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!
There were an exhausting number of crossovers and major events this month, and the worst part is that there isn’t a dud among them.
This month in X-Men:
Into the Sinister Verse
I remember being excited when they announced “Sins of Sinister,” but it still snuck up on me. Maybe it’s because it feels like “Judgement Day” just ended. Maybe it’s because we are still in “Dark Web.” Plus the “Fall of X” is right around the corner. But Sinister’s sins are here, and it’s shaping up to be my favorite “X-Men” story since “X of Swords.”
Last time, we found out that even though Sinister didn’t succeed in killing the entire Quiet Council, he did get a few of them. The whole venture was a gleeful trap. When Professor X, Emma Frost, Exodus, and Hope are resurrected, they have red diamonds on their foreheads. They aren’t just under the control of Sinister, they are effectively part of his consciousness.
All of a sudden, it’s a year later and Ben Urich is trying to fight the good fight with the help of his old friend, J. Jonah Jameson. But what’s this? JJJ’s already been got! In fact, Sinister is body-snatching the whole world, bit by bit. He’s got the X-Men and the Avengers, he wipes out ORCHIS, and is on the path to taking over the whole world. But after 10 years, Sinister grows tired of this world and returns to his Moira-Clone-Engine to hop to the next reality. Only his lab is gone, Sinister is trapped! Meanwhile, Storm, Mystique, and Destiny are rallying the mutant resistance, ready to take down Sinister once and for all.
It’s not like there’s a shortage of dark future “X-Men stories, or alternate worlds where the bad guys win. But “Sins of Sinister” has so many delightful little details, it’s destined to stand with “Age of Apocalypse” and “Days of Future Past.” Sinister is just too much fun to hang out with. He’s low-key been one of Marvel’s best villains for decades, but this spotlight is the best and baddest Sinister has ever been.
Laura Kinney Jr. Sr.
I really like slow issues that lay out the rules. Superhero universes are so zany, literally anything can happen. I can believe in characters who have all the same questions as I do. That’s exactly what “X-Men” #18 does, establish how this older Laura Kinney is going to function.
They have to accept that if they will only be resurrected when both of them die. This isn’t the first clone to be resurrected on Krakoa, Laura’s own clone/baby sister Gabby was resurrected. But this is the first time we’ve really had to confront a forking personality, who was mistakenly resurrected. That seems a little harsh but hey, this is Wolverine x2 we’re talking about, they can accept harsh things. And besides, younger Laura isn’t planning on dying; she’s friggin’ Wolverine, and she will continue to be. Old Laura is happy to let go of that name. And yes, Old Laura will be calling young Laura kiddo like she’s some kind of Gabby.
This nicely resolves Laura’s romance with Everett, cut short. Now old Laura, who remembers centuries of love with Synch, gets to be with him. And cool college-aged Laura gets to hang out with her messy friends, killing vampires.
Oh and there’s one more rule. The two Lauras are going to avoid each other forever. We’ll see how long that lasts.
The Genegineer Sr. Jr.
I’m usually pretty critical of “X-Force,” but goddamn if that book hasn’t been going on for 37 issues. After that much time with an ensemble, you can’t help but feel things. And looking back, I do have a newfound affection for Sage and Omega Red (my love for Domino and Black Tom already existed). Issue #37 was a big one, and finally revealed the man behind the peacock mask, the leader of XENO.
It feels kind of obvious now, but the best twists always are. We see that the peacock man grew up on a tropical island. We know that he’s doing wacky evil science. And we even find out that his secret base is in the ruins of Genosha. He is revealed to be none other than the Genegineer, a villain who menaced the X-Men from 1988 to 1990. That’s not a spectacularly long time in the scheme of things, and he never did something so awful that the Marvel universe quaked in fear, but the Genegineer is still a nasty guy.
This peacock man is revealed to be a clone with a messed up face (hence the mask). He was raised by the original Genegineer, and share’s his predilection for non consensual experimentation. The issue ends with his gross chimera of Wolverine, Colossus, Beast, Domino, and Omega Red. That’s the start of a pretty good superhero fight. And it’s cool to have some resolution to this dangling mystery after years and years.
White Hat in the Dark Web
Finally, we come to “Dark Web.” Last month I was singing its praises, and I still really like it, but it has sort of gone off the rails. Nothing beats the X-Men fighting chaos in the streets of New York, but the Spider-Man half of this series has been… strange. Most of it has revolved around Peter Parker and JJJ trying to survive a demon world, and as hijinx go, it’s pretty funny. But it kind of feels like a fresh coat of paint on a busted car because, the villains make no sense!
The high concept of “Dark Web” tracks. Ben Reilly was driven crazy by his time fighting against the trippy-as-hell Beyond Corporation. Madelyn Prior was murdered and left in the resurrection queue for a long time, her personhood taken away from her. But when we last saw Maddy, she had come to a detente with some of the New Mutants, and Magik even gifted her with the throne of Limbo. But Maddy is still angry at the mutants for disrespected her like that, she has a demon army, and she’s going for it.
The ease with which the conflict is resolved sort of calls that motivation into question. She and Jean finally come (quite literally) face to face. They throw down for a couple of pages. And then Jean is like, “Oh, you are just sad because I stole all your precious memories? My bad! I can give them to you no problem, it’s literally my superpower. And she does. And then Maddy, who was filled with enough righteous anger to send a demon army to conquer New York City, instantly caves. She calls the whole invasion off.
If Maddy was that vengeful, this simple exchange wasn’t enough to soothe her. And if she was just kinda mad, why the demon invasion? What does that get you? And if Jean can just give Maddy those memories with no personal cost to herself, then why the hell hasn’t Jean done this already? She just forgot.
Maddy suing for peace causes Ben Reilly to double down, which seems really tangled. Because Ben also wants his memories back so… why can’t Jean just do that trick again? Apparently, it solves all your problems.
Oh well, at least Rob Reiss is still drawing hell, and that is the best kind of treat.
X-Books read:
“Sins of Sinister” #1 – Hahaha excellent. Already taking its place among the great ‘villain takes over the world’ epics.
“X-Men” #18 – Don’t you love it when an issue anticipates all your questions and goes down the list answering them? We find out how the new Wolverine is going to work and tee off the return of a long-missing X foe!
“Legion of X” #9 – This issue opened with a prologue, then Nightcrawler reunited with his long lost witch mom, then there was some Ghost Rider business, and then there was a freaking Technarchy Babble Spire, and it ended with tree sentinels. If this series can tie all these things together in a satisfying way, I will be damn impressed.
Continued below
“X-Force” #37 – After 36 issues a whole lot comes to a head in a pretty satisfying issue of X-Force.
“Wolverine” #29 – Though I found the art style to be poorly matched to the story, this was a good exploration of Logan’s psyche. Beast is so far gone over to evil though, it bums me out.
“Immortal X-Men” #10 – Professor X reflects on Krakoa and then sees something in the mirror that changes everything. I’m hooked.
“X-Terminators” #5 – Aw, that was it? A pure distillation of Leah Williams madness, now give her an ongoing series!
“Sabretooth and the Exiles” #3 – This series continues the gook work of “Hellions,” it gives life back to stale characters!
“Dark Web: X-Men” #3 – Jean vs Maddy doesn’t disappoint… until the abrupt ending. Still, this book has art by two of the best artists working in X-books today so, very worth it!
