Death Of X #1 Comic Book Review/Recap

Death Of X #1. What Happens After Secret Wars?

Death Of X #1 Comic Book Recap

One year ago, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, the X-men are on route to Muir Island. Scott Summers and his team received an emergency transmission.

The transmission came from Jamie Madrox, the multiple-man. One of their own requires aid, so the uncanny x-men will answer the call. Approaching their destination, Scott and his team can see that the Terrigen mist had engulfed the entire Island. The blackbird lands on the outskirts of the mutant research facility. Emma Frost scans the place but she found only a few minds other than theirs. Scott informs his team that the staffs are made up of primarily Jamie Maddox and his duplicates.

Scott lets loose a few coughs but he tells his team that he is alright. Entering the compound, the team passes through empty hallways. No sign of a struggle but blood has been spilled. The next room reveals a cancerous corpse. The X-Men must find out what happened here and they must find the multiple man, fast.

Matsumoto Japan, led by Crystal and Gorgon, the Inhuman’s arrives to lend aid to anyone that will go through terrigenesis. The Terrigen Cloud has been making its way around the world unlocking super powers from humans with a dormant inhuman DNA. It will soon hit Japan. Before, the entire city would have evacuated but now, only 20 percent of the Japanese populace depart. The rest are eager to welcome the opportunity to become inhuman.

Meanwhile, in the city park, someone has gone through Terrginesis. A massive cocoon covers the individual. Masked gunmen arrive on scene. They have been taking cocoons all day. The inhumans are near so they must move fast. Oh and one more thing: Hail Hydra!!

The ground opens up knocking the hydra agents onto their backs. Crystal and her inhuman family are here. She gives them only one warning: Leave, or die.

Well, Hydra came prepared. 3 massive gunships close into their location. Seconds later, a hoard or Hydra agent’s jetpack out of their gunships. They are ready for an aerial Dog fight.

Back on Muir Island, the Stephord sisters found one mind still alive, but barely. The team rush towards the end of the cliff. They find Jamie Madrox and his duplicates, all dead, one dying. Scott ran towards his friend asking who did this. Madrox can barely speak but he had enough to tell Scott that it was the Terrigen mist. It did this. Scott doesn’t understand: he needs more information. But it is too late. Jamie Madrox, the multiple-man dies in in his friends arm.

If what Jamie says is true than Emma Frost and the rest of the X-men are already exposed. Scott sends everyone back to the Blackbird so he and Frost can retrieve any research he can from the facility.

Moments later, Scott got through to his onetime friend Hank McCoy. Scott sends all of the data on the Terrigen Mist to the one person that can actually understand this. The beast is in shock but he needs to run a few test to be completely sure.

Cyclops fell ill and he collapses onto the floor.

Japan, The inhumans have engaged the agents of Hydra but crystal and her team are on the defensive.

a random gunshot stuns the Inhuman princess. The team surrounds their leader while Flint creates a rock barrier with his powers. Hydra commander gives his agents an order: Light them up.

The rock barrier is holding but Flint is overheating. He can’t hold them off forever.

Elsewhere, the cocoon finally opens revealing the Japanese man inside. He is confused and lightheaded. A sudden urge to scream releases an energy field in every direction. Hydra agents freeze still.

The rock barrier comes down. Naga was their only flyer on the team. She battled the hydra agents until the new inhuman released something that placed them in a trance. However he did it, it seems to only affect non-inhumans.

Muir Island, Illiana Rasputin and Bobby Drake returns after sending the rookie X-men to the Blackbird. They are surprised to see Cyclops on his feet. Something is clearly wrong but Scott shrugs it off demanding that he is fine. He also got a hold of Hank. The beast was able to analyze their data and it is true. The terrigen mist is toxic to all mutants. It killed the multiple-man and everyone in the facility. Some mutants will react more severely than others and Hank doesn’t know why. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the inhumans lied to Scott Summers.

They put their own species before mutants when they released the Terrigen cloud. As far as Scott is concerned, they killed everyone on Muir Island.

Death Of X #1 Comic Book Review

Ok so let’s get into what I thought about this issue. For new readers that are familiar with the x-men than you will know what’s going on but the random card are the inhumans. Marvel is giving the inhumans a huge push in popularity. We have seen them on Shield the TV show and they now have 2 comic series the uncanny inhumans and the all new inhumans. Obviously marvel/Disney is pushing them because of the upcoming Inhuman movie. But we can’t talk about the inhumans without talking a bit about their similarity to the x-men. They are essentially the same: super powered individuals that arnt homo sapiens. So marvel decided to pit them against each other and it all begins with the 4 issue death of X story arc. There is one thing that I noticed that makes them different. Mutants struggle with racism and bigotry. This is the whole driving force for someone like magneto. But the inhumans never saw that much prejudice from the norms. And in this issue, they even address the fact that only 20 percent of the Japanese populace in the city evacuated while everyone else welcomes the opportunity to become an inhuman.

One thing I love about this story is that it fills in the 8 month gap when Secret Wars ended to the present day Marvel comic book world. We are essentially reading stories in the past. We know that Cyclops didn’t survive his encounter with the inumans. We know he pretty much died after he attacked the inhumans, but what about the other x-men in cyclop’s team roster? Emma Frost, Illiana Rasputin, The stephord sisters, Goldballs, and bobby Drake.

Emma most likely shared the same fate as Scott. We haven’t heard from the Stephord sisters in any of the current x-men titles. Goldball is a new mutant so im surprised he got a bit of the spotlight treatment. It’s only Iceman and magic who we know survives for sure because they are present in the extraordinary x-men alongside Storm and her faction of the X-men.

Since this story is told in the past, we already have fractured clues as to what happens. So the challenge for the writer is to keep us compelled even though we know Cyclops and his X-men will lose to the Inhumans. This is very much like the injustice series. We know the outcome but so far, after issue one of the death of X, I think the story and narrative alone will keep me compelled till the very end.

Im going to take us back to Secret wars in 2015: During this event, Cyclops died killed by Dr Doom. He got his neck snapped. Of course at the end, everything got reset but as far as I know, no one made reference to their experience during the event as if it never happened. We know a few things like the old man logan coming straight from battleworld and the Maestro survived it as well. But none of the main cast such as Dr doom, Dr, strange or any survivor inside Mr fantastic’s ship made reference to the event as far as I can tell. I hope this story arc addresses that issue but I’m not holding my tongue.

The one thing that I really enjoyed about this issue is Cyclops and his self-righteous mindset. I loved his character during x-men vs the avengers. Marvel did a great job recreating the x-man Boy Scout into his own man. at first, he reflected everything that his mentor, Charles Xavior taught him but nowadays, he looks a lot more like Magneto during his brotherhood of evil mutant days. This makes for a more complex character and I also love how this issue sets up the eventual battle between him and the inhuman princess Crystal. She dated Bobby Drake before. The inhumans and the x-men were never enemies before but rather, they were allies. Now, because of the terrigen cloud it is literally life for the inhumans and death for the x-men and Cyclops will again be the face of salvation for the mutant population.

We know magneto will survive this because we know he lives on to lead the uncanny x-men so this begs the question: Where is he during the death of X story arc? I speculate that he won’t be a part of the death of X but he will be a center focus role in the follow up Inhumans Vs X-men event.

Cyclops is already blood thirsty so we know he will take the battle to the Inhumans but how will the other good team react?

The final page shows Crystal welcoming this new Inhuman into a new world. He isn’t present in the uncanny inhuman or the all new inhuman comic series so my speculation is that Cyclops and his team will somehow accidentally kill this Nuhuman leading Crystal to muster her forces and the two teams will go at it with everything.

The one problem I can see with this story arc is the popularity with the Inhumans. Not everyone knows what they are and what their goal is. If you are watching this video then I assume that you follow comics but there will be some of us that have no clue who the inhumans are. Knowing this, the death of X story arc could alienate comic book new comers and I hope this is not the case.

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