Welcome back to Mutantversity, a class offered at the Krakoan Akademos Habitat. This isn’t a place to find big reviews of X-books, (that’s what our Review section is for!) but it’s a great way to keep up with one of the most complicated superhero series around. We’re going to dive into the deep end as we try to parse all the secrets of this new era of “X-Men” comics. As your designated X-Pert, I will do my best to help you work through everything Marvel’s Merry Mutants have to offer!
This month in X-Men
Apocalypse Wherefore Art Thou?
(He’s in Amenth)
I have a friend who never read an X-Men comic before HOXPOX. They aren’t completely clueless, they have some knowledge of Marvel’s mutants from the wider culture. But when it comes to comics? This friend know only Krakoa. And when I asked them who their favorite character was, they chose the big blue A: Apocalypse and his Apoca-lips.
That’s got to be hard. En Sabah Nur, the Big A, has been unseen since the end of X of Swords back in November of 2020. It’s an absence that has been strongly felt, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to have to wait much longer.
A quick recap: Apocalypse ruled over ancient mutantkind on an island called Okkara, which was split into two: Arakko and Krakoa. One of those islands we are well acquainted with, the other was plunged into a world called Amenth, and was besieged by demons for millennia. Apocalypse’s family stayed true to his foundational belief (survival of the fittest) and held the line… mostly. Apocalypse’s wife, Genesis, made a tough call that led to her possession by one of the most powerful demons, Annihilation. After the X-Men defeated the demons, Apocalypse left to go be with his family and to put an end to the Amenthi demon threat. He hasn’t been properly seen since.
Until now. “X-Men Red” is the book with the most Arakkan characters, and it was there that we checked in on the demon siege. It’s not looking great. The White Sword, one of the most fearsome Arakkan warriors, is not able to hold back the tide of demons, and so sent a messenger to the planet formally known as Mars, where his people are trying to build a new home.
Then there was the special, “X-Men Before the Fall: Heralds of Apocalypse.” This issue looked to answer the question of what the Big A has been doing these last few years. It’s not that surprising. He says ponderous things about pain and life and death. He spends time doting on his loved ones. He also spends time stabbing and getting stabbed by those loved ones. It’s great, this new version of Apocalypse really feels like a three dimensional character in ways I could never have dreamed.
It seems inevitable that Apocalypse return to the other mutants. That’s what a herald does- announces the change. It seems that there will be some enormous threats trying to bring about the Fall of X. When you are facing threats more dire than ever before, you call up your worst enemy and beg them to help. I’m pretty sure that Big A will say yes.
Beast (Is Still) Breaking Bad
Sorry to repeat myself month after month, but that should really tell you how deeply felt this is: the current “X-Force” story on paper sound unappealing to me, but in practice it is the best the series has been in 40 issues. I’m talking about Hank McCoy, the bouncing blue beast. He’s completely gone over to the dark side. His secret black site space prison was shocking. And honestly, nothing he’s done since has been as shocking… but has been effective. In one series, he’s the master of a dark future. In another, he is making twisted mutant chimeras out of his own and Krakoan DNA.
Been there, done that. A dark future? The X-Men have dozens of them. Mutant chimeras? Maybe you’ve heard of a guy named Mister Sinister? He’s been making those forever. Not only that, but I really love Beast, and seeing him this thoroughly lost breaks my heart. In the best possible way.
Continued below
I don’t know what the X factor is. Maybe, after building and teasing and implying threats for so many years, there’s some relief in knowing exactly who the bad guys are. It’s not like the mutants do. Colossus for example, is still being mind controlled by his brother’s evil Russian black ops psychic squad. And they still have Omega Red on the team. That guy was a serial killer before he became a death factor vampire. But all of that darkness calls for a dark threat. Plant monsters and cyborgs weren’t that threat. Beast gone bad is. He’s the villain X-Force was created to fight.
Brexit Witches
Month after month, we’ve seen the forces of evil align to strike down our merry mutants. I’m pretty sure we know when they are planning on making their move: there’s a little story on the horizon called “Fall of X.” We’ve had the spotlight on MODOK, Morgan le Fey, Moira MacTaggert, and a myriad of Misters Sinister. But in doing so we rudely overlooked another bad girl with an ‘M’ name. I’m talking about Marianna Stern.
Stern first appeared in 2019, in the very first issue of the relaunched “Excalibur.” She’s been lurking in the background since, as an important member of Coven Akkaba. This secret group started as a cult worshiping Big A Apocalypse, but they’ve spun off. Now they abuse the powers of magic and exert their influence on the most magical place on Earth-616, the Isle of Britain.
Marianna herself has mostly flown under the radar, only appearing alongside other members of the coven, but this month, she’s everywhere. You can still see her in England, manipulating conservative politics and fear mongering against mutants. But she’s also making deals with all sorts of X antagonists, like ORCHIS. It also seems that she is establishing an alliance between her coven and the demons of Amenth.
Last month, we looked at the threat ORCHIS poses to Krakoa, and deemed that they alone were the greatest threat the X-Men have faced on their island home. But ORCHIS is just one star in a villainous constellation. When are the Krakoan mutants going to notice how doomed they are?
Amazing Babywatch
It feels like far too long since we’ve seen Amazing Baby, the mini War Wolf adopted by Rachel Grey. Well, War Wolf spotted. We can all breathe a sigh of relief.
X-Books Read:
“X-Men Red” #12 – The threads that have been dangling since “X of Swords,” are being tied up in the most dramatic and vicious way possible.
“New Mutants Lethal Legion” #4 – Lighthearted and fun, but I kind of wish there was a little more substance.
“X-Force” #41 – On paper, sending X-Force to a bad future is old hat, but the story has given this series more life than its ever had before.
“Wolverine” #35 – Wolverine vs Attack on Titan is pretty exciting but Jeff Bannister still bores me to tears.
“Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain” #4 – We got teamup, galas, and gay flirting; This comic is everything that it could be and should be. Why is it ending???
“X-Men Before the Fall: Heralds of Apocalypse” #1 – Yep, Apocalypse is still cool, and yes, I would like lots more of him please.
