Children of the Atom is the newest entry into the current wave of X-Men books, but instantly feels different from the other mutant books on offer. This is in part because the heroes in this team are out on their own, unconnected to the mutant nation of Krakoa, and feels more akin to stories from before the X-Men brought all of mutant kind together; but it also feels new and different thanks to the team of unknown characters, who had only previously appeared in a bling and you'll miss it moment in the Indigenous Voices issue.
The book opens with the villain group Hell's Belles robbing a bank in New York City. The former mutant criminals, de-powered since the events of M-Day, are using tech to commit their crimes; and feel untouchable thanks to there being no heroes around to stop them. That all changes, however, with the arrival of our stars. The five teens, Cyclops-Lass, Cherub, Marvel Guy, Gimmick, and Daycrawler come in with confidence, but it quickly becomes apparent that they're using bravado to cover their fears.
The five of them try to act the big heroes, making banter and mocking the villains, but i's pretty clear that they're not the best at this, and the stuff that comes naturally to heroes like Spider-Man is something that they really need to practice. Despite their apparent inexperience at heroics the five of them are able to neutralise the villains, and make a quick getaway before the police show up.
It's then that they're approached by some members of the X-Men, who've come to invite them to Krakoa. This is where things start to get a little interesting, as the teens refuse the invitation, claiming that they can't go to Krakoa due to personal issues keeping them at home. This immediately piqued my interest, and got me suspecting something about this young team, which was added to when we get a scene at the Summers Residence on the Moon, where several of the X-Men are talking about reaching out to the group. During the conversation it's mentioned that Cerebro can't find the kids, something the team thinks could be because of their psychic.
However, the end of the issue confirms my suspicions, and if you don't want it spoilt, skip to the next paragraph. Still reading? Okay. At the end of the issue the group pack their bags and sneak out of their homes, ready to leave their world behind. Travelling to the nearest Krakoan gateway they attempt to pass through, and nothing happens. The get doesn't send them to Krakoa because they're not mutants. It's not clear exactly what their deal is, whether they were mutants and lost their powers on M-Day, similar to the Hell's Belles, or if they're simply mutant super fans, who want powers of their own. This is something that I'm expecting to be explored over the course of the series, and I'm eager to see if they are de-powered mutants whether or not they'll get the chance to regain their abilities by dying in the Crucible and being reborn. Though I think it would potentially be more interesting if this team ends up as a mixture of the two possibilities, and we get to explore how some of them getting powers and others not would affect them as people.
Speaking about them as people, we get to know them a little bit over the course of the book. Cyclops-Lass is called Buddy, and she's very much made out to be the slightly awkward and geeky member of the team, dressing similarly to Peter Parker from the 1960's whilst at school; complete with sweater-vests and big glasses. As her super-hero name suggests, she has a power set like the X-Men leader, and fires optic blasts from her visor. Gimmick is Carmen, and seems to be the creative of the team, using her skills to craft the suits that the team wears, and possibly the tech they use too, though this isn't confirmed at this point. She wears an outfit similar to Gambit, and is able to charge projectiles that she can throw at her enemies. Daycrawler is Jay, the youngest member of the team and very much seems to have the most outgoing personality. Cherub is Gabe, who wears a suit reminiscent of Archangel, and has blue energy wings, though we don't know a whole lot else about him. And there's Marvel Guy, Benny, who is Jay's older brother. Much like Gabe, we don't know a whole lot about him yet. I'm hoping that as things progress we'll get to learn more about the team, as at the moment I feel I only know what motivates two of them.
The art, provided by Bernard Chang and Marcello Maiolo is great, and the designs for the team are really cool. They've taken looks that have become iconic and changed them up in ways that make them look new an unique to these characters, yet still instantly bring the original heroes to mind. Cyclops-Lass is possibly my favourite of these designs, in part thanks to the beautiful choice of colours in her costume, with a wonderful light blue that instantly stands out on the page.
Despite having been delayed for a long while the first issue of Children of the Atom is a really interesting issue, one that has an interesting group of new characters, a story that gets you interested for more, and adds a new dimension to the current era of the X-Men.
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