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District X (Collected Editions)
Distrito X #2: Subterráneo
Contiene District X 7-14.
¡Último tomo! Completa tu colección de Distrito X con esta segunda parte que enlaza con los sucesos de Mutopía X. Algo habita bajo las calles del Barrio Mutante, algo que ha estado mucho tiempo hibernando en la oscuridad y, al tiempo que despierta, deja un reguero de cadáveres a su paso. En un mundo que en pocas ocasiones se divide en blancos y negros, sino en una tonalidad de grises, ¿podrá el hombre-X Bishop y su compañero Ismael hacer las elecciones correctas para salvar vidas inocentes?
¡Último tomo! Completa tu colección de Distrito X con esta segunda parte que enlaza con los sucesos de Mutopía X. Algo habita bajo las calles del Barrio Mutante, algo que ha estado mucho tiempo hibernando en la oscuridad y, al tiempo que despierta, deja un reguero de cadáveres a su paso. En un mundo que en pocas ocasiones se divide en blancos y negros, sino en una tonalidad de grises, ¿podrá el hombre-X Bishop y su compañero Ismael hacer las elecciones correctas para salvar vidas inocentes?
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 26, 2023
David Hines keeps the perspective spotlight on Detective Ortega who is going through a lot after the events of Mr. M. His marriage is falling apart and he is unable to stay focused on the high-profile murder investigation in Mutant Town. Things continue to pile on as he is asked to also look into a mutant community living underneath the city and two missing friends. Izzy looks for outlets to deal with the mounting stress.
I was not as impressed with this second run of District X as I was with the first one. There are so many things going on that I also had a hard time keeping up, and it came at the expense of character development. There was no empathy for the malformed murderer Winston Hobbes even though it was clear we were supposed to feel more at the end. The same can be said with the underground dwelling community which felt like an obvious (and overused) plot device. I am also surprised that there was no mention of the Morlocks. The missing people didn't seem to be much of a concern either.
I like the premise, of Detective Ortega's disintegration after a harrowing ordeal, but it didn't come across as a cohesive story or explore the impact on his family, coworkers, or community.
David Hines ends, however, with a solid, heartbreaking story. Young Billy Bates is ready to come out as a mutant to a girl he likes, but things go wrong when a fight breaks out in the girls' restaurant. He accidentally kills a rowdy human tourist, and he is forced to take her as a hostage and barricade himself in the storeroom as things escalate. Billy is scared and confused, and the police are mobilized in force to deal with a potentially destructive mutant power. it is up to Bishop to talk him down before somebody else is killed.
There is no easy answer. Billy must hide his powers from his family because they are not ready to accept him, and his reaction to bigoted teasing is fueled by an emotional outburst that also alienates even the mutants around him (including the girl he likes). His phone conversation with Bishop and his exchanges with his hostage reveals somebody struggling to fit in as his body changes. Even the restaurant owner must make a hard choice in the end. There are no winners in Bishop's last case.
I was not as impressed with this second run of District X as I was with the first one. There are so many things going on that I also had a hard time keeping up, and it came at the expense of character development. There was no empathy for the malformed murderer Winston Hobbes even though it was clear we were supposed to feel more at the end. The same can be said with the underground dwelling community which felt like an obvious (and overused) plot device. I am also surprised that there was no mention of the Morlocks. The missing people didn't seem to be much of a concern either.
I like the premise, of Detective Ortega's disintegration after a harrowing ordeal, but it didn't come across as a cohesive story or explore the impact on his family, coworkers, or community.
David Hines ends, however, with a solid, heartbreaking story. Young Billy Bates is ready to come out as a mutant to a girl he likes, but things go wrong when a fight breaks out in the girls' restaurant. He accidentally kills a rowdy human tourist, and he is forced to take her as a hostage and barricade himself in the storeroom as things escalate. Billy is scared and confused, and the police are mobilized in force to deal with a potentially destructive mutant power. it is up to Bishop to talk him down before somebody else is killed.
There is no easy answer. Billy must hide his powers from his family because they are not ready to accept him, and his reaction to bigoted teasing is fueled by an emotional outburst that also alienates even the mutants around him (including the girl he likes). His phone conversation with Bishop and his exchanges with his hostage reveals somebody struggling to fit in as his body changes. Even the restaurant owner must make a hard choice in the end. There are no winners in Bishop's last case.
October 13, 2022
This series remains one of the best X-Men comics from the era. Too bad House of M had to kill it.
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October 25, 2019Feeling ever more like the Marvel Universe's attempt to emulate Wild Cards' Jokertown, with tensions between the detective protagonists, between them and the mutants they police, and then again with other branches of law enforcement less sympathetic to the unusual (for all that they're hardly the main antagonists here, there are some brutish transit cops who are by far the most loathsome characters in the story). There are many mutants out in the open in District X, but others living in the tunnels beneath it (though interestingly the term 'morlock' is never used), and stranger ones still living apart even from them. They've been rubbing along after a fashion, but that equilibrium is faltering.... It's a wonderfully nuanced and balanced piece of work, its sympathies never all one way, and while Bishop may be the ostensible lead, the real protagonist is his partner Izzy Ortega, a fascinating tangle of good police, loving father, and toxic masculinity. Underground proper is followed by a shorter but maybe even finer story about a hostage drama, which offers a tantalising glimpse of how the series could have continued had wider events not rendered it unviable.
April 25, 2013
This doesn't come across as grimly humorless as its predecessor, and thus Hine's writing gets more opportunity to shine. The final two-parter, "One of Us", is by far the best. It's a shame it marked the end of the book proper.
April 20, 2018
Reprints District X #7-14 and X-Men Unlimited (2) #2 (June 2004-August 2005). District X has a new killer who only strikes at the dark of night and seems to have his own agenda. As Bishop and Ismael struggle to connect as partners with Ismael’s life falling apart, a group of mutants living underground also pose a threat to the entire area…and could mean women and children may be in the target of agents who try to stop it. Plus, a new mutant discovering his powers learns that growing up a mutant might be harder than he ever imagined.
Written by David Hine, District X Volume 2: Underground fell under Marvel’s Marvel Knight imprint. Following District X Volume 1: Mr. M, the series featured art by Lan Medina. It also collected X-Men Unlimited (2) #2 (June 2004) as a back-up story (with art by Adi Granov).
District X was a fun “police” comic. The series seemed to borrow ideas from Alan Moore’s Top Ten and placed it in the X-Men universe. The comic felt like it had a long run potential, but District X Volume 2 feels sloppier than the first volume.
The prime draw of District X is the cases. In “Underground”, you have a murderous worm creature rising out of the sewers and a potential terrorist threat. I like that they try to balance and intertwine multiple stories, but it feels like a lot of this should have been spread out more including the assassination attempt on Mr. M (which feels completely disregarded). The worm creature and the underground mutants do come together for the end, but it feels like it needed more issues and the writing needed to be tighter.
The secondary aspect of the series is the lives of Bishop and Ismael. Bishop is largely ignored in “Underground” to focus on Ismael’s addiction to drugs, the break-up of his marriage, his distrust of Bishop, and ultimately making him seem like a rather unlikable character. It is a contrast to the first volume which paints him complex and troubled, but he is more likable.
The secondary story “One of Us” feels like a really limp ending to a series that was enjoyable. The story of a new mutant accidentally taking his powers too far is interesting, but it doesn’t develop Ismael or Bishop (or the problems they are having). I can recall when the series was on the stands that I wasn’t even sure if the series was over or what was going on with it (House of M struck leaving the series in limbo for a few months).
A second (and minor) problem with the collection itself is the X-Men Unlimited #2 story. It references events referred to in “Underground” and was published almost a year before “Underground”. The story however is shoved in the back of the book and has you questioning aspects of his relationship with Dzemal during “Underground” which could have easily been solved by putting this comic at the front of the collection. It is just poor packaging.
District X really fizzled. The writing and the story just weren’t up to par with the first volume which seemed like a good launch to the new series. House of M occurred and the X-Men “Big Event” series resulted in District X being renamed Mutopia X (Collected as House of M: Mutopia X). With House of M wiping out most of the mutants, District X became pointless and the series was cancelled…a sad ending to a promising start.
Written by David Hine, District X Volume 2: Underground fell under Marvel’s Marvel Knight imprint. Following District X Volume 1: Mr. M, the series featured art by Lan Medina. It also collected X-Men Unlimited (2) #2 (June 2004) as a back-up story (with art by Adi Granov).
District X was a fun “police” comic. The series seemed to borrow ideas from Alan Moore’s Top Ten and placed it in the X-Men universe. The comic felt like it had a long run potential, but District X Volume 2 feels sloppier than the first volume.
The prime draw of District X is the cases. In “Underground”, you have a murderous worm creature rising out of the sewers and a potential terrorist threat. I like that they try to balance and intertwine multiple stories, but it feels like a lot of this should have been spread out more including the assassination attempt on Mr. M (which feels completely disregarded). The worm creature and the underground mutants do come together for the end, but it feels like it needed more issues and the writing needed to be tighter.
The secondary aspect of the series is the lives of Bishop and Ismael. Bishop is largely ignored in “Underground” to focus on Ismael’s addiction to drugs, the break-up of his marriage, his distrust of Bishop, and ultimately making him seem like a rather unlikable character. It is a contrast to the first volume which paints him complex and troubled, but he is more likable.
The secondary story “One of Us” feels like a really limp ending to a series that was enjoyable. The story of a new mutant accidentally taking his powers too far is interesting, but it doesn’t develop Ismael or Bishop (or the problems they are having). I can recall when the series was on the stands that I wasn’t even sure if the series was over or what was going on with it (House of M struck leaving the series in limbo for a few months).
A second (and minor) problem with the collection itself is the X-Men Unlimited #2 story. It references events referred to in “Underground” and was published almost a year before “Underground”. The story however is shoved in the back of the book and has you questioning aspects of his relationship with Dzemal during “Underground” which could have easily been solved by putting this comic at the front of the collection. It is just poor packaging.
District X really fizzled. The writing and the story just weren’t up to par with the first volume which seemed like a good launch to the new series. House of M occurred and the X-Men “Big Event” series resulted in District X being renamed Mutopia X (Collected as House of M: Mutopia X). With House of M wiping out most of the mutants, District X became pointless and the series was cancelled…a sad ending to a promising start.
August 14, 2023
Absolon Mercador or Mr. M has been fatally shot, likely because someone knew he almost blew up part of the city. Ismael Ortega has troubles at home. Bishop is back after having been gone a while - he is almost as udseless here as in the first volume. The streets are just as dangerous, with the next major conflict right around the corner.
Billy is a mutant with the ability to transform his body into some pretty monstrous shapes and to grow sharp spikes. Worse, he can't fully control his mutation. He is afraid of revealing it to his father who hates mutants and also doesn't approve of his mutant girlfriend Sylvie. She isn't really his girlfriend, but a group of regular humans catcalling her gets Billy riled up to the point where he uses his spikes to kill them. He takes Sylvie hostage while Bishop tries to resolve the situation.
Billy is a mutant with the ability to transform his body into some pretty monstrous shapes and to grow sharp spikes. Worse, he can't fully control his mutation. He is afraid of revealing it to his father who hates mutants and also doesn't approve of his mutant girlfriend Sylvie. She isn't really his girlfriend, but a group of regular humans catcalling her gets Billy riled up to the point where he uses his spikes to kill them. He takes Sylvie hostage while Bishop tries to resolve the situation.
October 1, 2017
Continuing the great x-read of 2017...
This one continues to be a really good series though perhaps not as strong as the first volume. I'm a bit bummed to be honest that this appears to effectively be the end of the series as there was a ton of promise.
This one continues to be a really good series though perhaps not as strong as the first volume. I'm a bit bummed to be honest that this appears to effectively be the end of the series as there was a ton of promise.
November 12, 2021
Pretty much hated this. Izzy went from being a complex but sympathetic character to an unreliable junkie, wife beating cheater. The story was not good enough to cover the bad taste this left in my mouth.
April 3, 2021
Una de las mejores historias contadas en el efímero Barrio Mutante.
April 4, 2021
Otro nuevo caso para Bishop y su compañero policial en el distrito mutante. Me ha gustado este nuevo caso policial, con un caso extra al final.
Buen guión y dibujo
Buen guión y dibujo
February 12, 2012
This is a good continuation of the District X series. It did remind me a bit of stories like the film District 9 and the graphic novel The Surrogates. Yes, I know the latter was made into a film too, but you are better off reading the graphic novel. Anyhow, those are also tales of different people or aliens being forced into ghettos by larger society and to an extent the law enforcement tasked with dealing with those ghettos. Fans of X-Men will like this as it looks at mutants are more human and humane beings, the normal side (if there is such a thing as normal) aside from the big heroes and villains.
Bishop and Ortega have a new problem in District X, underground dwellers. But are they really the main problem? Or is there something else under the city? This volume also includes some additional material that may be of interest to fans as well. Overall, this was a very good volume and an entertaining read.
Bishop and Ortega have a new problem in District X, underground dwellers. But are they really the main problem? Or is there something else under the city? This volume also includes some additional material that may be of interest to fans as well. Overall, this was a very good volume and an entertaining read.
July 12, 2025
Building off the events of the first volume, Hine gets a better handle on the characters from volume one, and does a great job at ramping up the interpersonal relationships among all the heroes and villains in this police procedural.
The series also benefits from a single artist for the entire collection. Medina's faces aren't my favorite, but they're consistent with the Marvel house style of the time, and combined with Digital Rainbow's muddy color pallete, they do help keep this book looking different from the superhero books at the time, while still making it look like they exist in the same world.
The series also benefits from a single artist for the entire collection. Medina's faces aren't my favorite, but they're consistent with the Marvel house style of the time, and combined with Digital Rainbow's muddy color pallete, they do help keep this book looking different from the superhero books at the time, while still making it look like they exist in the same world.
July 4, 2024
Second volume, collecting the latter eight issues of the series before it was killed for the House of M event (after which there was no longer a need for a book like this.)
With what is going on in the issues collected here I find it weird the Morlocks do not play any role or even get at least mentioned.
Ortega becomes an even more unlikeable protagonist here than in the first volume, so I didn't like this volume quite as much as the first.
With what is going on in the issues collected here I find it weird the Morlocks do not play any role or even get at least mentioned.
Ortega becomes an even more unlikeable protagonist here than in the first volume, so I didn't like this volume quite as much as the first.
April 10, 2013
Pretty great series, shame it didn't last much longer. I liked this one a lot better than the first one, the personal drama between the two main characters was more real and intense and you got a good view of how two radically different parts of society can think they both know whats best and come to conflict over it.
March 9, 2010
Buena historia y buen dibujo, pero no tanto como los de la primera parte. Menos mal que esperé a tener el #1 para leerme este, porque si no seguro que lo apreciaba mucho menos. Cuando tenga otras prioridades cubiertas, quizás lo relea y rerreseñe.
September 1, 2015
Bavilo mě to míň jak jednička, ale pořád jde o příjemnou a občas temnou sérii. Na 4* to vytáhla závěrečná povídka z restaurace. Vím že je to Marvel, ale vadí mi tu absence krve (hlavně u postřelené holčičky v prvním dílu), díky čemuž působí některé situace poměrně komicky.
September 15, 2008
Not as good as Vol 1, but the story was pretty good.
April 30, 2011
Carries on to be a very good series with mutant crime.
October 5, 2016
Bummer that it ended at issue 14.
July 12, 2017
One Of Us is a gut punch.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews