X-MEN: THE HELLFIRE MURDER (2026) #1 / Script by SALADIN AHMED, GAIL SIMONE, ERICA SHULTZ, JED MACKAY & EVE L.EWING / Art by JOELLE JONES, LUCIANO VECCHIO, AARON KUDER, TONY S. DANIEL, MARK MORALES, FEDERICA MANCIN, CORY SMITH & OREN JUNIOR / Color by FER SIFUENTES-SUJO / Letters by VC’S ARIANA MAHER/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

For the past few years, Marvel Comics has set the tone for the next year of X-Men comics with a Hellfire Gala special. This year, however, the old gimmick has been paired with an equally old trope; the murder mystery at a high-society shindig. Paradoxically, the one reinforces the other, creating a comic that is both visually and mentally engaging.

Our story is set at a stately manor under the control of Sebastian Shaw; former Hellfire Club Black King and all-around greedy bastard. Shaw was generally loathed by the Mutant community even before he sold them out to the anti-Mutant group Orchis. Yet it is Shaw who holds a gala with the intent of uniting the many warring factions within the community toward a common goal: survival.

The fact that someone murders Shaw before the evening is over is not surprising. Indeed, it would be far harder to find someone who didn’t have motive to kill Shaw among the party guests. That thankless task is taken up by Jubilee and Wolverine, in a desperate bid to stop a fight from breaking out among the guests that are trapped in the mansion after Shaw’s death.

The general tone of X-Men: Hellfire Murder is that of a Rian Johnson Knives Out movie. This is partly due to the complex murder plot, made all the more complicated by the inclusion of superpowers. It adds a whole new level to a locked-room murder mystery when one of the prime suspects is a master hacker who can walk through walls and short-out electronics with a touch.

The other half of that equation is a colorful ensemble of X-Men mainstays. Much of the fun of the book comes from watching these characters interact and the irony that several of them are plotting murder… but not of the host. The rest of the fun comes from watching Wolverine and Jubilee playing Holmes and Watson. Or perhaps a comparison to Columbo and Mrs. Columbo is more appropriate, given Wolverine’s rough looks and fondness for cigars? In any case, the two make an effective detective duo, with Logan even pulling off the classic “just one more thing” gambit at one point. (Though now that I say that, I wonder why we couldn’t have gotten Remy LeBeau as Benoit Blanc?)

The artwork is gorgeous throughout and the nanite-generated costumes look amazing. There’s no obvious disparity in quality or visual continuity between the many artists. And the writers, while focused on their favorites, do a good job of keeping the tone consistent. This aids in the illusion that this special was part of a singular artistic vision rather than an ensemble work.

Unfortunately, X-Men: The Hellfire Murder does falter in one important respect. Part of the intent of these specials has been to provide new readers a good entry point into the X-Men family of comics. I fear that’s quite impossible as there’s little introduction to the cast and not even a dance card to keep track of who is who. Suffice it to say, anyone whose main means of keeping tabs on Marvel’s Mutants is X-Men ’97 is going to walk away confused as to why Cyclops and Rogue are feuding and why the growing romance between young Mutants Ransom and Temper is such a big deal.

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 is an effective twist on the classic murder mystery, with amazing costumes and visuals. It is less successful, however, as an introduction to the current status quo of Marvel’s Merry Mutants. Fans of the current run of comics will have fun though.