This is our first review by James the Scary Librarian – you can find him on Twitter at @Jamesrgwrites. Make sure you check out his blog at: http://bewarethescarylibrarian.blogspot.com/
Mutants are the future, and the future begins now! Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (INFINITY, SECRET WARS) takes the reigns of the X-Men universe with artists Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva to change the way you look at every X-Men story. HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X intertwine to reveal the secret past, present, future, and far future of Mutantkind! It all starts when Charles Xavier reveals his new masterplan for Mutantkind, one that will bring mutants out of the shadow of humanity and into the light.
COLLECTING: House of X 1-6, Powers of X 1-6
Title: House of X/Powers of X | Author: Johnathon Hickman | Illustrator: Pepe Laras, Marte Garcia, and R. B. Silva | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Pub Date: 2019-12-11 | Pages: 448 | ISBN13: 978-1302915704 | Genre: Science Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novel | Language: English | Triggers: None | Source: Checked out at local library | Starred Review
House of X/Powers of X Review
The X-Men, with a comic that’s been around since the ‘60s and a large filmography of movies, have left an indelible stamp on pop culture. Their status as mutants gave these heroes extraordinary powers, but they were also hunted and persecuted by humans that refused to understand them. That was once their status quo. Now, Johnathan Hickman came along and turned the whole story of Marvel’s mutants on its head by completely recreating the team’s place within the Marvel Universe as well as their own collective identity in House of X/Powers of X.
Comic fans may already know the story of mutants, their genetic gifts also a social and cultural stigma. Readers may be familiar with Cyclops, he of the uncontrollable optic blasts, or Beast, a jovial scientist with an animalistic appearance. They may know of the battles between mind-reading Professor X, who believed mutants should live alongside humans in harmony, or the master of magnetism Magneto, who believes that mutants must aggressively establish their dominance. Now they have joined forces, along with other heroes and villains of the X-Men to create a haven for mutants on the living island of Krakoa, but also a nation where citizenship is guaranteed to all mutants. These two stories focuses on how they establish this nation, but it is also so much more. This story is a virtual who’s who of mutant friends and foes, from the mutant-hunting robot Sentinels to obscure members of X-teams, but it also involves some heady concepts like reincarnation, resurrection, multiple timelines, and developing a language for a living island.
No longer a team that could be confused with the Avengers or Defenders, the X-Men, under Hickman’s guidance, are emphatically establishing that they are not hiding from humanity but are announcing to humanity that they are proud of being mutants and that they are not going anywhere. Not a comic to read in one sitting, this book can be hard to follow, but it does get the brain working in ways that good science fiction gets us to ask questions about life, the universe, and what lies beyond. This book is an excellent read for not only fans of superheroes, but also for fans of science fiction like Isaac Aasimov and Phillip K. Dick, science fiction that forces us to consider ideas and worlds beyond our own.
Lilyn G is the founder of Sci-Fi & Scary, and leader of the Coolthulhu Crew. She does book and film reviews for both genres the site focuses on. Her tastes run towards creature features, hard science fiction, and lots and lots of action. She also has a soft spot for middle-grade fiction that rears its head frequently.
Though no longer involved with Ladies of Horror Fiction due to other responsibilities and a too-full plate, she was one of the original 4 co-founders.
Feel free to chat her up on Twitter as long as you aren’t hitting her up to review your book.
