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NYX (comics)

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Not to be confused with Nyx (Marvel Comics) or Nyx (Image Comics).
NYX
The cast of NYX (clockwise from top left): X-23, Tatiana and Kiden. Cover to NYX #7 by Josh Middleton
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
Format(vol. 1)
Limited series
Publication date
  • (vol. 1)
  • 2003 – 2005
  • (vol. 2)
  • July 2024
No. of issues7
Creative team
Written by
Artist(s)
  • (vol. 1)
  • Joshua Middleton (#1–4)
  • Rob Teranishi (#5–7)
  • (vol. 2)
  • Francesco Mortarino

NYX is a limited series of comic books by Marvel Comics, consisting of seven issues, published between 2003 and 2005.[1] It is written by Joe Quesada with art by Joshua Middleton (issues #1–4) and Rob Teranishi (issues #5–7).[2][3] NYX stands for District X, New York City.[4]

The series features homeless teenage mutants in New York City: time-freezing Kiden, shape-shifting Tatiana, body-shifting Bobby, his mysterious brother Lil Bro, the female clone of Wolverine (X-23), and Cameron, a woman with no powers.[5] The third issue of the series featured the first comic book appearance of X-23, a character originally created on the X-Men: Evolution cartoon.[6] Although the series was cancelled in 2005, a sequel 6-issue miniseries titled NYX: No Way Home was released in 2009.[7]

A second volume was released in July 2024 as part of the X-Men: From the Ashes event which relaunches the X-Men line. The series focuses on former X-Men students and Kamala Khan as they adapt to life in 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 announced returning character.

Publication history

[edit]

In 2001, writer Brian Wood developed a concept of the series for Marvel with artist David Choe that was to launch Marvel's MAX imprint. The ongoing series, focusing on the characters and how their powers affect their lives, friends and family, was to star Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee, as well as Angie and Purge, two new characters Wood had created for the series. After Marvel aborted the project, deeming it not suitable for their audience, Wood used parts of this concept for his series Demo.[8][9][10][11]

The series ended up being developed and written by Joe Quesada with art by Joshua Middleton (issues #1–4) and Rob Teranishi (issues #5–7).[2][3] Quesada told Dana Jennings of The New York Times that "almost everything you see in NYX is based on something I know or have seen firsthand".[12] Jennings highlighted that Quesada's "idea for NYX came the way lots of New York writers used to get their ideas, outside a saloon":

''I was at the Ace Bar in Alphabet City,'' he says, ''and I saw these 15-year-old squatters eating discarded bread.'' The scene haunted him, and evolved into NYX. ''With comic books, you look at real-life situations and try to find the right metaphor,'' Mr. Quesada says. ''You ask yourself, 'What if we took the world of the X-Men and shrunk it down?' What if your concern was, 'When am I going to eat next,' even if you do have superpowers?''[12]

NYX was planned as an ongoing series, but later was shortened to a miniseries.[3] Throughout the entire publication, there were often long delays between issues because Quesada had always been late with scripts.[13] The first five issues of the series were reprinted in two Marvel Must Haves issues in the summer of 2005, before the sixth issue was released in July. The seventh and last issue was released in September 2005.[1]

Failed spin-off

[edit]

A second series of NYX was planned for release in 2007, but never materialized.[14][15]

NYX: No Way Home

[edit]

At the 2008 New York Comic Con, a new NYX series was officially announced to launch in August 2008.[5][7] NYX: No Way Home is written by Marjorie M. Liu,[16][17] with art by Kalman Andrasofszky.[18]

Cecilia Reyes makes an appearance in NYX: No Way Home #4.[19]

X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch

[edit]
See also: X-Men: From the Ashes

A second volume of NYX debuted in July 2024 as part of the X-Men line relaunch. It is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Francesco Mortarino. The series centers on Kamala Khan (codename Ms. Marvel), Laura Kinney (codename Wolverine), Anole, Prodigy and Sophie Cuckoo as the mutant community in New York City adapts to the post-Krakoan Age.[20][15][21] Lanzing highlighted that the series is "carrying a lot of the characters or plot lines from Academy X forward in this new era. [...] The only other one that I would really point out as an influence on the book was Peter David's latter-day X Factor – the one that played it like a noir in Mutant Town".[22] 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".[22] 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 "the Cyclops that he always wanted to be" which "didn’t work" out.[22] 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. She’s living on a knife edge".[22] Lanzing and Kelly also highlighted that the characters in the series are often burden 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".[22]

Synopsis

[edit]

Wannabe

[edit]

The series starts with a flashback during which Kiden's father is killed during a drive-by shooting while he and Kiden are getting ice cream. Switching to the present, we see Kiden as an emotionally disturbed teenager who gets into an altercation with another student who is a Latin King gangbanger. She manifests her mutant power during a fight and unintentionally breaks the student's arm.[23] He returns with a gun and she freezes time again before the bullet hits her, but it hits her teacher, Mrs. Cameron, instead. Several months later Mrs. Cameron, whose life has fallen apart as a result of the incident, attempts to commit suicide. Kiden shows up and rescues her after receiving a warning from the ghost of her father.[24] A second vision tells them to visit the Hotel Brasil, where they find X-23, who is working as a prostitute, in a compromising position: standing over her john whose suicide she has just witnessed. The three escape together, but X-23's pimp is upset[25] and sends a hit squad to Mrs. Cameron's apartment. Again, the ghost of Kiden's father warns them, just in time, to leave.[26] Later they bump into Tatiana, who has turned into a dog-beast after touching a puppy that was hit by a car. Tatiana is able to scare away a mob after killing a cat and turning into a werecat. The runaways form a crew and live on the streets, begging for money and dumpsterdiving for food.[27] Eventually they decide to return to Mrs. Cameron's apartment to find money and leave town. X-23's pimp, Zebra Daddy, tracks them down with the help of a banger named Felon, but again Kiden's father appears and warns them.[27] During the confrontation at Mrs. Cameron's apartment, X-23 kills most of the pimp's gang before getting gunned down by Zebra Daddy. Mrs. Cameron falls out her apartment window, and Kiden then must decide whether to kill Zebra Daddy (who it turns out was her father's shooter) or save Mrs. Cameron. Remembering how Mrs. Cameron had taken a bullet for her, she opts to save her. Zebra Daddy is about to kill them but X-23 heals from her wounds and executes him. The team leaves together. In the denouement, it turns out Felon's little brother is also a mutant, and it was he who created the apparitions of Kiden's father. Kiden sends a letter to her mother, but the postman just misses her as she is moving out of NYC.[28]

No Way Home

[edit]

This series starts with Kiden, Tatiana, Bobby, and Lil' Bro living with Mrs. Cameron. Kiden is still looking for her parents. They come home one day to find Mrs. Cameron's apartment empty, ransacked, and covered in blood.[29] They escape before the police arrive, but Kiden returns and finds clues to local gang banger D'Sean. While investigating his apartment, a scuffle breaks out. Tatiana bites D'Sean and shapeshifts into his likeness, then gets shot by D'Sean.[30] Bobby knocks him out, but his gang comes in and starts a shoot-out. Kiden freezes time while holding Bobby, Lil' Bro, and Tatiana, who are able, then, to join her in the time-freeze. They take Tatiana to a hospital. The doctors realize she is a mutant when a blood transfusion makes her change shape into the donor, then call S.H.I.E.L.D. Kiden and Bobby find the gang leader. Bobby is forced to use his power to subdue him, but then loses most of his memories.[31] Kiden, Bobby, and Lil' Bro then return to the hospital to rescue Tatiana. She hasn't fully recovered from her injuries, so they turn to Doc Reyes for help, but run away after they grow suspicious of her. Kiden then decides to track down Mrs. Palmer on her own after confronting a mysterious lady who is immune to Kiden's time-freezing powers. It turns out that Mrs. Palmer was used as bait to trap the team and exploit their mutant powers, assisted by the ghost of Kiden's dead father.[32] As her father died, he saw into the future and realized that there is only one possible future in which Kiden survives, so he comes back to Earth as a ghost. He makes a deal with a mysterious organization to ensure her survival, but their plan is that only Kiden will survive. Tatiana is able to sneak out by drinking the blood of a mysterious "Sniper Chick" and posing as her. Lil' Bro kills her using one of his apparitions. It turns out the mysterious woman is also the daughter of the leader of the secret facility. Mr. Nixon's ghost apologizes for Kiden killing his daughter, and the man seems indifferent to his own daughter's death since he was able to see Lil' Bro's apparitions cause physical harm. He promises not to hurt Kiden, but will continue to monitor the team. The team escapes the facility and drops Mrs. Palmer at a hospital. They then vow to stay together and to "keep surviving".[33]

From the Ashes

[edit]

The series starts with Kamala commuting from her native Jersey City to New York City to attend classes at Empire State University. There, she meets Sophie, who is also taking the same "Examinations of Post-Krakoan Diaspora" class that is being taught by Prodigy. The two later visit Anole at his bartending job in the Lower East Side but are kicked out when Kamala fights several anti-mutant bigots called the Truthseekers when they harass Anole. Donning her Ms. Marvel identity, Kamala attempts to investigate the Truthseekers but Laura - now going as Wolverine - discourages her from doing so, believing that Kamala lacks the experience in dealing with anti-mutant hate crimes. Kamala is forced to save a group of Truthseekers when a masked mutant radical calling himself The Krakoan attacks them; due to Ms. Marvel's actions and for never having lived the "true" mutant experience, the Krakoan accuses Ms. Marvel of being a traitor to mutants before fleeing. The Krakoan, revealed to be Julian Keller, meets up with Empath and the remaining Stepford Cuckoos, who have formed their own version of the Quiet Council of Krakoa and plan to turn New York into a haven for mutants only. Meanwhile, the adolescent mutant Fauna meets the mysterious Mr. Friend in Queens.[34]

Main characters

[edit]

Volume 1

[edit]
  • Kiden Nixon – Mutant with the ability to slow down time and/or speed up her personal time line. Also sometimes thought to have precognitive abilities because Felon's "lil bro" used his abilities of projection to manipulate her during the story.
  • Tatiana Caban – Mutant with the ability to shapeshift into any animal or human whose blood she touches.
  • Cameron Palmer - Kiden Nixon's former teacher. She is a human. When she attempted suicide, Kiden saved her and roped her into the X-23 situation.
  • Bobby Soul – Mutant with the ability to project his consciousness into other individuals and take control of their bodies. A side effect is that he suffers from varying degrees of amnesia after returning to his own body. He is also known as Felon.
  • Lil' Bro – Bobby Soul's mute, autistic little brother. He is shown to have unknown psionic abilities that are somehow connected to Kiden's visions of the ghost of her dead father. It is insinuated that he became non-responsive after having been sexually abused by one of his mother's boyfriends.
  • X-23 – Mutant with adamantium claws and regenerative healing factor. She works as a prostitute who specializes in cutting masochistic patrons. She rarely speaks and is known to engage in self-abuse (specifically, cutting).
  • Zebra Daddy – X-23's pimp. He claims to love her more than any of his other 'merchandise', but he doesn't even know her name and ultimately views her as disposable property.
  • Hector Morales – Kiden's school enemy, who repeatedly attacks her, though always failing to make an impact, and even tries (and fails) to kill her. He winds up in prison.
  • Sniper Chick – A new character introduced in the second volume. Not much is known about her except that she is immune to Kiden's time-freezing powers and is the daughter of the head of the organization that attempts to kidnap the team.
  • Nick Nixon – Kiden's police officer father, killed during a drive-by. He returns from the dead and initiates the events that bring the teens together; some of the visions of him are as a ghost, as explained in No Way Home, and some are Lil' Bro's psychic projections (in Wannabe).

Volume 2

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

Joshua Middleton was nominated for the 2004 "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award for his work on Marvel's NYX, X-Men Unlimited, and New Mutants.[37] The New York Times reported that the series debut had "strong reviews in the fan press".[12]

The series' initial portrayal of Laura Kinney as an underage prostitute was poorly received by fans and critics, with the character's creator Craig Kyle also criticizing the creative decision.[38] Matthew Peterson, in a 2020 retrospective review of NYX #3 for Major Spoilers, opined that the issue "desperately wants to have the grittiness and reality of 'The Wire', but ended up a poorly-conceived Christi MacNicol after-school special, and no amount of Middleton talent could make this script work, culminating in a disappointing and skeeved-out 1.5 out of 5 stars overall".[39] Peterson commented that "the creative decisions of 2000s Marvel were aimed more at creating controversy and outrage" instead of "storytelling, which is why we see cartoon hero X-23 debuting as an underage prostitute in a skeevy hotel in New York City" where the introduction sequence is "distasteful for a number of reasons, even if you're sex-work-positive, but the most off-putting part of it is how matter-of-fact and dull it is, as though the only point to including the sequence was to create pearl-clutching moments and get people talking".[39]

In 2008, critics from IGN reviewed the series NYX: No Way Home. Daniel Crown gave issue #1 a score of 6.3 out of 10.[40] Jesse Schedeen gave issue #2 a score of 7.8 out of 10[41] and issue 3 a score of 8.5 out of 10.[42] Schedeen commented that the original volume of NYX "is remembered more for dragging X-23 kicking and screaming into the comics than for its hard-hitting glimpse into the lives of mutant outcasts, even if it did the latter reasonably well" and, given the issues with X-Men line, "the time is ripe for a small series like NYX to return and surprise readers. Much to her credit, writer Marjorie Liu has wasted no time in doing just that".[42] Schedeen viewed Liu's greatest "strength" as portraying "the main characters as believable teens without resorting to the Juno treatment" and that "Kalman Adrasofzsky continues to impress, thanks to a style that both hearkens back to Josh Middelton's work while also striking its own tone. [...] NYX may be the only one of the books that I would unequivocally recommend to all readers".[42] Karen M. Walsh, in the book Geek Heroines (2019), highlighted Liu's inclusion of Cecilia Reyes in the series – "within the Marvel universe, the X-Men often represent the struggles marginalized groups face in society. Liu's representation, therefore, of a mutant defined by something other than her mutant powers offers an important perspective".[43]: 219  Walsh commented that token characters from marginalized groups often "exist solely as representations of their cultures. By focusing on Reyes' full self, NYX offered a twice-marginalized character—Latinx and Mutant—whose sense of self arose out of her choices rather than how she was born. By giving her agency, Liu's story expanded the way in which marginalized characters are written".[43]: 219 

Relaunch

[edit]

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, both in the massive superpowered battles and in the smaller sartorial flairs of its characters. [...] 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 while smushed together just a little bit, as if to convey the exuberance of its protagonists' dialogue".[44] Anderson thought the relaunch could be received "in a number of different 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. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's script does deliver some poignant moments in that regard, both with regards to Kamala and to the larger mutant population" but "for better or worse, 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".[44] 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".[36] 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".[36] 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 and bogs her down with a cast of mostly nobodies".[45] 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", "the voices this writing pair try to muster up for the hip young minority teens is inauthentic".[45] However, Rooney commented that "Mortarino's art, especially as elevated by colorist Raúl Angulo's bold, vibrant colors, is full of energy. The young characters are stylish and, critically, look like teens" where the only artistic weakness is "that everyone looks young" which "sometimes undermines the script".[45]

Collected editions

[edit]
Title Material collected Published date ISBN
NYX: Wannabe NYX #1-7 May 2006 978-0785112433
NYX: No Way Home NYX: No Way Home #1-6 June 2009 978-0785139966
NYX: The Complete Collection NYX #1-7, NYX: No Way Home #1-6 July 2016 978-0785195986
NYX: Gallery Edition NYX #1-7, NYX: No Way Home #1-6 September 2024[15] 978-1302959067

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "NYX". Comic Book DB. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  2. ^ a b NYX 5 on THE X-AXIS Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine The X-Axis. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c NYX 7 on THE X-AXIS Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine The X-Axis. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  4. ^ Joe Quesada (w), Joshua Middleton, Rob Teranishi (p), Nelson DeCastro and Chris Sotomayor (i). "Wannabe" NYX, no. 7 (Sept. 2005). Marvel Comics.
  5. ^ a b Richard George; Jesse Schedeen (October 13, 2008). "NYCC 08: NYX Returns to Marvel". IGN. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
  6. ^ X-23 on MARVEL UNIVERSE Archived 2008-10-13 at the Wayback Machine October 13, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "NYCC '08 - Mondo Marvel Panel". Newsarama. April 18, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  8. ^ Cronin, Brian (May 20, 2016). "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #576". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Cronin, Brian (March 11, 2016). "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #566". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016.
  10. ^ Johnston, Rich (February 3, 2012). "David Choe - The Comics And Graffiti Artist Who Is Now Richer Than All The Rest". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Raymond, Nate (2003). "Brian Wood: Demo". Sugarbombs (Interview). Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  12. ^ a b c Jennings, Dana (2003-11-23). "New York Action Hero". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  13. ^ JOE QUESADA TALKIN' MARVEL Young Guns, NYX, DD: Father, & More Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  14. ^ "Marvel WWLA X-men Panel". Archived from the original on 2009-03-02.
  15. ^ a b c Johnston, Rich (2024-04-11). "Ms Marvel, Laura Kinney, Anole, Prodigy & Sophie Cuckoo Join NYX". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  16. ^ No Way Home: Liu talks "NYX" Archived 2008-09-06 at the Wayback Machine, Comic Book Resources, August 6, 2008
  17. ^ X-POSITION: NYX's Marjorie Liu Archived 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine, Comic Book Resources, August 12, 2008
  18. ^ Andrasofszky talks “NYX" Artwork Archived 2008-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, Comic Book Resources, October 3, 2008
  19. ^ MyCup o' Joe Week 25 Archived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 14, 2008.
  20. ^ Marston, George (2024-04-11). "Cult classic X-Men title NYX relaunches with Ms. Marvel and Laura Kinney's Wolverine in the spotlight". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Schlesinger, Alex (2024-04-11). "Ms. Marvel And Wolverine Take Over New York In NYX: Full Roster Explained". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  22. ^ a b c d e Hassan, Chris (July 15, 2024). "X-Men Monday #259 - Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing Talk 'NYX'". AIPT (Interview). Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  23. ^ NYX #1
  24. ^ NYX #2
  25. ^ NYX #3
  26. ^ NYX #4
  27. ^ a b NYX #6
  28. ^ NYX #7
  29. ^ NYX: No Way Home #1
  30. ^ NYX: No Way Home #2
  31. ^ NYX: No Way Home #3
  32. ^ NYX: No Way Home #5
  33. ^ NYX: No Way Home #6
  34. ^ NYX vol. 2 #1
  35. ^ a b Dudas-Larmondin, Austin (July 23, 2024). "X-Men Redefines the Traditional Superhero Team as NYX Officially Debuts". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c Brooke, David (July 24, 2024). "NYX #1 review". AIPT. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  37. ^ "Eisner Award Nominations Announced". ICv2. April 11, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  38. ^ "X-23's Creator Weighs in on 'Logan', Her Potential Future, and His One Regret on Her Creation". 10 March 2017.
  39. ^ a b Peterson, Matthew (October 18, 2020). "Retro Review: NYX #3 (February 2004)". Major Spoilers. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  40. ^ Crown, Daniel (August 6, 2008). "NYX: No Way Home #1 Review. The streets are rough, even for a mutant". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  41. ^ Jesse Schedeen (September 10, 2008). "NYX: No Way Home #2 Review. Another fine addition to Marvel's collection of teen titles". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  42. ^ a b c Jesse Schedeen (October 15, 2008). "NYX: No Way Home #3 Review. Things go from bad to worse for the mutant outcasts". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  43. ^ a b Walsh, Karen M. (2019). "Marjorie Liu". Geek Heroines: An Encyclopedia of Female Heroes in Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, California: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 218–220. ISBN 978-1-4408-6640-1.
  44. ^ a b Anderson, Jenna (July 24, 2024). "NYX #1 Review: The Kids Are Alright". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  45. ^ a b c Rooney, Tim (July 24, 2024). "The Marvel Rundown: The X-Men court Gen Z in NYX #1". The Beat. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
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