We Are Broken
That is one compelling cover. I'm really new to X-Men, this is possibly the first X-Men comic I've bought that isn't out of continuity. But with a cover like that, and a character named Legion, my curiosity is highly piqued. It's also interesting to see how much the cover really tells you about Legion. It tells you that he's insane to some degree, and that he has multiple personalities. This could've been illustrated another way, sure, but this way is just so unique and demented it had me.
The story is given in some slightly confusing chunks, but it gives you enough to let you piece things together and start to get a smooth flow by the end. I had to read this a second time to really understand why some things happened when they did. You need at the very least a general familiarity with the X-Men to grasp this, but as long as you understand the general struggle and who Charles Xavier is you should be good.
It's not hard to understand why Legion struggles. He's a bit like a mutant version of Crazy Jane from Morrison's Doom Patrol; but there's definitely a lot of subtle differences. The way Legion handles his main struggle in the beginning is an interesting one, made more interesting when the visual representation is his own mental visualization. The little struggles he has in this first issue help you understand different facets of his life and instability. I know I'm a little late to the party, but this is a character with a lot of raw potential.
I've been a fan of Tan Eng Huat since his Doom Patrol work, but I hardly recognized his stuff here. It reminded me A LOT of Alberto Ponticelli's art on Frankenstein when he was doing his own inking. He's got a really wild and unique style, I think it's a really good representation of Legion's own instability. Shaky and filled with nice but strange colors. There are a few times where it doesn't look as good, but overall it was quirky and I liked it.
In Conclusion: 4/5
It was a little choppy at first, but once I pieced things together it was a wild ride. Legion is one of those frighteningly powerful characters with a crippling mental struggle. It's interesting to see how quickly things can go to hell for him, and with the jail unchained, his instability will once again be unleashed. This series has some interesting art and a really compelling premise and I'm on board for it.
