Immortal X-Men #8 Review/Spoilers

[JB]

I understand being annoyed that Gillen has a tendency to over-insert Sinister everywhere based on his obvious fondness for the character, but this book is so good I don't even care.

This is where I am. I'm so over Sinister and yet I keep lightly kicking myself with how interested I continue to be in this story. SoS is billed as, "this is the future Sinister wants" but it would be quite the twist if we're actually looking at multiple futures desired by each different Sinister, or a mixed future with all of their plans colliding. It's pretty genius if so. "Mister Sinister's plans come to fruition beyond his wildest dreams... and his darkest nightmares" indeed.

[pkingdom]

I definitely remembered the 'genetic engineering = bad' stuff from HoXPoX, it just never made much sense. And mutants 'evolving' based on their environment has never been a thing. Nothing about their environment would create pretty much any named mutant. Plus mutants have been doing eugenics and genetic engineering, so it still comes back around too "bad when they do it, good when we do it"

That plot point from HoXPoX has always bugged me, and frankly I thought they had dropped it.

[Grunty]

Hickman agrees with you. Sentinels and Nimrods are just the start. The true enemy are posthumans, humans who merge with machines. They’re a threat because they’re an artificial evolution as opposed to mutants “natural” evolution.

There are two points of irony in this whole idea though.

1.
The defining traits of the X-gene mutants, which not only sets them appart from other humans but practically any other naturaly evolved form of life on Earth, is that they have "supernatural" powers (super = above, so "above nature"), which often bend or downright break the laws of physics.

If super powers like those X-gene produces were in any form "natural" to life on Earth, all of it's evolution would have been drastically altered, a large part of life on Earth would have laws of physics breaking powers allready and animals like the hominini might have never evolved at all.

So by comparison to life on Earth and the very definition of "super powers", mutants aren't really a "natural" form of evolution.

Infact the very claim that X-gene mutants are in any form an adaption to their environment is questionable, considering that their powers seldomly have any ties to it.
Instead it's as if the X-gene hands out a single random build in tool to everyone and let's them decide how usefull it is. Which can also range in scope from being akin to a spoon to a dark matter bomb.

Furthermore it's noticable that the vast majority of mutants still defaults to either a humanoid or just plain human appearance or biology. A form they also tend to fall into if their (suprisingly fragile) X-genes are supressed or removed.
Which means that in a biological sense mutants are still entirely stuck at the homo sapiens state of evolution.

Even the Arrakii who had spend hundreds of years reproducing among only themself not only retain largely humanoid centric shapes or regular human forms, but apparently even still produce non-powered offsprings who are practically baseline human in all but self-identification.

This also defaults mutants towards tool usage for many of their basic needs, because it's what their "natural" bodies encourage them to do, regardless of what their super powers allow them to do.

Storm might be able to manipulate solar winds and move space nebula with her mind alone, but when she wants to eat something too hot for her hands to touch, she will likely make use of forks, chopsticks, etc. which she will wield with her her ever so practically hands.

And then there is the whole fact that the the X-gene is the result of artifical tinkering by the celestials...

With all of this in mind Mutants aren't very natural by Earth's standard, except for their still dominantly human bodies and minds. Rather they are super naturaly evolved, but that doesn't really set them appart from the dreaded "posthumans" who are also defined and seperated from baseline humans by their super powers.
The difference is just that in terms of super powers, for mutants it's "when life gives you lemonade..." while for posthumans it's "life gives you what ever you want" and for normal humans it's "go make some tools".

2.
Mutants have been shown to be just as likely to alter themself when given the technology to do so and fuse themself with a form of machinery if it benefits them.

The very random nature of the super powers a mutant recieves from their X-gene not only means that there is a common and often massive in-equality among them, but also often creates situations where the powers come with detrimental side effects.

Both factors which encourage mutants to either seek improvements for or increased controll over their powers, which usualy come from technological creations, regardless of what ever it's based on an-organic/organic creations or the super powers of others.

What is the ressurection protocol but a combination of 3 different forms of technology (combined mutant powers, alien an-organic machinery, organic machinery) to break the natural order of life and death?

What stops them from radically altering themself to gain any super powers they desire, rather than what "nature" forces them to have?
Why would one mutant prefer to stick with powers that let their arms be twice as long as that of a baseline human, if their fellow mutant can move stars with their finger tips? What would stop them from wanting to have those powers too, if the technology to gain them is allready there?

Morals? Culture? Society? Personal Responcibility? Respect for their own nature?

Sounds like a bunch of "human" concepts do they?

The mutants of Krakoa are allready on the path of becoming post humans. They are depending on and using technology based on that of the technarcy, while showing the willingness to optimize themself by artifical means.

[jwatson]

Now this right here? This was GOOOOOD. Loved the twist with Apoc and Essex men and how most likely that became x-men. This was a really strong issue. What i really love though is i can't see where the story is going but i'm intrigued.

[Devaishwarya]

How could you possibly know if you don't try it for yourself? You don't have to like every series but people hating on series they literally don't read is getting so old lol.

Someone posted that you gave an excellent review.

I read your review.

I surmised that based on your "excellent review" that I wouldn't like the issue in question, which...

Given how I feel about Sinister and Gillenister, would be 100% accurate so...there is absolutely no need for me to actually read the issue.

If you and everyone else here love it, wonderful...I'm not questioning that. Love what you love. Allow me to hate what I hate.

And FYI...I was reading it and I stopped...thank the Goddess. Because going by your review, I would have hated to spend money on it. So...sincerely, Thank you and your excellent review.

[Wolverine12]

Solid issue, felt more like it should’ve been an annual or one shot than part of the ongoing. I was not surprised by the tanks featuring all the different playing card suits.

[gonnagiveittoya]

I definitely remembered the 'genetic engineering = bad' stuff from HoXPoX, it just never made much sense. And mutants 'evolving' based on their environment has never been a thing. Nothing about their environment would create pretty much any named mutant. Plus mutants have been doing eugenics and genetic engineering, so it still comes back around too "bad when they do it, good when we do it"

That plot point from HoXPoX has always bugged me, and frankly I thought they had dropped it.

Mutants have been doing genetic engineering on Krakoa.

[Rift]

I was hoping Mother Righteous was the embodiment of the Spark, since she was introduced during an arc about gods coming into existence when given enough worship. We also had Vox Ignis, Ignis = Fire = Spark. But Righteous fits the bill for Magic Sinister, and we probably don't have enough time to establish a new clone.

[Alex_Of_X]

This issue majorly built up my anticipation for SoS. Having four sinister suspects plotting in various series gives a real X-factor (ha!) to what SoS might look like. What if it AoA, but not OUR Sinister's? What if Stasis hijacks his plans? What if the only way to stop an Essex is to gather the other suits and make it so they take each other out.

Feels like a bunch of fun plotlines that have lingered on since PoX, Hellions, X-Men and Immortal are coming to a head. Brilliant stuff

Raven+Irene forever. Crazy how much more interesting Mystique is when she has someone to lose

[anyajenkins]

I think they were more wondering why the suits were ever necessary at all from an in-universe perspective. As in, why would Milbury/Essex ever bother marking his four intended clones with those in the first place, what do playing cards have to do with anything.

To be fair, it is a decent question - we're never really given an explanation for what significance the card suites hold for Essex himself, but presumably they mean something to him and thus he felt they were a convenient taxonomy for his various selves. I mean, dude was always eccentric as fuck, so its not that its at all OOC for him to decide to do that fairly arbitrarily. But an explanation for that specific choice of symbology would be nice to have at some point.

Yes, that is what I was meant. I know about the different suites, but why are they marked with cards instead of 1,2,3,4 or ABCD or nothing, because none of the other clones sinister makes have to have pictures on their foreheads.

Edit: I can’t spell…

[Triniking1234]

its funny how Moira was so bent on not having Destiny be apart of this Krakoa experience when in actuality shes been planning this long before Moira even thought of it, she has remained 10 steps ahead of Moira and its so hilarious to see

Reign of X is implying that Destiny, Mystique and Sinister knew that AI was going to rise up and wipe out mutants before Charles, Moira and Erik were even born but yet they decided to let the latter three do all the work in uniting mutants and even tried to undermine their efforts.

But yes, Krakoa was the result Destiny's hard work. Huge W. /s

Going by the synopsis...I have absolutely nothing good to say.

C'mon. At least it's better than AXE.

[Fokken]

Sinister.

Playing Cards.

Destiny.

.....Gambit? [insert curious face emoji here]

[lefthanded]

Sinister is rapidly approaching the Joker point of oversaturation. Instead of Three Jokers, we now have Four Sinisters. Both continue to strain credulity in being allowed to continue to work/live. Why not just get Beast to basically mind-control Sinister?

After the planet-saving, solar system teleporting events of AXE, it was nice to have a smaller self contained story set in the olden days as a sort of breather.

For the readers who love theorizing about what is coming next, this issue will be amazing for them. For me, it was simply just an average issue.

[Sutekh]

Yes, that is what I was meant. I know about the different suites, but why are they marked with cards instead of 1,2,3,4 or ABCD or nothing, because one of the other clones sinister makes have to have pictures on their foreheads.

Given it's Sinister, I wouldn't be surprised if he labeled his four clones A G C and T.

[gonnagiveittoya]

Sinister.

Playing Cards.

Destiny.

.....Gambit? [insert curious face emoji here]

Gambit being the magic sinister would be interesting but Mother Righteous has literal magic powers so who knows