Previously on Reviews of X: House of X #3 ended with some Year Ten X-Men seemingly dying in an explosion… IN SPAAACE! House of X #4 shows us that things are as bad as we thought it would be — and then it actually gets much, much worse. SPOILERS AHEAD!
House of X #4: It Will Be Done
Story: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Pepe Larraz
Colors: Marte Gracia
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel
Radiant and with Open Arms
Year One Hundred X-Men died and lost a battle so that Year Ten X-Men can die and eventually win the war (maybe).
While the Year One Hundred suicide mission was compelling and a bit heartbreaking, it didn’t hit as hard as the deaths in House of X #4. That’s probably because we’ve only known the Year One Hundred X-Men for a few issues while the Year Ten X-Men in this issue are the X-Men we’ve known and loved for the last few decades.
Hickman and his HoX crew made sure that Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Monet each got their own shining moments before giving up their lives for the mission. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching, even though we know some of these characters will star in the new X-books coming up in a couple of months.
I’ve never been a big fan of Wolverine, but I’m a fan of his friendship with Nightcrawler. They get a raw and touching moment here before Kamikaze-ing Mother Mold. It’s beautiful.
However, with the size of the cast, I understand why some of the X-Men died like chumps. Mystique was flushed out into space via airlock like a dumb Xenomorph while Archangel and Husk died off-panel. I can’t imagine fans of these characters being happy.
Not Taking Prisoners Today
Last issue, there was no clear antagonist/protagonist delineation, but here, the X-Men clearly play the role of protagonists while the newly widowed Doctor Gregor and Omega Sentinel play the wonderful antagonists.
While I’m a fan of Cyclops, I’m a bigger fan of HBICs owning him.
I wouldn’t mind if the whole “whose side is right?” narrative played out for a bit longer, but establishing alignments quickly is a plus. Having fast pacing helps the story maintain its electric momentum.
Do You Hear Us, Olympus?
Mother Mold coming online, talking trash, and pretty much threatening to kill everyone shows that the X-Men were right, making the success of the suicide mission feel like a massive victory instead of a depressing one.
Also, I love that there’s this giant robot head in space that is waxing poetic and promising genocide while it falls into the sun.
IN CONCLUSION
The question now is, is this really the end for Mother Mold and Nimrod the Lesser? Did Moira X’s plan work? Maybe. Possibly. But are the machines actually the biggest threat the X-Men are dealing with? With a few more issues to go, I’m guessing there’s a bigger, badder big baddie waiting to kick the X-Men in their collective gonads.
It’s Professor X, isn’t it?
After all the mutant extinction events spanning the history of the X-Men, and the death of some of his most beloved students in this issue, Professor X looks like he’s about to lose it. It looks like he’s about to do something really stupid, destructive, and deadly. And I can’t wait.
It feels like things are about to get more insane, and unlike ol’ Charlie here, I want more.
House of X #4 is available now wherever fine comic books are sold.
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