Writer: Steve Foxe
Art: Salva Espin, Israel Silva, David Baldeòn, and VC’s Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$3.99
Release Date: August 3rd, 2022
When Apocalypse discovers the uncertainty of Krakoa’s age-old sister-island of Arakko, it’s up to the X-MEN to come together and protect their new island home from Arkon the Magnificent! Let’s dive into X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 by Steve Foxe, Salva Espin, and Israel Silva as everyone’s favored ‘90s mutants get caught up in their own version of sorcery and swords stretching across one whopping issue!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the X-Men ’92: House of XCII #3 Review.
THE DISPATCH
Things get really weird in this week’s X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 as the parallel storylines with the main continuity truly begin to deviate immensely. Readers take a dive into the ANIMATED SERIES version of X OF SWORDS only to discover brand new characters that weren’t in the original X OF SWORDS, new places, and new agendas that somehow merge into the same overall premise as X OF SWORDS. Were the new twists and characters utilized logically? Sure. The 10 “Arakii” representatives made some sense in the confines of the ANIMATED SERIES. However, the complexity as to how and why just didn’t make a ton of sense nor did it gel with the main continuities version either.
Moreover, the pacing was WAY too fast. Foxe literally crammed hundreds of pages and volumes of issues for an event into one issue. X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 moved too fast for anyone to really decipher what was going on leaving out critical aspects of the X OF SWORDS story, motives, and even fights between the characters and their development. Heck, some people die in battle that we never saw die in battle and are then resurrected at the end of the issue. X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 turns into a summary of what X OF SWORDS could have been in the ANIMATED SERIES universe but done by means of nonsensical cliff notes.
Additionally, DEADPOOL makes an appearance in the most forced and artificial way for sheer humorous aspects that frankly weren’t comical at all and made no rational sense with this story, X OF SWORDS, or even the ANIMATED SERIES universe. X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 scratched the surface, provided no depth or character development, showed little important action, and all at the expense of brevity.
ART
As usual, Salva Espin, Israel Silva, and David Baldeòn do a phenomenal job mimicking the ANIMATED SERIES while putting a twist that makes it their own and blends the characters with the Krakoan Age of X-MEN beautifully. Moreover, I loved the D&D style of introducing new characters, the video game entrance screen for those characters, and the incredibly rich colors that added so much depth and vigor to each page. The art team is by and large the highlight of X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 and continues to be a huge selling point of the series. However, is it enough to carry a story that’s more quantified as a summary?
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s time to drop X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3. The premise after issue one felt like a cool idea with some minor wrenches. And sure, I thought it would move quicker than what we had in HOXPOX or DAWN OF X. However, the pacing is astronomical in comparison to what it was in X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #1 and #2. Plus, the swerves made very little sense in conjunction with the main universe nor were they explained well enough to connect the ANIMATED SERIES universe. Foxe put in too many moving pieces, far too many characters to jam into one issue to provide them with air time, and wrapped those characters in a thin bed sheet that could barely keep them warm with purpose and story beats.
Do we have to be at X OF SWORDS after only two installments? No! Why couldn’t we make this more of a long-term series? And why did X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII #3 need to be all of X OF SWORDS? And why even add the ridiculous parts with DEADPOOL? Fans, the only thing X-MEN ‘92: HOUSE OF XCII has going for it anymore is its dynamic art style that amazingly parallels the ANIMATED SERIES. If you’re into that, I guess give it a buy. However, if you want a story and continuity within both universes that make sense and is less a retelling or book report, this isn’t the series for you. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!