Way Of X #5 Review

The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled…

Written By: Si Spurrier
Art By: Bob Quinn
Colors By: Java Tartaglia
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art By: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marte Gracia
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 18, 2021

Way Of X #5 finally force Nightcrawler to take action as the he examines the third Krakoan Law: Respect This Sacred Land. The ‘Land’ in question isn’t a pile of dirt or a path of grass, but the mutants that form a community, a society, that binds them together in their venture towards a new world. The third law is put to the test when the pre-Krakoan feud between Lost and Fabian Cortez reaches a murderous pitch. Meanwhile, Legion is making himself busy building… something.

Was It Good?

Spurrier continues the motif of exploring the 3 Krakoan Laws by testing their limits and forcing Nightcrawler to judge how well they do or do not hold up. In comparison to the issues testing the first two laws, this issue was less clear about the test and its outcome because declaring that “the land” was more about the people than soil or grass made it too close to rule #2: Murder No Man.

Isn’t murder a form of disrespect? I see what Spurrier was trying to say but by elevating the meaning to something more spiritual or cerebral, he wound up making it less distinctive. So, the philosophical journey of testing each rule with a unique conflict fell flat in this issue.

However, the over-arching problem of Onslaught comes back in a big way this issue with a key revelation. Legion deduces how Onslaught is planting seeds in people’s minds and the news of the “how” puts the entire security of Krakoa in jeopardy. The “how” question came up in an earlier issue when it was revealed Onslaught was unleashed on Krakoa to accelerate its destruction, but at the time, the explanation was too ambiguous. Now that we have more details, Onslaught’s growing influence not only makes sense, it twists Krakoa’s greatest pointy of safety and security against itself in a clever way. I liked this revelation a lot, and I hope Spurrier can make the best use of it.

On the “Nightcrawler is making a mutant religion” front, still not much is happening beyond Nightcrawler asking questions, observing, and pondering. It’s the same thing Nightcrawler has been doing since issue #1, so the whole selling point of this series is turning out to be a big fat goose egg unless Kurt starts acting instead of reacting.

However, Nightcrawler does take quite a few actions in this issue on other fronts. He forces Lost and Fabian Cortez to come to terms with themselves and their past. Legion provides key details about Onslaught’s presence and what Kurt needs to do to confront it. And Nightcrawler teleports a moon. In all, a busy day.

Bits and Pieces

The “creating a mutant religion” hook has all but disappeared from this series in favor of a corruption arc. While the writing and exceptional art make for engaging storytelling, the big revelations about Onslaught’s method of attack could lead to big happenings on Krakoa IF Spurrier follows through. For now, this is a tentative reccomend.