Fall of X is entering it final months before the big Fall of House of X and Rise of Powers of X kick off at the beginning of 2024. Leading the charge for Fa of X continues to be the current X-Men series. Gery Duggan has been dealing with all the things Orchis continues to do after they decimated Krakoa during the Hellfire Gala. One of these developments deal with Firestar acting as a triple agent in Orchis. Given the cover of X-Men #28 it looks like Firestar will be clashing with Juggernaut as she tries to keep up her act. Let’s see how that goes with X-Men #28.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Joshua Cassara
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
SOLICITATION
“HOT AND HEAVY! Juggernaut has come a long way from his beginnings as a bully transformed into an unstoppable foe of the X-Men. In fact, he’d recently become one of mutantkind’s best human allies. So why is he trying to kill Firestar?” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
The march to the end of Fall of X is close so placing the spotlight on Firestar’s mission as a triple agent provided a chance to also spotlight Orchis. With how things have gone on thus far there is no doubt that Orchis is still running high on all their wins. The X-Men on the other hand are working from the shadows just looking for an opening. Which brings things back to how Firestar is a key character in the Fall of X direction.
As we see with X-Men #28, the further we get away from Hellfire Gala the more confident Orchis is growing. They are no longer the ones doing everything from the shadows to destroy Krakoa. There are no clear signs that the X-Men or their allies are able to overcome the power Orchis now has.
This is where we see Firestar step up. The scene with Dr. Stasis and Feilong is a great example of how Firestar has properly bought her time. She has used the confidence Dr. Stasis and Feilong have to find an opening where she can download information while in the same room. It’s a patience we didn’t see much of before but does show that Firestar was the right choice for this secret mission.
Adding to this showcase from Firestar is how she communicates what she is doing with Cyclops. Using morse code while still acting as a Orchis agent was a great way to keep up the act. To Cyclops credit he was equally convincing to make sure that Orchis didn’t catch on to the subtle ways Firestar is working as a triple agent.
At the same time, things don’t go perfect as there are still a lot of wild cards. Which in X-Men #28 case was Juggernaut. Playing off what Shadowcat previously did, Firestar knew that Juggernaut could be what she needed to get information out to the X-Men. Though this meant that Firestar had to trust Juggernaut to do enough that he fights normally without Orchis catching on. Which does lead to Firestar getting major injuries but its what was needed to be done.
Now with the X-Men getting information they need that does not mean Firestar is safe. As we see with Moira X, it looks like Orchis is done using Firestar. Given Moira X’s role in all of this we could see a major clash happen with her and Firestar. That is not the match-up expected to be a big one but that is credit to Duggan’s build that Moira X vs Firestar can be a big deal.
The ending with Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, and Shadowcat on a mission to Latveria was a good set-up for what’s next. Doctor Doom has been slowly been set-up to be a major antagonist to the Krakoa direction. Finally paying that off by Doctor Doom having his own X-Men taking on the trio of Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, and Shadowcat will be interesting to see where that goes. This could change a lot for how things go for the X-Men as Fall of X comes to a close.
Joshua Cassara artwork was solid throughout X-Men #28. Cassara got over how confident all the members of Orchis are. At the same time, Firestar is given the chance to shine with how she uses her powers and skills to keep up her work as a triple agent.
FINAL THOUGHTS
X-Men #28 adds further interest with how things will end with Fall of X. Orchis continues to be put over as the endgame bosses they are. Which made the actions Firestar takes to get the X-Men information they need even more important. Now the X-Men are left in a spot where the sense of urgency increases even more. That all leads to another good chapter for the Fall of X storyline.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10