NYX (2024 series)

This article is about 2024 series. For 2003-2005 series, see NYX (comics).

NYX (vol. 2)
Cover of NYX (vol. 2) #1 by Sara Pichelli and Federico Blee.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	July, 2024 – present
Main character(s)	See below
Creative team
Written by	Collin Kelly Jackson Lanzing
Artist(s)	Francesco Mortarino Enid Balam
Letterer(s)	Joe Sabino
Colorist(s)	Raúl Angulo
Editor(s)	Annalise Bissa

NYX is the second volume of the American superhero comic book series NYX by publisher Marvel Comics. The series focuses on former X-Men students (especially from Academy X era) and Kamala Khan as they adapt to life at New York City in the post-Krakoan Age when mutants are hated and feared even more due to the actions of Orchis. Laura Kinney (formerly X-23) is the only returning character from the original series.

The ongoing series is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Francesco Mortarino. The first issue was released in July 2024 as part of the X-Men: From the Ashes publishing initiative which relaunches the X-Men line.

Publication history

The second volume of NYX was announced by Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and VP, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort during the "Future of Marvel Comics' X-Men and Digital Comics" panel at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 14, 2024, as part of X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch. In April 2024, it was revealed that the series would focus on young mutants in New York City after the end of Krakoan Age, with only Laura Kinney returning from the original series. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing were announced to be writers and Francesco Mortarino as artist.

Lanzing highlighted that the series influences include pulling Academy X plot lines and characters "forward in this new era" and the noir aspect of Mutant Town in "Peter David's latter-day X Factor". On picking their ensemble cast, Kelly stated "if you only get one chance to write X-Men, you should write the things that you love and care about" and for the writing pair that meant "not necessarily the classics, but finding those characters that exist in the corners who haven’t had their full story told". Kelly has "always loved" Anole and "his journey of not only discovering how to be a lizard man but how to be queer within that space" and Lanzing commented that they're "longtime fans of" Prodigy who has to discover what's next after becoming a Cyclops-like figure which "didn’t work" out. Lanzing emphasized how Kamala and Sophie contrast each other; Kelly stated that "if Sophie is our bright light, standing to blind everybody, and Kamala is this kind of honest truth, trying to find her way, then Laura knows exactly who she is, or at least she thinks so". Lanzing and Kelly also highlighted that the characters in the series are often burdened by iconography with Lanzing commenting that "the way we're reflecting that is every issue of NYX is titled by the name of the character that it's about – not their mutant name, their human name, because that's the world they're living in right now, and the world they have to start understanding how to operate inside".

Main characters

The series is structured by having a different point of view character for each issue.

• Kamala Khan – A mutant/Inhuman hybrid also known as Ms. Marvel who has recently relocated from Jersey City to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She attends Empire State University (ESU) and is in the "Examinations of Post-Krakoan Diaspora" class.
• Laura Kinney – The former X-23 who now goes by the codename Wolverine; she is a hero in Brooklyn focused on "saving mutants" in the Bushwick area.
• Anole – A former X-Men student and proprietor of the Green Lagoon tiki bar on Krakoa who is now a bartender at a popular New York City bar.
• Prodigy (David Alleyne) – A former X-Men student who now works as a historian with a focus on mutant history. He is a professor at ESU, teaching the diaspora course that Kamala and Sophie are taking.
• Sophie Cuckoo – A former X-Men student attempting to find her way without her identical sisters. She attends ESU and is in the "Examinations of Post-Krakoan Diaspora" class.

Plot summary

Kamala Khan begins attending classes at Empire State University, where she befriends Sophie Cuckoo who is also attending the same "Examinations of Post-Krakoan Diaspora" class that is being taught by Prodigy. Later when Kamala and Sophie visit Anole at his bartending job in the Lower East Side, they get into an altercation with several anti-mutant bigots called the Truthseekers when they harass Anole. Kamala, as Ms. Marvel, attempts to investigate them but is discouraged from doing so by Wolverine, who believes Kamala is inexperienced dealing with anti-mutant violence. Kamala saves a group of Truthseekers from a masked radical mutant called the Krakoan, who accuses her of betraying mutants. The Krakoan is revealed to be Julian Keller when he meets up with Empath and the remaining Stepford Cuckoos, who have formed their own version of the Quiet Council and plan to turn New York into a haven for mutants.

Wolverine investigates a criminal organization led by the mysterious Mr. Friend, who recruits young mutants, and uncovers that Mr. Friend is actually Mojo. After a confrontation with Mojo, Wolverine is badly injured but recovers, finding solace in her friends. Meanwhile, Anole discovers that the Morlocks have kept Krakoa's culture alive in the sewers, and he ultimately joins them after an attack by the Truthseekers is repelled by him, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, and Sophie.

Kamala eventually deduces the Krakoan's identity and confronts him at Times Square, where Sophie betrays her, revealing she had been working with him. With the help of the Cuckoos, the Krakoan defeats Ms. Marvel and begins broadcasting his victory but Prodigy intervenes, rescuing Ms. Marvel and defeating the Krakoan. Both Julian and Prodigy are arrested but while Prodigy is released, his academic career is ruined.

Because of the fight at Times Square, the Truthseekers--revealed to be a front for the Purifiers--begin protesting throughout the city while the New York City Council votes on a proposed bill to relocate the population's mutant diaspora into ghettos. Sophie reveals to the others that Empath was behind the Krakoan's terrorist attacks and funding the Truthseekers to accelerate anti-mutant sentiment in the city. With many of the city councilmembers under his control, Empath hopes that the city forcing mutants into ghettos will allow him to lead a united mutant revolution against humans and bring forth a new Krakoan Age with his Quiet Council ruling over humans. To counter this, the five mutants and their allies organize a peaceful protest against the Truthseekers while the bill is being voted on. Sophie uses her powers to break the Cuckoos' telepathic control over the city council while Ms. Marvel delivers an impassioned speech, revealing her mutant status and advocating for peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans. Without the Quiet Council's influence and moved by Ms. Marvel's speech, the city council votes against the bill. The police order the humiliated Truthseekers to stand down while the five mutants celebrate with their friends and allies.

Reception

Jenna Anderson, for ComicBook.com, commented that "NYX #1 is a charming, albeit restrained, menagerie of Marvel's mutant adolescence" – "Francesco Mortarino's art exhibits the sense of liveliness that the script of NYX #1 demands [...]. Raul Angulo's color work bathes everything in vibrant blues and golds without ever losing a sense of realism. Joe Sabino's lettering is expressive". Anderson thought the relaunch could be received in various ways by fans of the first volume as "the dark and often-controversial themes of the previous runs are cast aside, in favor of the xenophobia and overall prejudice that the characters feel post-Krakoa". She opined that the script by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing "does deliver some poignant moments", however, "these moments are only a brief part of the issue's lively storyline – a choice that both conveys the dizziness of being a young adult, and that leaves this particular issue feeling a little shallow". David Brooke of AIPT rated NYX #1 a 9 out of 10. Brooke viewed the first issue as "strong", although a bit focused on Ms. Marvel for a team book, and that the issue "allows its characters to emerge as fully dimensional individuals, serving as an antidote to readers who want more than just action scenes". Brooke opined that "the art by Francesco Mortarino is great, especially the character acting" where "these characters come off the page and feel quite real", and that "for how much dialogue is in this book, Mortarino does not miss". In contrast, Tim Rooney of The Beat gave NYX #1 a "skip" verdict as "structurally, NYX falters out of the gate" and that the book "wastes an exciting character" by burdening her with "a cast of mostly nobodies". Rooney viewed the script by Lanzing and Kelly as underwhelming "despite presenting some interesting ideas" and that while "its stated purpose is to explore how a culture finds community amidst diaspora", it ends up feeling "inauthentic". However, Rooney commented that Mortarino's art "is full of energy" and "elevated by colorist Raúl Angulo's bold, vibrant colors"; the art team makes the main characters seem "stylish and, critically, look like teens" where the only artistic weakness is "that everyone looks young" which "sometimes undermines the script".