Review by Frank Plowright
When the X-Men franchise was rebooted in 2019 it was introduced via two concurrently issued miniseries combined as the graphic novel House of X/Powers of X. A similar approach was taken to concluding the run five years later, hence Fall of the House of X/Ruse of the Powers of X. Conceptual mastermind Jonathan Hickman had long departed, and only artist R.B. Silva connects the projects.
Pretty well everything here spins out of events detailed in the Hellfire Gala: Fall of X. The short summary is the island community of Krakoa being destroyed, with mutants blamed for the slaughter of humans and the actually responsible Orchis organisation further threatening to activate their modifications to Krakoan medicine causing millions of deaths. Cyclops has been captured by Orchis and turned over to the French authorities, and the collection opens with his trial.
Chapters set in the present day written by Gerry Duggan alternate with those set in the future written by Kieron Gillen, but despite being astonishingly ambitious and ultimately fulfilling, it’s only going to be that way for a small percentage of readers. For maximum satisfaction you need to have read pretty well every X-Men related title since the Hellfire Gala to know where people are and what they’re up to. Any new reader attracted by the potential spectacle will be rapidly lost amid maguffins such as the Vault and the White Hot Room. Woe betide anyone pulling this off the shelf ten years after publication for a re-read.
Most of the art is by Lucas Werneck and Silva, although neither completes five chapters. Silva brings an ambition and imagination to every page drawn, but Werneck is inconsistent. Some pages are drool-inducing while others look to have been drawn in a hurry. His sample page combines both aspects. Toward the end of the main story other artists become involved, and the look isn’t as impressive, although it’s always solid and the colour disguises some skimpiness.
Anyone who has read around a dozen associated graphic novels will realise how smoothly Duggan and Gillen pull everything together, although one aspect requires an unlikely last minute change of heart from a villain. There’s so much to admire in the utter corruption of a dream, and amid the prevailing last ditch stands there’s still time for the comedy of M.O.D.O.K.’s resignation letter, plenty of clever touches and a subtle finale among all the fireworks. Better still, for readers who’ve been around since House of X/Powers of X, this is true to what was predicted there.
Al Ewing joins the writing team for an extended epilogue that’s essentially idealistic and sentimental in nature at the start, but the shift of tone is welcome after extended desperation beforehand. Phil Noto is the most prominent of several artists, giving way when disagreements over principle cause a fight with Apocalypse. A sinister coda spotlights Professor X.
This is a work of bold intent that largely suceeds, but take the warning seriously that it isn’t a standalone experience.
