Want To Do A Bit Of Time Murder?: Reviewing ‘Rise Of The Powers Of X’ #2

Time has almost run out for Marvel’s merry mutants and the Krakoa era, in both the figurative and literal sense. A handful of desperate parties has hatched a plan that could alter everything, or cost them what little they have left.

Rise of The Powers of X #2 packs a powerful punch as Kieron Gillen, R.B. Silva, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles pull out stops to continue Krakoa’s concluding chapter.

Hold on, I’m still processing a lot of what I just read.

Rise of The Powers of X and Fall of The House of X are further apart on every conceivable level than almost any comics that have ever been billed as a compatible duo. Take the branding and titles and other bits off, hand it to someone outside of the comic circle, and see if they believe that these are supposed to be two halves of the same whole. Even glimpses of shared moments look and feel so completely different.

Despite their differences, it was clear in 2019 that House of X and Powers of X were indeed two halves of the same whole. Enough intertwined through the two titles from the start that by the time they actually fully crossed over it was more a welcome conclusion than a surprise.

Gillen is going full-on here, pulling at every strange fiber that has come up within the Krakoa era but outside of it as well. Dominions, No-places outside of time & space, Sinister machinations, would-you-kill-baby Hitler-esque discussions, time spider Sentinels, and more. A real sci-fi wrapped in superhero smorgasbord thing going on here.

There are a lot of concepts here, some of them easy and built up over time. Others are newer and would be great if they had more room than a conclusion five-issue mini in which to breathe. Either way, Gillen makes them work and delivers a fully superhero-like title that plays outside the bounds of printed reality.

Curious what the eventual swerve will be since the fact that they are so adamant that they will erase the Krakoa timeline feels like a red herring. Sure, Marvel can and has wiped out whole runs, no matter the effect on the whole line, but this feels too openly stated for their usual. Meant to distract us from the real trick that is going to be pulled off.

Silva and Curiel are knocking it out of the park, as usual. All these fantastic elements are delivered with stunning artwork, pulling at those same beats we fell in love with back in the original Powers of X series. Things are big, bold, detailed, and powerful. Each emotional beat hits and things feel epic. Essentially, it very much feels like the concluding chapter to what Silva helped kick off almost five years ago. Naturally, Silva has evolved, fittingly for this line, since then and it’s so apparent on the page.

The amount of times my jaw dropped with a wow, uncountable.

One of the great beats centers on Doug Ramsey/Cypher, or who we assumed to be Cypher. When we learn what secret this person is hiding, there is an instant visual shift in their demeanor, facial expressions, and presence. Then once they shift back into hiding, the change is instantaneous again. Despite knowing who/what they truly are, the dissonance is palpable.

Curiel’s colors are vivid and vibrant, really selling each moment. Darker tones, chiefly shadows, fill in the gaps and bring a heavier-weighted aspect to everything. Everything has a colorful unique presence, without feeling too overboard. We’re in spaces that have lush Krakoa greens and browns also full of bright yellows, oranges, and more. None of it is too much, finding a way to blend just right.

Regular conversations, omnipotent captions, and psychic conferences fill the pages. All of the various systems of word delivery have their own spice and punch to them. Cowles adds all the right visual flairs, letting the words do their own talking alongside the rest of the artwork. Bubbles and boxes oozing with so many emotions, adding to the tense feeling ever present in every fiber of this issue.

Rise of the Powers of X #2 is now available from Marvel Comics.