X-Men: Elsewhen ([June] 2026), #1

by Harry N. Abrams

This was a mixed bag for at first, but my mind changed after the first "issue."

Art: I wanted Byrne/Claremont inked by Terry Austin out of this. Byrne inking Byrne is... not that. And the first pages did seem like what they were- John Byrne doing fanfics of what could have been, back in the day, as if he was nostalgic for those times, as well. The dialogue starts clunky, lots of exposition, and I almost thought twice, until I got into the story.

Story: This is a slow burn, almost like an Apple TV series. By the end of this volume, I was loving the snippets of Byrne-ness, like gratuitous Alpha Flight, FF appearances (Byrne's Thing and Sue Storm are some of the best renderings, ever), and cameos from Wonder Man and more. 80's-style Vision and Scarlett Witch were fun. And the Nimrod-based Sentinels? Great touch. Oh, and Savage Lands/Sauron. Perfect.

In the end, the price, the wait were all worth it, but it took me an evening of devouring this tome to really make sure I felt that way. I read and re-read the first three pages twice, not sure about it, until I sat down two nights ago, and really gave this the time that it needed. If you love John Byrne, and are nostalgic for his X-Men, this is satisfying, but, perhaps it needs that nostalgia to carry it. I'm interested to see what others think...