As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.

NYX vol 2 #7
Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly
Artist: Enid Balám
Colour artist: Raúl Angulo
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editor: Annalise Bissa

NYX

Seven issues into the book’s second volume, there’s actually a thing called NYX! In a slightly baffling scheduling decision, it previously appeared in Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic #2, where it was described as “a commnity hub for the city’s mutants”. A comparison of the art suggests that Astonishing is meant to show it in advanced stages of decoration – people were putting up the “The Shield” banner which can be seen on the wall here (albeit that it looks different), and the art on the back wall is much more elaborate. According to Astonishing #2, NYX is in Red Hook.

Prodigy is the driving force behind NYX. After being fired by the university following his public fight with the Krakoan in issue #4, he’s now running informal teaching sessions at NYX. He has a “chair” elevated over the room, which Synch quite reasonably takes to be a throne. Kamala genuinely doesn’t seem to have thought of this but it does give Synch good reason to think that there’s an ego trip going on here.

Prodigy insists that they’re building a non-violent world which breaks from the past. He seems to have come to the view that Krakoa was an overcorrection in which mutants declared themselves to be above humans, an unsustainable scenario compared to carving out a place for mutants in the human world. Whether it’s genuinely novel for mutants to try to exist within the human world might be open to question. It’s not something we’ve seen an awful lot of, but plenty of stories have implied the presence of a mutant community in substantial numbers within the human world, even if no big names were involved; District X is maybe the closest we’ve seen.

Ms Marvel is providing “security” for NYX, and enthusiastically greets Synch, her teammate from the “Fall of X” X-Men. She’s the only person in NYX still wearing a mask and costume, which leads to both Synch and mad cousin Bilaal accusing her of hiding who she is. This is obviously a sore spot for her, and while she insists to Synch that “Ms Marvel is who I am”, there’s no getting away from the fact that she’s the only person in NYX who’s actively maintaining a closeted double life. It actually plays quite well into her status as a not-quite-an-X-character. She seems quite upset about it at the end of the issue, when she’s separated from everyone else and misses the grand reconciliation scene.

Anole, Wolverine (Laura) and Kiden Nixon have cameos. Kamala calls Laura and Kiden “friends” before adding “I mean, I think they’re just friends.” Laura seems to have reverted to her dress sense from NYX vol 1 in Kiden’s company, while Kiden is dressed normally – if that’s an intentional direction rather than a random art choice then it could be interesting.

SUPPORTING CAST

Synch is very disillusioned by the fall of Krakoa, and doubtless the death of his beloved Talon hasn’t helped. He comes to pick a fight with David before deciding that David seems like an acceptable sort of community leader after all.

His arguments in this issue are rather garbled, though this seems to be an intentional choice to show him as confused. Much like Sophie in issue #1, he argues that David is making unacceptable compromises with mutant culture, and that NYX is basically an ego trip for David. He positions himself as a representative of “true” mutant culture, invoking traditions of the human-free Arakko culture – to which he was never anything more than a visitor – and implying that a refusal to accept his challenge to ritual combat for David’s leadership role would mark David as not a proper mutant.

At the same time, he talks about mutant culture being inherently violent, something that he equates with the X-Men. And he seems to have developed anti-human sentiments after being resurrected on Krakoa and finding out that his heroic sacrifice in Generation X #70 had absolutely no impact on anything. (This is one of those rare cases where it actually helps that the earlier story is almost entirely forgotten – except, naturally, by Synch himself.) Synch also claims to take seriously the “responsibility” of shortening his life every time he uses his powers to draw on the abilities of mutants he’s met in the past, but then uses those powers almost casually while squabbling with David. Does he have a death wish?

Recognisable mutants hanging around in NYX include Mammomax and Loolo, whose presence suggests a link with the Morlocks.

VILLAINS

Cousin Bilal has gone from being mildly bigoted to a nutcase with grenades and what looks to be a second hand Goblin Glider. Ms Marvel correctly identifies that he can’t possibly expect to beat her in a fight. She calls him “Truthseeker”, but presumably that’s because she doesn’t want to give away her identity by using his real name, rather than because it’s a code name.

Bilal is trying to scan Ms Marvel to find out who she really is, apparently because he believes that dual identities are form of truth that needs to be exposed. This is, obviously, a bit of a sore spot for Kamala. Fortunatley, Bilal doesn’t get enough data to get an answer, and because he exists in the superhero genre, he can’t recognise a close relative in a domino mask from ten paces.

REFERENCES:

Page 5 panel 2: “Sorcerer Supreme or Hermit King?” The newspaper article is about Dr Doom becoming sorcerer supreme at the end of Blood Hunt and then sealing Latveria away from the world. Technically it’s foreshadowing the One World Under Doom crossover, but this book isn’t actually participating in that event.

Page 5 panel 3: “Our sacred places… the very thought of home…” That’s the Treehouse in the background – the headquarters of the Krakoan-era X-Men – but it’s not clear why it’s surrounded by the police and has two guys in hazmat suits by it. People seem to have been able to approach it fairly freely in this book up to now. Later in the issue, Synch says that the NYPD have shut the Treehouse down, and implies that they’re trying to stop it serving a memorial for mutants.

Page 7 panel 1: “She’s not my Laura, Kamala.” Synch is referring to his main storyline from the previous volume of X-Men, which involved his love for a version of Laura who had spent many years with him in the Vault; she died. Technically, she was the original Laura, with the current one being a clone created by a divergent resurrection, but everyone seems inclined to gloss over that. Synch, for obvious reasons, isn’t.

Page 7 panel 3: “Empath wanted the City Council. But the only thing he actually did was get David fired.” Empath’s schemes are the main story arc for issues #1-5.

Page 9 p anel 3: “I’ve synced with mutants who aren’t even in this reality any more.” Presumably the Five and other people now in the White Hot Room version of Krakoa. The bit about Synch shortening his life by using these powers from past exposure is another storyline from Duggan’s X-Men.

Page 9 panel 6: “Don’t think you ever made it to Arakko, but I did.” I don’t remember a story with either Synch or Prodigy on Arakko, but since Synch was in the X-Men, it would be surprising if he hadn’t visited. To be honest, it would be surprising if Prodigy hadn’t visited either. Yes, his official role on Krakoa as a member of X-Factor wouldn’t have taken hiim to Arakko, but the gate was right there and he’s a curious kind of guy.

Page 16 panel 1: “Mutant culture is the X-Men.” David did indeed say this in issue #4, though in context he had in mind “the X-Men” in the sense of “everyone vaguely associated with Xavier’s movement”.

Page 16 panel 2: “Like you don’t remember what happened the minute you made the team.” Prodigy’s mayfly-lived version of the X-Men was killed almost immediately by Nimrod at the second Hellfire Gala.

Page 18 panel 3: “I was wearing the X before you borrowed your first idea.” Synch debuted in 1994, Prodigy in 2003.

Page 18 panel 4: “When I saw a bomb that might hurt some humans, I threw myself on top of it. I gave my life so some humans could live.” Generation X #70.