Way of X #3 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
WAY OF X #3
“Joy of X”
by Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn & Java Tartaglia
COVER / PAGE 1: Nightcrawler nurses his hangover while a mutant baby hovers nearby. Pixie and Dr Nemesis are still blind drunk.
PAGE 2. Data page, with pictures of the Hellfire Gala invitation, and a brief note from Professor X to the mutants present. Whether because he really means it or because he’s trying to make an argument that will appeal to the whole of Krakoa, Professor X is asking for everyone to at least behave civilly towards the humans, which he claims will be more intimidating.
He reminds everyone of the three laws of Krakoan nationhood, which is handy, because this issue wants the little-mentioned first law – “Make More Mutants” – to be at the forefront of our mind later on. Quite how the Professor is hoping people to act on it during the Gala is not so obvious, but maybe he’s anticipating a very enthusiastic afterparty.
PAGE 3. Recap and credits, in the modified Hellfire Gala style. The title, “Joy of X”, is obviously a reference to “The Joy of Sex” (1972) by Alex Comfort (1920-2000).
PAGES 4-5. Nightcrawler at the Hellfire Gala.
This is a “Hellfire Gala” tie-in issue, but bluntly, Way of X has a lot to get done, so the crossover consists of two pages plus Nightcrawler being hungover for the rest of the issue. Kurt’s been conspicuously drunk throughout the Gala tie-in issues, and these two pages are a montage (from his point of view) of his evening:
- Page 4 panel 1: Nightcrawler arrives at the party. He has “a lot on his mind” because he’s just learned (last issue) that Onslaught is coming back, on top of which he’s still preoccupied with the problem of forming a Krakoan society. Legion, last issue, was prompting him to focus on the three laws as a starting point, which is why he’s blathering about them so much here.
- Page 4 panel 2: Nightcrawler talks vaguely about the plot of Way of X to a bored and annoyed Pixie and Magik. This is also new.
- Page 4 panel 3: Nightcrawler rambles about the three laws to an equally drunk Nanny. Also seen in Hellions #12 (specifically, page 16 panel 6).
- Page 4 panel 4: Dazzler refuses to let Nightcrawler use her microphone to address the crowd, mercifully. This is new.
- Page 4 panel 5: Nightcrawler wails about the horrors he’s uncovered in Way of X so far, and gets shouldered aside by the Beast. This is meant to be the same scene shown in Wolverine #13, though they don’t quite match.
- Page 5 panel 1: Kyle Jinadu actually does want to talk about the first law, and points out that it’s (at the least) not obvious what same sex couples are meant to do about it. He also flags up that Meggan is pregnant. This is new, but leads into…
- Page 5 panel 2 : Nightcrawler incoherently congratulates a horrified Meggan on her not-yet-public pregnancy, and blearily assures her that he is definitely over their relationship from back in Excalibur vol 1. This is meant to be the same scene as Excalibur #21 page 13, though Kurt is much less drunk in that version, and doesn’t start rambling about their past relationship. He also picks up pretty quickly that the pregnancy is not public knowledge.
- Page 5 panel 3: Nightcrawler mistakes Emma’s psychic fireworks for Onslaught. This is new.
- Page 5 panel 4: Kitty drags Kurt aside for his own good. Also new.
- Page 5 panel 5: A barely conscious Kurt slumps in the corner, unnoticed while Magneto and the Scarlet Witch dance. This is the end of S.W.O.R.D. #6, but Kurt isn’t seen in that issue.
PAGES 6-8. Nightcrawler wakes up and looks for a hangover cure.
“Terraforming Mars.” In Planet-Size X-Men #1. Neither Nemesis nor Legion are impressed by it. Both basically see it as a dramatic empty gesture of power. For Legion, it proved nothing about the power of mutants in general – it merely proved that a small handful of ultra-powerful mutants can do big things. Where does that leave the normal Krakoan citizen with his power to jump slightly higher than average?
Legion was the one available omega mutant who did not participate in the terraforming of Mars. Planet-Size X-Men #1 said that Magneto consciously chose not to invite him; it’s quite likely that if asked, he would have refused.
“Krakoffee.” The Krakoan equivalent of coffee, while apparently very good, does seem to be something not quite normal, as mentioned in New Mutants.
Anyway, we have an ongoing series to get back to, so Legion encourages Kurt to go and pay attention to the First Law.
“I could splice a rugrat from any two mutants you care to name.” This is basically what we saw with the chimeras in an alternate future timeline in Powers of X – a plot thread that still hasn’t gone anywhere. It would indeed be another way of complying with the First Law.
PAGE 9. Pixie asks Legion to help Mercury and Loa.
I’m not quite sure how this would work with Mercury, who’s a fluid shapechanger anyway. But okay.
Pixie makes sure to namedrop Blindfold again, who sure is getting a lot of mentions in this book for a dead character.
PAGES 10-12. Stacy X introduces Nightcrawler to the Bower.
Stacy X debuted in Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #399 (2001) and was a member of the X-Men during the Joe Casey run, though not for terribly long. She previously worked in a mutant brothel in Nevada, and had pheromone control powers. She’s not a subtle character – in fact, the subtlest thing about her is that Casey stopped short of naming her X-Stacy – but if you’re looking for an X-Men character defined principally by her attitude to sex, she’s the obvious choice.
Stacy lost her powers on M-Day, and went on to join the version of the New Warriors that consisted of depowered mutants. This is the first time we’e seen her on Krakoa. Since she has her powers back, the implication is that either she’s been through the Crucible, or she got murdered at some point before being brought here.
Stacy’s function here is to confront Kurt with the practical reality of the First Law and with its obvious limitations. Are the Krakoans really saying that it’s a national duty to procreate? If so, does that imply that contraception is unpatriotic? Kurt describes Stacy’s creation as a brothel, but it’s not entirely clear whether any of these people actually work here – in this scene, she seems to be offering a space for casual sex and using her powers to help willing couples along. Later on, though, Cortez certainly seems to be using it as a conventional brothel. Kurt is entirely unconvinced by this, perhaps for religious reasons; Stacy sees this at least partially a spiritual endeavour.
Stacy claims that “pretty much all” religions have “a history of temple sex”. That’s an overstatement, but it’s certainly a mainstream view that such practices were widespread in the past. Moreover, it’s entirely in character for Stacy to see it as a source of pride and a tradition that she can claim to be following.
PAGES 13-16. Legion helps Loa and Mercury to hook up psychically, in order to flush out Onslaught.
The Xorn brothers. Why exactly are the Xorn brothers just hanging around with Legion? They were also present last issue when Legion was resurrected – Nightcrawler’s narration suggested (without naming them) that they were “gripped by older instincts. To witness. To protect. To balance.” They’ve had no dialogue in either issue.
“Sapiens thinking, Pixie.” This is a slightly uncharacteristic comment by Legion, who doesn’t normally go in for mutant nationalism. Maybe he’s being sarcastic. After all, we find out later in the scene that he’s using this whole enterprise to flush out Onslaught. He seems decidedly unbothered about the collateral damage for Loa and Mercury, who in no way have the sort of close relationship that can stand being fully exposed to one another’s every thought.
PAGES 17-18. Nightcrawler is shown the children.
The “Make More Mutants” law has apparently resulted in a lot of abandoned mutant children – or, if you want to be more charitable, communally raised. It seems a little odd that this hasn’t become wider knowledge on Krakoa, and that Nightcrawler is only just learning of it. Then again, Krakoa hasn’t been there that long – maybe the wave of births has only just hit, and up until now Nightcrawler has simply been noting a pleasing preponderance of pregnant mutants.
Lost is now working at the Bower as a… a nanny, I guess?
PAGES 19-21. Lost attacks Fabian Cortez.
Cortez has been down on his luck since getting kicked out of S.W.O.R.D. shortly after “King in Black”. The woman seems to be a new character; apparently Cortez wanted her to dress as Magneto. Alright then.
Lost (prompted by Onslaught) takes against him following a mention of the Acolytes. Evidently that has something to do with her back story and trauma.
PAGE 22. Data page.
Another excerpt from Nightcrawler’s as-yet-unwritten book. Nemesis’s description of Onslaught is pretty accurate. As Nightcrawler alludes to here, Onslaught originally manifested by corrupting Professor X himself, so if he’s active on Krakoa, it raises awkward questions about how far Xavier and Magneto can be trusted.
PAGES 23-24. The cast gather at the bar.
Gerhart is a mutant composer. His only previous appearance was in Daredevil vol 1 #249, where he was one of a number of artistic mutants murdered by Bushwacker. Evidently he’s made it to the front of the queue for resurrection, presumably for the same cultural reasons as Jumbo Carnation.
Stacy and Pixie helpfully spell out the moral. It’s a balance between making people feel part of something bigger and not making them lose their individuality.
PAGE 25. Trailers. The Krakoan reads NEXT: HEIRS AND GRACES.
That description of Onslaught contradicts Moira’s journal entry, where Onslaught was mentioned.
Moira mentions that Onslaught was the result of Xavier not being able to cope with the revelations Moira had revealed to him.
Although Nemesis and Nightcrawler wouldn’t know this information.
Just pointing it out.
It’s remarkable how much more enjoyable the Krakoan set up is when the boojs address the real problems with the set up.
And have characters acting recognizably human instead of plot robots.
So we’ve reached the “let’s abandon babies in a dumpster” part of the Krakoan prom.
I can’t wait to see the section of Reddit that seems to think Krakoa is a utopia try to justify that one.
With his Xorn disciples following him around, I wonder if the story is going to be setting up Legion as Krakoan Jesus.
The abandoned babies thing seems to be pointing to a growing collective nature of Krakoa.
That Krakoa’s society seems to be one that would encourage communal child-raising, rather than families.
The fact that Xavier and Magneto continue to act as if they don’t care about the minutiae of the society is baffling…but then again, I suppose Krakoa exists solely as part of a larger goal rather than a true attempt at creating an utopia.
Have nine months even passed yet for all these mutants babies to end up in the skip?
Wasn’t X of Swords supposed to be like a month ago?
Did everyone get knocked up in the first afternoon?
Where have all these visibly pregnant mutants been? Hanging out with the ten thousand mutants we never see and Gorgon?
Is Sinister just making test tube babies and hiding them around like Easter eggs?
Stacy X died in New Warriors #16. She was later seen in the Vengeance miniseries, (which may not have been in continuity) with no explanation of her resurrection. So maybe she’s just been dead since that Secret Invasion story and has just been resurrected on Krakoa.
Magneto did actually ask Legion to join in the terraforming of Mars in WoX #2, and Legion declined. Magneto then framed this as him rejecting Legion rather than the other way around.
I’m sorry to see this book come to an abrupt end in September, though I hope Spurrier will get another book with these characters and themes, as he mentioned a “season 2” after the Onslaught Revelation one-shot.
Legion being unbothered about the collateral damage of his plans is somewhat in keeping with his characterization from X-Men Legacy; he would come up with clever plans that tended to blow up in his face because he didn’t let anyone else in on what he was up to.
@Uncanny X-Ben
Mutant pregnancies don’t have to last nine months. If I recall Morrison’s run, Beak&Angels’ kids appeared in a much shorter time.
Other than that… eh, something-something-sliding timescale. The story requires mutant babies so enought time has passed.
If anything the revelation that X of Swords took place only two weeks before the Hellfire Gala made me much more suspicious than this.
Something to do with The World (Fantomex), maybe?
Hmm…”corrupted hive mind”…
It makes me wonder how much of everything is due to Sinister.
I would suspect that he had tampered with the mutant DNA while he had the chance.
I’m not sure how that would work with all the main characters.
Unless, for some reason, he only tampered with the background mutants, but none of the top-listers.
How convenient, eh? heh
Maybe it was part of his mind game.
I wonder if this leads to a vast reduction in the Earth mutant population. Maybe a large percentage of the non-name value mutants will prove unsalvageable thanks to Sinister.
“Sinister created a corrupted hive-mind. They destroyed Krakoa, killed a majority of the mutant population, and killed themselves.”
Hmm…
“….the version of the New Warriors that consisted of depowered mutants.”
Lol, I’d forgotten about that one. Straight out of the department of “Do you know who the target audience for this series is meant to be? No? That’s okay, because neither do we.”
There was already an overabundance of X-Men-related titles at the time, wasn’t there? So, I don’t know how they imagined a book featuring an assortment of depowered D-listers would be met by X-Men fans with “Great! We really needed this!” And O.G. New Warriors fans were obviously going to reject the series on principle straight out of the gate. How could they not see that coming?
One of their stupidest ideas ever.
Spurrier is very good at rehabilitating discarded characters, isn’t he? I laughed out loud at Stacy X handing out contraceptives. I also enjoy how she is one again calling out the main cast on their hypocrisies. Always thought she got short shrift and wasn’t allowed to move beyond being one note. Anyways, I always liked her snake design.
I am finding this book the most intriguing of all. Still think Kurt getting hammered is a touch of of character, but eh, why not 🙂
The fact that Xavier and Magneto continue to act as if they don’t care about the minutiae of the society is baffling
To be fair, it’s also clear that Hickman doesn’t care about this. We’ve still seen essentially nothing of the ~200K previously unknown mutants who make up the population of Krakoa.
It really is something that there’s never been a single panel dedicated to the faceless population of Krakoa.
Where they live, what they spend the day doing, what they think of all this insanity.
If I was an optimist I’d say it has to be intentional.
I still think Krakoa ate them all.
I was just thinking about how Spurrier books always have to end with some character or other spelling out the moral, often with a multiple-page monologue.
His work is refreshing imaginative but I really wish he would dare to let an ending speak for itself.
Enjoying having Spurrier back on an x-book. He’s got a really even handed approach to continuity, managing to reference past character beats that may have been forgotten without encumbering the plot for those unfamiliar.
I took the Kurt and Meggan scene as a reference to Age of X-Man, although maybe they’re not meant to remember that pocket dimension? I kind of assume it was an Age of X situation, but seeing as we jumped straight to HoxPoX I’m not sure.
Hm. Leah Williams explicitly stated in X-Factor that Northstar remembers Age of X.
Interesting. I doubt it was Hickman’s intention, but it never occurred to me how much of Krakoa’s free love atmosphere might be a reaction to most of mutantkind being trapped in No Sex Dystopia. Particularly if Kurt explicitly remembers. It was strongly implied he proposed the first law, though he’s not acting like in this issue.
Dealing with population levels in Marvel books is always uncertain at best, since perceptions of significance are so fluid. I still remember how surprised I was of the casual mention in that Dazzler one-shot a few years back that there were “several times” more Inhumans than mutants at the time.
Still, if we take for granted that there are well over one hundred thousand mutants living in Krakoa for at least nine months, and most of them have left their jobs and families behind, it stands to reason that a significant number of Krakoan newborns must exist.
Like most social aspects of Krakoa, the question of how planned those births were and how well they are being handled is very much an open one. A question that other books ignore almost completely and that this one is at least paying minimal attention to.
Also, it is so refreshing to see Magneto being clearly, unambiguously portrayed as the compulsive self-aggrandizer that he always was.
Stacy also appeared in one of the stories in the Annual from Gail Simone’s Domino series from a couple of years ago. Domino and Mystique had set up a sort of group therapy thing for mutants with features that don’t let them pass for human, and Stacy showed up as someone who was human, but missed her mutant features (the scales and the eyes and whatnot). So she was alive but depowered then, but her attitude about her powers in that story would certainly imply she’d be eager to get resurrected with her powers.
Stacy X was a big part of Austen’s run
Hickman’s huge revelation at the end of “Inferno” will be that she’s really Stacy 10.
@Anthony
Doesn’t she leave immediately after Austen takes over because she failed to seduce Angel?
@Chris V
🙂
Then it turns out Gwen was a previous part of the Stacy Plus program. Stacy-VII, perhaps.
Stacy-X is more intriguing here than I think I’ve ever seen her. Removing her from the unsubtle pen of Joe Casey, the man who literally named a comic Sex, certainly helps.
I actually like Stacy X.
I think it’s cool when mutants come from different walks of life and don’t my immediately decide to put in a costume.
Why aren’t there any mutant fire fighters or astronauts?
I want a mutant who gets fired for being too good at his job because of his powers.
Or an Amish mutant.
An Amish mutant with the same mutation as Forge. There’s a nice dilemma.
Amish Forge, sworn to protect a town that fears and shuns him.
But yeah, I’ve been saying for years that there should be a comic like Thunderbirds, but all the rescue team are super powered.
I would absolutely read pacifist Wonder Man leading a team of super rescuers.
When Robert Kirkman was still writing work for hire for Marvel, he introduced a super-powered fire fighter named Frank (or “Monstro,” I guess) in Irredeemable Ant-Man? Or was it in that Amazing Fantasy jam issue? Anyway, he ended up joining Damage Control after World War Hulk.
So yeah. There’s at least one super fire fighter out there.
Putting out fires?
Rescuing people?
These aren’t the way to win hearts and minds!
Obviously the best way to gain acceptance is to fight with other mutants and run away to hide in a mansion.
Then, when this brilliant PR tactic fails, there’s no alternative except to join with those other mutants and go live on an island acting in a disturbing manner.
Yeah, I see no other options.
I can’t see Storm controlling the weather to prevent devastating natural disasters and drought as a better alternative in order to gain mutants’ acceptance.
Onslaught wasn’t mentioned in Moira’s journals. She said she would have to break Charles, and she feared what that would create. People took it as meaning Onslaught.
Did Nightcrawler discuss consent in “Make More Mutants”? Some mutants could take it as a license to rape, especially if they have mental powers like Empath.
Interesting that legion refers to “sapien thinking” instead of human thinking.
I don’t think Onslaught will be important outside of Spurrier’s book.
I would hope not. It’s surprising seeing Onslaught being used again. I guess with most of the X-Men’s usual villains living on Krakoa, the writers need to dredge up any type of enemies from the past.
Plus, I mentioned before, this is the 25th anniversary of Onslaught. I guess he had to show up somewhere.
It’s not like they did anything for the 20th anniversary, did they? Axis was seven years ago.
Sorry, maybe I’m misunderstanding but Is Marvel really celebrating the anniversary of Onslaught? I only recall the story as being a disappointing resolution to the X-Traitor “plot” and just a means of kicking off Heroes Reborn (which I also don’t see as being worth celebrating unless you’re nostalgic for shittier than usual Liefeld work). Onslaught him/itself wasn’t even really a character.
Seems the equivalent of me celebrating the anniversary of some dental work I had done, or the one memorable occasion I got a shopping cart at the supermarket that didn’t have a busted wheel.
They’re probably not, no.
They did release the complete Onslaught tale in three TPBs within the past twelve months too…so, maybe they are?
They are also celebrating “Heroes Reborn”, however obliquely, which was the fallout from Onslaught.
That’s kind of like, “Hey, remember when this company had to file for bankruptcy, and we almost lost most of our best characters due to incompetence? Well, it’s been twenty-five years now!”
Although, I do know of fans online who were of that particular age group that they were marketing towards during the early and mid-1990s (middle school age), now as adults look back fondly on stuff like Onslaught and the “Clone Saga”.
I know longtime readers form an attachment to the stories that they grew up with, but I faintly hoped that readers who grew up on shit would eventually be able to recognize it as shit.
“What if they don’t?” and “What if they eventually become writers themselves?” were two possibilities that always filled me with dread.