Somewhat to my surprise, Marvel have announced that X-Men: First Class is returning as an ongoing series in June.  Since there's already a special edition scheduled for May, that effectively means that there will be no break, and the book has already become an ongoing series.

I have my doubts about this, I really do.  First Class becomes the fifth regular X-Men title - the sixth, if you count New X-Men.  Between this and the massive expansion of Avengers titles, Marvel seem to be hurling spin-off books at their major franchises, even though the X-Men frankly aren't particularly hot right now.  This almost invariably results in the market getting saturated, and it's hard to imagine First Class having more than a niche presence in the direct market.

On the other hand, it's a nice entry-level X-Men book for younger readers who might be looking for a more straightforward take on the characters.  It could probably do more to explore the basic themes of the X-Men concept - the book seems to have preferred messing about with guest stars, for the most part.  But that's easily addressed in future issues.  It's a likeable throwback to the days when X-Men comics were pure light entertainment.

Issue #7 brings in Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, setting up the curious idea of a short-lived romance between Warren and Wanda - something which is, if you squint a bit, just about foreshadowed by a couple of lines of dialogue from the early 1960s.  Jeff Parker is writing these characters in a much more rounded way than the Silver Age comics he's referencing, and sometimes that's a little bit jarring when he bangs directly up against specific stories from the period.  His characters really don't act much like their 1960s counterparts, although that's almost unavoidable.  The early stories haven't aged very well.

If you're prepared to make allowances for that, then this is a charming character piece that tries to take Wanda and Pietro's one-sided relationship and reframe it more modern terms.  The continuity in this book is still something of a mess, unless you assume that the stories are taking place completely out of sequence.  But it's an enjoyable title to pick up each month, which is all that really matters for a book like this.

Rating: B+

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