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 travel to brand new worlds of our own creation. 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!
Planet Sized!
They called the issue “Planet Size X-Men.” They highlighted it in red on the reading order. They really really built this issue up as a significant one. And folks, it delivered. A story as big as promised. How often does that happen in comics? If you’ve been keeping up at all with X-Men, surely you’ve heard about their terraforming project. Using their mutant powers, the citizens of Krakoa and Arakko made the red planet habitable, with a breathable atmosphere and a magnetosphere that can repel radioactive energy. Then they casually built a capital city and told the species of the galaxy that Arakko, not Earth, is the capital of the Sol System. Holy. Crap.
I love what this means for future storytelling. Arakko already had a great look, and you can already see those aesthetics meshing with Krakoa’s tropical style, and Mars’ sweeping red deserts. There’s a bit of heavy-metal-demon-looking stuff. And some Egyptian style architecture, courtesy of En Sabbah Nur and his family. And now there’s a cool new planet for Marvel heroes to have adventures on. Do you think Arakko has extradition? I don’t. I bet if Absorbing Man and Titania wanted to start fresh, they could carve out a rough and tumble life for themselves on the new planet.
This also plants the seeds for future conflicts. The entire project is a big ‘ol mutant flex, and humans are already perceiving it as aggressive. What’s more, the mutants have already told the rest of the galaxy that the human race is insignificant. Henry Gyrich is using this as an opportunity to recruit for Orchis. What I love about this storytelling move is that it was exciting in its own right, but I’m even more excited as to what comes next. When comics are lazy and want to drum up sales, they usually kill off a beloved character. When a comic is as good as this one, it builds a whole new planet of stories.
Goddess, Queen, and Queen Again
There are a good number of obscure X characters who have gotten a chance to shine on Krakoa. I could not be more thrilled that Laura Kinney is on the X-Men roster. Monet really feels like she is getting her due. I’m happy that Prodigy continues to play a prominent role. But some of the most classic X-Men have felt sidelined, and none more so than Storm. Which sucks, because we just got off of a 20 year movie series that also treated Storm terribly.
Storm hasn’t been entirely absent in this era of comics. She has a role on the Quiet Council. She pals around with the Marauders. There was that time she got sick and everyone had to find her a cure. But that’s not a very active plot for one of the most dynamic and central characters of this entire franchise. Storm can be a lot of things, a regal monarch and a penniless thief, but one thing that she is not is part of the furniture. She doesn’t sit in the background. She lets herself be known. So yeah, it makes a lot of goddamn sense to make her queen of a planet.
Continued belowThis is the coolest development ever, and I yearn to see 60 ongoing series about it. She should be dealing with the Guardians of the Galaxy, making tough political decisions as to how to run her new rogue nation. She could join the Avengers or fight them. Ororo Munroe, Regent Queen of Mars is a title worthy of her immense stature, and she better not just be left out of focus. Her adventures should be front and center in the years to come!
The Alleged Death of Scarlet Witch
We’ve known for a while someone was going to get murdered at the gala. It’s all a part of “The Trial of Magneto,” which we all knew was going to be a murder trial. What we didn’t know was the victim but “X-Factor” #10 ends with the discovery of the corpse of Wanda Maximoff, or so it would seem…
Magneto’s reconciliation with his daughter was one of my favorite parts of the gala. The two of them had something of a falling out in the (bonkers!) 2014 story “AXIS.” That was the story that revealed that Wanda and Pietro weren’t mutants, but were instead given their powers by the High Evolutionary. There was a lot of speculation then on who made this creative decision and how it tied into the labyrinthine legal ownership of which Marvel characters’ film rights but what’s done is done. Wanda is now considered “The Great Pretender” and an enemy of Krakoa… which makes her arrival at the gala suspect!
We see Wanda coming down the stairs from a Krakoan gate, but we do not actually see her use it. Only mutants can pass through the gates normally, which Wanda has been established not to be. The humans at the gala all wore Krakoan flowers, but Wanda doesn’t appear to have one even though we can clearly see Captain America and Doctor Doom wearing their flowers. And what’s more is if Wanda used the gates, Sage would have seen her arrive. You’d figure she’d have something to say about that, that Wanda would be considered a security risk or at least a Person of Interest. Which leads me to believe that Wanda is actually someone who was already at the party. Maybe someone with shapeshifting powers, someone who might want vengeance on Magneto.
What I am trying to say is that “Inferno” has already begun! That’s my prediction, that Wanda’s appearance and subsequent death will be revealed to be the machinations of Mystique. Only time will tell, and we have a fun new Leah Williams miniseries to read before “Inferno” but all is not what it seems with the death of Krakoa’s favorite witchy scapegoat.
This Month’s X-Books:
“X-Men” #21 – A powerful issue that bridges the gap between the anthology this series has been, and the superhero series it’s about to become.
“Excalibur” #21 – Druids and spies and romantic drama are what makes Excalibur a great series!
“Children of the Atom” #4 – Vita Ayala writes great dialogue, but with so much excitement happening at the Hellfire Gala, this series can’t help but feel disconnected.
“Planet Size X-Men” #1 – Damn, sometimes a big issue doesn’t live up to the hype. This is not one of those times. Truly as massive as the title would have you believe.
“New Mutants” #19 – The quality of the character work is almost as impressive as the quantity. So many characters get great moments to shine!
“X-Corp” #2 – Tini Howard is a good enough writer to make the dialogue in this issue work, but getting derailed by a crossover in issue #2 sucks for pacing. Extra points for a good use of Mastermind.
“S.W.O.R.D.” #6 – The issue that deals with the consequences of “Planet Size X-Men” may be even better!
“Guardians of the Galaxy” #15 – While not entirely essential, it’s fun to see Magneto from the perspective of Star Lord and Nova.
“Way of X” #3 – A depressed Kurt Wagner explores Krakoa’s burgeoning sexual politics. Interesting ideas, but a really dour script.
“Wolverine” #13 – A disjointed madcap issue occasionally stumbles into having fun.
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“X-Factor” #10 – This series finale deserved better. The last issue was a busy rush to tie off loose ends.
“Cable” #11 – It’s kind of shocking how much fun is found in all this confusing death and resurrection and time travel shenanigans.
“X-Men Legends” #4 – While not all that connected to current X-comics, I ain’t turning away an issue from the Simonsons!
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
You know, the namesake of this award has never actually won the award before. That’s because he’s been dead since this column started back up. Sure the kid version of Cable has been around, and he’s had his moments. He got a big anime sword and charged heedlessly into danger. Good stuff! But now, the laws of resurrection have been bent and the old old version of Cable is back as a new old old version. And he’s delivering the gruff grizzled guff as well as he ever has before. Welcome back Nate Sr.
Merriest Mutant Award
Given to a mutant who found a rare moment of happiness
Aurora
Take a moment to look at where Aurora has been and where she is now. Aurora has mental health problems in a superhero comic, so she is constantly being driven to do evil things by cartoonish villains. That’s just as unfortunate convention of the genre. There were years of stories that took her troubles more seriously, treated her with more compassion. But now she seems to have things under control, mostly due to having the support of her mutant family. And the result? She gets to… go to a party. And have boys fight over her. Am I saying that’s the definition of happiness? I mean, it sounds kind of nice. But what’s more remarkable to me is how normal it all looks. Instead of constantly finding herself in the thick of things, Aurora has found herself safe, happy, and wanted.
“Professor Xavier is a Jerk” Award
Given to a mutant who acted like a real jerk
Legion
I was really rooting for Loa and Mercury to make it work, but it turns out that having a formative sexual experience under the watchful eye of an uncaring older boy is not a good plan. Legion was totally out of line here. He promised that he would facilitate some psychic canoodling, which was gross to begin with, but of course he had ulterior motives. He wanted information, and he used the younger girls as bait. That’s beyond gross, and I hope he gets his eventual comeuppance. But most of all, I hope Loa and Mercury work things out, they deserve better than this!
Fastball Special Award
Given to a duo who exhibited great friendship, collaboration, and teamwork
The Omega Level mutants
The Reign of X has been all about seeing what happens when mutants work together, and combine their powers. Well, what happens when you combine the powers of the heaviest hitters of Krakoa and Arakko? It turns out, you can build an entire planet. That kind of display of power is amazing to see, and must be incredible from the perspective of a character in the story. No one can match this sort of accomplishment this month.
Let’s Talk About X Baby Award
Given to the sweetest, sexiest, bestest romantic couple
Prodigy and Speed
I like how casual and appealing these two are. Their romance has be teased since “Young Avengers” but this month we saw them together at the gala, in “X-Factor,” and even in the “Marvel Voices: Pride” one shot. Prodigy is a classic nerd and Speed is a classic hyperactive disaster. Unlike a lot of other young gay Marvel romances, these two never seem like they are rushing off to have a fairy tale wedding. They are just sweet and funny and have won me over slowly with their low stakes drama and high quality hijinks.
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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
Storm
This month, could there be another choice? Ororo hasn’t had nearly enough to do on Krakoa, but it turns out that’s because Krakoa is too small to contain her. While other mutants may be excited to lead a nation state of powerful and immortal beings, Storm’s already done that. No, her scope looked ahead and now she’s running a planet. Not just any planet. It’s Mars, remixed by heavy metal dem0n-fighting mutants with a taste for ancient Egyptian architecture. That’s truly the coolest thing a mutant has done in a Marvel book… maybe ever? Long reign Queen Storm, now let’s give her an ongoing!
