Betrayal is the common line between almost every issue of the latest edition of the Trials of X collection. With the goal of collecting all of the X-book titles in easy-to-read TPBs, Trials of X Vol. 8 is just the most recent in a group of collections that offers a similar experience to week-to-week readings. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out exactly as intended.
While previous collections have benefited from the mostly-aligned state of the books, Trials of X has largely seen them start to drift apart. Far from the early seamless separation between Dawn of X books, Trials of X mostly features standalone stories only linked by a single combined setting. Even then, not a single book in this collection actually takes place in the same place.
With Excalibur #25, X-Men #5, X-Force #25-26, and S.W.O.R.D. #9, Trials of X Vol. 8 is largely featuring the back half of the Trials of X story. Arcs are beginning to come to an end, while every fight is coming to a head. New villains, too, are starting to make themselves known.
The first issue is Excalibur #25, written by Tini Howard and art by Marcus To. It’s yet another fun romp into the adventures of Betsy Braddock as she desperately tries to save Otherworld from Merlin’s machinations. With King Arthur on the loose and Saturnyne comatose, the Captains Britain and Excalibur are left to pick up the pieces. The story is slightly thin — consisting of a fight sequence that is disappointingly short after Betsy overwhelms the legendary King Arthur without much fight — but To’s art is more than enough to make it a worthwhile read.
Marvel Comics
After Excalibur comes X-Men #5 by Gerry Duggan and Javier Pina. The character-by-character structure of X-Men means that this issue focuses on the X-Man that the fans had the chance to vote in, Polaris, which makes Trials of X Vol. 8 a must-read for her fans. After the revelation that Jean Grey manipulated Polaris’ speech to Krakoa, Polaris has to wrestle with the betrayal and her own feelings of uselessness. Meanwhile, Trials of X continues to build toward the future as Dr. Stasis becomes a more awe-inspiring presence. He even kills a puppy. Really, the issue is all about waiting for someone to finally take him down.
The character focus of X-Men may be hit or miss in some issues, but the Polaris focus works incredibly well. As Duggan walks her through her self-confidence issues, Polaris’ ruthlessness gets the chance to shine. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters don’t fare as well. Sunfire, Rogue, and Synch are non-entities, and Wolverine barely acts like herself. Again, the character focus is nice, but it means that other characters lose the spotlight as soon as their personal issue is over. The art is, of course, a nice touch, as Pina does a great job of making even settled battles feel harrowing.
Then comes two consecutive issues of X-Force. X-Force #25 and #26, both written by Benjamin Percy and drawn by Robert Gill, are the highlight of Trials of X Vol. 8. Wolverine finally meets a kindred spirit in a newcomer to Krakoa, Pike. As Wolverine and Pike enjoy surfing at a dangerous spot on the island, Quentin Quire and Phoebe Cuckoo meet at a haven for Krakoan orphans. The next night, Phoebe’s sisters force her to turn down Quentin and take a break from their relationship. Pike, meanwhile, betrays Wolverine and leaves the island with her allies and three mutant babies.
X-Force chases after the kidnappers, while Wolverine coaches Quentin through the breakup. It only infuriates Quentin, which causes a minor spat between the two. By the end of the issue, they resolve their differences and rescue (most of) the babies, after one of them destroys the kidnapper’s ship. Wolverine reunites with his new interest. Then, as he always does, he loses her.
It’s a nice self-contained story, even if there are hints at previous issues. It was a good decision to collect these issues together since they tie into each other so well. Still, the end leaves something missing. It feels like there is more of the story to be told — especially with the missing baby. While it is good to leave things to the imagination, it is disappointing to have to wait for another collection to get to the next step of the story.
Marvel Comics
To close out Trials of X Vol. 8, S.W.O.R.D. #9 ambles toward the end of its run. Written by Al Ewing and art by Jacopo Camagni, S.W.O.R.D. #9 presents Arakko presenting for a diplomatic mission. As Gyrich works with Guardian and Orbis Stellaris to attack Arakko, Storm is away at a challenge. Meanwhile, Shi’ar Empress Xandra arrives with a delegation, who Stellaris’ agents swiftly slaughter. Storm comes to save the day, but not until after many are butchered. All the while, Wiz Kid appears to be a mole within S.W.O.R.D.’s team.
It’s a fun issue with a brilliant betrayal, and it does a great job of setting up Brand’s manipulation. Storm, too, gets a spotlight without having much time on the page itself. The data pages are a highlight, as they really help to set up the future of the book without ever feeling too distracting.
Each of these individual issues are fun and engaging, but the Trials of X trade format feels like an imperfect medium. With the books differentiating so much, there isn’t actually any benefit to reading them through the order of release. The Krakoan-era books are starting to feel like they would be better reads through individual collections, rather than sequential ones.
It’s a comic book, and when you’re only given a chance to read issue #25 in isolation, it really doesn’t work. After all, it doesn’t always work to pick up a novel and flip to page 150, and it doesn’t work here either. It’s all worth a read, but there’s something to be said for reading each series as they were meant to be read — as their own entities.
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