To those unhappy with the relaunch, how would you fix it?

[pkingdom]

I second that 'everything is about Krakoa' notion. Its the big thing that is driving everything, and I just don't care. Its that planet from James Cameron's Avatar in island-form, and it never feels like a real place that people live. Everyone is so gung-ho with little explanation for each person that its alienating, and frankly exhausting. And the stories being told honestly don't feel that different from what we were getting before. Its just now everyone is pretty unlikable.

Before the relaunch, the only X books I read were the solo titles and miniseries. To be blunt, these characters worked best when they had the spotlight on them as individuals, not as teams. Everything is a team book, and nobody is getting the focus they deserve. Not to mention the constant worldbuilding just makes everything feel even more like a slog. the main X-men book alone has introduced like 6 plots that could produce entire miniseries on their own, but none of them are getting any focus at all. Its weird that for a series with the lightnight fast release schedule so far, so much of what's happening feels like filler.

Getting back to the main topic, I would change the focus and get to the point quicker. Its clear that there is, in fact, a point. Reed's deduction that Xavier is on a timetable was spot on. Because if Hickman wants to get years of stories out of this setup, they need to stop writing the characters like they've been acting in X-men and the FF story. That's the kind of characterization that kills entire franchises. That's the kind of writing that nuked interest in Iron Man after Civil War.

It doesn't help that almost none of the books announced for this second wave of X books look like they'll survive 6 issues, excluding Wolverine and maybe X-Factor.

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

I second that 'everything is about Krakoa' notion. Its the big thing that is driving everything, and I just don't care. Its that planet from James Cameron's Avatar in island-form, and it never feels like a real place that people live. Everyone is so gung-ho with little explanation for each person that its alienating, and frankly exhausting. And the stories being told honestly don't feel that different from what we were getting before. Its just now everyone is pretty unlikable.

Before the relaunch, the only X books I read were the solo titles and miniseries. To be blunt, these characters worked best when they had the spotlight on them as individuals, not as teams. Everything is a team book, and nobody is getting the focus they deserve. Not to mention the constant worldbuilding just makes everything feel even more like a slog. the main X-men book alone has introduced like 6 plots that could produce entire miniseries on their own, but none of them are getting any focus at all. Its weird that for a series with the lightnight fast release schedule so far, so much of what's happening feels like filler.

Getting back to the main topic, I would change the focus and get to the point quicker. Its clear that there is, in fact, a point. Reed's deduction that Xavier is on a timetable was spot on. Because if Hickman wants to get years of stories out of this setup, they need to stop writing the characters like they've been acting in X-men and the FF story. That's the kind of characterization that kills entire franchises. That's the kind of writing that nuked interest in Iron Man after Civil War.

It doesn't help that almost none of the books announced for this second wave of X books look like they'll survive 6 issues, excluding Wolverine and maybe X-Factor.

Couldn’t agree more with everything here, especially in regards to getting to the point! Like: ok, a longer story arc can be amazing...but not when, after like 6 months barely anything has actually happened. I mean, I think I can sum up the first four issues as “Humans are BAD!” because that’s all anyone seemed to want to drive home. #4 could have easily been #1, with the main bit of that combined into #2 and the rest completely skimmed until Hickman learns how to actually write people.

Like: don’t pretend—if he wants to just world build, then give him a book for that so he can have fun with all his data pages, meanwhile other people might help translate and flesh out those ideas in narrative.

[KangMiRae]

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about what’s really putting me off this whole thing too! Like, that’s just it: where’s the family aspect? Those connections outside of the political aspect that really made the issues feel like they were hitting so close to home? Everything and everyone feels so very militant 100% of the time that, honestly....it’s a slog.

The world building is just that; world building. Like they’ve all supposedly got this new home and...they’re just standing around on it, metaphorically speaking. Where’s the ‘home’?

It’s in fact that lack of familiarity that does still make everything feel a bit cult-like (to me anyway) plus, just...look,Xavier’s his very own thing that’s annoying me. Not going into it here.

Honestly, though? I’ve dropped everything until Wolverine and even then I’m just considering ducking out. Like Hickman, to me, just seems to like the ‘idea’ of the X-men and not the X-men themselves; it’s the individuals that always told the story, not the story dictating the individuals. You need a much, much more personalised approach with this franchise, ya know?

I second that 'everything is about Krakoa' notion. Its the big thing that is driving everything, and I just don't care. Its that planet from James Cameron's Avatar in island-form, and it never feels like a real place that people live. Everyone is so gung-ho with little explanation for each person that its alienating, and frankly exhausting. And the stories being told honestly don't feel that different from what we were getting before. Its just now everyone is pretty unlikable.

Before the relaunch, the only X books I read were the solo titles and miniseries. To be blunt, these characters worked best when they had the spotlight on them as individuals, not as teams. Everything is a team book, and nobody is getting the focus they deserve. Not to mention the constant worldbuilding just makes everything feel even more like a slog. the main X-men book alone has introduced like 6 plots that could produce entire miniseries on their own, but none of them are getting any focus at all. Its weird that for a series with the lightnight fast release schedule so far, so much of what's happening feels like filler.

Getting back to the main topic, I would change the focus and get to the point quicker. Its clear that there is, in fact, a point. Reed's deduction that Xavier is on a timetable was spot on. Because if Hickman wants to get years of stories out of this setup, they need to stop writing the characters like they've been acting in X-men and the FF story. That's the kind of characterization that kills entire franchises. That's the kind of writing that nuked interest in Iron Man after Civil War.

It doesn't help that almost none of the books announced for this second wave of X books look like they'll survive 6 issues, excluding Wolverine and maybe X-Factor.

Couldn’t agree more with everything here, especially in regards to getting to the point! Like: ok, a longer story arc can be amazing...but not when, after like 6 months barely anything has actually happened. I mean, I think I can sum up the first four issues as “Humans are BAD!” because that’s all anyone seemed to want to drive home. #4 could have easily been #1, with the main bit of that combined into #2 and the rest completely skimmed until Hickman learns how to actually write people.

Like: don’t pretend—if he wants to just world build, then give him a book for that so he can have fun with all his data pages, meanwhile other people might help translate and flesh out those ideas in narrative.

I blame the amount of books that are being published for this. If X-Men is the dedicated world-building book, where each issue is a seed that Hickman will come back to full circle in the climax of the story, then they shouldn't have published so many other team books in these small niches of the Krakoa story. They could have condensed a few of these books together or straight up not bothered. They could have gotten to the damn point in tons of these stories quicker, and possibly had Phase 2 release much quicker or even increased the amount of books they wanted to publish then. Phase 1 should've been 3 books, max. The Krakoa story is paced as slow as Coates' Captain America. That book was so. damn. slow. Good God, it moved at a glacial pace and this Krakoa thing is, too. It's clear they plan to make this thing last for as long as they can.

Also, about the militant thing, it's really off putting for me, too. I get characters like Cyclops and Storm would be very militant, but why is everyone on Krakoa a massive bootlicker? Lmao. It's gotten to the point where characters like Mystique, Sabertooth, and Sinister are far more interesting because they're more likely to do whatever the hell they want rather than kiss Xavier's ass.

If everyone on Krakoa follows orders blindly, then it comes off like a cult. They could have easily prevented this weird, cult-like image they have now by simply having a lot more discourse among the X-Men/characters during missions, books, teams, etc. No one has their own voice anymore and it's being sold as "well, they all agree with Xavier and Krakoa now" and that's just very silly. It's not hard to believe that they're all onboard, it's just stupid. Kills character personalities.

[Chris0013]

They find out this resurrected Charles is not the real Charles...maybe a clone possessed by Shadow King who is up to his old shenanigans. After the mutants team up with the rest of the world's heroes to defeat him the X-Men become more public. 2 Schools on each side of he country in Westchester and San Fran...as well as a public facility in NYC on the land that X-Factor originally operated from.

Beast is appointed to the Commission on Superhuman Affairs.

Worthington and Da Costa businesses undercut the Sentinel program in the U.S. with manned armors that are a match for earlier Iron Man armors like the Silver Centurion model.

[spirit2011]

Couldn’t agree more with everything here, especially in regards to getting to the point! Like: ok, a longer story arc can be amazing...but not when, after like 6 months barely anything has actually happened. I mean, I think I can sum up the first four issues as “Humans are BAD!” because that’s all anyone seemed to want to drive home. #4 could have easily been #1, with the main bit of that combined into #2 and the rest completely skimmed until Hickman learns how to actually write people.

Like: don’t pretend—if he wants to just world build, then give him a book for that so he can have fun with all his data pages, meanwhile other people might help translate and flesh out those ideas in narrative.

Agree. HOXPOX already had 12 issues to build up and he continues at glacial pace the world building in disconnected one shots

Krakoa kinda feels too big for my liking. Everyone's somewhere else all the time, which makes sense for what they're going for, but it makes their interactions and relationships feel hollow—when they have them. It's so strange, they're closer than ever in context of the overall story, but they don't feel like a family anymore. So weird! Like Fast & Furious, I need my faaaaamily, Vin. It's about family.

I also wish they had a much more interesting goal other than "gain sovereignty". It kinda stems down to Hickman's writing being long-term. I liked it in Avengers, but here it's ultra, mega boring. I was originally going to drop Marauders for Wolverine, so my X pull list would've been:

1). X-Men
2). Wolverine

But X-Men's world building is boring the hell outta me, so I might just drop both X-Men and Marauders and get Wolverine. I'd have to look over the other upcoming books and minis to see if any of them would be worth getting it. And by worth getting I mean the book isn't afraid of being about something other than Krakoa and Xavier's demands.

X-men is a book to get on trades, it will be cheapr and faster to read.

[Rosebunse]

I think the issue is that we know Hickman is up to something, we just don't know what exactly. And thr fact that we know he csn play the long game and spin something into years doesn't help.

[spirit2011]

I think the issue is that we know Hickman is up to something, we just don't know what exactly. And thr fact that we know he csn play the long game and spin something into years doesn't help.

Yeah it can take some time to pick up. Some poster pointed that it took 3 years to pick up Pym and somethings were never shown on time runs out

[scourge]

I think the issue is that we know Hickman is up to something, we just don't know what exactly. And thr fact that we know he csn play the long game and spin something into years doesn't help.

One of Hickman's biggest issues is that he takes so long to get to things that no matter the set up, the ending stops mattering or becomes horribly underwhelming because he took so freaking long to get there.

[BroHomo]

One of Hickman's biggest issues is that he takes so long to get to things that no matter the set up, the ending stops mattering or becomes horribly underwhelming because he took so freaking long to get there.

It's about the journey not the destination

[scourge]

It's about the journey not the destination

No, both are pretty important.
And if the journey's no good, the destination better be worth it.

[KangMiRae]

No, both are pretty important.
And if the journey's no good, the destination better be worth it.

Very well said!

[Zelena]

I think the issue is that we know Hickman is up to something, we just don't know what exactly. And thr fact that we know he csn play the long game and spin something into years doesn't help.

If you wait for the other shoe to drop, it looks boring… or at least frustrating.

[spirit2011]

One of Hickman's biggest issues is that he takes so long to get to things that no matter the set up, the ending stops mattering or becomes horribly underwhelming because he took so freaking long to get there.

Avengers just ended to be a build up for secret wars and took a lot to arrive there

[Woozie]

Number One with a bullet:

I really hate the villains being there and being not villains(but still obviously villains) instead of being villains.

It guts their Rogue's gallery. Most of these new villains are totally uninteresting (Which isn't a surprise cause Hickman can't make a compelling new character to save his life.)

It creates a needless sense of dread that just feels cheap. I'm supposed to feel like the house is going to explode at any moment. Well no god damn duh, when the entire foundation is TNT.

A lot of them are still acting the god damn same but with folks just turning a blind eye because~ and I swear if I hear another Diplomatic Immunity I'm just gonna treat Krakoa like this

[pkingdom]

One of Hickman's biggest issues is that he takes so long to get to things that no matter the set up, the ending stops mattering or becomes horribly underwhelming because he took so freaking long to get there.

Comics are a serial medium, meaning that you have to take stories as they come week to week, month to month, whatever. I have seen so many authors go on and on about the amazing plans they have for characters, and then the interim is boring or unpleasant and they get cancelled. Jim Zub's run on Champions is a great example. 8 issues of characters having terrible things happen and having breakdowns, and then getting canceled and trying to rush an ending fixing things.

If after all this buildup the ending is stupid, underwhelming, or just plain unpleasant, then all this teasing and buildup will seem like a waste. We've all seen this before. The ending for Secret Empire basically ruined any point they were making, and the end of Heroes in Crisis just made all the problems worse.

A lot of them are still acting the god damn same but with folks just turning a blind eye because~ and I swear if I hear another Diplomatic Immunity I'm just gonna treat Krakoa like this

Did Storm actually say something about Diplomatic Immunity, or was that just a joke people have been making? Because if she did, that's ridiculous.