Marvel’s A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants is a 3-issue series that ties into the ongoing Judgment Day event. This issue barrels readers toward the final act of Judgment Day as the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals battle together to save the planet. Hopes of avoiding judgment have been thwarted, and the Progenitor, a new Celestial god, has begun to destroy the planet. The Progenitor has ordered Earth to self-destruct, but the planet is fighting back. Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Guiu Vilanova, colors by Alex Guimarães and Erick Arciniega, letters by Travis Lanham, and design by Jay Bowen, A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #3 is a moving issue with much to say in the face of devastation.
The Machine That Is Earth is an Eternal machine that represents the Earth itself as artificial intelligence. It resurrects the Eternals and performs many other functions. The Machine That Is Earth also has an attitude, and it is dryly hilarious. While it refuses to follow the Progenitor’s orders, the primary heroes of the issue work to put various plans in motion to save the planet. Nightcrawler has a plan to put people in place to help The Machine, but first, the Eternal Phasos must clear the remnants of the Progenitor from the system.
As with much of the Judgment Day event and its tie-in issues, Gillen juggles a lot of moving parts here, but he manages to weave them together smoothly. The team’s plan is relatively straightforward. The heavy emotional hammers here come from the intercutting of various heroes and their subsequent defeats at the hands of the Progenitor. The narration of The Machine adds levity to the issue while also carrying a tremendous amount of emotion in certain sequences. Gillen expertly displays what each character is willing to give for this fight, as every victory comes with a heavy toll.
Vilanova’s art is excellent throughout. There are massive displays of power in this issue, and Vilanova renders them with force. Some images are haunting, fully bringing home the dire circumstances the characters find themselves in. Vilanova also makes great use of panel gutters, closing in some pages while bringing others to the edge for extra impact. Character expressions are drawn with accurate nuance.
Guimarães and Arciniega handle colors, and it’s impossible to determine who colored what, a testament to how smoothly the pair worked together. Scorching reds are a particular highlight of the issue, with flames that leap off the page. Lanham’s lettering is great from cover to cover. The Machine That Is Earth has a visually distinct narration box that instantly makes it stand apart on the page. Bowen’s design also works wonderfully with Lanham’s letters on two pages that feature exclusively design and lettering with no art.
There are a lot of themes at work in this issue, and they all land. Learning from past mistakes to improve the future feels obvious but isn’t always easy, and this book highlights that. This issue examines how various characters tackle the seemingly unbeatable odds in front of them, and the results are moving to read. There’s a “Night before the big battle” feeling to this issue, but this night before features a handful of big battles itself. With A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #3, Gillen and the rest of the team deliver a phenomenal issue that propels the story toward a dire finale.
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