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X-Men: Messiah Complex #1-13
X-Men: Messiah Complex
Collects X-Men: Messiah Complex One-Shot, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #492-494, New X-Men (2004) #44-46, X-Men (2004) #205-207, X-Factor (2005) #25-27. The first mutant since HOUSE OF M has arrived. Will she bring salvation or destruction to the X-Men and all mutankind?
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2008
About the author
Mike Carey
1,156 books3,003 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
September 9, 2010
This was actually a really coherent event and, as an added bonus, Messiah CompleX is a really good collection of that event.
You can't say that much anymore, can you?
I ended up reading this (re-reading, actually) in a backward sort of way. My curiosity with the Messiah stuff started with a two-second gap in X-Force: Not Forgotten that took that team to the future, which prompted my nosey ass to read X-Force/Cable: Messiah War, which led me to ask around at what I should read to get the skinny on everything that happened in that story arc. At which point, everyone pointed me here.
And yeah, I'd apparently read it years and years ago, but I didn't remember any of it, so the re-read turned out to be great for me.
So the gist is that Wanda fucked the entire mutant population with her little M-day spell, and now the X-men are all sad because they will be the last generation of mutants. <--that particular plot has holes aplenty in it since a lot of mutants bemoan the fact that they've got wonky/stupid/dangerous powers and everyone hates them.
But this is comic book logic and we're gonna roll with that shit, ok?
Suddenly a mutant is born!
The first mutant born since M-Day and it is powerful enough that it breaks Cerebro with its birth. So whatever power this kid has (or is going to have) must be freakin' badass.
And everyone, good and bad, wants to get their hands on this tiny little mutant baby Jesus.
The race is on to save the future and the consequences of everyone's actions will be felt for a long time. Dun, dun, duuun...
Recommended!
You can't say that much anymore, can you?
I ended up reading this (re-reading, actually) in a backward sort of way. My curiosity with the Messiah stuff started with a two-second gap in X-Force: Not Forgotten that took that team to the future, which prompted my nosey ass to read X-Force/Cable: Messiah War, which led me to ask around at what I should read to get the skinny on everything that happened in that story arc. At which point, everyone pointed me here.
And yeah, I'd apparently read it years and years ago, but I didn't remember any of it, so the re-read turned out to be great for me.
So the gist is that Wanda fucked the entire mutant population with her little M-day spell, and now the X-men are all sad because they will be the last generation of mutants. <--that particular plot has holes aplenty in it since a lot of mutants bemoan the fact that they've got wonky/stupid/dangerous powers and everyone hates them.
But this is comic book logic and we're gonna roll with that shit, ok?
Suddenly a mutant is born!
The first mutant born since M-Day and it is powerful enough that it breaks Cerebro with its birth. So whatever power this kid has (or is going to have) must be freakin' badass.
And everyone, good and bad, wants to get their hands on this tiny little mutant baby Jesus.
The race is on to save the future and the consequences of everyone's actions will be felt for a long time. Dun, dun, duuun...
Recommended!
December 1, 2014
Meh. That's about it for this book. I'm giving a two star just for the pretty pictures and Wolferine..because he is the man.
The book tried to hard to cram all the X-men stuff into it. I got lost and didn't care to find my way out.
The book tried to hard to cram all the X-men stuff into it. I got lost and didn't care to find my way out.
November 13, 2017
This one is quite a cohesive crossover; nothing felt like it wasn't part of the main story, which was nice. It felt overly action-heavy to me, though, and the 'shock ending' felt tacked-on and unnecessary... particularly as it had been done a number of times before (and even once again since).
August 27, 2021
This was so good!
It starts with Marauders vs Purifiers and with X-Men caught in the middle with the birth of the first child since House of M and well its world war in search for her and we follow so many alternate storylines like where Layla and Multiple man go, the formation of X-force and their hunt for Cable, the drama between Cyclops and Professor X and so many other characters in trouble and finally what happens to Hope and where she has been, the true origin of Bishop and his motive and a huge cost in the end for this messiah with Predator X, Marauders, Mystique, Lady deathstrike and the Reavers and so many in the middle of it!
It was an epic read and like has so many moving parts and the only negative is its too many voices and tonal changes there and art changes and constant changes to storylines that barres this volume but overall its cool and I like the twists they had with Hope. Plus the resolution to the story leads to many possible theories as to where it might be heading. The stuffy by Marc Silvestri was so good though and I loved that part! Overall its a good read and is like one important pieces of X history and details what happens to them that time and next up: Second coming!
It starts with Marauders vs Purifiers and with X-Men caught in the middle with the birth of the first child since House of M and well its world war in search for her and we follow so many alternate storylines like where Layla and Multiple man go, the formation of X-force and their hunt for Cable, the drama between Cyclops and Professor X and so many other characters in trouble and finally what happens to Hope and where she has been, the true origin of Bishop and his motive and a huge cost in the end for this messiah with Predator X, Marauders, Mystique, Lady deathstrike and the Reavers and so many in the middle of it!
It was an epic read and like has so many moving parts and the only negative is its too many voices and tonal changes there and art changes and constant changes to storylines that barres this volume but overall its cool and I like the twists they had with Hope. Plus the resolution to the story leads to many possible theories as to where it might be heading. The stuffy by Marc Silvestri was so good though and I loved that part! Overall its a good read and is like one important pieces of X history and details what happens to them that time and next up: Second coming!
August 26, 2017
2026 - Goddamn, this event is easily one of my favorites. Beyond that, this is just such a great era for X-Men. Loved every issue here as it builds upon it. Get a glimpse of the future, Bishop on a hell mission to kill Hope, Cable being protector daddy, everyone at each other's throats. It's so goddamn good.
2018 - Now this was a badass event. I mean it's a X-Men event in the fact it's all X-men titles but a damn good one.
So what happens when the mutant race is in trouble? No more are popping up. The X-Men are losing their minds. Everything is slowly coming apart. OH SNAP here we go a baby is born! The future might not be as bad as we thought. However, every single mutant group wants in on this including non-mutants who like to kill mutants. Now it's a race to whomever can get to this baby first and what they will do.
Good: Love, love, love the way all these X-men titles mix and flow so well. X-Factor,New X-men, Uncanny and X-men all work really well together surprisingly. While there's a few writers they all mesh well together. I loved the tense and chasing feel the entire story gave. As if time is running out, and everyone in scrambling. It felt like it had a ton of stakes too as people would die a lot, and not just minor characters. Each faction of the X-men had something to do which made it even better.
Bad: Some of the art was tough to follow making the action hard to understand. I also thought the big death at the end had been done so many times it was getting a little tiring.
Overall this was great. Exciting, fun, great dialog, with some awesome plotting. I really enjoyed this one a ton and easily give it a 4 out of 5.
2018 - Now this was a badass event. I mean it's a X-Men event in the fact it's all X-men titles but a damn good one.
So what happens when the mutant race is in trouble? No more are popping up. The X-Men are losing their minds. Everything is slowly coming apart. OH SNAP here we go a baby is born! The future might not be as bad as we thought. However, every single mutant group wants in on this including non-mutants who like to kill mutants. Now it's a race to whomever can get to this baby first and what they will do.
Good: Love, love, love the way all these X-men titles mix and flow so well. X-Factor,New X-men, Uncanny and X-men all work really well together surprisingly. While there's a few writers they all mesh well together. I loved the tense and chasing feel the entire story gave. As if time is running out, and everyone in scrambling. It felt like it had a ton of stakes too as people would die a lot, and not just minor characters. Each faction of the X-men had something to do which made it even better.
Bad: Some of the art was tough to follow making the action hard to understand. I also thought the big death at the end had been done so many times it was getting a little tiring.
Overall this was great. Exciting, fun, great dialog, with some awesome plotting. I really enjoyed this one a ton and easily give it a 4 out of 5.
November 17, 2018
One of the last great X-Men events... Purifiers, Marauders (with a few shock members) and the X-people are all after the first mutant birth since House of M. A wonderfully put together event, that runs smoothly through all the books involved, makes sense and is gripping! 8 out of 12 for this!
March 6, 2021
I've been meaning to read the entire "Messiah CompleX" for some time now. When this HC version appeared, I snatched it up. You may recall that the Scarlet Witch went nanners and wiped out most of all the Mutants.
This volume starts with a bang- a Mutant baby has been born. One so powerful that it shorts out Cerbera. Everybody is out looking for Cable, who has the baby. By everyone, I mean everyone from the X-Men to the Marauders and the Purifiers. At the same time, a team of Mutants goes into the future and finds out the story of Bishop and all is not as it seems. It turns into a massive brawl as everyone wants the baby.
For the most part the artwork is quite good, the story is exciting and I enjoyed it because it explains one of the major "events" of the Marvel world. There are some random subplots from the entire Multiple Man and Layla in the future, Xavier and Scott Summer's beef, Rogue's resurrection, etc. the vast majority of the story revolves around everyone trying to get to the baby Messiah.
A good collection, especially for those wanting to catch up or just earn about the birth of Hope.
This volume starts with a bang- a Mutant baby has been born. One so powerful that it shorts out Cerbera. Everybody is out looking for Cable, who has the baby. By everyone, I mean everyone from the X-Men to the Marauders and the Purifiers. At the same time, a team of Mutants goes into the future and finds out the story of Bishop and all is not as it seems. It turns into a massive brawl as everyone wants the baby.
For the most part the artwork is quite good, the story is exciting and I enjoyed it because it explains one of the major "events" of the Marvel world. There are some random subplots from the entire Multiple Man and Layla in the future, Xavier and Scott Summer's beef, Rogue's resurrection, etc. the vast majority of the story revolves around everyone trying to get to the baby Messiah.
A good collection, especially for those wanting to catch up or just earn about the birth of Hope.
September 18, 2012
The first mutant to be born since Scarlet Witch’s curse on “M-Day” (see “House of M” by Brian Michael Bendis) – No More Mutants – is named Hope and could signal the salvation of the mutant species. But the race is on to capture this baby: the X-Men want to protect her, Mr Sinister want to use her for his infernal plans, Cable is on a mission from the future to Sarah Connor the baby, and a mutant hunting beast called Predator X is on the loose.
There is a lot going on in the book that isn’t really explained so if you’re jumping in blind then you might find yourself a bit lost. Having too many series has always been a problem with X-Men: Uncanny X-Men, New X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor – there’s too many storylines intersecting to have a standalone book make sense and reading “Messiah CompleX” I kept wondering what was going on. Why are Cyclops and Prof X fighting? Were Mystique and Rogue a couple? Mystique seems to be trying to save Rogue from some coma-type state – how and when did that happen? Is Hope Cyclops’ daughter – who’s the mother?
I felt there was too much going on which made the book seem overstuffed and more than a bit jumbled. For one thing, the futuristic mutants in concentration camps idea has been done many times before and is trotted out again here to no real effect. I think the point was that if Hope lived, this would become reality but it’s unclear how or why – this is another storyline which I expect was addressed in future books. Predator X was one big Macguffin – what was the point in having this robotic dinosaur running rampant? What is it, who sent it, why is it included? That storyline just ends nowhere. As does the Mr Sinister storyline – I thought Sinister would play a much larger role than he actually did, and we never find out what his motives are anyway! It’s another story point that ends in a cul-de-sac.
The best storyline was easily Cable’s. He’s a futuristic mutant fighter who’s come to the present to save Hope (I know, it’s basically T2 but I don’t care). It’s him and a baby against everyone, good and bad, and I really wanted to read more about his fight for survival against the odds. I thought the Predator X storyline was created just for Cable to fight at the end but no. Instead we catch brief glimpses of Cable throughout before the final pages where I really wanted to pick up a book devoted entirely to Cable and Hope’s survival rather than read more of the convoluted adventures of the X-Men.
The book is a pretty decent and fun read as there’s a lot going on so you’re never bored. It’s just that with so many questions about what’s going on, I couldn’t really enjoy it fully. I also thought there were far too many characters involved – I don’t know who X-Factor or X-Force are, and frankly I don’t care. If you’ve read all the books leading up to this event though I’m sure it’s more satisfying.
And on a sidenote, a major character dies at the end. I won’t say who but if you’ve been following the more recent “Avengers Vs. X-Men” title that character dies again! I guess the old rule that only Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben stays dead is well and truly still enforced. Kind of undermines the shock of the ending to “Messiah CompleX” though and makes killing off characters in comics somewhat laughable.
There is a lot going on in the book that isn’t really explained so if you’re jumping in blind then you might find yourself a bit lost. Having too many series has always been a problem with X-Men: Uncanny X-Men, New X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor – there’s too many storylines intersecting to have a standalone book make sense and reading “Messiah CompleX” I kept wondering what was going on. Why are Cyclops and Prof X fighting? Were Mystique and Rogue a couple? Mystique seems to be trying to save Rogue from some coma-type state – how and when did that happen? Is Hope Cyclops’ daughter – who’s the mother?
I felt there was too much going on which made the book seem overstuffed and more than a bit jumbled. For one thing, the futuristic mutants in concentration camps idea has been done many times before and is trotted out again here to no real effect. I think the point was that if Hope lived, this would become reality but it’s unclear how or why – this is another storyline which I expect was addressed in future books. Predator X was one big Macguffin – what was the point in having this robotic dinosaur running rampant? What is it, who sent it, why is it included? That storyline just ends nowhere. As does the Mr Sinister storyline – I thought Sinister would play a much larger role than he actually did, and we never find out what his motives are anyway! It’s another story point that ends in a cul-de-sac.
The best storyline was easily Cable’s. He’s a futuristic mutant fighter who’s come to the present to save Hope (I know, it’s basically T2 but I don’t care). It’s him and a baby against everyone, good and bad, and I really wanted to read more about his fight for survival against the odds. I thought the Predator X storyline was created just for Cable to fight at the end but no. Instead we catch brief glimpses of Cable throughout before the final pages where I really wanted to pick up a book devoted entirely to Cable and Hope’s survival rather than read more of the convoluted adventures of the X-Men.
The book is a pretty decent and fun read as there’s a lot going on so you’re never bored. It’s just that with so many questions about what’s going on, I couldn’t really enjoy it fully. I also thought there were far too many characters involved – I don’t know who X-Factor or X-Force are, and frankly I don’t care. If you’ve read all the books leading up to this event though I’m sure it’s more satisfying.
And on a sidenote, a major character dies at the end. I won’t say who but if you’ve been following the more recent “Avengers Vs. X-Men” title that character dies again! I guess the old rule that only Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben stays dead is well and truly still enforced. Kind of undermines the shock of the ending to “Messiah CompleX” though and makes killing off characters in comics somewhat laughable.
August 6, 2014
"No more mutants." Scarlet Witch's curse, and a death sentence for mutants as a people. And now a mutant has been born, literally. Naturally, this leads to an all-out war over the possession of an infant who just might be the mutant messiah.
So far, you've got me. That core story, that unto the mutants a child has been born, is more than a solid foundation for one of those big X-overs that we all "love". And that's the biggest problem with this book, that it's a major crossover among far too many books. Which means that the story ends up getting bloated with a bunch of side stories that don't come to anything, don't really matter, and don't have any place here. Predator X, Sinister, yet another take on Days of Future Past... If the writers had kept the whole story tighter, than it would have been a much more enjoyable book.
But I do appreciate that things happen, and that they actually matter. The X-Men that I used to read are very different from the X-Men of Marvel Now!, and this is an important step on that road. If you ignore all the padding, there's good ideas and a sense that interesting things are going to happen in the future. Not the best crossover in the world, but at least it's based on an idea that's fundamentally pretty interesting.
So far, you've got me. That core story, that unto the mutants a child has been born, is more than a solid foundation for one of those big X-overs that we all "love". And that's the biggest problem with this book, that it's a major crossover among far too many books. Which means that the story ends up getting bloated with a bunch of side stories that don't come to anything, don't really matter, and don't have any place here. Predator X, Sinister, yet another take on Days of Future Past... If the writers had kept the whole story tighter, than it would have been a much more enjoyable book.
But I do appreciate that things happen, and that they actually matter. The X-Men that I used to read are very different from the X-Men of Marvel Now!, and this is an important step on that road. If you ignore all the padding, there's good ideas and a sense that interesting things are going to happen in the future. Not the best crossover in the world, but at least it's based on an idea that's fundamentally pretty interesting.
September 18, 2012
A true Messiah has been born for the X-Men and various groups are fighting for control of the child. It's an intriguing idea but the the many subplots dilute it a bit towards the overall flow. Artwork is quite good to above average.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus
January 16, 2016
The first new mutant since M-Day has appeared and the mutants power is so strong it disabled Cerebra.
The X-Men head to the location to find the town was burned.
They fear it was the new mutant, but it appears to have been a war.
The Purifiers and The Marauders made it to the new mutant first it seems, but where is the new mutant now? The race is on to retrieve this powerful new mutant.
Messiah Complex is an interesting race. A lot of characters get involved and they don't all make it to the end. The fact a powerful new mutant was born is certainly intriguing because it's impossible to know what that means.
I thought the reasoning behind every group being after the new mutant was thin. It's certainly not unimaginable, but some information that happened earlier in the volume has to be ignored for everything to work.
The X-Men's future is always ominous and the ones described seemed appropriately terrible for them. It's surprising time travelers like Bishop and Cable even still bother. At a certain point I imagine one of them being like, "I really shouldn't go back in time. The likelihood is I'll just make things work. I should just fix up my time." I also feel bad for Bishop. No matter what world or timeline he comes from it's always hell and there are always mutant concentration camps.
Messiah Complex was a semi-bloated massive crossover X-Men event, that in the end was overly familiar and just OK.
The X-Men head to the location to find the town was burned.
They fear it was the new mutant, but it appears to have been a war.
The Purifiers and The Marauders made it to the new mutant first it seems, but where is the new mutant now? The race is on to retrieve this powerful new mutant.
Messiah Complex is an interesting race. A lot of characters get involved and they don't all make it to the end. The fact a powerful new mutant was born is certainly intriguing because it's impossible to know what that means.
I thought the reasoning behind every group being after the new mutant was thin. It's certainly not unimaginable, but some information that happened earlier in the volume has to be ignored for everything to work.
The X-Men's future is always ominous and the ones described seemed appropriately terrible for them. It's surprising time travelers like Bishop and Cable even still bother. At a certain point I imagine one of them being like, "I really shouldn't go back in time. The likelihood is I'll just make things work. I should just fix up my time." I also feel bad for Bishop. No matter what world or timeline he comes from it's always hell and there are always mutant concentration camps.
Messiah Complex was a semi-bloated massive crossover X-Men event, that in the end was overly familiar and just OK.
June 7, 2016
In a simple statement, Messiah CompleX is one of the best X-Men crossover stories ever; and it's fortunate we have a story like this to come out of Marvel just as the company has about completed making the franchise as irrelevant it could manage.
There's a lot of nuance to the backstory of Marvel deconstructing what once it most profitable franchise; but in a gist, it's all about how Fox got the X-Men rights in what amounted to a fire sale as Marvel attempted to stave off bankruptcy as the twentieth century was about to end.
This was a well executed crossover; it has the best artists of the X-Men line at the time, and it has coordinated unique cover dress by David Finch. As a bonus, it even had a Marc Silvestri drawn prologue. The story was well down, it's about the end of Decimation, the dawn of the first mutant birth ever since the Scarlet Witch famously said, "no more mutants." It would be an X-Men story without a trio of capable villains and a few deaths.
If one is a relapsed X-Men reader like me, this story will do well to restart one's enthusiasm for new X-Men stories, the way this new birth brought new Hope to the mutant race.
There's a lot of nuance to the backstory of Marvel deconstructing what once it most profitable franchise; but in a gist, it's all about how Fox got the X-Men rights in what amounted to a fire sale as Marvel attempted to stave off bankruptcy as the twentieth century was about to end.
This was a well executed crossover; it has the best artists of the X-Men line at the time, and it has coordinated unique cover dress by David Finch. As a bonus, it even had a Marc Silvestri drawn prologue. The story was well down, it's about the end of Decimation, the dawn of the first mutant birth ever since the Scarlet Witch famously said, "no more mutants." It would be an X-Men story without a trio of capable villains and a few deaths.
If one is a relapsed X-Men reader like me, this story will do well to restart one's enthusiasm for new X-Men stories, the way this new birth brought new Hope to the mutant race.
June 24, 2015
I had a month of laidback fun because of Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class and I will always be thankful for that break. I almost forgot what was waiting for me once I get back to more serious works down the pipeline. As a natural progression, I was once again reading the House of M aftermath where mutants have become an endangered species and there are less than a thousand of them globally. This thirteen-issued arc with a title so shamelessly foreshadowing is where I rightfully find myself, and it wastes no time bitch-slapping me in the face in reminding me that the X-MEN universe is a collection of varied clusterfucks that I will never get tired being caught up in and incessantly discussing about said abuse in my reviews.
Messiah Complex encapsulates that experience. This is also my last story before I take a two-month hiatus to make way for Batman comics diet this July, and then Hellblazer: John Constantine on August. I've been away from these beautiful men and their compelling stories for far too long and I need to give them a chance to shine again. Originally, I wanted to end this month with the follow-up arc, Second Coming, but decided that I simply have no time to absorb another big-event arc.
Messiah Complex after all has proven to be time-consuming enough. Wisely so, I timidly tucked in my raging hard-on and chose not to waste my jizz in one place. I thought it best that the Second Coming (pun intended at this point) will be my opening act once I resume in September.
So, until then, you can enjoy this particular jizzfest below instead.
Reading Messiah Complex was exhilarating but it also had me freaking out slightly on certain aspects. There is a central conflict that holds together a series of subplots within it and it could get wonky tracking them all down so I decided to illustrate them in a diagram for my convenience so I can touch upon all of them in this review. I will be taking a two-month hiatus so I better wrap up this month with a special post and nothing fits that bill perfectly than Messiah Complex. It span for three separate X-titles, namely Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men.
First off, though MC is ridiculously rife with subplots, it doesn't get bogged down by its varied ensemble of characters unlike, say, the first two volumes of that forgettable Age of Apocalypse big-event in the nineties which I read last month and was barely happy about. MC was written by Ed Brubaker and is a direct follow-up to Brian Michael Bendis' House of M, and though it is just as all over the goddamn spectrum of what you can expect from a soap opera, the narrative has much more focus and fluidity than AoA. The contrast is just apparent to me because all the subplots lead back to the main plot even two or three of them can be considered distant enough to be standlone events--and everything still makes sense together as a whole. Unlike AoA. Srsly, fuck AoA. I'm a child of the nineties , sure, but FUCK AoA. It was a seventy out of a hundred percent waste of my May.
To demonstrate the breadth of this clusterfuck, behold my handwritten diagram below which I will discuss by point for the rest of this review. Please bear with me. We are going to get through this. Take note that I will only discuss the content of the first six to seven issues because I don't want to spoil the second and final act for the latet issues so you can enjoy those for yourself. Besides, the six to seven issues have already enough material to fill up an entire entry here. Now, I drew this diagram and wrote the notes around five in the morning even though I had a class at noon. And it was a compulsory need to make sense of it all which actually helped me process what to type here.
[CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE]
There are TEN ATTRACTIONS. Two of those are divided into halves. I will write down my shorthand notes first and then expound of them. Reading them, I realize that they look like tabloid headlines, and therefore should be treated as such.
So here we go.
"Aka-chan" is the Japanese term for baby. I just want to use that name from here on because it's cute. So, presently, things are escalating shit upon shit since mutants got depowered while a few retained their powers like the X-Men. This is all thanks to Wanda Maximoff's curse to punish daddy Magneto so she remade reality so that there will be no more new mutants to manifest powers. But then a baby was born somewhere and it instantly manifested a mutation of some kind which was powerful enough to haywire Cerebra. The first issue opens with the X-Men (Cyclops, Emma, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Angel) tracking down this little miracle of life only to discover that two nihilistic groups of unforgivable assholes have beat them to it. Tough luck.
Orgies are fun. Also, unsanitary. Massacres are only fun depending on whether you're the killer or the one being killed. But to be black and white about it, massacres are bad. Also unsanitary. The Purifiers and the Marauders, in their pursuit for aka-chan, collided in one place and fucked each other up. Both sides had casualties in their short-lived, terrifying hatemaking but now the X-Men (the police who arrived late and only have to inspect the scene of the crime) need to figure out which one of these cunts have aka-chan. The Purifiers are anti-mutant cunts who want to eradicate mutants because we all know by now that genetic cleansing is historically justifiable especially for religious purposes. Aka-chan is the new antichrist, the Purifiers believe. Meanwhile, the Marauders are followers of mutant militant leader but fabulous fashion trendstarter Mr. Sinister who is still worse than Magneto on an ordinary bad day. He also just abducted Rogue, being a douchebag, and now he is after aka-chan. If his name isn't a dead giveaway already then there's no other way to stress that he cannot have that baby. Purifiers might just kill it but Mr. S will find a way to weaponize it for his own stupidly immoral agenda.
Cyclops takes his leadership role more seriously especially in the light of recent events as well as his personal issues about Professor Xavier's deception concerning his long-lost brother. Now I like Scott. I belong to the faction of fans who had always favored him even during the moments when he's less emotionally relatable.
(3.1) RICTOR, PREVIOUSLY DEPOWERED, INFILTRATES PURIFIERS so Cyclops can gather intel and keep tabs.
(3.2) CYKE ASKED FORGE TO SEND MULTIPLE MAN TO FUTURES BUT LAYLA MILLER HITCHES A RIDE.
This is one of the standalone subplots I was referring to but it is still covered for the rest of the issues. Time-travel stuff. On Cyclops' orders, Forge helps out Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) as he sent duplicates of himself to possible futures where mutants are still endangered or what could happen if aka-chan ends up in the wrong hands. Something like that. But Layla Miller (first introduced in House of M) tags along which was not part of the plan. They have their own spin-off going on but their scenes are still relevant to the present arc.
Some time ago, the Purifiers attacked Xavier Institute of Higher Learning and killed 45 students. The pupils themselves who are now deemed the New X-Men were left to fend for themselves and a few survived. Cyke kept the Purifiers' participation a secret in the current mission to keep the kids out of the picture, but it got out anyway and now the Xavier Institute Pupils go on a reckless field trip to get back on the Purifiers and maybe secure aka-chan if they do have it. What these kids didn't anticipate is that the Purifiers hired the genetically-modified mercenaries Reavers who would have killed them all if Rictor didn't blow up his cover to intervene and order Pixie to teleport them out. Said teleportation scattered all of them in different places, barely alive.
Wolverine, Storm, Angel and Nightcrawler butt heads with the Marauders while Gambit slinkers away. Wolvie confronts him and finds out the real whereabouts of (SEE ITEM #7). Mr. Sinister was pleased to know that the X-Men have yet to acquire said aka-chan so he is still in the game.
(5.2) SENTINELS INTO NANO-SENTINELS BECAUSE WHY THE FUCK NOT?
Meanwhile, the human pilots inside the Sentinels were converted into some sort of creatures using the Nano-sentinels strain developed by Cassandra Nova, Charles' evil twin sister who has never forgiven him for eating her when they were still in their mother's womb or something. Said nano-bastards started attacking Emma, Scott, Bobby, Beast and the other students inside the mansion. This is something of another subplot that might get a larger role in the series later. Oh, and the only person who has a strain of that nano-virus is Cable so Scott is determined to get to hin since he both has the baby, and he might have triggered the conversion of the nano-sents.
WTF, Scott. It's your OWN SON. Led by Wolverine, the X-Force go on a mission to get to Cable before anybody else. If they can manage.
They haven't seen him in a while so they're not so confident if Cable has all his eggs in the basket. Meaning, if he's now a nutter. One is simply careful. But Scott, come on, it's your son. Please talk to him. And Chuck. He's kindda your dad. Stop ignoring him and freezing him out.
Bloody confrontations ensue.
A monster that resembles something from Aliens vs. Predators, this hungry motherfucker eats mutants. Because that's what an endangered species needs: more creatures above them in the food chain. Predator X is a living example that things will get so much worse…with an off-chance they might get better…I guess. I pray. This is a subplot I am really hoping will not reach aka-chan.
For reference, check out the events in Deadly Genesis. His banishment is justifible. Scott has trust issues with Xavier now so he is literally telling the Professor to go to his room because he's grounded. The younger ones accuse him of passivity, neglect and abandonment which is all true because Chuck had eloped with Mags in Claremont's Excalibur III so they can rebuild Genosha. It's sad to see Chuck forced out into the sidelines as he sees that he is no longer needed or respected. In retrospect, both he and Erik let down their children and now they are suffering the consequences of those failures.
There you have it. A summary of the first six or seven issues. Excited to check it out? Then go right ahead. It's engrossing enough to maintain your interest and attention span and quite an important arc since it precedes Second Coming which is another game-changer arc.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
Messiah Complex encapsulates that experience. This is also my last story before I take a two-month hiatus to make way for Batman comics diet this July, and then Hellblazer: John Constantine on August. I've been away from these beautiful men and their compelling stories for far too long and I need to give them a chance to shine again. Originally, I wanted to end this month with the follow-up arc, Second Coming, but decided that I simply have no time to absorb another big-event arc.
Messiah Complex after all has proven to be time-consuming enough. Wisely so, I timidly tucked in my raging hard-on and chose not to waste my jizz in one place. I thought it best that the Second Coming (pun intended at this point) will be my opening act once I resume in September.
So, until then, you can enjoy this particular jizzfest below instead.
Reading Messiah Complex was exhilarating but it also had me freaking out slightly on certain aspects. There is a central conflict that holds together a series of subplots within it and it could get wonky tracking them all down so I decided to illustrate them in a diagram for my convenience so I can touch upon all of them in this review. I will be taking a two-month hiatus so I better wrap up this month with a special post and nothing fits that bill perfectly than Messiah Complex. It span for three separate X-titles, namely Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men.
First off, though MC is ridiculously rife with subplots, it doesn't get bogged down by its varied ensemble of characters unlike, say, the first two volumes of that forgettable Age of Apocalypse big-event in the nineties which I read last month and was barely happy about. MC was written by Ed Brubaker and is a direct follow-up to Brian Michael Bendis' House of M, and though it is just as all over the goddamn spectrum of what you can expect from a soap opera, the narrative has much more focus and fluidity than AoA. The contrast is just apparent to me because all the subplots lead back to the main plot even two or three of them can be considered distant enough to be standlone events--and everything still makes sense together as a whole. Unlike AoA. Srsly, fuck AoA. I'm a child of the nineties , sure, but FUCK AoA. It was a seventy out of a hundred percent waste of my May.
To demonstrate the breadth of this clusterfuck, behold my handwritten diagram below which I will discuss by point for the rest of this review. Please bear with me. We are going to get through this. Take note that I will only discuss the content of the first six to seven issues because I don't want to spoil the second and final act for the latet issues so you can enjoy those for yourself. Besides, the six to seven issues have already enough material to fill up an entire entry here. Now, I drew this diagram and wrote the notes around five in the morning even though I had a class at noon. And it was a compulsory need to make sense of it all which actually helped me process what to type here.
[CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE]
There are TEN ATTRACTIONS. Two of those are divided into halves. I will write down my shorthand notes first and then expound of them. Reading them, I realize that they look like tabloid headlines, and therefore should be treated as such.
So here we go.
"Aka-chan" is the Japanese term for baby. I just want to use that name from here on because it's cute. So, presently, things are escalating shit upon shit since mutants got depowered while a few retained their powers like the X-Men. This is all thanks to Wanda Maximoff's curse to punish daddy Magneto so she remade reality so that there will be no more new mutants to manifest powers. But then a baby was born somewhere and it instantly manifested a mutation of some kind which was powerful enough to haywire Cerebra. The first issue opens with the X-Men (Cyclops, Emma, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Angel) tracking down this little miracle of life only to discover that two nihilistic groups of unforgivable assholes have beat them to it. Tough luck.
Orgies are fun. Also, unsanitary. Massacres are only fun depending on whether you're the killer or the one being killed. But to be black and white about it, massacres are bad. Also unsanitary. The Purifiers and the Marauders, in their pursuit for aka-chan, collided in one place and fucked each other up. Both sides had casualties in their short-lived, terrifying hatemaking but now the X-Men (the police who arrived late and only have to inspect the scene of the crime) need to figure out which one of these cunts have aka-chan. The Purifiers are anti-mutant cunts who want to eradicate mutants because we all know by now that genetic cleansing is historically justifiable especially for religious purposes. Aka-chan is the new antichrist, the Purifiers believe. Meanwhile, the Marauders are followers of mutant militant leader but fabulous fashion trendstarter Mr. Sinister who is still worse than Magneto on an ordinary bad day. He also just abducted Rogue, being a douchebag, and now he is after aka-chan. If his name isn't a dead giveaway already then there's no other way to stress that he cannot have that baby. Purifiers might just kill it but Mr. S will find a way to weaponize it for his own stupidly immoral agenda.
Cyclops takes his leadership role more seriously especially in the light of recent events as well as his personal issues about Professor Xavier's deception concerning his long-lost brother. Now I like Scott. I belong to the faction of fans who had always favored him even during the moments when he's less emotionally relatable.
(3.1) RICTOR, PREVIOUSLY DEPOWERED, INFILTRATES PURIFIERS so Cyclops can gather intel and keep tabs.
(3.2) CYKE ASKED FORGE TO SEND MULTIPLE MAN TO FUTURES BUT LAYLA MILLER HITCHES A RIDE.
This is one of the standalone subplots I was referring to but it is still covered for the rest of the issues. Time-travel stuff. On Cyclops' orders, Forge helps out Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) as he sent duplicates of himself to possible futures where mutants are still endangered or what could happen if aka-chan ends up in the wrong hands. Something like that. But Layla Miller (first introduced in House of M) tags along which was not part of the plan. They have their own spin-off going on but their scenes are still relevant to the present arc.
Some time ago, the Purifiers attacked Xavier Institute of Higher Learning and killed 45 students. The pupils themselves who are now deemed the New X-Men were left to fend for themselves and a few survived. Cyke kept the Purifiers' participation a secret in the current mission to keep the kids out of the picture, but it got out anyway and now the Xavier Institute Pupils go on a reckless field trip to get back on the Purifiers and maybe secure aka-chan if they do have it. What these kids didn't anticipate is that the Purifiers hired the genetically-modified mercenaries Reavers who would have killed them all if Rictor didn't blow up his cover to intervene and order Pixie to teleport them out. Said teleportation scattered all of them in different places, barely alive.
Wolverine, Storm, Angel and Nightcrawler butt heads with the Marauders while Gambit slinkers away. Wolvie confronts him and finds out the real whereabouts of (SEE ITEM #7). Mr. Sinister was pleased to know that the X-Men have yet to acquire said aka-chan so he is still in the game.
(5.2) SENTINELS INTO NANO-SENTINELS BECAUSE WHY THE FUCK NOT?
Meanwhile, the human pilots inside the Sentinels were converted into some sort of creatures using the Nano-sentinels strain developed by Cassandra Nova, Charles' evil twin sister who has never forgiven him for eating her when they were still in their mother's womb or something. Said nano-bastards started attacking Emma, Scott, Bobby, Beast and the other students inside the mansion. This is something of another subplot that might get a larger role in the series later. Oh, and the only person who has a strain of that nano-virus is Cable so Scott is determined to get to hin since he both has the baby, and he might have triggered the conversion of the nano-sents.
WTF, Scott. It's your OWN SON. Led by Wolverine, the X-Force go on a mission to get to Cable before anybody else. If they can manage.
They haven't seen him in a while so they're not so confident if Cable has all his eggs in the basket. Meaning, if he's now a nutter. One is simply careful. But Scott, come on, it's your son. Please talk to him. And Chuck. He's kindda your dad. Stop ignoring him and freezing him out.
Bloody confrontations ensue.
A monster that resembles something from Aliens vs. Predators, this hungry motherfucker eats mutants. Because that's what an endangered species needs: more creatures above them in the food chain. Predator X is a living example that things will get so much worse…with an off-chance they might get better…I guess. I pray. This is a subplot I am really hoping will not reach aka-chan.
For reference, check out the events in Deadly Genesis. His banishment is justifible. Scott has trust issues with Xavier now so he is literally telling the Professor to go to his room because he's grounded. The younger ones accuse him of passivity, neglect and abandonment which is all true because Chuck had eloped with Mags in Claremont's Excalibur III so they can rebuild Genosha. It's sad to see Chuck forced out into the sidelines as he sees that he is no longer needed or respected. In retrospect, both he and Erik let down their children and now they are suffering the consequences of those failures.
There you have it. A summary of the first six or seven issues. Excited to check it out? Then go right ahead. It's engrossing enough to maintain your interest and attention span and quite an important arc since it precedes Second Coming which is another game-changer arc.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
October 8, 2020
4.5 stars. Now this was damn good!! After the events of House of M, the mutants of the world have been reduced to a few hundred. The X-men and their kind are now facing extinction. With Brubaker leading the charge, all the writers come together in a fantastic way. This book flows so effortlessly. You would think it was just one writer. All of these titles fit together perfectly. While in their darkest hour, the X-men get some great news, a new mutant has been born. Now it’s a mad dash as everyone, X-men, purifiers and Marauders, are all after this infant. Great chases, epic battles, plot twists, intriguing mysteries, great artwork, this book has it all. Highly recommended. Now on to the Cable book to follow him and the new mutant baby.
August 7, 2015
In the aftermath of House of M and Decimation, there are only a couple hundred mutants left. It's in doubt if any will even appear again. So it's a big deal when the X-Men detect a mutant baby born in Alaska, which they immediately go to safeguard. They arrive to a town on fire and all but one of the children dead at the hands of enemies of the X-Men, the Purifiers and Mr. Sinister's Marauders. The X-Men go on the offensive, tracking the groups back to their sources and discovering that things are not quite as they seem.
A mostly satisfying crossover X-event, filled with good action, some interesting glimpses of an alternate future, and a strained dynamic between Cyclops and Professor X. On the other hand, there are a huge number of characters between the four X-titles and a many-threaded plot that seemed unnecessarily complex. The art by Billy Tan, Humberto Ramos, and Chris Bachalo is excellent and is probably the redeeming factor for this story.
A mostly satisfying crossover X-event, filled with good action, some interesting glimpses of an alternate future, and a strained dynamic between Cyclops and Professor X. On the other hand, there are a huge number of characters between the four X-titles and a many-threaded plot that seemed unnecessarily complex. The art by Billy Tan, Humberto Ramos, and Chris Bachalo is excellent and is probably the redeeming factor for this story.
August 11, 2013
OK there is absolutely no messing around with this one. This is a major story, and the X-Men universe will be significantly altered.
The first Mutant Baby is born since the House of M event, and every force on the planet wants the baby for their own purposes. However, there is one lone figure who gets to the baby before anyone else...
This sets up chases and battles, and we see a huge roster of characters in this one: Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Storm, Beast, Prof X, Angel, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Siryn, Bishop, Forge, Gambit, Rogue, Mr. Sinister, Mystique, X-23, Lady Deathstrike, Warpath, and a whole bunch more.
Jam-packed would be a good way to describe this story. In a good way.
Ed Brubaker delivers here yet again, and the art is very good for conveying the seriousness of the events.
It reminded me a lot of the X-Men cartoon from the 90s where everyone showed up, and the past was dependent on the future and time travel was real, and people from the future were in the past and visa versa.
All in all, just a very cool book, with a lot of stuff going on, and some serious consequences, including the death of some MAJOR characters.
The first Mutant Baby is born since the House of M event, and every force on the planet wants the baby for their own purposes. However, there is one lone figure who gets to the baby before anyone else...
This sets up chases and battles, and we see a huge roster of characters in this one: Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Storm, Beast, Prof X, Angel, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Siryn, Bishop, Forge, Gambit, Rogue, Mr. Sinister, Mystique, X-23, Lady Deathstrike, Warpath, and a whole bunch more.
Jam-packed would be a good way to describe this story. In a good way.
Ed Brubaker delivers here yet again, and the art is very good for conveying the seriousness of the events.
It reminded me a lot of the X-Men cartoon from the 90s where everyone showed up, and the past was dependent on the future and time travel was real, and people from the future were in the past and visa versa.
All in all, just a very cool book, with a lot of stuff going on, and some serious consequences, including the death of some MAJOR characters.
November 29, 2018
Following up on the huge Marvel-wide crossover House of M, this is a little more focused event taking place within the X-men books in which mutants are an endangered species thanks to the Scarlet Witch's three dramatic words during House of M. The X-men discover a new mutant birth, a miracle since M-Day, and they launch a race against time to reach the infant before the Purifiers, the Marauders, or a determined Cable get to her first.
Messiah Complex is considered one of the most important events in recent X-men history, involving all the X-teams: X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men and their respective books, and the events here have far reaching effects that are felt even today in the Marvel universe. The story itself is action-packed as hell right from the start. There are a lot of great moments in the book as well, like the re-introduction of the X-Force strike team and how the new mutant infant ties directly into Bishop's backstory. And like most big comic book events, especially with Marvel, it can get a little confusing, not really explaining seemingly important things that happened previously in each X-Men book, so if you read this without having read much of the recent events in each series you might get a little lost the way I did. Like, what the hell was going on with Mystique, Gambit, and Rogue? But there's enough here to be enjoyable.
And Multiple Man is in this! I always thought he was the most underrated X-man!
Messiah Complex is considered one of the most important events in recent X-men history, involving all the X-teams: X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men and their respective books, and the events here have far reaching effects that are felt even today in the Marvel universe. The story itself is action-packed as hell right from the start. There are a lot of great moments in the book as well, like the re-introduction of the X-Force strike team and how the new mutant infant ties directly into Bishop's backstory. And like most big comic book events, especially with Marvel, it can get a little confusing, not really explaining seemingly important things that happened previously in each X-Men book, so if you read this without having read much of the recent events in each series you might get a little lost the way I did. Like, what the hell was going on with Mystique, Gambit, and Rogue? But there's enough here to be enjoyable.
And Multiple Man is in this! I always thought he was the most underrated X-man!
August 25, 2015
This book helps fill in the story of where Hope comes from. It follows the X-Men Endangered Species OHC where the X-Men are struggling to find a way to preserve the mutant gene/species. That book was very Beast focused. This one featured a ton of people and is much more team focused versus person focused. Lots of action and a little time travel. I felt like we saw all the major X-men in action and we see a few deaths and rebirths. Overall fun but not for a new reader who would have no idea who everyone is.
April 19, 2026
Messiah Complex is the sequel to the excellent Endangered Species story arc. If you've not read it, I would suggest reading that story arc first to give the entirety of this excellent story some context. With some excellent artwork, overall, and a wonderful story by Mike Carey, this GN is one of my favorite X-Men stories.
In the wake of the near extinction of all mutants and the events of "Endangered Species," there are many people with different agendas who are interested in the future of the mutant species. The nexus of their interest is a young baby named "Hope", the Mutant Messiah, who is being protected by Cable. Cable will not only have to fight against the Purifiers and Lady Death-Strike's forces, but also the X-Men. Due to Bishop's treachery, Scott deploys X-Force, led by Wolverine, to eliminate Cable. On top of this exciting meta-story, we also get a great background story for why Bishop is such a treacherous prick. Not only is the story, told over the entirety of this volume, a dark and interesting one, it does give a modicum of mitigation for Bishop's dick-head moves. On top of all of this, there is a weird Mr. Sinister's X-Beast that likes munching on mutants, seeking Hope. All of these arcs are handled superbly by Mike Carey.
Great story. It's only got some very deep ideas floating around in this volume, but it is also a very exciting and fun read due to the awesome fights that occur as various forces, as previously mentioned, all converge on Cable and start running into each other and it was quite enjoyable. This is a GN that not only will X-Men fans enjoy, but even a newbie or layman would enjoy. Only caveat being, read "Endangered Species" first for much better context.
In the wake of the near extinction of all mutants and the events of "Endangered Species," there are many people with different agendas who are interested in the future of the mutant species. The nexus of their interest is a young baby named "Hope", the Mutant Messiah, who is being protected by Cable. Cable will not only have to fight against the Purifiers and Lady Death-Strike's forces, but also the X-Men. Due to Bishop's treachery, Scott deploys X-Force, led by Wolverine, to eliminate Cable. On top of this exciting meta-story, we also get a great background story for why Bishop is such a treacherous prick. Not only is the story, told over the entirety of this volume, a dark and interesting one, it does give a modicum of mitigation for Bishop's dick-head moves. On top of all of this, there is a weird Mr. Sinister's X-Beast that likes munching on mutants, seeking Hope. All of these arcs are handled superbly by Mike Carey.
Great story. It's only got some very deep ideas floating around in this volume, but it is also a very exciting and fun read due to the awesome fights that occur as various forces, as previously mentioned, all converge on Cable and start running into each other and it was quite enjoyable. This is a GN that not only will X-Men fans enjoy, but even a newbie or layman would enjoy. Only caveat being, read "Endangered Species" first for much better context.
December 22, 2013
A new mutant is born and the X-Men head to its location, arriving too late to a battle site waged by the Purifier and the Marauders. They must find out who has the baby by confronting the Marauders..
Infiltrating the purifiers..
Sending Jamie Madrox to the future for info (while the rest of X-Factor help the X-Men).
..and Predator X gives the New X-Men MORE trouble after a year of hell.
An X-Man returns, another turns traitor.. another dies. ... A major villain death.
Its a fun read.
Bonus: Amazing covers!
Re-read 5 years later after I read all the X-Titles leading into this crossover, and to place it in a time..
Before the Crossover starts:
Iceman is the last X-man standing from Mike Carey's X-Men. Half his team turned Marauders, (like Mystique and Lady Mastermind while Omega Sentinel was possessed by Malice). Team leader Rogue is a hostage of the Marauders, Cannonball is on the injured list and Cables dead. And See: Wolverine Evolution for the fate of Sabretooth.
It doesn't help that Sinister's Marauders are joined by Gambit, Sunfire (after the whole Blood of Apocalypse thing), Random, Exodus AND his Acolytes. Making it a 'Marauder Army'.
Half of Havok's Uncanny X-Men team stayed in space (and are in the 'X-Men: Emperor Vulcan' mini) and half are about to join a new X-Team. (I was never a big fan of that team but "Unleash the *spoiler!* ." was badass, yes.. im a special kind of geek)
And the Astonishing X-Men are present as usual (I mean they live there).
The mini sequel 'Messiah War' was ok but can be skipped.
'Second Coming' concludes the story in an epic way.
Infiltrating the purifiers..
Sending Jamie Madrox to the future for info (while the rest of X-Factor help the X-Men).
..and Predator X gives the New X-Men MORE trouble after a year of hell.
An X-Man returns, another turns traitor.. another dies. ... A major villain death.
Its a fun read.
Bonus: Amazing covers!
Re-read 5 years later after I read all the X-Titles leading into this crossover, and to place it in a time..
Before the Crossover starts:
Iceman is the last X-man standing from Mike Carey's X-Men. Half his team turned Marauders, (like Mystique and Lady Mastermind while Omega Sentinel was possessed by Malice). Team leader Rogue is a hostage of the Marauders, Cannonball is on the injured list and Cables dead. And See: Wolverine Evolution for the fate of Sabretooth.
It doesn't help that Sinister's Marauders are joined by Gambit, Sunfire (after the whole Blood of Apocalypse thing), Random, Exodus AND his Acolytes. Making it a 'Marauder Army'.
Half of Havok's Uncanny X-Men team stayed in space (and are in the 'X-Men: Emperor Vulcan' mini) and half are about to join a new X-Team. (I was never a big fan of that team but "Unleash the *spoiler!* ." was badass, yes.. im a special kind of geek)
And the Astonishing X-Men are present as usual (I mean they live there).
The mini sequel 'Messiah War' was ok but can be skipped.
'Second Coming' concludes the story in an epic way.
October 31, 2021
I'm learning the story form doesn't negate story quality. The story lies in the hand of the teller.
X-Men: Messiah CompleX happens in the time following The House of M event (which provided the basis for WandaVision on DisneyPlus), when Wanda Maximoff annihilated the majority of the mutant population. Cyclops has taken charge of the X-Men and remains pissed at Xavier, having lost respect for his leadership. Cerebro falls out of commission. The reason: one single mutant has been born. The series converges on this mutant, who may be the savior or the downfall of mutant-kind.
Cable steals the baby to protect it from several groups of mutants that seek different ends. Two timelines exist and both depend on the unfolding of present events. Bishop shows up, having been from the future and grown up to experience the timeline of devastation, where the baby grows up to advocate mutant superiority, thus inciting war with human-kind. The leads to a mutant holocaust akin to Nazi Germany.
If you love X-Men and/ or Graphic Novels you must read this. I loved it and I can't recommend it more highly. The plot, story-lines, enormous cast of characters and the unending action make it a thrill and unforgettable treat.
I borrowed this free from Hoopla through my local library.
September 27, 2013
Holy bejeezus, the world was right and I was wrong. I'm normally pretty averse to crossovers, especially crazy-expensive crossovers with crappy uneven artwork, but everyone said this one was good, and I didn't listen. But my girlfriend has been tearing through Christopher Yost's X-Force, and finally got to the point where she realized she needed to read the crossovers that led up to the series in order to go any further. So I bit the bullet (it helped that I hadn't read much comics all summer), and went for what I thought was going to be a terrible romp through jumbled-continuity techno-vomit.
I. WAS. WRONG.
This book is aaaaaawesome. I don't even know what was happening in most of it, and it didn't even matter. It's every character EVER INVENTED killing the crap out of each other over a mutant baby messiah, and everyone has secret agendas and there is a MUTANT DINOSAUR. Somehow it all feels super purposeful, super meaningful and totally satisfying despite being ridiculous and insane. If X-Men is real life on drugs, then this book is X-Men on drugs. I love X-Men. I could see myself loving X-Men more than Batman. This book forever. X-Men forever.
Four stars because what was happening most of the time I don't know.
I. WAS. WRONG.
This book is aaaaaawesome. I don't even know what was happening in most of it, and it didn't even matter. It's every character EVER INVENTED killing the crap out of each other over a mutant baby messiah, and everyone has secret agendas and there is a MUTANT DINOSAUR. Somehow it all feels super purposeful, super meaningful and totally satisfying despite being ridiculous and insane. If X-Men is real life on drugs, then this book is X-Men on drugs. I love X-Men. I could see myself loving X-Men more than Batman. This book forever. X-Men forever.
Four stars because what was happening most of the time I don't know.
July 10, 2019
This is an achievement of modern storytelling.
So many things come together. Bishop’s prophesying that started in the 90s comes full circle, Cable/Scott come full circle. Rogue and Mystique, the new X-Men... it all reaches fever pitch. This is the culmination of all X Men up to this point! And man... is it fucking fantastic.
The art is gorgeous throughout. Some of it took heavy inspiration from JRJr’s Wolverine style (which I’m totally cool with.) The brutality and gore lent high stakes to the battles, of which there were many.
It was fun finally seeing everyone play together. It had been a while. All teams, all generations, one fight. X-23 is the baddest I’ve ever seen her. Mercury and Surge find their place among old school heavy hitters like Cyclops, Colossus and Wolverine.
Some major gasp moments, where things are revealed about Bishop. Madrox plays a fascinating role and I’m still dying to find out what happens to Layla.
This reminded me of the most climactic parts of Inferno, but without the mindless, time killing slogs in between dramatic peaks.
I really cannot recommend this enough. It’s as essential to the X Men mythos as anything released in the 70s, 80s or 90s. This is that real shit. Get you some!
So many things come together. Bishop’s prophesying that started in the 90s comes full circle, Cable/Scott come full circle. Rogue and Mystique, the new X-Men... it all reaches fever pitch. This is the culmination of all X Men up to this point! And man... is it fucking fantastic.
The art is gorgeous throughout. Some of it took heavy inspiration from JRJr’s Wolverine style (which I’m totally cool with.) The brutality and gore lent high stakes to the battles, of which there were many.
It was fun finally seeing everyone play together. It had been a while. All teams, all generations, one fight. X-23 is the baddest I’ve ever seen her. Mercury and Surge find their place among old school heavy hitters like Cyclops, Colossus and Wolverine.
Some major gasp moments, where things are revealed about Bishop. Madrox plays a fascinating role and I’m still dying to find out what happens to Layla.
This reminded me of the most climactic parts of Inferno, but without the mindless, time killing slogs in between dramatic peaks.
I really cannot recommend this enough. It’s as essential to the X Men mythos as anything released in the 70s, 80s or 90s. This is that real shit. Get you some!
December 5, 2018
Wow this was so dark and twisty, all the murder and mayhem it almost felt as bad as the actual news but unlike the news this was actually enjoyable, I loved the story line and the entire time I was reading this I had this nagging feeling that I know this story somehow, which I kinda did partly because of my obsession with 90s animated Xmen- the storyline was somewhat similar to the fugitives episode from season 3, with Cable's and Bishop's roles reversed.
June 18, 2018
Wow! Now this is how you do a crossover event! This follows 4 different series with different writers and artists, and yet everything felt entirely cohesive as if it was just one series by one writer and artist. This is done at the cost of each series not feeling wholly like the series would normally feel; for example X-Factor had to advance X-Men's plot, and Uncanny X-Men had to advance New X-Men's plot, and so on. The series all got melded together, but this is for the best. There were generally 5 or 6 different plot threads being advanced on each issue. I used the word "cost" earlier, but honestly this is exactly why this crossover works so well--because it feels like one cohesive series. The writers matched up their writing styles well, and the artists' styles were similar enough that it never felt jarring jumping between 4 different ones. The only reason I used the word "cost" earlier is because if someone were reading any of the 4 series by itself, reading only the issues from said series would feel completely jarring, and skipping them even more jarring. So the only option is to read the whole crossover event, which might still be a bit confusing if not reading the other series involved. Everything is explained well, so one could easily read this standalone, but a lot of setup was done in each of the series involved beforehand, so the full impact would be lost. Still, this is a very minor concern as the event is completely worth the time.
The plot itself starts out fairly simple: various factions searching for a baby. Eventually, twists are introduced adding depth to the plot. By the end, things come together smoothly. Having read X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, and a volume of New X-Men, I felt like I got a lot more out of this crossover, as plot threads that had been sown way back in those series get used or resolved here beautifully. It also helps being familiar with all these characters, their motivations, and their current states.
I think every single writer wrote very well. I am a huge fan of all of them individually in their series and other works. I feel they might have been a bit more stiff than usual since they needed to make sure everything was going according to plan in terms of plot elements and pacing, but their seamless collaboration more than made up for that.
Every single artist knocked it out of the park too. Even Scot Eaton and Humberto Ramos, who can be a bit hit or miss for me, were on their best game. And Silvestri, Tan, and Bacchalo were incredible as usual. It also helped that D'Armata colored two of the series along with the one-shot, and that Delgado and Reber have similar coloring styles. Every series flowed well from one to the other.
All in all, I would give this a hearty 9/10. Solid writing, good art, lots of action, lots of status quo developments, and even a bit of character development here and there. Due to the fast paced nature of the event some parts weren't as fleshed out as I'd like, but it's understandable. I look forward to reading the series spanning out of this next.
The plot itself starts out fairly simple: various factions searching for a baby. Eventually, twists are introduced adding depth to the plot. By the end, things come together smoothly. Having read X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, and a volume of New X-Men, I felt like I got a lot more out of this crossover, as plot threads that had been sown way back in those series get used or resolved here beautifully. It also helps being familiar with all these characters, their motivations, and their current states.
I think every single writer wrote very well. I am a huge fan of all of them individually in their series and other works. I feel they might have been a bit more stiff than usual since they needed to make sure everything was going according to plan in terms of plot elements and pacing, but their seamless collaboration more than made up for that.
Every single artist knocked it out of the park too. Even Scot Eaton and Humberto Ramos, who can be a bit hit or miss for me, were on their best game. And Silvestri, Tan, and Bacchalo were incredible as usual. It also helped that D'Armata colored two of the series along with the one-shot, and that Delgado and Reber have similar coloring styles. Every series flowed well from one to the other.
All in all, I would give this a hearty 9/10. Solid writing, good art, lots of action, lots of status quo developments, and even a bit of character development here and there. Due to the fast paced nature of the event some parts weren't as fleshed out as I'd like, but it's understandable. I look forward to reading the series spanning out of this next.
March 19, 2012
What a great change of pace for the X-Men! The preceding few volumes by Ed Brubaker have been so bland and empty, feeling like they’re just stalling, afraid to make any real progress, but now it finally feels like something huge is going on.
This is classic X-Men crossover territory. About a million things are going on, all over the globe in the present day, to a mutant concentration camp 80 years in the future. We’ve got the first mutant birth since Scarlet Witch wiped out all the mutants, Cable’s back from the dead, Sinister has plans, there’s a Predator X running around eating everyone, the Sentinels are becoming an increasingly harsh presence. Seemingly every one of the remaining 170-odd mutants are involved in some capacity. But, I have to applaud the execution of this potential chaos. Each group of X-Men has a very clear goal, making it much easier to follow the action and plot than in some mass crossovers I’ve read. The story builds gradually, accelerating steadily to a massive showdown between dozens of mutants that I found to be a blast to read.
There are definite problems with the story, though. For instance, it’s never explained how Cable has returned from the dead, which seems like it would be a pretty important thing to explain. He also doesn’t seem to have his telekinetic powers, which makes him basically just a guy. I would’ve loved to know the “why” behind all that.
The Predator X’s presence is also never explained, and seems to just be a random extra enemy for everyone to deal with, though I just kind of think those things are cool so I’m gonna let it slide.
I was also impressed with each artist’s contribution to this story. Each one uses a very different style, and yet they all managed to fit together seamlessly, without ever feeling jarring or uneven. There’s some really solid visuals in here throughout.
I hope the results of this crossover actually matter and continue to feed X-Men story lines, because I’ve gotten a little tired of the boring stuff that’s been leading up to this. But hey, even if they aren’t, at least this shows Marvel can take the X-Men in the right direction when they put their mind to it.
This is classic X-Men crossover territory. About a million things are going on, all over the globe in the present day, to a mutant concentration camp 80 years in the future. We’ve got the first mutant birth since Scarlet Witch wiped out all the mutants, Cable’s back from the dead, Sinister has plans, there’s a Predator X running around eating everyone, the Sentinels are becoming an increasingly harsh presence. Seemingly every one of the remaining 170-odd mutants are involved in some capacity. But, I have to applaud the execution of this potential chaos. Each group of X-Men has a very clear goal, making it much easier to follow the action and plot than in some mass crossovers I’ve read. The story builds gradually, accelerating steadily to a massive showdown between dozens of mutants that I found to be a blast to read.
There are definite problems with the story, though. For instance, it’s never explained how Cable has returned from the dead, which seems like it would be a pretty important thing to explain. He also doesn’t seem to have his telekinetic powers, which makes him basically just a guy. I would’ve loved to know the “why” behind all that.
The Predator X’s presence is also never explained, and seems to just be a random extra enemy for everyone to deal with, though I just kind of think those things are cool so I’m gonna let it slide.
I was also impressed with each artist’s contribution to this story. Each one uses a very different style, and yet they all managed to fit together seamlessly, without ever feeling jarring or uneven. There’s some really solid visuals in here throughout.
I hope the results of this crossover actually matter and continue to feed X-Men story lines, because I’ve gotten a little tired of the boring stuff that’s been leading up to this. But hey, even if they aren’t, at least this shows Marvel can take the X-Men in the right direction when they put their mind to it.
January 25, 2008
This review covers every issue of the Messiah Complex story, but not the hardcover collection. As of this time it has not been printed, even though all of the issues have been released. This was by far Brubaker's best X-Men story to date, and easily one of the best stories about Marvel's mutants to date. Week to week it delivered interesting plot threads, pulling them just far enough to create satisfying chapters, even out of pre-existing plots that were downright boring or annoying up until the story began. Finally somebody made something truly meaningful out of this terrible "No More Mutants" scenario. I went through each issue with pleasure at the various casts Brubaker assembled and the compelling twists and insights into motivations of Bishop and Mystique. If only it had a better climax. Unfortunately, the final issue is just fights ending rather than climaxing, with no sense of earning anything. You couldn't see the big death at the end coming because it wasn't plausible until three panels before the character's head exploded. It sets more catastrophic events for the future, but lacked the punch of the story. The story itself is absolutely worth following for anybody who can still stomach mutants. The X-Men have been cast in a lot of terrible storylines this decade, but this might be the first step to redeeming them.
January 7, 2018
Messiah CompleX has just about everything you would want in an X-Men event. People come back from the dead (or near dead), other people die. Good guys turn out to be bad guys and bad guys turn out to be good guys and no one knows who anyone can trust. And, of course, there is some incredible action throughout.
If there was one thing that I wish was different, it would be that .
I have been reading a lot of X-Men events lately, and this one ranks right at the top.
If there was one thing that I wish was different, it would be that .
I have been reading a lot of X-Men events lately, and this one ranks right at the top.
February 9, 2012
I re-read this for my read through of both X-Factor and New X-Men and those were definitely my favorite parts of it.
May 6, 2012
in my head remembered the story was better. But it was well executed. One of the better x-men story lines of the 00's starts here.
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