Robbie MacNiven’s First Team is the second instalment of Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series of X-Men prose novels, and it perfectly blends the powerful darkness of a world in which young mutants are surrounded by hate and oppression, with a warm sense of friendship and family. Compared with many of his peers at the Xavier Institute, Anole – otherwise known as Victor Borkowski – knows that he’s had a remarkably comfortable life for a mutant. When his parents are threatened by the anti-mutant extremist group known as the Purifiers, however, he gets first-hand experience of the hatred that many mutants suffer under, and finds himself relying upon his found family at the Institute – particularly close friends Cipher and Greymalkin – for support in his mission to track down and stop the Purifiers.
Much like the first book in the Xavier’s Institute series – Carrie Harris’ Liberty and Justice for All – this is very much a tale of young mutants coming of age and recognising the family that they’ve built around themselves. First Team takes a slightly different approach, however, focusing primarily on a character in Vic who’s comfortable in his own skin – as comfortable being a mutant as he is with being gay – but who has to learn to rely on others for support when he simply can’t achieve everything he needs to on his own. Whether in the familiar surroundings of his quiet and sleepy home town of Fairbury or the bustling streets of New York, battling robed and masket zealots or negotiating the security measures of the Institute, he gradually gets accustomed to working alongside Cipher and Greymalkin, sharing problems, identifying solutions and generally looking out for each other.
The three friends make for a really strong group of characters, all of whom are young but very capable, with a great combination of skills and powers, and feel entirely believable as prospective X-Men (or an actual X-Men in the case of Vic’s ex-roommate Rockslide, who plays a small but important part too). While this is primarily Vic’s story MacNiven pays enough attention to the rest of the cast for them to feel like fully realised and developed characters, in particular using Vic’s viewpoint to offer a sympathetic illustration of Greymalkin’s PTSD and the strength that their friendship provides. They’re all driven by personal worries over Vic and his family of course, but also broader concerns over the growing wave of anti-mutant propaganda and the implications of the (deeply sinister) Purifiers’ public presence and mysterious financial backing, questions which drive the narrative as the book progresses.
All the great character work is delivered over the course of a plot that starts off slowly, introducing characters, ideas and locations, then explodes into action and never lets up. MacNiven maintains a tone throughout that’s brilliantly appropriate to this world – it really does feel like an X-Men story pulled straight from the Marvel archive – managing to be warm and heartfelt even while exploring the recognisable darkness that X-Men stories all contain, with the expected themes of otherness, prejudice and injustice. There’s a real sense of contrast between Vic’s home life in calm, happy Fairbury and the appalling reality of life for mutants in America, in particular the horrifying behaviour of the Purifiers and the helplessness of watching as they’re left to act virtually unopposed. It all makes for a story that’s dark and emotional in places, but hopeful too and ultimately a lot of fun. Readers of any age are likely to find lots to enjoy here regardless of how much prior knowledge they have of this setting – if you think the X-Men are cool (which they obviously are) then definitely check this out.
Many thanks to Aconyte Books, Marvel and Robbie MacNiven for providing me with a review copy of First Team, in exchange for my honest review.
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