(W) Stephanie Phillips (A) Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto In Shops: Jul 12, 2022 SRP: $3.99
The finale of Wonder Woman: Evolution arrives as Diana faces off against a new and insidious DCU villain whose plan could rewrite all of humankind! The trial for humanity’s future comes to an end, but the battle for Earth’s survival rages. Will Wonder Woman make the ultimate sacrifice? Stephanie Phillips and Mike Hawthorne create a startling conclusion that will change Wonder Woman forever.
(W) Stephanie Phillips (A) Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto In Shops: May 17, 2022 SRP: $3.99
On trial for the fate of humanity, Wonder Woman has fought to prove herself to cosmic gods. But with the verdict near, is this trial everything Diana believed, or is there even more at stake than she could have realized? As the gods reveal their true nature, Diana learns that the greatest threat to humanity might just be…Wonder Woman? The truth is discovered in this penultimate issue, but is it already too late?
(W) Stephanie Phillips (A) Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto In Shops: Apr 19, 2022 SRP: $3.99
Can even Wonder Woman save a world without hope? Diana faces her toughest trial yet as she is flung into the future to save an Earth on the verge of complete collapse. Guided by a future version of Donna Troy, Wonder Woman must question the reality of her surroundings, while accepting the reality of the consequences. All this, plus the reveal of a major new villain!
After the impressive event “Fear State”, I’ve been intrigued to see where Batman would go. The event gave us new villains and an epic feel that had the present and future Gotham in mind. Batman #119 continues the new direction for the series that feels much more grounded befitting the character’s current status-quo.
Batman Inc. is surprisingly still in business with a new bonus, Lex Luthor. Members of the organization have been accused of killing a villain and it’s up to Batman to figure out what has happened.
Writer Joshua Williamson has grounded Batman #119 in a fantastic way. He’s taken out of the larger than life setting that is Gotham. Instead, this new direction has the character back to basics in some ways. He doesn’t have his great toys and we’re reminded he doesn’t have his money. With Luthor knowing Batman’s alter-ego, the issue gets more interesting as the two dance around each other both in and out of costume.
Williamson delivers a hell of a moment where Bruce and Luthor meet for food. The moves and choices of Lex are interesting and can be dissected as to the meaning of each. Every word, every action, feels like Williamson has thought through how this might really play out. This doesn’t feel as much a superhero comic as two individuals sparring verbally and over food. Lex’s actions are a consistent reminder of what Bruce has lost, his fortune. The words are chosen in such a way as to make sure to get a reaction from Bruce. It’s a beautiful dance.
There’s also a lot of action and that’s delivered by Jorge Molina, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Mikel Janín. Along with color by Tomeu Morey and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic looks great. It balances that verbal sparring with solid physical moments and action. There’s something about the look, along with the story, that feels a bit retro in a way, a bit conservative. And that’s not a bad thing. The art dials things back in a way focusing in on very specific moments and purposely hiding others to deliver surprises and shock.
Batman #119 is a solid issue that dials things back and gives us something that feels much more like a detective story. It also makes sure to remind us that this is a Batman who is generally stripped of his greatest tool, his wealth. With a nice mix of action, verbal sparring, and an intriguing villain, this continues an intriguing direction.
With just one more issue to go, Inferno #3 is tasked with packing in a lot and boy does it. Wrapping up writer Jonathan Hickman‘s redefining vision for the X-Men, Inferno has revealed Moira MacTaggert to some of the key players in mutant politics and Krakoa creating division lines. It also brought back Destiny, one of the key character that could undo everything Charles, Erik, and Moira have been up to. With all of that, the series has been focused on the political maneuvering and behind the scenes machinations of its players. Inferno #3 brings the action as it shifts things a bit focusing more on O.R.C.H.I.S. and the origin of Omega Sentinel and Nimrod.
Hickman brings the white board as he takes us through the history of this new Sentinel threat and the origin of O.R.C.H.I.S. It’s best to not think too much into it, instead just enjoying the tension of the attack you know is coming.
But, where Inferno #3 truly stands out is the tension it brings within its characters and residents of Krakoa. And, it’s from the most unlikeliest source. Yes, there’s a discussion between Destiny, Mystique, and Emma with some great interactions with the Cuckoos. But, it’s the opening of the comic with Doug Ramsey that’s the most intriguing. We get to see the beginning of Krakoa and Professor X tasking Doug with talking to the island and eventually what is done with Warlock. We get a better sense of the growth and how some things were achieved. But, it’s what Doug has done that stands out as the greatest ramifications.
And that’s where Inferno #3 gets interesting. Even in this finale of Hickman’s run, details that go back to the beginning are being explained and fleshed out. And, some of these details are things we may not have even thought about or in general just accepted. It’s the addition of info that isn’t necessarily needed but clearly will have a great impact at some point in the future.
The art by R.B. Silva, Stefano Caselli, and Valerio Schiti is fantastic as expected. The series takes us all over with so many different focuses but it all comes together and works as a visually cohesive world. We’re taken from the wilds of Krakoa to the far out tech of O.R.C.H.I.S., from the past to the future, and it all works and works together in a style that feels like one world and one that evolves. The trio are joined by Adriano Di Benedetto on ink, David Curiel on color, and Joe Sabino on lettering. The visuals are consistently top notch making a discussion just as interesting as an impending attack.
Inferno #3 is an interesting issue ramping up the action and bringing together a lot of concepts and ideas that have been seeded along the way. I have no idea how this miniseries will wrap up so much and where it’ll leave things when all is said and done. But, it’s one that has me sucked in waiting to see where it’s going to take us from here.
Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: R.B. Silva, Stefano Caselli, Valerio Schiti Ink: Adriano Di Benedetto Color: David Curiel Letterer: Joe Sabino Story: 8.15 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
“Worth” and “A Father’s Favor” Written by Dave Wielgosz Pencils José Luís Inks Adriano Di Benedetto Colored by Rex Lokus Letters by Wes Abbott Purchase
“Worth” — Aqualad fights off a surprise attack from the Electrocutioner!
“A Father’s Favor” — Black Manta recruits Aqualad to assist him on a very personal mission.
It’s been nearly six years since I last picked up a new X-Men comic with any real consistency. The last series I read with any regularity featuring the merry mutants was Jason Aaron‘s Wolverine and the X-Men. Which apparently ended around six years ago. It’s fair to say that I’m a little out of touch with that side of the Marvel Universe (though I have been following both Old Man Loganand Dead Man Logan, but those series didn’t really involve the X-Men as much as a team book would). More than a little, honestly. A lot has happened in the six years I’ve been away, and since I barely pay attention to solicitations I have missed most of it.
But with Johnathan Hickman steering the X-Men in a new direction with both House and Powers Of X, I thought this might be a good time to start reading X-Men comics again.
But how easy is it to jump back in relatively blind after more than half a decade away? Join me, and I’ll tell you.
Expect spoilers as I try to make sense of the comic.
I’ve been really enjoying the House/Powers Of X event thus far, it has been an interesting reintroduction to the X-Men for me, and is an event that isn’t using huge set piece fight scenes to sell comics. No, the appeal of this event for me is that we’re getting a story that’s going to reframe how we look at the X-Men in the Marvel Universe, an event that is more of a beginning than a culmination of several years worth of preplanning and build up.
It is perhaps the most accessible event Marvel have had in years, with the main story being told in House Of X with Powers filling in the missing pieces from that story. Case in point with this issue as we learn how Xavier developed the current iteration of Cerebro which allows for a full back up of a mutant’s mind, memories and such.
Kind of like restoring an old version of the novel you’re working on after you overwrite the wrong save file.
At this point in the story, as we come to the finale of the series, the end that’s going to be a beginning, there’s no reason for the series to appeal to new readers. As somebody who hasn’t read any X-Men comics in years, at this point I’m not feeling out of my depth at all – as the series has progressed it has been less alienating to new readers, which is exactly what I had hoped would be the case.
How it ends at this point in the game is more of an interest to me, and how well it sets up the next phase of the X-Men’s story… will you need to be familiar with the House/Powers event going forward?
It’s an interesting question I’ll probably try to answer…
“You see I know how you humans love your symbolism, almost as much as you love you religion. And I wanted you – I needed you – to understand… you have new gods now.”
Magneto, House Of X, #1 p.47. I keep leaving this image and quote in the column because, for me, it’s emblematic of the series as a whole. It’s Hickman, through Magneto, setting the stage for the future of the X-Men.
Powers Of X #5 was a great change of page for the story, and consequently builds the anticipation for House #5 after last week’s comic. We all know that somehow things will be resolved to a new status quo (after all the solicitations that I have seen are pretty clear about that), but how has yet to be revealed.
I can’t wait to see what’s going to come our way next week.
Will I understand next week’s installment in the saga, House Of X #5? Do I regret skipping six years of X-Books? Am I ever going to find out how Xavier is walking again*?
We might find out next week. We might not.
Marvel provided a FREE copy for review purposes, but I read the comic in print from my LCS.
*The answer is yes, but it made no sense when two of my friends told me individually last week, but it basically boils down to “comics being comics” which I’ve kind of accepted with an air of nonchalance.
It’s been nearly six years since I last picked up a new X-Men comic with any real consistency. The last series I read with any regularity featuring the merry mutants was Jason Aaron‘s Wolverine and the X-Men. Which apparently ended around six years ago. It’s fair to say that I’m a little out of touch with that side of the Marvel Universe (though I have been following both Old Man Loganand Dead Man Logan, but those series didn’t really involve the X-Men as much as a team book would). More than a little, honestly. A lot has happened in the six years I’ve been away, and since I barely pay attention to solicitations I have missed most of it.
But with Johnathan Hickman steering the X-Men in a new direction with both House and Powers Of X, I thought this might be a good time to start reading X-Men comics again.
But how easy is it to jump back in relatively blind after more than half a decade away? Join me, and I’ll tell you.
Expect spoilers as I try to make sense of the comic.
At this point in the story, as we tip the bridge and start the journey to the end, it’s pretty easy to follow along with the story in general. There are still moments that have me wondering what I’ve missed in the last six or so years, but they’re fewer and farther between at this point which means that as the series has progressed it has been less alienating to new readers.
Which makes sense, honestly.
If you weren’t able to follow a story at this point then you’d have to wonder just what in the hell you’d been reading for the past eight comics/
The only real struggle I had with the issue was the nature of Mr. Sinister’s appearance. Issue is a strong word, because I had always seen the character as a darkly sinister scientist, not what we saw here. Still, I’ve long accepted that there are things I don’t know because it has been a long time since I’ve read about certain characters, and this wasn’t enough to throw me away from the story.
Otherwise, the comic is a easy enough to follow, acting as a place for readers to learn more about how the Krakoan home for mutants came to be, and the depths of Xavier’s plan over the years. It’s a needed exposition issue (especially for the person wondering whether this was talked about before the event began), and certainly a welcome change of pace after the death heavy House Of X #4 last week.
The artistic team of R.B. Silva (pencils), Adriano Di Benedetto (inks) and Marte Gracia (colours) remain strong, giving the comic a bold yet classic look across each page, breathing a vivid life to Hickman’s story.
“You see I know how you humans love your symbolism, almost as much as you love you religion. And I wanted you – I needed you – to understand… you have new gods now.”
Magneto, House Of X, #1 p.47. I keep leaving this image and quote in the column because, for me, it’s emblematic of the series as a whole. It’s Hickman, through Magneto, setting the stage for the future of the X-Men.
Powers Of X #4 was a great change of page for the story, and consequently builds the anticipation for House #5 after last week’s comic. We all know that somehow things will be resolved to a new status quo (after all the solicitations that I have seen are pretty clear about that), but how has yet to be revealed.
I can’t wait to see what’s going to come our way next week.
Will I understand next week’s installment in the saga, House Of X #5? Do I regret skipping six years of X-Books? Am I ever going to find out how Xavier is walking again*?
We might find out next week. We might not.
Marvel provided a FREE copy for review purposes, but I read the comic in print from my LCS.
*The answer is yes, but it made no sense when two of my friends told me individually last week, but it basically boils down to “comics being comics” which I’ve kind of accepted with an air of nonchalance.
It’s been nearly six years since I last picked up a new X-Men comic with any real consistency. The last series I read with any regularity featuring the merry mutants was Jason Aaron‘s Wolverine and the X-Men. Which apparently ended around six years ago. It’s fair to say that I’m a little out of touch with that side of the Marvel Universe (though I have been following both Old Man Loganand Dead Man Logan, but those series didn’t really involve the X-Men as much as a team book would). More than a little, honestly. A lot has happened in the six years I’ve been away, and since I barely pay attention to solicitations I have missed most of it.
But with Johnathan Hickman steering the X-Men in a new direction with both House and Powers Of X, I thought this might be a good time to start reading X-Men comics again.
But how easy is it to jump back in relatively blind after more than half a decade away? Join me, and I’ll tell you.
Expect spoilers as I try to make sense of the comic.
Much to my surprise, I was expecting to read House Of X #3 this week, not Powers Of X #3. That’s what I get for not paying attention to solicitations, I guess.
If you’ve been reading the entire series so far, and by that I mean everything under the House/Powers Of X banner and not just Powers then you’ll have absolutely no problem reading this comic. It focuses on the Year 100 timeline that you’ll remember from previous issues of Powers, an era where there are less than a dozen mutants/X-Men left in the solar system (really at this point, mutant and X-Man are one and the same). This issue follows the suicide mission, with said remaining mutants trying to find the information about when Nimrod, the machine responsible for the subjugation of humanity became active.
There’s a really interesting outcome with this story, and it’s perhaps the first real instance on the House/Powers being a single series.
I’ve gotta say, that so far this has been one of my favourite issues that I’ve written about for this column because it’s one of the few we’ve had since the event began that you can fully enjoy after having read only the comics in the event so far. There is literally no prior knowledge you need, as long as you have a passing familiarity with the characters – which you should have if you’ve been following the story since House Of X #1.
The exposition pages return again; this time they return to the map of nine of Moira X’s different lives as well as a couple of pages illustrating just how dire things have become in this timeline. There’s also more of the mutant language scattered throughout the comic, too, and if you have the time, patience or google ability to translate it, then you’ll uncover another layer to this comic. I haven’t done that yet, and probably won’t because I am far too lazy, but I love that it’s there.
Once again, the artists are on point. R.B. Silva is the artist and is joined on inking by Adriano Di Benedetto and colour artist Marte Gracia. The trio are solid, providing the comic with a visual gravitas that’s on par for the story that Hickman is telling within the issue. The action is phenomenally choreographed, and in some places it’s oddly shocking, heartbreaking and remarkably satisfying.
This issue is going to have reverberations across the series – perhaps not in the same way House Of X #2 has over the entire Marvel Universe, but certainly within the event as a whole.
There’s nothing in Powers Of X #2 anywhere close to as spine tingling as this moment from House Of X #1. Full quote below.
“You see I know how you humans love your symbolism, almost as much as you love you religion. And I wanted you – I needed you – to understand… you have new gods now.”
Magneto, House Of X, #1 p.47. I keep leaving this image and quote in the column because, for me, it’s emblematic of the series as a whole. It’s Hickman, through Magneto, setting the stage for the future of the X-Men.
Powers Of X #3 is one of my favorite issues in the series so far. It’s a great payoff comic five issues in, and one that keeps the pacing of the event absolutely on point. I loved everything about this comic, and am amazed that Hickman has been able to meet the expectations that I had for this issue.
I can’t wait to see what’s going to come our way next week.
Will I understand next week’s installment in the saga, House Of X #3? Do I regret skipping six years of X-Books? Am I ever going to find out how Xavier is walking again*?
We might find out next week. We might not.
Marvel provided a FREE copy for review purposes, but I read the comic in print from my LCS.
*The answer is yes, but it made no sense when two of my friends told me individually last week, but it basically boils down to “comics being comics” which I’ve kind of accepted with an air of nonchalance.
This column was slightly delayed this week due to a few power outages in my neck of the woods, and my lack of foresight in keeping my laptop charged.
But with Johnathan Hickman steering the X-Men in a new direction with both House and Powers Of X, I thought this might be a good time to start reading X-Men comics again.
It’s been nearly six years since I last picked up a new X-Men comic with any real consistency. The last series I read with any regularity featuring the merry mutants was Jason Aaron‘s Wolverine and the X-Men. Which apparently ended around six years ago. It’s fair to say that I’m a little out of touch with that side of the Marvel Universe (though I have been following both Old Man Loganand Dead Man Logan, but those series didn’t really involve the X-Men as much as a team book would). More than a little, honestly. A lot has happened in the six years I’ve been away, and since I barely pay attention to solicitations I have missed most of it.
But how easy is it to jump back in relatively blind after more than half a decade away? Join me, and I’ll tell you.
Expect spoilers as I try to make sense of the comic.
Start this event completely ignorant to much of the X-Men’s last five or so years has been an interesting experience. With Powers Of X #1, I wasn’t entirely sure what shape the story would take. We got three different timelines – Year 0, Year 100 and Year 1000 – in the first book, and that’s the same in issue #2. It’s giving the Powers Of X part of the story an anthology like feel, which helps someone like me realize that the futures we’re seeing we haven’t really explored much before, unless they stem from one of the many lives of Moira X.
The three timelines are all interesting for their own reasons, and I’m curious to see how this will all play into the whole as the House/Powers story unfolds over the next month and change, but the one that’s taken my interest the most, especially after this issue, is the Year 100 one. Seeing the X-Men on the back foot like never before, out of options and facing a culture ending threat… it almost sounds familiar, and yet it feels fresh. Which is an odd feeling when you really think about it, but I’m not going to question it too much.
I’ve learnt over the years that sometimes it’s okay to take things as the author intends without question too much until the finished product is in my hands.
The last issue in the Powers installment didn’t make as big an impression as the House Of X counterpart, and the same can ultimately be said for this issue. But then after the massive revelations in House Of X #2, I can’t exactly expect anything different. But that two two series tie into each other strongly is beyond doubt, as is evidenced by the Year 0 story in this issue. One could argue that House Of X #2 is merely the explanation between scenes in the Year 0 stories in Powers Of X. My questioning in the last column as to whether this series is required reading in order to get the full picture has a slightly clearer answer; at this point, I’d wager that you’re going to want to spend the money on both House and Powers Of X, though the former is still the stronger of the two.
Just as in the previous issue covered in this column, Powers Of X #2 also includes some handy dandy exposition pages that come almost immediately after you’ve read the pages that’ll make you wonder what the future terms mean. It’s a great way to add in some additional information without over burdening the dialogue with information for the readers. There’s also more of the mutant language scattered throughout the comic, too, and if you have the time, patience or google ability to translate it, then you’ll uncover another layer to this comic.
I haven’t any of those things, so other than the first issue I haven’t bothered to decipher the code. But it’s a cool feature for those that do.
Once again, the artists are on point. R.B. Silva is the artist and is joined on inking by Adriano Di Benedetto and colour artist Marte Gracia. The trio are solid, giving the comic and each time period within a unique visual flavour that comes together to form a perfect pecan pie (there’s no reason I chose pecan other than for alliteration).
There’s nothing in Powers Of X #2 anywhere close to as spine tingling as this moment from House Of X #1. Full quote below.
“You see I know how you humans love your symbolism, almost as much as you love you religion. And I wanted you – I needed you – to understand… you have new gods now.”
Magneto, House Of X, #1 p.47.
Powers Of X #2 is a pretty good comic – it is one that’s almost worth the elevated price of admission (at regular price this’d be absolutely worth it). As it is, it’s still worth a read; especially if you’re an X-Fan , new or old, who wants to know what’s going to happen in the company’s future.
Will I understand next week’s installment in the saga, House Of X #3? Do I regret skipping six years of X-Books? Am I ever going to find out how Xavier is walking again*?
We might find out next week. We might not.
Marvel provided a FREE copy for review purposes, but I read the comic in print from my LCS.
*The answer is yes, but it made no sense when two of my friends told me individually last week, but it basically boils down to “comics being comics” which I’ve kind of accepted with an air of nonchalance.
