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, and we’ll definitely not make any resurrection promises we can’t keep. We’ll do all those things, but 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!
Here’s how it’s going to go. First we’re going to recap the last month of the ongoing superhero soap opera that is “X-Men,” focusing on the titles that are really driving the story. Think of it as your monthly headlines into all things “X-Men.” Then we’ll take a quick look at every single X-book that came out this month. Finally, we’re going to close things out with 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!
Old Money vs New Money
I didn’t really know what to expect with “X-Corp” #1. Most of the first issue was more or less the kind of thing I would have come up with if asked to pitch this book- backroom dealing, veiled threats, and characters getting to do their best Mad Men impression. But by the end of the issue, real themes emerged, making this a series to keep an eye on.
The co-leaders of the X Corporation are Monet St. Coix aka Penance and Warren Kenneth Worthington III aka Angel. Both of them were raised in wealthy families. Both of them are long and proudly serving members of mutant superhero teams. In this debut, Angel held a meeting with pharma CEO Jean Pierre Kol, who made his allegiances clear: he’s all about class solidarity. And by that I mean, he’s looking out for the collective interests of Old Money. What’s more, his disdain for companies that look to disrupt intersects with his obvious hatred of mutants. In other words, he’s out to crush X-Corp to protect the right of wealthy families to continue being wealthy families and to not have to share that title with anyone new.
The most interesting moment in the issue came when Kol pulled the typical villainous move of trying to tempt the hero. He appealed to Angel’s wealth and sense of propriety. You see, the Worthingtons are an extremely Old Money family. The family company has its fingers in many pies and is more than 150 years old. In a moment of honesty, Kol confessed that his real loyalty was to families like the Worthingtons, and seemed willing to put his anti-mutant bigotry to the side if it meant redistributing wealth from the poor to the elites.
A comic called “X-Corp” was always going to be about money and business, but there’s a world in which it didn’t hit so hard. After all, ruthless businesspeople is a genre unto itself, and Shakespearian boardroom drama can be lots of pulpy fun. But “X-Corp” has some ideas about what money really means to people, and what kinds of people value wealth above all their other identities. I hope to meet more characters with their own unique relationships with money, and hope we get to see more wealth jackasses get cut down to size by my new favorite superhero duo.
Return to the Crucible
The last time we really examined the Crucible was way back in March of 2020. That was around the time “X-Men” #7 came out, and people had opinions! My major takeaway was that the Crucible is exactly the kind of tradition that would develop if you build a society around psychotic despots like Apocalypse. And that ultimately, the issue served as a strong argument for allowing a kinder, more thoughtful mutant like Nightcrawler take on the role of spiritual and cultural leader. But “New Mutants” #18 showed another perspective on the crucible, one written by Vita Ayala instead of Jonathan Hickman. And though I think I’m sticking to my conclusion (that the Crucible horrifies me), I did find myself asking some fundamental questions.
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The combatants in this case are longtime best friends Karma and Mirage. To say that Karma has been through a lot over the years is an understatement. She lost her leg in the Second Coming war (and got a robot replacement) and through a convoluted series of circumstances, she found herself to be the host of her (sometimes evil) twin brother’s ghost. That’s not a real world sort of conflict, so the writers can come up with any solution they want, and what they landed on is that Karma needed to die. Resurrection could place Karma in one body, and her brother Tran in another.
When we first saw the Crucible, it was a battle between Wind Dancer, a powerless child, and Apocalypse, one of the most powerful and brutal beings in the Marvel universe. This was different. Karma and Mirage are both warriors. And that’s what really set this scene apart. They met each other in the arena with weapons that meant a lot to them, and their fight told a whole story about their relationship. It helped remind me that, well, X-Men aren’t like us. I know as fans, we often like to see ourselves in the characters, but they are not meant to read like literal everyday people. They are adventurers, warriors, and renegades. To be an X-Man means casually traveling into space, contending with evil spirits, and receiving all the powers of a Valkyrie before you turn 20. For such a ridiculously heightened character to choose honorable combat, that’s genre stuff! The Crucible is less about using physical violence as a political expression, and more like wrestling. It’s a story told through physical violence, in this case the story of two women who love and respect each other.
I’m not really in a position to comment on whether or not some of the culturally specific stuff landed, though I could feel a well intentioned effort come through. I don’t speak or read Vietnamese, but I thought it was cool that Mirage learned her friend’s language. That added to the feeling of two warriors meeting as equal on the battlefield. But one thing I absolutely loved was seeing Karma with her robot leg, even in her fresh new body. I guess she’s gotten used to it, and that her disability has become part of how she sees herself. Whatever her motivation, I thought it was a great moment of quiet characterization from Ayala and artist Rod Reis.
The Doom of Krakoa
It’s been a while (14 issues to be precise) since we’ve checked in with Mystique and it turns out… she’s still not doing so hot. Professor X and Magneto are still brutally gaslighting her, trying to get her to believe that they will resurrect her dead wife. That’s clearly not going to happen, since Moira has a secret plan that precognitive abilities will undermine. On top of that, Moira has obtained perennial plot device, Destiny’s Diaries, which have all sorts of confusing predictions to be trotted out as the story demands.
Mystique’s mission this time around was to prevent the arrival of super-Sentinel Nimrod. She fails, and Nimrod is brought online with a sliver of the soul of dead ORCHIS scientist Captain Erasmus Mendel. Now here’s the neat thing- this is actually the first time Nimrod has appeared in the Marvel universe proper. I mean sure, he’s the villain of a couple of classic “X-Men” stories, but that Nimrod was from Earth-811 (not Earth-616, the main Marvel universe). And we’ve gotten a couple of other Nimrods from a couple of other bad futures, but this is the awakening of Nimrod 616, which portends doom for the Mutants.
But what I love about this thematically is that while Nimrod is really bad news for our protagonists, it’s actually Xavier and Magneto who are going to be responsible for destroying Krakoa. This slow build to Mystique’s revenge shows how egregious and brazen the mutant leaders are being. When Mystique is burning their goddamn houses down, we’ll be well beyond doubting if her actions are righteous. Xavier and Magneto brought this on themselves. When one of their abuse victims finally strikes back, it won’t be their enemies who brought their end, but themselves.
Continued belowThis Month’s X-Books:
“X-Corp” #1 – This one was a bop! Tini Howard combines action with her baddest business dialogue. The ultra-expressive art brings the whole thing together.
“X-Factor” #9 – The mutant take on Inception is trippy and cool. An extremely well-scripted issue.
“Children of the Atom” #3 – This issue felt overstuffed, but all of the stuff was cool. I liked it, but was a little overwhelmed!
“Way of X” #2 – A weird cast of mutants helps this book shine, even when the ideas get to be pretty esoteric.
“X-Men” #20 – A follow up to the eXcellent issue #6, this story continues Mystique’s quest to resurrect her wife. I love that thematically, Krakoa is doomed because two condescending dudes can’t bring themselves to be kind to their lesbian friend.
“New Mutants” #18 – This is what I’m talking about! It’s everything I want from this series; multiple generations of young mutants having high stakes conflicts!
“Wolverine” #12 – This issue asks a lot of fascinating sci-fi questions, doesn’t even begin to answer them, and then loses focus in the last few pages.
“Marauders” #21 – The Hellfire Gala begins. This issue doesn’t completely pull the rug out from under you, but it provides a fun extended Marvel universe cameo fest.
“X-Force” #20 – A scattered issue that doesn’t get too deep into any one character conflict. At least Deadpool shows up to help keep things light.
“Hellions” #12 – An antics issue! The party rolls nothing but critical failures and thus, the story is a delight.
The 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
Domino
I’ve got to give credit where it is due- Domino has dominated this category since the Dawn of X. I’ve been critical of “X-Force” in the past, but I have to admit that the big doesn’t shy away from giving the baddest girl on Krakoa cool stuff to do, terrible jerks to shoot, one liners to quip, and the spotlight she deserves. X-Force was working security at the Hellfire Gala which makes sense, but it was Domino who had to have a cool shootout with Deadpool and save Wolverine. Those are two of the most X-Treme activities a Marvel hero can even attempt!
Merriest Mutant Award
Given to a mutant who found a rare moment of happiness
Forge
Forge is a simple man. He is happiest when he is making things, sometimes to his own detriment. And that dude was popping up left and right in X-books this month. The general rule in “X-Men” is that you are either the star of the book and thus miserable, or a supporting character who is thrilled to have an interesting job to do. Forge often fits into the latter category (and when he’s the star, oh boy is he miserable). We got to see him designing Krakoan Helicarriers, black hole bombs, and his usual new armory of bioweapons. The mutant maker is happiest when he has weird stuff to make, and this month he was all booked up.
“Professor Xavier is a Jerk” Award
Given to a mutant who acted like a real jerk
Professor X and Magneto
A whole generation of people met Professor X as a fatherly Patrick Stewart, so seeing him do stuff like he does here is chilling. It’d be one thing if Charles and Eric were refusing to resurrect Destiny. That’d break Mystique’s heart, and I doubt she’d be a part of Krakoa if they came clean to her. Still a jerk move. Gaslighting her is a whole new level. But then sending her on missions under the false promise that they will give her what she wants? Raven is killing and dying for a lie. Considering her status as a member of the Krakoan government, I’m personally ready for these awful men to be held accountable.
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Fastball Special Award
Given to a duo who exhibited great friendship, collaboration, and teamwork
Angel and Penance
It helps that Tini Howard can write delicious business dialogue, but Monet and Warren make for a surprisingly solid duo. We’ve seen them team up on occasion, but “X-Corp” shows us what can happen when they pool their resources. Angel is of course the flightier one, the guy with the ideas and the one you send in to sweet talk a difficult client. Monet is the closer, who takes risks and won’t hear no for an answer. Plus, it’s a delight to watch them dress each other down, support each other, and ultimately (I hope) challenge each other to be better. I think this partnership is going to be the best thing to happen to these two characters in years.
Let’s Talk About X Baby Award
Given to the sweetest, sexiest, bestest romantic couple
Psylocke and Greycrow
“Hellions” #12 was all about the dirtbags who crash the party. You got all sorts of different kinds of dirtbags- some start fights, some drink too much, some are pathetic downers. But there are always these two at the party, the super-intense, sort of dangerous couple that has no time for anyone but each other. But then you listen to what they are talking about and it’s just the two of them sharing their honest feelings and supporting each other. So what if those feelings are kind of murdery? John and Kwannon went to the fanciest party in the world and managed to be the cutest couple.
MVX: Most Valuable X-Man
Given to an X-Man who embodied the values of the team and showed all around X-cellence
Emma Frost
I mean, if you plan an event around a fancy party, chances are Emma Frost is going to be the most important person there. She planned the Gala. She executed it to perfection. She brokered backroom politics. There were a bunch of costume changes. Fires were put out, and other ones were stoked. Look, we get a lot of events where some sort of creature comes pouring out of the sky and Magneto and Jean Grey need to go beat them back into space. But this is a story about intrigue, about style, and about subtle messages. Of course Emma is going to win the month. And don’t be surprised to see her back in the top spot next time, as the Hellfire Gala continues!
