New X-Men Vol. 6: Planet X
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Phil Jimenez
A satisfying character study of Magneto that I feel is unfairly criticized by X-Men fans...
Ranking: 4 stars
I've mentioned in several of my previous reviews that Grant Morrison is one of my favorite authors in the comics medium. While many of his works have received criticism for being confusing and complicated, his work on NEW X-MEN is definitely one that is heavily divided among readers. Most people who've read NEW X-MEN usually fall into two categories. First you've got those who claim Morrison saved the X-Men franchise, expanding it with new characters and themes. On the other hand, there are those who accuse Morrison of not understanding the X-Men, and that he single-handedly ruined the series. In my opinion however, I stand in the middle while veering more towards the positive side. I feel that while some parts of his run are more complicated than they should be (and I'm used to Grant Morrison being confusing), his introduction of a rising mutant culture, the expansion of the Xavier institute as an actual school, and creating new characters like Cassandra Nova, Fantomex, and Xorn were the product of a genius. What did work for me in this series, worked unbelievably well for me. However, if there's one aspect of NEW X-MEN that even fans of the series have criticized, it would have to be his PLANET X story arc. To be honest however, I actually enjoyed PLANET X, and feel that people unfairly criticize it when Morrison was trying to create a unique and innovating story about the X-Men's greatest enemy. Following the ASSULT ON WEAPON PLUS arc, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Fantomex are separated from each other during the destruction of Weapon Plus's satellite base. With Wolverine stranded in space on debris from the station, and Cyclops and Fantomex's ship crashing into the Pacific, Xavier sends the rest of the X-Men to retrieve them. But while searching for Cyclops, the X-Jet piloted by Beast and Emma Frost explodes mid-air, and Jean finds Wolverine, only to discover that the rock he is stranded on is actually a portion of Asteroid M, set on a collision course with the sun. It's soon revealed that all of this has been orchestrated by team member Xorn, who in actuality, was an elaborate disguise for Magneto, the X-Men's deadliest foe who was believed to have been killed in the massacre of Genosha. Seeking vengeance for the mutants killed in Genosha, Magneto amplifies his powers with the drug known as Kick (a substance that dramatically increases a mutant's power, but has negative long-term effects on the mutant x-gene) to conquer all of New York City, and intends to uses his magnetic powers to tilt the Earth's axis, which will eradicate the human race and create a new world for mutant kind. With the remaining humans in New York being executed by Magneto and his followers, and the X-Men divided and isolated, will everything the X-Men believe in and have fought for be lost? This story arc of NEW X-MEN has drawn heavy outrage from fans, believing that Morrison destroyed the core concepts of Magneto's character by turning him into a mass-murdering drug addict, and later authors have retconed it (am I the only one who feels that this was a bad idea)? Unlike most readers, I actually liked PLANET X. I understand that Morrison was trying to convey an innovating message about Magneto's character, and that this series doesn't deserve the hate it receives. There are three prominent criticisms I've seen directed towards PLANET X, and while I can understand where their coming from, they come across as unfair and biased to me. -I: First is the criticism of Xorn's reveal as Magneto comes out of nowhere, ruining the Xorn, who was popular among readers. While I do agree that the opening of the story arc did feel rushed, Morrison himself stated that he had always intended Xorn to be Magneto, and many fans have already stated that there were subtle hints and clues throughout Morrison's run. I haven't found all these clues myself, but in my opinion it makes perfect sense that Xorn be a disguise for Magneto. As Magneto was believed to have been killed in Genosha, he would want to stay in the shadows so that both the X-Men and humanity would be caught off guard. By disguising himself as a member of the X-Men, he would be able to gain their trust, making it easier to take them down from within. -II: Second is the idea of Magneto using drugs to amplify his powers, which is possibly the most hated aspect of the story. People claim that Magneto would never resort to using drugs as he is already an extremely powerful mutant, and that making him a junkie goes against what his character stands for. This is an aspect of the story that I will always defend, as Morrison's decision to have Magneto use Kick is perfectly logical. Magneto's ultimate plan is to tilt the Earth's magnetic poles (literally flipping the planet upside down, as indicated by upside down maps in his headquarters), and a feat of that magnitude would require a lot of magnetic energy. Using Kick would allow him to augment his powers to the point of gathering enough power to tilt the Earth's axis. Despite already possessing great power, not even Magneto could accomplish such an act without augmenting his abilities. Also, I can understand why Magneto would resort to such methods. As sixteen million mutants were slaughtered in Genosha, Magneto feels that he must take drastic measures to ensure mutant kind's survival, making extremely questionable decisions to do so, which leads me to the third criticism towards this story. -III: The third criticism of PLANET X revolves around the scene where Magneto is gathering the remaining humans in New York, leading them to crematoriums. This sequence was not only controversial among fans and critics, but the Marvel staff as well, believing that it contradicts with both Magneto's background as a holocaust survivor, and his principals as a character. What makes Magneto different from most comic book villains, is that he justifies his actions. Having suffered through the holocaust and witnessed his family killed by the Nazis, Magneto fears that mutants will suffer the same fate at the hands of humans. He feels that humans and mutants will always be at odds, and is willing to go to any lengths to protect mutant kind. This puts him at odds with the X-Men, as their leader Charles Xavier, seeks a world where humans and mutants can peacefully coexist. What's interesting is that even if we don't agree with Magneto's actions, we can understand his point of view and sympathize with him. These elements make him my favorite villain of all time, and while him marching humans into crematoriums can parallel to those of the Nazis, this isn't out of character for Magneto. Magneto harbors a deep hatred for humans because of their persecution of mutants, and has threatened mankind more than once throughout the X-Men's history. Believing that humans were responsible the sentinels that destroyed Genosha, Magneto feels that that eradicating the human population of New York will serve as retribution to those who died. Also, the phrase, "Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, and that's what you become," explains why Magneto's actions are similar to those of the Nazis. When people are tormented throughout their lives, they have the potential to regress into the very thing people claimed them to be. So while I understand the criticism that this component of the story receives, I still defend it as I can understand the idea that Morrison was reaching for. Grant Morrison himself has defended his characterization of Magneto, explaining, "What people often forget, of course, is that Magneto, unlike the lovely Sir Ian McKellen, is a mad old terrorist. No matter how he justifies his stupid, brutal behavior, or how anyone else tries to justify it, in the end he's just an old [jerk] with daft, old ideas based on violence and coercion. I really wanted to make that clear at this time." I can definitely agree with him on that. X-Men fans often forget that even though Chris Claremont developed the Magneto as a tragic and sympathetic villain, the character has always been by definition a terrorist, making his crimes against humanity unjustifiable. It was interesting to see how Morrison conveyed such a message, believing that it provided valuable insight about Magneto as a character, but maybe it was insight that others didn't want to see. Perhaps the main reason fans hated PLANET X what really angered fans about this story was that they were unwilling to see Magneto in a new light, having grown with the image of him as a tragic and noble character. While I can understand their problems with this story, it was one that I found to be both intriguing and unique. While I found the beginning a bit rushed, the story provided an interesting character study of Magneto, a theme of how ideals of violence will eventually become outdated in the eyes of new generations, and an explosive climatic battle that would've been a great ending to Magneto's role as a villain had Marvel not rectonned it. Other people may hate it, but for me PLANET X was a great penultimate arc for Grant Morrison's NEW X-MEN run. "Controversy is part of the nature of art and creativity." -Yoko Ono
