X-Men #7
The mysteries of Crucible are revealed in X-Men #7, by writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Leinil Yu, colorist Sunny Gho, and letterer Clayton Cowles. There have been a lot of changes since Hickman took over the book, a change in feel to how mutants see the world, and this issue takes a look at the morality behind one of their new traditions.
There won’t be much of a summary right here. This issue deals with a new ritual called Crucible, what it is, how people feel about it. Most of the bulk of the issue is taken up by Cyclops and Nightcrawler discussing what it is, with Nightcrawler looking at it from a Christian standpoint.
There has been a cult like atmosphere to Krakoa, especially the books that Hickman himself has written. For the first time, mutants are creating an entirely new culture and they have something that no one has ever had in the history of the world- the ability to resurrect themselves. This resurrection serves more purpose than just bringing someone back from the dead, though- it can also undo the depowering brought about by Scarlet Witch. This issue looks at the ethics of that whole thing and… well, it’s a doozy.
It’s hard to know how other readers are going to feel about something as philosophically heavy as this issue. The questions this issue brings up are ones that many readers have been asking since the beginning of Hickman’s run and Hickman doesn’t really tell readers how to feel about the whole thing one or another. He’s not here to tell the reader if what the mutants are doing is right or if what they are setting up is even palatable to themselves on a moral level. That’s not his job, either for the reader or the characters therein. His job is just to lay the whole thing out and let everyone decide what they feel about it. This issue gives no easy answers and it even serves to further painting mutantkind and what’s happening with them as creepy- there’s a scene with Exodus instructing children on Crucible and what the Scarlet Witch did to mutants that just smacks of religious indoctrination. Crucible itself is violent and barbaric. However, the end result is presented as hopeful and beautiful and in a way it is. It’s a testament to Hickman’s writing that he can combine these dichotomies so well.
None of it would work nearly as well without Leinil Yu’s art. Yu is doing some of the best work of his long career on this particular stint on X-Men. Everything is lush and detailed. His character work is beautiful and they emote perfectly. There are other artists that could make this story look good, but Yu makes it look excellent.
X-Men #7 is a very heavy philosophical look into what is happening to mutants on Krakoa and it works perfectly. Hickman never tells readers how to feel about the uglier aspects of the whole thing and the characters therein are even conflicted in how they feel about it. It makes the issue and the questions it brings up that much more powerful because there are no easy answers. There are no answers really. Leinil Yu’s art gives the whole thing the gravitas it needs, melding the sacred and the profane of the script expertly. This issue is just next level good. There’s no other way to describe it.
Grade: A+
