Today, Emma Frost is recognized as one of the most powerful members of the X-Men. However, she started out as one of their most infamous enemies. As the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, she fought against the students of Professor X more than once. The new miniseries, Emma Frost: The White Queen #1, depicts another of these battles from before her reformation. Unfortunately, rather than being a spirited retro story, it only highlights how much she’s grown as a character.
Our story opens in Buenos Aries, where the White Queen is gracing a gala event held by the Hellfire Club branch based there. It is a distasteful affair, give the local leadership are incredibly anti-Mutant. The irony is that this is permitted, despite the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club being made up of Mutants like Emma Frost.
An attack by a Mutant anarchist livens the festivities up considerably. So does an invasion by the X-Men, who come seeking the Hellfire Club’s new captive. This leads to the revelation that someone on the inside is helping the X-Men. It falls to the White Queen, as the highest-ranking Hellfire Club officer present, to lead the investigation.
Retro White Queen lacks depth of modern Emma Frost
In the afterword of Emma Frost: The White Queen #1, editor Martin Biro writes of how he fell in love with Emma after Pryde of the X-Men. This X-Men cartoon pilot is infamous for the many liberties it took with the comics. Chief among these is Emma Frost being depicted as part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and telekinetic rather than telepathic.
I mention this because the focus on Emma’s looks over her personality sets the tone for this first issue. Emma is properly depicted as a telepath, but she shows none of the spirit that defines her. While always a survivor above all else, Emma has a softer side. While taking a leadership role in the Hellfire Club, she also relishes being a teacher and mentoring her students.
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Unfortunately, despite White Queen having a protege in this issue, we get little sense of her nurturing nature. Instead, Amy Chu writes Emma as the ice queen she played at being. This incongruity is maddening given the depth Chu has given similar pragmatic anti-heroes in other comics.
The artwork is competent, but not outstanding. Many of Andrea Di Vito‘s layouts are odd and the story flow is all over the place. Additionally, there are many panels where Emma seems overly posed. Granting that the White Queen likes to put on a show, some moments seem forced.
Some argue that Emma Frost is more interesting as a villain than a hero. This comic showcases how flawed that idea is. This comic has little to justify it beyond cheesecake and Emma being wicked for the sake of wickedness.
Grade: 5/10
Emma Frost: The White Queen #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on June 18, 2025.
