Previously on Reviews of X: Hickman and crew started a new X-era with House of X #1. We have new gods now. And with Powers of X #1, things get weirder. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Powers of X #1: The Last Dream of Professor X
Story: Jonathan Hickman
Art: R.B. Silva and Adriano Di Benedetto
Colors: Marte Gracia
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel
The Past
While House of X #1 took us across the globe. the moon, and Mars, Powers of X #1 takes as across time: Year One, Year Ten, Year One Hundred, and Year One Thousand. Powers of Ten. Clever.
Hickman takes us back to the early days of Charles Xavier when he was still all about his dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants. We get a glimpse of what was referred to as the “most important scene in the history of the X-Men”. I’m dying to know why that is.
I got into the X-Men in the ’90s when all X-teams had one thing in common: they all subscribed to Xavier’s dream. It’s been a while since “The Dream” was a thing, so bringing it back to the spotlight hits the nostalgia spot for a lot of fans.
But this new X-era is more than just nostalgia. It shows us where the X-Men have been, where they are, and where they might be heading.
The Futures
It’s amazing how Powers of X #1 takes us on a trip to the past, intersects with the present by checking in on Xavier’s House of X crew, spends a considerable amount of time in the future, and gives us a glimpse of the far future without being too convoluted — at least for those of us who are used to wild X-Men stories.
While Hickman, Silva, and Di Benedetto do a great job at setting up the story across four different time periods, it’s Hickman and Tom Muller’s design pages that add a lot of meat to Year 100 and Year One Thousand.
We’ve already seen a lot of interesting possible futures in the world of the X-Men, so Year One Hundred is something very familiar to us. We see mutant hounds, a triple threat war between humans, mutants, and robots, Wolverine still running around, and the most delightful version of Nimrod ever.
Unlike previous possible future timeline stories, though, this one double dips into the future. We get to see Year One Thousand, beyond the ugly war between the primitive species of Earth.
We get to see how it all ends: life on Earth moves past pointless conflict and useless wars to ascend to a higher, more peaceful state of being. Or maybe not?
IN CONCLUSION
If you think House of X #1 was confusing, you’ll probably pull your hair out after reading Powers of X #1. It’s like House of X #1… times ten.
Jonathan Hickman continues building a new world for the X-Men, but here, he does it across time and space. It’s awesome, but the downside to that is we still don’t have a clue of what’s really going on.
Is that really Moira MacTaggert? What is Present Professor X really up to? How does Power of X actually tie into House of X? Will the events of Year One Hundred and Year One Thousand give us a clue on what we can expect from Dawn of X? Everything is still a mystery and I hope we get some answers soon.
Powers of X #1 is available now wherever fine comic books are sold.
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