X-Men fans can get their first look at the two titles that will bring the franchise's Krakoan era to a climactic end. 2019 saw the X-Men's world changed forever when writer Jonathan Hickman teamed with artists Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva for House of X and Powers of X, respectively. Since then, fans have witnessed mutants form a sovereign nation-state on the island Krakoa, attacks from the anti-mutant organization Orchis, betrayal from one of Krakoa's founders Moira MacTaggert, and a future where the dream died under the might of Sentinels, Nimrod, and post-humanity. This unmatched four years of storytelling will conclude in Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, and Marvel has released the first set of pages from each comic.
Fall of the House of X is by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Lucas Werneck, with Rise of the Powers of X by writer Kieron Gillen and artist R.B. Silva. The stories will be told in the present day and future, with two separate teams of X-Men in a war across time. "Fall of the House of X #1 will follow a team of Xavier's most dedicated students—Shadowkat, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Gambit—as they seek to crush Orchis, the group of villains that brought down Krakoa," a description from Marvel reads. "Set 10 years into a dark future, Rise of the Powers of X #1 will introduce a new team of X-Men—Shadowtiger, Iron Man, Synch, Captain Krakoa, and Wolverine— who are ready to make a bold sacrifice to prevent an even more tragic fate for mutantkind. Epic in scale with stakes beyond measure, both missions are vital in the struggle not just for mutant survival but for all existence!"
Preview pages feature both teams fighting Nimrod and Omega Sentinel, Cyclops' dramatic trial, Professor X calling for help from Krakoa, Emma Frost's last stand, and Moira MacTaggert mapping out her endgame. "I'm trying to not let the responsibility of it get to me – the Krakoan age, above anything else, is a story," Gillen said about penning Krakoa's final chapter. "Stories are about their structure – the potential of the opening, the developing richness of the middle and (relevantly) the elegance and/or sledgehammer to the face of the denouement. I only got into comics to do good work. I need this to be good, and I think it is."
Fall of the House of X #1 goes on sale January 3, 2024, followed by Rise of the Powers of X #1 on January 10, 2024. The preview pages and covers can be found below.
