Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colors: Marte Gracia
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Design: Tom Miller
The Hickman revamp of the X-Men continues in the simply breathtaking House of X #2. Hickman is a writer of broad ideas and wonderful reinterpretations of classic comic concepts and his mastery of this art is on full display in the sister titles of House of X and the Powers of X (Powers of Ten for those of you who don’t remember that Hickman has a love for the Roman Numeral). With this weekly relaunch Hickman is well on his way of reestablishing Marvel’s mutants as the top of the evolutionary hierarchy as well as Marvel’s sales chart. As we enter the third week of the Hickman run it does become apparent that the Powers of X is going to tell the future of the mutant race while House of X is going to tell the history of the mutant race and how it fits into Xavier’s grand plan and there be no greater link to Xavier’s plan then his longtime ally Moira MacTaggert who takes center stage in this issue.
House of X #2 AKA the Uncanny Life of Moira X takes everything we know about Moira MacTaggert and turns it on its head. Hickman takes Moira from a simple Human Mutant Biologist to an Omega level mutant who may just be responsible for not only the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe but quite possibly for the entirety of what we know as the Marvel 616 Universe. With one simple retcon, Moira is in fact a mutant who when reborn into the same time period she can remember every bit of her previous lives from when she is in utero, Hickman completely changes the history of the mutant struggle for equality. In the new status quo Moira’s involvement draws her into new relationships as she sets course on a path to improve human-mutant relations or in some cases create a new world order with mutants at the top of the food chain. Moira’s actions draw the attention of many of Marvel’s mutants and it draws a new light on her relationship with Charles Xavier. Like most Hickman books the details to the story our flushed out in text pieces and in this case timelines of Moira’s lives that are intriguing & could fuel another series in its own right. House of X #2 is an incredible piece of work that changes everything yet does it in a manner that nothing needs to change and that in its own right is the sheer brilliance of the issue.
Jonathan Hickman is back and he is writing an incredible X-Event that will no doubt go down as one of the best X-Men stories in some time if not all time. Hickman is rewriting X-Men History but in a manner that does not drastically change what has come before. House of X #2 does not push the story forward of what Xavier’s plan is with Krakoa or why he is wearing a Cerebro on his head but that will come in time as Hickman builds toward Xavier’s plan and its failure as seen in the Powers of X #1. Pepe Larraz’s art is once again stunning and he is quickly cementing himself as a superstar artist. His depictions of Moira at the various stages and timelines are each distinct and beautiful. His style fits this book perfectly and I am glad that Marvel is using him as the X-Event artist of note in recent years, first with Extermination and now with House of X. With the inclusion of the deep and vivid colors of Marte Gracia and the unique design work of Tom Miller House of X #2 is a great continuation of this stellar revamp.
Verdict: House of X #2 is a groundbreaking retcon that changes the X-Men forever yet takes nothing away from what has come before. With an engaging story and breathtaking art House of X #2 is a tremendous comic book and an absolute Buy!
