By Christos N. Gage (writer), Andrea Divito (pencils), Laura Villari (colors), Dave Sharpe (letters), Mike Perkins (cover)
Part Magneto back-story, part House of M/Civil War tie in, this book retells an origin and gives new insight to one of Marvel’s major events. I’m usually against prequels since many of them are done for the wrong reasons (see Star Wars, and money), and in most cases they’re unnecessary and create more plot holes than they solve (see Star Wars). However, House of M shows a lot of promise one issue in, successfully documenting the rise of the Master of Magnetism.
Christos Gage and Andrea Divito hit the good points while avoiding many pitfalls in this issue. In this tale, Gage depicts Magneto as a man fighting for a cause rather than an extremist hellbent on seeking domination. His portrayal of the Magneto leaves readers curious to see exactly how he takes over and leaves in question how the humans can put up a fight. Accompanying Gage’s Magneto is Andrea Divito’s sizzling art. Divito is a superstar, making every panel sizzle. The artist’s work delivers, as it is able to focus greatly on the backgrounds just as the characters and the foreground. Divito’s work manages to hold on to your attention, panel for panel while not distracting you too much from the main action.
House of M: Civil War is a sure pickup, as it offers a lot for an origin story. Gage and Divito gives us a lot of exciting scenes and an interesting character study of one of Marvel’s beloved villains/ anti-heroes. If you want a tale that follows the psyche of Magneto and some explanation as to how he gained leadership of the mutants, then this is the book to pick up. This issue perfectly sets the history of the House of M. (Grade A-)
-Ben Berger
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Andrea Divito, Christos N. Gage, Civil War, Dave Sharpe, House of M, House Of M: Civil War #1, Laura Villari, Magneto, Marvel Comics, Mike Perkins, X-Men
