The Last Annihilation rages as the mutants handle the cosmic fallout from The Hellfire Gala. Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli, Fer Siruentes-Sujo and Ariana Maher bring us SWORD #7.
Nola Pfau: Well, Zach, the weird, slightly month-plus stretches of time between SWORD issues are continuing! Wait…Zach? You’re not Zach.
Corey Smith: I’m not? That explains a few things, honestly. I’m definitely in the right place for X-Corp coverage though, right?
Nola: Errr, no. This is the SWORD article. Y’know, me and Zach, big space ideas, green haired lady who takes no guff?
Corey: Huh. I thought Monet was looking a little pale and a little more punk. And I was wondering about the Eisner on the wall over there. Well, I’m here anyway, so… looks like you’re stuck with me this month!
Kree and Present Danger
Nola: SWORD #7 marks the first issue of new artist Stefano Caselli, taking the reins from Valerio Schiti, and I have to say, this Caselli guy doesn’t know how to draw the SWORD cast at all. Who’s this big green guy with a crown supposed to be? The only one with green is supposed to be Abigail Brand!
Corey: I’m not sure, but I’m fairly certain he shouldn’t be wearing a crown since he clearly owes her royalties for infringing on her color scheme. He’s definitely taking the SWORD theme a little too literally too.
Nola: Heh. That reminds me of the whole buildup of the Cerebro Sword prior to X of Swords and then it WASN’T EVEN PART OF THINGS. So many sword shenanigans in the X-books!
Anyway, this issue ties into writer Al Ewing’s event “The Last Annihilation”, which started in Guardians of the Galaxy and is carrying over to this before moving into a few one-shots. Hulkling, who became an Emperor (Empyror?) last year, is fighting a multifront war against Dormammu, and it’s not going great for him. What were your thoughts on this opener?
Corey: I’ll be honest, I genuinely loved it! I’m not usually much of a Cosmic Marvel fan — I remember nodding my way through the first “Annihilation” back in the day — but Ewing managed to capture my attention with this one. I only started reading Guardians of the Galaxy last issue, but even with surface level knowledge of a lot of the characters involved, I haven’t had any problems with jumping in, and I think that speaks to Ewing’s strength as a writer. Obviously a lot of SWORD has been tied up in crossovers to other events so far, but the book has managed to keep that from getting in the way of its own unique identity, and today’s issue was no exception. I get the feeling that you could easily only pick up the SWORD half of this event and still get a complete story, but with Ewing in charge, I’m not sure why you’d want to!
For as much as this issue focused on characters outside of the typical X-Fare, none of them felt out of place at all, which shows just how well SWORD, both the book and the team, has integrated itself in the broader Marvel universe. A lot of that is due to convenience, of course — while Wiccan isn’t an X-Character (and he’s definitely not a mutant at this point, right?), his ties to the Scarlet Witch give him an obvious tie to the X-line, which makes Hulkling’s presence feel absolutely natural. It’s a welcome change from the last time I read the X-Men crossing over with, say, Guardians of the Galaxy! How do you think everything was handled?
Nola: I feel pretty much the same! The stakes here, for all that they’re a high-concept mashup of intergalactic warfare and mystical shenanigans, are grounded in a way that feels interesting and believable for the characters involved. It’s funny you mention the last time the two franchises crossed over, since I’m pretty sure they were both written by the same author then, too—that was Bendis’ run on both. What a fascinating comparison.
At any rate, I’m also pleased by the way this is framed; we get these five pages before the title page, and then the scene shifts entirely to a nice, friendly dinner before we return later. But that’s a topic for another subheader!
It’s Rude To Kidnap The Chef
Corey: And what a dinner it was. Caselli may not be Schiti, but he draws the hell out of some food. I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve read a dinner scene in a comic and wanted to remove my own mouth grille! It’s always a blast to see Doom get out-Doomed, but Ororo pulled it off beautifully, and made yet another brilliant showing in her role as the Regent of Mars. This was a nice throwback to Storm’s first meeting with Doom (or, allegedly, a Doombot), back in Uncanny X-Men #145-147, which started a grand tradition of petty, passive-aggressive sniping between the Not-So-Good Doctor and the X-Men over meals. Did this encounter leave a bad taste in your mouth, or did it leave you hungry for more?
Nola: First, I appreciate your dual-use of food references in that question. Excellent work. I really loved this scene too! I was glad when it was announced that Storm was moving over to SWORD from Marauders, where it felt like she was not well used as a character. I think there was some concern that elevating her to this lofty position might cause her to slide into the background (again), but I’m pleased to see her play such a pivotal role here, and with such style! Her verbal sparring here with Victor is a key indication of just how capable Ororo is, and it’s heartening to see. I hope Ewing also has an opportunity to capture the other facets of her personality at various points, because if he can give her a scene this good, I feel like she might finally get some justice for the first time in…oh, decades.
Corey: I’ll admit that I was definitely cynical about her being shoved upstairs and out of the way, but her time in SWORD has definitely put those fears to rest. Storm is absolutely rocking her new title, and seeing Doom reduced to Twitter troll style “well, uh, at least I was polite, so I win” was delightful. His usual condescension simply isn’t something he should be dropping when he can’t back it up, and he absolutely bit off more than he could chew here. It’s important to remember that while Doom might be more known for it, the X-Men are far from lacking in magical experience. And, with his confirmation of what a lot of us have been guessing since the first issue, I don’t think anyone can claim to have a bigger connection to the White Hot Room than mutants do. Which, by the way, ahhhhhh?! How about that?
Nola: Tradition demands that as the person not making puns here, I groan and protest, but I refuse. You’re doing amazing work here, Corey, and we have editors to make suffer, besides. [Ed. note: I’m in hell]
The White Hot Room thing is wild. Back when the book started, Zach and I had a few theories about that and it’s so great to see those play out now. That’s typically been so strongly associated with Jean and the Phoenix, but the Phoenix has been more of a Jason Aaron Avengers thing lately, and Jean has been pretty firmly in the “regular mutant powers” category. I’m interested to see whether those subjects will tie together here or whether we’ll see Ewing push into something unique with that concept. I suspect the latter, given the way that SWORD seems to function as a thematic equal and opposite to what Ewing spent time doing in Immortal Hulk. I really appreciate a deliberate, considered writer, and Ewing gives us that in abundance. That said, I’ll lay money down that Jean/Phoenix/White Room nonsense is gonna happen at some point during the Krakoan era. [Ed. note: It is known that Dominons fear the Phoenix]
Now…should we talk about Abigail Brand?
A Well-Aimed Blade
Corey: Frankly, we should never stop talking about Abigail Brand. There hasn’t been an issue this run that hasn’t had me dropping my jaw at the sheer audacity of her machinations, but I think this time around might just be the most impressive. Resurrection-proof plans? Secrets from the Council? Lying to a potential ally about the rapidly cooling corpse of his kind-of, sort-of mother-in-law? I am astounded. What about you?
Nola: I too am impressed. I appreciate her stealing a march on Gyrich, because @#$% that guy, but the moves she’s making here are nuts. She deliberately prevented aid from reaching Hulkling so that her team could get there first! That is some dangerous dealing—not even the Quiet Council knows! The way she’s maneuvered, this though, it could actually work? SWORD is just removed enough from Krakoa in terms of identity that they can at least deal with the Kree/Skrull Alliance despite the way Krakoa is referring to Scarlet Witch, because Brand insisted on that kind of autonomy from the start. With this move, she’s created the image that she’s dependable despite her nominal allegiances. It is a feast of opportunity for someone as resourceful as Brand is, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Corey: I’m absolutely thrilled to see what happens going forward — Normally I’d be expecting things to go south almost immediately, but with the way she’s played her hand, I think we might actually have a good while before things come crashing down. One of the connecting themes of Reign of X — and hell, going all the way back to HoXPoX, has been the dangers of hubris, especially when it’s the foundation of an entire people. This has been spelled out pretty clearly in SWORD, with Doom’s repeated promethean warning being about as subtle as Dormammu’s Mindless Ones, but even with that clear set up, I can’t help but feel things won’t go as poorly as we’re being led to expect. Brand is always scarily competent, but her play here has been executed well beyond her usual cut-throat efficiency. If SWORD doesn’t come out of this with a carefully tenuous relationship with the Kree/Skull Alliance (just in time to be tested in Trial of Magneto, I’m sure), I’ll be shocked.
Nola: I’m almost rooting for her to get away with it, if only for the contrast/comparison with her ex-boyfriend Beast over in X-Force.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- If they didn’t want us to make terrible puns, they should have never let us work together!
- Honestly, it’s not like they haven’t had enough warning by now.
- Reading order page at the end lists not the next X-Men issues, but the entirety of the Last Annihilation event. Handy!
- We have now gone full circle to Ewing’s Empyre Aftermath: Avengers
- Krakoan Reads: GUARDIANSOFTHEGALAXY
Nola Pfau is Editor-in-Chief of WWAC and generally a bad influence.
Lex Smith
Lex Smith is probably tired right now. They're definitely trying not to think about everything they have to write! When they're not staring at a blank Word document, odds are they're tweeting, playing Pokémon or wondering how they ended up with such a smart-ass kid.
