This is an issue that could stand on its written component alone but combined with absolutely stellar art succeeds on all fronts as an engaging and in fact thrilling halfway point in this crossover. Action lovers may not gravitate toward the issue but fans of tarot, the lore of Otherworld and Arakko will find plenty to engage them on every page! Read Full Review

X of Swords: Stasis #1 is rich with culture, new worlds, and an eclectic mix of characters both good and bad. It sets the stage for an event that's primed to ignite. Read Full Review

X of Swords Stasis gives everybody a chance to catch up on what's at stake to fully appreciate the conflicts that go into the overall story. Read Full Review

Much like a majority of the books within the current line of the X-Franchise, this one covers a lot of ground, but is fundamentally strong enough in its execution that it's a mountain of material worth climbing.again that the Hickman run is proving to be dense. And although I have been thoroughly entertained so far, I question the effectiveness if one book summed up one faction assembling its army where it's taken the X-Men nine issues to get their ducks in a row. Stasis #1 is a good example of how much plot can be packed into any one X-book nowadays and that can be an intimidating plunge for some readers. Mahmoud Asrar and Pepe Larraz are two of the best artists this run could ask for and to have them collaborating on this particular book is a godsend. Aside from Lenil Yu, nobody else is this effective in creating these evocative scenes and epic moments that resonate even when there's little or no action taking place. I don't think I've ever read a comic where I felt genuine emotional Read Full Review

"X of Swords: Stasis" #1 is a great half-way point in a consistently strong event series. Read Full Review

The Champions of Krakoa are preparing to enter the Contest of Swords. Read Full Review

Nonetheless, this weeks installment of X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1 by Jonathan Hickman just didnt move the meter for me this week. Dont get me wrong, this is still a pretty solid event that I think everyone should be reading. And as always, Pepe Larraz and Mahmud Asrar deliver with timely splash pages and jaw-dropping panels! Nevertheless, readers could probably skip this issue and get caught up by a friend at the shop or a well-placed recap page in one of the crossover X-MEN titles. So, should you buy it? Well, if youre a completionist, then yes! However, if money is tight, I think you could skip it albeit still a very fun and intriguing issue. Read Full Review

Overall this midway chapter was one of the most intriguing chapters of the event. It managed to tie up the first half perfectly while getting us excited for the second half. We haven’t seen anything yet, I’m sure of that. Read Full Review

11 issues in and the champions of Krakoa and Arakko still haven't clashed. For this boxing fan, it's a bit too reminiscent of championship matchups that get built up higher and higher, only for the fight itself to fall flat. There are another 11 chapters left, so there's still plenty of time to deliver. X of Swords: Stasis #1 is a well-structured issue, but one that is maybe a little too adherent to the name. The hope is that this is the height of the chain-lift on this roller-coaster, and all that's left is the exhilarating drop. Read Full Review

Derivatives played in a major key, this is less jazz and more muzak as the interminable crossover rumbles onward without finding new ground. Read Full Review

When are we going to get to the fireworks factory?! Read Full Review

Straight up, X Of Swords: Stasis #1 is a cash grab in every sense of the word, a way for Marvel to bilk five more dollars out of readers. Nothing happens in it all and while from a technical standpoint, its a well written, nice looking comic, it is completely superfluous. It does nothing to make an argument that its existence is needed. In that way, its completely emblematic of X Of Swords. Apparently, some readers and critics are somehow enjoying this story but how they are doing so is mystifying. Dawn Of X has been excellent up to this point, so maybe theyre looking at this story through rose-colored glasses, but otherwise, this whole thing is a bloated mess and hopefully, it will get better when the actual action starts. Read Full Review

Simply put this book is absolutely brilliant

Fleshes out Arakko swordbearers a little and provides the necessary exposition
Giving this 1.6 is ridiculous

this issue was literally poggers

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• jbong

jbong - Oct 28, 2020

I found a twitch frog!!!

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Best Dawn of X comic thus far

Perfect. Let it all burns to the ground.

I really enjoyed this, even if it mostly set up.

The middle chapter of this crossover is a lot of setup, but it's damn good setup. Depicted with some beautiful art, Hickman and Howard really begin to set bigger things in motion following the first half of this, in which we saw everyone get their swords to get to this point. Great stuff all around with this issue.

Otherworld has a parliament and Arakko gathers its champions. The mutants go to the Citadel -- and the reader's eye is inevitably drawn to the fact that they are nine rather than ten. This event continues to move slow. But here, the gathering (metaphorical) stormclouds and the huge dose of world-building more than make up for the slow burn of the plot. Jonathan Hickman's greatest talent may be crafting exotic new characters that suggest whole alien words behind them, and the Arakki champions are flawless examples.

Yeah, I liked this quite a lot. This event seems to pull me in more with each issue.

These are the stories I needed more of but just got 2 panels about them and even though they were great I wish I got more from Hickman and Howard about this world. Nevertheless it was a great issue, not as great as the previous installment but with Pepe Larraz everything looks fantastic. Seriously this art belongs in a museum!

Pogg Ur-Pogg is my new favourite X-Men villain. Good to see Apocalypse's character development from the Dawn of X line continue. The issue is a little bit of a filler, but I can't be mad because Pepe Larraz's art is so important for fleshing out the world of Arrako.

Still pretty good! I really like the art.

Lots of suspense. Great art. The revelation at the end is somewhat predictable if you know your comics soap opera handbook. But it’s still very intriguing.

XOS Ch. 11: Here we are at the half-way point! It's cool seeing more of the opposition and I'm excited for the action to start. Love seeing the mutants' reaction to the tarot cards and I'm hoping there are some real consequences/deaths in this event (as much as there can be in mainstream ongoing comics). Despite liking many of the previous chapters Stasis has made me dislike even more how uneven and meandering the story has been so far. This story really doesn't need to be 22 chapters. Wolverine's sword quest could've been one issue, Storm's adventure in Wakanda feels like a diversion that was more about setting up a future story, Excalibur #13 adds nothing relevant (plus Stasis seems to gloss over it) and X-Men #13 is further bogged down with more Hickman exposition. The only must-reads in my humble opinion have been Creation, X-Factor #4, Hellions #5 (even though it really doesn't have much to do with the main plot; that series is just so good!), New Mutants #13, Cable #6 and now Stasis. Still though, I'm intrigued by how this is all gonna turn out. more

Still don't get the excitement for this event. Yeah, it's a battle of armed mutants with magic swords. Hickman is still a genius planner and a mediocre storyteller.

The pace of this event really drags. 11 issues in and they are still talking.

Only the art is good and it still had a fill in.