Your thoughts on the current status of the X-books

[JB]

It’s been a little while since we’ve had a general thread like this and with interesting conversations happening in different threads (cost of comics, importance of diversity, Beast, etc.) and possibly big announcements on the horizon, I’m curious to hear where everyone stands with the line as the boards seem to be steadily less active.

What are you reading/not reading, are you looking forward to what Fall of X may bring and the preceding Before the Fall mini era? What are you hoping for?
I’m enjoying Sins but I’m glad we’re at the halfway point because I’m ready for what comes after. I’m personally hoping for a very big shakeup.

[IN-a-Synch]

It’s been a little while since we’ve had a general thread like this and with interesting conversations happening in different threads (cost of comics, importance of diversity, Beast, etc.) and possibly big announcements on the horizon, I’m curious to hear where everyone stands with the line as the boards seem to be steadily less active.

What are you reading/not reading, are you looking forward to what Fall of X may bring and the preceding Before the Fall mini era? What are you hoping for?
I’m enjoying Sins but I’m glad we’re at the halfway point because I’m ready for what comes after. I’m personally hoping for a very big shakeup.

What are you reading/not reading?

Reading Immortal, Legion, X-men, Red, X-force and Wolverine. Bishop War College
All the Sins of Sinister


Not reading

Marauders i hate the lineup and the mission
New Mutants smh
is there anything else out there. I feel like the books are vanishing one by one.

I am looking for a major change of status quo in some books such as Marauders and Xforce.
I am looking to see if they can bring back a Uncanny X-men team, (not a Uncanny Avengers)

I hope the Gala will be good. I hope Nimrod is the classic Villain we all look for in a Comic book.

Certain storylines need to wrap up such as the Peter thing and Beast turning into a Villain.

I don't think I'm ready for Fall of X, I love Krakoa. It is inevitable to say the least.

And I wish Magneto (thought I never say this) would come back.

[JB]

I am looking for a major change of status quo in some books such as Marauders and Xforce.
I am looking to see if they can bring back a Uncanny X-men team, (not a Uncanny Avengers)

I hope the Gala will be good. I hope Nimrod is the classic Villain we all look for in a Comic book.

Certain storylines need to wrap up such as the Peter thing and Beast turning into a Villain.

I don't think I'm ready for Fall of X, I love Krakoa. It is inevitable to say the least.

And I wish Magneto (thought I never say this) would come back.

Haha it’s amazing how much I miss Magneto but I’m glad he received a great sendoff.

I don’t know how realistic this is but I’m really hoping the Fall is not the end of Krakoa entirely but rather big changes to the government structure and perhaps an honest look at the not so pleasant aspects. I still think mutantkind eventually spreading out into multiple nations would be interesting but their population is still small.

I’d like a change to X-Force too but it seems like Percy is marching towards issue #50 lol. I’m looking forward to hearing what Orlando, Williams (Steph), and Steven Foxe will be doing. I hope he’s getting a team book because I really enjoyed his X-Men annual. Also more female writers please. If Stephanie W. doesn’t get a main book then man I hope KT is brought in.

[cranger]

I am just getting back into the X-Books again since dropping off after X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine. X-Men, Wolverine and X-Force are the books I am reading for now.

While I have no interest in the prelude one-shots to Fall of X (sorry, Marvel, I have read too many 'important' lead-ins that were nothing but filler) my hope for Fall of X is that whatever gets done it we can get more of a separation between the (Earth-based) X-Men teams and Krakoa (particularly anything dealing with the QC).

[Kingdom X]

What are you reading/not reading?
Reading: Red, Immortal, X-Men, Sabretooth, Captain Britain. Also picking up the Rogue & Gambit + Bishop miniseries but those might get dropped if the quality doesn't pick up. I checked out issue 11 of Marauders and will pick up issue 12 because I'm interested in the Genosha plot and hope that it'll lead to a book more my taste from Orlando.

I've been picking up Spurrier's books because they've been important to the line, but I'll be fine if his run concludes for good with Sons of X. Also fine if Howard's current book closes out her time with Betsy and Otherworld, because I think both are ready for a new direction. Haven't touched Percy's X-Force in a long time, and it really doesn't contribute to the line.

Are you looking forward to what Fall of X may bring and the preceding Before the Fall mini era?
Yes and no. I'm excited for Red to reintroduce the Apocalypse family and for Immortal to shake things up post SoS, but I'm genuinely very nervous about Duggan leading the charge for Fall of X. Sometimes Duggan can be good and entertaining, but sometimes his writing REALLY lacks nuance and character depth. I think both of those things are absolutely necessary if we're actually seeing the fall of Krakoa. I've accepted that this status quo might be on it's way out with the 60th anniversary potentially leading to a more traditional status quo, but I at least want the conclusion to be something satisfying.

What are you hoping for?
I'll add my general feelings about the line/ X-Office here as well. I think that Destiny of X has done a lot more than Reign of X to move the line forward, and there's been some real hits but it also feels like the line has given up on true cohesiveness. Before it felt like each book was building a different part of the new status quo, whereas now a lot of the books are kind of just... there. The last 4 mini-series announced (Bishop, R&G, CB, and NM:LL) all seem like they're taking place in their own little corners and can absolutely be skipped. Also... it seems like the X-Office has somehow turned into more of a boys club than before, with only certain writers getting series that actually push the line forward and the rest being relegated to side books.

I usually don't like line-wide relaunches, but I'm genuinely interested in some new talent joining the office and getting more than mini-series handed to them.

[Krakoa]

In general, I think the overall line is at its best since Dawn of X in terms of having real momentum. I feel like the amount of plot that has been going in the last few months is huge compared to anything after those first 6-12 pre-XoS issues, everything is really coming to a head in most books. I also have liked the introduction of some lighter side books, like X-Terminators and Lethal Legion, though some books like Ayala's New Mutants are missed. I think the lead books are the best they've been in this era and have more going on than Hickman's X-Men did, but the side books are weaker than they were at their best overall. I've never been one who is like "where is the *main* story?". This era has a lot of stories that feel like main stories to me and I like that as long as they have momentum, which even some of the slowest series like Wolverine & X-Force finally some to have movement for the first time since Dawn. A lot of plots set up by Hickman are coming back in fun and new ways (see: Sins of Sinister, the Brood storyline, etc.). There have been misses (Vault Laura) but it's been a lot of hits too.

What are you reading/not reading?

Reading: Red, Immortal, X-Men, Sabretooth, Captain Britain, Rogue & Gambit, Bishop, Legion of X, Sins of Sinister, New Mutants: Lethal Legion, Marauders. The new minis are all tentative assuming they stay good. I wait on X-Force and Wolverine and mostly read on Unlimited if I'm feeling bored, but I've picked up some issues recently because of things actually moving (Peacock Man).

Are you looking forward to what Fall of X may bring and the preceding Before the Fall mini era?

I really like the way Fall of X is being described as similar but different to Reign and Destiny as having a clearer inciting incident. I think what the status quo change actually is will determine a lot of my feelings but they're doing a lot of things right (keeping the series that are good like Red and Immortal as far as we know, bringing back Genesis, etc.) so I'm really optimistic.

What are you hoping for?

The new incident should propel the story forward in a big way but not lose what's great about Krakoa in the process. And I want to see some fun new writers and stories as it seems we're losing some.

The last 4 mini-series announced (Bishop, R&G, CB, and NM:LL) all seem like they're taking place in their own little corners and can absolutely be skipped.

I thought this at first, but I actually am not so sure that's true anymore. There's clear common character crossover happening between Bishop, CB, and R&G so far in terms of villains in a way that is feeling really cohesive to me.

[Alex_Of_X]

Krakoan state-of-the-union, March 2023

The line...is good. Ewing, Duggan and Gillen are holding the ship steady; their output is stellar and a joy to read every month. Barring Lavalle's lovely Sabretooth, the rest of the book haven't been doing it for me, but that's more of a comment on my tastes, and not their quality. The X-office still gets the lion's share of my money.

Now, we don't know what Fall of X will be, but chances are it's going to be an outgrowth of either Ewing's or Duggan's work, same way that SoS is build on Gillen's Immortal X-Men. That excites me. I don't want Krakoa to wither anytime soon--there're bounds of untapped stories here.

What I do want is some new books, new creator, fresh ideas. With the promise of Uncanny Avengers\Steph Williams's unrevealed book, the future's looking bright.

[Krakoa]

Krakoan state-of-the-union, March 2023

The line...is good. Ewing, Duggan and Gillen are holding the ship steady; their output is stellar and a joy to read every month. Barring Lavalle's lovely Sabretooth, the rest of the book haven't been doing it for me, but that's more of a comment on my tastes, and not their quality. The X-office still gets the lion's share of my money.

Now, we don't know what Fall of X will be, but chances are it's going to be an outgrowth of either Ewing's or Duggan's work, same way that SoS is build on Gillen's Immortal X-Men. That excites me. I don't want Krakoa to wither anytime soon--there're bounds of untapped stories here.

What I do want is some new books, new creator, fresh ideas. With the promise of Uncanny Avengers\Steph Williams's unrevealed book, the future's looking bright.

Agree with everything you said.

[Kingdom X]

Krakoan state-of-the-union, March 2023

The line...is good. Ewing, Duggan and Gillen are holding the ship steady; their output is stellar and a joy to read every month. Barring Lavalle's lovely Sabretooth, the rest of the book haven't been doing it for me, but that's more of a comment on my tastes, and not their quality. The X-office still gets the lion's share of my money.

Now, we don't know what Fall of X will be, but chances are it's going to be an outgrowth of either Ewing's or Duggan's work, same way that SoS is build on Gillen's Immortal X-Men. That excites me. I don't want Krakoa to wither anytime soon--there're bounds of untapped stories here.

What I do want is some new books, new creator, fresh ideas. With the promise of Uncanny Avengers\Steph Williams's unrevealed book, the future's looking bright.

When was it announced that Steph Williams was getting a book?

[gonnagiveittoya]

She announced it on Twitter.

I do think a shakeup is overdue and hopefully Fall of X will do that

[gonnagiveittoya]

What are you hoping for?
I'll add my general feelings about the line/ X-Office here as well. I think that Destiny of X has done a lot more than Reign of X to move the line forward, and there's been some real hits but it also feels like the line has given up on true cohesiveness. Before it felt like each book was building a different part of the new status quo, whereas now a lot of the books are kind of just... there. The last 4 mini-series announced (Bishop, R&G, CB, and NM:LL) all seem like they're taking place in their own little corners and can absolutely be skipped.

That's not a bad thing. Not everything needs to be worldbuilding. X Terminators was the most fun book of the last year and its no coincidence it's the one that has almost nothing to do with Krakoa whatsoever

[M@Bowers2014]

Overall I'm a big fan of this era but I'm honestly getting bored with most of the actual books. I decided to skip all of the current Mr Sinister "event" and am only buying titles that aren't part of that story. Also I'm seriously considering dropping Wolverine, X-Force and most other X titles except for X-Men, and Rogue/Gambit. I am enjoying New Mutants: Lethal Legion and Sabretooth & the Exiles but both are minis. Things just haven't been as interesting since Hickman bailed. There's just way too much focus on the grey areas of the former villains. The stories we do get on mutant heroes is focused on the same dozen mutants or so spread out over all the ongoing titles. Meanwhile so many fan favorites just aren't being used besides background cameos. Or worse look at what they've done with Banshee. First the horror with Moria, and now he's merged with a ghost rider basically. Because when fans asked for more Banshee that's what they wanted. Why bring back Thunderbird if he's rarely going to be used? Why have Sunfire suddenly embrace being a mutant then have him move to the Planet Formerly Known as Mars then vanish from all of the ongoing titles?

[Fokken]

This year's Gala will inevitably break and shake many a reader.

[Jackraow21]

This year's Gala will inevitably break and shake many a reader.

I hope so. Because my current summation of the X-books and my feelings on them right now is “meh.”

I’m just bored honestly. X-men Red is by far the best book of the line IMO, but this whole detour into Sins of Sinister alt future is not all that interesting and I’m ready for it to be over already… and it’s barely just begun. So, not a great sign there. Plus with Ewing in a recent interview saying there’s no immediate plans for Cable but that he might pop back in down the line, well, that’s a dealbreaker for me. I’m just not all the hyped about XMR anymore. Sorry.

As for the rest of the line? It’s… fine. I guess. I’m reading Immortal and Duggan’s X-men. And both are just “okay.” I just dropped X-Force as it sucks. Badly. And without Logan on the team I care a lot less. Sabretooth is pretty solid, and Wolverine is oddly now the comic I most look forward to monthly. The whole Weapons of X and Beast Agenda stuff is wacky, but entertaining. Plus I’m a Logan fan. So I guess Sabretooth and Wolverine are what’s keeping me onboard the X-train for now.

But I find myself hoping the Gala and then Fall of X involves some major shakeups and gives us more interesting team lineups, new creative teams and titles. Fingers crossed for some exciting news tonight at the big 60th Anniversary event…

[JB]

I'm loving these responses and I appreciate everyone sharing! I'm also going to borrow the format Kingdom X started.

When was it announced that Steph Williams was getting a book?

Here's the tweet but still it's unclear what exactly she'll be writing:
https://twitter.com/Steph_I_Will/sta...01728755105799

Steve Foxe a few minutes before also tweeted that he'll be working with her on something so it could be X-related.

I'm in agreement that I'm for the most part enjoying what we're currently receiving from the line and it's nice to see a lot of the threads coming together for Fall of X.

What are you reading/not reading?

Reading: Red, Immortal, X-Men, Captain Britain, Rogue & Gambit, Bishop, SoS, Sabretooth. I mostly like Immortal but I'm curious if the format will change after Colossus' issue which I think would be fun. I'll be sticking with Bishop's book especially now that Moira has showed up and it seems what Orchis is doing could have a big impact on the island. If R&G gives us some meaty insight on what Destiny's plan is next issue then I'll be sticking with it too but if it's just more of the same relationship "tension" between R&G then I may drop it. I'm also interested in why Brousseau and his name keep popping up. He'll be seen or referenced in three books this month so I wonder if he was put on the back burner but will now play a big role in Fall of X which hopefully means Betsy will as well.

Are you looking forward to what Fall of X may bring and the preceding Before the Fall mini era?

Borrowing Krakoa's answer because I feel the same way:

"I really like the way Fall of X is being described as similar but different to Reign and Destiny as having a clearer inciting incident. I think what the status quo change actually is will determine a lot of my feelings but they're doing a lot of things right (keeping the series that are good like Red and Immortal as far as we know, bringing back Genesis, etc.) so I'm really optimistic."

What are you hoping for?

Definitely some new writers and titles to freshen things up. Hopefully we'll get some information at tonight's event!