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 team up with ourselves across the timeline. 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!
We Need X-Zord Now!
The new X-Men team has arrived! What might be the world’s first democratically elected superhero team includes Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Rogue, Sunfire, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Polaris, and Synch. And far from being a traditional X-Men team but on Krakoa, these guys immediately establish themselves as a whole new big deal. Like their headquarters. Instead of a mansion in upstate New York, these X-Men live in a freaky tree house in Central Park. They are also dealing with new threats, and rising to the occasion with new evil-fighting methods!
I think we will have plenty of time to get to know these new villains, so I’m not going to dig too deep right off the bat. I just want to express my excitement that we are getting new villains, especially since most of the X-Men rogues gallery live on Krakoa with them these days. One villain is a scientist who once dreamed of visiting Mars. But now there is no Mars, it’s been colonized and turned into Planet Arrako. The news has left him quite mad. Another scientist was looking into the secrets of eternal life, and is close to being the first human to uncover Krakoan resurrection. These guys have the potential to turn into lasting foes, and constructive storytelling like that is hard to come by.
The main event of the issue was the battle between the X-Men and a giant mechanical alien. There have been times that the mutants have been poor, with their backs to the wall, but now they have the resources of a nation. So when they go into battle, they aren’t teleporting or flying a plane. They are piloting a giant Gundam-style mecha! This isn’t a plucky low rent operation; it’s a focused effort by a force that will shake the planet and probably the galaxy! I can’t wait to see each of the team members get their chance to shine, and to explore everyone’s motivation for serving Krakoa.
We Saw His Face!
This month, in “Way of X” #4, we saw Charles Xavier’s face. I looked back into previous issues and as far as I can tell, this is the first time we have seen him remove his helmet since coming to Krakoa. We know he has. It even split in half when he got shot in “X-Force” #1. But this is the first time he just casually took it off, for effect. He was sitting with his son David.
It is my understanding that Charles continues to wear his Cerebro helmet because he is constantly backing up the memories (and souls?) of every single mutant. It’s a tremendous undertaking, so he is always splitting his attention to do the work in the background. When he’s addressing a diplomatic summit or celebrating at a party, he is always working. That’s why I wanted to call special attention to this scene. This is Charles’ (weaksauce) version of being a good dad. He stopped working for 10 seconds to look his son in the eye. I don’t know how much it meant to David, but I didn’t want to let the moment pass without calling attention to it.
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When Cable Replaced Cable
I’ve been on quite a journey with Cable in this era of comics. I’ve liked the character ever since he ran off with baby Hope at the end of “Messiah CompleX” in 2008, and I was not excited when he was killed by his younger self in “eXtermination” in 2018. I was as surprised by anyone to find that I loved Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto’s Krakoan “Cable” series featuring the young upstart soldier. I guess I’m a little bit less surprised to realize that I’m gonna miss it now that it’s over.
The end of “Cable” the series focused on three versions of Cable the dude, and reasserted the foundation of the character. Old Cable teamed with Young Cable to defeat Stryfe, a.k.a. Evil Cable. And really, that’s it. There have been versions of Cable who has tried to act as a custodian of time, and other versions have focused on nurturing young mutants. Sometimes he just shows up to kick ass and be gruff. Often he’s been looked at as a mutant messiah who is destined to end Apocalypse. This series contradicted none of that, but built up Stryfe as his true nemesis, the guy who Cable chases across time.
This is perfect. Stryfe is a Cable clone created by Apocalypse to serve as a potential future body. Stryfe has gone rogue, cavorted with demons, started plagues, and kidnapped babies. He’s a bad dude, but he has effectively grown from punk upstart to terrifying warlord. And now that Cable’s classic nemesis, Apocalypse, has been effectively redeemed, it’s time to remember that there is still evil in the timestream. This series had final fantasy swords and mutant wrestling, so I was always going to like it, but few series pull off a ‘back to basics’ approach as thoroughly as this one did. For that, the creators have my respect.
I can’t wait for the yet-to-be-written classic story where Cable and Stryfe have to battle Kang the Conqueror.
The Kids Are Okay
Gabby Kinney is dead! Heartbreaking, right? The scariest thing is that Krakoa has a mixed history when it comes to the autonomy of clones. They elected not to resurrect Madelyn Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey on the basis of her cloning. But then they did revive Laura Kinney, who is a clone of Logan. But then again, reviving Laura was part of a sanctioned mission, would they have gone out of their way for her if she had died in an accident? A group of mutant teens is unsure, so they are trying to hijack the resurrection protocols and run them off the books.
This is fantastic writing for so many reasons. It’s good science fiction- in the world of Krakoa, resurrection has been established as a complex and sacred process. But the kids have compelling reasons to go around the establishment, and in doing so they are bound to genuinely shock and offend some of the adults. That’s a universal teen story, but filtered through the lens of what makes this world unique. Instead of trying to buy beer, have sex, or participate in an adults only event, the kids are trying to use a sacred ritual to help their buddy out. They are nice kids, but they are going to get in trouble.
But the other thing this story accomplishes is reestablishing the ages and relationships of a few recent generations of X kids, many of whom haven’t been in all that many issues of comics. Like, Laura Kinney was a classmate of Anole back in “Academy X.” And now Laura is a young adult and member of the X-Men. She’s even in a romance with Synch, who was in the class above her. But Anole is palling around with Rain Boy, Cosmar, and Gabby, who all seem a few years younger than him. So how old is Anole supposed to be? Probably right in the middle there. He assists Blob in bartending at the Green Lagoon, he has a job and everything, but he hangs out with some younger kids including his older friend’s kid sister. I love how big the small differences in age can seem when you are a kid, and Krakoa is getting a nice summer camp feeling with friendships that cross generations. In this case, from Generation X down through Academy X, and into the modern day! I’m so glad there’s room in the foreground for all these cool characters!
Annihilation Nation
Mutants declared Mars the capital of the solar system, and Storm the representative of every being who lives there. That’s a tall order and the kind of status quo comics love introducing and not following up on. But these “X-Men” comics, they are better than most, and “The Last Annihilation” crossover is doing a great job at showing how the mutants are seizing their opportunity.
Dormammu is invading. That’s pretty much all there is to this story so far. Emperor Hulkling leads the Kree/Skrull alliance in a desperate last stand. It’s a story we see every six months in Marvel, but the political implications are what makes this one interesting. Because when Hulkling tried calling Alpha Flight and the Avengers for help, he got no answer. But S.W.O.R.D. came through with healing, intel, and backup. And now the Emperor of the biggest faction in local space has received a message loud and clear- Earth cannot be relied on, but Krakoa can. Even when Krakoa is using that Emperor’s mother-in-law as a scapegoat.
We also got quiet confirmation on what seemed to be happening in the first issue. S.W.O.R.D. has entered the White Hot Room, and Mysterium isn’t something they created, it’s something they stole. Maybe mined. Obtained. Dr. Doom points out that they are dabbling with huge forces that they have little experience with. That makes an interesting contrast to the politics. That’s something the X-Men have always had to deal with, and they are taking every advantage that can in that arena.
Of course, Doom also points out that it’s possible that they are solving a crisis of their own making. Maybe the only reason Dormammu is making his move is because the White Hot Room excursions are weakening the magical order of things. Time will tell if S.W.O.R.D. is as heroic as they’d like to think.
This month’s X-Books:
“Hellions” #13 – It’s Sinister vs Sinister in a fight to the finish(er)! It’s insane how much I’ve grown to care for these absolute disasters.
“X-Force” #21 – A boring issue that spends too much time with characters nobody cares about. Pretty artwork though.
“X-Men” #1 – A new start means a ton of new villains, new concepts, new team dynamics… it’s a whole lot, and I can’t wait for all these things to start paying off.
“Excalibur” #22 – The Britishness of this issue can’t be overstated. Stuffed and busy, but really nice to see what remains of the team working together.
“X-Corp” #3 – An overbusy script is elevated by some very nice Valentine de Landro art.
“Way of X” #4 – While it’s nice to see obscure characters get the limelight, I really wish this book had a more consistent, coherent story.
“Marauders” #22 – This is what I would want an ongoing Emma Frost series to look like. But a jarring art shift keeps this issue from coming fully together.
“New Mutants” #20 – I liked every story in this issue but there were too many! I think it could have benefitted from cutting things up and focusing.
“Wolverine” #14 – Maybe I would have liked this issue if it came out 10 years ago? I don’t understand why the Krakoa era has Logan doing the same crap he always does.
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
Cable & Cable & Stryfe
What can I say? Old Man Cable won last month, but the “Cable” series ended on a strong note, and I’m still thinking about it. This month we are going to honor Cables, Old, Young, and Evil. By contrasting the three of them, we can see different ways to be a tough 90s badass. Old Cable has the most classic style, what with the sci-fi military gear, huge football pads, and ready-for-anything containers. But Young Cable carved out a cool anime boy aesthetic with an oversized sword, pointy hair, and asymmetrical outfit. And then there’s Stryfe who is covered with more shiny blades than a Hork Bajir. I can’t claim I take any of them all that seriously, but I do salute their styles.
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Merriest Mutant Award
Given to a mutant who found a rare moment of happiness
Gambit
It’s not that Gambit did this month in “X-Men” comics. That’s kind of my point. A guy who once was called the ragin’ Cajun seems very happy to have settled down. And I guess this sort of idle retirement is exactly what all the t’ieving was for? Remy is married to the love of his life, they’ve figured out their future plans (raise a hundred cats), and he’s got a house with a hot tub in a tropical paradise. Now that his wife is going back to work on the most prestigious superhero team around, Remy is just living the good life. Sure he can team up with Excalibur if he craves a little action, but generally he seems content to enjoy some hard won peace.
“Professor Xavier is a Jerk” Award
Given to a mutant who acted like a real jerk
Multiple Man
There are some mutants with really challenging powers, and it always feels like Jamie Maddrox is one of them. Turning into so many parts of yourself seems like it would leave you scattered. There’s the central Maddrox Prime persona, but even that seems a little hard to pin down. That’s why it’s so shocking that he would so embody Robin Williams from the first part of Hook and just act like a terrible parent. He ignores his wife Layla and their son Davey, opting to send a Dupe home for parent duties. But the clincher for me was when that Dupe, and all his parental memories, were blown the heck up. Jamie didn’t even seem that bothered. He halfheartedly used his powers to do the bare minim
Fastball Special Award
Given to a duo who exhibited great friendship, collaboration, and teamwork
Synch and Forge
Power mimicry is always an ability that I think is sort of dumb on paper, but sometimes I’m convinced by a writer with a compelling idea for it. Synch’s copycat abilities have a cool weird aura effect, so they are better than most, but this month in X-Men he borrowed the powers of one of the weirdest mutants out there, Forge.The Marvel Wiki explains Forge’s powers thusly: “Forge [can] instinctively know and understand the potential and functional operations of any machine or technological device in his visual range… [allowing] him to conceive, design, and build mechanical devices.” So when Synch borrows those powers, he gains the same intuition and perception but not the same training or aptitude. But this allowed him to look for weaks spots in the enemy machine.
Then they combine that with Jean’s psychic powers and everyone on the team could copy Synch’s copy of Forge’s power. Now that’s some creative thinking! The Reign of X era seems to be thematically about what happens when mutants share their powers with each other, and no longer try to hide that part of themselves. I expect to see more and more interesting combinations in this category!
Let’s Talk About X Baby Award
Given to the sweetest, sexiest, bestest romantic couple
Sinister & Sinister
There are few characters who would have the opportunity, let alone the motivation, to try to pursue themselves romantically. But for Nathaniel Essex, everything is Sinister. He’s used to only getting to deal with himself. And sure, most people wouldn’t consider getting knocked around by your disfigured former self to be a sexy good time, but hey, Sinister ain’t most people! There was something profoundly twisted about seeing Sinister step on Sinister in a sexually charged way, but Krakoa ain’t about convention, so I want to celebrate his erm, accomplishment. It’s a brave new world, one where Sinister’s propensity for self love can take on brave new heights. Sure you may be disgusted, and he may be disgusted too, but at least every is feeling something. Right?
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MVX: Most Valuable X-Man
Given to an X-Man who embodied the values of the team and showed all around X-cellence
Abigail Brand
At the end of “Empyre,” Abigail Brand said some vaguely menacing stuff to Emperror Hulkling. And that’s not unusual for her, she’s a consummate badass who makes a habit of looking her opponents in the eye and never blinking. But I’ve been fascinated to see how freeing the new mutant iteration of S.W.O.R.D. is for Brand, and she’s been given a chance to show us who she really is. Brand has always prided herself as being the one to do the tough shady things she needs to do to keep the universe safe, but she always had to answer to some sort of human authority figure who was more than happy to corrupt her mission. Now she’s got the respect and resources to do anything she wants- and what she wants is to protect the damn galaxy.
Part of the reason that Planet Arakko has been such a success is because of Brand. She’s living Xavier’s dream larger than maybe any mutant has before. The X-Men have always protected a world that hates and fears them, and in doing so hoped to win the admiration of the people they protected. Brand has turned that focus outward and is winning the adoration of the citizens of the whole damn galaxy. Modern “X-Men” may have a more nuanced approach towards Xavier’s respectability politics, but no one is working harder at cultural outreach than Abigail Brand. Where others dream, she dreams on a gargantuan scale.
