by Dylan Duarte, CMRO Contributing Writer
Magneto: Not a Hero
Issue #2
Written by Skottie Young, Art by Clay Mann
Published: February 2012
I’m just going to come right out and say it: Magneto is one of the best comic book characters of all time. Granted, I’m a big X-Men fan, so I’m biased, but I think a lot of comic fans would agree with me. He’s somehow been portrayed as a villain, hero, and antihero, all while maintaining the same morals and goals. He’s just that smart of a character. To my knowledge, Magneto has never headlined an ongoing series, just a smattering of miniseries, which is practically a crime against humanity. Magneto: Not a Hero is further proof that the character has what it takes to carry his own title.
Magneto, now working with the X-Men, is having trouble being accepted by the public. It certainly doesn’t help matters when someone masquerading as him attacks an anti-mutant rally, murdering forty people. Magneto sets off to find the truth and clear his name. At the end of issue #1, he finds his doppleganger – his formerly-dead clone, Joseph.
Issue #2 explains Joseph’s reemergence with a quick flashback and promptly returns us to Magneto, who fearlessly walks into the hornets’ nest. Skottie Young’s writing on Not a Hero has been fantastic and razor sharp. He handles both the serious and the funny expertly. I’ve chuckled more than a few times over the past two issues and Magneto’s confrontation with Joseph is gripping. I love rooting for the guy, which is something I don’t get to do often. Having Joseph in their is a stroke of genius. At first I was very skeptical. After all, Joseph is a product of the ridiculously convoluted X-Men of the nineties. But in Not a Hero, he’s used wonderfully, as he’s literally a clone of the Magneto of old; we get to see Erik come face to face with his former self.
As much as I don’t want this four-issues miniseries to end, I’m excited to see how it concludes. For X-Men fans – especially those who have been around for a while and are familiar with Magneto – this series is a must-read.
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