X-men Origins: Colossus is a one-shot that retells the story of how Colossus came to join the X-men. Not only is this a refresher for those who may not have read the 1975 issue Giant Size X-men #1, but also rewrites his Peter Rasputin’s history.

In this story, Christ Yost tells readers everything they need to know about Colossus, not only about his past, but to also help understand him in the current continuity. It is quickly established that he is located in Russia, loves to draw, and has a strong connection with his family. Despite having a peaceful nature, it is shown that Colossus has substantial rage in him, an aspect of his personality that he seems to be constantly struggling with. Up until this issue, it was told that the first time Colossus discovered his mutant powers was by saving his sister Illyana from a runaway tracker. This story alters this by saying that Colossus first changed when he found out that his brother Mikhail was “dead”, and that grief triggered his transformation.

While it makes sense that Colossus would develop his powers at more of an adolescent age, this does unfortunately make his origin less heroic than in its previous telling. However, it does help make the X-men lore a little more believable by having Colossus confused about his powers before Professor Xavier meets him. In his premier issue, Colossus meets Professor Xavier momentarily after he saved Illyana. It was very convenient that his transformation and Xavier’s request for his help would come within minutes of each other. Instead, Yost writes a more believable outcome which involved Xavier gathering information about Colossus for some time.

 The art in this issue is outstanding. Trevor Hairsine draws a a young Peter Rasputin very well. His art has an epic feel to it due to the poses he places Colossus in every time he is in his organic-steel form. It is also very interesting to see another artist’s perspective on Colossus saving Illyana. There was clearly a lot of care taken in making that scene reminiscent of the original art, which helps this issue fit in smoothly with the characters history.

 This issue is a solid one-shot. It does not take away anything from the character’s history, but instead makes it easier to accept with more of an explanation. For those who do know much about Colossus, this issue definitely captures the voice of the character and will help create an even better understanding.

7.0/10