X-Men: Hellfire Gala - Immortal

X-Men (2021)

by Gerry Duggan (Writer), Russell Dauterman (Cover Art), Kris Anka (Illustrator)

Don your dazzling dresses and tailored tuxedos - it's time for the second annual Hellfire Gala! And the highlight will be the election of a new team of X-Men! But can Emma Frost hold everything together when a shocking revelation threatens to derail her big night? Meanwhile, a nefarious party crasher leads to a high-stakes mission for Wolverine and Spider-Man! Plus: Cannonball and Sunspot lead their fellow runners-up from last year's X-Men election on a secret mission in aid of the Shi'ar Empire! Online-exclusive Hellfire Gala stories in print for the first time! And a gallery of variant covers featuring this year's hottest looks from the Gala!

Collecting X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA #1, SECRET X-MEN #1, X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #50-55, X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA CONFESSIONAL STRIPS, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #9 and material from FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2022: AVENGERS/X-MEN.

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

200 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2023

Reviews

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Hellfire Gala issue and the Spider-Man issue. I hated the unlimited infinity issues and the secret X-Men issue. Without what I hated, we’d maybe be looking at a 4.5 or a 5, but suffering through the other stuff, this was a 3 for me. And that might be generous.l given how much it took up in this volume.

[Billy Jepma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hellfire Gala itself was solid, and had enough of the superhero-politicking I love this era of the series for to feel interesting and meaningful. But the tie-ins in the back half ranged from forgettable to tiresome, and I almost bailed on them entirely because I had so little connection to or interest in anything going on. Consider this a 2.5-star rounded up because I’m too nice.

[Rylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

duggan writes such a good emma i need the solo asap

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! The last GN to read before A.X.E.! Seems like the Hellfire Gala will always be a crazy annual event for the X-Men, at least for now. The future of Krakoa looks bleaker and bleaker...
Highlights:
- Mutant Resurrection is a secret no more! Leaked to the Daily Bugle (it was inevitable that it would come out eventually) the morning of the Gala, the focus on humans helped by Krakoan medicines gets undercut and the Gala now has plenty who want to know how, why, and how they can. (Also, a line from Emma Frost that had me laughing for minutes "This is how the man decides to f*** me?!" IYKYK)
- Moira MacTaggart is still alive, even after the events of Inferno. Her spirit inhabiting a robotic body most of the time, she instead hijacks the body of Mary Jane and attends the Gala. When her interaction with Proteus (her son Kevin) is noticed by Wolverine, he and Spider-Man go on a mission right after the Gala to rescue MJ. Moira is very very bad news for the mutants.
- Emma finds out that Dr. Stasis of ORCHIS is actually a version of Sinister, claiming to be the original. When Cyclops shares this with her, she shares the secret about Moira, which was shared with the Council after he left to be part of the X-Men team.
- The X-Men receive a refresher again, voted on at the Gala again. Nice to see this roster able to change, becoming like the representatives of the mutant world to the regular world. The Team: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Synch, Havok, Forge, Magik, Iceman, and Firestar.
- Moira gives the names of The Five to two of the Eternals, labelling them as Deviants, which I'm assuming is one of the catalysts of A.X.E.. She learned all about them at the Gala.
- We get a fun story about some characters who want to be included in the vote for X-Men, but don't make it. They are able to band together and discover that Typhon Group, which is part of ORCHIS, is a front for HYDRA.
- We also get a story labelled "Secret X-Men", which has a team of mutants banding together to help in the affairs of the Shi'Ar. They are: Sunspot, Cannonball, Tempo, Banshee, Strong Guy, Boom-Boom, Armor, and Marrow. This team reminds me of younger days, when I used to see most of these characters around.

Overall, an excellent GN. Definitely keeping the X-Books at the top of my Marvel list.
Strong recommend, but you should be reading everything X related to keep the story straight.

[Aisling · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Bertazzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gala itself and the Spiderman story were nice. The others were terrible.

[Alex Sarll]

The first Hellfire Gala found the mutants in their imperial phase, terraforming the Red Planet by way of an encore. The second opens with them on the back foot after the secret of their new immortality has been revealed. But the wobble also manifests beyond the fiction; that was written by Krakoa's mastermind, Jonathan Hickman, where this has Gerry Duggan, who does better on X-books than elsewhere but can still feel a bit out of his depth sometime. Even if she's lying, would Emma Frost really choose someone as basic and blokey as John Lennon as her proposal for the first resurrected flatscan? There's also the problem, which I'm not the first to note, that doing an annual event which matches in-world and real time feels like a mistake when it can only ever sit awkwardly with Marvel's sliding timeline.

Also included: an issue of Zeb Wells' Spidey, still hamstrung by its stupid mystery; and two separate stories in which unofficial X-Men teams form from those who didn't pass the vote for the real thing, each of which is OK individually, but neither of which benefits from the proximity.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

where is magneto. is he safe. is he alright (<----- hasnt read x-men red yet)
anyway. let me just review the outfits i noticed in this one. i'll add whatever i stumble across with other tie-ins if i ever get around to them

emma: i actually like this outfit more than her last year's ones !! shame she didnt get any outfit changes this time around but she looks gorgeous and she KNOWSSSSSS what she's doing showing all that skin. spare us sapphics ma'am PLEASEEEE..... also i always love me a fuckass bob. no notes! (10/10)

jean: SOOOO PRETTY!!! THIS is what i was looking for at the previous gala. a take on her usual superhero outfit that's a lot more extravagant...,,, god i love her so much (11/10)
scott: THIS. IS WHAT. IVE BEEN. WAITING FOR. WITH THE MEN. NO BORING SUITS. NO RANDOM SHIRTLESSNESS. JUST PURE STYLE AND CUNT AND SERVE AND OHHHHHHHHHH THIS BITCH IS TURNING 19 IN POLAND SLAY!!!!!!! SLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SLAY YOUR ENEMIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (10000/10)
logan: basic suit, same as last time. but x-force just have to be like that i guess (1/10)

gambit: tits out will always get you bonus points. the next time someone asks me what the female gaze is im showing them this. THIS is how you slutify a man and not just lazily show off his chest. thank u russell dauterman (10/10)
rogue: she's giving a somehow more cunty cruella deville and im all for it. she looks so classy and its echoing her classic comic look with the hair and the colour which i appreciate, especially with the references cap makes to that at the gala. she looks great !! no notes !!! (11/10)
laura: NO NOTES!!!! goddddd she just looks so cool i dont even know where to start. the STYLE the COLOURS the ATTITUDE the VIBES its all PERFECTTTTT she knew EXACTLYYYY what she came here to do. if only her dad could dress half as good (100/10)
polaris: MY DAUGHTER MY BABY MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER GOD i loveeee love love love how she uses her powers to stick extra floating bits to herself it adds so much personality to her outfit. and we LOVEEEE the return of the classic curly hair. bring it BACK marvel i BEG (1000/10)

havok: not as good as last year's and also REALLY similar to it?? i dont mind a boy sticking to a brand but ehhh i feel like ive seen it before. still nice tho! (8/10)
synch: same as above but honestly somehow more boring?? are we all just recycling stuff in our closets. come ON lads youre on the X-MEN. get to WORK (6/10)
magik: GODDDDD THIS IS SO COOL. i love how she's not afraid to just be weird and freaky and a little creepy. like yeah girl slay. youre doing so good. i love me a cryptic demon lady and she's serving that in all the best ways (100/10)
forge: unfortunately basic. i love his commitment to getting that fuckass headband into all his outfits but everything else is just.... usual x-men colours in a weird pattern. you can do better than this man!!!! (4/10)
iceman: honestly i liked his last year's one a lot more but this is still nice. suffering a bit from "boring suit" syndrome for the male characters BUT at least the ice effect adds to it. but come on bobby all that time in the closet and u cant do better?? (7/10)

black widow: RLY nice but i was hoping for a bit more from it. the alternate take that marvel rivals recently did on it is a LOT better than this which has kinda taken away from it a lot for me (8/10)
she-hulk: nice, but basic. just a vaguely nice outfit with her usual colors. nothing too crazy while i think she could have REALLY gone all out (6/10)
wanda: AMAZING STUNNING BEAUTIFUL NO NOTES I LOVE MY DAUGHTER MY DAUGHTER IS SO PRETTY MY DAUGHTER IS SO GREAT i am so happy they kept this as her usual outfit it's the best redesign she's gotten in years. THANK U HELLFIRE GALA 2022!!! (1000000/10)
iron man: he gets points for actually dressing nice this time around but ehhhhh. it's not SCREAMING super stylish playboy millionaire yknow ?? its just kinda a sort-of fancy suit. i KNOW youre better than this anthony (7/10)

spider-man: i like it, but it's pretty basic. just a neon, shiny take on his usual suit. i think they could have gone a BIT crazier (6/10)
captain america (steve): just a suit. he's giving male celebrities at the met gala. come on grandpa youre from such a stylish era surely youve got something better in that closet you spent years in (3/10)
captain america (sam): now THISSSSS is how you do a suit without making it basic. the tinted glasses are everything to me. THANK U SIRRRRR (11/10)
captain marvel: it's giving kristen stewart at a twilight movie premiere. dont know if thats a good thing. i dont hate it but also its so casual for the type of event this is? i dunno. im mixed. (8/10)

doom: i cant believe im saying this but SERVE???????? HE CAME TO SERVE????????? this might be one of my favourite outfits of the night and thats CRAZYYY. who STYLED you bro cuz i know it wasnt jumbo. valeria??? did valeria cobble this together??? get me her number rn (100/10)
namor: TRY HARDERRRR STOP BEING SO BORINGGGG COME ON DUDEEEEE i know ur so much more stylish than this. tenoch huerta mejía would NOT be caught looking like this thats all im saying (2/10)
mister sinister: pulling up tits out when the x-men currently think you're responsible for the imminent mutant genocide is SO FUNNYYYYYYY never change nathaniel (10/1o)

mary jane: ik she spent most of the night possessed by moira but idc her dress was so pretty i just had to say it (10/10)

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While less of a humdinger shockfest than the first Hellfire Gala, Hellfire Gala - Immortal nonetheless satisfies. There's a real appeal to watching our X-Heroes swan around a party, mingling with other superheroes and muggles. I like a book where the stakes appear to be low, but there's much simmering just below the surface. I think that describes Hellfire Gala - Immortal exactly.

The fallout from humanity learning of mutant immortality isn't as great as you'd expect. The real "reveal" comes when Emma Frost and Cyclops exchange secrets. Moira's robot villain (from X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine) shows up to be the requisite antagonist, though it's hard to see her as a truly notable opponent. She basically gets in a fight, learns more about how mutants are resurrected, then runs off to tell the Eternals (cue Judgment Day).

The art is extremely variable throughout. Couldn't they have had one artist for the single Hellfire Gala issue? Disappointing.

This volume contains a number of back-ups, most of which are good-to-fine and not really required reading. Secret X-Men, though, was surprisingly essential to my next read, Marauders Vol 5..

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Not bad at all for a mash up event. We get to see several perspectives of the same party play out in multiple ways. I mainly picked this up to bridge the gap from House of X to Immortal X-men and in that regard it gets the job done.

The Hellfire Gala Confessionals were actually pretty hilarious and secret X-men has its moments. If only it wasn't so unfocused I would enjoy those characters more.

Definitely worth a look, but could pass it over if you'd like and I'm sure you would still have a fulfilling existence...

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a amazing experience compared to the first hellfire gala. I didn’t like how they ended the whole dethbird story though. That was a sad and kind of messed up ending. The artwork in a couple of the issues was not the best but the artwork in the rest was spectacular.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, just because the X-books are self-aware enough to constantly point out how the younger X-characters never get to move up the big leagues, doesn't make it OKAY that the younger X-characters never get to move up to the big leagues.

[Blindzider · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've said before my taste for the X-Men has soured to the point where I'm only reading this just to keep up to date on what's going on. The Hellfire Gala issue itself merely is a centerpiece with the latest big reveal of the mutants to the world. It was already told to readers in other books so it isn't like this is the first time it's been talked about. The story also juggles a couple of other sub-plots, including a cross-over with Spider-Man, the rising threats of Mr. Sinister and Moira McTaggert, and Orchis. It's a bit much and the art is average at best. All of the other issues either felt like filler or were trying too hard to be funny and something the kids would like nowadays, just not for me.

[Fahad Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The inaugural Hellfire Gala had an interesting idea with intersecting all the ongoing X-Men titles, but having a single Gala one shot and and a handful of tie-in one shots is definitely the better way to go.

Hellfire Gala Immortal wasn't nearly as spectacular as the first one, and it really feels like just an extra step on the Krakoan journey. The one shot deals with the fallout from the Daily Bugle's reveal of mutant resurrection, except that stuff was handled way better in the flagship and Immortal books. We're also introduced to the new Moira, who did such insane things in X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine that her character has changed as a result (I was genuinely worried she'd give Mary Jane the Banshee treatment...). I suspect I'll have more to complain about with her later, so I'll save it for now.

Secret X-Men was pretty fun, and I was happy to see them revisit the Shi'ar storyline from the very first issues of New Mutants. On the other hand, I've been avoiding reading The Amazing Spider-Man for obvious reasons, and the tie-in issue from that series really makes me wonder what people ever saw in Zeb Wells.

I believe the next Gala is the Fall of X one, so that oughta be way more exciting than Hellfire Gala Immortal. Good thing too, as I genuinely think the concept of the Galas is too good to waste on filler issues.

[Michael Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big part of this rating is for the value. You get the Hellfire Gala special issue, a FCBD issue, Spider-Man, an unlimited X-Men run that was originally online, and a secret X-Men book.

Nothing this year was particularly stellar. The idea of the X-Men election has already lost its novelty because I’m more annoyed about the characters we are losing than excited for the characters we gain or the opportunity to vote for someone to be on the team (how in the Hellfire Trading Company did Firestar win?).

The tie in books are mostly mediocre. I like the Spider-Man issue the best, probably, but it got really confusing with MJ and Moira switching appearances back and forth. The Unlimited and Secret X-Men issues are about the characters who have lost the elections the last two years. Neither are really anything special. I think the Secret X-Men was a bit better both in terms of the cast and the depth of the story.

I’m honestly not invested enough to go look up anything about the artists. They were fine. I hated the secret X-Men uniform because I want all my X-Men unique, but that’s my personal preference.

YMMV, but hopefully we only have to do one more of these before it switches to less frequent.

[Matthew McElroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of this Krakoa stuff is really good, if only because it is so different.
The majority of the compilation is focused on the Hellfire Gala, a big outreach event the X-Men do every year, headed by Emma Frost. Everyone puts on ridiculous costumes and they work with the rest of the world. it seems like this may be a bit of a giveaway to the pencilers, who may get tired of drawing heroes in the same costume every panel of every month.
Moira McTaggart is the villain here, which is a departure from my childhood. My recollection is that she used to work on a "cure" for being a mutant (similar to a cure for Blackness or homosexuality). It didn't come from a bad place, but it certainly came from a misguided place. Her son, Proteus, was/is one of the most powerful Mutants in the world.
The last section is the weak link. it's a standalone story, only loosely linked to the Gala storyline. Sunspot wants to be the leader of a new group of X-Men, without the approval of anyone with authority. It's a creative story, and it involves some Mutants I haven't met before, but that doesn't make it interesting.
Definitely worth reading though.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's time for the second annual Hellfire Gala!

Unlike the first one, this one's a more subdued affair in terms of being collected, at least. This volume only includes the main one-shot, as well as the confessional promo material, and then some random stuff.

The main one-shot's great, though it doesn't feel quite as ground shaking as the last one. Then again, last time they terraformed Mars, so it'd take a lot to one-up that, to be fair. It's more about the simmering plot threads across the X-books, like Moira, and whatever the fuck's going on with Beast lately, than any seismic changes.

Then there's an Amazing Spider-Man tie-in issue, which I think reads alright on its own, though some perspective on why Peter and Mary Jane are on the outs is probably necessary.

And then there's the Secret X-Men one-shot, which I thought was going to be collected in Marauders since it basically sets up the plot of the first arc of the new series, but...sure, why not, stick it in here.

Did I buy this for two one-shots? Yeah. Yeah I did. That's on me. For completionists only.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less of a major impact than the previous Hellfire Gala, which is fine. This is more about pulling together a bunch of simmering threads than making leaps forward. The actual Hellfire Gala one shot is good, but the other stuff thrown in here isn't all up to the same standard. There's a Spider-Man issue, which I bet would be more impactful if I'd been reading that book. Something is going on between Peter and MJ and I just don't get it. However, it's also really important to the X books, so it does belong in this collection. The online stuff is kind of dull, though it may end up being important later. Then there's the Secret X-Men issue, and I just did not like it. Couldn't get into it at all. I imagine these issues will eventually be incorporated into volumes of Trials of X, so maybe wait to read them then.

[brand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the first hellfire gala, this book felt like it was made out of tradition rather than purpose. A lot of pivotal events occurred during the first gala, whereas in the second gala here, only the existence of the mutants' ability to revive their dead is revealed to the humans at large. This was something already known to the reader, and with nothing else to chew on, it's just kind of uninteresting. Clearly, this book was written with the intent to lead into the A.X.E. event, and sadly, that's all it is. None of the other stories included here were too interesting either, save for Secret X-Men, which although it wasn't super notable or anything, is at least worth a read if the characters interest you.

Maybe 2023's gala will be better.

40/100

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a fan of how epic this Gala has become...

First Hellfire Gala was a cute little 'one off' that tied into the X-Men taking control of Mars. This year? We have the hunt for Moira and the secret of 'mutant resurrections' coming out.

I don't know if this EVER needs to be the big event they push it to be. To me, it should be something akin to those old X-Men baseball games we'd see occasionally in issues. Just have it be a gathering that's commemorated in print, on occasion.

Bonus: Throat jewelry that can kill? Ouch.
Bonus Bonus: Some of these outfits designed by Jumbo Carnation...are odd.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like if these annual events can’t keep pace with the first year, they should maybe background the event to various issues and not bother with the potential incoherence of a crossover. Most of the first half of this was a mess, which thankfully the Spider-Man issue brought some resolution to. Most of the stuff with the X-Men and the not X-Men was boring, but the last issue for the Secret X-Men, arguably the most disconnected from the Gala, was maybe the most compelling since the characters are the most interesting therein. Honestly just glad I got through this since it felt less like a joy and more like a chore.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel like I'm off to a weird start with Zeb Wells' Spider-Man stuff. First Doc Ock: Year One, now issue #9 of ASM vol. 6, which I actually kind of liked! That and the X-Men digital comic were the highlights of the book. Secret X-Men didn't make a ton of sense to me but at least the art was pretty. However, I thought the main Hellfire Gala issue was all over the place. There's, like, seven different artists on it, and, even though Kevin Feige isn't in this one, the celebrity cameos were still really jarring. Jon Hamm? Stand-up comedian Brian Poeshn? Eddie from Iron Maiden? Eek!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic suggests that the Hellfire Gala doesn't really need to be a yearly thing, because there just isn't enough story here to go around. And the story that exists really doesn't make a lot of sense (Moira endangers her eternal life to threaten her son??). There are some nice bits: the X-Men Unlimited shorts are actually fun, and the Spider-Man crossover isn't bad. But it's very little for a decent-sized volume.

(And the Secret X-Men issue taht ends things is pretty bad: both because it's dull and because Sunspot and Cannonball are badly mischaracterized.)

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Hellfire Gala was magical and expansive, pushing ideas of fashion and culminating with the mutants terraforming Mars. This one just felt tame in response, dealing with the publicity of mutant resurrection and the mutants who didn't make it onto the X-Men having a couple small adventures. As a setup to Judgment Day, it's fine, but that event wasn't great. It's not a solid successor to the first one, and nothing will have the gut punch of the next Hellfire Gala. Not awful, but it felt like wasted potential.

[Adan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another momentous Hellfire Gala in the books, with multiple bad guy intrusions, some amazing lewks, and at least one new X-Men team. The fashion aspect of these Galas is what interests me the most (which is honestly surprising), but I don’t think anyone surpassed the previous year’s designs except for Laura and Doom. Doom was especially magnificent.

The Moira story was so-so (they’ve really done her dirty), but the Infinity Comics and the Secret X-Men stories were great.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Humans find out that mutants have figured out resurrection (but not HOW). Jon Hamm possibly sleeps with Jean Grey.

Great costume design and a pretty big reveal but overall not that enjoyable. The X men unlimited infinity comic was a real stinker with that weird realistic but just off enough to be uncanny valley.

The Hellfire gala being a yearly event with a big X men reveal or change and a chance for the artists to go wild is a great idea.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bunch of random mutants standing around in a party. I guess if you've kept up with this stuff for 20+ years this isn't going to scare you away, but I had no idea what was going on. Since when are the X-Men chosen by a vote? The whole resurrection thing is largely ignored. What characters you do recognize are only briefly seen so far less popular characters can take their place.

This was boring and dumb.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting delve in Emma's side of things in this and seeing how she handles the repercussions of Mutants ressurction being revealed to the wider world.

Sadly, even though Emma is a very important leader in this new Era for Mutants, she has very rarely had any appearance and proper story. But I am glad this is slowly changing.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

A complete mishmash of disconnected junk. I think if your plan is to put one of these out annually, you'd better have a stronger story idea in mind than this, especially after the first one, with its reveal that the mutants had terraformed Mars and created Arakko. This volume really pales in comparison...

[india books · Rating 4 out of 5]

i dont know whats biting me but i know im ate up 😌 no but all of the characters in their gala attire looked stunning! its always a little confusing getting into comics and not fully knowing the stories but all of the characters personalities, added labels, and references to previous chapters helped a lot! emma frost, jean grey, scarlet witch, and penance are so bad. AND DR DOOM WAS SO FRESH 😭