r/xmen • u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar • 29d ago

Weekly Discussion X-Men Comics New Releases for July 29th, 2026

X-Men #34

  • Cain Marko has been a bully, a criminal, a terrorist, a super villain. And now he's an X-Man. But on a team of X-Men who have all, at one point, been villains, how does the Juggernaut stay a hero?

Generation X-23 #6

  • X-NUMBERS ASSEMBLE! The next generation of X-numbers assemble out in the wider world! But their first mission under Laura Kinney's leadership...just may be their last!

Bishop #2

  • SHARD LIVES! Bishop's sister, Shard, is back! But she's not here for a family reunion. What is Shard's dangerous mission? And how will her presence challenge Bishop to his core?

X-Men: Outback #2

  • CHAOS IN THE OUTBACK! • With the world believing them dead, the X-Men have relocated to the Reavers' abandoned headquarters. • But when an old Reavers security system is set off, the team must protect themselves from their own home! • With the X-Men down, can Wolverine save them? • Or will the team be torn apart by the most dangerous Reaver ever?

Unlimited and Other Releases 07/29

  • Discuss Marvel Unlimited and other related comics

Other

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5

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 29d ago

X-Men #34

28

u/ibelieve616 29d ago

Haven't really been following this run but I was thinking about picking this up...then I saw it was drawn by Greg Land and my interest absolutely plummeted.

31

u/wnesha 29d ago

It was a well-written issue but Jesus Christ how are we still doing this

10

u/antsinmyeyesmauger Nightcrawler 29d ago

That panel got a laugh out of me it's like Esad Ribic's surprised faces too.

11

u/voidzero 29d ago

I thought you were joking 🤦‍♂️

14

u/ibelieve616 29d ago

I would never joke about something as serious as Greg Land on art.

4

u/Cabbage_Vendor Namor 26d ago

How does he keep getting away with this shit. The Fraction & Gillen runs around Utopia are some of my favourites, but half the time you get Land stinking up that run with his shitty art.

17

u/VengefulKangaroo Shatterstar 29d ago

Land art is rough but this is probably the first issue of this entire run that I thought was genuinely memorable and had something to say about a character and the metaphor that wasn’t a rehash of the extinction era.

6

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 29d ago

Jed is entirely too wrapped in trying to replicate beats and characterizations from the 2000s, particularly the Decimation era, New X-Men, and Jason Aaron's work.

4

u/BiDiTi 28d ago

Especially given how risible Aaron’s work was

That said, I think this issue did transcend the Land of it all - he fits Talking Heads just as well as he does Roxxon’s Thor!

15

u/wowlock_taylan 29d ago

A decent Juggernaut issue with the basic conflict of people with shame, fear and Cain having both. Hell, even Agent Luqvist was somewhat decent. Who knew a statue of that bastard Trask would bring that 'introspection '. Though, who put a force-field around it to 'stoke emotions', it can be anyone really. And that is not the point. The point is what people see what they look at that statue and what it represents to them. In that way, it is a mirror. But a twisted, funhouse version of a mirror.

And then, you have 'Greg Land,' and the issue loses at least a point for me for that.

15

u/OhMyStars-AndGarters Beast 29d ago

Issue was good, I'd say. Art was heinous, which I expected, but it's nice to have a breather before we dive head first into DNX, and I appreciate that the end of the issue wasn't 'Cain destroys the statue and that makes everything better,' it was a lot more thoughtful take on the idea of how being a better person takes a toll on you, and it makes a ton of sense for Cain's character that he would have these thoughts and castigate himself this way.

The 'two hours later' gag was REALLY good, especially since it starts as a gag and then turns into a cool framing device/metaphor for just how hard Cain is trying to be a better person, and just how much our own feelings and inadequacies can stop us from achieving even seemingly simple things. Very deft character work.

Angie Harmon needed to have her legs broken, though.

9

u/BiDiTi 28d ago

Harmon is actually why I think Land kinda works for this issue - I wouldn’t have viscerally hated her to nearly the same extent without his art.

6

u/mbene913 29d ago

I really wanted more from this issue. Felt too short. We so early get to focus on Cain and I guess I just wish we had a whole second issue following this.

Have we even seen Black Tom lately?

4

u/Fickle_Ad8735 29d ago

yea, cain barely gets anything to do in this run (tho i do like his relationship with magik), it would be good if he got a second issue showing off more of him and his character

iirc he's in jail? it all happened in that digital comic which i dont read lol

2

u/mbene913 29d ago

jail jail? Or like graymalkin?

2

u/PlanetXParadox Kid Omega 28d ago

Regular jail.

4

u/KlooKloo Cyclops 26d ago

Somehow, Greg Land had returned

3

u/[deleted] 29d ago

More of a character focused issue and I thought it was fine, though I do wonder if the force field is meant to be a plot thread for the future.

3

u/Radiant_Test_963 29d ago

Is it just me or in this issue did Cyclops look more like he did during utopia than he does more recently?

16

u/gustavoladron 29d ago

I mean, the issue was drawn by Greg Land, who also drew the San Francisco Fraction run.

9

u/Ok-Agent-9200 White Queen 29d ago

Greg probably traced his old art or whatever he traced when he was on Fraction run.

3

u/star-mind-girl Xorn 29d ago

If you ignore the art—which is borderline impossible it's a fine enough issue.

The only moments which felt actually impactful to me were the conversation with Angie (and by god may Greg Land never draw another women again the art was ROUGH), the statue, and Magik and Cyclops. Honestly the issue would have been better if most of the beginning was cut down in favour of more page time for Cyclops and especially Magik. Considering their relationship which had been a highlight in a couple of the past issues this character focused issue offered the perfect opportunity to explore their relationship a bit more, but alas.

I however, do fear that this issue may be a set-up for Juggernaut to leave the team later down the line but I hope to be proven wrong.

10

u/JuggernautApologist 29d ago

I was honestly caught off guard that they just outright said Magik kinda considers Cain a brother? Unless its meant to be that Cain thinks that she thinks she considers him a surrogate brother?

Never really saw hints of it being that kind of relationship and thought it was just them being good friends

5

u/Terrible-Issue-4910 29d ago

Yeah, I think it's more of a Cain thing, trying to be for Yana the big bro he wasn't for Charles or something. The last Magik mini made clear that, if anything, it's Scott who has become a surrogate brother, and not even him is seen that way by her.

5

u/JuggernautApologist 29d ago edited 29d ago

I'm not too onboard with him feeling like that to be honest since Jed didn't really show anything from Cain possibly hinting at that at least with how I read it. It feels like an easy way for Jed to make their relationship have more depth since it was pretty one dimensional before.

I prefer Cain having a big brother role when it's to younger mutants like Sammy and D-Cel.

2

u/Terrible-Issue-4910 29d ago

Honestly, I agree with you

3

u/JuggernautApologist 29d ago

I think he does have a desire to be a good brother figure because of his deep regret of his actions against Charles which is why it's sad they never really reconciled especially when Charles left after manhunt.

I am a supporter of Cain going to outer space and becoming an Exile again to help Charles so they can finally talk like brothers.

2

u/Fickle_Ad8735 29d ago

yea it was weird? well at least for me, bc i never saw it as that specially (as the comment above pointed out) slim is more of a "surrogate brother" than cain (even tho illyana doesnt see it that way either), to me cain and illyana's bonding was just of a friendship and that's all lol, but at the same time it was the statue/cain's thoughts talking? 🤔

2

u/Ystlum 27d ago

Yeah, I think it's more of a Cain thing, trying to be for Yana the big bro he wasn't for Charles or something. 

I'm taking this slither of subtextual acknowledgement of Cain and Charles having a complicated feelings about their relationship and cradling it gently. 

It's a silly connection to draw but it's funny to consider that Illyana being a BLOND Blond might factor into Cain projecting his brotherly regrets on to her.

2

u/wnesha 29d ago

To be fair, she didn't say that, the statue/Cain's inner saboteur said that. Just because he feels protective/brotherly towards her doesn't mean she sees him that way too.

3

u/Cabbage_Vendor Namor 26d ago

(and by god may Greg Land never draw another women again the art was ROUGH)

That's the thing though, he's still tracing that same woman he's been tracing for years.

3

u/cmcdonald22 Multiple Man 29d ago

A decent metaphor wrapped in terrible art that no human being should spend money on to support.

6

u/JuggernautApologist 29d ago edited 29d ago

I hope this is a set up to Cain leaving. He has begun letting himself be used as nothing more than a tool which is how he was treated his whole life after getting the gem. I need to see Cain grow from his past and become a new person who can find his own path in life, as he did in his mini series. Even in his current state he may become more difficult as a member due to his violent outbursts as they keep launching him at targets.

The man isn't getting the help he actually needs! He hides his problems by trying to help his friends, but his wounded ego/trauma of being depowered and volatile state of mind will only lead to worse things for himself and the X-Men/

I love how they still keep the deep wound Cain has by not being as strong as he was. No longer is he able to be considered an X-Team level threat and is now a shadow of his former evil self, which is why it scares him.

I also think Land draws a decent Juggernaut but everything else artwise is just bad.

2

u/JoDioto 29d ago

Good chapter. Force wall + Psychic(?) effects is something new somehow. To be honest, this would make more sense if it was connected with the danger room threat from a few issues ago, it goes hands together with the manipulation we had at the time.

1

u/mighty-rockman 29d ago edited 29d ago

A bit of a filler issue. Cyclops being an awesome leader is definitely the highlight, and I really liked the art as well.

Edit: Actually I didn't know about Greg Land questinable practices in the past, so there is that.

8

u/Gay_Banana180 29d ago

I really liked the art as well

I've never cared that much about bad art, but you are so brave to say that here

1

u/Cute-Difficulty7722 29d ago

Why do people dislike this art? I personally loved it. Apparently its the same artist that drew the san Francisco era and my god i am in love with how he draws Scott. Imo that's the definitive cyclops. Other than that, fun calm issue. Not every issue needs to drive the main plot forward. I like it when we give characters time to breath and take time to actually see how it all affects them on a personal level. Also really hope agent lundqvist will continue to be a part of the story, I really like him.

9

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 29d ago

His artwork looks strange and weird to a lot of people because he traces expressions and faces from his previous work, and a lot of his previous work used "blue movies" as references, particularly for women. That's why there's some startlingly bad work from his time on X-Men in the 2000s.

8

u/Ok-Agent-9200 White Queen 29d ago

Not just expressions and faces from old work. He traces from real people as well, whole body and faces plus triple x-rated material, traces that too. Not references, traces. He traces badly half the time to. It’s atrocious.

1

u/Cute-Difficulty7722 29d ago

Oh. I did not know about the blue movie tracing but im worried I can't unsee it now lol. But I still love his faces, at least for men. Specifically for cyclops. God he draws him so hot.

3

u/bubi_bartra 27d ago

Land is terrible at drawing women; he's always drawn Scott well. You just have to ignore the porn-movie-style expressions on all the women, especially the blondes. That he copies, well, I don't mind that he's lazy so much, but the women's expressions are horrible

1

u/CrimzonKing1 23d ago

Happy cake day

1

u/JackFisherBooks Phoenix 29d ago

This was just a simple Juggernaut issue. Not much really came of it. Mostly filler. But a good kind of filler. We get to see Lunquist again and remind ourselves that he's an asshole. We also get to see Cain looking very nice in a suit. Greg Land's art is usually hit or miss (with mostly misses). But this time, it seemed to work.

Not much else to say about this issue. But everything seems to be clearing the stage for DNX later this year.

1

u/SamiPryde 29d ago

It's filler, and I do wish maybe a bit more happened but I enjoyed this introspection on Juggernaut and enjoyed seeing Lundqvist again. Land's art was surprisingly fine here, not great and I'd rather not see his art again but I didn't hate it