Dark X-men 5: Review & Spoilers

[Malachi]

With this being the final issue I will start with some lingering questions.

Warren: I wasn’t sure we get something, well far from it, but while we get no one mentioning Warren, we do get a panel. Morbid and cryptic as it is, we see his skull on the bottom of the sea with the caption: “Certain souls are beyond salvation”.

Alex: His situation remains unchanged. I am none the wiser.

Emplate: The debt remains unknown, though settled in a way.

With that in mind let’s start the issue. Oh and no data pages litter this issue, good riddance to them!

Preview Pages: Maddie confronts her doppelganger and Remy frees Carmen. It’s sweet and oddly wholesome for the mini. The caption boxes let us know that Carmen was idealistic and naive but she picked the right X-man to emulate and dress up when she picked Remy. He lives up to her lofty ideals and comes through for her, showing us that he keeps his eyes on the target: Keeping her safe.

The preview we got was missing an image, we got the same page twice instead, this page was the second part of a double page. Showing us Maddie and her X-men facing off against Orchis.

It’s a nice spread. Alex is firing his plasma bolts against the Bamf-dragon and Albert is doing some gruesome dismembering of some goons. Zero and his humor seems a good fit for Scharf to draw. There is a dark and morbid humor to it, while also a sense of joy.

In the last preview page we get the doppelganger breaking of her horns while preparing to use the mercy crown. I think it’s a nice touch and it works on many layers. In a practical sense since they are very impractical for anyone who wants to wear something on the head. The dialogue also is nice as it highlights the duality of Maddie. The doppelganger is using a demonic version of a mutant tool, even though she has forsaken that part of her nature proudly. In that aspect the breaking of the horns is her rejecting her demonic nature to use her mutant origin. Or if not rejecting at least showing a practical way to deal with the situation, showing us that she doesn’t care about mutant or demon, just power.

The Issue: The Doppelganger puts on the crown. She makes a speech about how during her travels between universes one thing remains a constant: Madelyne Pryor is born to suffer. I like this because it reinforces a thread back from Nate’s days as a shaman. In those last issues of X-man they made a conscious effort to differentiate a Jean Grey from a Madelyne Pryor. I like that concept, a multiversal difference between what a Jean Grey is and what a Madelyne Pryor is.

We get some smaller panels with Azazel strangeling a goon with his tail, nice touch, and Remy using his staff to take another one.

As the doppelganger states that Orchis was just a means to an end, agent Krol is sensing that things are going down the drain. He brings out the heavy ordnance: A rocket launcher with a Elsie-Dee mounted rocket. It’s cruel and barbarous and the Albert part of Zero has no patience for it. Zero&Albert attack Krol who never gets the shot off, that is my interpretation of it, before he gets gutted down to just a vertebrae, his skull and slashes of flesh. Elsie-Dee’s head is then absorbed into the now three headed amalgam that is Zero/Albert/Elsie-Dee.

Agent Vallens makes a run for it and while she prays to some demon for protection, from some contract she has made, Azazel pops out from the shadows above her. He gives her a lecture on never trusting minor demons, after all Hell has a hierarchy(I assume he talks about himself here) and there are bigger bads around that said demon can do anything about. Azazel then teleports her into a wall, leaving her half phased and probably all dead.

Emplate is fighting the Bamf-creature and wants Azazels help. Azazel promptly tells him that it’s the other way around in their relationship. Emplate then has enough and kicks the Bamf-creature over to Azazel who gets temporarily confounded by the familiarity he senses in the creature. This version of Kurt then rips him in half. Remy spots Emplate leaving and tries to stop him but Emplate has no reason to stay, he never cared.


Maddie and the doppelganger are still debating the nature of what they are. Maddie doesn’t want to let down the trust the Summers and Jean has showed her, the doppelganger just thinks it’s hallow. She says they can only trust themselves and to make her point she decks Alex, his headpiece falls off and tumbles over and lands before Maddie. She gets a flashback to the haunting vision of death holding her scythe and Alex’s headpiece she had while high on Marisols spores in issue 3.

This causes her to lash out and hold everyone except the doppelganger in her power. The doppelganger goes all Palpatine on her, encouraging her to give in to the darkness.

Carmen is in pain and asks Remy what he thinks she will do, Remy doesn’t know. Kenji is also stuck but not in pain. Elsie-Dee is busy using Alberts claws to surgically remove his head as robots are unaffected by “mind twicks”.

Maddie falters as the doppelganger wants her to embrace the Mercy Crown and all of it’s potential for causing pain. She wants them to go from a solo act to a team-up. Traversing universes and kicking ass. Maddies reaches for her and she reaches back, they hold hands and before the union can be… well consummated, but not like that… someone shouts out for them to stop.

It’s Madelyne Pryor, the Dallas and Outback version with a snazzy green jumpsuit. She wants our Maddie to remember who she is, who she used to be. Maddie sees right through it and calls out to Carmen. Still she is impressed “Such a trite and manipulate move. I’m so, so proud of you, my student”

She then puts her scythe to good use and chops off the doppelgangers head in a beautifully drawn page by Scharf.


With the doppelganger dead Maddie proceeds to clean out her mercy crown. Can’t have it field with doppelganger head can’t we, how would it fit on its piedestal? Maddie embraces her crown and her choices, we see the vision of death fade behind her.

Remy helps Alex back on his feet. He is still in good shape, for an unliving Zombie or whatever he is.

Time for two pages of epilouge. Maddie is back in the embassy. Remy brings Carmen down to the sewers, she can’t say he never took her places, as it seems the Morlock tunnels run beneath the embassy. There he has reunion with his dear wife Rogue. Carmen is introduced to Synch and Talon. Talon gets a page with Remy and she pops her claws, which I assume is to suggest they should deal with Maddie, and Remy tells her that when all hell breaks out Maddie will be there for them. Bringing even more hell with her probably. Synch welcomes Carmen into the X-men and he looks older then I remembered he did in Duggans run. Maybe his powers have aged him some more since then.

Zero embraces his new role as greeter of freaks into the embassy, he loves it. Maggot has grown a beard and is sailing with the morlocks on a ocean. Warren ,as stated earlier, is buried in a ocean, Emplate is about to dine on some sleeping hobo, the Bamf-creature has gotten his own bowl and a small demon who pees into it. He is now under Maddies control. Marisol is growing flowers for goat people and Elsie-Dee is fine tuning Albert and removing all that flesh from him. She also has gotten herself a body.

Alex enters Maddies chambers, so we get a callback to the first issue and how it started. He laments they are now teamless but Maddie reassures him that it’s not her thing to run a team, that’s Jean’s gig. She is born to suffer but she has made herself so much more. She is the Goblin Queen, once and forever. We get a haunting picture of power with Maddie as she states the last part. In a small caption box we read: “The End…?”

[Malachi]

Review:

I liked it. The question one can ask is how well does it do its job?
Is it a satisfactory end to a 5 issues mini about a dark tale of a misfit team? Well, I say yes.
Is it a satisfactory end to a mini with a lot of plots and characters? No, not really.

In many ways this mini reads like the springboard for many different stories. Why did Warren die like this? It certainly in my mind reads like a story where death is just the beginning of a story. Otherwise it’s just an unnecessary cameo for gore and one with the unpleasant side effect that Warren is dead.
How alive is Alex and what is he? Not much to go on there, most of it is implied through visuals like his palace skin color and his mutations when he uses his powers. Also the fact that his speech bubbles are now lettered with a dread effect.
What contract did Emplate have with Azazel? We don’t know. Azazel is dead and therefore the contract is void.

Like Thievery said in the preview thread: Where do these stories continue? I have no clue. I would also prefer if we knew what all these things were going, were to read more about it. With Breevort approaching one has to wonder how long it will take for answers. Will we ever get them?

The issue itself had good pacing and some lovely little scenes. Azazel dying and killing Vallens were cool moments. Still Vallens and Krol dead? With not much to show for it? It sure reads like the start of an ongoing that got changed into a mini.

Foxe has a really good handle on these characters, we even got some introspective moments for Maddie. This issue was hers and I feel she earned it.

Scharf did some beautiful work here. I just wanted a better shot of Rogue since he showed us how well he draws her =)

Lets go through the characters, as it is what I value the most, and see how good this mini was for them.

Maddie: Strong start and end, got a bit into threading water in the middle though.
Alex: Strong start and then he sort of disappeared as he got turned into what he is now. After issue 2 he didn’t really do much.
Remy: Fun start and then got progressively more and more the moral center and in my eyes the star of this mini. Love how he came through for Carmen and how he tragically had to deal with Warren. Showed us both sides of his personality.
Warren: Strong first issue. Cool scenes in issue 3 until he was no more. A big: Why?
Maggot: Left too early, but this mini has reinvigorated my fondness for him. I want more!
Carmen: Strong overall and had her moment in the end. Where did she see Maddie in her classic jumpsuit? Did we have a photo of that early on? Oh wait we did, the one in issue 2!
Zero: Sigh the problem with such a character. Either you go deep dive like Dematteis or you go goofy horror as we did here. He was fun, mostly.
Albert&Elsie-Dee: Strong last issue and they are back in shape. So I guess I liked it.
Azazel: He had some fun moments and I guess I’m happy that he is dead. Overall any issue where you don’t hate him is an improvement.
Emplate: Was too passive for my taste and we still don’t know anything about the contract.

Orchis: Such a loser group.
Agent Krol & Vallens: Disposable.
Doppelganger: Used to drive Maddies story and be a reflection of her. Disposable, but in a better way.

End score: 8/10, less if you want answers.
Mini score: 8/10. Very strong character work, Very strong art, plot threads left dangling.

[Kingdom X]

The finale was DEFINITELY rushed, but I blame Marvel and it’s 4-5 issue mini preference.

Negatives: I’m not a big Alex fan, but I think he deserves more of a conclusion. Will he just be a zombie moving forward? Also I’m putting the death of Warren in the “worst storyline of 2023”. They could have at least grieved him. Also, the agents were completely wasted.

Positives: I think Remy and Carmen are the real MVPs of this book. Remy was treated with respect for the first time in years and Carmen being used and elevated by another creator means she might have *slight* chance of avoiding wallpaper status. Overall, I liked the premise and characterization of this book and I think it just needed more time.

[JB]

Excellent ending to my favorite Fall of X mini. This was great for Madelyne as she's decided to break the cycle of going evil and trying to do something different with her life this time. I'm glad the Limbo embassy is still standing as I think it's a setting chock full of potential. Foxe used it and Maddie (and Chasm actually) in his story for Deadpool Seven Slaughters and I look forward to seeing more of it.

Gambit saying they can probably count on Maddie to be there when the cavalry is called in hopefully means we'll be seeing her and Alex again soon. I'm glad Remy and Carmen are now with Synch's X-Men team. I look forward to seeing more of them in FotHoX and hopefully X-Men as well.

I'm over the moon about Elsie Dee and Albert regaining their freedom. They're such a fun pair and Elsie holds my heart. Azazel's death was brutal but I certainly wasn't mad about it. Emplate leaving the moment he could made me laugh because it tracks with him so much. The panel with Warren's skull was haunting and now I'm indeed wondering if his younger self will be the one that remains in the 616 (now that X-Force is bringing back a Beast from the past.) Like the final issue of Alpha Flight showing us the cover of X-Force at the end, this one shows us the cover of Fall of the House of X. Duggan has said everyone is on the table so fingers crossed for more of the Limbo Embassy characters popping up.

[Malachi]

Excellent ending to my favorite Fall of X mini. This was great for Madelyne as she's decided to break the cycle of going evil and trying to do something different with her life this time. I'm glad the Limbo embassy is still standing as I think it's a setting chock full of potential. Foxe used it and Maddie (and Chasm actually) in his story for Deadpool Seven Slaughters and I look forward to seeing more of it.

Gambit saying they can probably count on Maddie to be there when the cavalry is called in hopefully means we'll be seeing her and Alex again soon. I'm glad Remy and Carmen are now with Synch's X-Men team. I look forward to seeing more of them in FotHoX and hopefully X-Men as well.

I'm over the moon about Elsie Dee and Albert regaining their freedom. They're such a fun pair and Elsie holds my heart. Azazel's death was brutal but I certainly wasn't mad about it. Emplate leaving the moment he could made me laugh because it tracks with him so much. The panel with Warren's skull was haunting and now I'm indeed wondering if his younger self will be the one that remains in the 616 (now that X-Force is bringing back a Beast from the past.) Like the final issue of Alpha Flight showing us the cover of X-Force at the end, this one shows us the cover of Fall of the House of X. Duggan has said everyone is on the table so fingers crossed for more of the Limbo Embassy characters popping up.

Let’s post that final page of Warrens skull. It might be of interest for his fans, vague as it is.

I am also stuck on Warren from O5 staying and Beast being replaced with an old version too. Damn, 2 out of 5 for the original lineup. Marvel really is working overtime trying to fix what they broke or what wasn’t broken.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

So both of my favorites ended up all screwed up, sorry but not a fan of the book or writer...

[Kingdom X]

Let’s post that final page of Warrens skull. It might be of interest for his fans, vague as it is.

I am also stuck on Warren from O5 staying and Beast being replaced with an old version too. Damn, 2 out of 5 for the original lineup. Marvel really is working overtime trying to fix what they broke or what wasn’t broken.

Aren’t they supposed to also visit an alternate future in the one-shot next week? They could pull Warren from there potentially

[Zoks]

So I'm a bit worried about that line about souls being beyond saving, with the image implying it's Warren. Did Evil Maddie corrupt him so badly he could no longer be revived so they now need to bring a Warren from a different era? I've seen rumblings about young Warren coming back, and this would give a way for us to not have two Warrens running around. As for Alex staying zombified, I'm afraid that's going to be fixed off-panel unless someone revisits this plot point a few months from now. Zombie Alex is probably the best Maddie can do to fix him. I know people were hoping there would be some resolution for him mentally but he's hooking up with a clone of his sister-in-law. It's kind of hard to come back from that.

Anyways this mini wrapped up just in time for Gambit to possibly show up in the main book before he and Rogue join that new team. But the question still remains: who the hell is cat sitting?

[Ilargi]

I have finally read it, and I really liked it, it is a correct ending that makes evident how much this story would have benefited if it had more issues and had been developed in depth.

I needed so much to read something that comes from the X-office that treats Remy with respect that for me it improves the title 100 times (and that's why I understand perfectly the people who didn't like it because of the treatment of Warren and other characters).

Anyway, I'm happy with the final result...
and also that panel of Rogue and Gambit.... so cute ( Rogue doesn't like Maddye at all eh? lol)

[Sandmans_Raven]

I would have loved for this to be longer, but I still really enjoyed this series and this ending was solid. Great battle, nice to see Azazel get his comeuppance (among others), and Gambit wasn't a doofus throughout the entire series, which is a big plus. And I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved how gruesome this series got, everything from Not-Maddie tearing her horns off to Elsie-Dee sticking onto Albert's body.

I really loved getting another panel of Rogue and Gambit and we even got Laura and Remy to interact (how long has it been???).

RIP Warren and my condolences to his fans.

[CGAR]

Agreeing with most that this felt very rushed BUT I am digging Steve Foxe's dialogue and he got a great artist for this type of story.

Definitely wish this was an ongoing but he had a story he had to tell in 5 issues.

I think even if we didnt like it all the characters got one highlight moment IMO and thats always good.

I am excited to see what's going to happen in Dead X-Men and hoping Foxe has one more title.

And I'm hoping its not rushed in its 4th and final issue.

[Hakka84]

Let’s post that final page of Warrens skull. It might be of interest for his fans, vague as it is.

I am also stuck on Warren from O5 staying and Beast being replaced with an old version too. Damn, 2 out of 5 for the original lineup. Marvel really is working overtime trying to fix what they broke or what wasn’t broken.

I spoiled myself because I was ready to not even get an hint of Warren.
Damn.
On itself the image is chilling and amazing in its own way. If Warren's presence had already been hinted in the next era (or the mini had been announced to get a second arch), I would be more than fine with that panel. Cinematographically speaking, it's perfect. But, the "certain souls are beyond salvation" on top of knowing the X-Officer doesn't think good of Warren and no mention of him in any future project... I'm getting bad, bad vibes out of this.
Because, of all the "grey" characters, Warren certainly isn't "beyond salvation" and wasn't his soul that was beyond salvation - either he was dead at the end of #1 (so there was no salvation to speak of), or was controlled as a puppet by magic all the time. (I'd say this line would work for today!Beast, certainly not today!Warren).

I clung to the whole "it makes no sense to bring a young, non-Archangel Warren to the X-Line, when the X-Line doesn't know what to do with an adult-Archangel-powered!Warren, but this ending... it actually makes me fear that the character that will stay in 616 could indeed be Warren. And I'm not sure about what I think about such prospect.


Other than this. The more I look at it and the more it feels a bigger story that Foxe pitched for an ongoing, but for reason over his head, he was forced to shorten and compress to stay in 5 issues. I refuse to believe Foxe came up with all this and put all the plots on the plate, if he knew from the start he couldn't go over 5 issues and he wouldn't have the material space to fix what he started. Let's all forget Warren's treatment or Alex unresolved status. Why would you insert the whole "Emplate-Azazel" storyline, if you plan to kill Azazel without revealing the reason why Azazel owned Emplate? Makes sense if you were originally commissioned a longer arch, but while you were writing it, you got a call that "plans have changed: you have to close Dark X-Men with issue #5. Bye". Else, you would just pick them, keep their reason for helping Maddie unexplained, and move on.
In real life people die leaving behind mysteries, many times they aren't given the time or chance to reveal anything and bring their secret with themselves. But in comics we're used that any plot will eventually be explained. If it doesn't, usually it's because the series has been abruptly cancelled and the next author didn't pick it up. But here the whole arc was in the hands of the same author, so it makes absolute no sense that Foxe didn't explain what tied Emplate to Azazel, or left hanging plots for a future author to pick up.


At this point, I can just hope Warren's future was already established and Foxe knew that Warren would be brought back in a following title.
Just... no young!Warren. I think we Warren fans should be entitled to something different - the memory!less Warren storyline + teen!Warren (background character that existed because they couldn't leave him behind in the past while keeping the other O5 in the present - if they could, authors would've sent Warren back to the past as soon as his role to show Jean's unhinged attitude was finished) is still too fresh to give us a rehash of that.


All in all. The mini works on itself if it was a self-contained story with original characters. But it's absolutely disappointing when placed in the greater world of X-Men.
I don't blame Foxe, but the 5-issue politic. I agree with who said that Foxe likely did what he could with the strict boundaries he was given by X-Office.

(So, now I can't even look forward to the Original X-Men story next week. I was looking forward if for a fresh take on Warren, but knowing that the mini could end with past!Warren in this era, I won't be able to enjoy what promised to be a decent teen!O5 story).

[Malachi]

Aren’t they supposed to also visit an alternate future in the one-shot next week? They could pull Warren from there potentially

Yes the Greg Land one. It might be the same O5 that Bendis used.

[Mutant X]

Why put so much effort into developing these characters for four issues and then present this rushed ending?

Gambit was part of this for no reason at all.

Emplate mysterious debt solved with Azazel's silly death.

Feint knowing Madelyne's looks before her fall makes no sense.

I'm very disappointed.

[Hakka84]

Also I’m putting the death of Warren in the “worst storyline of 2023”. They could have at least grieved him.

With hindsight it makes sense. The Krakoa-era for Warren started with a stupid death before the mission he was part of even started. During the Krakoa-era he's virtually non-existent and was never included in any plotline in which is presence would've made sense (Children of the Atom, anything Apocalypse). And the Krakoa-era for him ends with a stupid (albeit visually awesome) death with no resolution.
*sour Hakka is sour*