X-Men #7: A Great and Terrible Loss

How did Captain Krakoa come to be? The answer may not surprise, but it will terrify longtime fans, from Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles.

Cori: It doesn’t seem like it’s been long enough for there to be another issue of X-Men, but here we are, Tony. 

Tony: Yeah, after a larger than normal gap between X-Men #5 and X-Men #6, this feels incredibly short!

Short-Handed

Tony: Now, this is a story all about how Cyclop’s life got flipped, got turned upside-down. And I’d like to tell a story, just sit right there, we’ll tell you how he had to hide his identity and become a completely different superhero.

I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

With that out of the way! That was some origin story. What did you think?

Cori: It feels like this series has started to get back on track. Part of that is likely due to Larraz being back on art for these past two issues. It also feels like the story is moving forward again. Duggan has put things out of order in the past two issues, making the reading more exciting and fun.

I like how X-Men #7 is framed around Scott’s death and yet is still encasing it within a flashback in this story. What did you think about the big fight scene? 

Tony: I dug it! I agree that a big part of it is Larraz’s return, and I think the other part I enjoyed is that we’re finally seeing plot progression instead of “monster of the week” threats from Cordyceps Jones. 

We finally got to see Doctor Stasis in action, which I enjoyed. I still don’t quite understand why he’s the Orchis Director of Human Resources. Still, it looks here like he’s an evil scientist, sort of in the vein of our earlier adversary, the High Evolutionary. I wonder if that was Duggan’s reason for using him? Some possible foreshadowing for Stasis and maybe revisiting him later?

Getting back to your question, I loved the fight that ensued. Stasis poisoning his chimeras with a rage-inducing virus and then turning them loose on New York. I loved Cyclops going full Captain America (including references in the text) and seeing Synch, Sunfire and Wolverine living up to their roles as big damn heroes. It just worked for me. What did you think?

Cori: It was the exact sort of big, grandiose fight scene I want from the headline X-Men book. When those moments happen, they have to be epic and sweeping, and Larraz did a great job of showing how dynamic the fight was. It also served as our look into Cyclops’ election to the team, in saying (truthfully) that he is the X-Men. It would feel wrong not to have him lead the charge in this era. This is why what comes next is so crushing. 

You Can Never Go Back

Tony: I’ve always been kind of afraid of what happens next. I mean, for all the strategic mind Scott has, the general skill, he’s still just a highly trained human being (with really terrible peripheral vision). So I’m glad that in the scene I’ve dreaded most since becoming a Cyclops fan, it unfolded like this. As Shiro, Everett and Laura deal with their threats, Duggan and Larraz show us Stasis’s true goal is Cyclops.

This progression of the resurrection plot was surprising to me. Stasis says in the opening of the X-Men #7,  “I must have his body on a slab by dusk.” I thought he was stating that literally. But it progressed much differently. As the attack unfolds, Scott faces one of the chimeras and a baby girl. Cyclops saves her and sacrifices himself.

Even without the Doctor Stasis moment that follows, this might be one of my favorite Cyclops moments in a long time. What did you think of it?

Cori: I am sure this will shock everyone that knows me, but I have a thing for lawful good characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for those who are weaker. I don’t know that I’ve ever talked about my penchant for that type of character. 

But no, this is absolutely my favorite superhero archetype and precisely what I want out of Cyclops in this era. His chaotic good streak is over, so it’s time to go back to being the beacon of having a stick up his butt, but in a good way. I also really like that he might have made it had everyone else not been preoccupied with the coup de gras. 

There was also the X-Men versus the Council’s political intrigue and the erasing of the memory of resurrection from Ben Urich. What do you think about that development? 

Tony: Between that and Stasis’s hissing, “if you remember, here’s where to find me,” the creative team just turned the intrigue dial to 11. I am fascinated by these two developments.

Also, between this story and Inferno, I feel like Cerebro needs to have a “we’re going into active combat, please record my back-up in real-time” option. That seems like a significant blind spot that no one has noticed. You’d think Emma would be dealing with that, and not Ben Urich (if it was her).

Cori: That’s an excellent point, Tony. You’re not always going to know you’re going into active combat, but in some cases like this, it should be easy to get in touch with one of the island’s many telepaths to keep tabs on the group until you’re in the clear. Heck, they might have even been able to use a team member to keep contact up, even without Jean, right, Tony? 

The Omega Synch

Tony: So, look, one of the big reasons I threw my hat in to talk about this title, outside of working with you again, is that three of my favorites are on the team. Now, Cyclops has gotten some excellent page time, and I’m waiting patiently for more Rogue after that glimmer in the High Evolutionary issue.

But my third fave? Everett Thomas? After twenty years of missing him, I feel like we’re getting appetizers in a five-course meal. After a brief moment earlier in the fight, Synch used Jean’s powers, even though Jean was several AU’s away. We also get a data page written by Cecilia Reyes, which is pretty meaty. Synch is changing and growing, maybe into an Omega level mutant? What did you think of that development?

Cori: This is the best Synch has ever been, and I loved him in Generation X. There’s so much nuance to this version of the character, with all the years and romance of his time in the vault, along with some excellent power development to boot. The idea he can store powers for a time is a great way to evolve his power, and it makes him an absolute powerhouse for the team in a way that opens things up. 

Tony: Agreed. Before House of X, I feel like most writers didn’t know what to do with him, except Nieciza and maybe Lobdell. That’s probably why Warren Ellis and Brian Wood (ech, that combination together) killed him off. But Hickman, as he does with many others, found an important role for him, progressed his character to the point that he was indispensable. Now Duggan has taken that football and ran with it. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Cori: It’s an exciting time for some lesser utilized characters for sure. 

X-Traneous Thoughts

• Sadly, Doctor Lorna Dane is Ms. Not Appearing In This Issue
• I think we’d all like to spend an issue learning more about that communication network though
• According to Duggan, the moment Cyclops used a traffic light to refract a blast was all Larraz, and I think we’re all the better for that. 
• End of Issue Krakoan: MODOK!

Cori McCreery

Yes, it's Cori McCreery—strange visitor from DC fandom who came to Xavier Files with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal critics. Cori, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in her bare hands, and who, also works as an editor for a great Eisner winning website, Women Write About Comics, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice.

Tony Thornley

Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.