Reign of X, Vol. 1

X-Men: Krakoan Era (Anthology Trades)

by Jonathan Hickman, Al Ewing, Leah Williams

After the Dawn comes the Reign! In the wake of X OF SWORDS, it’s one giant leap for mutantkind as Krakoa turns its attentions to space — and relaunches S.W.O.R.D.! Back on Krakoa, Cyclops and his allies grapple with the ramifications of their recent ordeal and the fateful decisions that were made — setting in motion the X-Men’s next evolution! Meanwhile, the resurrection protocols have been thrown into chaos — and as the Five deal with the fallout, it’s up to X-Factor to restore order! And as Sinister continues to scheme, the recently reborn Hellions face an urgent mission to retrieve Nanny’s ship and build new armor for a transformed — and deadly — Orphan-Maker! Collecting S.W.O.R.D. (2020) #1, X-MEN (2019) #16, X-FACTOR (2020) #5 and HELLIONS (2020) #7-8

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2021

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm confused, need to read X of Swords.

[Myles Likes Tacos and Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well curated collection that actually flows much better than when I read all these titles in monthly singles.

Sets the stage in the post X of Swords world and all stories have the common theme of the complexities of resurrection. This felt like an HBO TV episode, starting with some slow build up stories and ending with 2 action packed Hellion issues

Not too many extras but there are S.W.O.R.D character designs

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this without having read X of Swords, so I'm a little bit lost on a few things.

S.W.O.R.D. - Not bad. The reason for bringing this back is made directly clear and it contains a lot of setup for how they are going to operate. Like most of Ewing's work, he seems to like the cosmic stuff and this quick story gives a taste of what's to come (generally some big, out of the box thinking.)

X-Men - Some aftermath from X of Swords and a start to the Hellfire Gala story. Basically, a few members of the Quiet Council need to be replaced. This issue is a little strange and continues the growth of the mutant nation. There have been some complaints about this title that not a lot happens, and I would tend to agree. It seems more like the big ideas are planted here then developed in other titles. There isn't a lot of continuity from issue to issue so at times it feels disjointed.

X-Factor - More aftermath, the team pulling themselves back together and some budding relationships. This issue was more tolerable than some of the previous.

Hellions - Still one of the better titles. More ramifications from previous issues and new relationships. Lots of setting up for future conflict, especially among the team. Love the art.

[luciddreamer99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The S.W.O.R.D. chapter is really good, and X-Men remains a bright spot of Hickman's plan, but I found this volume a bit underwhelming. Perhaps because I skipped issues I had already read, but this series struck me as a bit uneven. The writing remains good for Reign of X, as it was on Dawn of X and X of Swords. I'm really starting to like Hellions, and I'm glad to see these characters after X of Swords. Psylocke is reminiscent of 90s Psylocke, and sometimes I forget that this is Kwannon and not Betsy. She seems like she has history with Havok, and only Betsy would have that, unless Kwannon has some trace Betsy memories? Hellions is the series Kwannon deserves and much better than Fallen Angels that debuted with Dawn of X. I'm there for the redemption of Greycrow, too, although I'm sure some readers don't believe he should be offered redemption. Hey, if Selene can be an X-Man, then anyone can. Overall, a good story, though not amazing like some of the earlier chapters, aside from S.W.O.R.D., which is pretty high quality in terms of story and art.

[Luan Le · Rating 1 out of 5]

guys… what are we doing….

Like with Dawn of X volume 1, I don’t really see myself enjoying Reign of X. It was boring, and I just cannot stand X Factor. Boringggg spin off that holds no value whatsoever. Lorna I am so sorry they stuck you with this band of nobodies.

I’m just gonna speed run this.

[Hanieh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Well i really liked Dawn of X. But X of Swords was sorta rubbish.
So this volume was good to get me back on the track. It's just too early to say if I like RoX or not. I think I could decide that after 3 or 4 volumes probably.
But it's a decent start, so there is that.
Specially the first parts of this volume. The art could probably use a bit improvement but the story was descent.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharp return to form after the dull and disappointing X of Swords event. S.W.O.R.D. in particular looks to be a standout series to watch for in Al Ewing’s capable hands, as the mutant space program launches. It’s like X-Men by way of Kubrick’s 2001, which excites the hell out of me!

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, but it’s too early to determine if I love Reign of X yet

[Pobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

magneto es mi padre

[Terrance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting to tire of the Hickman formula -
1. Throw every single character in the mix
2. Create a language
3. Insert charts, graphs, and journal entries ad nauseam

As much as this "mutant renaissance" has been a fun journey, I miss the core ideas of the X-Men as I remember them. I'm all for change, and I loved the idea of having the X-Men as an elected body, but I'm feeling that this X group is as distanced from the Marvel Universe as the movie versions are.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spring 2020 (April);

Dawn of X (Vol. 11-16)
X of Swords (full)
Reign of X (Vol. 1-7)

** As a spoiler warning, do not read this review unless you've read all of the above issues, not just the volume where you've found this review. **

I did a massive multi-volume, multi-arc blitz recently and so I'm going to just drop a lot of what's hot here & going to be copying it down across a million books. My favorite thing literally is now and forever the Polycule going on in Summer House. I love his universe and am certainly very curious about the things still hiding in the shadows.

I'm glad Kitty found her way through that thing. I'm glad we didn't lose Betsy while we were in the other universe where death *sort of* sticks. Excalibur remains the most arrestingly gorgeous art. I'm still not interested in the one and only story comics know how to tell with Beast. I love the whole council and can't stop cooing over Erik as the Left Hand/Charles as the right (and even more so the bits where/how Jean & Scott are off to reform the X-Men #goodboy).

Jeanne & The Twins, in general, are back and I'm super duper in love with that. I really madly adore that there isn't any vast soap opera drama with any relationships or old bad blood that can't be given a new chance in Krakoa. There's such a breath of fresh air reading a lot of the choices Hickman and his writers have made. Illyana remains a badass demon-sorceress at all times, and Ororo remains a goddess. I loved all the Giant-Size art across Emma, Jean, Ororo.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving on from X of Swords, this is a really good volume. The S.W.O.R.D. issue is a really interesting start for a new series, and the "quote" from Doom at the end hits a nicely menacing note. X-Men shows that all is not well with Arakko, and introduces the possibly ill-fated idea of an elected X-Men team. The X-Factor issue is sort of a breather. Not much happens here, but it does seem to set up the next storyline. Finally, two issues of Hellions, a book that I'm liking more with every passing issue. Sinister is pretty funny and still menacing, and there's an ominous tone throughout that other X books just aren't hitting right now. Overall, still happy with Hickman's X world.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a setup for things to come, and it's been so long since I read the previous issues that some of it was confusing. Still, there is some fun stuff here and the art is nice.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the steaming pile of unreadable garbage that is X-Men: X of Swords, the X-books rise again with Reign Of X.

Like the beginning of Dawn of X Vol. 1, we get little snippets of various mutant teams as they embark on the next evolution of their various quests. Unlike Dawn Of X, this isn't A Series Of Fresh Stories, we are still continuing the Dawn Of X storylines, we've just had one of the worst palate cleansers between courses.

S.W.O.R.D. is a great pivot point to start this series as Magneto is introduced by Abigail Brand to The Six, a group of mutants who team up to help each other teleport great distances for interstellar quests. We meet at least one mutant I wasn't familiar with (Wiz Kid) but also get to see some long-absent familiar faces show up in this Krakoan era. I'm excited to see more of Armor, Blink, Manifold, Gateway, Peepers, and Amelia Voght. And I loved the brief interactions between Magneto and Fabien Cortez. It's perhaps the most seamless and honest-seeming use of one of the auxiliary 1990s villains so far in the Krakoan era.

The X-Men issue deals with some of the fallout from X Of Swords, which I just can't care about. I do like that Cypher continues to be an important character in this era, but I feel like the whole Arrako mutant storyline is as needless and unexceptional as Hickman's Builders nonsense from his underwhelming Avengers run. Hickman is one of the greatest Idea Writers in 21st century comic books, and he's made some of my favorite comics, but his attempts at making new interstellar or interdimensional races and place them in Marvel continuity has been lackluster. This was the weakest issues in the collection. Not bad, but it felt like filler.

X-Factor's focus on solving murders in a species that's now mostly immortal continues to improve now that they're away from Mojoworld. There are some great character beats, even though there's some weird overlapping storytelling in the middle that doesn't quite land.

The final two issues in the collection are from Hellions. When the series first popped up in Dawn of X Vol. 10, I noted that it had potential, but it hadn't won me over. I'm won over now. The Kwannon/Sinister dynamic and an update to an eternally annoying 80s villain are welcome changes to the status quo. I can't wait to see how this series unfolds.

If you enjoyed most of the Dawn Of X era books (it's an admittedly mixed bag), I think you'll continue to enjoy the series in this form.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sword: some sci-fi nonsense that falls flat. Too many characters. Maybe issue 2 will make more sense.
X-Men: remember when every issue of X-Men was an adventure? this issue has a lot of talking heads and Cyclops tells us that "we need X-Men, let's vote on the members." Hopefully we won't wait 10 issues to do this.
X-Factor: is it the writer or the artist that doesn't know how to tell a story in a comic? This features tiny panels and jumps from scene to unrelated scene on almost every page.
Hellions: who would think a comic called "Hellions" would be the best within a collection of X-related comics?

[Martijn Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we go again. After the dawn comes the reign. With Hickman's X-Universe firmly settled its time to explore new ground.

S.W.O.R.D. #1: Good start, not much info on the new characters. Curious where this will go 3,5☆
X-Men #16: Good X of Swords aftermath and set-up for The Hellfire Gala 4☆
X-Factor #5: Mediocre art and s0-so charcters. Hopefully the ending means a postponed return to the mojoverse 2,5☆
Hellions 7: Good continuation and lots of build up tension! 4☆
Hellions 8: Lovely twist and fast writing. 4☆

Overall: 3,6☆

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

X-Men is very hard to get into, and even starting at the beginning of a relaunch like this, it is very confusing. I really should have started with House of X/Powers of X, but they didn't have it at the library.

The whole Krakoa idea is very interesting to me, and it's cool that they're taking the X Men in a whole new direction, and exploring some interesting ideas relating to nationalism and a kind of loose Zionism allegory. It's hard to make a judgement with this little knowledge though

[Charles Korb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sword: I have no idea what's going on with sword and if the authors expect us to remember the literal org chart in the issue but seeing more power combinations is fun

X-Men: I don't really care about the arrako stuff but I guess this was mostly wrap up from x of swords

X-factor: this feels like the beginning of a new arc but not much happens

Hellions: the standout in this book, the team dynamic is becoming more interesting

[Kwan-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok i'm not gonna be logging all of the volumes so this is just gonna stand for volumes 1 - 7 which is roughly half of the series so far.

some highlight issues of this:
- marauders remains the best gang of the groups so far
- the children of the vault storyline with Laura Kinney Wolverine, Synch, and Darwin nearly brought me to tears.
- surprised by how much I liked Quentin's solo adventure with defeating his monstrous psychic self

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reign of X Vol. 1 is an excellent start to the world of Mutant-kind after the events of X of Swords. Although a bit zany and a bit out there, it's a fun romp through the world of Mutants, and I would heavily recommend for anyone who wants a bit of fun and comic nonsense, as well as to see where the world of Mutants is going in the Reign of X.

[Jennifer Sigman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing will make me care about Hellion. Sorry not sorry.

S.W.O.R.D. #1, however, was absolutely incredible, with some amazing full page/two page spreads. X-Men #16 was also very good. X-Factor runs into that problem where they dump a metric ton of mutants on you without naming most of them, so I have no idea why they're behaving the way they are.

[Luke Orphanides · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reign of X sets up for a bombastic journey into the higher order thinking of the S.W.O.R.D. team in their promise to go beyond Krakoa or Earth-Mindedness. The challenge the becomes why this trade collects such an assortment of differing issues from different series. By the end it feels like a disjointed preview for the various projects they have in the works and not like a self contained story.

[Zachary Waxman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't really get this format. It doesn't provide a consistent plot and some of the issues collected don't flow together. In this TPB there's even a repeat of an X-men issue that was in the Dawn of X run and I can't figure out why its there as it doesn't have anything to do with any overarching plot or any of the other issues.

[Carl Printer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read picking up immediately after X of Swords. Mutant Space Programs, the lead up to the Hellfire Gala, and, as ever, something’s fishy with the too-good-to-be-true reality associated with resurrection. Sinister’s glam rock diva is a perennial joy, though!

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the waste of time that was SWORD of X, new status quos are being set. S.W.O.R.D. the space program is back for mutants, Cyclops and Jean Grey want to start a new X-Men team, and The Marauders need to give Mr. Sinister some pay back.....just o.k. for a rebooting....

[Malcolm Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

SWORD and X-Men are setting the scene, the big picture stuff. They're exciting. What the hell are they up to in space? What are they going to do with a hostile island neighbour?

X-Factor and Hellions are ok... I could happily skip them but I like this format where all the titles are mixed.

[Julian Chambliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar

The relaunch of the X-Men was full of interesting concepts and big ideas that made it a joy to read. I really appreciate how these collection give you a sense of the massive story. Smart designs, great writing, and stellar pacing defined these stories for me.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hellions continues to be terrible. The rest isn’t too bad, though.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this first spot X of Swords collection with jt asking tough plot questions.

But there are still a lot of threads from the beginning still unanswered.

[Sonic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag that I mostly enjoyed.