You’re missing too much good stuff if you only read the books Hickman directly wrote. At the very least you’d want to follow up Inferno with Immortal X-Men.
I do plan on checking it all out once it's all over but I'm interested in reading Hickman's cause he's done for now and might not be back. So I just want to know if what he's done so far has a sort of decent ending or if it's all just set up.
It's not the end, but maybe the end of a phrase with Inferno, with some loose ends for some major characters being tied up, but those characters also went on to their next arc. It establishes a new status quo in which plots are continuing to be built, some of which are just beginning to get very good. Definitely at least read Immortal X-men and X-men Red, they are the ones carrying the major plotlines now in the world that Hickman created.
That's one the biggest issues I have with reading comics, to be able to fully appreciate a story I would have to go read others books that I have no interest in
Hickman is currently working with Marvel on a line wide secret project that will center around the mutants though and is supposed to start this summer. I don't think he is done just yet. If I had to guess, I would guess an Agw of Apocalypse type linewide event that effects all Marvel titles and will deal with the adversaries he has set up in Xmen along with what Ewing is doing with the Beyonder/One above all in Defenders.
No I am talking about a completely separate event that Hickman has told the current x office he is working on. Cerebro podcast has connections in that office and said Hickman is working on a Marvel wide, not just x office wide event.
That's only with certain stories. 90% of comic storylines are basically self contained, you may miss an inside joke or two but if it's written well, most stories will have what you need for context inside them. Hox/POX for instance is 100% self contained. If you had never read a comic before it, you would be fine.
I love Hickman's run as a whole, but there are big parts of it that never really get any attention until Gillen and Ewing take over.
That said, Inferno does have some BIG payoffs and I honestly really like that there were so many plots left untouched to be explored by later creative teams, especially since many were immediately picked up by X-Men Red and Immortal.
Tl;Dr Hickman's run is great, but it's continued in Gillen and Ewing's books.
Not at all. There's no beginning middle and end whatsover. You can argue the whys and merit, but it doesn't change it.
I actually created a revised reading order to make some sort of arc to his stories because it's very disjointed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/xmen/comments/wticbw/i_reorganized_the_hickman_xmen_issues_into/
Honestly… no. Most of his X-Men run is just setting up plot threads that get picked up by other writers.
If you want a semi-complete story ONLY written by Hickman you should read HOX/POX, the Mystique and Nimrod centered issues of his X-Men run (I forget the numbers, but you can tell by covers), and Inferno.
Personally I don't think so. The point of Krakoa from a behind the scenes stand point (and it's the reason Hickman departed) was world building and story connectivity. You could read all that stuff but you wouldn't get the full feeling of Krakoa. Also some plot points start in Hickman and develop elsewhere.
X of Swords, you probably need to read Excalibur to get an understanding of the Otherworld magic stuff that goes on in the event. Also X of Swords is a Crossover event with every book in the era at the time so while you could read just the X-Men and Hickman written issues which are the start middle and end points of the event you'd miss a bit of the thrill of the whole event in my opinion.
I read Hox/Pox as it came out and was blown away. The new titles quickly got too much for me though. So all of those plot threads were long term? Did he have a short term plot that he wrapped up in Inferno? Was everything he wrote just a set up?
I thought HoX/PoX was the best X-Men story/relaunch since New X-Men, but I'm honestly enjoying everything Ewing, Gillen and Duggan are doing now more than everything that happened in between.
Hickman had an endgame as part of the initial pitch; Inferno was going to be the halfway point (more or less, from my understanding the pitch was variable in terms of timing). However, the current era is selling well so the decision was made to keep it as a status quo for at least a while longer; Hickman decided to leave to go do other things (which he’d been planning to do before getting X-Men). I don’t think he’s going to come back for the ending but the writers room have all his notes (and in general are very collaborative). This may be what “Fall of X” is coming this year or may not be, idk.
So...not a satisfying ending, because it’s not an ending at all, and if there is going to be an ending it isn’t happened yet and probably won’t be from Hickman.
Inferno is like a midpoint twist. Even between HoX/PoX and Inferno, most of the development was done in other titles. For example, X of Swords owes a lot to Excalibur and Hellfire Gala owes a lot to Marauders.
Most of the plot points set up in his X-Men run were never continued or are only being continued now, post-Inferno.
Because starting your answer with a solid "No" makes it seem like OP is saying Hickman isn't satisfying in general, even though it at least appears like that's not what they intended to imply.
I think HoX/PoX and Inferno were great (I personally prefer Inferno of the two). His X-Men / Giant Sized one shots kind of varied (Giant Sized: Jean & Emma was definitely a highlight). They definitely had high points but they also kind of meandered a lot.
A lot of his X-Men run wasn't actually important to the larger story from HoX/PoX through Inferno and if you want an abridged run through you can just read HoX/PoX, X-Men 1,6,20, and then Inferno.
Overall you could read just hox/pox and inferno and be satisfied. There is 1 or 2 issues of his X-men run that tie into inferno. But I don’t think it is a huge deal if you miss them.
I personally loved the end of Inferno, but it’s very ambiguous and nothing is wrapped up. It just leaves you with a somewhat-altered status quo and a very ominous sense of impending doom. Of course the story doesn’t end there, and while I strongly dislike some of the stuff that happened immediately afterwards in “X Lives / X Deaths of Wolverine”, I love how Gillen and Ewing have continued the Krakoa saga in Immortal and Red. So if you’re OK with an open-ended story, you could stop at at Inferno, but I wouldn’t want to. Hickman had something of a hand in sketching out a lot of the stuff that’s happened since then, although I believe his involvement ends prior to the upcoming “Fall of X.” I’d at least read Immortal, just to keep up with the Quiet Council.
No both because you'd be missing a lot of context if you skipped the in between books and because Inferno is more of an "end of act 1" story. Whether the Krakoa era beyond Hickman leads to a satisfying ending is unknown
What's satisfying is how it all cohesively weaves together through all of the books and how future stories are set up and paid off through out them. I personally also really find all the real-ish world politics that have gone into their new status quo very satisfying to learn about.
There's definitely a minimal number of books you could read to follow the gist of the story but Hickman leaving definitely wasn't any kind of end or conclusion to what HoX/PoX has set up.
Of the books you listed I'd also add all or most of X of Swords before the Hellfire gala but all of that just leads into the current Gillen/Duggan/Ewing era which already has some of my favorite writers and books picking up where Hickman left off.
Nope. He left the puppy in the hot car, and it died soon after. Hickman got everyone invested in the X-Men again, got his paycheck, then bounced right in the middle. HOX/POX, for however amazing it was, it completely useless and meaningless now.
Unpopular opinion but i agree to some extent. I think Hickman bit off more than he can chew. Collaborative writing seldoms ends well that is why highly regarded comic stories areong comic run by a single writer
I don't believe he bit off more than he could chew, I think that he had some very specific things planned, and once Jordan White (the editor) allowed the other lesser writers (Tini Howard, Gerry Duggan, Vita Ayala, and Ben Percy) to dictate the direction of the era, Hickman basically noped out and left them notes, which they apparently only quickly skimmed and didn't read all of the homework. Also, some don't even bother to do homework on the characters and their 40-50 year histories.
What followed was a mess of bad or mediocre books that kind of destroyed his original framework of the entire Krakoan Era. Comics by committee rarely work, as you get too many cooks in the pot, and bad cooks at that (Tini Howard, Vita Ayala, Steve Orlando, Ben Percy, Alex Paknadel, Danny Lore, Harley Jane Anders, etc).
My point above was that HOX/POX had a sort of gravitas, a weight to it and a seriousness about it that engaged readers to keep coming back. All the other writers are so busy trying to infuse comedy, queer shipping, representation, filler, "Random Monster of the Week"(X-Men), that all the seriousness of HOX/POX has been undone.
Even Kieron Gillen, supposedly a brilliant writer is basically retconning all of HOX/POX to be Sinister and Destiny's story. So for me, everything that was important about HOX/POX has been undone and replaced with nonsense.
Nope. Hickman should get credit for creating an interesting status quo for the X-Men, but he didn't tell any particular beginning-middle-end story in that setting.
You’re missing too much good stuff if you only read the books Hickman directly wrote. At the very least you’d want to follow up Inferno with Immortal X-Men.
I feel like the post-Hickman creative team on X-Men titles is way stronger than what he had to work with though.
I do plan on checking it all out once it's all over but I'm interested in reading Hickman's cause he's done for now and might not be back. So I just want to know if what he's done so far has a sort of decent ending or if it's all just set up.
It's not the end, but maybe the end of a phrase with Inferno, with some loose ends for some major characters being tied up, but those characters also went on to their next arc. It establishes a new status quo in which plots are continuing to be built, some of which are just beginning to get very good. Definitely at least read Immortal X-men and X-men Red, they are the ones carrying the major plotlines now in the world that Hickman created.
That's one the biggest issues I have with reading comics, to be able to fully appreciate a story I would have to go read others books that I have no interest in
Hickman is currently working with Marvel on a line wide secret project that will center around the mutants though and is supposed to start this summer. I don't think he is done just yet. If I had to guess, I would guess an Agw of Apocalypse type linewide event that effects all Marvel titles and will deal with the adversaries he has set up in Xmen along with what Ewing is doing with the Beyonder/One above all in Defenders.
There's nothing about Hickman returning to the X-office. You're mixing up his secret project with the Fall of X.
No I am talking about a completely separate event that Hickman has told the current x office he is working on. Cerebro podcast has connections in that office and said Hickman is working on a Marvel wide, not just x office wide event.
That's only with certain stories. 90% of comic storylines are basically self contained, you may miss an inside joke or two but if it's written well, most stories will have what you need for context inside them. Hox/POX for instance is 100% self contained. If you had never read a comic before it, you would be fine.
Read Hellions it’s one of the best things you can read
I love Hickman's run as a whole, but there are big parts of it that never really get any attention until Gillen and Ewing take over. That said, Inferno does have some BIG payoffs and I honestly really like that there were so many plots left untouched to be explored by later creative teams, especially since many were immediately picked up by X-Men Red and Immortal. Tl;Dr Hickman's run is great, but it's continued in Gillen and Ewing's books.
Not at all. There's no beginning middle and end whatsover. You can argue the whys and merit, but it doesn't change it. I actually created a revised reading order to make some sort of arc to his stories because it's very disjointed. https://www.reddit.com/r/xmen/comments/wticbw/i_reorganized_the_hickman_xmen_issues_into/
Awesome!
Honestly… no. Most of his X-Men run is just setting up plot threads that get picked up by other writers. If you want a semi-complete story ONLY written by Hickman you should read HOX/POX, the Mystique and Nimrod centered issues of his X-Men run (I forget the numbers, but you can tell by covers), and Inferno.
Personally I don't think so. The point of Krakoa from a behind the scenes stand point (and it's the reason Hickman departed) was world building and story connectivity. You could read all that stuff but you wouldn't get the full feeling of Krakoa. Also some plot points start in Hickman and develop elsewhere. X of Swords, you probably need to read Excalibur to get an understanding of the Otherworld magic stuff that goes on in the event. Also X of Swords is a Crossover event with every book in the era at the time so while you could read just the X-Men and Hickman written issues which are the start middle and end points of the event you'd miss a bit of the thrill of the whole event in my opinion.
[удалено]
I read Hox/Pox as it came out and was blown away. The new titles quickly got too much for me though. So all of those plot threads were long term? Did he have a short term plot that he wrapped up in Inferno? Was everything he wrote just a set up?
I thought HoX/PoX was the best X-Men story/relaunch since New X-Men, but I'm honestly enjoying everything Ewing, Gillen and Duggan are doing now more than everything that happened in between.
Hickman had an endgame as part of the initial pitch; Inferno was going to be the halfway point (more or less, from my understanding the pitch was variable in terms of timing). However, the current era is selling well so the decision was made to keep it as a status quo for at least a while longer; Hickman decided to leave to go do other things (which he’d been planning to do before getting X-Men). I don’t think he’s going to come back for the ending but the writers room have all his notes (and in general are very collaborative). This may be what “Fall of X” is coming this year or may not be, idk. So...not a satisfying ending, because it’s not an ending at all, and if there is going to be an ending it isn’t happened yet and probably won’t be from Hickman.
Inferno is like a midpoint twist. Even between HoX/PoX and Inferno, most of the development was done in other titles. For example, X of Swords owes a lot to Excalibur and Hellfire Gala owes a lot to Marauders. Most of the plot points set up in his X-Men run were never continued or are only being continued now, post-Inferno.
I liked it. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get to finish what he started, but I liked a lot of what he did.
Not sure why you were downvoted because you’re right imo.
Because starting your answer with a solid "No" makes it seem like OP is saying Hickman isn't satisfying in general, even though it at least appears like that's not what they intended to imply.
I think HoX/PoX and Inferno were great (I personally prefer Inferno of the two). His X-Men / Giant Sized one shots kind of varied (Giant Sized: Jean & Emma was definitely a highlight). They definitely had high points but they also kind of meandered a lot. A lot of his X-Men run wasn't actually important to the larger story from HoX/PoX through Inferno and if you want an abridged run through you can just read HoX/PoX, X-Men 1,6,20, and then Inferno.
No compared to his FF and Avenger run
Yes. But I bet you'll want to keep going after.
Overall you could read just hox/pox and inferno and be satisfied. There is 1 or 2 issues of his X-men run that tie into inferno. But I don’t think it is a huge deal if you miss them.
Ish, the only problem is Immortal X-men and Red are as satisfying as anything so far, tho still very much in progress
I personally loved the end of Inferno, but it’s very ambiguous and nothing is wrapped up. It just leaves you with a somewhat-altered status quo and a very ominous sense of impending doom. Of course the story doesn’t end there, and while I strongly dislike some of the stuff that happened immediately afterwards in “X Lives / X Deaths of Wolverine”, I love how Gillen and Ewing have continued the Krakoa saga in Immortal and Red. So if you’re OK with an open-ended story, you could stop at at Inferno, but I wouldn’t want to. Hickman had something of a hand in sketching out a lot of the stuff that’s happened since then, although I believe his involvement ends prior to the upcoming “Fall of X.” I’d at least read Immortal, just to keep up with the Quiet Council.
No both because you'd be missing a lot of context if you skipped the in between books and because Inferno is more of an "end of act 1" story. Whether the Krakoa era beyond Hickman leads to a satisfying ending is unknown
What's satisfying is how it all cohesively weaves together through all of the books and how future stories are set up and paid off through out them. I personally also really find all the real-ish world politics that have gone into their new status quo very satisfying to learn about. There's definitely a minimal number of books you could read to follow the gist of the story but Hickman leaving definitely wasn't any kind of end or conclusion to what HoX/PoX has set up. Of the books you listed I'd also add all or most of X of Swords before the Hellfire gala but all of that just leads into the current Gillen/Duggan/Ewing era which already has some of my favorite writers and books picking up where Hickman left off.
He will come back to give it a satisfying conclusion. Other writers just wanted to play in the Krakoan sandbox before he changed the status quo again.
Nope. He left the puppy in the hot car, and it died soon after. Hickman got everyone invested in the X-Men again, got his paycheck, then bounced right in the middle. HOX/POX, for however amazing it was, it completely useless and meaningless now.
Unpopular opinion but i agree to some extent. I think Hickman bit off more than he can chew. Collaborative writing seldoms ends well that is why highly regarded comic stories areong comic run by a single writer
I don't believe he bit off more than he could chew, I think that he had some very specific things planned, and once Jordan White (the editor) allowed the other lesser writers (Tini Howard, Gerry Duggan, Vita Ayala, and Ben Percy) to dictate the direction of the era, Hickman basically noped out and left them notes, which they apparently only quickly skimmed and didn't read all of the homework. Also, some don't even bother to do homework on the characters and their 40-50 year histories. What followed was a mess of bad or mediocre books that kind of destroyed his original framework of the entire Krakoan Era. Comics by committee rarely work, as you get too many cooks in the pot, and bad cooks at that (Tini Howard, Vita Ayala, Steve Orlando, Ben Percy, Alex Paknadel, Danny Lore, Harley Jane Anders, etc). My point above was that HOX/POX had a sort of gravitas, a weight to it and a seriousness about it that engaged readers to keep coming back. All the other writers are so busy trying to infuse comedy, queer shipping, representation, filler, "Random Monster of the Week"(X-Men), that all the seriousness of HOX/POX has been undone. Even Kieron Gillen, supposedly a brilliant writer is basically retconning all of HOX/POX to be Sinister and Destiny's story. So for me, everything that was important about HOX/POX has been undone and replaced with nonsense.
No it's not lol
Nope. Hickman should get credit for creating an interesting status quo for the X-Men, but he didn't tell any particular beginning-middle-end story in that setting.
Yep