ICYMI! Immortal X-Men #18: Every Story Has An Ending

Gillen has taken full advantage of the fluid, pounding (so like a pulse) pacing allowed by this medium in order to deliver the strongest series climax Fall of X has produced thus far. In terms of plot, the pieces fall into place with all of the satisfaction of a gambler revealing a good hand of cards, but we are never shorted on character moments or the velvet pleasures of myth-building.

I particularly loved the sly dig at the plagiaristic nature of AI. It consumes the stories (literary, visual, spoken or sung) produced by millions of actual people, out of the very substance of their lives, and spits it out, remixed into something soulless and utterly dead, that tech bros seek to profit from. Sinister (the Diamond brand) has given hints about this aspect of his nature before, scraping the mask of his pseudo-personality from the draggletailed ends of Drag Show and reheated pop culture. Inserting those clues into the composition of the character (and thereby making undiscerning readers love him) was a clever way of laying the foundation for this reveal.

It was also (I must say) deeply satisfying to watch Destiny kicking MR in the face, and Juan Jose Ryp depicted the violence with such adroit motion that I could almost hear her teeth snap. Indeed, Ryp’s art was much improved in this issue. I particularly loved the details he thought to include, such as Jean’s glazed look and parched, peeling lips, and the way that Destiny’s garments clung to her body in supple, believable, folds. And I didn’t just notice that because I’m super queer. It was beautifully rendered.

Other endings brought fourth over the course of this event have been, unfortunately, for the most part disappointing. This one was vibrant, thrilling, and pulsing with deeply ominous life. I strongly recommend it.