If you haven't read this three-part "X" series, starting with Earth X, spilling from the mind of Alex Ross with Jim Krueger at the helm, here's why you might want to.
Way back in 1997, Wizard Magazine asked the legendary Alex Ross to create a possible dystopian future for the Marvel Universe. He did. What he sketched out for Wizard was so popular it sold out everywhere. Two years later they decided to reprint the issue because of its popularity. Yep, it sold out too. With the demand clearly there for this dystopian future, Alex Ross laid out the notes and Jim Krueger carried out the task in what would be a story unlike any other.
Earth X
This is the beginning. All of the human inhabitants of the world are mutants, and it's not necessarily a good thing. A recommendation when starting this series is to give yourself plenty of time to process i.e. this isn't a comic series you can binge. If you thought you knew the depth of the Marvel Universe, you will be surely humbled by the almost encyclopedic knowledge of Krueger. He takes characters from the very beginning of the Marvel Universe ie. Human Torch and Submariner, and intermingles them with villains traditionally unrelated. It's this almost rhizomatic complexity that makes the story so engaging.
I don't want to spoil the story of this or the next two installments, but I want to point out that this book asks a lot of good questions. They all do: What is our purpose? What assumption is our purpose based on? How can we create our own purpose?
The FMV of a 9.8 Earth X #1 is pending. Only 34 graded copies exist.
Universe X
The story moves beyond Earth and into a whole new realm. There are two wars going on, one in the realm of the living and one in the valley of the dead. Another incredible aspect of the series is how the delineation between good and evil essentially dissolves. Greater beings are pulling strings and the traditional comic book axes of good or bad crumble beneath them. The heroes and villains realize they are cogs in a wheel much larger than themselves, and through the process, the reader does too.
FMV of a 9.8 Universe X #0 doesn't exist and CGC data is pending.
Paradise X
Just when you think the story can't go beyond the realms of death, it does. It moves past the universe altogether and delves into a newly constructed Paradise. By looking at individual stories the authors reveal how paradise isn't exactly what anyone really wants. Their universes become individual and they become what they themselves believe to be. This seemingly simple notion stretches well into our own reality. An example. Johnny Blaze: His father died in a flaming motorcycle crash. Crash Simpson died in a flaming motorcycle crash. So wouldn't his hell be the living embodiment of a flaming motorcycle crash? By belief alone, these characters have created themselves. We are who we believe ourselves to be.
Unfortunately for the fans of Paradise X, the series was cut short. The #A and #X specials were cut down from double-sized issues to 22-page ones.
FMV of a 9.8 Paradise X #0 is nonexistent and CGC data is pending.
A Different Kind of Storytelling
I've left these three sections vague because there's no possible way I can summarize what is happening throughout. Timelines are simultaneous and non-linear. Characters are often more than a single person. Teams are dismantled and reborn. With all of this happening concurrently, it can be hard to follow at times. However, I can say the journey was worth it in being able to see the almost infinite Marvel Universe woven together in a cohesive story.
While this may not be the book you want to invest in as hot speculation for the future, it may prove to be one of the better quality examples of superheroes in the comics medium in decades to come. If nothing else, you'd be investing in your own capacity for philosophical quandaries.
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