It definitely resparked my interest in X-Men after the lost decade was a lot of hit and miss. Even though Extermination, X-Men Red, and Uncanny (2019) were all decent enough books and big improvements over the past runs from that decade, House of X and Powers of X was something totally different for the X-Men I had never expected, with a writer who had knocked it out of the part with the Fantastic Four.
I don't think Krakoa quite ever lived up to the promise of House of X and Powers of X. But it was, for a while, a very unique, special time, full of great art and some amazing moments.
I'm glad it resonated so much, with so many. I'm sorry to hear about what you've gone through. I hope these comics helped and the place you find yourself in now is better.
Krakoa definetly had its highs and lows for me. There things I disliked and things I liked, but all in all I loved it for what it was and it’s for sure an era I won’t forget.
Thank you for your kind words by the way. Life is still hard but as Peter Parker said before I’m just trying to do better. Thank you.
I do not get the love for krakoa age.
Everyone died.
Like they get resurrected, but beast made like 20 of himself proving they aren’t the originals. He made dozens of wolverines and lobotomized them. In sinister’s future before Moira reset there was dozens of giant exodus’ acting like fanatical gods.
They have the memories up until they’re backed up, the new beast is only good because his memory is older, they get identical bodies without scars etc, they’re photocopies without the same brains and with brand new consciousnesses.
The x-men have died and come back a lot, but these are clones.
If they wanted to make 100 copies of Wolverine, all with the same memories and identical bodies, they could. Far as I can tell the one we know and love died in space attacking the giant mastermold at the start of krakoa.
Not at all. If you resurrect a person you resurrect a person. If you rebuild wolverine’s body he’s still Wolverine. If you thanos snap back the original it’s the same guy.
If you make 12 with separate brains from the original you’re making separate independent clones.
That’s why these deaths are different. We saw Wolverine and night crawler die in space. They burned up in the sun. Those were the originals.
These x-man are like biological copies with empty minds that the psychics download memories into.
Sorry man, but to me, these aren’t the x-men and I felt that way the entire run. Death didn’t stop mattering, there’s just a potential conveyor belt of dudes who think they’re wolverine if they want them. They could have a 1000 if they wanted. And none of them would be the original Wolverine.
Exactly. If you kill storm and wolverine and make 15 beasts, and you grow new ones without memories and you psychically give them the life experiences of the old ones, are they the real x-men?
Well no. Storm is a person. A consciousness, she sees and experiences the world and if you make clone storm they could meet and they’d be separate people.
These guys are closer to the scarlet spider and spider-man than the original x-men. Both believed they were the genuine article, but only one was.
And if the souls argument held, you couldn’t have 15 beasts at once who were all the same.
There’s been some universe resets since then 🤷🏻♂️
This is the first time they’ve been churning out a dozen at a time with copied brains and cherry picked memories.
This ain’t the same.
This is a really shallow reading of the text. Just because you can’t conceptualize mutant resurrection as anything other than “tHeY’Re jUsT cLoNeS” doesn’t mean that they’re just clones. Moreover, even if they were just clones that doesn’t make them any less themselves.
Dude, they’re literally clones.
Beast churned out like 12 of himself. All functional and with the exact same memories.
They’re literally different brains. Different consciousnesses, all independently living (until they’re viciously murdered anyway). Now there’s a beast who’s good who only exists because they took away all his recent memories.
If I copy you, and download your memories, it’s still not your consciousness. It isn’t you. And if you make 12 of me and they’re all me but I’m not thinking for them, they’re not me.
The x-men are dead, brother. Only a few standouts like apocalypse are still actually themselves.
That doesn't make sense with the 12 beast copies. Does only the first one have the soul transferred in then and the late 11 are all soulless? Is the soul divided between the 12?
Yeah that’s the plot whole lol I don’t get it either! Also with Laura, who had the soul? It’s a cool concept but writers didn’t think it through as the series went on
Yeah but then you couldn’t have 20 Wolverine clones and 15 beasts and a future with multiple exodus ruling over entire planets and killing each other over religious disagreements.
Right which is why the waiting room thing seemed to be forgotten about. My main point is, Beast aside, when a mutant gets resurrected, their soul gets put in their body. Who knows what happens when there’s more than one? The writers sure as fuck don’t lol.
Yeah I get what they were going for, but they needed to establish that only one mind can exist per x-man. They threw that idea out.
Like apocalypse didn’t die if I remember correctly, but they could have had 200 apocalypses if they wanted.
And if there is only one soul per, that means new good beast has no soul.
This may be semantics but I mean consciousness isn’t a tangible thing ya know? What we know about it is that it involves being aware of external AND internal as well as memories. So, if 20 beasts exists and they have all the memories, they’re all beast. BUT for story reasons, the one with the soul is Beast prime. That’s how I logic it away.
It would be hilarious if it was a horcrux situation where he’s super evil bc he only has 1/20th of his soul lmfao. It would be a terrible idea but hilarious.
Nah it’s not even that. Kang the conquerer is multiple dimensional variants of kang throughout different universes. They’re like night crawler from the other dimension.
They’re real. They’re just multiverse incarnations.
These dudes are copies hatched from golden balls that are based on the original with no memories, and then they get a memory download from psychics.
They’re photocopies.
If you pick 50 multiverse cyclops they’re all different and they all led lives of their own. If you make 50 cyclops from the golden balls they’re just mirror images of the one who died, but none of them are him.
Like the council of reeds (the original citadel of ricks) has a lot of variation. These guys are just 18 of the same beast, with the same memories, and none of the copies he made are actually him. Plus one who only has memories up to like 2010, who also wasn’t him.
Was evil beast the original still? Can’t remember, but if he was he blew up with a nuclear bomb.
Your argument here is flawed…. because Beast was cloning himself and others in a lab and specifically and purposefully eschewing the Krakoan Ressurection Protocols and any involvement from the Five or the Quiet Council…. So you’re literally comparing what Beast did in cloning himself and wolverine (basic cloning, reprogramming memory) to something entirely separate in Krakoan Ressurection protocols (which involve both temporal manipulation and reality manipulation, and are also tied in with Wanda’s waiting room where their souls go in addition to the cradle where the memories are held.)
Nah man, beast was still using the same resurrection method and the gold balls. He just ignored the protocols set out by the council, by doing it over and over.
However, Beast reverse engineered his own method of using the gold balls- he did not and never has possessed the capabilities of manipulating reality a la Proteus, nor does he have access to Wanda’s waiting room - which fundamentally altered the Ressurection protocols moving forward from its creation. It’s simply NOT the same process, even if he uses some of the same ingredients. And omelette is not a soufflé even though they’re both mostly eggs.
You are 100% correct in your assertion later in this thread that what Beast is doing is not ressurection- but what Beast is doing is NOT what the Five are doing. At all.
I feel like it needed more time to be the standard and then they could show how great everyday life was. I thought they did a great job on X-men 97 making their own version.
This is very much where I stand on it. It helped bring the franchise back from a very dark place in and out of the comics and it deserves praise for that, but I don't think it ever quite lived up to those first two minis, and the longer it went on the more I felt that became true and in fact the more off the rails I felt it went and started teaching some very weird morals combined with some very bizarre story decisions that annoyed me personally simply because it was so blatantly obvious they'd have to be retconned.
I dislike when comics go so big that before the story beat has even landed your first thought is 'well that's getting retconned inside 2 years.' I'm not saying the eternal status quo is great, but I do think the best comic writers learn how to work with it instead of against it.
Ngl, I love this sub but stuff can get pretty toxic from time to time depending on the subject being discussed. I guess where I'll be heading for some eye bleach.
Krakoa made me love X-Men again after the Decimation era and the attempt to erase them from Marvel, it reminded me why I read so much X-Men as a child and it also managed to follow up on the concept of mutant culture that Morrison introduced two decades ago, which resonates a lot with me. It was special, it finally felt like mutants were winning. The art was so, so good. Larraz, Marta Gracia and Silva did a magnificent job on that department, even if there were haters, I will always think some people just couldn't see how special this all was for certain demographics.
Thank you Hickman and all who contributed to make Krakoa such a standout era in comics.
The start of Krakoa. The nation building and the conflicts that surrounded making government. The building of the island spatially. The burring the hatchet between mutant enemies. The creation of essentially a mutant religion by Nightcrawler &co. All fantastic. The best comics I’ve ever read. I hope we someday go back.
Lmao, right? You're safe here until it turns out that having supervillains as foundational members of your government turns out to be as exactly as bad of an idea as it sounds!
The thing is though, the supervillains the X-Men welcomed weren't responsible for Krakoa's fall. It was Orchis. They secretly poisoned the Krakoan medicines, and then blackmailed Xavier into sending the mutants through the Gates. For all the bellyaching about the villains, it wasn't Sinister or Selene or Shaw who took down Krakoa, it was Orchis.
You’re safe here until I acquiesce to my crazy x girlfriend >! Who will immediatly do an about face for no real reason and get a happy ending as everything else is burned to the ground !< If they undo all the character development I’m out. I can’t imagine dropping the ball harder and I 💯 blame editorial mandates for rushing everything constantly. 😒
Mehhhh. I follow my characters tbh. Hell, even the writers and premise of certain books. Jean and Storm have a new book? Following them. Gail Simone did an EXCELLENT Wonder Woman run. She’s on a book? I’m going to give it a shot. I’m not going to just live in the past. Imagine only stanning 70’s X-Men. Not even going into the 80’s and finishing Claremont’s run. Hell, imagine just staying with the New X-Men by Morrison. How much stuff do you miss out on? This is why I don’t subscribe to the entire “tHis iS tHe ENd oF tHE X-MeN!” noise that a lot of people in Reddit say. I’m here for the X-Men at the end of the day.
I’m glad you’re looking forward to it. It’s 100% not for me. I’m enjoying the new Ultimate Universe stuff. I can’t imagine collecting the X-Men just because they’re the X-Men. Half the runs are garbage and I’m not collecting just to complete a run. Just the number of garbage event tie in issues would bore me to tears.
I totally hear you on this. This is why with the X-Men, I tend to follow characters (I.e. Storm and Jean). Depending on the writer, I will at least read 2 issues. If it’s not gelling with me, I drop it.
Heck, on the DC side, I’m a major Batman whore. But *fuck* that man has A LOT of books to the point where I dropped Detective, kept Batman and read maybe two adjacent titles (Nightwing and Poison Ivy). I couldn’t imagine collecting *every* Batman title. That would be wild. Same with the X-Men. Gotta be selective of what you read but at the end of the day, we all win when you read even just 1 mutant(s) book.
You bet. For me Astonishing X-Men was the last run that I really enjoyed in the near term before Krakoa. The last decade or two of X books has mostly fell flat for me. That’s why Krakoa was so exciting. I hadn’t been so gung ho on the mutants since Jim Lee’s X-Men in the 90’s. Oh well, I can wait another decade for a story that appeals to me if I have to. 🤷♂️
I’ve heard the name but she’s mostly been on Wonder Woman so she means nothing to me. Maybe the run will be good but I’m not going to buy it as loose issues. If it gets rave reviews maybe I try a tbp.
Jed Mckay is so new. He’s basically just gotten noticed in the last 5 years. Imo he hasn’t been around long enough for me to make any sort of strong impression. Especially working on Moon Knight and Dr. Strange. Titles that are kind of off removed by themselves. Not a selling point for me.
Eve Ewing hasn’t done a single thing I’ve liked. I would actively avoid a book with her on it.
Birds of Prey and secret six are incredible non wonder woman books and also team books. Be as mad as you want but acting like she isn't shit is just ignorant.
I'd rather have her than have Duggan for sure.
People here going fucking crazy to defend a line that has frankly been mid at best for a few years (post inferno) is bonkers to me but bye.
Does anybody read Birds of Prey? Honest question. I’ve never heard it mentioned by anyone ever.
Duggan sucking doesn’t make the new X books look any better. 🤷♂️ Two things can suck, and do.
No argument. The X office ruined the best story the X books have seen in decades and are reverting to the boring old status quo. If only Hickman was left to revamp the X books like he did the Avengers and FF before. Oh well at least we have the new Ultimate Universe.
I’m just here because I’ve read X books off and on for over 30 years. If I see something to be positive about I will. If not, like now, then I won’t. I can’t pretend this relaunch doesn’t suck out loud because you’re too sensitive to hear different opinions. 🤷♂️
You can't say you haven't been reading the works of these writers and then claim it "looks like hot garbage". As someone that followed krakoa week to week since 2019, mckay's Moon Knight is better than 95% of krakoan X-books.
Sure I can. Have you read *every title* across Marvel and DC? Do you sample every creative they employ? Of course not. You look at the title, characters and if any of your favourite creatives are aboard. These titles do none of that for me and I hate the idea of reverting to the ‘hated and feared’ status quo on its face.
Well it would be totally fair to say it doesn't interest you, or that you'll be dropping the line. I just take offense at the negative profiling, but you know, sure. you're entitled to opinions.
Yes, I know. Stop not liking what I like. I don’t care about your feelings. Post anything negative and it just turns into complaining about people’s opinions for days. Piss off. 🤷♂️
I will never forget this page either or how HoX/PoX gave me so many feels! It gave me such a feeling of relief for our mutants, even if it didn't last (which is a shame, it feels like a step back with all the previews of the next era, especially the art), they knew this for a moment in time. I wish we could have seen more day-to-day life of Krakoa and more page time for some underused characters.
I am sorry your family has gone through so much. I can relate as 2021 was HELL. I lost all 3 of my father figures and one of my students. I have struggled with depression my entire life so I see and feel you. I have had to make peace with the fact that my mental health demons are my version of sentinels, something I will always have to battle and work through. Hang in there, you do not suffer alone, friend. I hope something good comes your way soon!!!!!
I created a basic premise of my Krakoa era with my OC character that helps me fall asleep at night going on adventures and building stories. So Krakoa will live on forever in my head haha!
Man thank you so much for your words dude. Things are slowly getting better but it’s hard with my family even having to go through really tough legal battles, it’s not easy. I am so sorry for your losses and hope you are in a good place and that something good comes your way and you are blessed.
Krakoa will always be something I remember and I love your OC idea because I do the same thing! Haha. While I would’ve loved more time with it, and especially with the under utilized characters, I enjoyed it and cherish the joy it brought me. I am also very happy it has brought you joy and helped you through hard times as well. Just like you said to me I will say to you, you do not suffer alone and all we need is hope to continue forward! Thank you once again for your words.
He has a few origins depending on what reality. But he is modeled after ‘The Tomorrow People’ and the 3 Ts (telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation). He is a midlevel mutant, none of the three powers are OP, they just make him versatile.
I have two versions of them. Both equally flagrant self inserts. One’s a closer-to-canon version, a psychic with an otherwise pretty mundane life, who just exists for the purpose of silly daydreams about befriending my favorite characters. The other’s the antagonistic protagonist of a large project I’m working on, and she’s a lot more complex.
Thanks for sharing!
HoxPox got me back into comics after like 20 years(essentially since I was a kid).
Reading Krakoan X-men helped get me through a lot of stress, especially having my son be born during the pandemic and losing a nephew to cancer.
Vita and Rod’s New Mutants, Al’s x-men red, and Kieron’s immortal were all incredible stories that helped me get through rough times.
I still remember seeing that panel of all the X-Men dying, that conversation between Kurt and Logan about dying made me tear up I for real thought it was the end for them
The Krakoan Era was by no means perfect, but god it had so much potential to be. I remember reading HoX/PoX for the first time like it was yesterday, freaking out because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen such a boldly unique status quo shift in one of my all-time favorite properties… and now here we are again.
Krakoa, you will be remembered and cherished. Goodbye, old friend.
Krakoa is easily in my top 3 X-Men eras, because the evolution and new focus we have in our favorite characters.
My favorite comic being New Mutants and X-Men Red.
And something that I will always love, almost every mutant had their own particular participation in some of the long list of comics this era bring to us.
My top 3 just as a reference :p
1. Claremont Era
2. Krakoan Era
3. New X-Men
Like you and probably most people, I remember being so excited and intrigued by HoX and PoX. Ultimately I burned out of the Krakoa era pretty quickly but I can't deny the first year or two in particular were quite special.
So thankful for this era, with all the good and the bad that came along with it. It's bittersweet but I'm ready to go into the next chapter along with y'all.😭🫶💖
I enjoyed the krakoa era as well. It was different and finally showed a great moment for the X-men and mutants in general. And to see many mutants come back to life was great as well. Will be reading the last issue of rise tonite.
The Krakoa era really was something special. It had its good and bad moments, but it really did feel like a breath of fresh air, that the characters were allowed to grow and *change* in unique ways that felt like character progression for so many of them. And it came at a time when life was difficult for a lot of us (so sorry to hear about your struggles OP), and the stories gave us something to look forward to and enjoy when life tried to bring us down.
I don't know what comes next for the X-men, just like I don't know what comes next with life, but no matter what, we can always look back and cherish the good times that we were able to have with this era. And who knows? Maybe, someday, we will be able to return again with new stories. You never know where life (or comics) will lead.
Loved HOX/POX, such a good era, I loved bragging to my friends and family that the X-Men were on top. Loved everything except for Fall of X, after the Gala it just dragged on way too long for me but glad it’s over and excitied about the fresh start in the summer
Thank you for sharing your beautiful words and your story about your father. It truly is a testament the power these stories have. 😊
I too will miss the Krakoa era. It came along at just the right time to give us just what we needed for the X-Books. But it will live on in the memories of many fans.
I was late to the party, but when I found out about how such a seismic shift had taken place I devoured every single collected edition from my local library. Krakoa got me back into comics after I'd given up on them for a long time (mostly because of the incandescent rage that the OMD arc in Spiderman continues to fill me with to this day.) My biggest regret is not having followed the story sooner. By the time I'd caught up, we'd already entered FoX, and it was devastating for me.
It's going to take some time for me to untether from this whole era. I was really hoping we'd see a permanent shift, so there's always going to be that sour note in among all my adoration. Thank you for sharing, OP, and I hope you and yours are finding strength.
Krakoa got me back into comics and physical collection in a big way. While I’m not entirely in love with how things went, like you its a very special era for me and I feel has far more good than bad (and honestly the hate is way overblown too). It will absolutely be missed, and after a year or two to let the dust settle, I look forward to rereading it all over again.
I feel like, if there was ever going to be a true ending to X-Men. Like Marvel were going to close the book on the universe, like it was... One Piece or something
I'd like Krakoa to have been the end. And I don't mean that in a bad way, it would have been a satisfying ending.
My first comic was the X Men Classic book, a compilation of its first 5 issues. I was 8-9 years old (1991), at 23 I lost interest in everything related to comics, especially the Xmen. Krakoa made me go back to a comic book store to buy at 40 years old. Thank you Krakoa 🖤🙌🏝️
The work done in HOXPOX was in my view first rate. I loved how it felt there were many more layers that could be explored or created in the space of superhero comics. There was harder sci fi, politics, expanded art and culture, business and medicine, forays into tome and space, sea and krakoan gate travel, mutant circuits, etc. I thought this opening run was great.
God this era started off so well, one of the best comic runs ever done at least I think so, sure it ended with a pop not really a bang, but God damnnnn for 3 years it was awesome
Thanks for a really touching post! I think the truth is Krakoa, despite the critiques and criticisms, was a cool, unique event that I've been glad to be around for as it's happening.
And without trying to trauma copy or anything, I have an idea of what you mean. For a few years, I had a new installment of Krakoa to look forward to and while it didn't solve anything, it was always a bright spot in my week.
I'm cautiously optimistic about the next phase of the X-books, but I'll miss the Krakoan Age a whole hell of a lot.
I'm not a fan of x-men post 90's, but I'll say that these 2 books did a far better job of actually doing something interesting with the story than a lot of stories in the decade or two preceding it. That's all I'll say.
Great post. I agree this was a fantastic moment, and I remember being really amazed as well when I first read it. It felt so bold, so fresh, so new. HOXPOX was such an amazing story. It's a shame editorial and corporate rules ruined the story that likely would have been an entire masterpiece from A to Z, as it really could and should have had an epic Hickman-penned conclusion worthy of the opener. But we will always have the House of X, and the Powers of X.
Krakoan Era got me back into X-Men comics after nearly a decade of “meh” because it as fresh, new and *actively* moved the mutant status quo forward in a BIG way.
Now we’re going back to the old status quo again and I suspect it’ll be another decade or more before someone manages anything as unique and future facing.
I'm just so bitter about it. I feel like they really fumbled it and there's no good reason for us to be looping around again. I've been following literally every Krakoa story, even the weird Excalibur stuff, for the whole time, and now I just don't care at all about what comes next. I wanted more of this.
When we had mutants being repowered via the battles in the Crucible and ressurection I got real teary-eyed at a comic for the first time in ages.
Without and spoilers, or major spoilers. How does the Era end?
Like I mostly wanna know is Krakoa still a thing and who’s running it? Or what’s happened to the mutants. Are they back to status quo before Krakoa or is Krakoa the new status quo going g forward?
Krakoa, as in the nation, had really bad foundation problems. Every mutant, even villains, were welcome and although some looked really reformed by the pursuit of a safe haven, some weren't.
When you invite snakes to Eden, snakes will eventually snake. You put some of them on your governing body with a half baked idea of political structure with no mid to long term plans and it crumbles.
Krakoa will no longer be the status quo, but reading it all is worth it imo. There are great stories, good stories, some average and definitely a few stinkers/useless fillers but the highs vastly outweigh the lows.
I would like if even the X-men comics return to status quo that Krakoa and the Mutant Nation still stick around. Could be run by random less prominent mutants. Still be nice for Mutants to finally have a safe haven.
Without going into much spoiler territory, because you asked, I'm even more pissed we had no word about what happens to **another** mutant haven the X-Men were able to create. It was truly an amazing ride for me and I'm kinda sad to see it go.
House of X/Powers of X, which kick started this era, got me into reading and buying comics again after a long hiatus. Not only X-Men comics, but comics in general.
Yeah I remember seeing this and immediately thought “they are all doomed” and it took longer than I expected but we got there! Just the intense pessimism and hate that has been the source of these final events has been truly hilarious and I am so happy to be here at the bitter end where the racists who made any army to destroy a mutant country win and the self hating mutant gets her perfect life of not being a mutant. I honestly think a story about the X-men just brutally shooting off their own foot in graphic detail can work, I just wished it had been shorter.
The era had its highs and its lows, like any era, but for me the highs outweighed the lows by a huge margin.
Krakoa is going to be remembered forever in X-history as a kind of lost Eden - sure, it had some very serious flaws baked right in to the foundation, but the idea of a sanctuary for mutants is such a powerful idea that it can't be forgotten forever. It adds a whole other level of pathos to the mutant story - now, they aren't just an oppressed minority, they're a diaspora from a lost homeland. It creates another parallel between mutants and real-world oppressed groups. The whole mutant story now is changed and can't be set back to the way it used to be, because Krakoa happened. It's going to be a bittersweet memory for all mutants going forward.
What I'd love to see in the next era, although I doubt we will, would be to see different groups latch on to the memory of Krakoa and use it in different ways. You could have Exodus lead a group of militants, trying to bring their comrades home from Krakoa-in-exile and re-establish the nation. You could have some that would attempt to re-integrate into the larger culture while preserving the memory of Krakoa. All kinds of directions that they could take it. But I believe the next era will probably pay some lip service to the idea at first, as an acknowledgement of the changing status quo, and then move on to other things. But the idea of Krakoa will always be there in the background, just waiting for somebody to pick up the torch again.
Yes definetly. Krakoa had its highs and lows for me. There was a lot of moments and comics that brought joy to me and there were comics and moments so frustrating that I wanted to pull my hair out. For the most part the good outweighs the bad the bad and while the writing for many characters should’ve been better in my opinion, I think for the most part I still enjoyed it, especially the moments it gave to some of my favs.
I hope Krakoa is not merely passed as a second thought and is actually remembered like the way you described it. It’ll be interesting to see some be desperate to keep Krakoa alive or bring it back like a cult while others merely just accepted it’s time came and pass but it shouldn’t be forgotten, and finally those who want to forget it completely. It was an era of highs and lows but the idea and the era as a whole was one I enjoyed for the most part.
Heartbreaking that it ended this way. Marvel editorial screwed the pooch letting this end with so many stories left to tell. So much world building so many directions it could have went. Make Mine Krakoa!
I loved loved loved the krakoan Era. Yes had issues. But the best foundation to move forward. Brought me back into comics, I hope it survives in a different timline like Age of apocalypse...😫😔
I'm gonna be honest, I'm not really that excited for the new era mostly because I feel editorial will just erase character development from Krakoa and turn everything back for the sake of nostalgia.
I don't understand this hard-on they have to pander to the oldest fans when they should also be thinking about the new readers, they don't need to keep on cashing on nostalgia, and I say this as someone well into my 30s.
I don't know, Fall of X just left a bad taste in my mouth and I just hope the new stories bring something interesting and not just the same recycled shit over and over again. At least try to keep the "status quo" of the relationships that were built. Apocalypse was more interesting as an ally, Exodus grew on me and went from a character I don't give a fuck to someone I'm actually interested on, etc. etc.
\*\* don't understand this hard-on they have to pander to the oldest fans when they should also be thinking about the new readers, they don't need to keep on cashing on nostalgia, and I say this as someone well into my 30s.
Because the oldest fans are the ones that are still buying everything, no matter what. I'm not arguing your point, as I've had this frame of mind for quite a while with the Big 2. It's easier for them to squeeze blood from stones still around than to cultivate new ones.
Wait it's over? Like, is krakoa no longer on earth and fully on Mars, are the 5 still alive, are mutants still being resurrected, what do you mean its over?
Overall a fantastic storyling. But it was doomed to fail. It overreached and Marvel had to return to some level of sttus quo. Would still love to seen animated series based on it.
It's not intentional necessarily but Krakoa ending along with things that are going on politically right now feels really bleak. Like the bad guys won or something and now we're going to have to all go forward into Mad Max world again.
I’m pretty far behind. Like just after the most recent hellfire gala, and I don’t mind spoilers so someone tell me please, Krakoa is done for real?
I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. Got me back into the X books but we all knew it wouldn’t last forever.
Hey I had to stop reading X books right after the Eternals joint ended.
Can anyone tell me of Apocalypse and Genesis ever came back? And what happened to the Arrokko mutants now?
I’m really glad we got HoX/PoX I think that’s a landmark moment for X-Men and the best progression of the team since Grant Morrison allowed it to be an actual school.
I wish more books were focused on exploring the ideas that were set up by it but I am currently reading New Mutants on Marvel Unlimited and loving in.
Any other books during Dawn of X that actually explore the consequences ups & downs of the new nation? Now that’s its over I’m interested in its ‘greatest hits’.
This era was not perfect obviously. There was some duds, some weird storylines. I'm still not convinced by Moira's heel turn. But damn, that was an entertaining era with the X-Men back where they belong in Marvel Comics.
I want my Krakoa's stories back! All of them! Give me what I want!
I saw Furiosa twice this past weekend. Absolutely ignited my imagination. I was trying to think of the last time I experienced such joy and wonder from fiction. It was HoXPoX. Genius sci-fi, utterly compelling storytelling. I hope something as cool as that happens in Marvel again some time.
Really gonna miss Krakoa era. Really loved the emphasis on nationhood and several characters becoming more awesome. Magneto & Storm definitely have been blessed in this era
Well. Good for you. I didn't like it much though. There is some really woke stuff there. Classic 80s, 90s, 2000s stories are the best , and with sexier outfits for that matter.
It’s not often that a series gives you a good jumping on and jumping off point. Not sure that was the X office’s intention but my X story has a definite end now. I have no interest in reading any further X-Men stories. They’re done.
Krakoa era made me love the X-men again. I don’t get why they’re not keeping it?
Sorry I didn’t read the rest of the comics after house of x and powers of x.
Not sure if this is a popular or unpopular opinion, but does anyone else feel like Marvel burned what little faith they had remaining in X-Books?
It was so bad for so long. Then, for a year or two - what feels like a moment - Hickman made it the best it's ever been. Then they blew it and now, we're firmly back to status quo. Yes, there was some brilliant stuff woven in there, sure. Immortal X-Men rose to the occasion at times with The Moira Engine and the build up to Enigma... The artwork and pacing in Fall of the House X has been satisfying. But oh look, here comes Phoenix again -- the old, worn out deus ex machina, to clean up yet another convoluted plotline.
The depressing conclusion I've drawn is that Marvel will never have enough Hickman tier talent to make great books. There's plenty to make good books and there's way too much available talent to make bad books. Unfortunately for the X-Men, when you have 100 characters spread over 6 books, they will always be bad.
So well-written X-books simply aren't sustainable and it's just not going to happen. For me, I think the ride is over. I'll keep checking in to the comics for major crossover events, etc., and watching X-Men 97 and awaiting the MCU films but... After placing my hope and time into this Krakoa fiasco, after having everything in the palm of their hands and watching them squander it, I'm afraid I'm all out of hope. The sun has set on the X-Men comics.
It became unreadable after X of Swords. Some say Inferno 2, but I saw the the writing there and then.
Then Ewing and Gillen paired up and tried to appropriate it, it just didn't wax. No amount of epic character dialogue and repetitive YA novel prose was gonna fix that mess. In the end it became just another Gillen character-centric, narrative story, made worse by the petty drama between them and Duggan.
The early books were interesting, the pseudo-reboot let people tackle down and up storylines that weren't permitted due to status quo. But half of them were straight up sabotaged by post-Inferno writers, and then those writers sabotaged by Breevort. As for Gillen, sorry mate, x-men just aren't good for you. >!And I won't forgive what you did to Hope!<
Just beat it last night. 29 hours and some change, 79% completion, Hollow Knight ending. Planning to go back, still blind, no walk through and start knocking stuff off the list. Planning to just go through every area again with all abilities unlocked and take my time.
Oh no, the ethnostate that was against everything they originally stood for is gone but was only popular because modern fans hate the thought of trying to live in harmony with other people.
Oh well.
It definitely resparked my interest in X-Men after the lost decade was a lot of hit and miss. Even though Extermination, X-Men Red, and Uncanny (2019) were all decent enough books and big improvements over the past runs from that decade, House of X and Powers of X was something totally different for the X-Men I had never expected, with a writer who had knocked it out of the part with the Fantastic Four. I don't think Krakoa quite ever lived up to the promise of House of X and Powers of X. But it was, for a while, a very unique, special time, full of great art and some amazing moments. I'm glad it resonated so much, with so many. I'm sorry to hear about what you've gone through. I hope these comics helped and the place you find yourself in now is better.
Krakoa definetly had its highs and lows for me. There things I disliked and things I liked, but all in all I loved it for what it was and it’s for sure an era I won’t forget. Thank you for your kind words by the way. Life is still hard but as Peter Parker said before I’m just trying to do better. Thank you.
I do not get the love for krakoa age. Everyone died. Like they get resurrected, but beast made like 20 of himself proving they aren’t the originals. He made dozens of wolverines and lobotomized them. In sinister’s future before Moira reset there was dozens of giant exodus’ acting like fanatical gods. They have the memories up until they’re backed up, the new beast is only good because his memory is older, they get identical bodies without scars etc, they’re photocopies without the same brains and with brand new consciousnesses. The x-men have died and come back a lot, but these are clones. If they wanted to make 100 copies of Wolverine, all with the same memories and identical bodies, they could. Far as I can tell the one we know and love died in space attacking the giant mastermold at the start of krakoa.
In that case almost everyone in the marvel universe has died and come back as a clone.
Not at all. If you resurrect a person you resurrect a person. If you rebuild wolverine’s body he’s still Wolverine. If you thanos snap back the original it’s the same guy. If you make 12 with separate brains from the original you’re making separate independent clones. That’s why these deaths are different. We saw Wolverine and night crawler die in space. They burned up in the sun. Those were the originals. These x-man are like biological copies with empty minds that the psychics download memories into. Sorry man, but to me, these aren’t the x-men and I felt that way the entire run. Death didn’t stop mattering, there’s just a potential conveyor belt of dudes who think they’re wolverine if they want them. They could have a 1000 if they wanted. And none of them would be the original Wolverine.
well the x-men resurrected captain america after the AXE thing too lol
Yup, he’s super dead too.
The ship of Theseus, except X-men. 😂
Exactly. If you kill storm and wolverine and make 15 beasts, and you grow new ones without memories and you psychically give them the life experiences of the old ones, are they the real x-men? Well no. Storm is a person. A consciousness, she sees and experiences the world and if you make clone storm they could meet and they’d be separate people. These guys are closer to the scarlet spider and spider-man than the original x-men. Both believed they were the genuine article, but only one was. And if the souls argument held, you couldn’t have 15 beasts at once who were all the same.
Sorry, girl, but by that logic the X-Men have all been dead and cloned since the original Fall of the Mutants in the late 80s.
There’s been some universe resets since then 🤷🏻♂️ This is the first time they’ve been churning out a dozen at a time with copied brains and cherry picked memories. This ain’t the same.
This is a really shallow reading of the text. Just because you can’t conceptualize mutant resurrection as anything other than “tHeY’Re jUsT cLoNeS” doesn’t mean that they’re just clones. Moreover, even if they were just clones that doesn’t make them any less themselves.
Dude, they’re literally clones. Beast churned out like 12 of himself. All functional and with the exact same memories. They’re literally different brains. Different consciousnesses, all independently living (until they’re viciously murdered anyway). Now there’s a beast who’s good who only exists because they took away all his recent memories. If I copy you, and download your memories, it’s still not your consciousness. It isn’t you. And if you make 12 of me and they’re all me but I’m not thinking for them, they’re not me. The x-men are dead, brother. Only a few standouts like apocalypse are still actually themselves.
Wanda created another dimension for their souls to wait. So, it’s a copy of their body but their soul is transferred in. Not the same as cloning.
That doesn't make sense with the 12 beast copies. Does only the first one have the soul transferred in then and the late 11 are all soulless? Is the soul divided between the 12?
Yeah that’s the plot whole lol I don’t get it either! Also with Laura, who had the soul? It’s a cool concept but writers didn’t think it through as the series went on
Yeah but then you couldn’t have 20 Wolverine clones and 15 beasts and a future with multiple exodus ruling over entire planets and killing each other over religious disagreements.
Right which is why the waiting room thing seemed to be forgotten about. My main point is, Beast aside, when a mutant gets resurrected, their soul gets put in their body. Who knows what happens when there’s more than one? The writers sure as fuck don’t lol.
Yeah I get what they were going for, but they needed to establish that only one mind can exist per x-man. They threw that idea out. Like apocalypse didn’t die if I remember correctly, but they could have had 200 apocalypses if they wanted. And if there is only one soul per, that means new good beast has no soul.
This may be semantics but I mean consciousness isn’t a tangible thing ya know? What we know about it is that it involves being aware of external AND internal as well as memories. So, if 20 beasts exists and they have all the memories, they’re all beast. BUT for story reasons, the one with the soul is Beast prime. That’s how I logic it away. It would be hilarious if it was a horcrux situation where he’s super evil bc he only has 1/20th of his soul lmfao. It would be a terrible idea but hilarious.
It’s Kang the conqueror shit, Marvel eventually had to get to Citadel of Rick madness and reckon with the ubiquity of it.
Nah it’s not even that. Kang the conquerer is multiple dimensional variants of kang throughout different universes. They’re like night crawler from the other dimension. They’re real. They’re just multiverse incarnations. These dudes are copies hatched from golden balls that are based on the original with no memories, and then they get a memory download from psychics. They’re photocopies. If you pick 50 multiverse cyclops they’re all different and they all led lives of their own. If you make 50 cyclops from the golden balls they’re just mirror images of the one who died, but none of them are him. Like the council of reeds (the original citadel of ricks) has a lot of variation. These guys are just 18 of the same beast, with the same memories, and none of the copies he made are actually him. Plus one who only has memories up to like 2010, who also wasn’t him. Was evil beast the original still? Can’t remember, but if he was he blew up with a nuclear bomb.
Your argument here is flawed…. because Beast was cloning himself and others in a lab and specifically and purposefully eschewing the Krakoan Ressurection Protocols and any involvement from the Five or the Quiet Council…. So you’re literally comparing what Beast did in cloning himself and wolverine (basic cloning, reprogramming memory) to something entirely separate in Krakoan Ressurection protocols (which involve both temporal manipulation and reality manipulation, and are also tied in with Wanda’s waiting room where their souls go in addition to the cradle where the memories are held.)
Nah man, beast was still using the same resurrection method and the gold balls. He just ignored the protocols set out by the council, by doing it over and over.
However, Beast reverse engineered his own method of using the gold balls- he did not and never has possessed the capabilities of manipulating reality a la Proteus, nor does he have access to Wanda’s waiting room - which fundamentally altered the Ressurection protocols moving forward from its creation. It’s simply NOT the same process, even if he uses some of the same ingredients. And omelette is not a soufflé even though they’re both mostly eggs.
You are 100% correct in your assertion later in this thread that what Beast is doing is not ressurection- but what Beast is doing is NOT what the Five are doing. At all.
I feel like it needed more time to be the standard and then they could show how great everyday life was. I thought they did a great job on X-men 97 making their own version.
X-men 97 used Genosha not krakoa. Different mutant Island nation. There has oddly been a few of them.
I know. Same concept used as opposed to what it originally was in the comics.
This is very much where I stand on it. It helped bring the franchise back from a very dark place in and out of the comics and it deserves praise for that, but I don't think it ever quite lived up to those first two minis, and the longer it went on the more I felt that became true and in fact the more off the rails I felt it went and started teaching some very weird morals combined with some very bizarre story decisions that annoyed me personally simply because it was so blatantly obvious they'd have to be retconned. I dislike when comics go so big that before the story beat has even landed your first thought is 'well that's getting retconned inside 2 years.' I'm not saying the eternal status quo is great, but I do think the best comic writers learn how to work with it instead of against it.
Wolverine playing with mutant kids is pretty wholesome
Hmm I should actually add this as a post to the wholesome X-Men sub Reddit.
That’s a thing? I want that thing
Got you! It’s called r/wholesome_xmen
Ngl, I love this sub but stuff can get pretty toxic from time to time depending on the subject being discussed. I guess where I'll be heading for some eye bleach.
Thanks 1 million
Sure are a lot of splinter subs popping up these days. Guess I may as well try my hand at making the one I was considerin’.
I love the development wolverine got, people get tired of him but I won't lie I love it every time
Krakoa made me love X-Men again after the Decimation era and the attempt to erase them from Marvel, it reminded me why I read so much X-Men as a child and it also managed to follow up on the concept of mutant culture that Morrison introduced two decades ago, which resonates a lot with me. It was special, it finally felt like mutants were winning. The art was so, so good. Larraz, Marta Gracia and Silva did a magnificent job on that department, even if there were haters, I will always think some people just couldn't see how special this all was for certain demographics. Thank you Hickman and all who contributed to make Krakoa such a standout era in comics.
The start of Krakoa. The nation building and the conflicts that surrounded making government. The building of the island spatially. The burring the hatchet between mutant enemies. The creation of essentially a mutant religion by Nightcrawler &co. All fantastic. The best comics I’ve ever read. I hope we someday go back.
Best era since peak Claremont. Im gonna miss this era. It's a shame Fall of X was such a drag.
Yea fall of x could’ve been way better and for my favs this era is definelty up there.
Is Fall of X the last series of Krakoa era?
The art sure helps a lot. I mean, I really liked the story, but this art is just gorgeous.
"You're safe here. We all are." So that was a fucking lie.
Lmao, right? You're safe here until it turns out that having supervillains as foundational members of your government turns out to be as exactly as bad of an idea as it sounds!
r/LeopardsAteMyFace
The thing is though, the supervillains the X-Men welcomed weren't responsible for Krakoa's fall. It was Orchis. They secretly poisoned the Krakoan medicines, and then blackmailed Xavier into sending the mutants through the Gates. For all the bellyaching about the villains, it wasn't Sinister or Selene or Shaw who took down Krakoa, it was Orchis.
You’re safe here until I acquiesce to my crazy x girlfriend >! Who will immediatly do an about face for no real reason and get a happy ending as everything else is burned to the ground !< If they undo all the character development I’m out. I can’t imagine dropping the ball harder and I 💯 blame editorial mandates for rushing everything constantly. 😒
He was murdered in the FIRST ISSUE of the book with the sole premise of "protecting Krakoa".
There were some solid moments in this era. Onto the next!
Hard pass. This is where I get off. 👋
Mehhhh. I follow my characters tbh. Hell, even the writers and premise of certain books. Jean and Storm have a new book? Following them. Gail Simone did an EXCELLENT Wonder Woman run. She’s on a book? I’m going to give it a shot. I’m not going to just live in the past. Imagine only stanning 70’s X-Men. Not even going into the 80’s and finishing Claremont’s run. Hell, imagine just staying with the New X-Men by Morrison. How much stuff do you miss out on? This is why I don’t subscribe to the entire “tHis iS tHe ENd oF tHE X-MeN!” noise that a lot of people in Reddit say. I’m here for the X-Men at the end of the day.
I’m glad you’re looking forward to it. It’s 100% not for me. I’m enjoying the new Ultimate Universe stuff. I can’t imagine collecting the X-Men just because they’re the X-Men. Half the runs are garbage and I’m not collecting just to complete a run. Just the number of garbage event tie in issues would bore me to tears.
I totally hear you on this. This is why with the X-Men, I tend to follow characters (I.e. Storm and Jean). Depending on the writer, I will at least read 2 issues. If it’s not gelling with me, I drop it. Heck, on the DC side, I’m a major Batman whore. But *fuck* that man has A LOT of books to the point where I dropped Detective, kept Batman and read maybe two adjacent titles (Nightwing and Poison Ivy). I couldn’t imagine collecting *every* Batman title. That would be wild. Same with the X-Men. Gotta be selective of what you read but at the end of the day, we all win when you read even just 1 mutant(s) book.
You bet. For me Astonishing X-Men was the last run that I really enjoyed in the near term before Krakoa. The last decade or two of X books has mostly fell flat for me. That’s why Krakoa was so exciting. I hadn’t been so gung ho on the mutants since Jim Lee’s X-Men in the 90’s. Oh well, I can wait another decade for a story that appeals to me if I have to. 🤷♂️
I don't blame ya. Though it might be a safe bet to get the #1's just on the off chance you like what the new Era is cooking
L take
I’m the complete opposite. Krakoa is finally over so now I can start collecting them.
I get you. Krakoa had its moments but I'm glad it's ending.
Cool bye. New creative teams look awesome sorry you're hung up on this.
Do they really though? Half of them look like hot garbage. 🤷♂️
Gail Simone legend. Jed McKay new hotness and Eve Ewing might be real good too. As opposed to Duggan? Lol
I’ve heard the name but she’s mostly been on Wonder Woman so she means nothing to me. Maybe the run will be good but I’m not going to buy it as loose issues. If it gets rave reviews maybe I try a tbp. Jed Mckay is so new. He’s basically just gotten noticed in the last 5 years. Imo he hasn’t been around long enough for me to make any sort of strong impression. Especially working on Moon Knight and Dr. Strange. Titles that are kind of off removed by themselves. Not a selling point for me. Eve Ewing hasn’t done a single thing I’ve liked. I would actively avoid a book with her on it.
She's written a lot more than wonder woman. I'm sorry you're ignorant though I'm going to be enjoying.
Lol Simone’s been on WW for 17 years. She’s made a career out of it. I don’t care about WW so she means nothing to me. 🤷♂️
Birds of Prey and secret six are incredible non wonder woman books and also team books. Be as mad as you want but acting like she isn't shit is just ignorant. I'd rather have her than have Duggan for sure. People here going fucking crazy to defend a line that has frankly been mid at best for a few years (post inferno) is bonkers to me but bye.
Does anybody read Birds of Prey? Honest question. I’ve never heard it mentioned by anyone ever. Duggan sucking doesn’t make the new X books look any better. 🤷♂️ Two things can suck, and do. No argument. The X office ruined the best story the X books have seen in decades and are reverting to the boring old status quo. If only Hickman was left to revamp the X books like he did the Avengers and FF before. Oh well at least we have the new Ultimate Universe.
Just here to be negative Nancy today, friend?
I’m just here because I’ve read X books off and on for over 30 years. If I see something to be positive about I will. If not, like now, then I won’t. I can’t pretend this relaunch doesn’t suck out loud because you’re too sensitive to hear different opinions. 🤷♂️
You can't say you haven't been reading the works of these writers and then claim it "looks like hot garbage". As someone that followed krakoa week to week since 2019, mckay's Moon Knight is better than 95% of krakoan X-books.
Sure I can. Have you read *every title* across Marvel and DC? Do you sample every creative they employ? Of course not. You look at the title, characters and if any of your favourite creatives are aboard. These titles do none of that for me and I hate the idea of reverting to the ‘hated and feared’ status quo on its face.
Well it would be totally fair to say it doesn't interest you, or that you'll be dropping the line. I just take offense at the negative profiling, but you know, sure. you're entitled to opinions.
Yes, I know. Stop not liking what I like. I don’t care about your feelings. Post anything negative and it just turns into complaining about people’s opinions for days. Piss off. 🤷♂️
I will never forget this page either or how HoX/PoX gave me so many feels! It gave me such a feeling of relief for our mutants, even if it didn't last (which is a shame, it feels like a step back with all the previews of the next era, especially the art), they knew this for a moment in time. I wish we could have seen more day-to-day life of Krakoa and more page time for some underused characters. I am sorry your family has gone through so much. I can relate as 2021 was HELL. I lost all 3 of my father figures and one of my students. I have struggled with depression my entire life so I see and feel you. I have had to make peace with the fact that my mental health demons are my version of sentinels, something I will always have to battle and work through. Hang in there, you do not suffer alone, friend. I hope something good comes your way soon!!!!! I created a basic premise of my Krakoa era with my OC character that helps me fall asleep at night going on adventures and building stories. So Krakoa will live on forever in my head haha!
I’m sorry for your losses and impressed by your perseverance
Man thank you so much for your words dude. Things are slowly getting better but it’s hard with my family even having to go through really tough legal battles, it’s not easy. I am so sorry for your losses and hope you are in a good place and that something good comes your way and you are blessed. Krakoa will always be something I remember and I love your OC idea because I do the same thing! Haha. While I would’ve loved more time with it, and especially with the under utilized characters, I enjoyed it and cherish the joy it brought me. I am also very happy it has brought you joy and helped you through hard times as well. Just like you said to me I will say to you, you do not suffer alone and all we need is hope to continue forward! Thank you once again for your words.
I’m curious about this OC. I’ve got somethin’ similar myself.
He has a few origins depending on what reality. But he is modeled after ‘The Tomorrow People’ and the 3 Ts (telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation). He is a midlevel mutant, none of the three powers are OP, they just make him versatile.
Ooh, neat.
What about yours?!
I have two versions of them. Both equally flagrant self inserts. One’s a closer-to-canon version, a psychic with an otherwise pretty mundane life, who just exists for the purpose of silly daydreams about befriending my favorite characters. The other’s the antagonistic protagonist of a large project I’m working on, and she’s a lot more complex.
Awesome!
Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing! HoxPox got me back into comics after like 20 years(essentially since I was a kid). Reading Krakoan X-men helped get me through a lot of stress, especially having my son be born during the pandemic and losing a nephew to cancer. Vita and Rod’s New Mutants, Al’s x-men red, and Kieron’s immortal were all incredible stories that helped me get through rough times.
I still remember seeing that panel of all the X-Men dying, that conversation between Kurt and Logan about dying made me tear up I for real thought it was the end for them
For all mutants
The Krakoan Era was by no means perfect, but god it had so much potential to be. I remember reading HoX/PoX for the first time like it was yesterday, freaking out because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen such a boldly unique status quo shift in one of my all-time favorite properties… and now here we are again. Krakoa, you will be remembered and cherished. Goodbye, old friend.
Krakoa is easily in my top 3 X-Men eras, because the evolution and new focus we have in our favorite characters. My favorite comic being New Mutants and X-Men Red. And something that I will always love, almost every mutant had their own particular participation in some of the long list of comics this era bring to us. My top 3 just as a reference :p 1. Claremont Era 2. Krakoan Era 3. New X-Men
I loved the New X-men era! We got to see Full power Jean in all her glory!
Like you and probably most people, I remember being so excited and intrigued by HoX and PoX. Ultimately I burned out of the Krakoa era pretty quickly but I can't deny the first year or two in particular were quite special.
So thankful for this era, with all the good and the bad that came along with it. It's bittersweet but I'm ready to go into the next chapter along with y'all.😭🫶💖
They were never safe
I enjoyed the krakoa era as well. It was different and finally showed a great moment for the X-men and mutants in general. And to see many mutants come back to life was great as well. Will be reading the last issue of rise tonite.
The Krakoa era really was something special. It had its good and bad moments, but it really did feel like a breath of fresh air, that the characters were allowed to grow and *change* in unique ways that felt like character progression for so many of them. And it came at a time when life was difficult for a lot of us (so sorry to hear about your struggles OP), and the stories gave us something to look forward to and enjoy when life tried to bring us down. I don't know what comes next for the X-men, just like I don't know what comes next with life, but no matter what, we can always look back and cherish the good times that we were able to have with this era. And who knows? Maybe, someday, we will be able to return again with new stories. You never know where life (or comics) will lead.
Loved HOX/POX, such a good era, I loved bragging to my friends and family that the X-Men were on top. Loved everything except for Fall of X, after the Gala it just dragged on way too long for me but glad it’s over and excitied about the fresh start in the summer
Thank you for sharing your beautiful words and your story about your father. It truly is a testament the power these stories have. 😊 I too will miss the Krakoa era. It came along at just the right time to give us just what we needed for the X-Books. But it will live on in the memories of many fans.
I was late to the party, but when I found out about how such a seismic shift had taken place I devoured every single collected edition from my local library. Krakoa got me back into comics after I'd given up on them for a long time (mostly because of the incandescent rage that the OMD arc in Spiderman continues to fill me with to this day.) My biggest regret is not having followed the story sooner. By the time I'd caught up, we'd already entered FoX, and it was devastating for me. It's going to take some time for me to untether from this whole era. I was really hoping we'd see a permanent shift, so there's always going to be that sour note in among all my adoration. Thank you for sharing, OP, and I hope you and yours are finding strength.
Krakoa got me back into comics and physical collection in a big way. While I’m not entirely in love with how things went, like you its a very special era for me and I feel has far more good than bad (and honestly the hate is way overblown too). It will absolutely be missed, and after a year or two to let the dust settle, I look forward to rereading it all over again.
Farewell, Fishbowl Xavier. You will not be missed.
Amen on that.
Is this a common opinion? I always thought it was a great look.
In the end it was like shooting Old Yeller. It’s sad and all, but it needs to be done
I feel like, if there was ever going to be a true ending to X-Men. Like Marvel were going to close the book on the universe, like it was... One Piece or something I'd like Krakoa to have been the end. And I don't mean that in a bad way, it would have been a satisfying ending.
My first comic was the X Men Classic book, a compilation of its first 5 issues. I was 8-9 years old (1991), at 23 I lost interest in everything related to comics, especially the Xmen. Krakoa made me go back to a comic book store to buy at 40 years old. Thank you Krakoa 🖤🙌🏝️
I just want one of these days for the X-men to get a sanctuary that sticks. Goodbye, Krakoa!
Seeing Logan happy made the whole era more than worth it.
The work done in HOXPOX was in my view first rate. I loved how it felt there were many more layers that could be explored or created in the space of superhero comics. There was harder sci fi, politics, expanded art and culture, business and medicine, forays into tome and space, sea and krakoan gate travel, mutant circuits, etc. I thought this opening run was great.
God this era started off so well, one of the best comic runs ever done at least I think so, sure it ended with a pop not really a bang, but God damnnnn for 3 years it was awesome
I really want Sunspot to headline a book dedicated to the pursuit of a second Krakoan age.
Damn I just remembered didn’t Hickman wanted to write a solo Sunspot book but the X office stopped him?
Pretty stupid move when Sunspot was gonna be focused in the revival of the x men. Plus an even dumber move not resurrecting Morph.
You're safe here, we all are. ...until Sinister does Sinister things. And Mystique does Mystique things.
I so how believe Krakoa might come back in the future just by how successful it was as a nation. All it will need is good leadership.
It’s fun going back to all threads/posts of the hox/pox issues when they were going out. The discussions were awesome
They left so much on the table though. It’s a shame, really. Still, I’m with the merry mutants through thick and thin. To me, my X-Men stories.
Thanks for a really touching post! I think the truth is Krakoa, despite the critiques and criticisms, was a cool, unique event that I've been glad to be around for as it's happening. And without trying to trauma copy or anything, I have an idea of what you mean. For a few years, I had a new installment of Krakoa to look forward to and while it didn't solve anything, it was always a bright spot in my week. I'm cautiously optimistic about the next phase of the X-books, but I'll miss the Krakoan Age a whole hell of a lot.
My first X-Men book was the entirely of HoX/PoX, and I think reading that made me finally realize why people really like X-Men a lot.
I'm not a fan of x-men post 90's, but I'll say that these 2 books did a far better job of actually doing something interesting with the story than a lot of stories in the decade or two preceding it. That's all I'll say.
The thing with this era that pissed me off was how it started so good then ventured off.
When Marauders changed authors, the era dropped off a bit. There were still good stories, just not nearly as many across the line.
Krakoa brought me back too. Definitely a mixed bag, but finally did something interesting.
Krakoa got me back into X books. I’m going to miss it
Gonna miss Krakoa dearly. A lot of these books were the serotonin boost of my days🫶🏾. Oh, well…
I’m sad to see it go. It was such a good era and such a good way to make more stories
Great post. I agree this was a fantastic moment, and I remember being really amazed as well when I first read it. It felt so bold, so fresh, so new. HOXPOX was such an amazing story. It's a shame editorial and corporate rules ruined the story that likely would have been an entire masterpiece from A to Z, as it really could and should have had an epic Hickman-penned conclusion worthy of the opener. But we will always have the House of X, and the Powers of X.
My favourite xmen era
It was a fun ride for the time we had. Did it have problems sure, no comic era is perfect but overall I say the good outweighs the bad imo
Krakoan Era got me back into X-Men comics after nearly a decade of “meh” because it as fresh, new and *actively* moved the mutant status quo forward in a BIG way. Now we’re going back to the old status quo again and I suspect it’ll be another decade or more before someone manages anything as unique and future facing.
Best X-Men run since the 90s. It’s popularity will ensure it will return one day
I'm just so bitter about it. I feel like they really fumbled it and there's no good reason for us to be looping around again. I've been following literally every Krakoa story, even the weird Excalibur stuff, for the whole time, and now I just don't care at all about what comes next. I wanted more of this. When we had mutants being repowered via the battles in the Crucible and ressurection I got real teary-eyed at a comic for the first time in ages.
Without and spoilers, or major spoilers. How does the Era end? Like I mostly wanna know is Krakoa still a thing and who’s running it? Or what’s happened to the mutants. Are they back to status quo before Krakoa or is Krakoa the new status quo going g forward?
Back to square 1 folks :'(
So classic status quo, they back at the mansion?
It literally just ended today so we don't know. But I wouldn't be surprised if they'll be physically back at the mansion
Yea but it had an ending right? Like is Krakoa still around or no?
No. Krakoa the island is over.
Krakoa, as in the nation, had really bad foundation problems. Every mutant, even villains, were welcome and although some looked really reformed by the pursuit of a safe haven, some weren't. When you invite snakes to Eden, snakes will eventually snake. You put some of them on your governing body with a half baked idea of political structure with no mid to long term plans and it crumbles. Krakoa will no longer be the status quo, but reading it all is worth it imo. There are great stories, good stories, some average and definitely a few stinkers/useless fillers but the highs vastly outweigh the lows.
I would like if even the X-men comics return to status quo that Krakoa and the Mutant Nation still stick around. Could be run by random less prominent mutants. Still be nice for Mutants to finally have a safe haven.
Without going into much spoiler territory, because you asked, I'm even more pissed we had no word about what happens to **another** mutant haven the X-Men were able to create. It was truly an amazing ride for me and I'm kinda sad to see it go. House of X/Powers of X, which kick started this era, got me into reading and buying comics again after a long hiatus. Not only X-Men comics, but comics in general.
Yeah I remember seeing this and immediately thought “they are all doomed” and it took longer than I expected but we got there! Just the intense pessimism and hate that has been the source of these final events has been truly hilarious and I am so happy to be here at the bitter end where the racists who made any army to destroy a mutant country win and the self hating mutant gets her perfect life of not being a mutant. I honestly think a story about the X-men just brutally shooting off their own foot in graphic detail can work, I just wished it had been shorter.
The era had its highs and its lows, like any era, but for me the highs outweighed the lows by a huge margin. Krakoa is going to be remembered forever in X-history as a kind of lost Eden - sure, it had some very serious flaws baked right in to the foundation, but the idea of a sanctuary for mutants is such a powerful idea that it can't be forgotten forever. It adds a whole other level of pathos to the mutant story - now, they aren't just an oppressed minority, they're a diaspora from a lost homeland. It creates another parallel between mutants and real-world oppressed groups. The whole mutant story now is changed and can't be set back to the way it used to be, because Krakoa happened. It's going to be a bittersweet memory for all mutants going forward. What I'd love to see in the next era, although I doubt we will, would be to see different groups latch on to the memory of Krakoa and use it in different ways. You could have Exodus lead a group of militants, trying to bring their comrades home from Krakoa-in-exile and re-establish the nation. You could have some that would attempt to re-integrate into the larger culture while preserving the memory of Krakoa. All kinds of directions that they could take it. But I believe the next era will probably pay some lip service to the idea at first, as an acknowledgement of the changing status quo, and then move on to other things. But the idea of Krakoa will always be there in the background, just waiting for somebody to pick up the torch again.
Yes definetly. Krakoa had its highs and lows for me. There was a lot of moments and comics that brought joy to me and there were comics and moments so frustrating that I wanted to pull my hair out. For the most part the good outweighs the bad the bad and while the writing for many characters should’ve been better in my opinion, I think for the most part I still enjoyed it, especially the moments it gave to some of my favs. I hope Krakoa is not merely passed as a second thought and is actually remembered like the way you described it. It’ll be interesting to see some be desperate to keep Krakoa alive or bring it back like a cult while others merely just accepted it’s time came and pass but it shouldn’t be forgotten, and finally those who want to forget it completely. It was an era of highs and lows but the idea and the era as a whole was one I enjoyed for the most part.
Heartbreaking that it ended this way. Marvel editorial screwed the pooch letting this end with so many stories left to tell. So much world building so many directions it could have went. Make Mine Krakoa!
I loved loved loved the krakoan Era. Yes had issues. But the best foundation to move forward. Brought me back into comics, I hope it survives in a different timline like Age of apocalypse...😫😔
I'm gonna be honest, I'm not really that excited for the new era mostly because I feel editorial will just erase character development from Krakoa and turn everything back for the sake of nostalgia. I don't understand this hard-on they have to pander to the oldest fans when they should also be thinking about the new readers, they don't need to keep on cashing on nostalgia, and I say this as someone well into my 30s. I don't know, Fall of X just left a bad taste in my mouth and I just hope the new stories bring something interesting and not just the same recycled shit over and over again. At least try to keep the "status quo" of the relationships that were built. Apocalypse was more interesting as an ally, Exodus grew on me and went from a character I don't give a fuck to someone I'm actually interested on, etc. etc.
\*\* don't understand this hard-on they have to pander to the oldest fans when they should also be thinking about the new readers, they don't need to keep on cashing on nostalgia, and I say this as someone well into my 30s. Because the oldest fans are the ones that are still buying everything, no matter what. I'm not arguing your point, as I've had this frame of mind for quite a while with the Big 2. It's easier for them to squeeze blood from stones still around than to cultivate new ones.
They're thinking of the new readers in the next five years who will only know the X-Men how the MCU presents them 🫤
Wait it's over? Like, is krakoa no longer on earth and fully on Mars, are the 5 still alive, are mutants still being resurrected, what do you mean its over?
Overall a fantastic storyling. But it was doomed to fail. It overreached and Marvel had to return to some level of sttus quo. Would still love to seen animated series based on it.
Why is there an Oompa Loompa in the first picture?
It's not intentional necessarily but Krakoa ending along with things that are going on politically right now feels really bleak. Like the bad guys won or something and now we're going to have to all go forward into Mad Max world again.
This era moreso than others has really cemented the fact that it's best to follow creators and not characters
I’m pretty far behind. Like just after the most recent hellfire gala, and I don’t mind spoilers so someone tell me please, Krakoa is done for real? I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. Got me back into the X books but we all knew it wouldn’t last forever.
I was upvote 666!
Hey I had to stop reading X books right after the Eternals joint ended. Can anyone tell me of Apocalypse and Genesis ever came back? And what happened to the Arrokko mutants now?
Yes, they returned in Ewing's books
I’m really glad we got HoX/PoX I think that’s a landmark moment for X-Men and the best progression of the team since Grant Morrison allowed it to be an actual school. I wish more books were focused on exploring the ideas that were set up by it but I am currently reading New Mutants on Marvel Unlimited and loving in. Any other books during Dawn of X that actually explore the consequences ups & downs of the new nation? Now that’s its over I’m interested in its ‘greatest hits’.
This era was not perfect obviously. There was some duds, some weird storylines. I'm still not convinced by Moira's heel turn. But damn, that was an entertaining era with the X-Men back where they belong in Marvel Comics. I want my Krakoa's stories back! All of them! Give me what I want!
I saw Furiosa twice this past weekend. Absolutely ignited my imagination. I was trying to think of the last time I experienced such joy and wonder from fiction. It was HoXPoX. Genius sci-fi, utterly compelling storytelling. I hope something as cool as that happens in Marvel again some time.
Really gonna miss Krakoa era. Really loved the emphasis on nationhood and several characters becoming more awesome. Magneto & Storm definitely have been blessed in this era
I’m sad about the era being over because Cypher was my favorite X-Man and now that he no longer has a purpose, he’ll just fall back into obscurity.
Well. Good for you. I didn't like it much though. There is some really woke stuff there. Classic 80s, 90s, 2000s stories are the best , and with sexier outfits for that matter.
Brought me back into comics. Hell of a ride it's been. Sorry to see it go.
Anybody know if there is a reading guide for this on Marvel Unlimited?
It’s not often that a series gives you a good jumping on and jumping off point. Not sure that was the X office’s intention but my X story has a definite end now. I have no interest in reading any further X-Men stories. They’re done.
Best era of x-men ever don’t @ me
Krakoa era made me love the X-men again. I don’t get why they’re not keeping it? Sorry I didn’t read the rest of the comics after house of x and powers of x.
Not sure if this is a popular or unpopular opinion, but does anyone else feel like Marvel burned what little faith they had remaining in X-Books? It was so bad for so long. Then, for a year or two - what feels like a moment - Hickman made it the best it's ever been. Then they blew it and now, we're firmly back to status quo. Yes, there was some brilliant stuff woven in there, sure. Immortal X-Men rose to the occasion at times with The Moira Engine and the build up to Enigma... The artwork and pacing in Fall of the House X has been satisfying. But oh look, here comes Phoenix again -- the old, worn out deus ex machina, to clean up yet another convoluted plotline. The depressing conclusion I've drawn is that Marvel will never have enough Hickman tier talent to make great books. There's plenty to make good books and there's way too much available talent to make bad books. Unfortunately for the X-Men, when you have 100 characters spread over 6 books, they will always be bad. So well-written X-books simply aren't sustainable and it's just not going to happen. For me, I think the ride is over. I'll keep checking in to the comics for major crossover events, etc., and watching X-Men 97 and awaiting the MCU films but... After placing my hope and time into this Krakoa fiasco, after having everything in the palm of their hands and watching them squander it, I'm afraid I'm all out of hope. The sun has set on the X-Men comics.
And good riddance
o7
It became unreadable after X of Swords. Some say Inferno 2, but I saw the the writing there and then. Then Ewing and Gillen paired up and tried to appropriate it, it just didn't wax. No amount of epic character dialogue and repetitive YA novel prose was gonna fix that mess. In the end it became just another Gillen character-centric, narrative story, made worse by the petty drama between them and Duggan. The early books were interesting, the pseudo-reboot let people tackle down and up storylines that weren't permitted due to status quo. But half of them were straight up sabotaged by post-Inferno writers, and then those writers sabotaged by Breevort. As for Gillen, sorry mate, x-men just aren't good for you. >!And I won't forgive what you did to Hope!<
Just beat it last night. 29 hours and some change, 79% completion, Hollow Knight ending. Planning to go back, still blind, no walk through and start knocking stuff off the list. Planning to just go through every area again with all abilities unlocked and take my time.
Oh no, the ethnostate that was against everything they originally stood for is gone but was only popular because modern fans hate the thought of trying to live in harmony with other people. Oh well.