Was Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men Good? | Krakin' Krakoa

In July 2019, writer Jonathan Hickman returned to the Marvel Universe after a nearly 4 year sabbatical to deliver House of X #1, a game-changing paradigm shift for Marvel’s X-Men comics. With collaborators Pepe Larraz, RB Silva, and Marte Gracia, Hickman completely reinvigorated X-Men and the fandom that surrounds it. After the massive success of House of X and Powers of X, Hickman turned to an ongoing X-Men series, set during the new status quo of the X-Men’s Krakoa era, a run that lasted from Fall 2019 through summer 2021.
Looking back at the full run now, what did we learn, what mysteries still remain, and how effective was Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men as a whole?
Spoilers for discussed comics may follow!
For the full Krakin' Krakoa X-Men playlist:
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For the full X-Men comics reading order:
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In terms of framing, Hickman’s work on the X-Men series is primarily through the lens of Cyclops, Scott Summers, as he travels and interacts with various elements of the newly established Krakoa. X-Men #1 opens with Professor X promising to show Scott his vision for mutantdom, and through much of the run, we’re experiencing that in a similar way, our eyes opened to the new world of X-Men on Krakoa. From the first issue, Hickman is set on proclaiming this is a bold new era of X-Men comics after too many years of slow incremental changes.
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My name's Dave, and Comic Book Herald is a labor of love designed to help new, lapsed, and curious comic book readers explore and enjoy the wonderful world of comics. I've been developing reading orders, chronology guides, and detailed comics recommendations since late 2011. Comics can be confusing and intimidating; I try to help.

[@nobodyexceptme7794]

He will always get extra credit for apocalypse in a suit

[@BigT4489]

It's a solid run in terms of bringing bigger ideas and aligning them under a new initiative to get people excited, but to someone not ingrained in the facet of X-men, it's not a satisfying story (Inferno pending). I really think it was "sabotaged" by the fact it's more of a team effort for the whole X office as opposed to being just Hickman's art, like Avengers or F4. I still really enjoy what we got, especially since we got Cyclops and Apocalypse material, but it needed to pay off more of it's setups. I get Hickman coaching the office, and wanting them to succeed, but when most of your peers are not on your level, you need to realize they might drop the ball or not install confidence in fans who came to the show to see you

[@omnitheus5442]

You could see where Hickman kind of wanted to go with the plot threads of Inter-Galactic, Mystique/Destiny, Sinister, Orchis/sentinels, Vault/City and probably Dark Reed, Celestials and Xavier himself...

[@erikholmysti]

Even though incomplete - the spark of excitement, and more importantly relevance, Hickman brought renewed my love of the X-men, who where suffering so much from stalled launch to stalled relaunches. It’s been so insanely good - I hope the writers left behind to continue things do their work well.

[@notabyrd07]

Hickman’s run was great. He reinvigorated the team for me. Created a genius knew plot device and set many things up that will provide years of great story. Is it perfect, no. But what is? There’s a lot to look forward to. And just because he’s leaving, he set the foundation that will continue.

[@evonsyblie6696]

Agreed but I don’t think the writers that are on the X team can fully do his style of writing justice…I feel they are rushing most stories.

[@jonbodhi]

@@evonsyblie6696 and I feel like things are moving soooooooo slowly. Resolve some stuff already. I read the first twelve collected Dawn of X books and just…stopped. It wasn’t compelling anymore, which those first issues definitely were.

[@evonsyblie6696]

@@jonbodhi you should read them all. Even the ones that most people hate because it adds context to other stories…when a comic is all action that it boring and does nothing for the world building aspect of it. Example…if the wrote a book about the Arakko mutants but it just them fighting and showing off their powers that would only be cool for about three issues..sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses lol

[@timgonzales2891]

@@evonsyblie6696 all he's doing is burying his face in roses, and living there lol

[@arcano9297]

It was perfect, compared to the changes morrison made forever onthe xmen

[@joluoto]

I am going to say this again: the one thing X of Swords managed to do was to make Apocalypse an interesting character. That alone deserves recognition.

[@Tikimohn]

I feel like he's been one of the best parts of this new era. I loved every panel he was in just about, from him arriving and praising his "children" for finally realizing their power. To in X of Swords when Scott tried to flex his War Commander status and he just was like "Nah, I got this.". He was just awesome and when he disappeared after X of swords o was so disappointed.

[@Chessbox09]

Apocalypse was the first thing that came to mind for me. Definitely my favourite part of Hickmans’ run.

[@samkaranja5709]

It was a pretty great run but you can also tell that it's mostly setup without a lot of payoff like where we're going with the children of the vault, Mister M, King Broo, Xandra, Vulcan and so much more

[@alexanders7569]

That's kind of what makes it great though. There are always threads that aren't immediately resolved, that's comics

[@cjtrules1]

@@alexanders7569 Not immediately resolved or not resolved at all are two very different things. I hope we still have a few more years of this X-Men era to find out which one it is.

[@Lee-xj2mn]

i agree, i loved alot of this run, but it did feel like alot didn't come to fruition e.g. the king broo storyline is concluded in a single small panel of inferno #1, i was thinking this was gonna be a huge thing. (im happy to be corrected, ive only read the mainline x men, x force and maraduers tiles)

[@ctkook6477]

It really bums me out that we will never get the full Hickman story 😢

[@warlion_2nas163]

His interview with Aipt was released today He said that his plans will continue without him and the team knows it all and will play with it

[@Comicbookherald]

Yeah, every implication is Hickman's planned story will play out... it just won't be with him writing it.

[@spiderhamilton1]

Synch's human name is Everett Thomas not Everett Ross, the former SHIELD liaison to the Black Panther during the Christopher Priest run.

[@Comicbookherald]

Ah dammit, of course you're right! This is what I get for recently re-reading that time Priest turned Ross into Mephisto

[@evan.jpeterson]

👏👏👏

[@frankvizen5480]

Christopher Priests writing on Black Panther is the best storytelling that character has ever achieved.

[@davidmendez5933]

Loved his work, he has built the foundation that his writers will continue to build on. They know the plan, and I trust them to pull it off. Inferno is really going to blow my mind, couldn’t be more excited.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I personally liked hickman run on X-Men but man oh man I really wished marvel comics let him actually finished his original plan instead of stretching it like crazy to a ending that we don't know where the X-Men line is going now after Inferno.

[@davidmendez5933]

Read his X-Men Monday from today. AIPT

[@dantecrottogini529]

#4 was the best issue in the run imo

[@danielneverloses]

Absolutely, Magneto's speech was goated

[@Comicbookherald]

I started to think it's X-Men #19 after my re-read, but those are 1a and 1b for me. Can't go wrong!

[@Tom-ef8mn]

the vault arc was the best for me

[@TalesFromTheBooth]

#4 had incredible dialogue. I really enjoyed #19….the data pages alone had me feeling like the situation was dire and that they might not escape at all 😬

[@christopherschmitt7989]

I thought Mystique's inability to prevent Nimrod from coming online was a bit of a plot hole as well when I first read it. But the more I thought about it, the more I feel like maybe what this sequence lacked was a reaction from Mystique as it was happening. Given her emotional state as I interpreted it, her hesitation to act seemed to come out of baring witness to the exact thing the wants most, the resurrection of a loved one. I feel like she was seeing herself in Dr. Gregor. And maybe by the time she snapped out of it, she was too late to prevent Nimrod.

[@Formallyknownashandle]

The biggest disappoint for me in a run that was otherwise phenomenal was Hickman never returning to Moria X. That basically makes her a big plot device and not the significant character she should be.

[@chrisbuttonshaw2088]

Well Inferno looks like it'll fix that

[@Formallyknownashandle]

@@chrisbuttonshaw2088 yep. Just as I was voicing my irritation over it Moria X takes center stage again. I’m on the fence though to if that is genius strategic storytelling or neglecting the charter. Inferno better be amazing!

[@Tikimohn]

The rushed ending of Inferno, is exactly why I'd like to see more manga style arc writing in American Comics. Writers come in with sometimes a brilliant idea, but to do it justice requires more than just a handful of short issues.

[@maillardsbearcat]

I just wish manga was colored

[@jpr7601]

@@maillardsbearcat this is a little late but manga is colored. I’ll be it only the most popular series are colored fully. The most well known color manga is jojo’s bizarre adventure which has the first 7 parts colored. Part 8 being partly covered.

[@dinmavric5504]

i love mangas... and their flawed endings that make no sense 🤣

[@joluoto]

The HiX-Men brought back the X-Men from complete stagnation, and revived the brand in the comics sphere starting the current mutant rennaisance. However, having to leave or choosing to leave (we're not sure which) in the middle of his run, unfortunately means his run must be considered a failure, as every run where the creator will not be able to finish it. Now the things he set up most likely won't see any conclusion.

[@Comicbookherald]

He's chosen to leave, I don't really think there's doubt there. I understand the sentiment, but there are plenty of examples where a comic is successful without an ending (Saga, Hickman's own Black Monday Murders, and *most* superhero comics since they never really end!). I also anticipate most if not all of what he set up will see resolution in Inferno, and then beyond w/ different creators. If it doesn't, then I'm more on board w/ what you're saying!

[@jordancoswell]

@@Comicbookherald I want to push back a bit on Saga. Yes, it’s very successful and has made a lot of money. But if it never comes back (I’m not saying it won’t), will we remember it as a success in 5-10 years? Or will the unresolved storyline forever taint its legacy?

[@afekasi79]

Hickman has stated himself that he hasnt entirely left Marvel and is actually still behind the scenes in the structuring of things moving forward for years to come.

[@auberginemanproductions1608]

@@afekasi79 Exactly. Like he says, Marvel pays him for the big stories. For all their faults, Marvel has grasped that Jonathan Hickman is not a man you want to move away from your company

[@michaelemond7315]

@@jordancoswell Thankfully - it came back so we don't have to answer that question :).

[@smorillo8581]

It was Hickman’s X-Men run that motivated me to buy X-Men comics in over 28-Years.

[@mharriedjr]

This was an awesome breakdown on Hickman's X-Men run... So sad some of these plot threads and cliffhangers will never be explored. I was really looking forward to seeing what was going to happen with Vulcan

[@sand4273]

In my opinion, Hickman is a top three X-writer of all time along with Claremont and Morrison (if we’re just talking about mainline X-Men ongoings/minis and not spin-offs).

[@robertweikel5796]

I wish he saw it through. It reminds me of the TV show Lost, a brilliant set up with not much pay off. I can only hope that future X writers take off with the seeds planted.

[@TCO_404]

I think we're already seeing a lot of the X-Office taking off with Hickman's ideas leading up to Inferno. In fact, if anything it feels like we're finally starting to make some progress, and properly incorporating characters from Arakko.

[@Comicbookherald]

The LOST parallel is interesting. The hope here is that because Hickman has handed off his planned ending to the remaining writers, that X-Men wouldn't drift without a landing pad.

[@timhaldane7588]

I noticed the LOST parallel too. I was a huge fan of LOST, especially the first two seasons, and the sprint toward potentially world-ending paradox in the end of Season 5. The difference here is that I am far more confident that Hickman had an ending in mind. JJ is skilled at establishing mystery but not much else.

[@Alemag_]

For me, the most interesting seed Hickman planted was Vulcan resurrection and the beings behind it. I hope this plot thread is resumed later.

[@jaelaxiom1951]

I think this might be Hickman's greatest work... Ive been reading x men since 92' and he's seemed to have taken everything I love about X-Men (and I mean everthing... Well not Gambit... only miss) and made it brand new!!! He took different branches from the same tree and planted a new orchard that will bring forth even sweeter fruit for the next 50 years.

[@troyubanks5131]

So I have questions: 1) The times When Charles X was resurrected how come Jean or Emma didn’t see in his mind everything about Moria X? 2) Why did Apocalypse & his family had to go back to Ameith if they defeated Annihilation? 3) How do the mutants-of Arako feel having Storm essentially as their Queen?

[@TalesFromTheBooth]

1) I think Emma knows…she been acting shady 2) that was a condition of Saturnyne as a show of good faith 3) I’d love to see more Storm…hopefully Ewing keeps the story going

[@matthewhickey4351]

Dave, do you think we see the Phalanx thread pulled in Inferno?

[@vasco637]

I loved Hickman's run, it was definitely full of so many exciting possibilities which made me excited for the X-Men's future. It felt like someone was thinking long term for the books instead of what they had done before which made me stop reading X-Men for a long time. The highlights of Hickman's run were definitely HOX/POX, Cyclops given much respect, Apocalypse being given a lot of character, the villains being brought into the fold, and Arakko a cool mystical land becoming a planet and the capital of a Solar System, and the introduction of the Resurrection Protocols. There were a lot of cool moments that set up a lot of things that made me want to check out each X-Men book. I wish he got to write the X-Men as a proper team. I was really hoping the election would have Hickman and Pepe Larraz have a proper run to give it great run to elevate the team. Here's hoping Inferno pays off some of the great things set up.

[@sebasnowogro8780]

Synch’s real name is Everett Thomas. Everett Ross is from Black Panther

[@cee119]

I guess to sum up the Hickman run...a lot of seeds planted, not enough water or sunlight. It was fun though. I would like to see the return of Apocalypse, building on Salem, the White Sword, and Sabertooth! The writers have a lot to draw from, but they just have to do it right. Hickman wanted to do great things, but other creative minds have ego. I think there was a lot of clashing behind the scenes which hampered the run. Great critique though bro. Accurate.

[@wegotissues5486]

It brought me into the xmen and I enjoy it for the most part

[@nicholetiglao4680]

It's a very refreshing run for the xmen, my favorite moment as of now is when they terraform mars. Edit: I also love the slow build up for other minor characters. I feel sorry for Synch... all those years inside the volt with Laura and his the only one that can remember.

[@ppmm8769]

Hickman’s run, was the best thing to happen to the mutants for the past 10 years !

[@Blakk_Wolf7]

Hickman's run on X-Men wasn't only good, it's groundbreaking. Best series in years. Was it perfect? No, but then again what is? I'm all about bringing people together, the best thing was seeing all the mutants, heroes & villains alike on Krakoa. When they made wholly new rosters mixing the them together? Oh man. Having, Pyro,Gorgon, & Greycrow(Scalphunter) on teams? That was huge. And Prof X, Erik, & Apocalypse on the same side?! How do you top that?

[@HankChinaski27]

I'm one of those that Hickman can do no wrong. He is one of the few writers for the big two that I read the work over and over mining details. He's got a very clean structural formula that works well with his digital art background. These books all had me so excited. I haven't been this excited for the X-Universe since the 80s. It is sad to see him go but it sounds like he won't be leaving Marvel. Maybe he can do something to flesh out his SHIELD series further. It was reading that series in the middle of my local comic shop that I told my friend a few years from then he'd be changing the Marvel Universe. I guess very few things right but boy has he ever made his mark. I'm glad to see what he did with X-Men, but I'm sad that I know he has so many stories to tell that we will probably never get. I miss comic companies being committed to seeing storylines through. Marvel and DC need more big ideas. A lot of their books feel like Teen Titans GO as a series. I miss the grandeur that these series once held. Hickman is great at those huge set pieces. His X-Men I felt was the best since Gillen.

[@jirenthegoat9717]

It was a solid start with some amazing issues and moments...but the problem was that it all felt like 2 years of world building only for Hickman to leave before he can actually start playing in said world. My favorite part of the run is definitely the set up of Apocalypse and his family/Arrako and that's probably because that's something from HoX/PoX we finally got to see fulfilled. Hopefully this set up and Inferno's finale gives writers something strong to continue forward. Been on break with X-Men since X of Swords finale so once Inferno concludes I'll probably binge read what I missed to see if I'll continue reading or go on a longer hiatus. That being said since Hickman's HoX/PoX the X-Men has been more exciting than the runs and stories a few years prior, in my opinion of course.

[@dabigdikdangler]

Started with Uncanny 170 and quit after the Onslaught era, Hickman's a genius and got me back to reading X-Men

[@chrisbuttonshaw2088]

I expanded out but my original entry to X-Men comics was Decimation Era--> AVX/Uncanny Avengers... there's alot in there that's awesome.

[@matthewhickey4351]

I believe it will stand on its own as unique and fresh. It was a beautiful story. If he had been able to do what he wanted, I believe the result would have been a run that could have challenged Morrison for 2nd best X run ever behind Claremont.

[@magnetowasright3025]

I love how he made me care for a character that I never really cared for. I always thought A was cool...but never cared for him until this story.

[@davidtrainor9569]

I loved this run, I needed the xmen to get a win so bad for so long and this felt like they were on an unbeaten streak

[@warlion_2nas163]

My only issue with the run was drawing kid cable’s face as if he’s in his 60’s

[@TalesFromTheBooth]

So many incredible concepts left open ended…..I don’t want to to end….at least not yet If we don’t eventually get a resolution to the Phalanx I’ll be disappointed 💯😭

[@JTR_3]

yes the Phalanx concept story is the thing I'm the most interested in seeing resolved

[@jonbodhi]

I think the resolution is baked in: there are two things they fear: Galactus and The Phoenix Force. Which of those two do the mutants have a long-standing relationship with?

[@TalesFromTheBooth]

@@jonbodhi my thoughts exactly 🔥 🦅 🔥

[@dylanduff9125]

Loved his run…reinvigorated the X-men and the future of mutants.

[@ColeBeeRyan]

Thanks for this. I feel pretty caught up. Can't wait to see where this goes! I like Nature Girl btw... I'd love to see them utilize her more.

[@owenkungfoomaster]

i think you really need to wait for INferno to do this video. House of X, Power of X was the intro, X-Men was middle, Inferno the end -

[@Urizen61]

House/Powers of X was the greatest X-Men story ever told. What followed was a mixed bag. It was good. Nothing was outright bad. But none of the books reached the heights of the original story.

[@bakublade1]

I enjoyed Hickman's X-Men and I am interested to see if he comes back for an event. I am still very interested in how all the various major plots will conclude but who knows when that will happen?

[@christopheouvrard8548]

The issues written by Hickman were all very fun to read, even the weaker ones, because all of them kept sowing seeds and possibilities for this new era. While it is far from perfect, Hickman relaunch saved the X-Men universe from the abyss it was lost into after the end of Second Coming. Everything that happened after that was just terrible (I did like the Extermination event, though). Hickman turned the problems of the X-universe (e.g. way too many mutants, deaths without meaning nor weight) into a new and very fertile paradigm. The feeling that there was an endgoal and a captain in the boat was also great. I do appreciate that the X-writes extend the Reign of X period. There are a lot of things and characters interactions to explore before things tae a different turn, or simply go south. At the exceptions of Fallen Angels to which I cannot find any qualities, even the titles I like less, I keep reading to see how they explore this era (Wolverine, Marauders, X-Force). I don't mind Hickman going away while the X-Writers play in the sandbox he created, but I really hope he'll be back to write or supervise the key moments of this new era (like he did for Hox/Pox, X of Swords and Inferno). I might be in the minority, but I love that they explore ideas and concepts via miniseries instead fo unlimited series. This way, the series do what they have to do without overstaying their welcome (Way of X, Children of the Atom, Hellions, Trial of Magneto, for example). I wouldn't mind if there were only rotating limited series, since there are so many mutants combinations and possible stories to tell.

[@dap0]

This is one of the best Videos I've seen!

[@ColeTrain54]

The Crucible issue is my favorite Hickman X-men comic

[@davidmendez5933]

And for anyone that hasn’t, read Hickman’s X-Men Monday from today at AIPT. It covers a lot of the questions I see in the comments.

[@luizpaulonm]

The ideas behind HiX-Men were great: Children of the Vault; Orchis&Nimrod; Synchro/X-23/Darwin; Mystique&Destiny; etc. But it took him forever to go back to a previous plot, so I felt it was all disconnected, then he would return to a previous plot abandoned for months just to give it an "Ok" conclusion. For example, I still have no idea why we have an issue only about Vulcan, if Vulcan was simply forgotten by the X-Desk. Or even Nimrod being brought back. It was great... but it took too long setting up things that we might not even get to see come to fruition. It honestly made me think if some books are separate parts of Moira's lives. For instance, Karima tells Cylobel in PoX1 that her death, at that moment, wouldn't be a death she would be able to escape. So if Karima knew about the resurrection protocols, it means that The 5 existed in Moira's other lives (it would make sense, since Protheus was genetically designed and altered to be Moira and Charles's son) and this secret was discovered by the Human-Machine Supremacy. The bodies of the dead X-Men in the Forge are being studied and Legion's brain was being used to sabotage Krakoa. I believe Killian Devo started to realize that the dead X-Men are pretty much alive, and starting to question "How"; on that note, the island nation of Krakoa and The Five exisisted in both Moira's sixth and nineth lives, and in her 9th life Apocalypse got back his children through a Swords Contest or through some other mean? But by the end of it, all his children died and only Akkaba (Moira) was alive; We know that in her tenth life The Five are disagreeing with the council. So the Resurrection is present, but it always end up being discovered or failing in a certain moment, so we can assume that the moment they lose The Five, it's just a matter of time for Extinction. But none of that connects to Vulcan's issue, or Orphan-Maker's powers, or Onslaught and Nightcrawler's "Spark of life".

[@deepbl4ck]

The rush I felt reading Hox/Pox and the first few X-Men issues was unparalleled, but all of that elation was quickly dashed against the rocks when the line nose-dived. Now, I am just a sour old man. Haha.

[@CommodoreGT]

The Hickman run was a massive success in reviving the entire X-Men line and creating new and interesting story lines, character development, and world building. The failure, is not so much a failure, but rather a big disappointment, and seeing Hickman end his run so prematurely. He obviously had long-term goals in terms of storyline, and for his run to end right here and now is just flat out disappointing. I don’t know the reason why he’s leaving, but it should not have happened right now it’s way too soon. If this was Hickman‘s decision, then I am I’m happy with that decision and is a let down to the fans. If this was an editorial decision, then shame on them four putting a monkey wrench in Hickman‘s unfinished story

[@VLorenzoStone]

Hickman's is new life.

[@Mrsierramist1]

I loved this run as someone that reads the rest of the X line. I'm not sure how readers would feel if they were just reading the one book.

[@gustavogonzalezmolina636]

Gracias por el resumen y los comentarios❤❤❤

[@ceejeezyCGZ]

Hickman has brought X-MEN books back to life. (pun intended)

[@tomkot]

I've read all the Krakoa era comics in order of release more or less. My opinion is that it contains some of the best Marvel stuff ever made (for example that X-Men #4, as well as Way of X/TOR). However to give a balanced view, as good as some stuff is, if you look at it all together, 90% is pretty much boring. That doesn't change that the 10% are awesome though. And even the boring stuff are made better by the fact that there is some Krakoa relation. Thought about doing a re-read of the whole Krakoa era, though as always, time is the main issue. So will probably just do a limited re-read of the best stuff, luckily I've rated almost every issue so I can remember which ones I liked the most. I take it the image shown around 1:30 - 2:00 is the issues you would recommend. I notice there are no *Marauders* there? Although X-Men #4 and WoX/TOR are some of the best, I think Marauders is the series with the highest average quality already from the start and keeping a highly enjoyable level overall.

[@kalonem5719]

I was hoping that vulcan would be more involved, I wonder what they will do with him since he's currently caught by the kree.

[@markpitt2474]

It was unique. Check out Grant Morrisons run on X-Men in early 2002-2003.

[@DUBSDADEVILL]

Hiw can it be a full run if its not finnished.

[@GothicXlightning]

i know well that some as huge as the X-MEN will always deserve the very best one think i ll always respect about Hiclman is his legit love for this faction of super heroes (my dearest and most important band of heroes of the marvel universe) also love how right he gets Cyclops and the loving portrayal of our lady Red Jean Grey she just always looks adorable

[@user-qg4fk9yb1h]

I want to read the full run, but I am still confuse with the order. I know house/powers of x is first, but what about dawn, reign, swords and inferno?

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

I really enjoyed HOX/POX, and followed it through X-Men to Inferno (even suffering through the X of Swords shenanigans), but he set up more than he paid off, and we did not get Hickman's full vision. This is obvious, if you've followed his work - I knew it even before I heard he left it unfinished. It's pretty disappointing, considering when I started his run, I did so with the expectation of getting Hickman's complete vision. Hickman is a visionary creator. What happened to the days when you give a visionary the freedom to tell their story - start, middle, and end? Remember when Marvel let Milligan and Allred take over X-Force? When they let Morrison take over X-Men? Or, hell, when they let Hickman take over Avengers/New Avengers through to Secret Wars and Fantastic Four through to the death and return of Johnny Storm? I know it's been said that editorial didn't push him out. Even if they didn't, they still made a mistake: any good editor should have insisted on giving fans Hickman's full vision. I really did enjoy Inferno, but the Hickman era ended not with a bang, but a whimper, and left us with a segregated mutant population that believes they are the new gods of the earth, and normal humans are all less-than and, ultimately, evil. It's a good story - a really good story - but one that should eventually end. People say that serialized stories like comics never change - there's always a return to the status quo. In one big way, that's true. People are coming back because they like the status quo. Folks come back to read about Superman and his pal Jimmie Olson, his gal Lois Lane, and his bane Lex Luther. If you think about it realistically, this makes sense: in people's lives, they get a career that they might stay at for the rest of their lives. They get married and start families. They get a house and, often, stay there for a very long time, or at least in the same area. So, I don't think it's weird that comics maintain the status quo in that way. That doesn't mean the characters themselves can't have series-changing revelations. When characters are changing, I don't consider that going back to the status quo. Just because folks want to read about mutants at Xavier's mansion doesn't mean the characters themselves can't evolve, and many of them have, over the years - they've learned life lessons and overcome adversities that have made them fun to read about, and a lot of those lessons have carried over from writer to writer. My point with all that is, I'm definitely ready to see the X-Men back in upstate New York, fighting once more for a peaceful coexistence between humans and mutated humans - Xavier's dream, not Moira's, should still be the ultimate goal of the x-books. The Krakoa-era was a lot of fun, but I have no interest in seeing it in the hands of lesser writers.

[@nobodyexceptme7794]

What do you think about the latest Hickman interview on AIPT?

[@thecomicreadern4344]

HoX/PoX made me take interest in x men after a long time.What followed was a mixed bag,and frankly it would have been much better if it was just Hickman doing his own stuff opposed to being a group effort

[@bradonbriffa9690]

Only 4 away from 200. Any plans for the big milestone?

[@thelpfen]

HoX and PoX was mind-blowing one of the best x books in a very long long time real game challenger but after that it kinda fell through.

[@mtlns]

The Hickman run was the best thing to happen to the x-franchise easily in a decade. It would have been great to see it fulfilled as he initially planned it, but even though all the mess around its rollout (Yawn of X and so on), was VERY exciting.

[@stevenbock1961]

How aware - if at all - was Mystique of Nimrod having the personality of the lady Orchis scientist's dead husband? If she was I feel emotionally Mystique letting the other woman to have their spouse back in a way is therapeutic in a way. IE if Mystique can't have Destiny back, at least the Orchis lady scientist has her hubby back in a way. I could see it being revealed that both women betrayed their superiors in order to get their spouses back & exchanged knowledge of mutant & human resurrection tech.

[@DevaNeeramanii]

Yes. It's damn good.

[@confidentmystic]

It was brilliant, it redeemed Cyclops, and made X-Men #1 again!

[@challiray]

Yes.

[@timhaldane7588]

Hickman's run may well be my favorite era of X-Men. As an X-Men fan since the 80's, this statement does not come lightly. Charles all but goes full Walter White. Mutantkind finally refuses to remain divided and victimized, bands together where they are virtually unstoppable, and embraces its extraordinary power. Decadence abounds. Apocalypse is shown not to be a simple bloodthirsty nihilist, but a zealously principled Nietzschean, who believably praises and joins the Krakoan nation in its goals. And yet, old grudges cannot help but seep their way through the cracks. This is Hickman taking his Illuminati, an alliance of necessity that is doomed to fail over the long term, to its logical extreme. It's an international political thriller, Abrahamic religious allegory (inverted Garden of Eden), and sprawling mythologic metanarrative all in one. Claremont defined who the X-Men were. Hickman defined the universe they inhabit.

[@timhaldane7588]

14:49 echo echo... echo echo...

[@malikshabazz2065]

nice

[@liquidswords20]

I’m just sad and disappointed. I feel we’ve been used. This had such potential. It was soured me to new Marvel comics…once again

[@timgonzales2891]

I hate going back and forth. It's so obnoxious. I read on marvel unlimited, so thats my problem. It's also just a Hickman thing (avengers/new avengers, except more)

[@marcmacaluso2795]

Personally I think he borrowed a metric ton from _The Foundation_

[@TreFKennedy]

Why did Hickman leave?

[@haseo4611]

👀

[@elfranco7758]

I was looking forward to Hickman's take on x men, but I gotta say I'm pretty disappointed with it. I understand he wanted to take them in a new direction and all that but to me they lost what made them the x men to begin with. They're pretty much like a version of the Inhumans now, and I don't like that at all. I tried to like it but it just didn't do it for me. Sucks because x men and Spider-Man are my main characters. Oh well, at least I still have x men legends I could read every month

[@frankvizen5480]

It was a great start. Kind of left it in a messy place for less talented writers to try to continue.... which hasn't turned out well.

[@mangamegs]

It's gonna get ugly. I think the happy go lucky everyone knocking boots days on krokoa are done.

[@Tenkuu]

Damn, so I guess this means he isn’t coming back?

[@williamgordon]

I feel like Hickman planted a beautiful garden only to have that trampled back into mud by the lackluster uninspired uninspiring ‘talent’ at marvel. I have zero confidence in the future for the x-titles.

[@smorillo8581]

Disappointing that we didn’t get any further character development for The White Sword. Initially on the Marvel Database website, he was stated as being an immortal External. Then later it was removed?

[@D3athW1ng]

Tough act to follow "well" I think ...Its Marvel ... Passing the writing baton is not a strong point for them.

[@pelicanhill3251]

HOX/POX was great. But Hickman's X-Men run was very average. It just felt like a random bunch of stories that didn't go anywhere. A huge disappointment in my book.

[@enricolunelli9039]

I gave up with the X-Swords story

[@SuperSilver316]

The idea of Krakoa is why you should read this run, but this was a pretty boring ongoing overall. I wasn’t big on the art either, could have benefited from more consistent pencilling, but Yu and Asrar were generally solid. Just a lot of a set up, with pay off that has yet to land, hopefully Inferno can get most of it, but I doubt we see resolutions to everything.

[@warlion_2nas163]

He said today that his plans will continue after inferno without him as the team knows it all and have already worked most of it

[@SuperSilver316]

Yeah I read as much, let’s hope it was worth it.

[@johncrichton8876]

Wow. They way you broke this down made it even better. It is simply too big for comics. It's too ambitious for modern fans. It's literally The Last Jedi of Comics. It's major criticisms are "music hero isn't acting like a hero" and "there's too much" woke" stuff." The truth being the scope of what Hickman was doing was so unique it turned some old heads off and too ambitious to live. Too many hands on the pot watered down the plan and as maybe the greatest idea for x-men since it was canceled. Maybe a better comparison is its like an ambitious bill that gets chewed away by the greedy politicians until it minimally has the effect it was attended to. #obamacare

[@MrWelfle]

I hadn't read Hickman's FF or Avengers but heard only good things so I was looking forward to his X-Men having a tight beginning, middle and end. I think the era suffered from "too many cooks" and too many titles and therefore became way too messy and bloated. HoX/PoX brought me back after 20 years but even halfway through I thought the worldbuilding, fresh as it was, took the focus away from what I cared about when it comes to X-Men: the X-Men themselves, interacting and having adventures. I was most excited and most disappointed by the main X-Men title. Even that first issue, it felt like nothing happened: just sitting around the Summer's house...and the art was stiff and lifeless. The geriatric plant ladies was the worst thing I've ever seen in a comic book ever. The "anthology" style was a miss for me...it causes too much of a disconnect to start a story in issue 5 and not resolve it for a year. However, issues 4 and 7 were some of the best books I've read. The Giant Sizes should have been the anthologies...deep cut one shot stories like Skids getting Rusty back, Larry Bodine experiencing a welcoming community, Petra and Sway's feelings about Xavier, Changeling adjusting to life after being dead so long, the Proudstar brother's reuniting, Banshee and Terry reuniting, Beast and Infectia reuniting etc. The random Storm is infected story should have been her arc in the main title. Hickman's New Mutants was great but leaving Magma out (I always love the OG 9 being together) and randomly including Mondo and Chamber only to have them do nothing was an unfortunate choice. I genuinely enjoyed Cable because it was the sweet side of the Summer's family being a family. I didn't find the stories interesting, but I liked the character interactions. I cannot express how much I hated X of Swords. Again, I want to see X-Men having X-men adventures...the secret history of Apocalypse's family, Otherworld and tons of new mutants didn't interest me in the least. And then to have them having dance offs, cat walks, kitten killings and eating contests ties the geriatric plant ladies for the worst thing I've ever read. I hated that Moira was central to HoX/PoX and that she just disappeared. Mystique and her are some of the most interesting ideas to come out of this so I hope they are fleshed out in Inferno. TBH the Gala didn't really bother me, but it suffered from what the era as a whole suffered from: all the characters being so like minded. They're all in these extravagant costumes but Claremont or Nicieza or Lobdell would have fleshed out how Colossus and Cannonball felt silly dressing so regally when they came from humble means or Rachel felt uncomfortable, etc. just like it's hard to believe nearly every hero was just board with sharing an island with villains and not questing resurrection from the dead. This era suffers from lack of thought bubbles which provides the rich content of each character's individual thoughts and feelings. Without them, it seems like every character thinks and feels exactly the same way which simply isn't real...or very interesting. I want to read Jean's thoughts on Mastermind being there, Warren's thoughts on Apocalypse, Magma and Rachel's thoughts on Selene (who probably shouldn't be there at all because of Necrosha), Monet's thoughts on her brother being there, et al forever and ever. This era was so bloated and messy and proved the X-Office is unable to execute a singular, tight vision that I'm not optimistic about the relaunch and sad to say I'll probably be ducking out once more.

[@ftheman1108]

can you only read the xmen title run and still get a cohessive story out of it? It annoys me when writers do this shit and break up the story into 1000 diff runs just to make you purchase more comics

[@fishin4bass2002]

I think people judge hickmans X-men on what it could have been not what it was. Maybe it could have been great but so many events, cross overs and bad decisions by marvel ruined it.

[@natashavanilla8170]

Answer to the title: No, it was bad. Simple.

[@stephen8805]

I honestly House of X/Powers of X. The storyline made no sense to me, multiple timelines I didn’t care about and so many characters acted out of character like Charles Xavier. And this new era for x-men doesn’t help itself with how many damn books there are at $4 an issue, it’s unaffordable when a big event like the sword event comes around. I also just don’t like Krakoa itself, it’s went on for way too long and it’s boring. I want the x-men back in x-mansion acting like regular people fighting against interesting villains again.

[@xq1234wzts]

Worst X-men run I have read and I have been reading X-men from late 80s (I read them much later on but this is my starting point). His reviewing snapshots of characters makes sacrifice meaningless. What we are experiencing is adventures of clones, out of clones out of clones... This all status quo is just a sect worshiping themselves. I just wait for Moira to die again and reset this pile of poo to some acceptable level.

[@TheMastermind729]

So I felt the exact same way you do which is why my belief this entire time was that the tenth life of Moira that we were following is not the marvel 616 continuity. The universe we all know and love is the ELEVENTH life. This way we can erase all of this cloning nonsense and out of character behavior from everyone.

[@josesarango3408]

Agreed

[@nodiggity4283]

Unfortunately diversity hires Tina Leah and Vita caused really bad sales by being terrible writers

[@francoisdemorcy5084]

It is trash. Confusing villians and stories. All of the books are horrible. X-Men teams all suck. Moria a bad guy. Zzzz stories. Complex. Use to be my favorite team now they suck. 👎👎

[@treyh3098]

It was fine.but more action would of been nice.

[@sebasnowogro8780]

Synch’s real name is Everett Thomas. Everett Ross is from Black Panther