Writers Jeff Lemire and Charles Soule and artist Javier Garron pick up the pace as the war between mutants and the Inhumans approaches its conclusion in Inhumans Vs. X-Men #5, the penultimate issue in this event series.
Inhumans Vs. X-Men #5 (Marvel Comics)
“Finally,” Fantomex says to Karnak on the first page of IVX #5. “I must admit that at first I enjoyed watching Jean toy with your mind, Karnak. But it was starting to become a bit of a yawn.”
It’s as if Lemire and Soule took notes while reading my review of IVX #4, which left me incredibly underwhelmed. This series started off on such a strong note and, in my opinion, dropped in quality from one issue to the next. Fortunately, the plot’s moving again – hopefully toward a great conclusion to what ideally should be a pretty epic event.
Karnak is free of Jean’s mental restraints in The World, Gorgon is battling Colossus in X-Haven, Medusa is dead set on setting Black Bolt free and Ms. Marvel’s team of Inhumans is finally seeing things the X-Men’s way. Those are just a few of the plots in IVX #5 – See, far from boring!
Part of what makes this issue work is the shifting alliances. You see not just Forge, but young Cyclops, working alongside Inhumans. The latter being so much fun, considering his older – and deceased – counterpart is pretty much every Inhuman’s least-favorite person of all time. But let’s not forget that young Cyclops now knows that Emma Frost, not the elder Scott Summers, was responsible for destroying the first Terrigen Cloud. I’m very much looking forward to the two characters’ confrontation.
This issue also answers a big question readers of Death of X have surely had throughout IVX. This could be considered SPOILERS, so stop reading now if you don’t want to hear about…
…Havok! Yes, Lemire and Soule finally explain just where the heck Havok has been since we last saw him speaking to Emma at the end of Death of X #4. Turns out he was tasked with the very important job of guarding the captive Black Bolt.
But, man, what has Marvel done to Havok? Am I the only one who was excited with the direction his character was taking post-AVX, at the beginning of Uncanny Avengers? Since then, he’s been inverted in AXIS and horrifically scarred. And now, apparently he has a man bun. Yes, Havok has become hipster Two-Face.
Despite Havok’s questionable new design, Garron turns in consistent pencils throughout the issue. But his style is a bit too animated for the overall story, in my opinion. I just feel something so dire as the impending extinction of an entire race deserves a heavier style.
Also dire, Havok’s man bun. The X-Men should just put him in front of the Terrigen Cloud. It’ll dissipate in horror!
Anyway, I’m optimistic for IVX #6. Maybe it’s that Leinil Francis Yu returns to handle the art, but more likely, it’s that we can finally put this unnecessarily dramatic chapter of X-Men history behind us.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.