The latest infinity comic over at Marvel Unlimited, this brand new vertical reimagining takes a brand new look at the X-Men. The first of six issues that takes two X-Men classic storylines and combines them together, with Age of Apocalypse and House of X. Though both set during the Krakoan age.
For those not in the know Age of Apocalypse is a very popular storyline from the 90s adapted in both game and original animated series format, and for many, was a high mark in X-Men history. In Age of Apocalypse, Charles Xavier is accidentally killed in the past instead of Magneto due to a botched assassination attempt by Legion. What results is an era where Apocalypse arrives about a decade earlier than when the X-Men could be ready to stop him, and thus, En Sabah Nur succeeded in taking over the earth creating the dawn of his own Apocalypse.
Meanwhile, House of X is arguably the most popular X-Men storyline since, ironically, Age of Apocalypse. It’s set in the age of Krakoa, a living mutant paradise nation/state away from the rest of humanity. During an era where mutants were nearly almost entirely extinct, Charles Xavier and Magneto surprisingly had teamed up to accomplish both of their dreams: fulfilling a promise to make a place where Mutants could prosper and live in peace independently from humanity, though oddly along the way, by having found a way to crack what any person concerned for the survival of their species could ask for: immortality.
Led by Professor Xavier and co-founded by both Magneto and Moira McTaggert (whose influence in this story is absolutely killer and a complete character reimagining but I’ll omit for spoilers), what makes House of X a fascinating read is just by how many themes it takes on in the Jonathan Hickman run.
You’ve got the nature of Gods and monsters, genetic experimentation, corporations, what it means to have a legacy, asks when does science go too far, and of course: features storylines from the X-Men, including a soverign Storm and a swooning Scott and Jean. So what happens when this paradise is threatened by the very Apocalypse who wanted to make this reality his own for the almost entirety of his own character continuity?
Well that’s sort of what gets introduced in this comic along with a whole plethora of introductions and characters as we focus in on a day in the life of one professor Charles Xavier. All for a storyline that seems to introduce the best of both of these respective storyline worlds and ending on a cliffhanger you won’t want to miss.
Writer: Jordan Blum
Artist: Salva Espin
Colorist: Israel Silva
Editor: Jordan White
