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 will definitely confront our demons at the bottom of a well. 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’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!
And now, for something completely different
I for one, went into “Demon Days” knowing nothing about Peach Momoko. But it was such a cool departure from regular X-stuff, that it seemed worth spotlighting in this column. “Demon Days: X-Men” wasn’t a mainline Marvel universe story or really even an “X-Men” story, but it was such a cool departure that it shouldn’t be missed.
Basically, Momoko is telling us story of Japanese folklore, a topic I know very little about. But before this first issue, I knew a hell of a lot less. Momoko is replacing the heroes and monsters of myth with the likes of Psylocke, Venom, Hulk, and a wolf stand-in for Logan. There is a framing narrative in present day Japan, but most of this story takes place in an alternate version of the Marvel universe where a red oni can be a red Hulk.
The story ends with aspects of the mythic world bleeding into our present day, setting up more Demon Days to come. And the issue ends with a breakdown of the folkloric origins of the characters and ideas from the story. That’s where I learned what I did, and it inspired me to look into some books on Shinto. Is “Demon Days” essential X-reading? Most definitely not. But Momoko’s art is so damn pretty and the concept is so different from anything else I am reading.
Something else different!
The Children of the Atom are here! While most X-action has moved to Krakoa proper, we finally get a book that shows us how the rest of the world lives- kids who are affected by knowing the mutant homeland is out there but who still, for whatever reason, choose to stay living their regular old American high school lives. The reason? It’s still somewhat ambiguous but all signs indicate that these kids aren’t mutants. It’s implied that they didn’t hear the call to go to Krakoa, and it seems they can’t use the gates. When the X-Men did a scan with Cerebro, they couldn’t find the kids. So why are they styling themselves after famous mutants, and immersing themselves in mutant culture and politics?
Well, so far it’s unclear. That’s the hook! Because there’s a version of this story that hits in the wrong way. What if these kids turn out to be appropriating mutant culture? Their fixation seems genuine- not only are they blogging about mutants and going to Dazzler shows, but they also get into it with bigoted high school bullies. But at the end of the day, if they are indeed humans, they can take off their “mutant costumes” and enjoy their human privilege. It’s… gauche at best, more likely pretty icky.
But fortunately, this is a comic written by the esteemable Vita Ayala! I can’t so far as saying that Ayala will assuredly nail the landing on these ideas, but I am 100% confident that they are the kind of thoughtful writer who is arriving at all these themes on purpose. The book is written this way because Ayala has something to say. Stay tuned and we will find out what that is together!
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On the pleasure of longform storytelling
In the summer of 2019, I revisited Peter David’s long 21st century “X-Factor” run. It’s a flawed run. For some people as time goes on, the cringey parts become more prominent than the good parts. But I liked those comics when they were first published, and I found that there was still a lot that I liked about them. One thing that David does very well is longform stories.
This was once a huge feature of the X-line. Chris Claremont was famous for setups that could take a decade to pay off. But in contemporary comics, a run rarely lasts long enough to tell stories at that scale. In the churn of new creators, a lot of good ideas get lost. A lot of bad ideas get lost too, but in the right hands a lot of those bad ideas have the potential to be a part of something great.
And that’s exactly what Leah Williams and David Baldeon are doing in their “X-Factor.” They are picking up on a cliffhanger that was last mentioned in “X-Factor” #262, a book that was published in 2013. Siryn has appeared in comics since then, but there has been no mention of her pact with the Morrigan, which seems sort of important. The Williams and Baldeon series isn’t exactly a direct continuation of that story. Like I said, a lot has happened since then. But it is combining that weird piece of superhero storytelling with another- how does mythological possession jive with Krakoan resurrection?
The answer? Dramatically. What we get is basically an above average haunted house story, with all sorts of mutant weirdness, good character work, and spooky nightmares. I hope that readers who didn’t stick with all 170 issues of David’s “X-Factor” are enjoying this spooky adventure but for those of us who have been patiently waiting nearly a decade since the end of that run, resolving that dangling plot thread is a rare gift. It’s a special joy you only get in this sort of comic.
Hope you RSVP’d!
The Hellfire Gala is here! Now, this is a column about the previous month of X-stories, and this is a future story, but this party is gonna be lit! We will be keeping our eyes peeled for any hints or foreshadowing of the shady maneuvers to come. But the best part of the Hellfire Gala are the outfits, and we want to feature any cosplayers who are making their own outfits for the bash, and any artists who are drawing up some alternative mutant fashion. You can tweet us @MultiversityComics and add the #Mutantversity tag, or you can DM me @RamblingMoose.
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
Maverick
I spend a lot of time in this category talking about aesthetics. Big guns. Cool katanas. Dumb belts. And I spend a little bit of time talking about attitude: brooding, stoicism, rage, and a calm acceptance of danger will get you this medal. You know what we gotta spend more time talking about though? Mindwipes. Seriously, what’s more eXXXtreme 90s than mindwipes? A machine to precisely give amnesia to your grizzled assassin is what I remember 90% of the 90s being about. So it is with great pleasure that I award this medal to a jobber with a bad costume: Maverick. We tried so hard to rip him out of the 90s, but I think a little piece of the 90s came forward with him.
Merriest Mutant Award
Given to a mutant who found a rare moment of happiness
Black Tom Cassidy
This is going to be one of those cases where happiness is relative, but hear me out! Black Tom is usually a miserable wretch. His family treats him like garbage, and despite a lot of success as a robbin’ duo with his best pal in the whole wide world Juggernaut, he never really seemed to find a home. I would have figured that Black Tom would have shown his face on Krakoa, robbed the place, and made a quick getaway. Look at my surprise! He’s found a job as a Krakoan security technician, and a friend in the island itself. When we briefly check in with him in “X-Force” #18, he seems to be having a very happy, very horny dream about Juggernaut (who I will remind you is totally his best friend, business partner, roommate, and best friend) (also they are husbands). Tom loves Cain, but I think his real euphoria is in having a home, a job, and people who rely on him. Tom is one step closer to living his truth! He’s happy, and I’m happy for him.
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“Professor Xavier is a Jerk” Award
Given to a mutant who acted like a real jerk
Jamie Braddock
A lot of this story dealt in magic and metaphor, so this entry is based on my interpretation. During the “X of Swords” tournament, Betsy Braddock was killed erm- she was turned into a stained glass window, shattered, and her spirit was cast out into the multiverse. Betsy’s baby brother Jamie did all sorts of creepy stuff to get his sister back, including building an anatomically correct meat doll to house her soul. But it didn’t work at first (more on that in a bit).
Betsy is a character who has suffered from extreme dysmorphia. She was a model in her early days, but describes the experience as surreal, as if she couldn’t see herself in her own body. Then she was given the body of the assassin Kwannon and it was years before they were sorted back into bodies resembling their own. I think the reason Betsy struggled to return to the body her brother had made for her is because Jamie doesn’t get his sister at all. He doesn’t care about her. He may be incapable of caring for her. The body had Betsy’s face and hair and eyes and boobs and muscles, but Betsy has always struggled to see herself in that stuff. Jamie is a creep for making a naked clone of his sister out of magic and meat, but he’s a jerk because that body wasn’t even really his sister. It was an objectified photo of her, which is how he thinks of her. It’s how he thinks of everyone.
Fastball Special Award
Given to a duo who exhibited great friendship, collaboration, and teamwork
Manifold and Frenzy
All of the X-Men had to battle with (checks notes) Knull, god of the symbiotes, the abyss made flesh? Apparently? That means venoms and black alien dragons. And there wasn’t a lot of dramatic tension, I didn’t really believe that alien dragons were gonna be the end of the X-Men this time. But one duo fought off the threat with panache. Seeing Manifold, one of the most powerful teleporters in the Marvel universe team up with serious powerhouse Frenzy is pretty cool. But it was more than that. They fought smart, and above all else they fought with the familiar practice of a team. They aren’t two characters that immediately seem compatible- Manifold tends to go on trippy cosmic adventures and Frenzy is grounded in the politics of the world. But the two of them make more sense together than I would have predicted, and I can’t wait to see their bond grow as co-members of S.W.O.R.D.
Let’s Talk About X Baby Award
Given to the sweetest, sexiest, bestest romantic couple
Wolverine and Synch
Oof, no question this month. We last left Laura and Everett (and third wheel Armando) in the Vault in “X-Men” #5, a year ago in our time. Turns out it was centuries in their time. That’s just how stuff works in the Vault. And during that time, the three mutants have battled every waking moment, fighting to survive an alien, hostile dimension. And in those centuries, Laura and Everett fell in love! Not only that, he describes it as a deep, ultimate love, the kind that can only grow over hundreds of years of immortality. Then they die. Everett makes it far enough to send his consciousness back to Krakoa, but Laura does not.
So it’s this old sci-fi chestnut. Two people were in a fulfilling relationship. One of them doesn’t remember it, the other one does. There are weird, creepy versions of this story, but Mahmud Asrar’s art tells us something different. On the last page, we see Synch trying to figure out how to talk to the love of his life, and she doesn’t like to be stared at. She threatens him. But his big smile tells a whole story.
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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
Psylocke
Kwannon had every reason in the universe to sit this one out. The former assassin was bodyswapped with Betsy Braddock and then she (in Betsy’s body) died of an AIDS allegory, while Betsy got to keep running around being a super ninja. On Krakoa they are sorted into their own bodies and don’t really have any need to ever speak again. But when Kwannon learned that Betsy had been killed, she stepped up and played the hero.
The job involved a little bit of tracking, and navigating a magical elf village, but the bulk of the job was having a heart to heart with Betsy about all the crap they had been through. And Kwannon being who she is, that involved a lot of tough love. She made Betsy see how much they had gone through- how many bodies and how much weird crap. And then she allowed Betsy’s soul to share her body, becoming some sort of gestalt being, which must have been terrifying. This is the same woman who wore her skin and watched her die. Heroic self sacrifice involves giving something up to help a stranger, but Kwannon helped a person who by all rights she could have called enemy. That makes her the most heroic person on Krakoa by a long shot, at least for this month.
