Comic Info
Comic Name: Exiles (Volume 1)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Mike McKone
# of Issues: 4
Release Date: 2002
Exiles (1) #2
Reprints Exiles (1) #1-4 (August 2001-November 2001). Blink, Morph, Nocturne, Mimic, Magnus, T-Bird, and Sunfire, all heroes, all pulled out of their own time by a being called the Time Broker. Learning that they must keep realities from collapsing to return to their own reality, the Exiles are setting out to save new worlds. An adventure to an Earth where Xavier is evil leads to the first death, and a trip to the trial of the Phoenix leads to unexpected results.
Written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Mike McKone, Exiles became a surprise hit when it was released. This first short edition Exiles Volume 1: Down the Rabbit Hole collects issues #1-4 which can also be found in Exiles: Ultimate Collection—Book 1 (along with the original trade paperbacks volume 2 and 3).
Exiles has limitless possibilities. “Dead” heroes like Mimic and Blink can live again through the Time Broker’s plans and heroes like the X-Men TV series’ Morph can become feature characters (ok he appeared in the Age of Apocalypse also, but here he really gets to expand). Exiles is like the “What If” of Marvel Comics with the characters having adventures in the worlds dreamed up by the Watcher. It is hard to screw up a comic like this, but it is also hard to make it really great.
Exiles (1) #4
Judd Winick isn’t the strongest writer so it is helpful that he has a nice set-up. The storytelling style of the comic leads to very episodic stories. It is a nice change from comics which are usually based on six issue storylines, but it can be frustrating when stories like Dark Phoenix issues could have been expanded. Judd’s story is backed up by pretty standard comic art by Mike McKone, but it is effective.
This volume also introduces the expendability of the characters of Exiles. One nice thing about Exiles is that not only are the characters unique, but since they come from a multiverse of themselves, they can be killed and replaced easily. Here Magnus bites the dust in the first storyline (like Thunderbird in the new X-Men), and is immediately replaced by Sunfire. The characters throughout the series drop-out and in with Blink being the most constant.
I’m not a Judd Winick fan, but Exiles manages to overcome this by having a fun collection of characters. This might be a short collection, but it is a fun trade paperback and shows promise for the Exiles series. Exiles 1: Down the Rabbit Hole is followed by Exiles 2: A World Apart.
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