X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #59
“The Fall of the House of X”
Writer: Alex Paknadel
Artist: Nick Roche
Colourist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editor: Lauren Amaro

This issue came out on Hallowe’en, and it has a rather charming approach to that theme: it’s basically an old fashioned horror anthology story, framed by campfire scenes where Cypher acts as the storyteller.

It’s not just a random anthology story, though; it’s Tales from the Hidden Past of Krakoa. According to Cypher, after the island was separated from Arakko, it spend most of its time dormant. Unless it was disturbed. This story is about 19th century mutant Silas Ellerby, heading to the Americas with his wife to make their fortune when their boat sinks. Silas winds up on Krakoa, and since he’s a mutant, the island perks up a bit and takes notice.

Unfortunately for Krakoa, Silas’s powers just happen to be control over the Earth (at least the bit around him), which includes Krakoa. So instead of Krakoa being able to eat him, he sets about tearing Krakoa apart in order to build rafts (which don’t work) and a mansion in tribute to his late wife (which does, but that doesn’t resolve the lack of food problem). And without him realising what’s happening, Krakoa tries to find ways to calm him down, get rid of him, or at least placate him. Which, of course, ultimately involves Krakoa hunting for the shipwreck.

It’s a nice little idea – a pleasantly traditional story concept from the House of Mystery style, and a more inventive way of approaching the Hallowe’en remit than just chucking some zombies at the page. Nick Roche, best known for his Transformers work, is a very good storyteller and his design for the makeshift mansion gets the right mix of impressive and wonky.

The last panel misfires – I know the original genre often involved the narrator spelling out the moral for everyone’s benefit, but it feels too much here. Something a bit more ambiguous would have been more effective, I think. On the whole, though, a nice little holiday issue.