Exiles #1: A New Start To An Old Run

Writer: Saladin Ahmed / Artists: Javier Rodríguez, Álvaro López, and Jordie Bellaire / Marvel Comics Marvel Comics, continuing their “return to the past” Marvel Legacy run, has re-skinned an old classic for new times with the revival of Exiles. Originally launched in 2001, then revived for a short 2009 run, Exiles has always revolved around Blink, a mutant with the ability to teleport herself and others through space. Through all the series, Blink recruits a band of mutants and weirdos to protect the multiple universes from a threat to their very existence. Issue #1 of Exiles does an admirable job of establishing the set up and introducing Blink, and her powerset. It also whisks us through her first and second recruits of the alternate universes. First she picks up Khan — sort of an Old Woman Kamala version of Ms. Marvel. Then it is off to get Iron Lad, who is the sort of superhero who spends his time beating up the bullies who used to push him around. So far, they aren’t that heroic, but that’ll come.

I’m not the biggest comic book nerd out there. I don’t have a deep encyclopedic knowledge of the history of comics. I can’t name the 10 most under-rated villains or list the 5 best times Green Lantern shot someone in the face. So I come to Exiles as practically a new reader with no background on who the major characters used to be or why they did what they did. What I do have, however, is an appreciation of Saladin Ahmed’s other work — his Black Bolt is unbelievably good. I …