X-Men #207
THE GREATEST COMICS OF THE 21st CENTURY
By WALT STILES
X-Men 207 Chapter 13 in the Messiah CompleX is a definitive story of the X-Men in the 21st century. Almost extinct as mutants the X-Men have their future in the birth of a baby. On M-Day Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch used her reality-warping mutant powers to obliterate the X-gene that distinguishes mutants from humans. At that moment nearly all mutants lost their powers. Once a race of millions they now number a few hundred. There have been no new mutant manifestations since M-Day. Their future of mutants looks dim till the birth of a baby the first mutant child born. This issue is the end of a 13 chapter story titled the Messiah CompleX.
The “Messiah CompleX” storyline is the climax of events set into motion in “House of M” and defined the direction of the X-Men franchise for the next several years. X-Men #207 is important because it signifies the end of the dream of Professor Charles Xavier school of mutants and the creation of the X-Men to one of survival as a race of mutant-kind. Marvel uses this series as the first chapter of a three-part saga, which is continued in Messiah War released in 2009 and culminates in The Second Coming, a crossover between all X-Men titles in early 2010.
It is well written Ed Brubaker, Mike Carey, Peter David, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost contribute in the story and will be understood as a classic in the future there is no doubt. Chris Bachalo art in X-Men #207 are superb and add emotion to a great finale story. His facial expressions really add to the story.
X-Men #207 set the table for the future of the X-Men in the Marvel Universe for some time. It is a pivotal issue and very important to the continuity of X-Titles. You knew that Marvel would not let a thing like M-Day keep the X-Men from coming back as a very popular title again. Sales have improved greatly and remained very strong.
Mutant lover or not you have to give Marvel their due with an excellent story and direction for the X-gene people of comics.
Did you know…
The Scarlet Witch debuted, together with her brother, Quicksilver, as a part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Men #4 (March 1964). After several brief appearances as a villain in issues #5 (May 1964); #6 (July 1964); #7 (Sept. 1964); & #11 (May 1965), Wanda and her brother were added to the cast of the superhero team the Avengers in Avengers #16 (May 1965). The Scarlet Witch was a semi-regular member of the team until issue #49 (Feb. 1968), and then returned in issue #75 (April 1970) and was a perennial member until Avengers #503 (Dec. 2004), the final issue of the first volume.
The Scarlet Witch also starred in two limited series with husband and fellow Avenger the Vision: Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1 – 4 (Nov. 1982 – Feb. 1983), by writer Bill Mantlo and penciler Rick Leonardi, and a second volume of the same title numbered #1 – 12 (Oct. 1985 – Sept. 1986), written by Steve Englehart and penciled by Richard Howell. The character was also played a pivotal role in the Avengers Disassembled storyline and related limited series House of M and Son of M.
Don Markstein also asserted that the character was unlike another, and stated that “…The Scarlet Witch is unique among superheroes, and not just because she’s the only one who wears a wimple. Her superpower is unlike any other — she can alter probability so as to cause mishaps for her foes. In other words, she “hexes” them.