Is It Good? House of M #1 Review

One of the biggest events in recent memory gets the Secret Wars treatment this week. Can a mutant run region of Battleworld be just different enough to change the game but also bring back what we loved of the original? Is it good?

House of M #1 (Marvel Comics)

This issue opens with Magneto giving us a quick recap of where we’re at in the House of M. He is now king and ruler of the domain as mutants continue to track down the last remaining rogue humans. The rest have been “corrected” at special facilities. He’s all pomp and arrogance as he assumes the demeanor of a king. There isn’t a lot in this issue as it’s reduced to a major battle between a bunch of mutants and non-mutants and a cliffhanger.

Gross.

The battle writer Dennis Hopeless pulls together is strong enough mostly because of the characters he chooses to throw together. Luke Cage, Moon Knight, Hawkeye and Misty are just a few of the characters on the human side fighting for their lives. It is a bit odd however that the scene opens with a larger cast including Elektra and Bullseye who inexplicably disappear on the next page. I guess they got captured? There’s also an end to the Luke Cage character that was probably done for laughs but it falls very flat as it’s a bit too harsh and literal.

Later we check in on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch and get a brief explanation on her two kids who love to cause a ruckus and aid the humans. It feels too much like a check-in though, which makes this really more of a House of M fans read more than anything. Really the entire story so far is going to be enjoyed mostly by those who read the original series and want to drop back into that world. This issue doesn’t tie-in to the major event at all and it doesn’t try too hard to establish the world for new readers.

The art by Marco Failla is good in a Stuart Immonen kind of way. It’s got a thicker cel-shaded line and some great cartoony looking work that’s just detailed enough. The layouts are a bit boring though and most pages are reduced to only three or four panels which severely slows the action down.

That’s kinda cute.

Is It Good?

The comic doesn’t try too hard to catch up new readers, nor tie-in to the main event and at the same time is very light on story and character.