Decimation: X-Men - The 198

X-Men: The 198 #1-5

by David Hine, Kevin Conrad, Jim Muniz

The unthinkable has happened in the Marvel Universe! In the blink of an eye, the whole world has changed! In this new world order, Xavier's School becomes a haven for those that are different. But has this former sanctuary become the one place most dangerous for mutants? Collects The 198 #1-5 and The 198 Files.

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

166 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2006

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really good.

As the mutant population continues to decline its upto Scott to protect them and so he invites them to Xavier mansion but the ONE and Val Cooper are there and they want them to stay here within the concentration camp and trackers until Mister M comes in, a mysterious omega level mutant and we see the battle between the two forces. Freedom vs Atrocity, history repeating itself, Prosecutors vs Survivors until the big battle when the protesters leave the so called land for freedom until there is only one absolute winner.

Its a good story with predictable twists and the way it ends is very anti climactic and well we gain no personality or characteristic of Mister M who had such potential and the way he goes out is so cheap. There are lot of philosophical and humanitarian views to be discussed here but that does not happen but regardless its an alright one time read showing how in the wake of house of m, the mutant population is dealing with it and the establishment of ONE and the military tactics. It had potential but didn't capitalize on it.

[Roman Zarichnyi]

Прочитав лімітку «Люди Ікс: 198» (2006), #1-5 від Девіда Гайна, яка є наслідком події «Династія М».

Як відомо після подій «ДМ» більшість мутантів втратили свій мутантський ген через дії Багряної Відьми. З назви коміксу можна здогадатися, що у світі залишилося лише 198 мутантів у яких зберігся цей ген.

Деякі з них за власним бажанням шукали прихистку в Інституті Ксав‘є, де окрім Людей Ікс, захист надає урядова організація. Інших силою загнали в цей табір для біженців. Звичайно, деякі мутанти відчувають, що вони тут у в’язниці, тому що їм заборонено виходити за територія Інституту. Це спричиняє негаразди, оскільки ще й ця урядова організація має вартових та війська, які оточують це місце. А по середині цього всього стоять Люди Ікс, які з одного боку хочуть заспокоїти мутантів, а з іншого — не довіряють уряду і їхнім діям. Зрештою все вибухає і переростає справжню велику проблему.

Вийшло досить добре і я відверто не очікував цього.

[Adriii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es interesante el tono político que lo ocurrido en Dinastía de M ha inyectado en la historia, y aquí queda patente con ese planteamiento represivo de la situación desde dentro y desde fuera. El problema es que apenas rascan la superficie del tipo de historias dramáticas e interesantes que podría darnos el arrebato de la Bruja Escarlata; en lugar de dejarlo en el aspecto funcional de reducir el universo mutante podrían de paso haber desarrollando historias como la de Magma y Émpata, consecuencias potentes y emocionales al suceso. Se me ha quedado cortito en longitud y contenido, pero se lee bien.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. With 90% of mutants being depowered, thanks to Scarlet Witch, the remaining 198 have been corralled into the Xavier institute. There they are “protected” by O.N.E. Of course some of the mutants feel like they are jailed here as they aren’t allowed to leave. This cause issues with the general population and the core X-men as O.N.E has sentinels and troops surrounding the place. Everything eventually explodes and we have a real problem. Pretty solid book.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering this was a mini ... it was going a-okay until the end, where it ended with a dud. I mean, who was the dude with the Cthulu thing in his chest? John Dee? Why wasn't he in the files in the back ... he could make little totems of people and control them? Lame-o.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

So while the other books around the Decimation "event" (which is really just the fallout of House of M), skirted around the issue of the prison camp at the X Mansion, this one takes us directly inside.

The titular "198" are the amount of mutants currently within the camp, and are - for the most part - the main characters of this book. Of course, the X-Men are there along with Val Cooper and her government stooges, but the plot really focuses on the inhabitants themselves. And we really get an in depth look at just how badly they are treated and why this culminates in violence. At the center of it all is a mysterious mutant named Mister M, who is beyond powerful. I mean, he is basically Jesus in mutant form. His demise was unexpected and a bit tragic.

There was a lot of good ideas in this, but also some issues with plot convenience and pacing. Overall, it did fill in some of the gaps made by the main storyline. I would recommend this if you are a completionist type reader.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decimation: X-Men - The 198 follows directly after the events of House of M, showing how the world's mutant population is dealing with Scarlet Witch taking away about 90% of all mutants powers.

The mutants who are left are shuffled into internment camps and dub themselves "The 198" since it's rumored that there are only 198 mutants left on earth.

It's an interesting book bringing back some old characters who I didn't think I'd see again. What I really like about this book is how grounded and realistic it feels. The events of this book could easily happen in real life (and have), plus the supernatural elements are inspired by our real-world supernatural stories, with plenty of Biblical references and imagery.

It's an enjoyable book. Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough that I'm happy I read it.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belonging to the set of X-Men stories that amounts to an attempt at mutants forging a utopia, but this one in particular incorporates refugee camp and messiah imagery, making this Camp 198 seem more akin to a story about hope in the shadow of genocide, although the genocide allegory only extends so far since most mutants during Decimation are just depowered, not dead.

[Klaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series. It features some of the best but least-frequently featured characters in my opinion, like Mr. M and Empath, and explores them in greater detail, the dialogue fits and flows well, the art is good too. This will be one of my favorites for years to come.

[Differengenera · Rating 2 out of 5]

this franchise should drop the holocaust references

[jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the events of House of M when the Scarlet Witch depowered 98% of the mutant population, Earth's remaining mutants went from millions to a measly 198. The drastic shrinkage of the mutant population and the subsequent elimination of the mutant gene alarmed the national government so much that they created O*N*E* aka the Office of National Emergency. O*N*E* rounded up the remaining mutants and told them they had to reside in the X-Mansion. Even though they claimed it was for the mutants' "protection", it was really just a front to keep them all in one place where they could easily be monitored by the government, akin to an internment camp of sorts. The X-Mansion was also "guarded" by Sentinels!! Something I found hard to believe was how Scott and Emma were so eager to follow the government and hold the mutants there against their will. Wild to imagine, I know. So, the mutant survivors found themselves unable to leave or even do anything until the arrival of a mysterious Omega-level mutant named Mister M. He was so unbelievably powerful that his telekinesis easily swatted away a giant Sentinel as if it was a fly. Despite possessing immense power, he was actually pretty calm and level-headed. He wanted the mutants to be free and proceeded to lead many of them to freedom, provoking the ire of the government and the few X-Men. They had a brief battle and I say brief because, well, Mister M is practically omnipotent. However, something tragic happens and I won't say it here. Overall, I found this volume to be one of the weaker stories of the Decimation run. It didn't resonate as well with me like Son of M or Generation M partly because it just felt like filler in a way. The only villain should've been the government in this story and not that grotesque person that's revealed later on...

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The X-men are the good guys, Right? Straight out of the House of M event writer David Hind gives us a pretty good X-men story. The artwork was handle quite well and really lends it self to the story. Basically after the mutants start losing the powers after the House of M event the US government decides with the aid of the Xavier School for the gifted to quarantine the surviving mutants for their own protection as Mutant hate groups take advantage of the situation. To make matters worse the X-men find themselves on the defensive as their leader Cyclops has open the institute to any mutant even their worse enemies. Needless to say a lot of cooler heads are needed to navigate the chaos. Enter the mutant Absalom who has the Messiah like powers to heal, instantly destroy sentinels and other overpowering abilities. But his powers have a purpose and we get a look at how even those who mean well can do evil as well. I really enjoyed the balance of character and action here. This is a deep emotional story which good comic book writing is all about. This book also has some weird and odd moments. This was a great X-men tale.

[Práxedes Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

[N.B. I actually read the fifty-six or so comics that form part of the "Decimation Canon" in order to craft this review, which includes this title and the rest]. This was a very good --not great-- sequel to House of M: documenting what happens to the Earth's mutant population hen they lose their powers due to the Scarlet Witch's misstep . I enjoyed the artwork and the general story, but pray tell: how come our favorite characters (Cyclops, Wolverine, etc.) retain their powers while a bunch of relative unknowns lose theirs? It seemed a like too contrived, but still worth taking the time to read it.

[Oliver Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it balanced the idea of the relationships of the survivors really well with the mystery of john dee, although it would have been a much more satisfying tale if that had been resolved in this series.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little better than I expected, and allowed some obscure characters to shine. Who would ever think to use Sack and Erg as main characters. The story shows stewardship of M day in a strong way. The art, however, was a little bland.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the (sometimes) great x-read of 2017...

Since I am at the very tail end of 2017 and I haven't updated my reading in quite a while so I am "cheating" and just kind of writing one review for all of the volumes that I have read so that I can get them up by the end of the year.

The aftermath of M day has been mixed to say the least. There were a few high points (Cable and Deadpool, the 198, the beginning of the new X-factor series... and more than a fair share of low points (the new Excalibur, Colossus, Deadly Genesis...). It certainly has not come across as a well-orchestrated and planned out event at this point. (And the plot armor of the main characters primarily being the ones that retained their powers is a bit ridiculous, but that is to be expected.)

At any rate, my x-read of 2017 is going to extend into 2018 since I am still not close to catching up. It may have to slow down in velocity a bit so that I can do a bit more "real" reading but the slog shall continue...

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siguiendo con las consecuencias del Día M para los mutantes, David Hine colaboró con dos miniseries publicadas aquí en España como tomos por Panini. De Vástago de M ya hemos hablado, así que hoy toca ver su segunda contribución, Los 198. Hine había estado metido en el mundo mutante con la colección Distrito-X, donde teníamos a Bishop patrullando las calles del llamado Barrio Mutante de Nueva York, una de las creaciones de Morrison para la franquicia mutante, y donde Hine había situado a extraños personajes que recuperó en parte en estos 198, en alusión a los 198 mutantes que continuaban con sus poderes tras el Día M. Poniendo el peso de la historia en personajes de "tercera fila", como Magma, Ergio o Absolom Mercator, Hine construyó en Los 198 una trama sobre el racismo y el control militar, en el que la Patrulla-X se encuentra repentinamente dando acogida a estos mutantes, que se mueven en una fina línea entre ser refugiados y ser prisioneros.

De nuevo, una gran historia.

[Rangga Sukmawijaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Secara keseluruhan, miniseri yang merupakan bagian dari kisah Decimation ini justru buat saya hanya pantas diberi nilai dua bintang meskipun secara satuan nomor-nomornya bagus. Mengapa begitu? Pertama, karena persoalan di dalamnya terlalu banal. Semestinya kisah di nomor ini bisa digali lebih dalam dengan peran orang per orang di dalamnya yang lebih jelas. Kedua, akhir ceritanya tidak konklusif, permasalahan-permasalahan besarnya tidak terjawab dengan tuntas. Ketiga, akibat faktor masalah-solusi yang tidak tuntas itu, tokoh-tokoh di dalam miniseri ini jadi tidak menonjol, kecuali dua orang: Mr. M dan Johnny Dee. Saya masih berharap jika kemudian saya membaca story-arc yang lebih besar, persoalan-persoalan di miniseri ini akan terjawab dengan tuntas.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is fine. I like that it looks at some lesser used mutants and it's a good approach to what would happen after something like House of M. It doesn't accomplish as much as it should over 5 issues of story though while simultaneously not spending enough time to develop the characters and their motivations as it slowly moves to its conclusion. We're left without knowing what John Dee was trying to accomplish but I guess that's normal for monthly superhero comics. A decent story that could have been something much better.

[Thomas Sonnenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the mutant holocaust on Genosha, and the aftermath of House of M, there are 198 mutants left in the entire world. The survivors are under even more persecution, more stress, and more uncertainty in their future. What would you do if your race was facing extinction?

The X-men believe the solution to this problem is to round up as many of the remaining mutants that are left, and put them in a camp. Pairing with the Office of National Emergency (ONE), the survivors are asked, and in most cases “convinced”, to stay in tents upon the grounds of the Xavier Mansion. These aren’t the rule following mutants, they are the rule breakers. What could go wrong?

Everything. Everything goes wrong.

[Alexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this collection somewhat interesting, though I couldn't quite seem to get into it. I ordered it as a follow-up to House of M, but I think I must have missed part of the story somewhere, as this only seems to pick up with a few of the characters and does not address the big cliff hanger at the end of House of M. On its own it was marginally interesting, but I was a little frustrated with the overall story as well as its relation to House of M.

[Robert Geoghegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about this story. Interesting themes, great artwork, not sure how it ties in with the whole House of M in the grand scheme of things in the x-men universe.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was meh and I didn’t care much for Jim Muniz’s artwork.

[Ignacio Izquierdo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una idea interesante. Todo lo demás pésimo.

[David Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas but middle of the road. It's a quick read until you get to the back 30 pages, which are case files of the remaining 198. Quite dense with information there.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good.

[Thomas Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept and fun characters, but struggles a little in the execution.

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

[vk chompooming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the start of a really dark time for the mutants of the 616 universe. This particular trade is a little slow and rough, but it has lasting ramifications for the X-men in years to come.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even at its darkest, X-Men has always had a hint of hope and resistance. This tale from the House of M series was too dark, with no sign of X-Men heroics. Not a favorite of mine in the series.