House of M: New X-Men - Academy X

New X-Men: Academy X (Collected Editions)

by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, Aaron Lopresti (Artist)

When orders come down that a leader of the human resistance in Japan must be assassinated, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highly trained Hellions squad is called in to do it. But when a team of future mutant leaders called the New Mutants find out about this, they must intervene to put an end to a guaranteed disaster of global portions!

Collects: New X-Men: Academy X #16-19, and Secrets of the House of M.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2006

About the author

Nunzio DeFilippis is married to Christina Weir; together they have written a large number of graphic novels. They have written superhero comics but also created original comics and graphic novels of many genres, from YA fantasy to sports to horror to crime drama.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good with the individual team characterisations as the rest of the series, but the House of M arc puts a militaristic Hellions at odds with an academic New Mutants with an eclectic and pleasing mix of young mutants from Jubilee and Quentin Quire through to most of the New X-Men: Academy X, Vol. 1: Choosing Sides central characters. A pretty dark series with enough twist and turns to make it worth reading. A solid 6 out of 12, Three Star read.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relatively short story set in the House of M alternate reality in which the New Mutants face off against the Hellions. There are a lot of alternate versions of lesser-known young characters presented in an interesting fashion, and an action vs. academe vibe that works pretty well. The story is well written, and the art is very good, but it's clearly a minor part of the overall arc and you would have to read a lot of other books to get a real grasp of the whole story. That's emphasized by the lengthy section at the end, which is an excerpt from "Secrets of House of M," which is essentially a scorecard/roster of many of the major characters in the arc and what they're up to in this reality, that don't appear in this book. It's a book that fits in pretty well with a large whole but isn't an essential part; it does what it was intended to do. Excelsior.

[Alex E · Rating 2 out of 5]

The New X-Men in the House of M universe are a much more militaristic team. One with members who are not afraid to tow the company line, and do what needs to be done to accomplish their goals. Which comes off as a bit harsh compared to their normal iteration. Suffice to say that the way the characters are written was a bit off center, and didn't always gel that well, in my opinion. But different approach for a different universe I guess. I found the plot to be a mess, and try as Nunzio DeFilippis might to get some clarity on the plot, he "up's the ante" by throwing more into the pile of detailed laden plots.

Usually, big event books like this have some decent tie in's. Well, at least one or two, but I found the House of M stuff to be probably the worst out of all the modern day event books. This one was no different in that it tries hard to make this radical change in the status quo of the subject, in this case the New X-Men, and instead lands flat and rings false.

I'd recommend this for completionists only.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Éste es el conjunto de números que salieron de la serie New X-Men en el cual se cuentan las aventuras en realidad de los New Mutants bajo la realidad de House of M, mundo ficticio creado en torno a Magneto, allí los mutantes son los superiores y los humanos la minoría. Los New X-Men están en un instituto para el liderazgo mutante pero se ven implicados con los Infernales en un gran problema que envolverá a uno del grupo. Luego de este número empieza el nuevo grupo de New X-Men que tiene que ver con la llegada de X-23. Me pareció un volumen regular, no me gustó tanto.

[a · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm what? I do not like what has transpired in this volume at all...

[TR Naus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The House of M reaches the New X-Men in a rather run-of-the-mill story. With Magneto already securing the future for mutants, we see a new world for the next generation. Xuân Cao Mạn (Karma) runs the New Mutant Leadership Institute to train the future leaders of mutants and, therefore, the world. Dani Moonstar oversees the training of the Hellions, the most promising mutants destined to become S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Both teams cross paths as each pursues a human resistance terrorist cell operating in Japan. They uncover a horrifying secret and the lengths the mutant authorities will go to protect the new status quo.

The House of M gives us a glimpse of the New Mutants and Hellions had they been raised in a mutant-friendly world, which, understandably, alters their personalities. Most of them stay within character with slight adjustments based on new experiences, yet they still feel familiar and act as we would expect. However, others are so different that it is jarring, while a few (like Doug Ramsey) are only used as clunky plot devices. This wasn't a bad read as much as a missed opportunity to tell an interesting, new type of story.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The New X-Men kids get drawn into the House of M event with this volume. In a world run by mutants, students have the option of learning at the illustrious New Mutants Leadership Institute, or going into the field as agents of SHIELD. A terrorist attack on the NMLI graduation leads both groups to uncover a hidden human cell - run by Surge's own father. The SHIELD agents are sent to Japan with new recruit Magik to uncover the truth from Emperor Sunfire. The New Mutants whisk away with agent Surge in order to find her father first. Both sides are being played against the middle by Doctor Sean Garrison and his daughter Laurie, seeking to thin the players and keep the mutant regime safe. Conspiracy lines are drawn and hidden secrets come to light, forcing all players into a final confrontation that none will walk away from unscathed. Despite getting to see some familiar cast members once again (Wallflower, Tag, Synch, etc.), Nunzio DeFilippis is too concerned with cramming every teen mutant guest-star one could imagine into the book. Art chores from Aaron Lopresti are serviceable, but too often it is a haircut that helps identify different characters rather than visual design. The reality warp from House of M does little to help either creator, bogging the entire volume down with excess baggage it does not need. The book's coda includes Marvel Handbook profiles on the major players, which only serves to remind readers that there are better chapters out there for perusal. As the House of M reality gets reset back to normal anyway, Academy X is really only useful for completists of of the x-Men variety.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing the great X-read of 2017…

Ehh. I’m not sure that this series had been going long enough to really have an impactful alternate reality version of the team but what we are given is certainly not the best attempt either.

Many of the characters don’t seem like (even alternate versions of) themselves at all and the plot is paper thin and just not very exciting at all.

(There seem to be some odd continuity issues with other House of M titles as well but that is getting pretty nitpicky.)

In general, this is not the strongest entry in this crossover. And probably easily skipped for anyone else who is trying a chronological x-books read like I am attempting.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters and too many plots for a four issue story that takes place in an AU. It's impossible to keep track of who is on what squad, doing what, and why. Just a mess.

[Amory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how invested I was in this one when I wasn't too familiar with a lot of the characters. This kind of standard X-Men plot with high stakes and a huge mission that one team member is too close to to see clearly is the kind of trope-heavy comic plot that I just love. Anything where teammates are forced to fight each other because of someone's powers is also gold for this kind of series, since readers get to see how everyone's powers would actually work against each other.
The deaths in this took me by surprise; I hadn't expected this volume to get so brutal so quickly. I also think this was one of the most important volumes to read for the overall story to see how quickly the conditions for humans has degraded and how the fears other characters have previously mentioned about experimentation on humans have already started.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually read this and then realized I had some of the earlier comics (which I'll be reading next). But the important part is that this is part of the House of M event and they really got to have fun with that event because if flipped everything and allowed them to kill people off and then bring them back.

I'm not really that familiar with a bunch of these characters, but I like that too. I was a little confused that Magik (Colosus's younger sister) was in this and is still young? Maybe that goes along with all superheroes never really aging.

Anyway, one bad thing is that it just kind of ends without much resolution, but I think that's because the House of M thing was reversed by the Scarlet Witch.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this is still part of the House of M brilliant story arc, these few comics don't hold up to snuff. The militaristic Hellions are turned against the more academic New Mutants when an assassination order comes in to destroy an anti-mutant leader in Japan. Although they should be working together, animosities win out in this series.

The story is eclectic and unfocused, at best. There were almost no memorable moments and I somehow found myself enjoying reading the last dozen pages or so that, in this particular publication, details the "secrets" of The House of M which is really just rewritten biographies.

It's a shame that a lot of the off-shoots of The House of M aren't nearly as good as the story that threw the world into turmoil because the potential is certainly there.

[JCRD]

Como fin de etapa me parece un poco meh porque esto cerraba perfectamente en el anuario y la miniserie de los Infernales, pero bueno.

En parte me gusta ver a los protagonistas en otro entorno, relacionándose con otros personajes y dando un poco más de vidilla al universo que montó Wanda, pero al final pasa lo que pasa en estos universos alternativos, que son una excusa para mostrar una versión más capulla de los personajes que conocemos.

Pero bueno, se acabó lo que se daba con DeFilippis y Weir. A ver qué tal con Kyle y Yost después del Día M.

[Ben Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite bit of the house of M series so far. I did read a bit of the New X-Men in the past so most of the characters were a bit familiar to me, but reading the first 2 made me go ahead and skip to read the whole storyline to see where it went. I think I am starting to get an idea of how this plays out, but I feel reinvigorated to get back into the series. I have definite storyline likes and dislikes in this crossover event, but this one felt like it was worth my time.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a couple of days ago and just now getting to it. What the heck was this? Oh yes, a pointless alternate history related to House of M. But that book was good and this book wasn't. Mostly just not memorable. The "playing cards" of the non-mutant heroes in the back had some potential but really ended up not being worth reading. Really not bad, just blah.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not familiar with most of these characters, so the whole topsy-turvy element to the House of M reimagining really didn't have any punch. I probably should have been more surprised by the betrayal, but since I didn't know the characters, it lacked a lot.

[Rangga Sukmawijaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tie-in yang ini ceritanya lumayan bagus walaupun sejujurnya saya terkendala dalam mengenali para tokoh mutan yang ada di dalamnya. Petualangan saya dalam membaca X-Men belum sampai mengakrabi tokoh mutan muda seperti Noriko dkk. Untunglah ceritanya lumayan bagus dan sebenarnya cukup sederhana.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have the X-Men Academy vs. The Hellions in the House of M universe. It's not bad, but there's not really a lot to it in the bigger picture.

This stands fine on its own, but doesn't seem integral to the House of M event.

[Eduardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Universo alternativo onde os mutantes são dominantes e os humanos dominados. Achei legal como reorganizaram as equipes, mas ao mesmo tempo não é um plot interessante, já que vai ser descartado no grande esquema das coisas.
Me surpreendi com o peso e até algumas mortes, mas é filler.

[Lena Fickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot but I had a lot of difficulty reading it because I'm not familiar with most of the characters with a few exceptions.

[matilda grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m excited to finish this run and start the next part of new x-men with a new creative team who will hopefully freshen up the overall story!

[Tor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-read!

[Lilli W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. The actual story was okay, but the last issue was a slog to get through.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was pretty okay but i also feel like nothing happened. at least my beautiful daughter dani moonstar and my weird weed smoking cousin magik were there

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not familiar with the majority of characters in this story, so the House of M spin might not have hit me as much as it should. Still an enjoyable, well-written episode in the House of M saga.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book in which there's a whole bunch of characters I know absolutely nothing about [the kids in the NEW "New X-Men" and most of their supporting cast], including their power set and their inter-personal relationship status quo, the story had enough "ingredients" to, um... nourish my comic book appetite (hey, gimme a break: I'm trying to spice it up - d'oh! I did it again).

Of course, by the 3-star rating, you can tell this wasn't a sit-down meal at a classy restaurant, but rather some drive-through at a fast food joint. It gets the job done, but after a few hours you're hungry again.

House of M: New X-Men is a mere side dish to the main meal that is House of M, and a willingness on the part of the reader to "just go with it" is required, or else the whole concept falls apart. In the "House Of M" reality, mutants are in charge, Magneto RULES THE WORLD and humans are the oppressed minority.

In this tie-in story, the next generation of [popular] mutants are split up into two diametrically opposed teams: (1) The Hellions, a "SHIELD-junior" strike force, fighters led by Dani Moonstar, and (2) the New Mutant Leadership Institute, training future diplomats, thinkers led by Karma (that's her name!). The plot revolves around insurgents rebelling against [generally] mutant domination and [specifically] some mutants' experiments conducted on humans to speed up evolution and mutate them (most of the guinea pigs dying in the process). The story's themes are about (1) not taking things at face value and trying to stay informed, and (2) doing "the right thing", even if it is [always] the hardest thing to do.

There was only one way for this story to end in a satisfactory manner, and they managed to get it right: The story ends with a major throwdown pitting the Hellions & the New Mutants against "the bad mutants", but just as this Royal Rumble is about to start, the "House Of M" reality collapses (that's when the Scarlet Witch says "No More Mutants!" Oh - you didn't read it yet? OOPS! This is a spoiler section, after all.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Updated Review During 2025 Reread:

All of the House of M books seem to follow the same pattern: Drop the reader into this new world, alter the characters' allegiances and behaviors, drop them into a typical dire situation but because it's an alternate reality, cear the decks and make the ending seem cataclysmic before the world resets to usual. It worked really well in the main book but not-so-much for the other X-related books.

Seeing something similar to this story taking place in the regular, non-House of M, world might have been fun, even with the excessive deaths. Unfortunately, since it's apparent there aren't any real stakes since the characters aren't the same as they were an issue ago and the world will reset after four issues anyway, it's hard to care what happens.

If you're into What If? issues, this four-issue series might catch your interest but as part of the regular run of New X-Men Academy X, this book doesn't feel right and isn't really worth the read.

***

Original 2018 Review: I wonder if, when editorial handed out assignments for the House Of M event, they included an edict that the stories should be nearly impenetrable and with no real connection to each other except that they are theoretically taking place in this new world?

This book was just a waste of time to read. There's no joy in it, no fun reimagining of how the characters might be different in the alternative reality, just "let's throw them into a story which will be completely retconned after the last scene."

While most of the run of New X-Men Academy X has been mediocre, this collection felt particularly disappointing.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

House of M: New X-Men - Academy X (2006)

This book collects New X-Men 16 -19 and was written by husband and wife team Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. The art was by penciller Aaron Lopresti and inker Brad Vancata. All of the creative team are new to me.

This was an enjoyable little side tale in the House of M universe. It explores more of the dark side of the seemingly perfect mutant ruled world created by the Scarlet Witch. Because the teams are made up of teens there is a bit of a juvenile feel to some of the settings and dialogue but the story is mostly good with mystery and intrigue in the form of the secret Project Genesis and super covert S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in both camps. one of the worthier House of M titles though it did feel like they ran out of room a little with an ending that borrowed from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many things to dislike. Right, first the plot is formulaic and predictable. Secondly it doesn't make sense.

[SPOILERS]

So Emperor Sunfire, under the sanction of Magneto, is experimenting on the remaining, cowed human population to turn them mutant despite the fact that this process universally kills them. Um, why? . . . *crickets chirp* . . . Anyway, fuck that, BIG FIGHT!

Ugh. And Jubilee and Dust are constantly drawn in as little clothes as possible. Really guys? I get they're meant to be fun-loving teenage girls but does every panel need to show their tits brimming over the small sliver of material between their cleavage and exposed midriff? And Dust, who one of the coolest things about her is that she shows she can wear the niqab and still be a total kickass hero, is in pretty much the same get-up. Ugh.

As comics go, this is a waste of time.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the House of M alternate reality, the New Mutants are now the "New Mutant Leadership Institute," meaning, brainiacs that don't fight. The Hellions are "Junior S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents," meaning soldiers that don't think. They meet nice, then fight about the Japanese empire's secretive Project Genesis.
The writers play the alternate reality story better than most House of M books--they use most of the same characters while drawing in a few other bits of X-Men continuity (Sunfire, Jubilee, Quentin Quire), show high-stakes fights that wouldn't happen in the real world, and end everything right as the universe and storyline implodes.