S.W.O.R.D. #1 Spoilers/Review

[davetvs]

Review: 9/10. This reminded me of X-Men meets Ultimates, which I loved. Nobody does cosmic stuff like Ewing. Also, the fact that characters like Wiz Kid, Risque, Manifold, Lila Cheney, and [I'm assuming this is 616] Blink have places to shine really speaks to how great the new Krakoan status quo is for highlighting all of the X-line's forgotten characters.

Spoilers:

Magneto shows up to the Peak, which is now overseen by Brand since she quit Alpha Flight. She bristles at being so closely attached to Krakoa, since in her view mutants and humans aren't that different; they're both "Earthers" and think in terms of nations, not solar systems, which is what she's there to do. She stresses that she works in conjuction with Krakoa, not for Krakoa, even though her entire staff is made up of Krakoans.

Kid Cable runs security, Frenzy runs diplomacy (????), Wiz Kid runs technology, Manifold runs logistics, Fabian Cortez is runs energy resources (Magneto isn't feeling it), and whoever's running Observation/Analysis is blacked out in the data page.

We're also introduced to The Six (Wiz Kid, Manifold, Armor, Cortez, Risque, Peeper) who are to multiversal travel + retrieval what The Five are to resurrections. They combine their powers to travel to the edge of space, and steal something they bring back to the Peak. I don't know what it was, but everyone's very impressed.

The art is gorgeous.

[razzmatazz360]

Eox77ACXYAARQQ1.jpg

As I said in another thread I don't undrstand why ariel is not on the teleport team. She is a mutant and an alien. she would have fitted a space themed series + she is Taki's friend

[Hcmarvel]

THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD.

Maybe the best first issue of any of the X-books since the relaunch? Hellions #1 was great too but this was...incredible.

The art, the obvious thought that went into the characters Ewing would use and the role they would play. It gave me serious HoXPoX vibes and I mean that in the best way possible. True we did not get an immediate sense of what S.W.O.R.D. is actually doing or opposing but that will come. This was about setting up the space station, who are cast is, and show them at work.

I adored this.

The one complaint I had was I doubt Magneto would forget Cortez's name but he may have been kidding to make Cortez feel bad (and it sets up a pretty great gag with The Peeper - check out Captain America annual #4 if you want some background on the Magneto and Peeper's relationship)

[Rev9]

THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD.

Maybe the best first issue of any of the X-books since the relaunch? Hellions #1 was great too but this was...incredible.

The art, the obvious thought that went into the characters Ewing would use and the role they would play. It gave me serious HoXPoX vibes and I mean that in the best way possible. True we did not get an immediate sense of what S.W.O.R.D. is actually doing or opposing but that will come. This was about setting up the space station, who are cast is, and show them at work.

I adored this.

The one complaint I had was I doubt Magneto would forget Cortez's name but he may have been kidding to make Cortez feel bad (and it sets up a pretty great gag with The Peeper - check out Captain America annual #4 if you want some background on the Magneto and Peeper's relationship)

Yep, it did look brightly coloured and yet futuristic like the Silva Powers of X issues.I got the exact same vibes down to the data pages using similar glyphs and pictograms..Great issue

[Jwyatt]

As I said in another thread I don't undrstand why ariel is not on the teleport team. She is a mutant and an alien. she would have fitted a space themed series + she is Taki's friend

One fun thing on the data pages is that they show some backups have been named for roles:

FIRST STAGE CIRCUIT (Five teleporters):
Blink, Lila Cheney, Gateway, Vanisher, Amelia Voght
Backups:Nightcrawler, Magik

SECOND STAGE CIRCUIT(THE SIX):

The Control: Wiz-Kid
The Control's backup: Forge

The Power: Fabian Cortez
The Power's backup: [redacted]

The Shield: Armor
The Shield's backup: Skids

The Guide: Manifold
The Guide's backup: None as yet

The Eye: Peeper
The Eye's backup: Doc

The Foundry: Risque
The Foundry's backup: Zorn

I'll assume, since Ewing went to the trouble of showing their names, some of these backups will show up in future issues.

[CGAR]

This issue is so re readable. I can't wait to see where Ewing takes this. And I hope Spurrier brings this same oomph with whatever title he comes on. And no offense to any of the other current writers but nothing has felt as HoXPoX as this one issue of SWORD. I wish the other writers would start expansion. Adapt to writing a team and giving everyone moments to shine instead of just 1-3 characters.

Can't wait to see what Vita Ayala brings to the table as well. Going by her Age of X-Man mini I don't think we will be disappointed.

And IMO although X-Factor and Hellions are not having super big HoXPoX moments I am enjoying them more than the series that launched for DoX.

Come on Excalibur please turn it around for Reign of X.

[Kingdom X]

This issue is so re readable. I can't wait to see where Ewing takes this. And I hope Spurrier brings this same oomph with whatever title he comes on. And no offense to any of the other current writers but nothing has felt as HoXPoX as this one issue of SWORD. I wish the other writers would start expansion. Adapt to writing a team and giving everyone moments to shine instead of just 1-3 characters.

Can't wait to see what Vita Ayala brings to the table as well. Going by her Age of X-Man mini I don't think we will be disappointed.

And IMO although X-Factor and Hellions are not having super big HoXPoX moments I am enjoying them more than the series that launched for DoX.

Come on Excalibur please turn it around for Reign of X.

Totally agree. Maybe Tini will finally explore mutant magic now that she’s seen Ewing introduce mutant technology so well.

[rhaenylis]

Is there a Shi'ar Empire ambassador within SWORD ?

[silvercover]

Totally agree. Maybe Tini will finally explore mutant magic now that she’s seen Ewing introduce mutant technology so well.

yeah hoping that Excalibur really expands the cast like here with SWORD, they now have 7 new realms to be explored, its really one of the books that have one of the highest potential. be interesting if they focus on how the "politics" are in Otherworld since they technically rule 1 of the realms.

[Jwyatt]

The showed us earlier why the crew of the Peak was dead (Vescora party), but do we know whoever owned it hasn't kept tabs on it or asked Krakoa for it back?

[king of hybrids]

[

The showed us earlier why the crew of the Peak was dead (Vescora party), but do we know whoever owned it hasn't kept tabs on it or asked Krakoa for it back?

Odds are the relevant guys were killed or went AWOL during Hydra’s takeover in Secret Empire

[DrMcNugget]

This issue is so re readable. I can't wait to see where Ewing takes this. And I hope Spurrier brings this same oomph with whatever title he comes on. And no offense to any of the other current writers but nothing has felt as HoXPoX as this one issue of SWORD.

Agreed, however, I think the data pages here were a lot more easier to understand than the ones Hickman wrote in HoXPoX (or if I'm honest... most of them in general).

[Glio]

The showed us earlier why the crew of the Peak was dead (Vescora party), but do we know whoever owned it hasn't kept tabs on it or asked Krakoa for it back?

It is explained in the comic, the boss is Henry Gyrich, who is human.

The thing is that since only Krakoa is financing, providing staff and technology for the effective operation of SWORD, in practice they control it in a tacit way.

It's like when the United States does a UN peacekeeping mission. Technically it is the UN, in practice it is the United States.

[danielsan52]

SECOND STAGE CIRCUIT(THE SIX):

The Control: Wiz-Kid
The Control's backup: Forge

The Power: Fabian Cortez
The Power's backup: [redacted]

The Shield: Armor
The Shield's backup: Skids

The Eye: Peeper
The Eye's backup: Doc

.

Any clue on who “Doc” is?

Hope to see Skids soon.

Perhaps Michael Nowlan is the redacted person??

[Glio]

Any clue on who “Doc” is?

Hope to see Skids soon.

Perhaps Michael Nowlan is the redacted person??

Doctor Nemesis also has special eyes, I think.