X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto #1
The autopsy of Scarlet Witch is only the beginning as X-Factor, X-Force, and the X-Men go after the most likely culprit in X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto #1, by writer Leah Williams, artist Lucas Werneck, colorist Edgar Delgado, and letterer Clayton Cowles. This issue is marvelous from beginning to end, with an ending that calls everything into question.
As X-Factor and X-Force reconstruct the circumstances of Scarlet Witch's death, the Quiet Council meets to decide whether they should resurrect her since Cerebro has ancient copies of her and Quicksilver. Everyone decides against it while throwing shade at Magneto, and he leaves walking through a party being held because of the death of the pretender just as everyone comes to apprehend him as he's the main suspect. He blasts through everyone, but Quicksilver shows up and nearly kills him. Later, the remnants of the old Brotherhood of Evil Mutants drink to Wanda, but there's more going on than meets the eye.
Williams was doing an amazing job on X-Factor, and that continues in this book. She lays out all of the clues in the beginning of the book, painting an indelible picture of what happened, with everything pointing at Magneto. Magneto, for his part, is very angry about everything, and while that would make sense if he was pretending, it honestly doesn't seem like he is. There was something genuine about the moment between him and Wanda at the Gala, and his rather righteous anger at the whole thing makes it feel like he's innocent; this isn't Magneto's style. However, being Magneto, he doesn't miss a chance to just beat on everyone around him because that's just how he rolls.
Williams engineers just enough doubt in both directions- both that he did and didn't do it. It's all so wonderfully done. She hits all the right emotional notes throughout the comic- the anger, the sadness, all of it. That's what sets Williams's writing apart from other writers- this very easily could have been a procedural with a fight, but she invests everything with such emotion. This is an intense book, and it needs to be this is a big moment, and the writing sells it as such perfectly. Not only is it intense, but it's frequently beautiful, poignant, and heart-wrenching.
Werneck's art is phenomenal. There's really no other way to put it. His page layouts are unique, and he sprinkles that throughout the book. He does a beautiful job with the script; Williams could have wrote the most moving script in the world, but without an artist of Werneck's caliber to bring it to life, it wouldn't have landed. His character acting is so great, and it makes everything that much more impactful. The book's action scene looks amazing- Magneto is a bull elephant ripping through everyone. This book's art is as good as its writing, and that's saying something.
X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto #1 is a brilliant book. There's really no other way to describe it. Williams is one of the X-Men's book's hidden weapons, and hopefully, after this is over, she gets her due; X-Factor was amazing, and this book follows in those footsteps. The ending really puts the question to what actually happened, and it's the icing on the cake of a great chapter. Werneck's art is breathtaking throughout, selling the script expertly. X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto is a tour de force.
