire’s colours give this book a magnificent look, using a limited palette of muted and darker tones, making his black uniform and helmet very stylish.
I don’t think Bunn did a great job of making the reader aware of what was happening in the main – ie. the point of that particular arc – but I do think he got the voice down perfectly. I read through the first six issues in one sitting (a rare feat) because I was so hooked by Magneto’s narration rather than the plot (magnetic personality? I’ll get me coat…).
It would be better too if he were really challenged which he hasn’t been so far – every threat he comes across is dealt with quite easily, almost effortlessly, on his part, so there’s little dramatic tension. It’d be better to see him on the ropes and being forced to use his wits more or facing a villain of his own.
Still, it’s a very decent first volume to kick things off with. With Bunn’s Magneto and Al Ewing’s Loki, the Marvel villains are turning out to be as compelling in the spotlight as the heroes!
3.5 stars
It’s actually a brilliant concept for the character because Magneto’s gone from being the quintessential X-Men villain to, recently, an almost heroic figure while retaining some of his darker tendencies. He’s kind of like the mutant Malcolm X, standing for a good cause but using questionable means to support it, so it’s in keeping that he would kill and still be the anti-hero of his story.
What’s frustrating about this series is how vague the two stories in this book are when you think about them as a whole – but when reading them, you don’t actually notice that quality. So the first story arc is, I think, about some scientists doing Dr Mengele-esque experiments on human subjects to create human/sentinel hybrids, while the second arc is…. um… about The Marauders? I don’t know anything about these characters but they mean something to Magneto. They have a fight and then there’s that bizarre final page. So…
But, like I say, when you’re reading the book, it’s quite easy to follow – Magneto is incognito (take away the costume and helmet and he’s just an ordinary bald dude) and being hunted by SHIELD. He’s popping up all over the country violently executing people who’ve hurt mutants. Simple! But when Cullen Bunn introduces a plot, things start to wobble a bit.
Bunn gives Magneto a strong, resonant voice which is personable, even likeable, distinctive and sounds reasonable, in contrast to his very dark actions – the ways he kills is extremely violent. Though when the people he kills turn out to be nasty pieces of work, hurting mutant kids and whatnot, it’s hard not to feel righteous about Magneto’s murders. He’s not killing for the sake of it, he’s doing it for a purpose, and though you could say an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, you get a strong feeling that that’s how Magneto’s wants to play it and damn the consequences. Which is kinda cool – don’t get many of those Marvel types with their own series!
Bunn throws in some flashback scenes to World War 2 and we see a young Magneto witnessing horrific violence at the hands of the Nazis, so you know where he’s coming from, but he’s also very aware that he’s become like the monsters who once tormented him. There are a lot of grey areas in this book and Bunn brilliantly walks the line between light and dark with Magneto.
Thinking about the book as a whole though and it’s harder to figure out what the point was – it doesn’t help that there’s no real antagonist. Magneto’s just getting stuff done… whatever that stuff is. We know it’s probably in service of the mutant cause though. Probably.
It almost doesn’t matter though when the main character is so well written and the moments when Magneto becomes Magneto are so exciting, like the opening chapter when he walks into the police station and uses various bits of metal to form his trademark costume, appearing in the midst of them, floating. So good!
Artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art is terrific, from that splash page I just described to drawing Magneto’s victims’ faces – he acutely captures their pain - and I liked how he represented Magneto’s powers like how he feels the metal in the police station just being around them with small panels displaying a gun or a paperclip. Jordie Bellaire’s colours give this book a magnificent look, using a limited palette of muted and darker tones, making his black uniform and helmet very stylish.
I don’t think Bunn did a great job of making the reader aware of what was happening in the main – ie. the point of that particular arc – but I do think he got the voice down perfectly. I read through the first six issues in one sitting (a rare feat) because I was so hooked by Magneto’s narration rather than the plot (magnetic personality? I’ll get me coat…).
It would be better too if he were really challenged which he hasn’t been so far – every threat he comes across is dealt with quite easily, almost effortlessly, on his part, so there’s little dramatic tension. It’d be better to see him on the ropes and being forced to use his wits more or facing a villain of his own.
Still, it’s a very decent first volume to kick things off with. With Bunn’s Magneto and Al Ewing’s Loki, the Marvel villains are turning out to be as compelling in the spotlight as the heroes!
3.5 stars
December 4, 2014
I've been waiting for this. Magneto has already been incredibly fascinating to me, as a villain who, let's face it, has a point, in his occasional attempts at reform. And now he's sort of walking the line, still wreaking havoc but doing it now against carefully selected targets. It's a concept that makes perfect sense for Magneto.
The best thing about this book is the level of awareness Magneto has about himself. He has no illusions that he's a great liberator. He's a violent man who's doing violent things, and the only way to control himself is to channel that violence. It gives a little dimension to a book that could be nothing but mindless action. Mostly, it's a look inside Magneto's mind.
It makes it very easy to forget, while you're reading, that the actual plot is a little lacking. There's a lot left vague, a lot that's undefined, and a lot that isn't so much left unanswered as left unquestioned. With a stronger plot, this would be an outstanding book. As it is, it's an enjoyable read about a character that can now best be described as an antihero.
The best thing about this book is the level of awareness Magneto has about himself. He has no illusions that he's a great liberator. He's a violent man who's doing violent things, and the only way to control himself is to channel that violence. It gives a little dimension to a book that could be nothing but mindless action. Mostly, it's a look inside Magneto's mind.
It makes it very easy to forget, while you're reading, that the actual plot is a little lacking. There's a lot left vague, a lot that's undefined, and a lot that isn't so much left unanswered as left unquestioned. With a stronger plot, this would be an outstanding book. As it is, it's an enjoyable read about a character that can now best be described as an antihero.
October 7, 2015
3.5 stars.
The first half of this book was great story wise, Magneto on a mission, in anti-hero mode. The downside? The art is patchy, and Max/Erik/Magnus/Magneto looks like The Kingpin. Fat face? No.
The stuff with the helmet and the black and red and white palette is good.
It really drops the ball when the mysterious girl following him shows up and has all this help to offer, not looking suspicious at all. Nope. Then it gets lame and stupid and a whole 180 degree turn from what he was doing.
Potential, yes, but enough problems that it lost momentum. I really liked the first few issues where he was a man possessed. I like it, more like Frank Castle, Blade, anti hero superstar.
I liked the powers being missing, yet he still kicks ass with his residual powers. It really shows how powerful he was at full power.
I hope the series continues, but I feel like a Cullen Bunn joint will fizzle into shit.
The first half of this book was great story wise, Magneto on a mission, in anti-hero mode. The downside? The art is patchy, and Max/Erik/Magnus/Magneto looks like The Kingpin. Fat face? No.
The stuff with the helmet and the black and red and white palette is good.
It really drops the ball when the mysterious girl following him shows up and has all this help to offer, not looking suspicious at all. Nope. Then it gets lame and stupid and a whole 180 degree turn from what he was doing.
Potential, yes, but enough problems that it lost momentum. I really liked the first few issues where he was a man possessed. I like it, more like Frank Castle, Blade, anti hero superstar.
I liked the powers being missing, yet he still kicks ass with his residual powers. It really shows how powerful he was at full power.
I hope the series continues, but I feel like a Cullen Bunn joint will fizzle into shit.
November 4, 2015
Magneto's powers may be broken, but his body and spirit are intact. Magneto had been following Scott Summers lead, but now he's setting off on his own to protect mutantkind in his own way. Sure he can't drop a tank on someone, but Magneto is still dangerous.
So Magneto has gone from being a powerhouse who takes on armies all by himself to being far more covert about his actions.
On a positive there is less collateral damage, but he's far more vulnerable. Magento shows he's much more than the master of magnetism with his well thought out plans and their efficient execution.
Infamous shows that full powers or not, Magneto will protect mutantkind with everything he has.
So Magneto has gone from being a powerhouse who takes on armies all by himself to being far more covert about his actions.
On a positive there is less collateral damage, but he's far more vulnerable. Magento shows he's much more than the master of magnetism with his well thought out plans and their efficient execution.
Infamous shows that full powers or not, Magneto will protect mutantkind with everything he has.
February 19, 2015
**Buddy Read with the Shallow Comic Readers -- This week's theme: Eeevillll!"
I have to admit that villain books aren't really my cup of tea. I don't enjoy reading about characters with whom I can't sympathize or relate, unless it's a biography or history. And I'm also not a fan of excessive violence. I don't enjoy slasher films or TWD or even a movie like Saving Private Ryan, with body parts being blown off, etc. I think the visualization of violence in our culture desensitizes to it when it really happens. In a country where people shout out at political debates that people without medical insurance are on their own even if they die, where racial animosity trumps compassion over state sanctioned killings, a comic about a megalomaniac who uses his power to kill indiscriminately would normally not be my cup of tea.
In Magneto: Infamous, however, writer Cullen Bunn delivers a rather complex look into the mind and mores of our lead protagonist/antagonist. Magneto has a conscience, not for his victims, but for his own kind who have been victimized. One wonders, in a world where mutants were accepted with no question, would Magneto have funneled his energy into something more productive and less violent? Would he have become more like Charles Xavier, for instance? Instead, his mind has become warped, first through the lens of Nazi aggression, then through the myriad of ways mutantkind has suffered at the hands of homo sapiens. He is easily pitied, if still feared.
The art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta is superb, and has a noir-ish type sensibility about it. It's rough work, but it fits this kind of story. The colors are by Jordie Bellair, who is one of the finest colorists in the business today.
Magneto is a very brutal book with lots of killings. It feels more like a book from Image than Marvel, but that's not a bad thing at all.
I have to admit that villain books aren't really my cup of tea. I don't enjoy reading about characters with whom I can't sympathize or relate, unless it's a biography or history. And I'm also not a fan of excessive violence. I don't enjoy slasher films or TWD or even a movie like Saving Private Ryan, with body parts being blown off, etc. I think the visualization of violence in our culture desensitizes to it when it really happens. In a country where people shout out at political debates that people without medical insurance are on their own even if they die, where racial animosity trumps compassion over state sanctioned killings, a comic about a megalomaniac who uses his power to kill indiscriminately would normally not be my cup of tea.
In Magneto: Infamous, however, writer Cullen Bunn delivers a rather complex look into the mind and mores of our lead protagonist/antagonist. Magneto has a conscience, not for his victims, but for his own kind who have been victimized. One wonders, in a world where mutants were accepted with no question, would Magneto have funneled his energy into something more productive and less violent? Would he have become more like Charles Xavier, for instance? Instead, his mind has become warped, first through the lens of Nazi aggression, then through the myriad of ways mutantkind has suffered at the hands of homo sapiens. He is easily pitied, if still feared.
The art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta is superb, and has a noir-ish type sensibility about it. It's rough work, but it fits this kind of story. The colors are by Jordie Bellair, who is one of the finest colorists in the business today.
Magneto is a very brutal book with lots of killings. It feels more like a book from Image than Marvel, but that's not a bad thing at all.
March 13, 2015
***Evil Week Buddy Read with the Shallow Readers! Criteria: Evil equals Magneto***
I don't have a lot to say about this... I wanted non stop action. I wanted all sorts of people to go down in the most gruesome of metal deaths. I wanted Magneto to be stone cold and out for revenge after all of the wrongdoings against Mutantkind. I only kind of got the last one.
There weren't nearly enough action scenes. That's really my major fault with this volume. When Magneto did decide it was time for someone to die it was done WAY TOO QUICKLY. When there were tons of people fighting him, even while he thought to himself "this used to be so easy!" he still only spent one frame per kill. I wanted so much more, and I just didn't get it. I expected, with this being my first villain based read, that the massacres would be even greater. I was sadly wrong.
I did appreciate that Magneto understood that he wasn't at his perfect prime regarding his powers, but he was still willing to get out there and kill some people regardless. So props to him for not letting a little something like a time period without powers stop him for good. Go Magneto!
I think that I would continue with this series just because I like learning more about Erik. His past has always been really interesting, and seeing it drawn out like it is here is enough to really keep me going.
February 22, 2021
With his powers diminished after AvX, Magneto strikes out on his own to try and protect and avenge mutantkind as best he can. A mysterious new benefactor helps put him on a new course, but how long can the Master Of Magnetism manage before his ambitious goals send him into an early grave?
The main draw for a Magneto solo series is to really dig into the head of one of the X-Men's most complicated characers. He's fought for them and against them, sometimes at once - he's been a hero, a villain, a sovereign, a leader, a survivor, all sorts of things. There's a lot to be mined from how his mind works, and Cullen Bunn digs into that nicely. Magneto's inner monologue is compelling and thoughtful without repeating itself.
The issue I had was the story that the monologue is hung upon. It's very scattershot, with every issue or so focusing on a different nameless organization doing bad things to mutants. There's an appearance by the Marauders, but this is only a fleeting one. There's no direction towards a larger plot until issue 5 when Briar Raleigh shows up, but even that's more of an inference than an actual 'here is what we're doing now' kind of thing. I don't mind a series of vignettes, especially to launch a series, but I do worry that by not given Magneto an achieveable goal it's setting up the series to fail.
Gabriel Hernandez Walta pencils most of these issues; he's a minimistic artist, with lots of impact and only a smattering of details. His character work is excellent, and the intricate ways he manages to depict Magneto's weakened powers are always exciting to see. Javier Fernandez also picks up a few issues - he's much more of the school of using shadows to tell the story, so while the two are quite different in terms of approach, the overall tone of the book stays fairly strong between the two.
Magneto's first arc isn't a bad bit of groundwork; Cullen Bunn shows that he knows what he's doing with the character himself, and the artwork works really well, but there's definitely a nagging sense of a lack of direction that may be a problem sooner rather than later.
The main draw for a Magneto solo series is to really dig into the head of one of the X-Men's most complicated characers. He's fought for them and against them, sometimes at once - he's been a hero, a villain, a sovereign, a leader, a survivor, all sorts of things. There's a lot to be mined from how his mind works, and Cullen Bunn digs into that nicely. Magneto's inner monologue is compelling and thoughtful without repeating itself.
The issue I had was the story that the monologue is hung upon. It's very scattershot, with every issue or so focusing on a different nameless organization doing bad things to mutants. There's an appearance by the Marauders, but this is only a fleeting one. There's no direction towards a larger plot until issue 5 when Briar Raleigh shows up, but even that's more of an inference than an actual 'here is what we're doing now' kind of thing. I don't mind a series of vignettes, especially to launch a series, but I do worry that by not given Magneto an achieveable goal it's setting up the series to fail.
Gabriel Hernandez Walta pencils most of these issues; he's a minimistic artist, with lots of impact and only a smattering of details. His character work is excellent, and the intricate ways he manages to depict Magneto's weakened powers are always exciting to see. Javier Fernandez also picks up a few issues - he's much more of the school of using shadows to tell the story, so while the two are quite different in terms of approach, the overall tone of the book stays fairly strong between the two.
Magneto's first arc isn't a bad bit of groundwork; Cullen Bunn shows that he knows what he's doing with the character himself, and the artwork works really well, but there's definitely a nagging sense of a lack of direction that may be a problem sooner rather than later.
August 12, 2014
I'm not sure what to feel about this book. It's great to see Magneto be dangerous again, in a way that is truly scary. As much as I love the idea of Magneto joining forces with the X-Men (or just Cyclops & Emma, I guess), I've forgotten his past and where his heart truly lies when it comes to the protection of the mutant race. So, you know.
Thank you, multiple and varied panels of Magneto brutally killing people, I won't forget that is a part of who he is for a long, long time. (The scary thing is, I get it. I see your side of it, Erik. But I also see the brutal killings and terrorizing you do.)
Thank you, multiple and varied panels of Magneto brutally killing people, I won't forget that is a part of who he is for a long, long time. (The scary thing is, I get it. I see your side of it, Erik. But I also see the brutal killings and terrorizing you do.)
October 5, 2020
Check out my interview with writer Cullen Bunn here: https://youtu.be/7V1aFB6KyMw
Shockingly good.
Do you want murderous, no bullshit, Punisher Magneto who kills and tortures? This is the book for you.
Exceedingly violent and cleverly scripted, this really was a pleasure. I loved it. It reminded me of Punisher MAX... but with Mags. Bloody, badass, with dramatic, meaningful bouts of action, this is a special book.
The art was appropriately grim and badass. Also, bald Magneto looks like Jason Statham and it works.
Good ass read!!!
Shockingly good.
Do you want murderous, no bullshit, Punisher Magneto who kills and tortures? This is the book for you.
Exceedingly violent and cleverly scripted, this really was a pleasure. I loved it. It reminded me of Punisher MAX... but with Mags. Bloody, badass, with dramatic, meaningful bouts of action, this is a special book.
The art was appropriately grim and badass. Also, bald Magneto looks like Jason Statham and it works.
Good ass read!!!
September 10, 2015
Loved this!
Don't know why there are not more books like this,
but Magneto has always been a fascinating character.
He has fought on both sides of the (Marvel) "moral compass"
but still remains true to his character/nature.
And here Magneto is in his post-Phoenix state of diminished powers and that adds to the excitement IMO.
Excellent writing here from Bunn!
Don't know why there are not more books like this,
but Magneto has always been a fascinating character.
He has fought on both sides of the (Marvel) "moral compass"
but still remains true to his character/nature.
And here Magneto is in his post-Phoenix state of diminished powers and that adds to the excitement IMO.
Excellent writing here from Bunn!
February 18, 2015
In Magneto, Bunn does a great job of presenting a deep character who is making horrific choices as part of his pursuit of something that he sees as important. Along the way, we also get some terrific backstory about who Magneto is and what he's been through.
The first 3 or 4 issues are picture-perfect, but unfortunately after that we lose the flashbacks, while simultaneously Magneto's harsh cruelty gets repetitive enough to no longer be surprising. Despite that, Magneto remains a good comic (just not a great one!). I also enjoy its call backs to X-Men lore, from the Omega Sentinels in the early issues to the Marauders near the end.
The first 3 or 4 issues are picture-perfect, but unfortunately after that we lose the flashbacks, while simultaneously Magneto's harsh cruelty gets repetitive enough to no longer be surprising. Despite that, Magneto remains a good comic (just not a great one!). I also enjoy its call backs to X-Men lore, from the Omega Sentinels in the early issues to the Marauders near the end.
July 3, 2018
This has a low rating here and I really don't know why!! This is what I'd love X-men comics to be sometimes. It's 100% shocking to see blood and gore here but it fits so well.
We pick up where Magneto has left the Uncanny X-Men during Bendis' run, after realising that he's not cut out to be working with Cyclops and all he stands for. He's taking his own path and boy is it satisfying.
The artwork in this starts with Gabriel Hernandez Walta and it is so gorgeous. The colouring, the drawings themselves. I think he gets exactly who Magneto is and draws him perfectly. It's so gritty and the colouring really adds to the feel of his drawing. At 2 points we switch to Javier Fernandez, and while the artwork is similar, it pales in comparison to Walta.
The story is all just about Magneto being Magneto and while the individual issues are great, with 2 plot threads mainly, the 2nd being the most satisfying for me as The Marauders get some karma dished out upon them or the age-old story Mutant Massacre, they are just that, 2 stories. I'm having trouble seeing any other story to the run that isn't just Magneto killing people/things that have hurt mutant kind randomly. Give me an overarching story and this would be a 5 star.
Surprisingly great start to a series that I will definitely be continuing.
We pick up where Magneto has left the Uncanny X-Men during Bendis' run, after realising that he's not cut out to be working with Cyclops and all he stands for. He's taking his own path and boy is it satisfying.
The artwork in this starts with Gabriel Hernandez Walta and it is so gorgeous. The colouring, the drawings themselves. I think he gets exactly who Magneto is and draws him perfectly. It's so gritty and the colouring really adds to the feel of his drawing. At 2 points we switch to Javier Fernandez, and while the artwork is similar, it pales in comparison to Walta.
The story is all just about Magneto being Magneto and while the individual issues are great, with 2 plot threads mainly, the 2nd being the most satisfying for me as The Marauders get some karma dished out upon them or the age-old story Mutant Massacre, they are just that, 2 stories. I'm having trouble seeing any other story to the run that isn't just Magneto killing people/things that have hurt mutant kind randomly. Give me an overarching story and this would be a 5 star.
Surprisingly great start to a series that I will definitely be continuing.
March 21, 2022
I am not normally into X Men tales - they throw ten superheroes at ten villains - and then fight. But this one, albeit with a bad guy in the lead does it - it's like a Punisher Max tale in some regards - though still, make no mistake - Magneto is still a bad guy and not an anti hero - in any case, I recommend it!
November 26, 2014
Cullen Bunn is doing some great work on The Sixth Gun. That said, how the hell did the guy who write the first volume of The Sixth Gun write this? It takes four issues to establish what he could have done in one, and even when the story finally gets moving, there's really nothing more to it than a teaser for what might happen in the next arc.
I'm all for decompressed comic book storytelling, but come on. You've got the Malcolm X of Mutants, and in six issues, you can't do something different that plays with the character and his beliefs? (Granted, a lot of this is coming from my recent read of Southern Bastards.)
I'm all for decompressed comic book storytelling, but come on. You've got the Malcolm X of Mutants, and in six issues, you can't do something different that plays with the character and his beliefs? (Granted, a lot of this is coming from my recent read of Southern Bastards.)
October 11, 2015
I don't feel like I've read a good X-Men story that gets to the heart of Magneto for a while, and this really scratches that itch. He's sort if a lone wolf vigilante antihero here, and the story ties in elements I haven't seen explored for a while, like the destruction of Genosha. I'm interested in reading the rest of the series (probably whenever I'm back on Marvel unlimited?). The art gets the job done but is not my personal favorite... also I am sure there's a deep meta reason for Mags to have his head shaved, professor X style, but I missed the flowing silver locks!
November 14, 2015
Who's in the mood for some grisly human butchery? Don't worry- they all deserved it.
August 29, 2025
I've always been intrigued with Magneto and his sense of responsibility in protecting/ avenging mutants from humans ever since I've watched the X-Men as a kid.
This Magneto reminds me somehow of the Magneto in First Class a little bit with the whole angry and determined arc going on.
The whole human vs. mutankind and the series of events happening is downright cruel and heartbreaking because obviously, there's some kind of justification/ right motivation, but the method is downright wrong, especially the sentinels. The topics revolving here are extremely complex.
I'm not really sure if the reason he's somehow weakened was because of old age or something that happened before this series, which I'm going to find out later if there's some pre-series I needed to get into before this one.
The end part for this TPB is something I do not agree with because he's no better than Sinister in my eyes. That's my initial thoughts, obviously. I can't wait to get into the next TPB.
Obviously, a 5⭐️ read 👌
This Magneto reminds me somehow of the Magneto in First Class a little bit with the whole angry and determined arc going on.
The whole human vs. mutankind and the series of events happening is downright cruel and heartbreaking because obviously, there's some kind of justification/ right motivation, but the method is downright wrong, especially the sentinels. The topics revolving here are extremely complex.
I'm not really sure if the reason he's somehow weakened was because of old age or something that happened before this series, which I'm going to find out later if there's some pre-series I needed to get into before this one.
The end part for this TPB is something I do not agree with because he's no better than Sinister in my eyes. That's my initial thoughts, obviously. I can't wait to get into the next TPB.
Obviously, a 5⭐️ read 👌
July 5, 2019
When are we going to have to say, "Okay, if Magneto was a child during the Holocaust, he's going to be pretty goddamn old?" This Magneto was a survivor, and he was still beating the holy shit out of people, sans powers. That seems pretty unlikely. No disrespect, but I'm pretty sure I could beat up most 90 year-olds, and I know precisely dick about fighting.
Maybe that's my next Andy-Kaufman-esque thing to try. Go around the country fighting super old men. Bring your grandpa! Bring your grandma! Is your grandpa deserving of a good ass-whuppin'?
Do you think this would fly at the county fair? Popular, or a little too heinous?
Maybe that's my next Andy-Kaufman-esque thing to try. Go around the country fighting super old men. Bring your grandpa! Bring your grandma! Is your grandpa deserving of a good ass-whuppin'?
Do you think this would fly at the county fair? Popular, or a little too heinous?
Read
February 23, 2019this comics > anything else i am reading rn or read lately it's so good that i am actually typing a review!!
October 24, 2019
A dark but satisfying read delving into the day to day of a diminished Magnet hunting and addressing threats to mutantkind. Gabriel Walta's art really shines here.
January 22, 2023
I thought it was mag-neato.
October 16, 2021
I like antiheroes in my comics... Magneto comfortably slips into that role in this self titled series. There are unknowns for the only occasional x-men reader like myself. Like, white is Magneto weaker at this point of his life? A little monologuey, but a good starting volume. I like where the team up introduced in the last couple of issues may take us.
March 30, 2022
This absolutely kicks ass. I love the first person, the way he narrates. The way he sees himself. It feels like him.
If someone in a position of authority (doctor, researcher, politician, cop) is actively trying to exterminate people like you and you feel it would be emotionally satisfying to do them violence AND you have the power to successfully do so... get IT girl. You go girl.
I know lot of people will praise this comic for exploration of trauma. You know, just because bad and violent things have happened to you doesn't mean you're traumatized. Sometimes the healthy response to an epistemelogical threat is to destroy the episteme.
So yeah if you relate at all to Magneto and want to watch him throw down I do recommend this.
January 2, 2015
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
Magneto is out for blood in this comic as he attacks groups who have targeted mutants. He takes justice and vengeance into his own hands taking on several different groups in this comic to try and right some of the wrongs done against the mutant population. This comic also, briefly, explores Magneto's backstory in 1940s Germany while living under the Nazis.
I am kind of...at a loss with this one. I didn't really enjoy it. I liked the art, but found the use of light too sparse, and the character designs weren't really for me. The story itself was just wholly lacking, in that it was basically 100-something pages of needless violence which uses Magneto's experiences during the Holocaust as a cheap crutch to validate them. Didn't really make an sense to me.
The story lines, one about some kind of human experimentation, the other about the Marauders, were kind of vague and poorly explained. I think while reading them I followed along, but looking back I have no idea what was going on. Nothing was explained, it was all just this rambling internal monologue from Magneto as he tried to justify his needless violence. Honestly, there isn't much to say about the plot because it was so lacking and confusing. I think it's great to walk the line with Magneto, he's sort of an anti-hero but I just feel like using WWII experiences living under the Nazis is a bit of a crutch and not really...good. I didn't really enjoy the voice.
I'm a little conflicted about the art. As I've said I had some problems with the art, but there was some stuff I liked and even loved. There was too much going on, and I don't think it was articulated well in the art sometimes. I also found that the art was too dark, like there were places with the details just completely disappeared because there wasn't enough light used.
I don't think I would continue to read this series. I found it confusing and poorly explained and it just made me want to go reread some of the other comics that I've read recently which I enjoyed. I was just kind of disappointed in this one.
Magneto is out for blood in this comic as he attacks groups who have targeted mutants. He takes justice and vengeance into his own hands taking on several different groups in this comic to try and right some of the wrongs done against the mutant population. This comic also, briefly, explores Magneto's backstory in 1940s Germany while living under the Nazis.
I am kind of...at a loss with this one. I didn't really enjoy it. I liked the art, but found the use of light too sparse, and the character designs weren't really for me. The story itself was just wholly lacking, in that it was basically 100-something pages of needless violence which uses Magneto's experiences during the Holocaust as a cheap crutch to validate them. Didn't really make an sense to me.
The story lines, one about some kind of human experimentation, the other about the Marauders, were kind of vague and poorly explained. I think while reading them I followed along, but looking back I have no idea what was going on. Nothing was explained, it was all just this rambling internal monologue from Magneto as he tried to justify his needless violence. Honestly, there isn't much to say about the plot because it was so lacking and confusing. I think it's great to walk the line with Magneto, he's sort of an anti-hero but I just feel like using WWII experiences living under the Nazis is a bit of a crutch and not really...good. I didn't really enjoy the voice.
I'm a little conflicted about the art. As I've said I had some problems with the art, but there was some stuff I liked and even loved. There was too much going on, and I don't think it was articulated well in the art sometimes. I also found that the art was too dark, like there were places with the details just completely disappeared because there wasn't enough light used.
I don't think I would continue to read this series. I found it confusing and poorly explained and it just made me want to go reread some of the other comics that I've read recently which I enjoyed. I was just kind of disappointed in this one.
Read
January 4, 2015His powers are diminished, his support network gone - even his lovely white hair is shorn. But the Master of Magnetism doesn't need to throw tanks when you see what he can do with a paperclip, and he's still devoted to making the world a safer place for mutants, one dead bigot at a time. It would be nice to live in a world where ruthlessness and righteousness were occasionally found hand-in-hand like this.
September 4, 2014
This was an awesome read. Bunn is a great writer and he really handled Magneto well, not relying on guest stars and giving Erik some good solo adventures. I'm reading this as individual issues, but if you've missed out than I strongly recommend that you pick up the trade.
July 19, 2014
Pretty brutal stuff!
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