Inhumans vs. X-Men #6
Writers:
Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule
Artist(s):
Leinil Francis Yu (penciller and inker), Gerry Alanguilan (inker)
Colorist:
David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover: Leinil Francis Yu & David Curiel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A review by Nico Sprezzatura.
I’ll be honest with you: I’m not against The Inhumans. I don’t see them as a threat to the X-Men’s existence, and I think the conspiracy theories that claim Marvel is trying to subdue their publishing presence in favor of the Inhumans are annoying. I can’t say I blame people for being paranoid about their beloved mutants, but comics fandom has a tendency of being… I don’t know, hyperbolic.
So naturally, the announcement of Inhumans vs. X-Men a few months ago wasn’t exactly met with widespread excitement. To understand the full scope of this event, you need to go back to 2013’s Infinity, which planted the seeds for a years-long story that Inhumans vs. X-Men #6 effectively wraps up.
In short: Terrigen Mist (the stuff that gives the Inhumans their powers) was unleashed upon Earth, thusly awakening a world full of latent Inhumans. You know Kamala Khan, the all-new Ms. Marvel? That’s her origin. This event prompts the Inhumans to relocate to New York City, in order to discover and foster the latest members of their alien race.
But on the flipside, these Terrigen Storms passing through Earth were revealed to have a deadly effect on mutants — the so-called “M-Pox,” which proves fatal upon exposure. Beloved characters Multiple Man and Cyclops are just two mutants who lost their lives to the M-Pox, and Inhumans vs. X-Men #6 sees the X-Men in the final stage of their attempts to prevent mutantkind from possible extinction.
Having read just about every component leading up to this story —which includes most X-Men and Inhuman titles published since 2013— I’ll admit I found Inhumans vs. X-Men #6 a little anticlimactic. Without spoiling anything, the conflict’s resolution comes down to a simple misunderstanding that could’ve been settled earlier with a civil discussion, which makes the climax and falling action something of a disappointment.
It’s also highly dependent on last year’s Death of X limited series, which may affect your perception of how this story ends. Writers Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire catch you up to speed adequately, but if you didn’t know the circumstances around Cyclops’ death, you might be a little confused.
That said, there are good moments to be seen here, and the art team listed above delivers some pretty solid work that sells the bombastic theatrics of Inhumans vs. X-Men #6. I particularly like the way they render Medusa, with her vine-like hair being used to maximum capacity here. I also like their Emma Frost, specifically in her diamond form.
With Inhumans vs. X-Men finished, we’re moving onto new status quos for both the Inhumans and X-Men with April’s ResurrXion soft relaunch, and X-Men fans should be pleased to know that mutants are finally out of the red, while the Inhumans royals are being sent off back into space. Knowing a rough outcome of this story months in advance makes Inhumans vs. X-Men #6 easier to swallow, but if you were just desperate for this entire narrative to end, then here you go.
The Verdict
If you haven’t been onboard with the Inhumans vs. X-Men story up to this point, then Inhumans vs. X-Men #6 should be an easy skip for you. It won’t win you over in its final moments, and if you’re solely invested in what happens to the X-Men, you’re better off just waiting till their ResurrXion titles start coming out next month. On the flip side, if you have been enjoying this story, I’d say you may as well buy it to see how the chips fall.
