When it comes to Marvel, there are two different types of comics. There are individual stories, focusing on one character or a small group of characters. Those stories may cross paths with other heroes and villains an intertwine a bit with other stories, but mostly they’re pretty self-contained.
Then there’s the other type. The type that encompasses most if not all of the Marvel Universe, bringing in your favorite characters from various other stories. These are the comics that make you feel like you’re really reading an important event in Marvel history. “House of X” has that big comic feel.
Let me give you a rundown of what’s happening without getting into too much detail. Basically, Charles Xavier has claimed the island of Krakoa as a new home for mutants and it negotiating with the governments of other countries to get them to acknowledge this new land as a country, using three new miracle drugs as a bargaining chip.
Obviously, this is a big deal in the Marvel Universe. This is a story that is going to impact not only the X-Men and mutantkind, but everyone in the Marvel Universe (or at least those who live on Earth).
The most interesting aspect of this comic is the uneasy feeling of not knowing who to trust. We know Xavier typically has the best intentions in mind, but some parts of this move feel overly aggressive. Not to mention, one of the people he’s entrusting to deal with his diplomatic outreach to other nations is none other than Magneto.
The story continues to escalate as you go on, wasting no time in bringing in characters from outside of the X-Men realm. The Fantastic Four get involved in this story arc quickly, crossing paths with Cyclops, with whom they appear to disagree with in regards to the decisions made by Xavier. Cyclops delivers a very diplomatic approach in this encounter, but also drops some surprisingly threatening words on the heroes, going as far as to mention Reed and Sue’s son Franklin Richards.
This comic also offers two features that make it that much more enjoyable. The first is some fantastic art from Pepe Larraz. The color is stunning, particularly in any panel featuring a look at Krakoa.
The second feature is more unique. Interspersed throughout the story are these sort of instructional pages, explaining and providing more background on various aspects of the story. For example, after Cyclops mentions Franklin Richards, you may be wondering why he brought him up. The next page offers information on Omega Level mutants, of which Richards is one. This page not only provides context for what is going on in the story, but also give a great deal of information to those who may want to learn a bit more on the Marvel Universe.
Overall, this is a great first issue. It lays out what can potentially be one of the all-time great story arcs in Marvel Comics history. It also provides its own excitement, slowly building tension throughout, leading to Magneto delivering a perfect Magneto line to the humans in his presence.
Marvel Comics’ “House of X #1” is available now.