Broken Frontier

The big event of the summer is finally here and The House of M promises to shake-up every single hero in the Marvel Universe.

You can always tell when the summer months roll around. The weather gets warmer, the winter clothes get tossed away and the big blockbusters compete against each other in theatres all across the country. The comic book industry is no exception, and both Marvel and DC are in the thick of distributing their best summer efforts. DC has already answered with a slew of offshoot material stemming from Countdown and now Marvel has gotten into the same spirit with the stunning debut of the House of M saga.

The series opens in the decimated city of Genosha, where Professor X struggles with aiding Wanda Maximoff in controlling her mutant hex powers. The Professor is frustrated and at wits’ end since he cannot get through to the Scarlet Witch. He decides that it is best to seek out the New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men to assist him in deciding what should be done about her. The two groups convene on Genosha, and after brief introductions and pleasantries are exchanged the two teams get down to brass tacks. What is surprising here is that the heroes discuss openly the possibility of ‘putting her down’ like you would a rabid dog. It may sound like a crazy idea to even suggest, but the scene sets up an engrossing moment where the two teams reach an impasse. Certain members of the X-Men are in favor of doing this to poor Wanda, and various members of the Avengers are against the idea altogether. As the debate rages on, Wanda mysteriously disappears leaving everyone to wonder what will happen next.

You can’t get drama better than this, and I think much of the thrilling events depicted here should be credited to writer Brian Michael Bendis. He manages to keep the dialogue fresh and serious without resorting to overblown things. I think he also had an artist in Olivier Coipel who matched the wordsmith equally with panels of genuine concern for Wanda’s plight. Much of the story’s content was grim enough for the artist to tackle, and I thought he did an admirable job with the meeting between the New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men. Olivier was allowed to cut loose in the second half of the story, so it will be interesting to see how he handles things in the next few issues. I am totally looking forward to the progress being made here by this creative team.

On the whole this issue was a worthy effort for Marvel, especially since this is being touted as a potential classic. The story is grim enough and the twist ending should keep readers wanting more as the series progresses and spins into the other offshoot titles related to the House of M. The whole of the Marvel Universe is getting remade this summer and believe it or not once the movie credits keep rolling you’ll wish the summer never ends. I suggest you run out and reserve your copy today!

-Kenneth Gallant