If there wasn't already enough pressure on the shoulders of incoming X-Men writer Jonathan Hickman, Marvel Comics' Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada claims the upcoming House of X "will change everything in the MU."Quesada posted his first impressions of Hickman and artist Pepe Larraz's House of X #1 on Twitter, saying, "I just read House of X #1 before it headed out to the printer today and it's hands down the most revolutionary take on the world of mutants since Grant Morrison's run. I'm still trying to process how incredible this book is and how it will change everything in the MU."In a follow-up tweet, Quesada praised the art by Larraz and colorist Marte Gracia, calling Larraz "comic's next big superstar" and Gracia's colors "breathtaking," before taking a good-natured poke at Hickman, who he has yet to collaborate with.
Even with all the hype surrounding House of X and its sister series, Powers of X, the odds of both miniseries surpassing expectations are pretty high. Hickman's run on Fantastic Four, Avengers/New Avengers and the event series Secret Wars are some of the most highly-regarded stories in Marvel's recent history.
There was a time when the X-Men franchise ruled at the top of Marvel's sales charts in the '90s, but it has since been surpassed in the public eye by the likes of the Avengers and Spider-Man. However, Marvel has marketed Hickman's X-Men venture as one of the seminal moments in the franchise's history, alongside Giant-Size X-Men #1, 1991’s X-Men #1, Age of Apocalypse and New X-Men, meaning the publisher expects big things out of House of X and Powers of X when they debut later this month.
And speaking of making major claims, Marvel teased that either House of X or Powers of X (or perhaps both) contains the most important scene in the history of the X-Men, revealing an image of Charles Xavier and a woman who is possibly Moira MacTaggert. While there was no dialogue to go with the artwork, it's just another example of what fans have to look forward to.
House of X #1 goes on sale July 24, followed by Powers of X #1 on sale July 31.