REVIEW: ‘Exceptional X-Men’ #11 — Cameos, Coming Of Age, And A Crisis Of Self

Before diving into the details, I have to say: if anything happens to Bronze, Axo, or Melee, I’m going to be seriously upset. Eve Ewing has crafted something genuinely refreshing with these three young mutants. In an era where many X-Men stories lean heavily into tragedy, survival, and ideological warfare, Exceptional X-Men has stood out as something more grounded, more personal. It often reads more like a slice-of-life tale than a battle for mutantkind’s future, and that’s been one of its greatest strengths.

Of course, that doesn’t mean conflict is absent.

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While our trio is enjoying a peaceful afternoon walk through the park on their way to meet with the veteran X-Men, they come across a strange anomaly, like a glowing distortion on a bench. Naturally, something (or someone) emerges from it. Enter Tank, a mutant capable of manipulating his molecular structure and creating space-time portals. He wastes no time causing trouble, but thankfully, Riri Williams (Ironheart) arrives just in time to help drive him off before anyone gets hurt.

We get a fun, warm exchange between the young heroes, including a nice bit of lore from Trista about her and Riri’s shared history, before she and the others all head to what Riri calls a “Mutant Meeting.”

But this meeting turns out to be more of a surprise celebration. Kitty, Bobby, and Emma have planned a “Teamiversary” to honor the teens’ progress and growth. The mood is light until Melee brings up the earlier encounter with Tank. While most of the team praises the teens for handling themselves, Kitty disagrees. Her concern quickly escalates, criticizing how casual everyone has become about the constant threats facing their protégés, and she leaves the gathering abruptly, visibly shaken.

I really appreciated the shift in perspective here. Following Kitty as she steps away from the celebration adds emotional depth and shows how this story balances both generations of X-Men. Kitty was an intriguing lead from the start of this series, and it’s been compelling to watch her attempt to escape the chaos of mutant life by relocating to Chicago, only for both chaos and romance to find her.

Speaking of romance, there's a great (and awkward) scene between Kitty and Nina, the woman she’s been dating. Kitty returns a forgotten item, only to be confronted with the dreaded question: “What are we?” I’ll spare the cringey details, but the interaction is deeply human, and Kitty literally vanishes after it. Not by phasing away, but by falling into the same space-time portal we saw earlier, setting us up for a cliffhanger.

This issue really hits all the right notes. The action, the humor, the emotional beats—all of it lands. Most importantly, the newer characters never feel overshadowed by the legacy X-Men. Eve Ewing continues to deliver one of the most consistently enjoyable and emotionally rich mutant books on shelves right now. If you're not reading Exceptional X-Men, you're missing something truly special.

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Release Date: July 16, 2025

Written by: Eve Ewing

Art by: Federica Mancin

Cover by: Carmen Carnero

Page Count: 27

Synopsis: The EXCEPTIONAL team has a surprise encounter with another tried-and-true young Chicago hero, the ICONIC IRONHEART!