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Hi everyone! It’s time for me to give my thoughts on Secret Wars House of M #1. I’ll say before the jump that I was really happy to see House of M highlighted on the Marvel digital comics storefront in such a prominent fashion.

SPOILERS to follow.

I LOVED this issue.

I loved mom bear Wanda trying to rein her boys in, then taking off to give them a stern talking-to. Quite frankly, I’ve never been all that interested in Wiccan or Speed, but this setup actually makes me interested in seeing what happens next with them.

I loved flippant fun-poking Pietro speeding all over the place, seeming to make absolutely no attempt to cover up that he has some scheme going on.

I loved Ms. Responsible Lorna trying to make sure everything stays level and serious and all issues are accounted for.

I’m probably in the minority on this, but Lorna and Wanda vividly showing off morning crankiness is something I didn’t know I wanted to see until now. The art does a great job of making them look beautiful yet messy and worn out after having just woken up.

And yes, I’ve decided this is now a meme.

By the way, entirely brand new and awesome House of M dress for Lorna, prime for cosplay.

Are people tired of me gushing? Okay, then I’ll move on.

I was extremely happy to see so much Lorna here. Until we saw the cover for HoM #3, I honestly thought we’d barely see her or not at all. The amount of use for her in the first issue is far more than I expected given precedent for the past 6 years of excluding her from her family, and it makes me so happy to see things going well for her given all of that. I actually like what I’ve read here a lot more than what I’ve read in the Magneto solo so far.

The issue starts off with Magneto reminiscing on past victories, surprised he’s still alive to see the future he wanted to create, and considering how he’s no longer a warrior. I think this is great necessary build-up to get across why a man who conquered the world might have trouble going up against Namor and a human resistance in the near future: his warrior ways have gotten rusty.

The big battle itself was interesting and splashy. As much as I on a personal level would’ve preferred more Magnus family action, I realize the battles are absolutely crucial for the larger audience and for the overall narrative of getting across the stakes. I like how the Sentinels have Magneto helmets on them, that’s a nice touch of kingdom symbolism.

Reading the entire issue unfolding, you get a sense there are so many moving parts all contributing to an end game whole. To be honest, I think most people would mistake what they’re seeing here as wild disconnected storyline branching, but taking a real look shows it’s all part of the same big story. Pietro put the news on specifically for Wanda, we know Lorna’s going to meet up with the human resistance at some point, and Magneto is intriguingly dismissive of concerns about Pietro’s behavior.

So yeah, I’m really looking forward to House of M #2, and it’s going to be a tough act to follow for Magneto #21.