After House of X #2 revealed Moira MacTaggert as a secret mutant, Powers of X #2 shows how the X-Men, in all timelines, take their fight to the machines. When Powers of X #3 reveals that a century into the future was another of Moira’s ten lives, House of X #3 and #4 depicts Cyclops’ team of X-Men on a suicide mission. So House of X #5 depicts Cyclops’ team revived via cloning, how does writer Jonathan Hickman follow this up in Powers of X #5? By showing how Professor X turned Krakoa into a nation.
Thus we see Charles Xavier and Magneto court Emma Frost to their cause. We see all three form the foundation for what will be Krakoa’s government. We see Xavier deliver a psychic broadcast to all mutants, heroes and villains alike, promising them a refuge from a hateful world, and that this time, everything will be different.
Of course, Powers of X #5 also takes the time explaining how Xavier made it possible for Cerebro to copy and catalog mutant souls. Seems the technopath Forge was in on Cerbero’s upgrade. It also apparently takes a tremendous amount of data storage to do what Xavier wants. The more Xavier talks about what he wants Forge to do, the less our minds are at ease. Everything Xaiver does in the comic–especially how he plans on smuggling Krakoa’s mutant drugs into countries that don’t want them–feels shady.
You can even see this in R.B. Silva’s art. As Xavier continues talking with Forge, Silva increasingly makes Xavier look more menacing and duplicitous. By the end of their conversation, Xavier smiles like the Cheshire Cat, poised in his wheelchair like Mr. Burns. It’s a real testament to Silva’s skill that he can visually convey the malicious intent behind Xavier’s words.
Then again, would we even be thinking this had we not read House of X #5 beforehand? For everything Professor X does to create his utopia must now be seen in the context of the previous issue. When a shocked Emma says that what Xavier is doing isn’t “heroic…just reckless,” we believe her. That the haughty Namor the Sub-Mariner compliments Xavier for finally realizing how humans will always hate mutants out of envy, we should be thinking how did Xavier lose his way this bad. Just like House of X #5, Hickman makes us ask at what price does one pay for the sake of saving one’s people?
Regardless, Powers of X #5 is still all about the set-up. Nor does it technically advance the overall story. This comic is really just a series of extended flashbacks with one possible flash-forward. The “Quiet Council of Krakoa” Xavier, Magneto, and Emma are building are as much about establishing the mission statements for upcoming X-titles as it is about creating a governing body. What new things we learn just elaborate on what we already knew. The scenes from 1,000 years into the future are just as nebulous and disconnected as ever.
Yet Hickman still makes it all so fascinating. Having shown us what will come of Xavier’s plans for Krakoa beforehand, he makes us curious as to how Xavier got there. And with Silva’s illustrations and Marte Gracia’s vibrant colors, politicking and backroom deals never looked so splendid. Powers of X #5 just might be one of the most visually striking, dramatically-plotted addendums ever created.
With only two more chapters of his “Two Series That Are One” to go, much of what Hickman has established for his revamp of the X-Men is now in place. Likely there are at least one or two more bombshells ready to drop. Something must have happened beyond what he read in Moira’s mind to shift Xavier’s ethical compass. And is the future of “X-Men, Year One-Thousand” the true fate of humanity and Earth? Whatever it is, congratulations, Mr. Hickman. You have us hooked.
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with possible spoilers)
- “…[Henry] was rather empathic that it cannot be done.” Well, since we know Cerbero can create back-ups of a person’s mind, did Beast think it wasn’t possible, or did he object on moral grounds? If the latter, why does he seem okay with it now in previous issues? Did Professor X alter his mind or…? Oooohhhh.
- Hey, Chuck? Why are you showing yourself five fingers when you should be showing Forge five fingers?
- Oh, so when Xavier scans the “latest version” of a mind every week, it’s only a “partial backup.” It’s only the “hard backup,” which Xavier does once a year, that’s a “fresh copy” of a mind. Is it just me, or does this sound like Xavier could be selectively choosing which memories and thoughts he wants a mutant Husk to have?
- Hold on? Did those data pages state Xavier used Cerebro to replace his own mind twice?! I’d be very curious as to when he did that. Because it’s like saying he gave himself brain damage.
- “Let’s put all the mutants on an island again.” You certainly got to hand it to Emma Frost. She knows how to make snarky comments, particularly about past X-Men status quos, like the rest of them.
- Um…I can still see the name you tried blacking out on the “Quiet Council of Krakoa” page, comic. Then again, Marvel did already reveal eleven of the council members when promoting House of X and Powers of X months ago.
- All right, the wisdom of telepathically reaching out to the X-Men’s enemies for them to come to Krakoa is certainly debatable. But Namor? Even if he agrees with what Xavier is doing, why would he accept? Doesn’t he have an undersea kingdom to run?
- “…the primordial kirbons.” You see, folks? When people say Jack Kirby is akin to the God of the Marvel Universe, they mean that literally.
- Okay, so black holes aren’t stars? They’re a network of AI supercomputers built by a civilization so intelligent they literally imploded and warped space-time? Yep, this is definitely a Jonathan Hickman comic. Though it could be a Grant Morrison one, too. Because this sounds a bit like a Xorn reference, no?
- You know, Librarian, you didn’t need Nimrod to tell you that Phalanx wouldn’t absorb your physical body along with your mind. You only had to play Soma to figure that out.