Emma Frost stars as the villain you love to hate in a tale set in the darkest days of the Hellfire Club!
Before she became a mainstay of the heroic X-Men, Emma Frost had another White Queen of the Hellfire Club! As she grapples for power with the rest of the Inner Circle, witness Emma’s ruthless ascent to the top! And when she discovers there’s a mole within the Hellfire Club leaking secrets to their sworn enemies, the X-Men, Emma will stop at nothing to uncover the truth! But as an emergency meeting is convened in London, all the evidence is pointing toward…Emma herself?! Framed as a traitor, the White Queen must go on the run! Take a deep dive into Emma’s past, learn shocking secrets and be prepared to bow down to the White Queen!
Winner Bram Stoker Award, Gold Anthem Award. Writer for DC, Vertigo, Marvel, IDW and more, including: Poison Ivy, Ant-Man, Deadpool, Red Sonja, Green Hornet, Sensation Comics Wonder Woman, X-Files. KISS and DMC Comics. Cofounded Alpha Girl Comics, publisher of Girls Night Out and other comics. Frequent comic-con panel speaker and moderator.
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6.2/10 I haven't read a recent X-Men related title in a while, there are so many books out there that i wouldn't even know where to start. So when i saw that this doesn't take place in the current continuity, i thought why not. It's a nice little throwback story about Emma in her days with the Hellfire club. She finds herself in a tough situation, as she has been betrayed. She needs to find out who wants her out of her "throne".
Chu does a good job with the title character, you get a sense of who Emma Forst is, or better was. She is smart and not weak hearted. While there is a sort of hunt after her, she doesn't stay only as a prey, but becomes a hunter herself. The art is nice and clean.
There is nothing wrong with is, but it's not something you will remember for a long time.
Set during Emma's time with the Hellfire Club, Chu plays to the White Queen's strength of deceitful cunningness in a story of betrayal and political tactics. Whilst not as iconic or memorable as Emma herself, this miniseries is easily digestible entertainment and worth a read for fans.
These throwback stories rarely do much for me as they are hemmed in by so much history. I thought Emma's time as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club was worth a look though. And it's OK. Everything has to be set back properly in the toybox by the end though and that's my problem with all of these.
Emma Frost, White Queen features a plot that is about as boxed in as you can get. Emma Frost identifies a mole in the Hellfire Club, is herself called out as the mole, travels around the world to various Hellfire Clubs to try to find the real mole, then finally reveals . It's exhausting! The book equivalent of a meeting that could have been an email.
Admittedly, the story is adequately told, but it feels like a pointless excuse for Emma to revisit old haunts and say hi to vaguely recalled characters. Plus, since this is pre-Krakoa, she can be a sassy semi-villainess again. Not something I was really yearning for.
ok i’ll bite i actually had fun with this. i’ve been very skeptical about the recent batch of nostalgia minis from the x-line because they feel like a cheap cash grab and in the past other nostalgia minis haven’t been very good. but i’ve actually been enjoying these, they provide an insight into the characters from a specific time that lets you see more of their past. we don’t often get to see emma’s time in the hellfire club as of recent so it was fun seeing the inner workings and how diabolical her character used to be. i know a common critique on this is that it doesn’t feel like the emma we know and love but that’s kinda the point. chu nails emma’s early villain characterization making her fun to read and exploring just how competent of an adversary she used to be.
All hail the Queen indeed. I don't usually bother with these past-continuity-set mini-series, but it's been too long since Emma Frost had some solo spotlight, so I had to dip in here.
Chu's story puts Emma front and centre as the Hellfire Club turns against her, leading to Emma trotting around the globe to try and uncover the plot that has everyone out for her blood. There are ample opportunities for Emma's character to shine, and Chu manages to show that even at this point in her history, she wasn't as villainous as she wanted everyone to think.
Andrea Di Vito's art gets the job done. There's nothing major to praise or decry, it's all clean and clear, and he never veers into cheesecake even when Emma's in the bath (unlike that horrible Greg Land variant cover in the back-matter *shivers*).
The ultimate conclusion was fine overall - we all know with these series that there's not going to be any major upset, and it's more of a character study than a big sweeping status quo change or plot reveal. I had fun, and that's the main thing.
Read in single issues. Overall, a pretty mediocre book. Some questionable cringe moments when Emma Frost (white woman in white) was pitted against two Black women and one Chinese man. The outcome for one of the women was better and cleverer than expected, but my expectations felt on the ground by the last issue. Also don't tell me in the editor commentary that Emma is a rich fashionista and then have basic Emma Frost costumes.
I have a healthy distrust of "filling in the blanks" stories, But I enjoy Emma as a calculating witch archetype, and was pleasantly surprised with how the story played out. simple, medium stakes, decent setups and payoffs. good storytelling
Petit retour en arrière à l’époque où Emma faisait partie du Hellfire club. J’ai apprécié l’intrigue et les complots pour détrôner la White Queen. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé les dessins (sauf les couvertures) !
3.5 Stars. This is an Emma story from back in her pre-Krakoan Hellfire Club villain days. A basic story of her being seemingly overthrown only to find out she had orchestrated the whole thing to test loyalty in other members.... very Emma Frost-esque. Other than a mini-series to bring Emma's villain side back into the mind of current readers (possibly villainous in the upcoming X-Men movie), this is an art and covers showcase. Not that I'm complaining... LOL
Recommend, but only if you really love the character.
I'd call this the definition of middle of the road. Nothing bad or great though the art brings it up a bit (apart from the over sexualisation). It was an easy read since I like the character but don't want to bother with convoluted X-Men history just yet.
A lively introduction to Emma Frost during her time with the Hellfire Club.
Chu easily captures Frost's effortless class and fierce telepathic skill before thrusting her into a conspiracy that challenges her place as White Queen of the Hellfire Club. There really is no honour among those distinguished despots.
The double crosses kept me amused and I enjoyed the brief but important cameo from the X-Men (the inciting incident, in fact) and Mystique coming to help a fellow femme fatale out. It's even taught me a little bit more about Frost's time as a villain and power set. The scene wherein she dispatches enemies with psychic suggestions of violent actions like Hulk's Gamma Clap was inspired and hilarious.
Di Vito's artwork is smooth in its momentum and shows her to be a perfect creative match for Chu. Frost's outfits are consistently a bit risque but I suppose that's part of her ongoing legacy.
I recommend Emma Frost: The White Queen: All Hail the Queen to fans of the elegant baddie and with a penchant for secret society power struggles.
As the old saying goes: there is no honor among thieves. Or in this case case no honor or trust in the Hellfire Club. Emma Frost has been set up and is searching for who she can trust and to find the person or people who betrayed her.
The story is good; more suspense and intrigue would have helped make it more interesting.
The really good art bumps this story up an extra star.
Emma Frost backstabs and globetrots in a multilayered thriller set during her Hellfire Club days, with fun double-crosses and X-Men cameos and delightful displays of creative telepathy use. A great miniseries!
My first comic ever!!! I wanted to get into these with the new casting of Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and this did not disappoint. I can’t wait to learn more about Emma and the other characters involved!!