Fall Of The House Of X has huge boots to fill, there is a certain boldness with naming a comic after one of the best X-Men stories ever told. Not only that but it sets out to be the cap end to the story that comic started, all of this leaves a lot of room for comparisons. Unfortunately Fall Of The House Of X #1 by Gerry Duggan and Lucas Werneck does not invite flattering comparisons between the two and overall disappoints. 

The Mutants lost at the Hellfire Gala, they lost bad. They were slaughtered and scattered to the winds. And now Cyclops stands on trial, in a way it isn’t just him standing on trial, it’s the entirety of Mutantdom. The architects of the brutal attack on the Hellfire Gala, Orchis, wants to use him to set a precedent, I think? The issue is a little vague on what the consequences of this trial actually are. It’s clear that Cyclops losing this sham trial is supposed to be the winning blow for Orchis but it’s never elaborated on as to why. This sets a precedent for this issue itself, things are a little unclear. For instance, Wolverine and Colossus along with a few other X-Men are on a mission to liberate Cyclops before the trial, but in X-Force they are on the complete opposite side of the planet, we aren’t told how they met up with the other X-Men, it’s just a gap that we are meant to fill in our heads, and there are quite a few gaps like it in this issue. This thing isn’t rare in comics but the Krakoan era has been such an interconnected one that it’s somewhat befuddling to have two books be asynchronous and at odds like that during the climax. Especially when the past five months of The Fall Of X could have been used to set up this very climax. 

If I had to use one word to describe this issue it would be abrupt, which is a shame since so much of the Fall Of X has been set up for this very issue, but even then it still feels like we are a couple months off before the books line up with the events we see in this comic. Hell there is even an editor’s box telling us to check out upcoming issues of Invincible Iron Man to be filled in on plot details that are supposed to be unfolding in the now of this book. 

It’s not all bad though, there is some pretty short but sweet stuff with Cyclops that lands well even in the midst of an overall confused trial that we barely get to see any of. Plus, there is a particular moment at the end of the issue that still blew my socks off and delivers on the type of bombast Duggan is known for. Duggan is a talented writer, he’s great at doing character driven stuff and big superheroic bombast, but frankly this is not him at his best.

On the art front Lucas Werneck is good but perhaps not the best fit for a big action event book like this. Werneck is still a developing artist but he is great at two things in particular, character interactions and amazing poses. While both of those are on offer here and are a feast for the eyes they don’t make up the eternity of this book. There are also some moments where the art looks rushed, which again is unfortunate for a big event book like this. The art is by no means bad but it’s an ill fit for what this book is going for. 

Overall Fall Of The House Of X #1 is a disappointing start made all the more unfortunate by the quality of what preceded it, not only its namesake but Duggan’s other work from the Fall Of X which has largely been stellar. Hopefully the following issues can pick up the momentum the first issue so desperately lacked. 

Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Lucas Werneck
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen
Story: 6.5 Art: 7.7 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle