Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X crossover event got off to a fine start. The first issues of both mini-series set the groundwork for what this X-Men crossover will be about. This is the event that is marking the end of the Krakoa Era for the X-Men. Because of that, we saw a lot of continuity-heavy developments that were built on the ashes of the Fall of X direction. Now with the second issue of Fall of the House of X, we should see this crossover go all out in paying things off. Will that be the case or will this crossover fall to the weight of the X-Men’s continuity? Let’s find out with Fall of the House of X #2.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Lucas Werneck
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Travis Lanham
SOLICITATION
“NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT! The X-Men may be at their lowest spot, and they may be on the brink of complete eradication…but they are not going down without a fight! Polaris returns to guide the X-Men home, bringing a wicked surprise for Orchis! This epic tale split in two continues as the Krakoan Age nears its conclusion!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Fall of the House of X #2 doubles down on the loud, action-packed aspect of an X-Men event. Gerry Duggan and Lucas Werneck put their feet on the pedal and never let up. The result is a comic book that has a lot of action while still slowly progressing the overall story of the end of the Krakoa Era.
The opening of Fall of the House of X #2 set the tone for this entire issue. The X-Men are done just waiting around to act. Orchis has pushed the mutants too far. The mutants are at a point of no return. You felt that with Polaris’s epic attack on Orchis’ Gloom space station with how she unleashed the Brood. There was no caring for anyone on the space station that wasn’t an X-Men. Polaris’s entire vibe shows this as she even sips coffee while the Brood kill every Orchis member in sight.
Polaris isn’t the only one that doesn’t hold back. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus also join in the chaos on Orchis’ space station. Wolverine is an obvious choice to wreck Orchis with zero care. Nightcrawler and Colossus similarly not holding back adds to how differently the X-Men are operating. Especially when you compare this mission to the X-Men’s mission on Orchis space station in House of X you feel the weight of this scene. The X-Men were looking to annihilate Dr. Stasis and Orchis.
This adds to how Dr. Stasis is one of the lead antagonists of this story. Even though he had to run away scared the fact that he was able to escape keeps him as a major threat. Now that Dr. Stasis has seen how far the X-Men are willing to go we are left wondering how they will respond. How they use the time in hiding to counterattack should feed into the greater story of how Orchis deals with the surviving mutants coming after them.
What makes the attack on Orchis work as well does is how it showcases the planning the X-Men have put into things. While they have certainly been fighting with their backs against the wall it doesn’t mean they haven’t had things in place. For the most part, Duggan does a good job at making sure everything is contained in the context of what has been going on.
Sub-plots like Firestar’s triple agent status quo and Rogue previously hiding Manifold in stasis to protect him from Orchis were well integrated. Given how Manifold would react to being manipulated Duggan made a smart call to integrate Lactuca into this sub-plot. It made Manifold joining the X-Men fit into his overall arc during the Krakoa Era. The Firestar story doesn’t get the same amount of development. But just mentioning that she may now be in danger with the X-Men’s attack on Orchis makes her sub-plot have a major importance.
On a more negative side, is the sub-plot involving Tony Stark vs Feilong. This mention was nothing more than a promotional tool for Invincible Iron Man. Feilong’s absence is not felt whatsoever. With how many sub-plots have been in development Duggan, and Kieron Gillen, should keep in mind to have a focus on the key ones for the two main comics in this crossover.
Luckily how Fall of the House of X #2 starts isn’t how this issue ends. Duggan pulls off a genuine surprise with the reveal that Cyclops’ words connected with Dr. Gregor. Dr. Gregor is the right character to pull off this surprise with. She has a high rank within Orchis but hasn’t played a big part in what they’ve been doing. Though Dr. Gregor realizing the threat of the Sentinels does lack development. Duggan will have to make sure to do a lot of character work in the next issue so that Dr. Gregor doesn’t just come off as a deus ex machina. This is concerning with all the other storylines within this crossover to also develop.
Lucas Werneck throughout Fall of the House of X #2 is very good. Werneck is at home when all of the action is happening. That is where all the energy is. There is a chaotic energy to how the X-Men go about destroying Orchis’ space station and killing all of Orchis’ operatives. Though with how big the action sequences are the more character-focused moments don’t have the same detail. It doesn’t get in the way of the pacing but is noticeable when going from action to dialogue-heavy panels.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fall of the House of X #2 is a massive improvement over the first two issues of the latest X-Men crossover. The X-Men are no longer holding back and we see that with their attack on Orchis in this issue. Though we don’t get much progression in the overall story there is now genuine momentum for this event following Fall of X. Hopefully its momentum that future issues of Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X will be able to carry forward.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
