Resurrection of Magneto #2 - Review/Spoilers

[JB]

This issue was exquisite. I'm going to the comic shop later to buy a floppy copy because I want to physically own what is, imo, one of the single best issues of the Krakoan era. It's difficult, in a good way, to recap this because Ewing gives us so much richness in the narration boxes that you have to experience it for yourself. Here's the gist of it...

We open with the preview pages, Magneto remembering the events of Hickman's Giant-Sized X-Men: Magneto #1 when he and Namor went deep into the ocean. The memory ends with the sea witch giving Magneto a key "to the door of judgment and purification" she says. He still has the key and though he is in the place of judgment in the afterlife, he has not turned the key. He's crawling on what looks like hot coal, a massive and tall stone wall in front of him with names on it. There are many of these walls surrounding him. Again, the narration is just excellent.

As he looks over the names he recalls faces including young Doug Ramsey when he died in OG New Mutants. He says that he failed many times, loved ones and friends and strangers, his child. "But then, after many years... Krakoa. Hope. A dream made real - a dream I could hold, that I could believe. A return from death... could it lessen my guilt?" Blood starts pouring out of his eyes. He remembers once telling Ororo that as a boy he turned his back on God. Ororo appears and before saying a word summons a fall of snow to cool the air. "Compassion - always her deepest instinct. It's a welcome gesture, though I long ago tuned out the heat, the sound... all but the names.

Ororo says when a friend calls she comes. She felt his pain and so she had to answer his call. To save him if she can. She asks him what he is doing. He reads the name of Christopher Bach out loud and explains that he was a mutant hater that Magneto eventually killed by dropping a few tons of rubble on him. When Cyclops asked Magneto what became of Bach Magneto had lied and said he didn't know. He regrets that lie. Ororo notes that there are thousands of names on this wall in front of them alone, dozens of walls in this city of judgment. "Did they all die at your hand...?" He answers by his hand or in his name. By action or inaction. By intent or by accident. Those he regrets and those he doesn't. He stands and shouts, saying he must count them all and feel the full weight of Magneto upon the world. He asks her if she honestly thinks he should return to the world. Have I not done enough?

She says again that she came because she felt his pain but he says that pain is his to deal with. He tells her to leave or she may add another name to the tally. She asks if he's threatening her and he says he's trying to protect the life she still has. He hurls a statue at her which she easily destroys with lightning. She says the world is not done with them but if this is truly what he wants... she is sorry. She brings up that Krakoa couldn't bring back Anya. He says yes, that was his last failure, his final straw. But the truth is that he was already broken.



He tells her how he let Toad take the fall for Wanda's death. Ororo is visibly and understandably shocked. He says Wanda would have never agreed to it but Toad did because he still loved Wanda. He asks if Ororo still feels his pain, if she still wants him back. She hesitates for a second then says she thinks she wants to speak to Wanda. Magneto lashes out and yells at her to not dare blame it on Wanda! "The fault is mine!" Thunderbird and thousands like him are alive thanks to Wanda's work and Toad's sacrifice. Ororo immediately calls him out for his spirited defense of Wanda but that he doesn't do it for himself. She tells him that he's closer to Charles than he cares to admit.

Storm: You use people for your ends, play the martyr when it doesn't work out - and when your decisions destroy you, you wallow instead of...
Magneto: Wait. Did something happen to Charles?



Now he's beyond angry. "I told you to watch him!" He starts magnetically pulling the name plates off the walls and begins hurling them at Ororo. He notes to himself how he willingly came to this place to undertake his own judgment and notes how quickly he forgot that, how easily he becomes the stern judge again. He etched these names into these walls so they are his to tear down if he wants, his task to abandon. He reaches for a name and it's Sharon Friedlander. He recounts to himself how Cargill killed her because she thought that's what he would have wanted. It's not like he gave her any reason to doubt it. He believes he can't be forgiven for her death. He reaches for another name, Ilya Popov a 19 year old on the Leningrad that he sent to the seafloor. It was Popov's first voyage. Faina Moroz an innocent witness who was in the crowd when Anya died. He killed her when he sent out a tide of magnetic force in his anguish. He can't forgive himself for these. He reaches for another name and it's his own, Max Eisenhardt. He stops his rage, crying even more blood. He can't forgive himself.

He thinks of Charles and he's filled with guilt. When he saw Charles fumbling, teetering, when he saw his desperate desire to be loved crushing Charles, what did he do? He left. He could have stayed, given Krakoa a chance, tried to make it and himself better. But he had endured too much, his failures were too great. He chose death over the dream he built with his friend.

Magneto falls to his knees and Ororo kneels in front of him like a true friend. He quietly tells her to leave him. She says no, that there's something he needs to see. She positions herself behind him, her hand on his shoulder. Blood flowing from his eyes.

Magneto: I can't. I can't. Ororo. I can't see what he saw... I can't see what you see... it's out of our hands...
Ororo: Nothing is out of our hands.

She covers his eyes from behind then, being an avatar of life, opens his eyes with her fingers and we see his real eyes for the first time. No more blood.

Ororo: See.


(These double pages come out a little blurry. A slightly bigger version here.)

You guys, tears were streaming down my face while reading this.

Magneto believes this is a key to resurrection, won like a prize in a game. Should it be this easy? That was the greatest promise of Krakoa, of course. Resurrection on demand, no waiting, yet he feels like this may be the last time. The key and his hand tremble and he thinks only one way to find out. He turns the key and the floor below them opens and they fall. He realizes it's not the door to life, not the easy path. "This road leads elsewhere."

Standing in this new area Ororo asks him where they are. He has no answer, only what he sees and feels. It's pitch black and very, very cold. Then we get very familiar looking speech bubbles and huge, smiling teeth. "Ha ha ha. Look at you both." The voice refers to Ororo as the weather witch, restless and rootless as the breeze. It taunts her, asking if she found a home, found joy, found community. It says she will turn her back on it just as she turns her back on everything she loves, "save for the X that does not love you back." Hmm. The voice refers to Magneto as the wounded king who abandoned his world but won't let it go on without him. It asks if Magneto really thinks he can lay his own ghost to rest. "Max? Or is it Erik? Or Magnus? Can you shed your crimes as simply as you shed your many names? Oh, my dear Magneto. You might as well fight your own shadow.

It's the Shadow King, huge and scary looking as always.

Fantastic issue. I had forgotten how wonderfully Ewing writes Magneto. This hit in all the right spots. I am so satisfied.

[davetvs]

Just beautiful. Ewing is doing some of the franchise's GOAT work. Every character he writes is the better for it, Magneto and Storm especially, so this series is such a treat.

[Dante Milton]

Another really great issue. I’m going to miss Ewing writing these characters. Impressed with how Vecchio’s work has improved for this series, the anatomy still gets a little bubble-y at times but overall it’s very good and appropriate for the tone which I wasn’t expecting when he was announced as the artist.

[Saturius]

Why? WHY was Ewing not given the keys to the kingdom?!

[Sunny]

THis was everything I needed. Lord Ewing continues to show up and show out. I am going to miss him once this era is over.

[Kingdom X]

This was a read that I really had to sit with and a nice change of pace from the quicker Dead X-Men and Wolverine issues this week. It was mostly an emotional journey so not too many comments, just appreciative that these characters are getting the respect they deserve.

I do hope that their appearances after this mini show the same amount of respect and care (both in terms of FotHoX/RotPoX and beyond).

[JB]

Ewing seamlessly weaved through and addressed continuity (Sharon Friedlander, the Leningrad, etc.) and really showed us how much it all weighs on Magneto. He felt he didn't deserve to come back but Storm in one beautiful moment showed him all the lives he has saved and how they still need saving. Storm is a great friend, allowing him to lash out and express his pain and anger.

Vecchio blew me away and I can't wait to get my hands on the issue to physically enjoy it.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

Why? WHY was Ewing not given the keys to the kingdom?!

Maybe he just doesn't want that kind of job.

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[Devaishwarya]

Why? WHY was Ewing not given the keys to the kingdom?!

He probably didn't want it due to his other works in progress.

Which is a good thing. I count ourselves lucky that he was able to give complete and masterful focus to this book. If his SWORD and XMR were muchly hampered by editorial and Gillenister's trash; looking at the state of the Franchise during the last year and some to now...just imagine how awful his FoX would have been. It might have been better, perhaps? but with the rushed and rubbish scheduling with Brevoort coming in for a hot relaunch I highly doubt it. Simply put...They would not have let him be the Lord Iron Chef that he is...and we would be starving and fighting over swill.

[Cyclone_Ablaze]

This issue was wonderful as always Ewing does a great job at capturing the essence of a character.

And Magneto was right he did say to watch Charles. But Storm is right too Magneto and Charles are so much alike. Always trying to make themselves the martyr when things don't go the way they planned. And yes, they both really Use people a lot.

Loved the little Scuffle they had. Storm making an Ariel Force Field to block Magneto's shrapnel attack. Which makes me happy because the last time he did that Storm stood there like a dummy. But thanks to Ewing we see a competent Storm yet again.

UGH i'm going to miss him. ;-(

[butterflykyss]

such a great issue. it was a sight to behold, pun intended!

[CGAR]

I really wish they let Al do an OG X-Men team

Just want to see how he would write their dynamic and incorporate continuity.

He is so good at it.

Al Ewing for Excalibur.

[NewMutant]

That is a great tribute to HFG2023 piece.

Look forward to reading this on Unlimited.

[davetvs]

I really wish they let Al do an OG X-Men team

Just want to see how he would write their dynamic and incorporate continuity.

He is so good at it.

Al Ewing for Excalibur.

Ewing writing either the Outback or Morrison-era teams would be a dream come true.

[Devaishwarya]

Based off the summaview...I like that Lord Ewing actively called out the Three Laws and "Trials" for the ill-conceived and undeveloped plot-induced rubbish they were.