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Realm of X #1-4
Realm of X
A new team of X-Men find themselves stranded in a far-off realm from Norse mythology!
Leaping straight from the astonishing events of this year’s Hellfire Gala, an unlikely group of mutants find themselves stranded in Vanaheim! And somehow Magik, Mirage, Marrow and Dust must find a way to work alongside…Typhoid Mary! Even more confounding, the locals seem to believe that they hold the key to fulfilling a prophecy that can either raise the realm to riches — or cause it to fall to ruin. With Magik’s powers malfunctioning and a mysterious figure amassing power on the outskirts of the realm, these X-Men are going to going to have to band together if they want to stay alive long enough to find their way home!
Realm Of X (2023) 1-4
Leaping straight from the astonishing events of this year’s Hellfire Gala, an unlikely group of mutants find themselves stranded in Vanaheim! And somehow Magik, Mirage, Marrow and Dust must find a way to work alongside…Typhoid Mary! Even more confounding, the locals seem to believe that they hold the key to fulfilling a prophecy that can either raise the realm to riches — or cause it to fall to ruin. With Magik’s powers malfunctioning and a mysterious figure amassing power on the outskirts of the realm, these X-Men are going to going to have to band together if they want to stay alive long enough to find their way home!
Realm Of X (2023) 1-4
120 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2024
9 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Torunn Grønbekk
144 books11 followersTorunn Grønbekk is a comic book writer and portrait painter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 16, 2024
Que un cómic donde esté Magik no me guste es porque es malo. En este caso, luego de la Hellfire Gala donde Nimrod mató a varios mutantes. Magik despierta en un reino mágico junto con la pequeña Curse, Dust, Thypoid Mary y Dany Moonstar. Luego descubren que se encuentran en Vanaheim donde conocen al guerrero Trabin. Al parecer una bruja blanca está drenando el poder del reino. Esto fue una de las cosas que más me molestó, porque por más que Magik esté sin poderes no puede ser tan inútil, ella es muy inteligente y tiene otras habilidades, pero aquí tiene miedo la mayor parte del tiempo.
Curse en un rapto de locura que no llegué a entender bien se separa de las mutantes y luego tienen que encontrarla. Es una aventura mágica que la verdad no tiene mucho sentido. Solo nos explica que Magik y unas cuantas sobrevivieron ahí por un tiempo pero luego vuelven a la pelea principal. Un volumen sin importancia casi ni alma.
Curse en un rapto de locura que no llegué a entender bien se separa de las mutantes y luego tienen que encontrarla. Es una aventura mágica que la verdad no tiene mucho sentido. Solo nos explica que Magik y unas cuantas sobrevivieron ahí por un tiempo pero luego vuelven a la pelea principal. Un volumen sin importancia casi ni alma.
November 30, 2023
This is probably the best of the Otherworld stuff they’ve been forcing on us with the Krakoan Age. And that’s mostly because I like the Thor side of things and seeing Vanaheim was cool. I also liked all the characters here and found their interactions to be interesting and I’m excited to see these girls make it back to the main fight on Earth.
March 4, 2024
3
The weakest of the fall of X miniseries. Most of which are pretty good. The characterization was terrible.
The weakest of the fall of X miniseries. Most of which are pretty good. The characterization was terrible.
abandoned
September 18, 2024This was never going to be top of my Fall of X wishlist, but for all that I've never quite got the X-Men/Asgard connection, I assumed I'd at least be able to finish it. Technically we're in Vanaheim, where Magik, Marrow, Mirage, Typhoid Mary (stretching the alliteration) and Dust (no, that's blown it altogether) end up after the disastrous final Gala. Normally I'd at least be up for anything involving Magik, but apparently losing her powers hasn't made her angry, just a bit wet and useless, so no. Anyway, they're key to a local prophecy, because you can't do utterly generic epic fantasy without a prophecy (and maybe a little musing on predestination by way of pretending it's not that generic), as is some mutant brat called Curse, who a) has a really confusing name given this corner of the mythos already had Kurse and b) looks like an angry Togepi. It's not like it was offensively bad, but nor did finishing the remaining 3 1/2: issues feel like a commendable use of my time.
December 14, 2023
mas de lo mismo de excalibur y lo que vino despues. Esperaba otra cosa, dado que habian personajes de New Xmen.
July 3, 2024
Given the team of Magik, Dust, Typhoid Mary, Mirage, and Marrow, I expected more from this book. Unlike the other Fall of X stories that focus on the ways fascism perpetuates racism and the ways oppressed people can resist social evils, Realm of X comes across as escapist, an isekai story whose impact depends on both characterization and world building to carry the story. As someone whose primary encounter with Otherworld was in X of Swords, I was happy to see Saturyne return, but I lacked the context to truly feel immersed in this setting. While I generally disagree with criticisms about Fall of X being too rushed overall, Realm of X is the weakest I read and could have benefited from additional time spent on the story.
December 7, 2024
Perhaps the worst X-book. I mean, I just gave Jean Grey one star for being a hugely unnecessary recap episode, but Realm of X is like, aggressively bad. Like, actively trying to make you dumber.
So, after the Hellfire Gala, some of X-folks and Typhoid Mary went through a portal to Vanaheim. Not ideal. Turns out, the place is under attack by Saturnyne, the imperious witchy ruler from Otherworld and all those Excalibur volumes. And Magik's teleporting powers are on the fritz. Oh, and Curse, a mutant who can cause unexpected things to happen via poorly worded curses, is on the loose.
From that paragraph, you might think there's at least a semblance of a story to tell here. There is not. Realm of X takes that general structure and produces something incoherent. Like, Saturnyne ultimately brings aliens (or something???) through a portal to Vanaheim. And Typhoid Mary falls deeply in love with a Viking for about eight seconds. Worst of all: relentless voiceover that rarely, if ever, matches up to the scene on the page.
Even the art fails to redeem. There's good stuff on the page for three out of the four issues. But, inexplicably, a manga fill-in artist is brought aboard for one issue. And not even good manga! It's all shocked expressions and barely filled in features. Just astonishingly bad.
So, after the Hellfire Gala, some of X-folks and Typhoid Mary went through a portal to Vanaheim. Not ideal. Turns out, the place is under attack by Saturnyne, the imperious witchy ruler from Otherworld and all those Excalibur volumes. And Magik's teleporting powers are on the fritz. Oh, and Curse, a mutant who can cause unexpected things to happen via poorly worded curses, is on the loose.
From that paragraph, you might think there's at least a semblance of a story to tell here. There is not. Realm of X takes that general structure and produces something incoherent. Like, Saturnyne ultimately brings aliens (or something???) through a portal to Vanaheim. And Typhoid Mary falls deeply in love with a Viking for about eight seconds. Worst of all: relentless voiceover that rarely, if ever, matches up to the scene on the page.
Even the art fails to redeem. There's good stuff on the page for three out of the four issues. But, inexplicably, a manga fill-in artist is brought aboard for one issue. And not even good manga! It's all shocked expressions and barely filled in features. Just astonishingly bad.
June 30, 2024
While leaving the disastrous Hellfire Gala though the Korakoan gates, something goes wrong and Magik, Dani Moonstar, Dust, Marrow, Typhoid Mary, the young mutant Curse, and a number of other unnamed mutants end up in the Asgard-adjacent realm of Vanaheim. They quickly get caught between two warring forces and join the side of the native Vanir. They learn that the other side is led by Saturnyne who is trying to unlock a hidden power source and has already leeched all the magic from Vanaheim. So the heroic named characters join the fight against Saturnyne, except for Curse who ran off as soon as they appeared in Vanaheim and is now living in the lap of luxury at Saturnyne's side.
The writer treats Dani, Dust, Marrow, and Mary as an ensemble, with none of them taking the spotlight more than the others. Magik gets more attention as she finds herself without her mutant power - due to what happened to her at the Hellfire Gala - and also unable to work magic in the magically-starved realm of Vanaheim. But the character who sits most firmly in the spotlight it the petulant, bratty, and psychopathic little girl Curse. In this new realm, Curse flees from the older mutants who she dislikes because they always tell her what to do. She uses her incredible power - which essentially allows her to rewrite reality to hurt other people - to defend herself from the various predators she encounters until Saturnyne finds her and offers her a chance to live as a spoiled princess. Of course, Saturnyne's interest in Curse comes from the knowledge that Curse's power could be the key to Saturnyne's success.
I really wanted to like this book due to the cast alone. But it all felt a bit thrown together. Vanaheim and the warriors we meet all felt a bit throw away in the book and Saturnyne read as a somewhat flat fairy tale villain. But worst of all was that the more established characters in the book - Dani, Mary, Marrow, and Dust - all felt more like sketches than fully realized people. They really could have been swapped out for any other group of mutant ladies and the book would have read more or less the same.
Also, the dialogue was really stiff and stilted. The writer/editor seems to have a deep aversion to contractions.
Overall, the story was just kind of flat. I don't mind a story that is predictable or full of tropes as long as there's something in it all that I love. But I didn't love anything here, so I was left with the predictable and the tropes.
The writer treats Dani, Dust, Marrow, and Mary as an ensemble, with none of them taking the spotlight more than the others. Magik gets more attention as she finds herself without her mutant power - due to what happened to her at the Hellfire Gala - and also unable to work magic in the magically-starved realm of Vanaheim. But the character who sits most firmly in the spotlight it the petulant, bratty, and psychopathic little girl Curse. In this new realm, Curse flees from the older mutants who she dislikes because they always tell her what to do. She uses her incredible power - which essentially allows her to rewrite reality to hurt other people - to defend herself from the various predators she encounters until Saturnyne finds her and offers her a chance to live as a spoiled princess. Of course, Saturnyne's interest in Curse comes from the knowledge that Curse's power could be the key to Saturnyne's success.
I really wanted to like this book due to the cast alone. But it all felt a bit thrown together. Vanaheim and the warriors we meet all felt a bit throw away in the book and Saturnyne read as a somewhat flat fairy tale villain. But worst of all was that the more established characters in the book - Dani, Mary, Marrow, and Dust - all felt more like sketches than fully realized people. They really could have been swapped out for any other group of mutant ladies and the book would have read more or less the same.
Also, the dialogue was really stiff and stilted. The writer/editor seems to have a deep aversion to contractions.
Overall, the story was just kind of flat. I don't mind a story that is predictable or full of tropes as long as there's something in it all that I love. But I didn't love anything here, so I was left with the predictable and the tropes.
September 19, 2024
I like these characters (pretty apathetic about Curse and Marrow though), and almost everytime Saturnyne shows up now I buckle my belt and prepare for much confusion. So in that way, this volume delivers! I never actually had a grasp on who Saturnyne’s army was made up of, whether they were also Vanir or not, why Saturnyne was in Vanaheim and not Otherworld…I really couldn’t follow any of this. And it might be fine if the point was that the Newish Mutant characters were being dropped into an unclear or uncertain conflict to heighten the conflict they just left back on Earth, but it didn’t seem particularly thematically invested in that idea anyways. I also think Oliveira’s art is fun in issue #3, but it actually didn’t fit the tone or narrative even a little. Seems like the idea of magic could be informing artistic decisions here, but it never felt…intentional?
I think I need to start being a bit more selective about which Marvel X-Men related products I’m reading. I honestly am not sure I would have missed anything here by skipping this. But I also feel that way largely about the post-Krakoa story so far.
I think I need to start being a bit more selective about which Marvel X-Men related products I’m reading. I honestly am not sure I would have missed anything here by skipping this. But I also feel that way largely about the post-Krakoa story so far.
April 29, 2025
The Marvel executives seem determined to extract up to the last drop of juice from a single letter, X, picking up a few characters and creating spin-offs. They apparently have incredibly powerful and sometimes unreliable heroes they need to either take care or combat; this is a bit of both, where some X women I had barely heard of (like the one called Dust, which is a a kinda Storm after being co-opted by the Taliban, or the Daredevil enemy Typhoid Mary, I mean, WTF) get into trouble into a place called Vanaheim.
The setup is good, to be honest, with Vanaheim having a set of prophecies that includes said characters, and a good graphic match, including color; I really love the composition of the vignettes. Unfortunately, the situation is solved via a literal deus ex machina and lots of pretty meaningless combat scenes, so it really goes off rails.
To be a limited series, it includes too many characters which we don’t know about. All in all, an interesting, though not really great, book.
The setup is good, to be honest, with Vanaheim having a set of prophecies that includes said characters, and a good graphic match, including color; I really love the composition of the vignettes. Unfortunately, the situation is solved via a literal deus ex machina and lots of pretty meaningless combat scenes, so it really goes off rails.
To be a limited series, it includes too many characters which we don’t know about. All in all, an interesting, though not really great, book.
April 23, 2024
Oof, this was real bad. Magik, Marrow, Mirage, Typhoid Mary and Dust get shunted off to Vanaheim along with Curse after Fall of X begins. Curse may be the most annoying mutant ever created, with powers that are little defined and allow her to do almost anything by wishing it. While in Vanaheim they fight Saturnyne. Anything even tangentially related to Otherworld in the Krakoa era has been utter crap. That's still the case here.
I haven't even mentioned how it took 3 artists and 2 color artists to complete 4 issues. What the hell Marvel! You can't even get your creatives in line for 4 issues? Parts of this book look like a tryout book that should have never left an assistant editor's bottom desk drawer.
I haven't even mentioned how it took 3 artists and 2 color artists to complete 4 issues. What the hell Marvel! You can't even get your creatives in line for 4 issues? Parts of this book look like a tryout book that should have never left an assistant editor's bottom desk drawer.
June 27, 2024
I appreciate what Realm of X attempts to do, giving some spotlight to characters that have been lost in the X-Men shuffle lately, and wrap up some hanging plot threads (mostly where someone has been since X Of Swords), but it kind of falls flat in that I...really didn't care what was going on here?
Dani Moonstar, Magik, Marrow, and some other New Mutants end up lost in Vanaheim, unable to return to Earth to help the X-Men because someone has decided to keep them all here and try and steal power for herself. It's a decent set-up, the story makes sense, it's just missing that spark to make it really enjoyable. Even the art from the usually impressive Diogenes Neves doesn't really pop the way I'm used to.
Okay, but a little disappointing.
Dani Moonstar, Magik, Marrow, and some other New Mutants end up lost in Vanaheim, unable to return to Earth to help the X-Men because someone has decided to keep them all here and try and steal power for herself. It's a decent set-up, the story makes sense, it's just missing that spark to make it really enjoyable. Even the art from the usually impressive Diogenes Neves doesn't really pop the way I'm used to.
Okay, but a little disappointing.
February 4, 2025
Not bad, a complete story without too much time travel BS. I cant resist a Magik story and this is a fun little X-Men adventure. So after the fall of Krakoa a small team of X-Men are sent to another realm unknowingly. Magik, Dust, Mary, Dani, Curse, Marrow, and Mirage all get sent to Vanaheim, but they dont know why. Magik loses her powers and Curse becomes a main focus for the Bad guys known as The White Witch. Some cool cameos from Asgard and it is nice to see a compete story that is not all mixed up with time travel. I did not know Curse very well but she is a cool characters so is Mary and I always like Dust. ONE THING...the art for issue 3 is sooooo bad wow, it felt like they needed an artist and called the first middle schooler they could find. The rest of the art was pretty good
August 6, 2024
This is a slow-moving book, I think because of the author's over-reliance on text (both captions and full-page text walls). But it's nonetheless a good story. A return to Asgard for our mutants, but not quite Asgard (Vanaheim instead). And some of the characters (particularly Magik, Mary, Curse, and to a lesser extent Dani) get great characterization and growth. Yeah, Dust and especially Marrow are barely there, but they're the exception, not the rule. And then we get an antagonist that really ties in nicely to one of the main Krakoa story threads.
Not sure why this gets so many bad to mediocre reviews, other than the slow pacing, it's a good read.
Not sure why this gets so many bad to mediocre reviews, other than the slow pacing, it's a good read.
July 31, 2024
2.5 Stars.
This was an alright read, but I'm not sure why it exists. I hope we see something from the adventures of this team of X-Ladies (Magik, Mirage, Marrow, Dust, Typhoid Mary, and Curse) who were guided to Vanaheim instead of Arakko after the tragedy at the Hellfire Gala. They have to fight against Saturnyne, who still feels displaced after her overthrow earlier in the Krakoa Era.
Only remaining question.... where did they go next? Yes, I know "home", but to help with what?
You can probably skip this one, but still a decent read.
This was an alright read, but I'm not sure why it exists. I hope we see something from the adventures of this team of X-Ladies (Magik, Mirage, Marrow, Dust, Typhoid Mary, and Curse) who were guided to Vanaheim instead of Arakko after the tragedy at the Hellfire Gala. They have to fight against Saturnyne, who still feels displaced after her overthrow earlier in the Krakoa Era.
Only remaining question.... where did they go next? Yes, I know "home", but to help with what?
You can probably skip this one, but still a decent read.
January 10, 2024
So many things about this I just don't like...
- I didn't like the Otherworld connections in previous books, and finding them dealing with that stuff here is...well...annoying.
- I also can't say I'm a big fan of Curse, either. A petulant mutant? Oh, gosh. That sounds like fun. Even better...make her an Omega Level mutant. That'll really endear her to people.
- Typhoid Mary without the Kingpin (or a good clinical psychologist?) is just cringey.
- I didn't like the Otherworld connections in previous books, and finding them dealing with that stuff here is...well...annoying.
- I also can't say I'm a big fan of Curse, either. A petulant mutant? Oh, gosh. That sounds like fun. Even better...make her an Omega Level mutant. That'll really endear her to people.
- Typhoid Mary without the Kingpin (or a good clinical psychologist?) is just cringey.
September 16, 2024
this story felt pointless? it didn't affect anything, like not even a character having an internal revelation?
also there was one issue with really really weird art :(
saturnyne always seems like a budget emma frost to me like she's probs way more powerful (?) but she has all the ego but none of the banter
i want to touch curse's spiky head like is it just scalp?
magik is unrecognisable without her bangs
also there was one issue with really really weird art :(
saturnyne always seems like a budget emma frost to me like she's probs way more powerful (?) but she has all the ego but none of the banter
i want to touch curse's spiky head like is it just scalp?
magik is unrecognisable without her bangs
Read
March 31, 2024While a fun group (Mirage, Magik, Typhoid Mary, Dust, Curse) I felt like this really didn't do more than reintroduce a villain that ends up not mattering to the grand scheme of Fall of X. I would love to see this group again, as it has some of my favorite modern mutants. But frustrating, strange read. Did NOT like the random art change in #3 as well.
May 13, 2024
Dani and Magik romp through a branch of Yggdrasil? You've got me.
Art Adams New Mutants Norse schtuff is some of my reading ice cream.
This... is not as good. But it isn't bad.
(Man, have I wanted Dani to shine in the Krakoan Era, and there were a couple flickers, but...)
I did feel like this was a good use of Curse.
How important is this for Fall of X. It ain't.
Art Adams New Mutants Norse schtuff is some of my reading ice cream.
This... is not as good. But it isn't bad.
(Man, have I wanted Dani to shine in the Krakoan Era, and there were a couple flickers, but...)
I did feel like this was a good use of Curse.
How important is this for Fall of X. It ain't.
July 24, 2024
This book is a jumbled mess. Almost 20 characters are introduced in rapid-fire succession, past histories and plots are referenced without explanation or bringing the reader in, motivations remain nebulous, and the art is scattered and inconsistent. Some of the dialogue is fun but this is the weakest entry I have read in the Krakoan Era books
June 28, 2025
2.5.
There’s an interesting fantasy mutant story here. But it seems to forget that Magik is a warrior. Also issue 3 has an art change that seems like a fill in due to time for the main artist because the art not only fails to match the other 3 issues but also feels rushed and extremely cartoony, like Magik having eyes that are laughable and faces with no distinction.
There’s an interesting fantasy mutant story here. But it seems to forget that Magik is a warrior. Also issue 3 has an art change that seems like a fill in due to time for the main artist because the art not only fails to match the other 3 issues but also feels rushed and extremely cartoony, like Magik having eyes that are laughable and faces with no distinction.
September 20, 2025
This was an okay story and issue but what even happened to the writing and art for this volume midway!
like what is this...
like what is this...
March 29, 2024
Unfortunately this title is easily skippable. It could have been a fun ride after the events of Mutant Massacre (2023), but the plot, character development, and pace were all boring.
July 31, 2024
A good graphic novel.
August 1, 2024
Dios mío, ¿esto es lo que prometían para Fall of X?
September 26, 2024
Good enough story. Not sure this fits with Saturnyne. Not sure who this Mary is now
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2024
2.0 star
June 11, 2025
really felt represented by mary via how much she just wanted this comic to be over
July 25, 2025
Just when I thought we were done with Krakoa-era fantasy BS...
September 22, 2025
Normally I like X-Men the least when it gets too heavy on the magic, but enjoyed this a surprising amount.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews