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A review by beaconatnight
House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman
4.0
The intertwined storylines of House of X / Powers of X are built up from all the core issues that lie at the heart of modern-day science fiction and that are currently much debated in the political domain.
It's easy to see how in the world of X-Men genetic engineering (which can bring about mutations) and artificial intelligence (which advances anti-mutant weaponry up to Terminator dystopia) bring with them a new urgency that breaks up the modus vivendi that existed between homo sapiens and homo sapiens superior. Even the good guys now see themselves as the rightful heirs of Earth. To secure their safety until then they proclaimed their own nation state, the fantastic realm of Krakoa. Good and evil, represented by Professor X and Magneto, team up to form a new frontier against encroaching humanity.
Jonathan Hickman's nonlinear storytelling is highly captivating to read, especially when you realize it's not just the four eras – year zero, year ten, year one hundred, year one thousand – we are introduced to in the beginning. The timelines are placed in a multiverse structure perhaps inspired by The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
Background is provided by illustrated paragraphs of prose by which we learn about the future and about the past, and about what happened in the past but will only appear explicitly only in a future issue of the comic. Weapons, technologies, classifications, hopes, timelines, there is really much lore in their to enrich the setting without pulling you too much from the action. To be honest, I often didn't fully understand what I was reading, but I was amazed by how it suddenly made sense when you saw the events take (their often bloody) shape.
Talking of the action, I highly enjoyed the pacing of the more violent confrontations. In superhero comics, I often find that there is not much "weight" to the fights and that they don't really go anywhere; the plot progresses elsewhere. Here, the action often is the means to progress the plot. There are many tragic deaths you know will easily come back – especially after you figured out Moira's special mutant power – but I still felt it in the moment.
Yet, parallel universes are not the only place to being back beloved characters. There is one issue almost entirely dedicated to revival, and it was particularly awesome, visually as well as emotionally. It's all a bit silly and all too convenient how the mutant powers come together in this montage, but the yield really delivers. It's so epic when you suddenly understand what the demonstration was all about, and especially Storm's unifying speech to commemorate the event.
I often struggle with Marvel's big events. You cannot read everything, so often I find myself confused about convoluted contexts, what exactly the multiverse looks like at any given moment, and how much is relevant for what you are currently reading. House of X / Powers of X is very refreshing because it's mostly self-contained, even though I now it lead to the lead to the Dawn of X run of releases. More importantly, it was just so much fun.
If you are looking for a superhero story that is as intense as the advertisement makes it out to be, this should be on top of your TBR (well, you've probably read it already). And damn, I didn't even talk about the incredible artwork, you just have to marvel at those colors. Best superhero comic I've read in a long time.
Rating: 4/5
It's easy to see how in the world of X-Men genetic engineering (which can bring about mutations) and artificial intelligence (which advances anti-mutant weaponry up to Terminator dystopia) bring with them a new urgency that breaks up the modus vivendi that existed between homo sapiens and homo sapiens superior. Even the good guys now see themselves as the rightful heirs of Earth. To secure their safety until then they proclaimed their own nation state, the fantastic realm of Krakoa. Good and evil, represented by Professor X and Magneto, team up to form a new frontier against encroaching humanity.
Jonathan Hickman's nonlinear storytelling is highly captivating to read, especially when you realize it's not just the four eras – year zero, year ten, year one hundred, year one thousand – we are introduced to in the beginning. The timelines are placed in a multiverse structure perhaps inspired by The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
Background is provided by illustrated paragraphs of prose by which we learn about the future and about the past, and about what happened in the past but will only appear explicitly only in a future issue of the comic. Weapons, technologies, classifications, hopes, timelines, there is really much lore in their to enrich the setting without pulling you too much from the action. To be honest, I often didn't fully understand what I was reading, but I was amazed by how it suddenly made sense when you saw the events take (their often bloody) shape.
Talking of the action, I highly enjoyed the pacing of the more violent confrontations. In superhero comics, I often find that there is not much "weight" to the fights and that they don't really go anywhere; the plot progresses elsewhere. Here, the action often is the means to progress the plot. There are many tragic deaths you know will easily come back – especially after you figured out Moira's special mutant power – but I still felt it in the moment.
Yet, parallel universes are not the only place to being back beloved characters. There is one issue almost entirely dedicated to revival, and it was particularly awesome, visually as well as emotionally. It's all a bit silly and all too convenient how the mutant powers come together in this montage, but the yield really delivers. It's so epic when you suddenly understand what the demonstration was all about, and especially Storm's unifying speech to commemorate the event.
I often struggle with Marvel's big events. You cannot read everything, so often I find myself confused about convoluted contexts, what exactly the multiverse looks like at any given moment, and how much is relevant for what you are currently reading. House of X / Powers of X is very refreshing because it's mostly self-contained, even though I now it lead to the lead to the Dawn of X run of releases. More importantly, it was just so much fun.
If you are looking for a superhero story that is as intense as the advertisement makes it out to be, this should be on top of your TBR (well, you've probably read it already). And damn, I didn't even talk about the incredible artwork, you just have to marvel at those colors. Best superhero comic I've read in a long time.
Rating: 4/5