Stillanerd Reads: House of X #4

There are two things Jonathan Hickman does with House of X #4 that put the X-Men’s situation into horrifying perspective. First, he opens with a “data page” entitled “Look At What They’ve Done,” listing all the times that humans have slain mutants. This includes the Sentinel attack on Genosha from Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, and “No More Mutants” at the end of House of M. All told, the population of Marvel’s merry mutants during the 2000s went from almost 17 million to barely 200.

The other thing Hickman shows is how the X-Men’s mission to destroy Mother Mold is on the brink of collapse. With the explosion of the Blackbird at the end of House of X #3, two of the X-Men are dead, and there’s no hope of escape. The couplings holding Mother Mold to the space station can only be removed by hand. With the station now on high alert, Orchis’ chief scientist, Dr. Gregor, grief-stricken by her husband’s own demise, decides to activate Mother Mold regardless of the consequences. In short, what was Mission: Impossible has become The Dirty Dozen.

Taken together, we’re suddenly reminded of the stakes the X-Men are facing. We already know they’re trying to prevent a potential mutant genocide; seeing a reminder of the losses they’ve already endured–and continue to endure–however, drives this point home. It also brings Professor X’s recent actions into clarity. As he telepathically watches the X-Men’s mission unfold, seeing them give their lives to his cause, we also understand what he feels. With everything he, his students, and fellow mutants have put up with, it’s a wonder Xavier didn’t become an extremist a lot sooner.

Of course, this is a superhero comic, where death is never permanent. Half of these X-Men have already died once before (and, in some cases, more than once). Also, let’s not forget those weird seed pods on Krakoa from House of X #1. It sure looked like they, for lack of a better word, “birthed” a lot of very familiar-looking mutants. Makes it hard to feel sad for a character dying if there’s a means in place for bringing them back.

Yet Hickman’s narrative makes us so emotionally caught up in the moment that we can temporarily forget this. There are several small, but brilliant character moments within House of X #4 that tells us volumes about them. There’s Cyclops momentary hesitation before steeling himself to finish their mission no matter the cost. Or Monet’s cocky one-liner to Jean Grey before ejecting her out of an escape pod. Even Omega Sentinel’s astonishment over Dr. Gregor decision to bring Mother Mold online early tells us that, although part machine, she’s not a complete monster.

That’s just the dialogue. Pepe Larraz’s art also brilliantly reveals much about these characters, especially Nightcrawler. Every time we see him, the teleporting blue elf is always smiling despite clutching his side in obvious pain. There’s also a wonderful two-panel sequence showing how Wolverine and Nightcrawler dealt with the station personnel. Logan leaves behind a pile of bodies; Kurt Wagner leaves them tied up. That alone tells you everything you need to know about them.

He also illustrates some truly unforgettable images. The moment where Xavier, with the help of the Stepford Cuckoos and Storm, establish a psychic and visual link with Jean is both imaginative and jaw-dropping. There’s a real sense of immensity whenever we see the Mother Mold backlit by the Sun. Also, Larraz knows how to show gruesome, bloody violence without being explicit. The closest he ever gets is Wolverine regenerating his almost severed arm. Of course, only giving us an impression of the horrible ways in which characters die makes their deaths all the more unsettling.

It would be too easy dismissing House of X #4 as a comic driven by shock value. This isn’t like the previous Uncanny X-Men series in which characters died every issue just to drive up sales and internet clicks. As much as we feel what happens here seems temporary, these characters still feel loss and grief. They still witness the price they must pay for what their convictions. For it’s not how they die or how long they stay dead that’s important. It’s how those whom they left behind respond towards it.

Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks

• “…by the pretender Wanda Maximoff.” Wow, whoever wrote these files really doesn’t like the Scarlet Witch. Of course, in this context, you can apply “pretender” in two different ways. It can refer to the retcon that Wanda and her brother Quicksilver aren’t mutants or even Magneto’s biological children. Or, seeing as how Wanda believed herself a mutant and still depowered “her own kind,” calling her a “pretender” is the same as labeling her a traitor.
• Oh, hello there, Beast. Nice to see you’re back in everyone’s good graces considering all the ways you made things worse over the last decade. Like bringing in younger versions of yourself, Cyclops, Jean, Angel, and Iceman from the past under false pretenses.
• All right, something’s definitely wrong with Jean Grey. She has superior telekinetic powers along with her “Omega level” telepathy. Yet not once does she move a single object with her mind. Monet has to force Jean into an escape pod in order to get her to safety. Oh, how far the once-mighty Phoenix has fallen.
• Speaking of useless, why did Cyclops even bring Mystique on this mission?
• “You still think there’s something waiting for us on the other side?” Well, Logan, seeing as how both you and Nightcrawler have literally died and seen the Afterlife, don’t both of you already know the answer? Still, I’m not going to ruin what is, unquestionably, a great scene showing yours and Kurt’s strong bond of friendship.
• Okay, all you science majors. Cyclops says that he can use an EVA suit, then use his optic blast to propel him through space. Except wouldn’t his optic beam also destroy his space helmet, thus exposing him to vacuum, in the process? Also, why didn’t he use his optic blast to destroy the last remaining coupling? After all, he’s looking right at Mother Mold from an observation window.

Check Out: Stillanerd Reads: House of X #3