At its core, the X-Men have always been about integration. They are, of course, stand-ins for minorities. The supposed purpose of the team is to ultimately achieve peaceful co-existence between themselves and humans. The team itself, who come from different walks of life and often bicker with one another, must learn to set aside their differences. The comic’s entire message is that, regardless of one’s ancestry, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, we must find common ground.
Yet with his X-Men, Jonathan Hickman reminds us of another type of integration. The kind that’s rooted in the proverb, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” And as we see in Hickman and R.B. Silva’s Powers of X #2, such integration can lead to some rather strange bedfellows.
As with Powers of X #1, Powers of X #2 takes place between four different times. The first depicts a meeting between Xavier, Moira MacTaggert, and Magneto. After Moira shares what happened during her previous lives (as seen in House of X #2), Xavier and Magneto set aside their differences to work towards “assuming [their] rightful place on this Earth.” The obvious implication is that nearly all of the X-Men’s history has been intentionally orchestrated by these three.
In the present, we learn the data Mystique stole from Damage Control contains specs for “Mother Mold,” a mass producer of Sentinel-producing Master Molds. It also happens to be the same gigantic Sentinel head orbiting the Sun from House of X #1. Professor X and Magneto order Cyclops to assemble a strike team to destroy it before it comes online. Early X-Men stories showed Cyclops as a true believer to Xavier’s dream, while recent stories show him adopting Magneto’s more militant approach. Now, in this scene, he’s a mixture of both of them.
In the future, the new X-Men are planning a different kind of mission against the alliance of humans and machines. It’s also where we learn the identity of the “old man” who leads them. It’s not as big of a shock we’ve seen from both series thus far, but a shock all the same. It also raises the question as to which timeline this future takes place in.
Finally in the far future, we see a proposes new kind of integration, possibly the ultimate fruition of Xavier, Magneto, and Moira’s plans. Let’s just say that if you found the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation frightening, these last pages may unnerve you. If you’re not completely baffled by them, that is.
In any case, Hickman is, at last, laying the groundwork for House of X and Powers of X’s main plots. But in doing so, Hickman neglects another type of integration: the one between the story and the readers. While Hickman’s premise is intriguing, we still don’t have a clear picture as to what’s really going on. And because we don’t know what’s really going on, we can’t be fully invested in the characters or their stakes. It’s the same reason why J.J. Abrams’ “Mystery Box” makes for great ad campaigns, but not for great stories.
This isn’t to say Hickman’s characterizations are bad. The interaction between Xavier, Moira, and Magneto is particularly strong and well-written. You know what kind of people Cyclops, Xorn, and others are just from a few lines of dialogue. And then there’s Nimrod, someone who still insists on delivering his monologues even after turning you to ash. What was once a minor, obscure villain has now become one of the X-Men’s most frightening–yet darkly comical–antagonists.
Just as impressive are R.B. Silva and Marte Gracia’s illustrations, which look even better in this comic than they did in Powers of X #1. Their depiction of Magneto, in all his different costumes, are particularly outstanding. Whenever the shadows from his helmet completely obscure his face, you know he’s a powerful authority figure to be respected and feared. The final panels, too, are stunning as well. Here, it’s not an abundance of color but the lack of it that makes for striking imagery. And those only a small samples of the superb visual language this issue conveys.
Still, with now two issues apiece, Powers of X comes across as the weaker of Hickman’s interconnecting X-Men miniseries. The links between the two are there, but their structural differences don’t make them cohesive as of yet. As an overall narrative, though, the X-Men haven’t been this intriguing in a long time. Only it couldn’t hurt to make things a little less nebulous, could it?
Stillanerd’s Nerpy Nitpicks (with potential spoilers)
- Powers of X #1 shows that the first meeting between Xavier and Moira took place during “X^0. X-Men. Year One.” In House of X #2, the timeline for Moira’s tenth life states that meeting happened in “Year 17” (Moira’s 17th year). It then states that “Moira and Xavier recruit Magneto” in “Year 43.” (Moira’s 43rd year). Except in this issue, the caption for that meeting reads “X^0. X-Men. Year One.” Can somebody explain how “X-Men Year One” can be twenty-six years long?
- “…to Operation Paperclip in a few ex-Hydra as well.” And thus Magneto, Holocaust survivor, reaffirms that Hydra are, indeed, Nazis. So much for Marvel’s “Hydra aren’t Nazis” baloney during their promotion of Hydra Cap and Secret Empire.
- Sheesh, Wolverine. Did you learn nothing from the last time you became a Horseman of Apocalypse? But at least you’re not Death again. Because based on how Xorn acts, it must be a real downer.
- Okay, now we know the name of the other dead mutant in Powers of X #1 and what his abilities were. Sounds pretty cool. Too bad we never really got to know before the Sentinels killed him right as we’re introduced to him.
- Wait? So the person some folks thought was Groot or Black Tom Cassidy is actually…this guy! Guess he and Krakoa really did get along well.
- So there are indirect links between the Badoon Wars, the Kree Supreme Intelligence, and the Phalanx? That is some serious tangling of Marvel cosmic lore. In other words, vintage Jonathan Hickman.