blossomclouds's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, and Mental illness
saucy_bookdragon's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This comic has frustrated me for months on end.
House of M is a story that is a good idea, but would probably work better in an adaptation that can iron out the kinks (not an MCU one though, they do not have the character backgrounds nor quality writing to pull it off). It’s an event that makes things personal for the heroes and that had repercussions that lasted for quite a few years in the comics. The characters are a bit more morally gray in this and the ending where Wanda utters some iconic words hits like a bag of bricks.
There’s a lot of potential with House of M as a storyline, potential it doesn’t quite reach.
I think this would’ve worked better had it been a bit longer or less bloated, it was marketed as an Avengers and X-Men crossover, but it’s more so an X-Men story with Avengers drawn into the background. I wish this had gone more into the actual characters. I wish we could’ve sat with what it means for Wolverine to have his memories back instead of just one line saying “huh got my memories back, cool!” I wish we could’ve sat with Spider-Man’s domestic life with Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben alive. I wish we could’ve explored what are the political ramifications of mutants oppressing humans (more on this in a minute). I wish we could’ve explored what Magneto is like when he finally gets what he wants.
HoM is able to truly break a comic book taboo by dramatically shifting the status quo. Though temporary, these are core parts of the characters that changed. And perhaps this was explored more by the other comics published at the time, like how Ms. Marvel took time to explore the ramifications of Secret Wars approaching. And perhaps I’ll even track down some of those comics to get a better look at this world. But I’m questioning what was the point of the main event then if Bendis didn’t take advantage? If it was only meant to sell well and tell the main storyline? A storyline that feels too big to fit within this miniseries.
This is why I’d love an adaptation of HoM but not in the MCU. The MCU needs to have the X-Men as a well established team first and deal with the reality of mutants. I also don’t trust the MCU with Wanda at this point after how she was treated in Age of Ultron (whitewashing her and Pietro and having them join HYDRA, a Nazi organization, while they’re two JEWISH characters in the comics, was a choice indeed) and how she was treated in Multiverse of Madness (wiping out all of her character development from WandaVision with a macguffin was also a choice indeed). But this could be adapted perhaps as a standalone animated movie or show as audiences are already well familiar enough with the backstories of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Scarlet Witch so we could jump right into the reality warping shenanigans.
I also feel kind of uncomfortable with how this book treats mutants. I find the idea of reverse oppression to always give me the ick and I think sometimes we forget the fact that mutants are an oppressed minority group within the Marvel universe. How the writer understands mutant oppression can best be seen with how Magneto is written. Because sometimes he’s written as a full villain and a mutant supremacist, other times he’s written more as an anti-hero or straight up hero who’s just fighting for mutant rights using extreme methods. Which given what he’s been through, makes sense.
HoM makes the odd choice of framing Magneto as a sympathetic mutant supremacist. He’s allowed to be a little more nuanced and isn’t presented as a villain per se, but his idea of an ideal world is one where he rules mutants who rule humans. Or is that perhaps Wanda’s idea of what Magneto would want?
With mutant oppression aside, I do think it’s an interesting world building concept to explore a superpowered group of humans oppressing normal humans and how that would look (and tbh more realistic than the vice versa version that is canon in Marvel). HoM at least understands that this oppression wouldn’t have a one-to-one allegory for any real world oppression and we see some interesting tidbits, such as how people will actively expose themselves to radiation while pregnant in the hopes their child will be a mutant.
I also must admit, the ending is iconic.
Now I know I’ve said Wanda is one of, if not my favorite Marvel character. And this must look pretty bad. To which I say: why can there be Kylo Ren stans when that guy killed literally trillions of people and is literally a fascist but when someone stans a problematic female character all of a sudden it’s a problem? Especially considering the fact that Wanda has understandable reasons for why she does this (daddy issues)? I find her doing something blatantly evil to make her more interesting as a character. Not only that, but come on this all happened in like 2006, she’s moved on and has worked to redeem herself. Including undoing the whole “no mutants thing.”
I also find Wanda’s motive in this to be interesting, as in a sense the whole HoM scenario is everyone fucking around and finding out. They decide to fuck with the Scarlet Witch, and so the Scarlet Witch fucks with them. You just know Wanda Maximoff is bopping to Karma by Taylor Swift.
And finally, the art style is your typical early 2000s comic book art style. Simultaneously realistic but also stylized in small anatomically incorrect details. The women are mostly hypersexualized, especially Storm and Emma Frost (though admittedly that is part of Emma Frost’s schitck). Shoutout to the panels where Wolverine jumps off a helicarrier and his shirt flies up and the one where Colossus is on his farm and the panel is mostly of his chest making me initially think he was naked, saved by the small bit of pants on the bottom of the panel. I am not above admitting that I have looked at men with lust in my days.
So there, my long postponed review for House of M. I’ve been procrastinating because I’ve had all these thoughts and they’ve been a hassle to organize, feeling more like an essay than a review. And I’ve had more important things to do as I’m a college student and working on my own novels. But I’ve ranted to a few friends and family a few times since reading this about my thoughts on HoM. It is certainly the most comic ever.
House of M is a story that is a good idea, but would probably work better in an adaptation that can iron out the kinks (not an MCU one though, they do not have the character backgrounds nor quality writing to pull it off). It’s an event that makes things personal for the heroes and that had repercussions that lasted for quite a few years in the comics. The characters are a bit more morally gray in this and the ending where Wanda utters some iconic words hits like a bag of bricks.
There’s a lot of potential with House of M as a storyline, potential it doesn’t quite reach.
I think this would’ve worked better had it been a bit longer or less bloated, it was marketed as an Avengers and X-Men crossover, but it’s more so an X-Men story with Avengers drawn into the background. I wish this had gone more into the actual characters. I wish we could’ve sat with what it means for Wolverine to have his memories back instead of just one line saying “huh got my memories back, cool!” I wish we could’ve sat with Spider-Man’s domestic life with Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben alive. I wish we could’ve explored what are the political ramifications of mutants oppressing humans (more on this in a minute). I wish we could’ve explored what Magneto is like when he finally gets what he wants.
HoM is able to truly break a comic book taboo by dramatically shifting the status quo. Though temporary, these are core parts of the characters that changed. And perhaps this was explored more by the other comics published at the time, like how Ms. Marvel took time to explore the ramifications of Secret Wars approaching. And perhaps I’ll even track down some of those comics to get a better look at this world. But I’m questioning what was the point of the main event then if Bendis didn’t take advantage? If it was only meant to sell well and tell the main storyline? A storyline that feels too big to fit within this miniseries.
This is why I’d love an adaptation of HoM but not in the MCU. The MCU needs to have the X-Men as a well established team first and deal with the reality of mutants. I also don’t trust the MCU with Wanda at this point after how she was treated in Age of Ultron (whitewashing her and Pietro and having them join HYDRA, a Nazi organization, while they’re two JEWISH characters in the comics, was a choice indeed) and how she was treated in Multiverse of Madness (wiping out all of her character development from WandaVision with a macguffin was also a choice indeed). But this could be adapted perhaps as a standalone animated movie or show as audiences are already well familiar enough with the backstories of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Scarlet Witch so we could jump right into the reality warping shenanigans.
I also feel kind of uncomfortable with how this book treats mutants. I find the idea of reverse oppression to always give me the ick and I think sometimes we forget the fact that mutants are an oppressed minority group within the Marvel universe. How the writer understands mutant oppression can best be seen with how Magneto is written. Because sometimes he’s written as a full villain and a mutant supremacist, other times he’s written more as an anti-hero or straight up hero who’s just fighting for mutant rights using extreme methods. Which given what he’s been through, makes sense.
HoM makes the odd choice of framing Magneto as a sympathetic mutant supremacist. He’s allowed to be a little more nuanced and isn’t presented as a villain per se, but his idea of an ideal world is one where he rules mutants who rule humans. Or is that perhaps Wanda’s idea of what Magneto would want?
With mutant oppression aside, I do think it’s an interesting world building concept to explore a superpowered group of humans oppressing normal humans and how that would look (and tbh more realistic than the vice versa version that is canon in Marvel). HoM at least understands that this oppression wouldn’t have a one-to-one allegory for any real world oppression and we see some interesting tidbits, such as how people will actively expose themselves to radiation while pregnant in the hopes their child will be a mutant.
I also must admit, the ending is iconic.
Spoiler
The moment after Wanda says “no more mutants” is such a visceral scene. Seeing as the X-Men all wake up and find most of them without their familiar powers and the horror as what has happened dawns upon them. It’s essentially a genocide, but without killing anyone.Now I know I’ve said Wanda is one of, if not my favorite Marvel character. And this must look pretty bad. To which I say: why can there be Kylo Ren stans when that guy killed literally trillions of people and is literally a fascist but when someone stans a problematic female character all of a sudden it’s a problem? Especially considering the fact that Wanda has understandable reasons for why she does this (daddy issues)? I find her doing something blatantly evil to make her more interesting as a character. Not only that, but come on this all happened in like 2006, she’s moved on and has worked to redeem herself. Including undoing the whole “no mutants thing.”
I also find Wanda’s motive in this to be interesting, as in a sense the whole HoM scenario is everyone fucking around and finding out. They decide to fuck with the Scarlet Witch, and so the Scarlet Witch fucks with them. You just know Wanda Maximoff is bopping to Karma by Taylor Swift.
And finally, the art style is your typical early 2000s comic book art style. Simultaneously realistic but also stylized in small anatomically incorrect details. The women are mostly hypersexualized, especially Storm and Emma Frost (though admittedly that is part of Emma Frost’s schitck). Shoutout to the panels where Wolverine jumps off a helicarrier and his shirt flies up and the one where Colossus is on his farm and the panel is mostly of his chest making me initially think he was naked, saved by the small bit of pants on the bottom of the panel. I am not above admitting that I have looked at men with lust in my days.
So there, my long postponed review for House of M. I’ve been procrastinating because I’ve had all these thoughts and they’ve been a hassle to organize, feeling more like an essay than a review. And I’ve had more important things to do as I’m a college student and working on my own novels. But I’ve ranted to a few friends and family a few times since reading this about my thoughts on HoM. It is certainly the most comic ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Grief
Moderate: Violence
More...