Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Matteo Buffagni, Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 12th, 2020

Back in the HOUSE OF X/ POWERS OF X event, Cyclops leads a team to a Mother Mold station that was orbiting the sun. Every member died while sinking the Mother Mold head into the sun. However, the space station still remained. More importantly; Mystique seemed to ver off track while Logan, Kurt, and Scott did the heavy lifting. Well, fans, it seems like there was a reason for Raven to steer off track and in this week’s issue of X-MEN #6 by Jonathan Hickman, we finally get some of those mysteries, explanations, and clarity solved. Let’s dive in and see what secrets have been growing between the spaces.

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? Adequately, I’m sure Charles does. But, can you trust Mystique to carry out that plan? Well, that’s an entirely different question. Jonathan Hickman transports us back to the Orchid Station in this issue of X-MEN #6 and provides readers with a glimpse of a secret plan that Magneto, Xavier, and Mystique were working on behind the scenes. Now, after following up on the last issue of X-MEN that finally felt like HOXPOX again, this one takes the cake. I mean it’s literally sending the reader back into the event, and I loved every minute of it.

Hickman fills in gaps that didn’t seem to make a ton of sense, provides a motive for Charles, as well as Mystique, and conjures up an eventual fracture in the dynamic relationship that Moira (there’s a name we haven’t heard in a long time), Xavier, Magneto, and Krakoa have developed. I remember reading the issue of HOXPOX that this issue of X-MEN is referring to and wondering if Mystique was a legit traitor and why. Well, that question gets answered this issue. Questions about how far along the humans are in the Sentinel process are also answered. Did they actually stop the creation of Nimrod or is something worse on the horizon? And finally, the beginning of the end for Charles and Moira’s vision could be blossoming. Simply put: don’t $&@$ with Mystique.

Not only was the story informative, suspenseful, and even emotional at times, Matteo Buffagni’s artwork and illustrations really drew me back to HOXPOX. Furthermore, the bright and vibrant colors from Sunny Gho amplified the emotional, even volatile, moments of the issue and added so much more weight to the issue. There is a moment in the story where readers will see the same panels twice; one in almost black and white while the other is in full color. These pages signify the detail, thought, and creative production that Hickman and his team have together making this issue one of the best X-MEN issues since HOXPOX.

Sure, this issue wasn’t action-packed, nor was it filled with excitement. However, it drew readers back to the crux of the narrative that kicked off this “reboot”. This issue will grab your attention because of the suspenseful information drop that has been missing for months. Readers have been buying stories in all the X-books but nothing has seemed as connected to HOXPOX and the overarching story like X-MEN #6. Hickman lays it out in a clear, concise way, that’s easy to follow with answers. The beginning is a bit heavy and shaky, but it becomes crystal clear as to what’s going on at the time the issue concludes.

Overall, the issue is smart, imaginative, and connects important elements to the past, present, and future of the series. My only wish is that this issue came sooner. It’s felt like we’ve been swimming upstream for months now without a solid direction in all the X-books and it’s refreshing to finally see something tie back to the blockbuster event that lured me back into the X-MEN. After following Hickman’s FANTASTIC FOUR run, I know the pieces will all fit together eventually. However, in a Netflix streaming world, patience is more a virtue than it ever was before leading many to put individual floppies on hold and wait for trades to answer questions. My point; Hickman needs to give fans more of these stories sprinkled in better than he has done so far. Otherwise, he’s going to lose more and more people. This type of issue is what fans have been craving for months. We need one of these a month, and by that, I don’t mean issues showing mutants being murdered or episodes of the Golden Girls of botany. Guess what? We know they can come back to life so it’s no big deal. We need something more… like this issue!

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’ve been wanting something extra from your X-MEN, this issue is for you. Dare I say it’s your Destiny. Furthermore, this issue shows the true care and creativity Hickman has for his stories to gradually weave the pieces together in such a thorough way. He is certainly a strategist, an organizer, a planner, and a one in a million writer. No one can deny the intricate detail and inventive nature of a Hickman story, and this issue was no different. Don’t wait until the weekend. Grab this issue on your way home Wednesday! I think you’ll love the ramifications for the future of the series just as much as the explanation of the past.