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So, I'm going through my Marvel comics and pulling out all the stupid Entertainment Weekly ads. After filling up my garbage can with the useless demise of trees that those ads were, I thought to myself, "Gee, I sure hope I didn't throw away the interesting part of the comics." For the most part I didn't, but when it comes to the House of M I'm still not really that sure.
I've just finished reading issue #4, and while the series isn't horrible I already want it wrapped up. Why? Because the stuff that happens in between the beginning and the ending of the series isn't what matters, it's just the end. Using Identity Crisis as an example of the opposite I'll tell you what I mean. The events of Identity Crisis occurred in the "real" DC Universe, so the revelations that took place during the duration of the title carried more weight with me. I just don't have that kind of confidence in House of M. At the end if someone is dead, or revived, that's really all that matters because it -seems- as though what is happening is happening in an altered reality. So, the "how" may be useless because it isn't (or will not be) "real" once reality shifts back to normal.
I must also say that besides the lack of impact I'm getting from the series as I read it, once again I am less than impressed with Brian Michael Bendis' writing. I'll skip beating the dead horse that is in my mind the Avengers: Disassembled fiasco (but hey, after House of M maybe that horse will come to life again) and be specific to House of M, and I'll do my best to avoid major spoilers.
First, lets begin with . . . well . . . the beginning. In the first issue there is a discussion between the X-Men (the cast from Astonishing to be specific) and some members of the Avengers (current and past) regarding the fate of the Scarlet Witch (what they should do about her to be specific). During the discussion Captain America stated that he wouldn't even think about killing her. My first thought was, "Oh great, welcome back idealistic Captain America. Willing to let the whole world get screwed over because one of his 'friends' is the one causing the problems." I thought Captain America had moved beyond this point, I thought he was finally a "soldier" again. You know someone who may not like having to make the tough decisions but is willing to do so for the sake of his country, others, or that little thing called "the world." Now, I'm not saying he should have been on board with the idea without conscience, but I do think he should have at least been willing to say that it would only be done as a last resort. You see, right here Bendis is creating an inconsistency in his handling of Captain America between New Avengers and House of M. Sorry, but that doesn't give me a lot of faith in his ability to do great things, but let's get back to my gripes about this title.
Second, I've been able to put aside major characterization issues starting with issue #2 because we are dealing with what appears to be an altered reality. However, again Bendis' writing just seems . . . off. An example is how he handles Hank McCoy (a.k.a. the Beast). While Bendis does keep him an intellectual scientist, it looks like perhaps he's taken away some of his "general" smarts. That or Bendis has done a really good job of insulting the intelligence of the average reader. In issue #2 Hank says, "It's like trying to isolate the one thing that makes black people black, or Filipino people . . . " Now, I will admit I'm probably reading WAY too much into the statement but even Bendis (who is arguing through Hank that there is not one thing that makes people who they are genetically) has to know that what makes Filipino people Filipino is COMING FROM THE PHILIPPINES! It's not rocket science. He was smart enough to not categorize "black people" to "African American" because he knows people with those characteristics exist in places throughout the world, but he couldn't apply that logic to individuals who have characteristics that others might tend to think about as being indigenous to the Philipines? Sorry, it's just odd to me, and as I said before even a bit insulting on an intellectual level. Its things like this (general talking and actions) that make me wonder how much Bendis had invested in this project as a writer.
Finally, we have issues #3 and #4. Issue #3 was pretty solid up until the end and the "revelation" of a dead character being alive. Wow, a dead character alive in an alternate universe. Wow . . . I mean . . . wow, how original (please imagine that statement being said as blandly as possible to get the full effect). Personally I think brining this "revelation" out in the middle of the issue would have worked better because it really didn't have any impact since, as I've said, it's an alternate reality and only what exists after things are fixed counts. Issue #4 is another decent issue until Wolverine's theory about what is going on. The problem with his theory (and a self-destruct of this series if it's correct) is that it just wouldn't work. If you haven't read the issue I won't give it away. All I can say is that if theory is correct there wouldn't be any cohesion to the world, even if the theory is confined to the lead characters of the series it would just be chaos (but not chaos magic . . . because that doesn't exist).
Now, after all of this I can say that I will be finishing out the series. I believe it's only fair. I have complaints and theories, but there are still four more issues during which Bendis could take the story in a direction where I find myself eating crow, and I don't mind doing so because then I'll be genuinely impressed. For those of you who aren't reading House of M, I would only recommend getting the title if you're REALLY into getting limited series (I am one of those people . . . when I think there is potential for the idea). As I've said before, only the fallout is what will matter if this really is a case of altered reality. If it's affecting a title you read just tough it out and wait for things to get back to "normal."
After this series and a few others I'm reading (also limited) are done I'll probably be back to give you a breakdown of what was worth it and what wasn't. Then I'll let you know if I think you should pick up a trade, borrow some issues, or just be glad you saved your money. Until then I'll keep my inquisitive "Ummmmm" going with this series and see what happens.
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