This is the end of the Krakoan era, and in the hands of Gillen and Silva, these ashes are glorious. Read Full Review

With the fate of the past and future at stake, Xaviers desperate action takes center stage in this engaging chapter. Gillen constructs a complex dilemma of moral and ethical consequence with the writing. Silva, Curiel and Cowles give readers much to savor with the incredible images. The end is almost here and readers wont be able to wait to see how this all ends. Read Full Review

Silvas art is exceptional. Not only are their visual moments of beauty throughout, but the action is stunning and bolstered by the colors of Curiel. Read Full Review

Rise of the Powers of X #3 continues down the Charles Xavier focus that has both been the strength and weakness of this mini-series. There is no doubt that Kieron Gillen writes a compelling Charles Xavier. The face-off against the young Moira MacTaggert did deliver on the intensity you expect from when Xavier is making the choice to alter everything Read Full Review

There are individual elements to admireRasputin IV's story stands outbut that good is outweighed by the unwieldy nature of this event and sci-fi concepts that serve the function of continuity more than theme or character. It's a drag to read, especially given the comparison evoked by its title. Read Full Review

Still more convoluted than it needs to be.
Still very enjoyable.

This one continues to be the superior series against Gerry Duggan's Fall of the House of X. I know they're different series, but I can't help but compare with the context of the original series, House of X and Powers of X. Speaking about the issue itself, I thought it was one with some fairly strong moments. The opening few pages with Moira and Charles were written really nicely, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed how Gillen wrote the latter throughout the majority of this issue. I wasn't as interested in the stuff with Rasputin IV and Sinister, but it was still enjoyable and it made for a strong issue overall. I'm looking forward to seeing what Charles's role will be in the rest of this series and beyond after how this ended.

I've been disappointed with the execution and writing for the whole Fall of X phase but this issue was great and won my interest back (at least for Gillen's issues).

Art: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Total: 7.5/10

It was pretty solid in most of the parts. Specifically, the Charles and Moira scenes. It also had a pretty wild ending.

The Krakoan Era has been building towards a monumental showdown between Professor X & Moira for months now, but Rise of the Powers of X #3 fails to land the moment with a lot left to be desired.

The core conflict revolving around Xavier's descent into morally ambiguous territory has been one of the more interesting stories throughout Fall of X. His dream of a mutant utopia has become so twisted that he's willing to sacrifice lives to achieve his goals. This raises a chilling question: has Xavier become the very thing he once fought against? The internal struggle within Charles is palpable throughout the issue. Kieron Gillen crafts a tense atmosphere during the aforementioned meeting w/ Moira. The "will-he-or-won't-he" standoff kept me at the edge of my seat, but I was wholly dissatisfied w/ Rasputin IV coming in to disrupt things. It shielded Xavier from truly facing the consequences of his actions, robbing the scene of its emotional weight.

The other half of the book focusing on Moira’s conversations w/ Enigma was bogged down w/ convoluted sci-fi speak that has become a hallmark of this mini. Each new layer of Enigma’s plan that’s revealed feels like a deus ex machina of sorts to keep the story going. It’s one thing to not know what’s going on to create a sense of uneasiness or surprise. It’s another thing to never set the stage & let us as readers understand the rules of the game.

R.B. Silva’s designs & David Curiel’s colors continue to be worthy of the cover price themselves. Their are some truly epic panels featuring Rachel & team fending off Sentinels while Xavier is on his mission. Silva’s ability to convey motion is fully present throughout the action. And Curiel’s colors make every scene pop off the page.

Overall, this mini continues to be a mixed bag of unrealized potential. Gillen is trying his best, yet he’s up against months of head-scratching narrative decisions that he’s now being asked to land smoothly. more