The Comic Review

House of M starts interesting, but can it collect?

This past week, House of M #1 came out, and while it started with an interesting premise, it also fell into the usual Bendis trap. Lots of talking heads, no action. But here, his characters (at least Magneto) come alive.

But this issue is all set up for the actual House of M. Here, it is the Avengers, old and new, and the Astonishing X-Men deciding whether to kill Scarlet Witch or not. The art is fantastic, and the best part of the issue. But even the writing is a step up from the majority of Bendis work. Still, not much happens until the end, when the changes into the House of M actually take place. It’s an interesting set up, but as a hook to get people reading, only the last page, and their love of Spider-Man might be able to do that. It’s very possible to make this very good, but right now it’s just kind of there.

The one good scene is with Magneto and his children. Magneto must decide whether to let them kill his daughter, as Quicksilver tries to convince him not to. Bendis makes Magneto a human, rather than the evil villain many writers might have written him as. Here, he wants to be a good man, and realizes all of his mistakes, and how that has affected his children. He wants to help Wanda, but realizes that the best way to help her may be to let her die. He is conflicted, and the art is stunning in this sequence.

Overall, this issue is an interesting set up, but nothing exciting or important. It might have been better to jump right into the House of M story, and then flash back to the events that led there.