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’ll learn, we’ll laugh, maybe we’ll make some new friends, maybe we’ll deliberately design a house of fulfill some very specific domestic needs. Most of all, 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!
It’s the dawn of a new era, the dawn of the erm, ‘Dawn of X’. First we’re going to recap the last few weeks of the ongoing superhero soap opera that is “X-Men.” Next, I’ll tell you which X-Men books I looked at this month, and whether I thought they were worth reading. Then, we’ll shine the spotlight of a creator who exhibited a rare level of X-cellence. Finally, we’re going to award our very special Monthly Mutantversity Medals of Merit to close out these issues of “X-Men.” Stick with me true believers, and maybe we’ll survive this experience!
This Month In X-Men
The sun rises on Krakoa, and ushers in the Dawn of X. A note on coverage: these recaps are supposed to recap the story of “X-Men,” and for the last few months that has meant diving into every issue of HOXPOX in exhaustive, page-by-page detail. Moving forward, that may not always be the case. There will be months where we look closely at spin-offs and solo series, and months where we focus on the main titles. Sometimes we will look at the story in broad strokes, sometimes we will scrutinize a single floorplan to figure out why there are no doors between the bedrooms! Always remember to check “This Month’s Books” to see everything that was read for the month’s Mutantversity, and the “Medals of Merit” which may look closely at smaller moments and character beats, even if they don’t necessarily make the recaps.
That being said… there’s a very small detail we’re going to talk about this month involving a floorplan. Where are the doors? But I am getting ahead of myself.
Though the X-Men stopped the Mother Mold project, Orchis is still out there building anti-mutant technology. It looks like they are going to be an ongoing threat, the kind of evil science death cult that seems to plague the Marvel universe. More than that, they are like The Traveling Wilburies of villain teams, because they are made up of ex-members of all of them. In the early pages of “X-Men” #1, Captain Commander Cyclops and Storm lead a mutant team to take out an Orchis base.
“Be careful Cyclops,” Storm says as she dodges a Nimrod’s death beam.
“I’m always careful,” Cyclops says in his dramatic entrance. “It’s part of my charm.”
Two things about this. First, what good Cyclops. He’s a character who is always going to exist at the intersection of “badass para-military commando who is a tactical genius” and “total square who loves rules and hates fun.” That one liner captures both sides of him beautifully. Wolverine wouldn’t ever claim to be careful, because he’s an out of control berzerker. But Scott is thoughtful and prudent and he knows that’s not winning him love with the teen demographic, but he’s dryly aware of it. Just because he’s not a loose cannon doesn’t mean that Scott can’t be a stone-cold action hero.
The second thing are the Nimrods. The threat of Nimrod has always been that in the future, sentinel technology would advance and they would become an even greater threat. By making the Orchis robots look so similar to the classic Nimrod design, “X-Men” is making a strong statement. The future we feared is already here. The plot has leaped forward. The stakes have been raised. It’s a great Rubicon to cross because, once Nimrods became the main sentinel model, there is no going back.
The X-Men rescue what looks to be dozens of children from torture and death, and takes them back to Krakoa. I would like to take special note of Doctor Cecilia Reyes, who gives those kids their checkup. Dr. Reyes has the power to form a force field around herself, but she doesn’t have a code name and isn’t into being a superhero. She wants to be a doctor, and she has often kept her mutation to be a secret. Of the mutants likely to be skeptical of Krakoa, she’s high up on the list, but here she is. I think that’s a strong statement as to what Krakoa means to the mutants, and how much hope it gives them. (A darker read would be that it indicates someone is subverting the will of mutants to make them more open to the idea of Krakoa, but as of yet, that’s not my read on the situation at all).
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For the most part, the rest of the issue concerns a family dinner. This is “X-Men,” so family includes a few close family friends from outer space and children from alternate timelines, and the dinner is in a house on the moon. But it’s a pretty quiet series of character moments. As far as I am concerned, it’s a welcome change of pace after the big picture macro storytelling of HOXPOX.
Like, we see how Vulcan is integrating into this new mutant society. To call Vulcan a war criminal barely scrapes the surface. But mutant amnesty means that his latest crimes are being a bad cook, and everything else is forgiven. But that’s super informative. Vulcan is able to share a pleasant mean with his father, who he once murdered. (Corsair got better, as you can see). He’s still an obnoxious edgelord who claims that the grilltop fire “matches the one inside of me,” but he’s able to live alongside his family, and no one is killing anyone.
And everyone else is totally chill! Cable and Raza Longknife talk about heavy ordinance. Jean Grey and Ch’od try to make the house a pleasant domestic environment for everybody. Polaris doesn’t come to dinner, she’s still figuring out how she feels about stuff, and everyone supports her taking some time. Hepzibah and Rachel, who are actually old buds, are slamming adult beverages. “Another hard drink for another hard girl,” Hepzibah says, which is a badass thing for anyone to say. Oh, and Wolverine is there too?
It’s something that stuck out since the cover was first shown months ago. Everyone on the cover is related to the Summers family, by blood or by marriage , even if the family tree does sometimes branch through dimensions. But Wolverine isn’t a member of the Summers family at all. Don’t get me wrong, his presence is fun, but it seems to imply that he… unless they… I mean to say that… oh. Oh my.
We come to a patented Jonathan Hickman & Tom Muller chart, giving the layout to the Summers family moon house. It’s cool we learn that the house has a tactical operations base of sorts, letting Scott plan missions, and even launch spaceships from lunar orbit. There’s a gym for training, even a pool. A Krakoan gate for quick travel. And there’s the bedroom area…
There are nine bedrooms. Seven are occupied. Vulcan and Havok (I mean Alex, don’t call him Havok) have their own bedrooms, next to an empty one that I’m going to venture was intended for Polaris. Cable and Rachel also have their own rooms, with an empty one between them. Maybe it’s intended for another inter-dimensional Summers child, someone like Ruby perhaps? I love Ruby! And then there are the bedrooms belonging to Jean, Scott, and Logan.
They are all next to each other. Nothing weird about that, it’s a home. Jean’s room is in the middle. That’s maybe notable, but again, no big deal. But then… where are the doors? There is a white shape clearly indicating doors. Every bedroom has one, including those three, leading to the hallway. But none of the other bedrooms are connected to the adjacent ones. These are and there are no doors. Just openings leading from Logan’s room into Jean’s, and then into Scott’s. Openings but, and again I can’t stress this enough: NO DOORS.
So, it’s safe to assume Scott and Jean are doing the deed. They’ve been childhood sweethearts almost since their debut in the 60s, they got married in the 90s, they are living in a house and raising their weird alt-universe kids. Seems like the book is implying they’re having relations. Logan has been interested in Jean Grey in some way or another since he was introduced in the 70s. The 90s cartoon ratcheted this up, and the 00s movies really made a big deal of Jean as Logan’s one true love. The comics have sort of followed suit, and the love triangle has become one of the more iconic relationships in the story of “X-Men.” And at the end of HOXPOX, they were all being very affectionate with one another, very familiar, lotta touching, and significant glances, and drinks shared. And now they are sharing three joined bedrooms. I thought something might be going on, but I did not think that was MUTANT SEX CORRIDORS. Meanwhile…
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Katherine Pryde cannot go through the Krakoa gates. The gates are supposed to be accessible by all mutants, but for some reason the one they call Shadowcat (and also Ariel, and also Sprite, and also Kitty) cannot. The mutants are putting their top guys on it, but if Kitty wants to travel to and from the island, she needs to use a boat. Or a teleporter, but she hates relying on folks that way.
For months we have seen images of Ms. Pryde with a broken nose, and it has been implied to be due to her more rough and tumble nature in this comic. And Kitty kicks ass in this issue (so, so much), but she breaks her nose when she walks clean into the Krakoa gate. Her broken nose is important, but not for the reason we thought. So she steals a boat and sails to the mutant island, smuggling Logan’s vital supplies (ribs, whiskey, beer, cubanos, and pomade). And it turns out she’s pretty good at it.
By the end of the first issue, Emma has purchased a boat and made Kate the Captain of a crew of mutant smugglers. Their job is to get Krakoa medicines off the island, and to the people who need it. Their job is also to get mutants out of political hotspots and to safety on Krakoa. Emma actually says it really well. “Shipping corporations were often ruthless slavers. Our organization will proudly defy that horrific history. We will be liberators.” I don’t know where you like the line to be drawn when it comes to your funny books reconciling historic atrocities, but this mention felt right to me.
So Cap’n Kate assembles her crew. Lockheed the dragon is a given. He’s with his best pal Kate no matter what. Iceman quickly joins her too, and that has me really glad. I wasn’t crazy about the well Iceman’s coming out story was initially handled, but I loved what Sina Grace did with the character soon after that. And one of the most heartwarming things to see in the “Iceman” series, and really all of comics, was Kate and Bobby figuring their relationship out. Because the love they felt for each other when they tried dating was something real, but their sexual orientations were just not compatible. But both of them are emotionally mature enough to take a step back, re-assess, and create a powerful friendship.
Next, she recruits Storm. Again, makes total sense. Kate’s parents were never really present for her, so her de facto parent figures ended up being Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Storm. When Ororo went through her mohawk-and-leather makeover, young Kitty had a freakout. It was like her mom was going through a midlife crisis. The point is, the two of them are deeply connected. They have each others back no matter what, and are deeply invested in each others well being. Kate needs Storm to back her up, and help guide her through her mistakes.
Last is Pyro. Turns out, the Krakoa Council tested the resurrection process on ‘ol Pyro, because no one really cared about him. This has left him sour, and he decided to act out by stealing Kate’s ship, but he fell asleep on it, and then became an accidental stow away. Now he’s part of the crew. Cool!
I mentioned a moment ago that Kate’s main parental figures were Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Storm. This, as you might imagine, is not the sort of upbringing that leads you to a normal adulthood. That’s why the last decade of “X-Men” has been frustrating. Kate has constantly been put into leadership positions, which is great, but she’s turned into such a wet blanket. While Wolverine and Storm boned down in the showers in “Wolverine and the X-Men,” Kate was filling out budget spreadsheets. That isn’t right! Kate is a born leader, but she’s meant to be a superhero renegade.
And she renegades it the hell up. When the Russian government corners a group of mutant kids, Captain Kate and the crew show up to liberate them. Kate shows off all her powers and ninja skills, and reminds us that SHE IS A TOTAL BADASS. She phases through one soldier, and takes him out with a serious looking strike. She asks another soldier if the gun he was pointing at civilians was loaded with non-lethal rounds, and to test it, shoots him in the knees. It was not. Two other guys, she phases a gun into their freaking bodies. Captain Kate is not %&$#ing around! For her final act, she phases through a tank (trigger a tear gas grenade in the process) and finally, knocks out the Russian commander and steals his cool cutlass.
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The Marauders are here, they got that yo-ho energy, and I can’t wait to see what shennanigans they get into next. But more importantly, the mutant formally known as Shadowcat is back, more herself than ever, and asking we call her Kate Pryde. Yes cap’n!
Finally, in England, the Braddock family is dealing with their usual drama. Brian has put aside Captain Britain to be with his wife and daughter. Betsy is angsty and nervous about integrating herself into Krakoa. And Jamie Braddock is back from the dead and being a colossal arsehole. So business as usual.
Elsewhere in the multiverse though, Krakoa is having unforeseen consequences. Mainly, the Krakoa gates are not just limited to Earth, the moon, and Mars. A Krakoa gate has appeared in Avalon, and current queen Morgan le Fey is pissed about it. This leads to a complicated conflict, a shadow war of mutant magick waged between le Fey and Apocalypse.
The mechanics of this magick are properly esoteric, as all magickal mechanics should be. Where mortal magicians must create a circle to cast spells, mutants must make an X. A circle has an unknown number of points. An X has but four. Mutant magick will be powerful, and more simply performed, and its discovery will be led by Apocalypse.
The Big A assembles a team to rescue the Braddock siblings from le Fey, and secure the Otherworld/Krakoa gate. The team is made up of Jubilee (who was last to speak to Betsy), Rogue (who can mimic her powers), and Gambit (who was just sort of standing next to Rogue, like he do). Apocalypse manages to rescue Betsy, but not before Morgan le Fey turned Brian Braddock into a corrupted Black Knight. Betsy though, managed to grab Brian’s Amulet of Wisdom, making her the new Captain Britain.
Morgan le Fey’s hatred of mutants seems to go beyond simply wanting their flowers out of her realm. She calls them “witchbreed,” the derogatory word used by the Spanish Inquisition in Neil Gaiman’s “Marvel 1602.” Deep cut! She also seems to be in league with Clan Akkaba, the sect that has worshipped Apocalypse for millennia.
The first issue of “Excalibur” felt like a lot of table setting, but one thing was firmly established. Tini Howard is great at writing about magick, and has big ideas for what mutant magick looks like. Important details, like the fact that the Krakoa gate came from Otherworld to Krakoa, aren’t given a lot of urgency here, but I’m okay with a bit of mystery. After all, if we understood everything happening in the book about magick, it wouldn’t feel right. “Excalibur.” It’s a mood.
Books Read:
“X-Men” #1 – all things considered, a very low-key debut. But a welcome change after the epic HOXPOX!
“Marauders” #1 – This is the best-written Kate Pryde has been in 10 years. Hail to the captain!
“Excalibur” #1 – a slow and moody start, but mutant magick is so going to be my jam!
Special Spotlight: Tini Howard
Of the three ‘Dawn of X’ books I looked at this month, “Excalibur” is certainly the weirdest. But its also the most intriguing and the most mysterious. And none of that would be possible without the work of Tini Howard. There’s a lot of playful BS in this issue, and that’s the best kind.
Howard is a life-long X-fan and cosplayer, so it would have been easy to play the hits. But she didn’t. She created something totally new. Mutants have wielded magic before, but she asked what it meant for magick to be mutant and I don’t quite understand it, but I know I love it. In this first issue, the (delightfully) sterile data pages from Tom Muller become delightfully arcane. They are not from a scientific report or political missive. They are pages torn from a grimoire. Howard makes you believe that she understands the rules of mutant magick, but also makes you feel like you will never be able to.
Before HOXPOX, a lot of the X-books were looking backwards, at stories that had worked in the past. Then Hickman came along, and everyone hailed his direction as bold and new. It seemed like the other books in Hickman’s X-line were bound to be of a kind, perhaps to the point of feeling derivative of his work. Neither “Marauders” or “Excalibur” are anything of the sort. But I would like to proclaim a special kudos to Howard for writing a book that feels as bold and different from Hickman as Hickman did from everything else.
Continued belowThe Mutantversity Monthly Medals of Merit:
The Cable’s Pouch of X-Treme Grittiness Award
Given to a mutant for demonstrating badassitude and commitment to the 90s aesthetic
Bishop
Sometimes being a badass renegade is a cry for attention, a gun them compensates for something and screams, “Notice me! Notice me!” That’s not the case for Lucas Bishop. He knows he’s the coolest guy in the room, so he’s got nothing to prove. He can pull off being totally polite and totally intimidating at the same time. Whatever the opposite of a tryhard is, that’s what Bishop is. Plus he rocks one of the most classic 90s looks- the shadowy trench coat and fedora. Baditude isn’t only about spikes and knives, sometimes it manifests in more subtle ways.
“Call Me Alex” Award
Given to a mutant filled with self-loathing about their identity
Gambit
You don’t really think of the ragin’ Cajun as a self pitying guy. If anything, he’s got the opposite problem- a tremendous sense of self. But Krakoa doesn’t seem to be as much a joy to him as everyone else. He and Rogue had a good thing going on, and it’s all been suddenly disrupted. It seems like the two of them want to have a kid, and that’s only getting more and more complicated. And when the Big A was assembling a team to broach the realms of magick, Gambit was recruited… because he was standing next to Rogue. By the end of their first mission, Rogue was in some sort of spiritual plant-related trance, and Gambit is just left shaking his head. I’m sure Rogue will emerge from this experience with newfound power and wisdom, but Gambit’s life is only getting more complicated, not less.
“Professor Xavier is a Jerk” Award
Given to a mutant who acted like a real jerk
Vulcan
Betraying the X-Men? Villain move. Ruling a space empire with an iron fist? Bad look. Waging a war of imperial aggression? Not very nice. Intergalactic genocide!? Um, yeah, very very very bad. But Gabriel is back, and forgiven for his crimes. Maybe this is his chance to turn things around? Nope. He burns everyone’s steaks at dinner. Jerk move!
Merriest Mutant Award
Given to a mutant who found a rare moment of happiness
Cyclops
Scott Summers isn’t often happy. This is so true that Jay Edidin keeps a sketchbook with the theme “Cyclops Has a Good Day.” Well, all of “X-Men” #1 can go in that book, because the whole thing is about one good day for the Krakoan Captain Commander. His family is alive, and he gets to be with them. He’s got a new house on the freaking moon. His missions to take out a bigoted hate group are going well. He is the owner of a dishwasher that eats away food waste with super gunk. All of his dreams are coming true. And his sex life, well…
Fastball Special Award
Given to a duo who exhibited great friendship, collaboration, and teamwork
Pyro and Lockheed
As anyone who saw the film X2 could tell you, Pyro “can’t create the flame, he can only control it.” And he seems sort of bummed about that. But he carries a big honking flamethrower, so things can’t be too bad. This issue though, he gets his fire from a new source- a purple space dragon! Lockheed is a good bro to have, and Pyro seems like he’s in the market for new friends. I’m glad they could find each other, and quickly learned to combine their powers.
Let’s Talk About X Baby Award
Given to the sweetest, sexiest, bestest romantic couple thruple!?
Scott & Jean & Logan
Continued belowMUTANT SEX CORRIDORS!! Their bedrooms are joined and do not have doors! Any way you choose to interpret their glances, their touches, their interactions, the fact that they are all living together in domestic bliss brings but one conclusion… MUTANTS BE SWINGING.
MVX: Most Valuable X-Man
Given to an X-Man who embodied the values of the team and showed all around X-cellence
Kate Pryde
I maintain a list ranking all the X-Men. I consider a variety of factors- their power, style, how pleasant they seem to be around, how interesting they are in a story, how important they are to the history of the series, how much I want to see them in the future, how much they capture the themes. There are 160 characters on my list. Last place is a tie between Lifeguard & Slipstream. First place belongs to Katherine Anne Pryde. Kitty was introduced to the book just as the legendary Claremont run was really hitting its stride, and was arguably the main protagonist for most of that run. She was the first person to grow up with the X-Men, raised by them to be their most essential member. She embodies their values, from the deep compassion of Xavier’s dream, to the ruthless tactics they sometimes use in their fight for survival.
And this month, Kate returned to her rightful place as one of the important leaders of mutantkind. She’s not an ambassador, or a clerk, or a political leader. She’s a black market pirate captain. She’s messy and drunk. She hurts bad people with ill intentions towards the innocent. In her quest to save the defenseless, she has bottomless reserves of courage. She’s going to be a great hero, she’s going to leave broken bad guys in her wake, and she’s going to do it all with a singular sense of style. Yo-ho!
