Mutantkind has never had a greater fall. From the highs of Krakoa – their own glorious nation, a place where they were safe and happy – to the lowest of lows. Outlawed, hunted, killed, most of their kind missing or dead, and now, one their greatest leaders, Cyclops, is on trial facing a death penalty. Ready or not, the time has come for the X-Men to make their final stand against the forces that have struck them low. The day is now. The place is here. The tale of the house Xavier built will long be told…and few will forget this darkest chapter. Fall of the House of X #1 kicks off the the end of the Krakoan era for the X-Men leading into what comes next.
I’ll admit, I haven’t been a fan of the Krakoan age of the X-Men. While there’s many interesting aspects, the storyline got too far from their roots. They went from the underdogs, the oppressed, to nationalists. They stated they were “gods” to humankind. It also took away any sense of danger with their ability to create new bodies and download their minds into them, though it explained their lack of aging. Small details here and there worked but overall, it’s an experiment that I don’t think did what it intended to do.
With the “Mutant Massacre” and attack on Krakoa by Orchis, the era began to wrap up leading into Fall of X. Their numbers dwindled. The ability to be reborn was taken away. The comic felt closer to the X-Men of the past, an oppressed group looking to fight for their rights and equality.
Written by Gerry Duggan Fall of the House of X #1 begins the final chapter of that story, beginning to truly wrap up and transition to what’s next. Fall of X was the lead up to this, getting things in order. And the result is an ok beginning.
Duggan tightens the focus a bit, with Cyclops on trial for what feels like all of Mutantdom. But, there’s a mission to free him while taking the fight to Orchis. It’s all rather cinematic and in some ways predictable in that things don’t go as planned. But, where the comic fumbles is when things really get going. The battle goes from 0 to 60 in a blink. It feels rushed, which the attack by the X-Men against Orchis is, but that rushed feeling also makes it seem like something is missing in the storytelling.
The art by Lucas Werneck is solid. The characters look good and there’s a lot of dynamic moments that hit the right emotional queues. Werneck is joined by Bryan Valenza on color and Travis Lanham on lettering. Like the narrative, the art has a slight bump as well when things ramp up. It too feels like it goes into overdrive where visuals go from rather tight and focused moments to gigantic battles. It’s like a step has been missed.
Overall, the comic is ok. Fall of the House of X #1 shows off some potential as to where things go but it doesn’t quite excite and stand on its own. It feels like a slightly opening chapter before the credits of the action film roll. It does a good job of creating the situation and setting but as a comic, it has a sense of being rushed.
Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Lucas Werneck
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham Design: Tom Muller, Jay Bowen
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
