'Worst X-Man Ever' Offers a Tragicomic Take on the X-Men
X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever #1 is the first part of a five-issue miniseries, written by Max Bemis with art by Michael Walsh, which tells the story of young Bailey Hoskins as he learns that he’s a mutant and joins Xavier’s School. When I saw the preview for this book, I took it for purely comedic; the idea of focusing on the “worst X-Men” is already pretty absurd, and Walsh’s art gives everything a fun, breezy feeling.
And it’s true, this first issue is fun and absurd, but its tone is more complex than that. Even in this opening chapter, there’s a real sense of tragedy to Bailey’s story, which darkens the humor considerably.