In this review of Imperial War: Exiles #1, Majestrix Xandra seeks help from the only two she feels she can trust — her parents Lilandra and Charles Xavier.
IMPERIAL WAR: EXILES #1
Writers: Jonathan Hickman, Steve Foxe
Artist: Francesco Manna
Main Cover: Francesco Mortarino
Variant Covers: ALEX ROSS, RICKIE YAGAWA, ARIO ANINDITO
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: September 3, 2025
Jonathan Hickman’s Imperial has been an intriguing and ambitious project. At once a reconciliation of the various cosmic factions of the Marvel universe, as well as an ode to classic 2000’s stories like Planet Hulk and Annihilation, it’s thus far been a loose but fun ride. In this tie-in Hickam is joined by writer Steve Fox as well as artists Fransceco Mann and Davide Tinto to explore the X-men side of the cosmos. While the book is a decently crafted and welcome product, it does for the most part feel like a prologue or promo for a sequel series on the horizon.
On the Shi’ar throneworld, full scale revolution has broken out. Imperial Guardsman and illegitimate son of Magistrate D’Ken, Electron Ror’ak Neramani has captured Majestrix Xandra and Deathbird. Electron believes its high-time the Shi’ar empire takes its rightful spot at the centre of the universe, without having to acquiesce to Earth’s mutants.
However, before the killing blow can be struck, Xandra parents, Professor X and former Magistrix Lilandra, appear in the crowd of watchers. Xavier freezes the organic population with his telepathy. The mechanical Warstar soldiers are unaffected by Xavier’s mental abilities, so Lilandra retaliates herself with her spear.
Xandra and Deathbird are freed. Prof. X and Lilandra convince their daughter to flee Chandilar, as the Guardians are gradually regaining control. Deathbird offers a simpler solution: kill Electron. However, Xandra rejects this notion, stating that it could potentially turn the dissenting Guardians into martyrs. They instead steal his weapon, and Deathbird opts to stay behind as a distraction and to stall the Guardians as the Xavier bloodline makes their escape.
Xavier alters the memories and perceptions of the Guardians, convincing them that one of the Hobgoblins is actually Xandra, before slipping away. The convinced Hobgoblin and Deathbird manage to commandeer an escape craft, but are intercepted by imperial Dreadnoughts. Superguardian Neutron raids the vessel, and finds the imposter Xandra dead, left with the message “All Traitors Must Die” written in their blood, Deathbird having escaped into a stargate.
After seizing the throne, Electron assembles the top secret Shi’ar Death Commandos to track the former Majestrix. In the book’s final moments, Xandra has a heart to heart with her parents, mentioning her doubts and the awkwardness of having to lean on two parents she’s truly never known. The trio vow to enlist a squad of Exiles for protection and safe passage to Urvogel.
There’s a lot to like in this comic, but I can’t pretend like this is an exceptional piece of sequential art. It’s nice to finally have Hickman writing some of his X-men family characters after he abandoned the Krakoa project a few years back, and I am curious what he has planned for the Xaviers. The plotting of Imperial War: Exiles #1, while confusing upon first read, does hold up upon further inspection. It’s a brilliant usage of Xavier’s telepathy to convince an enemy that they are yourself on the run. There is a decent balance of dialogue and action, and all the main players are given equal play.
The art in Imperial War: Exiles #1 is acceptably average for a big two comic. Figures are drawn well, but the backgrounds are pretty barren. While I admit there’s no big digression in art between Mann and Tinto, that is part of the problem. I couldn’t tell you the difference between what these guys are drawing and what the folks over at Spider-man or Uncanny X-men are doing. As a somewhat independent space-story, these artists should be given full liberty to go all out with it. Instead, it’s the same “8-heads tall, gradient embellished” Marvel has employed the past two decades.
Imperial War: Exiles #1 is a decent, if abrupt read. I like seeing how this aisle of the marvel cosmos engages with itself, but I do wish it went a bit zanier with the character action and art.
