Reading through Fall of the House of X #2 by Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck, Bryan Valenza and Travis Lanham, I was puzzled as to why it wasn’t clicking with me. After all, the first issue, while not perfect, still had plenty of impact, particularly when it comes to the visuals as well as the emotional impact of the X-Men’s battle against Orchis. Then on a second read through, it hit me: the story is trafficking mostly in style to make up for where it’s lacking in story.
To be fair, Fall of the House of X #2 has plenty of style thanks to Werneck. He throws the gauntlet down hard in his opening pages; Polaris attacks the Orchis space station where M.O.D.O.K and Dr. Stasis are located, and she brings a Celestial’s head in tow alongside a legion of Brood. The end result is pure blockbuster action with explosions galore, Brood feasting on flesh, and Polaris hovering like a vengeful goddess above it all. Topping it all off is a new Werneck design that gives her a flowing green cape and a helmet reminiscent of Magneto, which is fitting given that she calls herself the “new master of magnetism. The rich, vibrant colors from Valenza are the cherry on top.
Marvel Comics
If only the writing matched the visuals. Duggan seems to throw everything at the reader, forgetting that a large part of what connected people to the X-Men is the character dynamics. It’s not enough to see Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler kicking Orchis ass; these three have been through thick and thin, it wouldn’t hurt to see more of their righteous anger. Simultaneously, some of the dialogue between Rogue and Gambit feels off – they’re one of the X-Men’s most loving couples, and although they have their ups and downs they’ve stuck by each other.
Fall of the House of X #2 also continues to feel disjointed from Rise of the Powers of X; that’s disappointing, considering once again that House of X/Powers of X and X Lives/X Deaths of Wolverine felt intertwined with each other. Duggan also continues to stress the importance of Invincible Iron Man, which is another way Fall of the House of X feels clunkier than its predecessors; I understand a writer wanting to tie together all of their series, but there’s a way to do it that feels organic and less like homework.
Fall of the House of X #2 is visually stunning, but lacking in story and character development. I truly hope the rest of this series is an improvement; the Krakoan Age needs to end on as strong of a note as it began. The X-Men, and readers, deserve no less.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
