I honestly had no idea who Madame X was before cracking open this book, nor did I care. All I knew is that Cla$$war collaborators Rob Williams and Trevor Hairsine were the creative team on board and that was enough (if you’ve never read Clas$$war, seriously, peep it). Happily, I came away from this issue of National Comics with an excitement about this character and a familiar disappointment from the fact that I’m unsure of when, if ever, I’ll get to see her again.

Madame X is sort of a mix between Zatanna and Madame Xanadu (yes, another Madame X), as she’s a former stage psychic that actually has magical powers. In light of her defamation and fall from celebrity, she’s taken to assisting a New Orleans law firm in client investigations using her abilities. Amazingly, Williams is able to balance this issue wonderfully, being informative about X’s origins, the nature of her powers, and her status quo, all the while building a solid and enjoyable whodunit that deals with voodoo and the murder of an elected official. Though the reveal of certain plot elements are a bit convenient as we reach the issue’s conclusion, in general Madame X #1 is a well-constructed done-in-one that will leave you with a warm affinity for this character.

Hairsine’s work is equally solid, excelling in the realm of facial emotion and body language, giving each character a very real weight on the page despite the roots in magic and the fantastical. His storytelling is also impressive but simple, using basic page layouts to maintain the deliberate pacing of the story while still building the tension of each individual scene. His inks have a rough quality to them, but it ultimately adds to the visual tone of the book. There are some moments where the backgrounds drop out to no good effect, but this lack of detail is counterbalanced by the meticulous attention given to the many appearances of tarot cards throughout the book.

Overall, National Comics: Madame X #1 is a winner.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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