Name: X-Men: Age of Krakoa - Dawn of X Omnibus, Vol. 1
Rating: 4.38 (7 reviews)
ISBN: 9781302966362

8 reviews

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January 31, 2026

This is a review of the Dawn Of X era of X-Men (2019-2020) containing Dawn Of X Omnibus Volumes 1 & 2. Spoilers for House Of X / Powers Of X and not for the 2 Dawn Of X Omnibus’. (This review doesn’t contain thoughts on X-Men Fantastic Four and the Juggernaut mini.)

The 2 Dawn Of X omnibus’ are a collection of many X-books that explore mutant kinds’ culture post the extreme changes made to the X-books status quo after the establishment of the mutant nation of Krakoa and a formula for mutant resurrection being found. The throughline between all the various books is paying off and showing consequences for the acts of Professor X and Moira McTaggart in HoXPoX.

Most books do a great job exploring the deep speculative fiction ideas that arose in HoXPoX, with Hickman’s main X-Men book doing the best job providing strong moral contrasts and leaving the reader with concepts to sit and think on. The two standout issues in this collection from Hickman are X-Men #4 and X-Men #7. #4 focusing on political ramifications and having great character moments from Apocalypse and Magneto, showing how great Hickman is at exploring the ideas of very flawed and disagreeable mutants. The issue having conversational action, seeing Charles and Eric hold their ground among political opponents and opposition with a backdrop of Cyclops right outside taking care of terrorists is not only an exciting way to have action without compromising the conversation, but a great showcase for Leinel Francis Yu’s fitting and exquisite pencils. His work in the whole collection is among the best and while, for me, it doesn’t reach Pepe Llaraz levels of definitive, his rendering of the different environments, sketchy outlines, and lighting work that lets the natural sunlight of Krakoa shine is a perfect fit for the green and almost holy aura most books in this era have. The other standout issue is X-Men #7 which follows Nightcrawler’s thoughts on mutant resurrection. Continuing the cult-like horror aspects at the end of House Of X #6, the mutants get together on Krakoa to witness the murder and resurrection of a mutant without powers. This event, narrated by Kurt and Scott, is a powerful and confusing tale showing mutants in a place of power and confidence we haven’t seen before, causing Kurt to question his life’s meaning and religion in a land of no danger. It’s moving the way Kurt relates ideas of “living forever” to a life so perfect it’s concerning and has the reader question the idea of a Utopia in any culture. What does it mean to win? Hickman does a great job, in this story of others, placing the previous historical moments of mutantkind into a new lens, in this case the way M-Day still has a hold on the mutants of Krakoa. A lot of Hickman’s work leans on conceptual and is ran by questions, do Mutants have the right to hold this much power, what skeletons are in the closet to let this paradise live, what is maintaining a utopia like this like, and what new antagonists arise human or otherwise after Krakoa is established? The themes of this run echo throughout the era, but both empathising and villainizing the mutants, to me, is very interesting. It takes the trope of the X-Men rehabilitating enemy mutants to the extreme and questioning whether it's a flaw or not, do people change when they get what they want or / and what they need?

Speaking of, Hickman’s other X-Book had fallen a little flat for me, but was still enjoyable. His Giant-Sized X-Men one-shots were a fun read, but a little anti-climactic. The highlights were the Fantomex and Nightcrawler stories, with the Fantomex one shot calling back and continuing one of my favorite issues of X-Men ever from Grant Morrison’s run in the early aughts. The art from Rod Reis in that issue is also a spectacle to behold. Daring use of color and multiple splash pages depicting a creative and wacky world befit for this unpredictable era of the X-Men. It’s in the “Storm” saga of the giant sized books where they feel kind of directionless. In an era where books connecting is a big selling point, to see an arc where Storm is diseased with a machine-virus it was disappointing for that not to be mentioned in the other books she prominently appeared in, Marauders. Still though, Giant Sized Jean Grey and Emma Frost served as a fun tribute to the “‘Nuff Said” issue of New X-Men by Frank Quietly and Giant Sized Storm was a fun read but felt like a tribute “just because they could” then something that had to be done. This would’ve felt different if Storm’s illness had more weight put into it. Emma Frost proposes a great question in Giant Sized X-Men Storm, if they can just be reborn, what does it matter?

Finally, in terms of Hickman’s work, his New Mutants adventures were a lot of fun. Hickman really knows how to inject the snark into the characters, particularly Sunspot and Magik, and what weird situations to throw them in. Space lawyers, Cyclops’ Dad, and the Shi’ar are all really fun people to pair the New Mutants with. I found it a really funny and enjoyable read with some standout art, again from the great Rod Reis. The series also sports some of the most breathtaking covers of the whole era.

The other “main mind” of these books might as well be Benjamin Percy as he heads both X-Force and Wolverine. The two series converge very well and I had a great time reading both of them, with wolverine edging out X-Force because of its villains and really spectacular characterisation of Wolverine. A book giving Wolverine a flat arc and revealing it in the first issue is an interesting way to write the character. What does Wolverine have to be sad about if he has everything he’s ever wanted? This includes an extremely risky move by implying Scott and Jean have an open relationship, adding another layer of uncertainty with Krakoa’s culture as it goes against the main love triangle from the past 40 years of books, though I loved how weird it makes the dynamics. The most interesting part of it, to me, is using vampires as the villains. What was quickly the main stakes-related question was: how do you make believable stakes when death means little more than delaying living again? When the vampires want Wolverine regenerating blood to keep them alive and pure forever. Genius! The art from Viktor Bogdanovic is great, especially the psychedelic depictions of Wolverine’s druggy trip through odd panel layouts. The X-Force front is a little less cut and dry, I thought it was a little more hit or miss with its ideas and its art. Firstly, I really enjoy the action of X-Force, the idea of a mutant CIA during Krakoa when their government’s politics are covered extensively in Hickman’s X-Men run makes for a nice companion series. However, the large focus on Domino and the lack of care put into giving her more of a personality made the series fall a little flat for me. When the series dipped more into characters like Kid Omega, Colossus, or Wolverine and outlined their different approaches to Krakoa and being on any kind of mutant team is where it became interesting. I found the villains during the last few issues really compelling, the idea that humans are trying to recreate the “magic” of Krakoa is as fascinating as it is realistic. I could see the art not working for some, it’s clearly trying to show the reader the book is “edgier” than its siblings, but I think it works for the genre and tone. Joshua Cassara does a good job making the fights seem climactic, but the sketchy pencils and, the shading especially, can sometimes turn me off during more conversational scenes.

To shift gears away from the edge, you can tell the author having the most fun with Krakoa is Gery Duggan. Duggan’s work in both Marauders and Cable are played mainly as comedy action books and follow 2 very charismatic lead characters. The hook in Marauders of Kate Pryde being one of the only people unable to enter Krakoa’s gates / portals is engaging and leads to a lot of political drama and sci-fi intrigue. I love the way Duggan plays with both the original dynamics in Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men through Storm and Pryde but also Wheadon’s expansion of Emma Frost and Pryde’s unconventional relationship in the series. It’s all really sweet to see. It’s also a joy to see Kate Pryde growing up from the teenager of the X-Men with our first introduction being a drunk Kate stumbling off a boat. A fitting transition to an unstable young adult. Shaw being the main villain is a lot of fun and supports the idea that maybe people can’t help themselves even in the face of a perfect society, some can never settle and that leads to lots of conflict. The art by Matteo Lolli and Mario Del Pennino is fantastic! Lots of fun and very expressive which all adds up to a great comedy book where the jokes really hit. However, the last funeral issues really fell flat with its art for me. I found Stefano Casseli’s art stiff and really distracting compared to the rounder, more bright aesthetic of the earlier issues. It all felt like too drastic a change for me to get on board with. Cable, while having less issues, is far more consistent in both art and writing. Following a younger Cable is always an easy hook for me. Cable in his shithead days rejecting his father’s heroics and being selfish is a smart choice when we know the hardass he grows up to be. Guest stars in issues like the Stepford Cuckoos, which Cable manages to date all at once, and Deadpool make for unique dynamics that you can’t find in other books. The older age of most mutants, even the New Mutants, and lack of a Generation X book makes Cable unique in its teen slice of life drama side plots. It’s nice seeing the conflict that comes from the stupid decisions of a teenager. Phil Noto’s art is incredible. Such a distinct style that lends itself very well to picturing Cable’s technology and the robotic enemies he’s up against in the first arc of the book. One of the prettier looking series in Dawn Of X for sure.

Excalibur is not sci-fi. It is forcing fantasy down the throat of these modern X-Men readers and damnit… I love it! What drew me in initially to this book was the cast. Rogue and Gambit’s love interrupted by Apocalypse is enough. Throw in Captain Britain and Jubilee and this book becomes a lot of fun without any kind of story. What writer Tini Howard does best is the lingering thought that everyone on the team has somewhere else to be. So below all of the dragons and castles in Otherworld is a layer of annoyance with every character. This is a base that lets character drama and comedy shine at the forefront, like an X-Men game of DnD where everyone kind of hates each other. The excursions into Otherworld are rendered gorgeously by Marcus To in one of the best looking books in the era. It’s exciting, funny, and stars characters everybody likes. While at times it can be a bit confusing, it’s not like you're not also reading Hickman’s work, so it just adds to an already existing aesthetic. Lots of fun, no complaints really.

Yeah, Hellions is the best Dawn Of X book. It’s the popular opinion for a reason, but there’s nothing to hate and so much to love. It’s funny, heartfelt, smart, and plays with the ideas of Krakoa and doesn’t work around them. Writer Zeb Wells is having fun, and we can all tell. A group of socially inept mutants who all kind of suck, including Cyclops’ brother Havok and lead by Psylocke formed by Mister Sinister is weird. Very weird. It knows and points it out often. The plot points questions to Krakoan ethics and uses resurrections to make some very violent and very funny jokes and physical comedy. The dialogue is snappy and constantly making fun of the characters. At times it gets a little creepy and a little sexy and ends on a somber note that leaves you wanting more. The art is also spectacular, rendering each character as so different that any group shot leaves you stunned and confused. The action shows exactly what you want to see with very memorable shots and moments. Artist Stephen Segovia did an amazing job.

And… yeah. Fallen Angels is the worst Dawn of X book. It's the popular opinion for a reason, but there’s nothing really to love and so much to feel weird about. It’s boring, dark, and almost completely disconnected from the larger ideas of the era. Bryan Edward Hill is attempting to create a mystery noir book, but doesn’t put enough time making the villain compelling. He reveals his cards far too early and the mystery and reveals don’t feel climactic at all. The story relies on the reader knowing the very convoluted and complicated history of Psylocke as a character which is a large task and does no job trying to make the story enjoyable for readers without the background. The cast feel out of character, particularly Cable who lacks the spunk seen in Duggan’s run. It lightly sets up Hellions but besides that connection the book seems proud of its ability to stay off and separate from Krakoa. I didn’t like reading it. The art is extremely dark, focusing on shadowed characters and very distracting floral and texture panel outlines. It all gives a very overtly “digital” look to the book. Gradient shading and odd proportions make the book feel right out of the early 2000s, an aesthetic I don’t think lends itself to the material, it just makes the entire thing feel like it's trying way too hard to be edgy. At least the book is separated enough to be skipped, but this is a stinker.

The last two main series: Non-Hickman New Mutants and X-Factor are good. I don’t have much to say about X-Factor besides it’s fun issue to issue mysteries, playing with the resurrection idea well to create murder mysteries that work in-universe. Ed Brisson’s New Mutants shaped up to be a really heartfelt series. I love the way Brisson takes characters from Morrison’s run, Glob and Beak especially, and shows us where they are now and challenges them. The art from F Flavino in the later issues is also something to behold, the last arc has some climactic and psychedelic sequences that are a lot of fun.

Lastly, the Empyre tie ins and Empyre X-Men miniseries were surprisingly enjoyable. Empyre X-Men #4 written by Hickman has my favorite few pages of the whole era through an exchange between two versions of Explodey Boy. The story doesn’t take itself too seriously but still tries to show the darkness underneath the almost unbelievable plot. “Plants Vs. Zombies Vs. Grandmas” should be enough of a hook for anybody. Great stuff.

Overall, Krakoa’s first era is thoughtful and funny, with a small amount of bad books, I think this is a must read for any X-Men fan. The Dawn Of X trades and Omnibus’ do a good job of keeping the storyline of each book understandable and enjoyable.

X-Men: Age of Krakoa Omnibus

X-Men: Age of Krakoa - Dawn of X Omnibus, Vol. 1

Jonathan Hickman, Marvel Various (illustrator), Leinil Yu (illustrator)

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Jonathan Hickman

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