L O L one of the reasons you gave this book a bad rating was because it's only been 10 years... Boy do you have a lot to learn about DC and Marvel comics both
FEAR THE FUTURE! Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (INFINTY, NEW AVENGERS, FF) continues his revolutionary new direction for the X-Men. Intertwining with HOUSE OF X, POWERS OF X reveals the secret past, present and future of mutantkind, changing the way you look at every X-Men story before and after. You do not want to miss the next seminal moment in the history of the X-Men!
Rated T+
If you like X-Men, comic books, long game mythology and storytelling, then you have absolutely zero excuses not to read House of X and Powers of X as soon as they drop on NCBD. The first issue of this series ties in four distinct time periods in mutant history that reflect directly upon the "current timeline" as it unfolds in House of X. You cannot read one of these books without the other to grasp the full scale of what Hickman has in store for a thousand years of X-Men history "yes, a thousands years. Read Full Review
Powers of X deftly expands upon the mutant mythos and addresses the nature of humanity's greatest challenges, providing a new legend and new meaning for the X-Men. Read Full Review
After the first two issues of Hickmans X-Men run, it is obvious that this truly is a new jumping-on point. Everything that you would expect from a Hickman event is here so far. Marvel has assigned art teams that are up to the task of keeping up with Hickmans storytelling. So strap in as it is obvious that Hickman and his team have an amazing story they are going to tell. Read Full Review
Powers of X #1 is the beginnings of a new X-Men Epic. Read Full Review
Powers Of X #1 throws readers into the deep end, but in the best possible way. Hickman does some excellent world-building without giving away too much and lays out tantalizing clues of whats to come. The only minor quibble with the comic is how it fits in with House Of X, but Hickman is a master storyteller so the connection is sure to be something great. R.B. Silvas art isnt perfect, but it works for the story. His design work and his execution of the action scenes make up for the deficiencies of his artwork. Theres a lot to love about this book and it lays out a lot of interesting stuff. Hickman continues to work his magic on the X-Men. Read Full Review
This may be a tougher read for the casual X-Fan, but there's obviously been a lot of planning and design here, and it's a rewarding read for thosebrave enough to tackle it. Read Full Review
Uncanny. Amazing. Astonishing. And we are only one issue in. Read Full Review
Powers of X #1 is a nigh-perfect companion to last weeks House of X #1, recasting it in a slightly darker tone while also seeding its own massive sci-fi epic. These new Jonathan Hickman X-Men comics are, quite simply, must-reads. Read Full Review
Groundbreaking, gut-wrenching storytelling and astonishing art marks the beginning of what will prove to be a very important X-Man story. Read Full Review
R.B. Silvas art is fantastic. There are some great visual moments throughout and a beautiful fluidity to the backgrounds that draws the readers eye. Read Full Review
The format of this book may seem a bit more of a hard sell than the “present day” book, inclusions of the former notwithstanding. Between the two books, Hickman has crafted his own version of the X-universe that is waiting for us all to explore. Read Full Review
Once again, Hickman proves deft at remixing familiar elements just enough to make them interesting, and while the questions posed by his narrative have no easy answers, the journey to finding them and exploring this new status quo is the most exciting the X-line has been in quite some time. Read Full Review
Overall: Powers of X #1 is a brilliant read. Hickman builds off of House of X #1 in pleasant fashion. Hickman continues to build a delightfully complex and immersive world. This story pulls the reader in deeply and doesn't let go until the very end. Powers of X #1 is an issue that demands multiple readings in order to properly soak up all of the small details packed into the story. This is an issue that is truly worth every penny of the cover price. Read Full Review
Powers of X #1 makes an even stronger case for Jonathan Hickman's ambitious X-Men saga than House of X #1. Read Full Review
This right here is as daring as it gets. If you thought Hickman's present storyline for the X-Men was mindblowing in House of X #1? Powers of X #1 challenges you to think again. In fact, it challenges you to think harder than you ever have about the mutant's place on not only Earth, but the entirety of the universe! This right here is how you get readers and fans talking about the X-Men again. Read Full Review
Hickman even though he is throwing so much at us and is not really giving any real answers, manages to keep you captivated. This world is so lush and heavy that you can't help but be pulled right in. The futures are unique, but also feel like they are familiar as well. That no matter what the X-Men do it is their destiny to end up in the same place or somewhere similar it seems. That being said, this is a powerhouse series you should be reading. Read Full Review
Powers of X #1 is Bold with a capital “B” in terms of expanding Jonathan Hickman's new ideas, and that is really exciting. Read Full Review
I like to think of House of X as the prelude to Powers of X, not just because it came first, but because House of X feels very stand-alone whereas in Powers of Xtheres a lot of forward momentum and direction. Either way, I cant recommend this book enough. Read Full Review
In the X-Men's world of unchecked evolution, is there even such a thing as justice or a happy ending? That's the mind-bending mystery at the heart of Powers of X " but if the answers he delivers are even half as satisfying as his questions he's posing, Jonathan Hickman and company stand to usher in a bold new era of X-Men storytelling. Read Full Review
The hope implied in House of X had a somewhat ominous edge to it, as if something wasn't quite right. Powers of X reinforces the idea that it won't last " not too surprising, really. It's the yin to the other book's yang, reflecting the constant duality of the X-Men franchise of tragedy and hope. While I suspect that House of X will be the more universally popular of the two books for this new arc thanks to the familiar characters and singular timeline thus far, I'm just as excited to see where into the future (and past) Powers of X takes us from here. Read Full Review
Despite not being as accessible as House of X, Powers of X is another hit for Hickman and X-Men fans. There is a lot take in, a lot to speculate at, and a whole lot of neat things to be surprised by. Read Full Review
If you're not excited for where Jonathan Hickman is taking the X-Men, you were never a fan to begin with. Read Full Review
It's still early to understand what game Hickman and his cohorts are trying to pull off here. But it is exciting to be caught up in the familiar conflicts of the X-Men even as they are being reimagined. Read Full Review
Hickman gives Silva a lot of opportunities in the script to tell a sequence in visually instead of deferring to exposition alone. I hope Hickman will be able to continue that trend and I found Silva to complement his script really nicely. I don't think I liked some of the text sequences quite as much as House of X #1, but there was still some much-needed additional context and worldbuilding in those pages. Read Full Review
After really digging House of X #1, I expected the same here and was sadly disappointed. As a new reader, I felt left behind and am not having enough fun to try to catch up. This issue feels like a showcase for Hickmans big brain and it was just not for me. I liked the art and will give these weekly books a fair shake, but if things keep going like this, I dont think Ill be sticking around. Read Full Review
tremendous book!
This is what a book should look and feel like.
Powers of X is such a great followup
I am going to start with a statement: Even if you are NOT an X-Men fan, you should read Powers of X and House of X. Jonathan Hickman knows how to tell a story and he has years of content dedicated to the X-Men comics moving forward. I will elaborate on those titles when they become available. Until then...
Powers of X is a new vision of the Marvel Mutants. It's a vision of the Past, Present and Future. And no not the Days of Future Past; but of a new vision told by someone unseen prior to the X-Family. A vision that will change the entire X-Verse going forward!
From the first few pages of this title, it is obvious that Jonathan Hickman is setting up a new X-Men Universe. One that looks to be retconned from what we know.
However, the reader must be vigilant in the subtle hints; and the Kraoka seed farm here at the beginning of the issue. Those hints may lay the groundwork for Powers of X / House of X purposes and it may truly change the X-Men Universe Forever!
I recommend continuing to read Powers of X thru the six issues and collecting the six issues of House of X.
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House of X #1 was a stunning, awe-inspiring debut that showed how committed Jonathan Hickman is to matching the feelings of the characters inhabiting his brave new X-world with those of the readers. In House of X, there's this palpable sense of inspiration, of hope renewed-- you truly feel like the mutants are moving forward after so any years of stagnation, ready to walk hand-in-hand into the future as they always should have. The tagline for the series is even "Face the Future."
Well, Powers of X's tagline is "Fear the Future," and holy hell, do Hickman and his collaborators scare you in this issue.
Taking place over 4 different time periods, House of X chronicles the past, present, and future of mutantkind. Mostly the future, though-- there's a perplexing opening scene taking place during Charles Xavier's formative years and another following up on a plot thread from last week's House of X debut in the present, but the lion's share of pages are devoted to showing the future of mutantkind. And oh, what a future it is. Similar to Grant Morrison and Whilce Portacio's "Here Comes Tomorrow" storyline (which, given that Hickman's an avowed Morrison fan, may be a conscious inspiration here), Hickman and artist R.B. Silva take elements from several of the X-Men mythos' myriad dystopian futures and put them all together to make something that's an entirely new kind of dreadful. Pretty much every single bad thing that you can imagine has happened to mutants: selective breeding, strategic depopulation, exploitation of natural powers, implied mass infanticide, it's all here, and it is all god-awful. What really sells the horror, however, is that Hickman never loses that clinical, matter-of-fact tone that's so emblematic of his writing, creating a sense of inevitability that isn't there in other dystopian future X-Men stories. Hickman's writing doesn't make the future of X^2 sound like a possibility that can be prevented, it makes it sound INEVITABLE, and it's so much better for it. This awful future is presided over by two familiar X-villains, one of whom doesn't appear here but whose shadow looms large over the many data pages. It's a character Hickman's written before, and written well, so I'm excited to see them make a proper appearance. The other villain, Nimrod, however, is nothing short of a revelation. Over the course of a few pages, Hickman, Silva, colorist Marte Gracia, and letterer Clayton Cowles turn what could have been a generic robot dictator and turn him into the single best evil Sentinel in ANY possible timeline. He's got so many layers: he's both a ruler and little more than a child, both an unrepentant killer and a remorseful figure, and worryingly human while decidedly alien. It's one of the best villain introductions I've read in any comic of the past year, at least.
Our new heroes are no slouches, either. Rasputin and Cardinal take all of your favorite traits of several modern X-Men and mix them together to make characters that are an entirely new kind of charming. Cardinal and his hard-wired pacifism make for some compelling storytelling possibilities, but Rasputin, with her excellent design and pure badassery, is a fan-favorite in the making. We also end the issue with a glimpse of the state of mutantkind 1,000 years from now, guided by the mysterious Librarian, who Silva infuses with a level of familiarity while, like he did with Nimrod, keeping him totally alien. In general, all the characters Hickman introduces here are ones I can see becoming viable pieces of the X-Men mythos for years to come.
Finally, R.B. Silva's art is great here. Like Larraz, Silva is a clear acolyte of the great Stuart Immonen, his style landing in the perfect medium between realistic and cartoonish. I really can't say enough how great his Nimrod looks, boasting a killer new design and some really great expression work that makes him almost childish. With House of X's Pepe Larraz, there was a kinetic movement about the art, like Larraz was just so good that he put the pencil to the page and didn't take it off until the whole thing was finished, but Silva's art feels more methodical, more controlled, fitting for the future which the book clinically implies cannot be avoided. My one complaint about the issue is Gracia's coloring, which feels more flat than it did in HoX-- in particular, it feels like a lot less effort was put into the lighting of each scene, making a few panels look almost unfinished. That said, this is still a great debut, and I can't wait to see what Hickman's got planned. more
Mystery deepens with this issue, Hickman once again shows how adept he is at connecting one story with two books. I like the different timelines and him taking influence from days of Future past, but with new characters and twists. RB Silva's art isn't as good as Pepe larraz's imo but it's still good, and Gracia's colors once again elevate the book greatly.
I really liked House of X #1 but this is the book that gives me hope for this all to be a really good story.
I would die for this series.
The flashback portion is tiny but does a much better job capturing my interest than the future bits, which lean heavily on science fiction clichés and expo-dumps. It's all fascinating, but it's drier and more cerebral than its sibling series.
Not as much of a homerun as House of X #1, but it's compelling in its own, very different way. Gotta say, the pages of information are a godsend here. Without those, I don't think you could really grasp what was going on in this issue, which is a bit different from House of X where everything was still grounded in the familiar. And while it's obvious that you should read these pages and every reader probably does, that difference and that unfamiliarity may be what brings Powers of X down a little.
I liked this about as much as House of X.
Powers of X 1 all but confirms that Jonathan Hickman is the best world builder of all time right up there next to Stan Lee, except Hickman can build whole worlds in 1 issue while it would take Stan 100s. For the issue itself, there were no flaws whatsoever and my only complaint is that the futuristic timelines seem kind of cliched in X-Men comics and Hickman’s take on a Mutant timeline wasn’t exactly unique
Outstanding and well developed story especially for how little time we get for each X Timeline. I for one welcome the extra guides and pages to help set up the worlds which would normally take many issues to explain. It's like a small piece from a novel. Next I wanna see Hickman put in charts and a double page spread detailed timeline to help (although the questions posed aren't going to be answered fully for years?). I do like his delivery style as he delivers the goods and opens so many threads and questions along this story. It's beautiful too because RB Silva and Gracia make it look pretty darn good!
THE GOOD:
-Goddamn, I can't believe I'm not reading an Image comic or something similar. This is truly as close to creator owned as a comic from one of the big two will likely ever get.
-I found this comic to be even more strange and unique than House, which is saying a lot considering just how ambitious that debut was.
-I really liked how this comic showed us this X-Men world that Hickman has created through different times. Each of the story lines is compelling, despite the ambition, and it provides a nice context that other series in this new X-Men can build off of.
-I am really liking just how intertwined these two series are. I don't know why the sales pitch didn't have me sold. For some reason I assumed at least one of the series would be inessential. But boy, was I wrong.
-This just feels like X-Men. The X-Men Universe has always been one of my favorites of the Marvel properties, but recent series haven't really been doing it for me. The Blue/Gold X-Men was almost never good. Rosenberg's run and the Age of X-Man started off really strong, but overstayed their welcome. This just feels like something that'll be consistent, and I like it.
-RB Silva did a good job here. I still prefer Larraz and I can't wait for Leinil Franci Yu, but I really liked his takes on each of the characters, and he did an especially nice job with the juxtaposition of each of the timelines in this very confusing, but very intelligent X-Men comic.
-I love how epic this feels. There's so much going on here, yet it still feels incredibly accessible. I've never read a Hickman comic before (I know!), but I guess that's what he's good at.
THE BAD;
-This definitely wasn't House of X, which I found to be an incredible debut. Still fantastic, just not up to par with that level of excellence. more
The art and colors are amazing, this book and House of X will have no problems in this regard.
On the other hand, if House of X 1 allowed the reader to notice a new rebirth for the X-Men franchise, it is this number that really opens a new era for mutants. I like the new characters and the story seems interesting, there are important dialogues and you can feel how the story moves forward.
At some point the "annexes", tables or graphs or explanations, etc., seemed a bit boring but I think they are needed to lay the foundations for everything that is coming. Certainly, sometimes it is somewhat confusing and it may be that new readers are totally lost but if you analyze all this as a single story you can conclude that Hickman did not lie, this will change the history of the X-Men. more
This wasn't as great as House of X #1, but it was still a fairly strong debut issue. This feels a lot more complex and complicated than House of X, but it's still pretty intriguing. With the introduction of Krakoa seeming to be very promising, we go into the future to see a grim future for the X-Men, which is something they aren't all that unfamiliar with. All things considered, this was good stuff.
As sorta newbie I’m kinda lost but I like it!
Powers of X #1 is a really good comic but it doesn't feel like an X-Men book despite the X-Title. What this issue most reminds me of Is Grant Morrison's last arc on X-Men, Here Comes Tomorrow. That arc was also a non-traditional X-Men story with a similar thematic backdrop.
In the Morrison story, the reader is transported into a far future in which a ragtag band of X-Men has to take down John Sublime, who had possessed Beast at some point in the timeline. The most notable thing about the story was the art from Mark Silvestri. It's not a story referenced often and usually only gets any mention at all because the linework was absolutely stunning.
"Here Comes Tomorrow" is similar to this story. Once again we're transported into a faraway dystopian future and following a ragtag band of unfamiliar X-men.
The issue itself is great. Hickman is simply a master at worldbuilding as noted in House of X #1. Once again I found the most interesting aspects of the book to be the lore sections, which work to fill in the background of the setting.
The lore segments mostly resemble Role-Playing modules. They flesh out the setting and make the events feel bigger than they would otherwise as noted in House of X. I'm pretty sure Hickman would have been a god-tier dungeon master.
We learn in this issue that the New Mutants introduced aren't directly related to any characters that we know. They have had their powers blended together via the machinations of Mr. Sinister. Most of the events in this book are a direct result of his experiments. Because of the Lore dumps, Sinister has a huge presence here without actually being in the comic.
The comic splits up into four distinct segments Past, Present, Future and Far Future. There isn't much connecting tissue established here but there is enough information provided to hold the audience's attention.
I'm not an avid Marvel reader, but I want to know what the hell is going on because I'm intrigued. I haven't been interested in an X-Men Comic in over a decade.
I enjoyed the art from R.B. Silva. He gets a lot to do throughout the issue. Running the gamut of different time periods. The periods are all distinct and credit must also be given to Marte Gracia for setting the tone of each time period.
There are also a few callbacks throughout the comic that connect to earlier scenes and House of X. The blended X-Men are visually striking and part of the fun is guessing which established X-men the power sets are pulled from. It's almost as if Hickman created these characters via a dice roll system.
There isn't much overlap between the series yet, but there is connective tissue established throughout the book and eventually, the stories will weave together to form a cohesive whole.
The only negative I can give the book is that although it's a great comic it doesn't really feel like an X-Book. It also suffers from the same problem that the Morrison Arc ran into, the events are so far removed from the present day that it's hard to connect with whats going on.
In fact, if you changed the names and power-sets of the characters involved in this comic it could have been an entirely new series unrelated to the X-Men at all.
Those gripes may be big or small depending on what you're reading the comic for, but for me it's too early to pass judgment. It's still in the setup phase and passing definite judgment at this point wouldn't be fair to the creators involved. It's a good book and I invite you to check it out and form your own conclusions. more
"Powers of 10"
This was excellent.
Art - 8 - not the biggest fan. but i have to admit the way it is pencilled conveys a lot of emotion, and i feel the panels are organized very well.
Story - 10 (holy crap HIckman is so good)
Cover - 7 (could have been better. I just feel like IMO the cover does not do justice to how EPIC this book feels. Variant covers are fine i guess. It's just too... crowded
At this point, I'm back to being an X-book fan and fully on board. Hickman's new status quo for the mutants are full of mystery, attitude, and the issue # 2 to his worldbuilding is quite frankly driving me nuts with anticipation.
"It's not a dream if it's real."
Not as good as House of X as it seems to be less friendly to new readers, but still a very good issue that sets up the story in a rather exciting way.
Not as immediately engaging as last week's House of X #1. This issue has a lot more information to assess and much of which won't be fully understood until the rest of the story unravels, which is why Hickman stories are so compelling and encourages multiple re-reads. R.B. Silva is very similar to Pepe Larraz in style with a little more more scratchiness. Again, the graphic design is the best and most important aspect of both series. Still very excited to see where this will go.
Okay, but I am hesitant.
Oh! What a confusing, and disappointing, mess. Maybe things will be cleared up in the future, but the problem here is that, as a single issue, this just doesn't work. It is overly convoluted, such that there is not really much of a story to follow. Hickman needs to keep in mind that this is an episodic form of storytelling, and each episode must be coherent in its own right: sadly, this issue isn't.
Professor X is still a complete dick, which I like, because frankly he always has been an obnoxious paternalistic asshole. Other characters are, however, unclear. Too much new is introduced without time for it to bed in.
The exposition sections are, like the main narrative, confusing: not enough is explained for them to be helpful, while too much is revealed for them to be skippable. As a result they just frustrate the reader. I like Hickman, and think he is a good writer, but this is bad writing. Hickman has forgotten that his primary role is to tell an interesting story, and not to try and make himself seem more intelligent than his readers. Writers who do that are just pretentious.
The art, by Silva, is also significantly less good than that by Laraz on House of X. It isn't terrible, but switching between the two titles the difference is stark.
I really liked House of X #1 and was excited about reading this. Unfortunately it is a horrible mess. I hope that we aren't going to get more of this in future issues. more
I am of the opinion that revealing the future effects of a story arc undermines the current story arc itself. Why read about it when you already know how it turns out? And even if this is just one possibility and things aren't destined to end up this way, why reveal it at all? We don't know or care about any of these new characters so it's not all that interesting or easy to get invested in. The art is good if nothing special. I just didn't get this issue, especially after the strong promise of House of X #1.
X-Men as a whole, despite this relaunch, remains largely inexcessible, and with Hickman now at the helm , and two issues in, to me it seems to remain no different. X fans will eat up the new direction however it's still very much the same flavor . Future timelines and butt hurt humans vs XMen ? I thought this was a relaunch .
After House of X, this was boring. Just like old Cable issues, I find it hard to care about new future characters. Also, 10 years between founding and present ignores the fact that it's been at LEAST 14 years Marvel time. This book sucks.
L O L one of the reasons you gave this book a bad rating was because it's only been 10 years... Boy do you have a lot to learn about DC and Marvel comics both
Been reading Marvel for 25 years. Yeah, that's one of the reasons but also because it is about as interesting as Garrison Kane in Cable.
You've been reading comics for 25 years, and you think any company keeps track of how many years have passed in continuity? Also secret wars happened like 4 years ago, and that's supposed to be a clean slate, no one knows how many years its been since start to finish
Why read comics if continuity means nothing ? It's literally the only thing that makes them stand out from cheaper and better forms of entertainment .
It is important, but asking a publisher to keep continuity in terms of years? That's a near impossible ask, and no publisher has any clear answer for that at all. Obviously events have happened, that's not what I'm saying, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to give a book a bad review because the publisher doesn't keep continuity in terms of years passed. That's literally impossible due to the company's long history
If the number of years was my only issue, this would be a 9.0/10 but it's BORING. Characters that we not only know nothing about and die right away, but characters that are generic genetic constructs... Literally bred to die on panel. Boring. It was boring. Obligatory for HoX, sure, but this is about as riveting as Malcolm and Randall's backstory. I give this issue a bad rating because there's nothing keeping me engaged, nothing keeping me turning the pages. I loved HoX, but this IS BORING.
gotcha, then guess we can agree to disagree. Just found the part where you put the number of years weird thats all
It's less about the fact that 10 years contradicts the rest of Marvel, than I feel like it was arbitrarily chosen to fit this logarithmic scale thing he came up with. Also, "Man-Machine Supremacy"? Who writes this stuff? Oh yeah, the guy whose big credits are ripping Jim Shooter's marketing project and making the remarkable Discovery that the Fantastic Four are A FAMILY! Everyone is so down on the post-IvX era for no reason but THIS is just so lame and contrived and predictable.
idk i guess different tastes then lol. Me personally, i love the stuff he's doing. The X-Men have been in a creative rut for the last couple of years for me, especially the IvX event
setting up hopefully a good story and mystery, which is why i like it. I'd rather not have a predictable story handed to me on a plate, which is why i like it
Moira sums up my final feelings on the issue: "It seems like the type of thing I SHOULD enjoy, and yet... I look around at all these [panels] and know it's just a show for those who need one. A distraction from what's really going on, if you will." What's really going on is they're bringing back Earth-1610 and this is the long setup.
That's a cool theory! See that's why I find it interesting, anything can happen in my eyes. But if you r set that that's what's happening then I guess you'd think mystery solved. For me, I like just savoring everything and waiting for next issues