What did you think of the big “Moira X” revelation from House of X #2?
Graham Scherl: If there’s anything that the X-Men do better than any other property in comics, it’s retcons. I don’t mean that they have the most (they probably do), or that they’re always good (Wanda and Pietro not being Magneto’s kids can still fuck right off), but retcons really do always seem to get to the core of the franchise. Hell, some of the most iconic arcs in franchise history are built around the fact that retcons either happened (AoA) or need to happen (DoFP).
All of that said, this retcon is one of the biggest the franchise has seen, and the potential is ridiculous.
See, I listen to you sometimes, Mike.
Mike Maillaro: Thank you.
John Babos: What I like about this retcon is that it is has in-continuity explanation. It’s not just that a writer didn’t like what previous writer did and just undid it with no explanation. At least this retcon has a legit in-story explanation. I think the story may have worked even better if it was Moira MacTaggert with Tony Stark and/or Charles Xavier rewriting this 10th timeline. This Moira X revelation has broader possibilities beyond the X-Men books.
The mystery of Timeline 6!
Matt Graham: Why is Timeline 6 missing?
Is Timeline 6 616?
Is Timeline 10 the timeline we know?
It’s the only timeline with Proteus. Does that factor into Moira’s “Break the rules” message to Charles? He’s got Middle Finger to Reality Powers, and maybe she’s had lifetimes to cultivate such a mutant?
When did Apocalypse Moira die? That timeline went off the page. Did she fail? Is it important to the Machine inevitability?
I love that the Machines are inevitable no matter what happens.
Can I get an Assassin Moira and Apocalypse Moira action figure?
Was Destiny just messing with Moira? Should we take her warning of Moira’s death seriously? Moira already made it to Life Ten. Was the warning just to keep her on a path assuming life is precious and she needs to be pro mutant, not anti? We never saw them cross paths again.
I am glad to have questions like this instead of “Why is Carol acting out of character?” and “Is this event going to mess up a comic I was pulling?”
Mike Maillaro: I am leaning towards life 6 being the life that we know (616), and life 10 being close to it, but with her deliberately making the specific choices to make specific changes that have resulted in the House of X/Powers of X reality. The last few lives have gone in a pretty dark direction with Magneto and Apocalypse, so it would make sense for her to try to go back to what was mostly working.
Graham Scherl: Something that gets me is that we see the Phoenix Five being referred to as the Lost Decade in a timeline that isn’t the present one, given that 10 is supposed to be the world we know (complete with her ‘death’ on the timeline). So does that mean it happened twice in her lifetimes, or are those realities folded over each other?
John Babos: I suspect that timeline six is one of the future timelines to be explored in Powers Of X. The revised timeline graphic with timeline six may come out next week or at the end of Powers Of X #6. And, the current year 2019 timeline in HoX and PoX is the tenth timeline. In wonder if there will be an eleventh timeline that constitutes Dawn of X?
Reading HoX and PoX Together.
Matt Graham: I look at the “Two Series That Are One” with an eye for all the details, because I don’t believe for a moment a line isn’t written or a detail isn’t placed that is not part of the overall scheme. This is going to be one where I read previous issues every time a new issue drops.
Mike Maillaro: Yeah that is definitely a Hickman trademark. As I said last week, I am keeping all the issues on my tablet for constant reference. I pretty much always read and delete to make space for more stuff to read. Not this time!
Matt Graham: And we’re just starting. This could be mindtrip 1 of 50.
John Babos: HoX and PoX must be read together. That “most important scene in X-Men history” had its in-story debut in PoX #1 and explanation in HoX #2 after all.
Mike Maillaro: I did notice that certain issues in the Reading Order are marked in red. They are House of X #2, House of X #5, Powers of X #6. Considering the mind fucks in this issue make me real curious about those two issues…
John Babos: These 2 minis have lived up to the hype. The last time Comics Nexus has readers flocking to a Marvel series / stories was when Dan Slott was doing his Red Goblin swan song in Amazing Spider-Man. Usually, it’s our DC Comics stories that dominante interest year-over-year. They still well, but readers are so intrigued and interested in HoX and PoX plus DoX.
Mike Maillaro: It’s well deserved hype too!
What else did you notice? What else are you hearing?
Mike Maillaro: I am sure that at some point or another, we have all had one comic that we have bought basically because of inertia. In a lot of ways, that has been X-Men for me for a long time. Even when I am not loving the X-Men books, I still follow them pretty closely. It’s definitely my drug of choice.
That said, when I sat down to read this issue of House of X this morning, I was knocked on my ass. The concept presented here would have sold me on any comic, even without an X-Men logo on the cover. A woman who restarts her timeline after her death with all of her memories in tact is such a great concept. It reminds me vaguely of Infinity 8.
But then the way Hickman integrated this right into X-Men history is just absolute genius. I have heard a lot of people saying that this can’t make sense with the rest of X-Men history, but Hickman has fast earned my trust and I wanna see where this is going.
John Babos: How does Moira X not go crazy due to this reincarnation power and not become a super-villain? I’m curious about the exploration of her mental state. What does dying at least nine times and remembering how each time, and feeling that, do to one’s psyche?
Matt Graham: I told a non-reader about Moira and they were intrigued and wanted to borrow these issues immediately based on that idea.
Mike Maillaro: My daughter was same way. She loved the very concept and has never read an X-Men comic.