Dead X-Men #2 - Review/Spoilers

[davetvs]

I'm still really enjoying this book but I'm not loving Foxe's voice for Jubilee. That's a minor nitpick considering everyone else is pitch-perfect and he clearly knows his continuity.

[Mutant X]

Ignoring the retcon, it's an enjoyable book.
I'm sure it's not going to be relevant in the end, but it can be a nice tribute to Hickman's HoX #2 story.
I wish they had chosen a better enemy for the team though. Dislike this generic version of the generic robot Moira.

[Viteh]

I don't think it's that these past lives continued, but rather that Rachel is sending them to a point in the past in those timelines before Moira's death.

So like in Life 8, Magneto dies in Year 35 and Moira gets captured and dies 3 years later. I'm guessing the small scene we see is during those 3 years. It's still within that timeline's existence.

Same with Life 7. Moira kills Simon Trask in Year 38 but still survives for another 11 years. The Dead X-Men probably show up some time in Year 39-40, while not-quite-Robo-Moira showed up earlier and changed the path by getting the Ultron-sentinels to activate earlier.

Those Lives will still be killed when their Moira dies, but I guess their place in space/time still exists and that's why they can visit it?

[Uncanny X-Man]

I enjoyed issue 1 but this second one really ups the action and the stakes which made for another excellent read.

I think the premise here with the time-travel and alternate reality is ambitiously complex and steeped in continuity but Foxe does a good job at keeping the focus on the characters and making the story feel high-stakes I'm especially loving Foxe's voices for Sam and David and I really can't wait to see what he has in store for Moira.

I thought the many artists would make for a jarring experience but they all worked pretty well for me here and all provided some beautiful artwork.

[Frobisher]

I don't think it's that these past lives continued, but rather that Rachel is sending them to a point in the past in those timelines before Moira's death.

So like in Life 8, Magneto dies in Year 35 and Moira gets captured and dies 3 years later. I'm guessing the small scene we see is during those 3 years. It's still within that timeline's existence.

Same with Life 7. Moira kills Simon Trask in Year 38 but still survives for another 11 years. The Dead X-Men probably show up some time in Year 39-40, while not-quite-Robo-Moira showed up earlier and changed the path by getting the Ultron-sentinels to activate earlier.

Those Lives will still be killed when their Moira dies, but I guess their place in space/time still exists and that's why they can visit it?

The timeline stuff is beyond confusing now. Life 10 can branch many times (including the original where mutants won), but changing events in an earlier life can alter the entire progression of lives after… I guess?

[Grunty]

The timeline stuff is beyond confusing now. Life 10 can branch many times (including the original where mutants won), but changing events in an earlier life can alter the entire progression of lives after… I guess?

It seems all established rules or limitations of what was established in HOX/POX have essentialy gone out of the window onto the street were a dumb truck drove over it and it's now entirely "just roll with it" as the whole sorry affair comes to a confusing unsatisfying conclusion.

Which includes the entire idea of the lifes being erased former universe, therefor impossible to revist and fact check for what ever any of her claims were true.

[Factor]

Like Rise, this is probably more confusing than it should, but I absolutely love the team and Foxe is really letting everyone shine. My one pet peeve is that he doesn’t acknowledge Sam’s leadership experience.
I really hope all of these characters get significant roles in the reboot and that Foxe gets at least one ongoing. His Fall of X books have been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise pretty bad time for the line.

[Frontier]

My only issue with this comic is a personal nitpick as a Hank Pym fan. It doesn't pay to be a Hank in comics.

[captain Qball]

I really enjoyed issue 1, but this one fell flat to me. I found there didn't seem to be any stand out character moments, you could have any team of characters and it would have changed nothing.

The wobbly wobbly "we have no idea about these timelines if they event exist" and then they got there just fine.

And I'm not sold on this third rate Moira or her plans. And now the plot of the book is for the team to track and stop her, I lost a lot of interest.

[danielsan52]

Love seeing established mutants show up. Especially Quill from The Resistants.

[lefthanded]

Every Xbook writer's attempt to use Hickman's Moira concept has created a convoluted mess.

Percy hit the Moira concept with a car, Duggan backed up over the roadkill, Gillen's street sweeper has been unable to clean the remnants, and now Foxe is building a new multiplex over it that will probably be haunted.

Terminator Moira might as well be a new character, as otherwise the character is saddled with all these convoluted takes.
I can't believe I am saying this, but if this was instead yet another Sinister character (because why not) attempting to travel all around wrecking havok, it would be less headache inducing.

[Agent Grayson]

I agree with everyone that this Moira mess is too convoluted. It feels like writers in this era are too comfortable with retcons - they’re retconning how Moira’s powers work, a retcon itself that’s only a few years old and already wrecked her as a character.

And the team’s changing motivations don’t really make sense to me…they’re taking such a massive risk by going into the old timelines (which shouldn’t exist) with no definitive goal or purpose other than “maybe we’ll find something”. It would’ve been much more compelling if the knowledge Prodigy absorbed from Moira last issue led him to believe there was something in one of her past lives that would be useful. As it is, they just feel like they’re aimlessly blundering about.

All that said…I think this team is awesome and this issue was still a lot of fun to read, so I’m happy to put aside my reservations and just go along for the ride. Next issue, I plan to disengage my brain and enjoy the chaos.

[lefthanded]

And the team’s changing motivations don’t really make sense to me…they’re taking such a massive risk by going into the old timelines (which shouldn’t exist) with no definitive goal or purpose other than “maybe we’ll find something”. It would’ve been much more compelling if the knowledge Prodigy absorbed from Moira last issue led him to believe there was something in one of her past lives that would be useful. As it is, they just feel like they’re aimlessly blundering about.

All that said…I think this team is awesome and this issue was still a lot of fun to read, so I’m happy to put aside my reservations and just go along for the ride. Next issue, I plan to disengage my brain and enjoy the chaos.

Yeah, agree on both points - a fun read if I try not to think past the superficial.

There's a little too much naivete with the Dead X-men. It might makes sense if these characters were written completely to be newbie teenagers, but they clearly understand the risks of mucking around with time/reality (Issue #1 has them minimize their risk of exposure unnecessarily, and both Issues #1 and #2 has them point out wanting to avoid paradoxes). If Issue #1 had them be reckless, and Issue #2 continues with the recklessness, then it would make sense that this is how Foxe wants his characters to be. And yet, somehow, Foxe has them go on their own mission just based solely on hope.

I know the crystal embedded in David's chest is gonna play a role in upcoming issue, but might Foxe have shown some sort of two way communication between a crystal in Terminator Moira's possession and David as a way to drive the quest?

[NewMutant]

Like Rise, this is probably more confusing than it should, but I absolutely love the team and Foxe is really letting everyone shine. My one pet peeve is that he doesn’t acknowledge Sam’s leadership experience.
I really hope all of these characters get significant roles in the reboot and that Foxe gets at least one ongoing. His Fall of X books have been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise pretty bad time for the line.

I agree with this.

Every Xbook writer's attempt to use Hickman's Moira concept has created a convoluted mess.

Percy hit the Moira concept with a car, Duggan backed up over the roadkill, Gillen's street sweeper has been unable to clean the remnants, and now Foxe is building a new multiplex over it that will probably be haunted.

Terminator Moira might as well be a new character, as otherwise the character is saddled with all these convoluted takes.
I can't believe I am saying this, but if this was instead yet another Sinister character (because why not) attempting to travel all around wrecking havok, it would be less headache inducing.

As well as this... Moira's character assassination's was the worst of Krakoa. It worked because she has been gone and forgotten so long. I don't believe anything after Inferno was any intent Hickman had for the character. At best she should have become human gone away and appeared again as a human scientist trying to make amends. She basically just became obsessed with "winning".

[TheLimboBabies]

This is surprisingly good, not sure why Jubilee or Cannonball aren't leading but i like Frenzy. Usually the non main books are sub par quality.