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Exceptional X-Men (2024)
Exceptional X-Men, Vol. 2: The Deep End
From the ashes of the Krakoan era, a unique team of X-Men rises with members both familair and brand new!
Who is Sheldon Xenos? Axo, the Exceptional X-Men’s resident empath, goes to work for the creator of the wildly popular Verate app. Maybe Xenos and his inventions can bring mutants the support, recognition and connection they deserve. But the charismatic technology mogul seems to be hiding a secret...or two...or four! Meanwhile, with Charles Xavier on the run, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde reckon with their own dreams and fears for the future of mutantkind. But Axo is sinking into trouble. Big trouble. He’s bitten off more than he can chew in his relationship with Xenos. Can the rest of the Exceptional team even figure out what is happening, let alone bail him out? When the truth is revealed, Emma must go somewhere she really, really doesn’t want to go: deep inside the mind of one of her worst enemies!
COLLECTING: Exceptional X-Men (2024) 6-13
Who is Sheldon Xenos? Axo, the Exceptional X-Men’s resident empath, goes to work for the creator of the wildly popular Verate app. Maybe Xenos and his inventions can bring mutants the support, recognition and connection they deserve. But the charismatic technology mogul seems to be hiding a secret...or two...or four! Meanwhile, with Charles Xavier on the run, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde reckon with their own dreams and fears for the future of mutantkind. But Axo is sinking into trouble. Big trouble. He’s bitten off more than he can chew in his relationship with Xenos. Can the rest of the Exceptional team even figure out what is happening, let alone bail him out? When the truth is revealed, Emma must go somewhere she really, really doesn’t want to go: deep inside the mind of one of her worst enemies!
COLLECTING: Exceptional X-Men (2024) 6-13
184 pages, Paperback
Published December 23, 2025
About the author
Eve L. Ewing
109 books1,232 followersDr. Eve Louise Ewing is a writer and a sociologist of education from Chicago. Ewing is a prolific writer across multiple genres. Her 2018 book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism & School Closings on Chicago's South Side explores the relationship between the closing of public schools and the structural history of race and racism in Chicago's Bronzeville community.
Ewing's first collection of poetry, essays, and visual art, Electric Arches, was published by Haymarket Books in 2017. Her second collection, 1919, tells the story of the race riot that rocked Chicago in the summer of that year. Her first book for elementary readers, Maya and the Robot, is forthcoming in 2020 from Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Her work has been published in many venues, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, and the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, curated by Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States. With Nate Marshall, she co-wrote the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, produced by Manual Cinema and commissioned by the Poetry Foundation. She also currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.
Ewing's first collection of poetry, essays, and visual art, Electric Arches, was published by Haymarket Books in 2017. Her second collection, 1919, tells the story of the race riot that rocked Chicago in the summer of that year. Her first book for elementary readers, Maya and the Robot, is forthcoming in 2020 from Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Her work has been published in many venues, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, and the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, curated by Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States. With Nate Marshall, she co-wrote the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, produced by Manual Cinema and commissioned by the Poetry Foundation. She also currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 23, 2026
3.75 stars
"You're a mutant? Why didn't you tell me?" -- Trista Marshall, a.k.a. 'Bronze'
"I've been trying to work myself up to it! It's not easy, you know?" -- Reggie McNair
"We know." -- Emma Frost, Bobby Drake, Thao Tran, Alejandro Luna, & Marshall (in unison)
Somewhat of an improvement over the introductory volume - now that we've dispensed with the good but expected and perfunctory origin story - The Deep End is noticeably less high-strung while also featuring a bit more humor and action, as this new crop of young X-Men are more comfortable now several weeks into their training. I get the notion (especially per comments of fellow reviewers) that this title is possibly not continuing beyond these volumes, and that's a shame. The rookie trio of Bronze, Melee, and Axo are an ingratiating crew when working on their initial adventures, and seem to take direction well from those reliable veterans Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, and Bobby Drake. Series writer Ewing - a sociologist and poet (!), as well as a Chicago native just like the fictional team leader Pryde - has done some quality work on the two books, which I think deserve subsequent volumes.
"You're a mutant? Why didn't you tell me?" -- Trista Marshall, a.k.a. 'Bronze'
"I've been trying to work myself up to it! It's not easy, you know?" -- Reggie McNair
"We know." -- Emma Frost, Bobby Drake, Thao Tran, Alejandro Luna, & Marshall (in unison)
Somewhat of an improvement over the introductory volume - now that we've dispensed with the good but expected and perfunctory origin story - The Deep End is noticeably less high-strung while also featuring a bit more humor and action, as this new crop of young X-Men are more comfortable now several weeks into their training. I get the notion (especially per comments of fellow reviewers) that this title is possibly not continuing beyond these volumes, and that's a shame. The rookie trio of Bronze, Melee, and Axo are an ingratiating crew when working on their initial adventures, and seem to take direction well from those reliable veterans Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, and Bobby Drake. Series writer Ewing - a sociologist and poet (!), as well as a Chicago native just like the fictional team leader Pryde - has done some quality work on the two books, which I think deserve subsequent volumes.
Did Not Finish
April 3, 2026Not good
January 10, 2026
What a shame. Exceptional X-Men tries very hard to make the new characters likeable and involved in storylines akin to the shenanigans that we used to see from the older X-Men in their youth, but by the end of the run, none of the newbies really stick. As with volume one, Kitty and Emma are still the two that come off the best, with good banter moments and an overall presence when they are on the page. The concept of Emma and Kitty working together to train new mutants is still one of the better ideas out of the X-Men books running at the time, however, the execution cements it as a very minor and forgettable entry into the mutant mythos.
actual rating 2.5 stars
actual rating 2.5 stars
April 29, 2026
This second (and final?!) Exceptional X-Men volume offers few surprises, but it continues to satisfy with fun new characters who feel shockingly real, not just a host body for cool superpowers. First up, the Verate app is shockingly revealed to be villainous, let by . The whole team has to work together to defeat the bad guy, sometimes in amusing ways (awkwardly melting clones were a fun touch).
Then we get a portal/time travel adventure that could have been pulled from a classic X-Men comic. It doesn't amount to much, but again, these characters (old and new) all charm like few others in the current X-verse. I'm happy to have gotten to spend time with them and am most sad that this series was canceled after 10 issues (less concerned about all the other X-castoffs).
Then we get a portal/time travel adventure that could have been pulled from a classic X-Men comic. It doesn't amount to much, but again, these characters (old and new) all charm like few others in the current X-verse. I'm happy to have gotten to spend time with them and am most sad that this series was canceled after 10 issues (less concerned about all the other X-castoffs).
March 17, 2026
You can really tell reading this that the series got cut short, and it's a shame as I think it had solid potential. But it just wraps up too quickly at the end so the emotional arc it was building feels massively truncated.
April 29, 2026
I'm not exactly sure why, but this felt like a "good old-fashioned X-Men graphic novel" to me. Several issues, some linked, some not, students learning, a few twists... making me smile just to think about it.
Highlights:
- Of our full team here (Emma, Kitty, Bobby, Axo, Bronze, and Melee) Axo is the only one who can't pass as "human". As I suspected, the app Verate came back into play, and Axo forms a friendship with the head of their company, Sheldon Xenos, who has horns. Unfortunately, he is also....
- Mister Sinister! Always been one of my favorite villains, and up to his old genetic tricks, using Axo's abilities to help stabilize his genetic creations. The whole team works together and Emma shuts him down.
- Guest star Ironheart helps solve a mystery involving a new mutant who can create portals in space/time. Kitty is sent back into her past, pre-mutant powers, and our newbies have to head in to rescue her. Again, their development of skills and teamwork are wonderful.
I am really enjoying the dynamic between Axo, Bronze, and Melee. I hope after this "From the Ashes" era, they become part of the main group we see. Could be a part of a new Gen X team maybe?
Overall, a really good read.
Recommend.
Highlights:
- Of our full team here (Emma, Kitty, Bobby, Axo, Bronze, and Melee) Axo is the only one who can't pass as "human". As I suspected, the app Verate came back into play, and Axo forms a friendship with the head of their company, Sheldon Xenos, who has horns. Unfortunately, he is also....
- Mister Sinister! Always been one of my favorite villains, and up to his old genetic tricks, using Axo's abilities to help stabilize his genetic creations. The whole team works together and Emma shuts him down.
- Guest star Ironheart helps solve a mystery involving a new mutant who can create portals in space/time. Kitty is sent back into her past, pre-mutant powers, and our newbies have to head in to rescue her. Again, their development of skills and teamwork are wonderful.
I am really enjoying the dynamic between Axo, Bronze, and Melee. I hope after this "From the Ashes" era, they become part of the main group we see. Could be a part of a new Gen X team maybe?
Overall, a really good read.
Recommend.
April 9, 2025
I'm liking this quite a bit.
It's slow paced, but intentionally.
I like the introduction of the new baddie and their machinations. I was disappointed that they turned out to be established but it was a big reveal. I would have liked Xenos to be a real character.
I'm loving Emma here.
Canero's art is exceptional!
It's slow paced, but intentionally.
I like the introduction of the new baddie and their machinations. I was disappointed that they turned out to be established but it was a big reveal. I would have liked Xenos to be a real character.
I'm loving Emma here.
Canero's art is exceptional!
January 3, 2026
2.5 rounded up. It's a bit rushed and quick to end its two plotlines here but considering the rocky time this was published (From The Ashes "era" which was pretty quickly ended) it did well enough to land an ending. If the first volume focused on Kitty the start of this one is Emma Frost with an Axo and Mister Sinister plotline. I’ve always said Eve Ewing is great at character dynamics and you can really feel the friend group energy throughout in the dialogue and little splashes of individual character. But it’s especially strong in the Axo and Mister Sinister plotline. It was a little convenient and quick though which is especially true for the second smaller arc involving Kitty going into her past. It touches a bit on her struggle in the first volume with how she seems unhappy with how her fate as an X-Man was forced upon her at a young age. But I don’t think it really does much with it here. It’s fun enough and feels a bit of a full circle moment since the younger group has come pretty far. But it’s a victim of just getting cancelled along with every other X-Men comic as they begin the next era / story. I am glad Ewing is staying with the X-Men comics with her getting an ongoing in Shadows of Tomorrow. I'm also seems to be very similar to this with Emma Frost (who I really enjoy how she writes her) starting a psychic version of X-Mansion or whatever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2026
What a really beautiful conclusion that really manages to go full circle on it's themes.
Having the teen meet Kitty when she was their age allows them to see themselves and how far they've come, having Bronze be he one to find adult Kitty just like Kitty found her in issue 1 really reenforces their bond throughout this book and her giving Kitty the chance to change time so she never became and X-man was so sweet; though not as sweet as Kitty refusing, not because of the adventures and romance and glory and thrills, but because it would mean she's never have met these kids and taught them to control their powers.
I think Exceptional at its heart is a boom about how the difficulties we face growing up are a part of what builds us into the people we become and that, if we choose to, we can use those experiences to build a better path for the next generation. Kitty is using the good in her life, her ties to her home, her friendships with Bobby and Emma, to teach these kids as well as she can and she's using the borderline abusive experiences of her time as an underaged X-Man as a guide on what not to do. I loved ending on Kitty tentatively reconnecting with Rogues team though I hope she continues teaching in future, I think it's where she shine most brightly.
Having the teen meet Kitty when she was their age allows them to see themselves and how far they've come, having Bronze be he one to find adult Kitty just like Kitty found her in issue 1 really reenforces their bond throughout this book and her giving Kitty the chance to change time so she never became and X-man was so sweet; though not as sweet as Kitty refusing, not because of the adventures and romance and glory and thrills, but because it would mean she's never have met these kids and taught them to control their powers.
I think Exceptional at its heart is a boom about how the difficulties we face growing up are a part of what builds us into the people we become and that, if we choose to, we can use those experiences to build a better path for the next generation. Kitty is using the good in her life, her ties to her home, her friendships with Bobby and Emma, to teach these kids as well as she can and she's using the borderline abusive experiences of her time as an underaged X-Man as a guide on what not to do. I loved ending on Kitty tentatively reconnecting with Rogues team though I hope she continues teaching in future, I think it's where she shine most brightly.
December 29, 2025
Another From the Ashes comic fizzles out, as the Brevoort-led era of X-Men editorial proves to be a failure.
EXM v2 has a strong start, continuing with the latest (in a long series) of corporate attacks on X-Men. But the story makes good use of one of the new kids and also has a surprising twist.
But then we hit #11 which is the definition of spinning its wheels. The plot is almost non-existent, before we suddenly turn to a Back-to-the-Future riff in the final two issues that is just way too convenient for tying up Kitty's post-Krakoa story into a nice bow. And then ending in #13 is quite abrupt, as has been the case for the entire swath of From the Ashes X-Men titles cut down after #10-13 issues.
And oh man, is the art bad in the last three issues. The young Kitty is particularly shuddersome.
If they do a deluxe of these 13 issues, maybe I'll pick it up, but otherwise, eh, I don't need these trades. This storyline and the new kids in it are all going to be *so* quickly forgotten.
EXM v2 has a strong start, continuing with the latest (in a long series) of corporate attacks on X-Men. But the story makes good use of one of the new kids and also has a surprising twist.
But then we hit #11 which is the definition of spinning its wheels. The plot is almost non-existent, before we suddenly turn to a Back-to-the-Future riff in the final two issues that is just way too convenient for tying up Kitty's post-Krakoa story into a nice bow. And then ending in #13 is quite abrupt, as has been the case for the entire swath of From the Ashes X-Men titles cut down after #10-13 issues.
And oh man, is the art bad in the last three issues. The young Kitty is particularly shuddersome.
If they do a deluxe of these 13 issues, maybe I'll pick it up, but otherwise, eh, I don't need these trades. This storyline and the new kids in it are all going to be *so* quickly forgotten.
January 2, 2026
Not quite as impressive as the first volume, if only because most of its problems are solved by punching it (or punching it on the astral plane).
The opening story manages to sidestep X-Manhunt quite handily, though the ultimate reveal of the villain of the piece is ruined by the back cover of the volume. Ewing handles him well enough, but he's had better showings during the Krakoan era that'll overshadow this easily. The stuff inside the bad guy's mind was very funny, however.
The second half of the book brings in Ironheart for a time-traveling adventure for Kitty and friends, but it never really does much with the premise, like it's scared to do much aside from have conversations about change.
I did enjoy Exceptional X-Men, but I think the title might be a misnomer - it does some fun things right, but both Uncanny X-Men and Adjectiveless X-Men are doing the same things, and better.
The opening story manages to sidestep X-Manhunt quite handily, though the ultimate reveal of the villain of the piece is ruined by the back cover of the volume. Ewing handles him well enough, but he's had better showings during the Krakoan era that'll overshadow this easily. The stuff inside the bad guy's mind was very funny, however.
The second half of the book brings in Ironheart for a time-traveling adventure for Kitty and friends, but it never really does much with the premise, like it's scared to do much aside from have conversations about change.
I did enjoy Exceptional X-Men, but I think the title might be a misnomer - it does some fun things right, but both Uncanny X-Men and Adjectiveless X-Men are doing the same things, and better.
October 19, 2025
Unfortunately, the Mr sinister arc did not do it for me. It just felt like the message of the story was not clear enough, and the issue where Emma is inside Sinister’s head felt irrelevant. The second mini-arc was much better, and I’m really sad that it was only 3 issues because the premise had a lot more to give. I’m really disappointed that the series is not returning after the x years later event, since Kitty was a really interesting protagonist and her arc is nowhere near done. I also really liked the new mutants they introduced and I love Bobby and Emma, so hopefully they all get shuffled off to other books.
January 1, 2026
I loved this series but it seems like it’s getting the aX in the lead up to the next big X-Men relaunch. I really enjoyed the new characters and the slow pace that gave me a chance to get to know them. I liked the weird situationship going on with Kitty, Emma, and Bobby teaching new students together. For my money and time this was the best of the post-Krakoa titles. I’m sad to see it end but if Eve Ewing is positioned to relaunch the X-line I’ll stick around to see what she comes up with.
January 1, 2026
Having read X-Manhunt first, I had a major twist for this volume already revealed. Despite that, I found myself wholly engrossed to understand the contextual events that led up to and followed that reveal. The Chicago setting also continues to feel fresh for me, making the Marvel universe feel more fleshed out. That stated, I think readers do need to be immersed in multiple X-books published from the current era to greater appreciate how the book expands on the mutant diaspora.
Review of advance copy
I appreciate the longer stories that the main X-Men books seem to be missing. First Kitty and her X-Men in training run afoul of Mister Sinister. Then a new mutant sends her back in time to right before she became an X-Man. The stories aren't bad. Carmen Carnero's art is really good. Federica Mancin does the last 3 issues and it's not bad although I hate how she draws Thao.
February 28, 2026
Still some solid nostalgia feels for Kitty's 'team' of X-Men...
This still plays like a 2.0 version of Generation X. New characters getting some training under their belt and showcasing classic teachers/heroes.
Maybe now, we can finally age Kitty up and have her stop being the wishy washy 'youngblood'. She's wayyyyyyy past the days of being a child X-man
This still plays like a 2.0 version of Generation X. New characters getting some training under their belt and showcasing classic teachers/heroes.
Maybe now, we can finally age Kitty up and have her stop being the wishy washy 'youngblood'. She's wayyyyyyy past the days of being a child X-man
September 11, 2025
I am extremely sad this series got cancelled. I was happy with the new characters, and the "back to the basics" style of the whole story, mentoring new mutants from a new generation. I hope they keep the kids for future rosters at least, I really love them.
May 19, 2026
I keep wondering why I don't enjoy recent x-men comics as much, and I think it's due to the writing. The characters have these deep backstories but they are barely explored, and the action gets more of the focus.
October 8, 2025
Horseshit. With apt sales to match.
October 31, 2025
No me termina de convencer esta nueva academia...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
2.7 stars
Review of advance copy
3.75
Some issues are good, but this title as a whole is very middle of the road. I don't look forward to reading each month.
Some issues are good, but this title as a whole is very middle of the road. I don't look forward to reading each month.
December 24, 2025
when a comic has "ewing" on the front i know i'm about to witness peak
January 24, 2026
I didn’t expect to like this series as much as I did! I really love seeing Kitty and Emma essentially parent all the kids together-reminds me of season 3 of OUAT lmao.
February 17, 2026
Exceptional X-Men is the standout of the From the Ashes series. I even enjoyed the time travel story. LOL
February 28, 2026
3.5 stars
March 3, 2026
A good graphic novel.
March 10, 2026
Weirdly I think the new kids are really great and interesting, and the legacy characters badly written or just really neglected in a book that is about mentorship.
February 9, 2026
I personally love the post Krakoa era and new xmen protags. I enjoyed the baddies and action in this one and the story of healing and new growth is beautiful to me.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews