X-Men: Forever #3 — S.O.S.

[lefthanded]

I hate this issue so much. Don't get me wrong, the Doug stuff was awesome, and Shaw's part in it was pretty great.

But....

Destiny's confession to Nightcrawler and Mystique was an awkward addition to the story. It stuck out like a sore thumb and caused the whole narrative pacing to grind to a halt.

Hope's parting words were nice and Cable making an appearance is touching, but it highlights how Gillen (and especially Duggan) will just literally teleport in Plot Elements(R) when its called for. It makes the story seem pretty dumb when, whenever something needs to happen, characters will just magically appear. And yet, when that character would be very useful, they are nowhere to be found.

The ending of the issue highlights the main problem with Gillen's Dominion - he keeps playing fast and loose with whether things happening can/can't be changed and how that would impact Dominion.

[JB]

Realizing now how much effort those recaps take.

The main gist of things is that Hope realizes she needs a weapon in the White Hot Room, and has the Krakoa diaspora use Morse code to signal Krakoa Prime, and Doug relays the message. Ultimately, Manifold reunited The Six, and they help Exodus temporarily travel to the White Hot Room to give Hope Nightcrawler’s Hopesword. Exodus makes it very clear that whatever the plan is, Hope will not survive. Cable shows up for a moment to wordlessly say goodbye to his daughter. Legion is now inhabiting the Hopesword, and transforms it into a big f*cling gun to suit Hope better.

But there’s a problem. Enigma knows that Hope is the key to the plan to stop him. He can’t touch her in the WHR… but he has other options. Cut to Anchorage, Alaska: nine months before Hope’s birth. Enigma approaches Hope’s bio-mom, Louise Spalding, to talk about her impending pregnancy…

Thanks HED! I was planning to write it up but I just wasn't inspired which is a bummer cause I've been enjoying Gillen's work.

Nightcrawler is one of my favorites but when the issue gave us 5 pages of the Destiny/Mystique/Kurt family drama it took me out of the story. I love Kurt dearly but have little to no interest in his moms' marriage angst. I think I would have preferred more time given to Hope for deeper moments of saying goodbye especially with Cable (since it seems like she's really being taken off the board.) So I enjoyed the first part with Doug's return to the fight and Shaw actually acting somewhat like a hero. I also enjoyed the third part with everything Hope related and Exodus and the Six. But the middle part made me groan.

[Proxy]

Thanks HED! I was planning to write it up but I just wasn't inspired which is a bummer cause I've been enjoying Gillen's work.

Nightcrawler is one of my favorites but when the issue gave us 5 pages of the Destiny/Mystique/Kurt family drama it took me out of the story. I love Kurt dearly but have little to no interest in his moms' marriage angst. I think I would have preferred more time given to Hope for deeper moments of saying goodbye especially with Cable (since it seems like she's really being taken off the board.) So I enjoyed the first part with Doug's return to the fight and Shaw actually acting somewhat like a hero. I also enjoyed the third part with everything Hope related and Exodus and the Six. But the middle part made me groan.

I love Nightcrawler (obviously), but this issue wasn’t the place for this drama. Deeply disappointed that Kurt’s lost the hope-sword though. He never gets to keep his upgrades. Also the way it’s written implies Legion is the hope-sword which just isn’t the case. Legion hid inside it, the sword was forged by Kurt before Legion’s hibernation.

[zinderel]

I hate saying this. But I'm checked out mostly.

Same, honestly.

I'm riding this Fall to the end, but I think I'm stepping away after. The new status quo coming does nothing for me. I'm tired of watching the minority metaphor be 'scattered and on the run from the ignorance, racism, fear, and hatred of the genocidal masses of (the most consistently monstrous fictional representation I have EVER read of...) humanity that they still want to protect, for some reason!!!'.

I'm sick to death of the never-ending well of desperation and genocide plotlines that the X-Office keeps going back to. We have more than enough people rooting for genocide in real life that I don't want it in my escapism. Krakoa was supposed to be the start of a new era of hope and progress and forward thinking after twenty years or so of bleak oppression, not just a brief break in the constant competition to see who can be the most grimdark...

[Mutant X]

It was a completely bureaucratic and uninspired issue.

Gillen is trying to tie Krakoa's loose ends but mostly does not work.

I think the worst of all is Nightcrawler's origins. The more they try the more stupid this retcon gets.

The only interesting thing was finally meeting Hope's mother.

[JamJams]

We know that in "From the Ashes" previews mutants are in camps which seemed really similar to the future Bishop has been talking about.

So is this finale to the Krakoa Age going to be the official 616 version of the Six Minute War? Is it whatever Hope is about to do that is killing the millions of humans to turn them against mutants and put them in the camps? (Hope does say a step involves the Phoenix needing more fuel.) Or is it Xavier working with Orchis that causes the millions of deaths? Or both?

[Steroid]

I have the issue but honestly I'm checked out to the point that I have no urge to even read it.

[Zoks]

So are Enigma's eyes supposed to be a reference to Gambit's possible biological ties to Sinister? Odd they chose that exact coloring while keeping with the playing cards theme.

[Bgred37]

I haven't read everything, but what if Cable is actually Hope's father?

What if he's her genetic father, and Enigma is trying to prevent her birth from happening?

Jean intervenes as Phoenix just as Enigma is trying to derail her existence, and the Phoenix needs her. Not only to save mutantkind, but now all of its existence.

[charliehustle415]

I hate this issue so much. Don't get me wrong, the Doug stuff was awesome, and Shaw's part in it was pretty great.

But....

Destiny's confession to Nightcrawler and Mystique was an awkward addition to the story. It stuck out like a sore thumb and caused the whole narrative pacing to grind to a halt.

Hope's parting words were nice and Cable making an appearance is touching, but it highlights how Gillen (and especially Duggan) will just literally teleport in Plot Elements(R) when its called for. It makes the story seem pretty dumb when, whenever something needs to happen, characters will just magically appear. And yet, when that character would be very useful, they are nowhere to be found.

The ending of the issue highlights the main problem with Gillen's Dominion - he keeps playing fast and loose with whether things happening can/can't be changed and how that would impact Dominion.

Exactly, you hit the nail on the head!

Also isn't the Dominion outside of time, why doesn't it just blip Hope's mother's great grandparents or ancestors when they are cavemen?

[Uncanny X-Man]

Wow this was... a lot. I'm still enjoying it but you really need to do your homework before delving into the story and not just Gillen's own back issues. I'm still enjoying the sheer ambition of it all but I'm hoping for more character beats and emotional playoffs for at least Hope, Moira and Charles before it's all said and done.

[HomoSuperior]

Why is it suddenly so easy for anyone to access WHR? Originally it was Jean's exclusive place. Then MR uses magic to move Krakoa there. Okay, I get how Manifold might be able to get there -- and that would be a stretch. But Cable randomly body sliding / teleporting in for a wink? C'mon.

[M@Bowers2014]

We know that in "From the Ashes" previews mutants are in camps which seemed really similar to the future Bishop has been talking about.

So is this finale to the Krakoa Age going to be the official 616 version of the Six Minute War? Is it whatever Hope is about to do that is killing the millions of humans to turn them against mutants and put them in the camps? (Hope does say a step involves the Phoenix needing more fuel.) Or is it Xavier working with Orchis that causes the millions of deaths? Or both?

I don't think mutants are in camps during the From the Ashes era unless I missed something. They've turned the former X-Mansion into a mutant prison but that's not the same thing.

[HomoSuperior]

The Darkholme family stuff was kinda irritating cause there are WAY bigger fish to fry. Also going from murder attempts to a vow renewal in a month is kinda wild.

Destiny: I told you nothing about being stalked by an omniscient entity to protect you. I wrote it all down in clear-as-mud quatrains - for you to find -- in case my worst fears became real!

Everyone: If your worst fears about an omniscient entity consuming us all, as its AI training data, became real -- how would your too-late explanation of what is happening really matter?

Destiny: How dare you! My love is a cage! I am a poet and the heart wants what it wants! Except for you Nightcrawler, I had my motherly instincts edited. Anyway, believe me when I say read the privacy policy, wear a copyright symbol on your chest, and delete your browser history!

[Dipter]

Man, this ending is really being dragged out. It feels like the pacing of a shonen anime at this point, just get to the Phoenix vs Enigma fight already!

I’ve been catching up on Gillen’s Fall of X comics and it’s made me understand why Marvel wants a fresh, back-to-basics start. The stuff mutants are dealing with is so large-scale and outlandishly sci-fi that my emotional investment has vanished. Unrelatable problems with unrelatable solutions. The cosmic dominion AI war was cool for a while, but it lacks the real-world element.