X Of Swords: Stasis #1 Review

Writer(s): Jonathan Hickman & Tini Howard / Artist(s): Mahmoud Asrar & Pepe Larraz / Marvel ComicsThus far, the X Of Swords event has proven to be an audacious, dense tale that delves into the secret history of mutantkind to ponder what its future will be. Jonathan Hickman is undertaking the rather daunting task of crafting a whole new mythos for the X-Men universe and this event is something of a progress report, highlighting how it’s going so far. Parents know any good progress report showcases the pros and cons and causes conversation about whether the child in question should keep up the good work or shape up a bit. That said, there’s plenty to be said about what’s awesome about Hickman’s that is plainly obvious in X of Swords: Stasis #1. The lion’s share of this book takes place in either Otherworld or Arakko, taking a look at how it’s going with Apocalype’s estranged children and their campaign to win this tournament of swords against the X-Men. Hickman and Tini Howard do a pretty good job of delivering a little more insight into what it takes for our villains to unite against the citizens of Krakoa. The backstories hinted at and played are mostly fun as they wet our appetite for what’s to come from this event.

The Arakkoans are quite frankly morbid and odd and really enjoy hearing themselves talk, but maybe that’s what’s so fun about them. They represent a break from the X-franchise’s most popular villain: ideology. A lot of X-Men villains are defined by ho…