Is there such a thing as the perfect crime? Sure, all the evidence points to Magneto, but can it really be that easy? Nothing is what it seems on Krakoa. Find out what happens when Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck, and Edgar Delgado bring us along to solve the case of who killed the Scarlet Witch in X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto #2.
Andrea Ayres: Is it possible there is enough evidence to convict? Does it even matter? For the residents of Krakoa and those coming to mourn the loss of Wanda, Magneto is already guilty. Of course, this was always too simple. If thereâs one thing weâve learned from the team of Williams, Werneck, and Schiti, their talents arenât going to be wasted on a straightforward story. In Trial of Magneto #2, we see precisely why this case isnât as open and shut as the residents of Krakoa believe.
Charlie Davis: Youâre right, Andrea. It was too easy, everything aligned too simply, but as this issue illustrates, everything is far, far more complicated as it seems. Who knew the month of September would be full of such surprises?
Enjoying the View
Charlie: I was not anticipating how this issue would open up. Trial #1 was a very diverse exploration of grief; the second issue seems to be keen to drive home that even in the face of tragedy, there are just some moral barriers that some of the mutants on Krakoa arenât willing to cross. I donât know about you, Andrea, but the scaling between the large macro plot thatâs happening, incorporating concerns about the greater Krakoan lifestyle, and then zooming in to see personal and emotional moments illustrates to me just what a phenomenal writer Leah Williams is. Iâve not been quiet about how I think that a lot of the Krakoan X-books feel like the characters donât have much heart, but these first two issues of Trial have really honed in on that and attempted to flip it on its head.
Andrea: Yep, I heard that, Charlie. Itâs refreshing to see the issues of moral complexity come up in tandem with the plot developing here and not just as an afterthought. It sometimes feels like X-books focus more on the event itself and deal with the moral ambiguities in a separate series. Williams makes more of an attempt to thread that needle early. Thereâs the clever pun âHabeas Corpsesâ referencing Habeas Corpus, where the Trial of Magneto #2 gets its tagline.
Habeas Corpus is the Latin writ used to determine if there is enough evidence to hold you for your accused crime. The idea is to prevent indefinite and unlawful imprisonment. Offending Magnetoâs rights as a prisoner donât seem to be too high up on Xavierâs list of priorities, as he alludes to on page four in the conversation between him and Hope. Xavier operates from the idea that a confession of guilt procured through any means is valid. Williams explores a Krakoan-state with unlimited and unchecked power. What does that mean for its citizens? Nothing good.
Charlie: These weâre all concerns about Krakoa that I knew were placed in the narrative for good reason. The payoff was going to come sooner or later, and with the honeymoon phase of having a new society seemingly over and done with, we can actually dig into the overarching problems that the mutant state actually has. Krakoa could never be a one-size-fits-all because everyone has different needs and thatâs not even mentioning everyoneâs different wants. The issues are on full display here and damn, if it doesnât feel good to have characters have some not so rowdy opinions about some of the practices around here. As for unlawful imprisonment, they had no problem throwing Sabertooth in a hole, freezing out Mystique and making damn sure Destiny wasnât getting resurrected, and putting ânaughtyâ mutants on a proverbial suicide squad. Maybe, just maybe, inherent flaws in someone’s morality cant be overlooked just because someone is also a mutant. Go figure.
Magic Rules
Andrea: Alas, secrets tend to beget more secrets. As The Avengers (and others) arrive to mourn the Scarlet Witch, Polaris and Jean Grey worry about protecting the secret of mutant resurrection. Hope Summers isnât available (as sheâs busy trying to extraordinary rendition Magneto at the behest of Professor X) to block knowledge of resurrection. Thankfully, Emma Frost has them covered. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers all but trip over themselves to meet Ms. Frostâs acquaintance. I feel it comes across in this section of Trial of Magneto #2 more than elsewhere, but I feel a discordance with Delgadoâs colors. Thereâs maybe an oversaturation. Emmaâs hair and Tonyâs suit stick out to me the most. It feels at odds with the rest of the issue.
Overall though, Emma Frost doing her Emma thing before we get to the meat of the issue, the missing Cerebro helmet and how it ties in (or doesnât) to Wandaâs murder. Whatâd you think about this, Charlie?
Charlie: I like it. I liked the different dynamics that seemed to flow through this section that not only established some character dynamics but also saw Hope scheming a little with her own agency and The Avengers being on Krakoa. The brilliance of having Wanda be at the epicenter of this is not only to do with her past via House of M and M-Day but because she actually acts as a bridge between these two teams, which now translates as a bridge between two worlds that seem vastly different because of the changes that have occurred. The fact that a few characters, namely Jean, are torn between just giving the Avengers what they came for and protecting Krakoan secrets is something nice weâve never seen before. When youâre writing characters, you want to give them their distinct voice and have them make choices only they would make. Leah never forgets what makes these characters distinct, and that resonates through the plot heavy sections.
Andrea: I wonder how much the tension between these two teams will play out over the following three issues? By the looks of itâŚ.quite a bit. What do you think Magneto wants with The Avengers? Whatâs the end game, darn it?!
Also, can I just say Tony Stark is never not exhausting to me? I have no tolerance for that man. I know. I know thatâs his entire gimmick, but that doesnât mean I have to like it. Stark always wants to come in and save the day with no regard to the consequences or cost. I guess that is not dissimilar to Professor Xâs views concerning mutants. Which I reckon would be Leahâs point of including these two situations here. Hey! Gee Whiz! Itâs like this is some sort of plot development or something. Imagine that.
Williams also makes several allusions in Trials #2 to diplomacy, but the events of this issue may muck up the diplomatic works a bit. Iâm pretty intrigued to see how the relationship between The Avengers and X-Men develops moving forward. I like the idea of showing how difficult diplomacy is, even when two sides are (seemingly) working towards finding similar solutions. Of course, Iâm a Model United Nations nerd, so I would be into that. Like the sicko I am.
Now we have to talk about the Polaris Magneto fight. I think Werneckâs art sings during this section. I need your thoughts on this.
Charlie: I loved it! There has been simmering tension between Lorna and Mags for a while now in this new Krakoa era, and Wandaâs death seems to be the catalyst for things to blow up. I loved the little dash of Lorna having her PhD now in there. There is so much lying under the surface of Magneto and Lornaâs relationship, and Leah is just the person to tackle some of not all of it. NowâŚthere is one thing that happened in this issue that kinda threw me for a loopâŚ
Back to Normal?
Andrea: So about Wanda being deadâŚ
Charlie: Sheâs not though? LikeâŚin the world of professional wrestling this is what we call a swerve. Though I cannot say Iâm surprised with all of the interspersed spreads of Wanda and magic that we got in the last issue and now this one. I am also highly suspicious, as with anything that happens so suddenly. We just watched Emma mind whammy peopleâŚthis could be something similar.
Andrea: We are definitely on unstable ground. I am not trusting a damn thing. Iâm glad you brought up the magic here because it feels like the black box I cannot peer into. I donât know anything about magic or rituals, so I feel like weâre getting hints that go totally over my head. Not to veer too off course, but the data page has two arrows filled out with images so far.
One is the Celtic Tree of Life, which represents a restoration of balance and harmony. Interestingly, the oak tree is considered the doorway to the Otherworld (fairy realm). The second image appears to be a bonsai tree. Thatâs about as far as I can go unpacking the data pages at the moment. Clues: they are-a-happeninâ.
Mystique is also being all sneaky in the bushes, literally reminded me of the Homer Simpson fading into the bushes gif. Thereâs going to be more development there, any guesses?
Charlie: Someone is certainly up to something, but this is absolutely the hook that youâd want in order have someone come back to your next issue. I thought Mystique at first, but Iâm not ruling out that she has something to do with this. Then again chaos magic is an interesting thing.
Andrea: Did Mystique steal the helmet and set Magneto up to prove a point about resurrection?
Charlie: Seems absolutely likely, all things considered, and with the inferno incoming.
Andrea: Alas. The game continues.
Final Thoughts
- I loved Hope in this. I love her having some agency and character that was not just âone of the five.â (Andrea: Thumbs up this final thought)
- The Data Pages continue to get curiouser and curiouser (What do they mean!?)
- Krakoan Reads: HOW ARE YOU HERE
Andrea Ayres is a freelance writer and pop culture journalist.
Charlie Davis is the worldâs premier Shatterstarologist, writer and co-host of The Match Club.
