With a bang, the Hellfire Gala’s true purpose was revealed, and the fittingly titled Reign of X Vol. 13 contains the issues where the X-Men show their unrestrained hand. Picking up right where the previous volume left off, this collection has Krakoa’s mutants create a whole new planet for Arakko’s population on Mars while celebrating its aftermath. These were exciting issues, and a direct precursor to the current crop of X-books (in fact, you would be hard pressed to understand X-Men: Red or Immortal X-Men without having these comics under your belt). Re-reading them collected into a focused act within was an excellent way to digest to cosmic-level changes made to the X-books as mutants go from being a nation on earth to ruling an entire planet.
Collected here are Planet-Size X-Men #1, X-Corp #2, New Mutants #19, Wolverine #13, and S.W.O.R.D. #6, all tie-ins to the aforementioned Hellfire Gala. While not all stellar, some fine scripting and art is on display, especially when one considers the fact that these all tie into a central, line-wide crossover.
The best issue in this bunch is undoubtedly Planet-Size X-Men #1, which is a spectacular mutant show of force, as the nation of Krakoa literally claims and terraforms another planet in our solar system. Gerry Duggan builds on the grandiose characterization established by his predecessor Jonathan Hickman, with figures like Magneto acting even more megalomaniacal than ever throughout this issue. Pepe Larraz, an incredible artist on his worst day, fills every frame with awe-inspiring visuals; it’s truly a beautiful comic. While I might quibble about the way our mutants seem to have taken on godlike allowances of their existing powers, it doesn’t detract from the overall joy this issue instills in me.
X-Corp #2 is the weakest issue in the bunch, with Warren and Monet attempting to fill the board to their X-Corp company. It makes sense that they would be finagling while attending a gala full of some of the most influential and powerful beings on earth, but the dialogue and pacing fall flat, making this feel like a slog to get through. Alberto Foche is a capable artist, but his characters often feel clunky as they navigate the party atmosphere.
New Mutants #19, Wolverine #13 and S.W.O.R.D. #6 are all fine issues in their respective runs, keeping each individual book’s tone in place as these characters navigate the Hellfire Gala. In fact, there is a clear through-line between these issues and their current story arcs; S.W.O.R.D. even has Storm claim the mantle of Regent of Mars, which is at the heart of the current X-Men: Red title. I also enjoyed the heartwarming reconciliation between Magento and the Scarlet Witch at the end of the issue.
The trade ends with a nice selection of variant covers, especially the various costume design variants. Overall, Reign of X Volume 13 is a nice collection even if you only get part of the larger Hellfire Gala crossover. If you’re currently reading any of the current X-books and jumped into them cold, this trade will serve you well in detailing how mutantkind got to their current moment of galactic ascendency.
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