House of X #5 is one of those comics that’s difficult to write in-depth about. You know the reason why: spoilers. Especially when those spoilers are so prevalent that just explaining what happens risks giving too much of the story away. And what Jonathan Hickman does with the X-Men in this comic is such a paradigm shift, one has to read the comic before talking about it. However, since I still have a review to write, I’ll dance around what happens as best I can.
Let’s just say House of X #5 reveals how Cyclops’ team of X-Men, seemingly killed during their mission to destroy the Sentinel Mother Mold, “survived.” Yes, this tangentially involves Krakoa and Mister Sinister. Likewise, it includes five specific mutants you wouldn’t otherwise think are important or connected. It reprints a key scene from House of X #1, which turns out to be a flash-forward. And we also learn why Charles Xavier now wears his ungainly Cerebro helmet 24/7.
Yet the more we see what Xavier and his inner circle are doing to achieve mutant autonomy and independence, the more unsettling the comic becomes. A rally lead by Storm on Krakoa has all the trims and trappings of a religious cult. During a UN Security Council vote on whether to recognize Krakoa’s sovereignty, Emma Frost psychically influences the outcome. The climax of the issue involves Xavier welcoming various X-Men villains, lead by Apocalypse, as new Krakoan citizens. Mutants are more united than ever, but it just doesn’t feel right.
That’s exactly the point, of course. We’re not meant to feel comfortable about what Xavier is doing at all. Yes, he’s saving his fellow mutants and is closer to achieving his dream of peaceful co-existence with humans than ever before. But in doing so, he’s adopting methods he would have otherwise condemned in the past. The greater Xavier’s presence grows on the world stage, the more he compromises his ethics to achieve a greater good. So, too, has nearly every major political leader throughout history, especially those we’ve deemed as patriots, statesman, and heroes. It’s how civilizations are born.
This is the genius of Hickman’s narrative. While it is disturbing what the supposed good guys are doing, we still know why they’re doing it. We’ve seen the fate that awaits the X-Men if they don’t take the actions they’re taking now. Thus, we can still understand and sympathize with their plight while still questioning the ethics of what they’re doing. Like Game of Thrones’ early seasons, the comic forces its readers to look at the true nature of power, and how leaders truly exercise such power.
Such themes are carried over into Pepe Larraz’s illustrations and Marte Gracia’s colors. During the, for lack of a better word, revival on Krakoa, the scene looks deliberately ethereal. With the sunlight shining through a dome of pink foliage, it’s little wonder the giant tree where Storm addresses the crowd has similarities to a cathedral. It’s also no coincidence that Larraz and Gracia make Xavier look as regal as possible, especially when he’s at the United Nations. Hence why it’s so telling when Apocalypse arrives, towering all those around him, even Xavier himself. One look at the last page, when Xavier and Apocalypse shake hands, and you know which of them is really dominant.
House of X #5 is a comic X-Men fans will debate about for years to come. Its implications are controversial. It challenges our preconceptions of who these beloved characters truly are. And it asks us the hard questions about the price we pay to achieve peace if it’s even worth achieving if we sacrifice who we are. In short, it does what good stories should do.
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with possible spoilers)
- Years ago, if you told me Goldballs would become one of the most important mutants in comics, I would’ve laughed myself into a hospital. Guess no one’s laughing about Goldballs now, are they?
- Hmm…interesting how Magneto doesn’t include “memories” or “experiences” when he talks about the soul. Wonder if that’s a clue for why various characters not only resemble their classic looks but also their classic personalities.
- You know, it must really suck for Wolverine regaining his adamantium skeleton. Or Archangel having metallic wings replacing his natural ones. They didn’t appreciate it happening the last time, Chuck.
- “We see them. But do we know them?” Talk about one of the most loaded chants in an X-Men comic.
- Did I forget to mention that there’s lots of copious nudity in this comic? No, we don’t see any of their cleverly hidden naughty bits, so it still gets by with a “T+” rating. Although, why don’t the “heroes of Krakoa” not put any clothes on? Surely, it’s not like the crowd has to see everything to know it’s them, right?
- Wait, why does Storm only present the men according to their code names, but presents the women by their birth names? Talk about double standards!
- That’s some rather contradictory information about Proteus in those data pages. Or is it?
- Wow! So Krakoa considers Wakanda “naturally adversarial” because “They do not need mutant drugs.” Because how dare Wakanda refuse to trade with rogue nations! Of course, Wakanda likely invented their own medications that extend the human lifespan (which, of course, they refuse to share). Also, you know the reported adapted that “They do not need mutant drugs” line from how T’Challa, the Black Panther, told them off.