X-Men: Legends #1 Review

[Yistaan]

It has already been stated that Katherine was pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted so that would make Adam the fourth and youngest Summer's boy.

Actually, the Gabriel Summers origin story unfortunately went into graphic detail that when D'Ken killed Katherine, he ripped fetus Gabriel out of her body or something like that. Unless they ignore that, there's just no way Adam-X could be her son in any natural method other than a lab.

[Factor]

Fun issue overall. It really felt like I was reading a 90s comic.
And I've said this before, but even thought I don't usually like Booth's art, he's perfect for 90s nostalgia. Hated his X-men fill-in, but he makes sense for this title.
Only thing I couldn't quite stomach is Adam-X's power. I had forgotten he makes blood boil or something like that. It's just too ridiculous, IMO. If they expand to him being able to do similar things to other substances so it's not all about how extreme(!!) his powers are, I could give it a pass. I think.

[Askani's Flame]

Actually, the Gabriel Summers origin story unfortunately went into graphic detail that when D'Ken killed Katherine, he ripped fetus Gabriel out of her body or something like that. Unless they ignore that, there's just no way Adam-X could be her son in any natural method other than a lab.

No one thinks Adam-X is Katherine's son by birth. This story doesn't contradict Gabriel's trauma or being torn from Katherine, nor would it nullify that Adam-X is a brother via Katherine's genetics.

[jwatson]

I had the weirdest dream because of this issue. Scott and co were on Maury and instead of a DNA test it was a battle royal and anyone who got knocked out by someone powers maury was like "with 99.9 percent certainty you are not a Summers."

[Odd Rödney]

This confused me because i went into it expecting absolutely nothing and ended up absolutely loving it and the energy in it. the colors were beautiful. go figure.

Same!! I finally enjoyed an Adam-X appearance and I also enjoyed the art; it was some of the best nostalgia reading I’ve done in a good minute! I loved the artwork and the coloring!

Fun issue overall. It really felt like I was reading a 90s comic.

It really did!

I genuinely wonder what the long term plans are for all four of the Summers Brothers.

Me too! Looking forward to seeing how this might come up in the current run.

X-Men: Deadly Genesis details well Vulcan's history. If you do pick up X-Men Legends, it lays the groundwork of how Adam and Vulcan are half-brothers (the specifics and details of which will be revealed in issue #2). Fabian's already penned that D'Ken is Adam's father and won't retcon his own work -- and in interviews he's said how he's able to tell the story almost exactly as he outlined back circa 1995. Editorial would have checked through the work and made sure Adam and Vulcan's histories co-exist and don't contradict.

I need to read Deadly Genesis again, haven’t done so in a couple of years and I remember enjoying it.

Hickman did allude to this in Powers of X #4's Sinister Secrets).

I also have a vague memory of that, might have to read that one again too.

People keep assuming Katherine is the mother, but with alien genetic engineering, it isn't necessary to have 1 male and 1 female parent. We know Adam is related to D'Ken and is a Summers. There's a good chance the 2 "parents" are D'Ken and Corsair. It also explains Adam's connection to the Corsair's parents.

I think you might be on to something there!

I had the weirdest dream because of this issue. Scott and co were on Maury and instead of a DNA test it was a battle royal and anyone who got knocked out by someone powers maury was like "with 99.9 percent certainty you are not a Summers."

That is hilarious!

Personally, I’m excited for all of this. I think a good creative team could do something interesting with Adam-X and I’ve always loved the mythic status the Summers family have had in the X-Men stories over the years. Hoping that epic family history continues to be explored, maybe we’ll see Adam in the Summer House on the moon. I’m here for it!

I’m also excited to see what other X-Men mysteries and retcons are revealed in future issues of Legends.

[patch]

Now onto my questions

The first one has already been asked on the boards and that is just who are his parents. It has already been stated that Katherine was pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted so that would make Adam the fourth and youngest Summer's boy.

1.) Just how long were Katherine and Christopher Summers held in captivity?
According to flashback he was rescued from some sort of birthing vat. Is that how all Shiar are born or was this some sort of cloning facility?

2.) If he was born on Shiar and was a project of the Emperor then why was he given an Earthen name like Adam?

3.) Just how long has Corsair know about Adam and why did he never search for or mention him before know? I will wait to hear his explanation next issue but at this time I nominate him for Worst Father of the Marvel Universe Award. Had four boys and never bothered to either search for or learn what happened to any of them.

Hopefully those three questions will be answered next issue as I have a whole bunch more that I know will have to wait for some future storyline.

Those more recent questions and one that will need a new story to answer

1.) Did someone rescue Eve as well? Is she his twin and a fifth sibling or was their some other Shiar plot in the works?

2.) How did Adam-X end up on Mojo World?

3.) Why have Scott and Alex not felt any brotherly love toward Adam and attempted a rescue? Did something happen to make them forget that Adam existed?

These were good questions! In terms of parentage, I don't think they're going to retcon Adam's connection to D'Ken so he'll still be the "father" (Erik the Red in Captain Marvel #3 proclaims that Adam is the "only living child of Majestor D'Ken"). Katherine was always implied to be the terran whose DNA helped conceive Adam (and Fabian has previously hinted that that's where Adam gets his blond hair from). I guess we could go full-on sci-fi and say the Shi'ar had technology to make Corsair the other genetic donor but there's no way Marvel would be ready to do that ("my two dads!")

1. If we follow the story in X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Katherine was two months pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted, and killed at near full term so that's seven months of captivity. Adam technically could have been conceived at any point, doesn't have to be near the time of Katherine's death (since it was all done in a lab and otherwise ex utero). It's not uncommon for Shi'ar (especially royalty) to be born in hatcheries, though this does seem to be more a laboratory than a hatchery.
2. I was hoping for a reveal that Adam actually had a Shi'ar name, but if they were experimenting with human DNA, it would be like the Shi'ar scientists to name the developing hybrid infants after the 'first humans'. It does contradict Adam's introduction in X-Force Annual #2 where he didn't want Neurotap to call him "Adam" because "it's not [his] real name" and that Martin Strong was the one who gave him that alias (but I'm willing to let that go lol)
3. I'm sure it will be revealed in XML #2, but I'm assuming Corsair would have only recently learned of Adam's existence when Lilandra did (if she did indeed place the bounty on Adam). Again I don't think Corsair is Adam's father (and it's well established that he believed each of his three sons (Scott, Alex and the unborn infant Gabriel) were all dead. I do think it makes sense that Corsair showed some disdain towards Adam in those last panels of XML #1 (and this wouldn't be your reaction if you thought Adam was your son) - Adam represents everything Corsair lost if you believe D'Ken killed your unborn child and your wife, although I'm hoping those last few frames were red herrings and Corsair had something else up his sleeve

In terms of the upcoming:

1. I think "Eve" was just an easter egg and Fabian was doing some good fan service. If we follow the AOA storyline, Adam escaped the lab, but Eve, Cain and Abel all perished there so I suspect something parallel occurred in this Shi'ar lab where only Adam was surviving child. I really don't think (and hope they don't) they are later going to bring any other characters into play. My related question is to what purpose did Jonath break in and take Adam? As part of the Jath'che, they would have been loyal to D'Ken's father, so were they actually trying to destroy the lab and then Jonath just had a moment of empathy and instead decided to raise Adam as his own, or was there some other purpose to stealing Adam. It doesn't seem that that Jonath and the Jatch'che would be part of the Crystal Claw cult (who are intent on having Adam claim the Shi'ar throne)
2. Hope X-Factor #9 will clear up how Adam (along with Shatterstar) ended up trapped in the Mojoverse and bring them both back to Krakoa
3. Adam several times in this issue how he's trying to hide his very existence (to avoid a Shi'ar civil war). Maybe after this adventure the brothers agree to let Adam 'lay low'? I dunno but I truly hope Scott & Alex don't later (in XML #2) forget that about their connection to Adam (besides which, too many shades of how Scott forgot about Gabriel so I don't think they'll replay that). Unclear if X-Factor even let the rest of the island know about the situation in Mojo-land (I mean I don't know why Rictor isn't leading the charge himself to save Shatterstar even if they aren't currently a couple)

[Basilisk]

These were good questions! In terms of parentage, I don't think they're going to retcon Adam's connection to D'Ken so he'll still be the "father" (Erik the Red in Captain Marvel #3 proclaims that Adam is the "only living child of Majestor D'Ken"). Katherine was always implied to be the terran whose DNA helped conceive Adam (and Fabian has previously hinted that that's where Adam gets his blond hair from). I guess we could go full-on sci-fi and say the Shi'ar had technology to make Corsair the other genetic donor but there's no way Marvel would be ready to do that ("my two dads!")

1. If we follow the story in X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Katherine was two months pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted, and killed at near full term so that's seven months of captivity. Adam technically could have been conceived at any point, doesn't have to be near the time of Katherine's death (since it was all done in a lab and otherwise ex utero). It's not uncommon for Shi'ar (especially royalty) to be born in hatcheries, though this does seem to be more a laboratory than a hatchery.
2. I was hoping for a reveal that Adam actually had a Shi'ar name, but if they were experimenting with human DNA, it would be like the Shi'ar scientists to name the developing hybrid infants after the 'first humans'. It does contradict Adam's introduction in X-Force Annual #2 where he didn't want Neurotap to call him "Adam" because "it's not [his] real name" and that Martin Strong was the one who gave him that alias (but I'm willing to let that go lol)
3. I'm sure it will be revealed in XML #2, but I'm assuming Corsair would have only recently learned of Adam's existence when Lilandra did (if she did indeed place the bounty on Adam). Again I don't think Corsair is Adam's father (and it's well established that he believed each of his three sons (Scott, Alex and the unborn infant Gabriel) were all dead. I do think it makes sense that Corsair showed some disdain towards Adam in those last panels of XML #1 (and this wouldn't be your reaction if you thought Adam was your son) - Adam represents everything Corsair lost if you believe D'Ken killed your unborn child and your wife, although I'm hoping those last few frames were red herrings and Corsair had something else up his sleeve

Thanks. Timeline is a little clearer now. I remembered there was some mention in Deadly Genesis but I couldn't recall just how far along they had made Katherine at the time.

Also if the Shiar royals had access to hatcheries then it would make sense that Adam is the product of D'Ken and Katherine. D'Ken clearly was attracted to Katherine if he placed her in his harem. the fact that she was pregnant might have hindered a natural child being conceived and birth but if they had the technology then there is always was around it.

[shooshoomanjoe]

This is one of the x books I've read in years. It'd be great if they can get an XForce arc with Liefeld and an XMen arc with Jim Lee. I know the latter is unlikely but the former is very possible. Make it happen Marvel...and while you're at it, let Byrne write/draw a canonical story.

[Havok83]

This is one of the x books I've read in years. It'd be great if they can get an XForce arc with Liefeld and an XMen arc with Jim Lee. I know the latter is unlikely but the former is very possible. Make it happen Marvel...and while you're at it, let Byrne write/draw a canonical story.

John Byrne is problematic and bigoted and should never be hired to work at Marvel again especially with how progressive it currently is with its creative teams

[Snoop Dogg]

John Byrne is problematic and bigoted and should never be hired to work at Marvel again especially with how progressive it currently is with its creative teams

The EiC is a huge Byrne fan who talked about bringing him back and also pretended to be Japanese so like, anything's possible. They hired Brett Booth!

[Rev9]

Why can’t he be the product of Corsair and a Sh’iar? Deathbird is always horny. He is clearly a half-brother. Gene splicing? I dunno.

Lol good one, maybe but I'm just lovin Booth's nostalgic rendering

[gambitxremy]

These were good questions! In terms of parentage, I don't think they're going to retcon Adam's connection to D'Ken so he'll still be the "father" (Erik the Red in Captain Marvel #3 proclaims that Adam is the "only living child of Majestor D'Ken"). Katherine was always implied to be the terran whose DNA helped conceive Adam (and Fabian has previously hinted that that's where Adam gets his blond hair from). I guess we could go full-on sci-fi and say the Shi'ar had technology to make Corsair the other genetic donor but there's no way Marvel would be ready to do that ("my two dads!")

1. If we follow the story in X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Katherine was two months pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted, and killed at near full term so that's seven months of captivity. Adam technically could have been conceived at any point, doesn't have to be near the time of Katherine's death (since it was all done in a lab and otherwise ex utero). It's not uncommon for Shi'ar (especially royalty) to be born in hatcheries, though this does seem to be more a laboratory than a hatchery.
2. I was hoping for a reveal that Adam actually had a Shi'ar name, but if they were experimenting with human DNA, it would be like the Shi'ar scientists to name the developing hybrid infants after the 'first humans'. It does contradict Adam's introduction in X-Force Annual #2 where he didn't want Neurotap to call him "Adam" because "it's not [his] real name" and that Martin Strong was the one who gave him that alias (but I'm willing to let that go lol)
3. I'm sure it will be revealed in XML #2, but I'm assuming Corsair would have only recently learned of Adam's existence when Lilandra did (if she did indeed place the bounty on Adam). Again I don't think Corsair is Adam's father (and it's well established that he believed each of his three sons (Scott, Alex and the unborn infant Gabriel) were all dead. I do think it makes sense that Corsair showed some disdain towards Adam in those last panels of XML #1 (and this wouldn't be your reaction if you thought Adam was your son) - Adam represents everything Corsair lost if you believe D'Ken killed your unborn child and your wife, although I'm hoping those last few frames were red herrings and Corsair had something else up his sleeve

In terms of the upcoming:

1. I think "Eve" was just an easter egg and Fabian was doing some good fan service. If we follow the AOA storyline, Adam escaped the lab, but Eve, Cain and Abel all perished there so I suspect something parallel occurred in this Shi'ar lab where only Adam was surviving child. I really don't think (and hope they don't) they are later going to bring any other characters into play. My related question is to what purpose did Jonath break in and take Adam? As part of the Jath'che, they would have been loyal to D'Ken's father, so were they actually trying to destroy the lab and then Jonath just had a moment of empathy and instead decided to raise Adam as his own, or was there some other purpose to stealing Adam. It doesn't seem that that Jonath and the Jatch'che would be part of the Crystal Claw cult (who are intent on having Adam claim the Shi'ar throne)
2. Hope X-Factor #9 will clear up how Adam (along with Shatterstar) ended up trapped in the Mojoverse and bring them both back to Krakoa
3. Adam several times in this issue how he's trying to hide his very existence (to avoid a Shi'ar civil war). Maybe after this adventure the brothers agree to let Adam 'lay low'? I dunno but I truly hope Scott & Alex don't later (in XML #2) forget that about their connection to Adam (besides which, too many shades of how Scott forgot about Gabriel so I don't think they'll replay that). Unclear if X-Factor even let the rest of the island know about the situation in Mojo-land (I mean I don't know why Rictor isn't leading the charge himself to save Shatterstar even if they aren't currently a couple)

I love that Eve is canon tho

[BroHomo]

Pretty good but God JAM!...
It's not every day you find your opinion is vedct expressed with a monologue from a satirical late night comedy show but Tina Fey's read on Hugh Hefner's girlfriends mirrors my opinion about this issue so closely i had to share....

"Now, when I first [saw these women]read this issue, I thought the same thing we all did - what has happened to affirmative action in this country? [Hefner's dating] Marvel released a book about seven [blonde], white [women]Dudes Come on, though - seven [blondes] white Dudes? There's not a hot Asian woman you can throw in there? A light-skinned black woman? A deaf brunette? Something? Where's the diversity? When are we going to have a [Hefner harem] X-Book that looks like America?"

[Uncanny X-Man]

This is one of the x books I've read in years. It'd be great if they can get an XForce arc with Liefeld and an XMen arc with Jim Lee. I know the latter is unlikely but the former is very possible. Make it happen Marvel...and while you're at it, let Byrne write/draw a canonical story.

I think Byrne's art on X-Men Elsewhen looks amazing. I was never a fan of his more cartoony style he developed later in his career but if he draws like that, sign me up for an ongoing X-book where he's the artist. Pair him up with a good writer, Terry Austin on inks and a good colourist and let him have a second golden age.

[Triniking1234]

Wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I began reading this story. Knew from the preview that I would like the artwork and coloring but I wasn't sure if the story was going to be one I would like. Must say that I was pleasantly surprised and found myself not only liking the story but now patiently waiting for the second half of the story. Prior to this I didn't know much about Adam X and his up bringing, (not sure any of us did). Going to have to pull out my older issues and see just where this story fits into the timeline.

they have made Adam a interesting character and I for one can't wait to learn more about him and how he grew up. Seeing a Summers who has both control of his powers and a relative normal upbringing is quite the change from the usual Summer's origin story. Also found his mutant power an interesting approach on energy wielding. Was expecting his power to be somewhat similar to Scott and Alex and be some sort of energy beam but instead he seems to be able to emit microwave energy which is both unseen and effects any exposed cut. Quite effective person to have on your team.

Now onto my questions

The first one has already been asked on the boards and that is just who are his parents. It has already been stated that Katherine was pregnant with Gabriel when she was abducted so that would make Adam the fourth and youngest Summer's boy.

1.) Just how long were Katherine and Christopher Summers held in captivity?
According to flashback he was rescued from some sort of birthing vat. Is that how all Shiar are born or was this some sort of cloning facility?

2.) If he was born on Shiar and was a project of the Emperor then why was he given an Earthen name like Adam?

3.) Just how long has Corsair know about Adam and why did he never search for or mention him before know? I will wait to hear his explanation next issue but at this time I nominate him for Worst Father of the Marvel Universe Award. Had four boys and never bothered to either search for or learn what happened to any of them.

Hopefully those three questions will be answered next issue as I have a whole bunch more that I know will have to wait for some future storyline.

Those more recent questions and one that will need a new story to answer

1.) Did someone rescue Eve as well? Is she his twin and a fifth sibling or was their some other Shiar plot in the works?

2.) How did Adam-X end up on Mojo World?

3.) Why have Scott and Alex not felt any brotherly love toward Adam and attempted a rescue? Did something happen to make them forget that Adam existed?

How did they even explain why Corsair never went back to Earth?

Who's Eve?

This story has no connection to modern stuff so Leah Williams is goona have to answer the Mojo stuff.