A Moment Of Calm Before A Storm Of Swords As We Examine The Tarot And Treachery In X Of Swords: Stasis #1

Ten swords, ten champions, ten battles for the fate of the world. X Of Swords paused this week for a moment of calm before a storm of swords. Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Pepe Larraz, Mahmud Asar, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles bring us X Of Swords: Stasis #1.

Charlie Davis: Well, well, well Rob. We meet again. And this time it isn’t in a wrestling article. It’s right here to talk about X of Swords. I feel a bit like I’m walking into your house, but I hope I can be a good guest. I promise I’ll clean up after myself and that I won’t leave anything different than it was before I got here.

Robert Secundus: Weirdly, I feel the same way, since this event generally (and this issue in particular) is building off of Excalibur plotlines. Whose house is it? Where am I? Am I really at home, or am I trespassing on some strange space that seems to be my home but is in reality totally alien to me? Are these walls flesh? Do they pulse when I turn away? Will the floor open up beneath my feet and the whole structure come tumbling down on top of me? These are the questions I ask myself now (and also every day).

CD: Well. I would say the only way to find out is to battle to the death, but I think XOS is already kind of a deathmatch? So we are on familiar territory here. This issue had much less stabby and much, much more talking and continued world building and I’m so not mad about that. Let’s get into it.

Στάσις

RS: Stasis is an interesting word. On Chrises on Infinite Earths, Jordan Delanor [citation needed] White talked about the expansion of the event in the wake of Covid; this was apparently an issue that didn’t exist in the original outline, and Tini Howard was tasked with choosing a name for it that was thematically resonant and magic-y. So: stasis.

We don’t talk about that noun very often today, I think; normally we see the adjective static instead, we talk about things being static, being still. We mostly see “stasis,” I think, in SFF, when people are put into some kind of sleep. And in general, that’s what we typically think of when we see the word: stillness. But that doesn’t fully capture the word or its history. “Stasis” originally entailed not just stillness but also unrest. Consider Plato’s The Republic:

Injustice has the power, first, to make whatever it arises in– whether it is a city, a family, an army, or anything else– incapable of achieving anything as a unit, because of the civil wars [original: because of the στάσις] and differences it creates, and, second, it makes that unit an enemy to itself and to what is in every way its opposite, namely, justice.
Plato’s The Republic 352a from GMA Grube’s translation

Stasis is civil war, self-division, and because of that it’s stillness– because when one is divided against oneself, one cannot move forward. The word today has a connotation of quiet at best and stagnation at worst– but the original connotation is much more violent and troubling. It’s a mood that, I think, fits this issue in which violence does not break out, but in which the two opposing parties are settled under the one roof. Stasis theory is also part of classical rhetoric– and I won’t rant even longer about that. I’ll just say that some would say that rhetoric is itself a kind of magic.

CD: It’s always interesting when you look at a word in context and then slowly start to spin it out. You make some really good points, and yet the stillness is quite literal here as well. This issue is a calm before the storm. It’s the twilight before the big battle, it’s the X-Men’s quiet issue during the brood saga where they contemplate what it all means, it’s the nerves before a big match. It’s something I didn’t think we’d get, but I am so glad we did.

I almost always read with my heart first and then dissect everything after and even if maybe we anticipated some sword swinging here it’s all part of the build. I talked about in last week’s Excalibur how you cannot create stakes in a tournament story of any kind unless you have an emotional attachment to the characters involved. We know the stakes, we’ve had them since issue one, but what does that really mean? Now is the time to get invested in everyone’s personal stakes, something that I think the DOX titles have been doing really well.

One thing that’s been lacking for me in the concept and execution of Krakoa as a whole, is character commentary on why any of this matters to the individual characters. Even as part of a community; people have their own impulses, goals and needs. Some good and some bad. X of Swords is taking the time to tell me about all of these things as they arise in a time of crisis. I like it a whole lot. If I am invested in the individual, I can feel the weight of the stakes involved. It’s storytelling 101, but it’s nice to see it executed elegantly across a comic crossover of all things. They don’t usually have the best track record.

RS: I think the expanded format really helped with that; getting an issue per swordbearer, in which each character (with the exception of Gorgon) sacrificed something or confronted the possibility of sacrifice in order to go on– I’m far more invested in this than I would have been otherwise.

CD: The slow burn of it all also gives Hickman and Howard a chance to expand both worlds a whole lot more than they would usually. Otherworld and it’s politics are on full display here and I don’t need an intimate connection with everyone involved (though I do have some) to understand exactly what is going on here. We get a taste of each kingdom (even the bee people who I was surprised to find oddly nice) and their relationship to Saturnyne who rules over them all and seems very keen to keep it that way even if the Horseman attempts to get a little rowdy. It’s a great set piece to show all the pieces on the table and I recall Hickman doing something similar in Secret Wars; showing the lay of the land so we understand the scope. [Ed. note: It was Secret Wars #2. Brian Braddock and Mister Sinister had a duel. It rules. What follows after are some dizzyingly beautiful visuals from Pepe Larraz as we slide between Krakoa and Arakko with some poignet parallelism.

RS: Getting Data Pages about each kingdom has been so enjoyable, and seeing them on display here? I WANT AN OTHERWORLD TTRPG, DANGIT. It’s interesting how this is both preface and tipping point; we see the full scope of things, but we’re also in the middle of things. Literally, we’re halfway through the crossover. But we keep seeing that Krakoa is at the top of the Otherworld Globe and Arakko at the bottom. We see our heroes suspended above a circle of dead stone and our villains below a circle of dead flesh. And the narrative too inverts for a bit; we get our first 11 chapters of sword-fetches from the other side, from the Arrakkans. It’s brief, and yet it also feels, because of where we are, as weighty as those 11 chapters together.

CD: Taking the time to show us this quest also lets us see one important thing that I picked up on, which is the sword bearers of Arakko aren’t a community. Outside of the Horseman who have banded together, they are relying on hired guns. Everyone’s favorite sword crocodile, Pogg Ur-Pogg, loves gems and also seems to be somewhat of a merchant. It’s a shot in the dark, but I can’t help but think someone on this side will fall to their own hubris. It’s almost baked in at this point. We see a front united and a front kinda cobbled together. We both know that if you can’t rely on your tag team partners then what chance do you really have to win the match?

RS: The White Sword is a bitter enemy of the others, joining only in the hopes that he might get some kind of revenge. Solem has deeply hurt the people here, and they want nothing more than for him to return to rot in his tower. Bei just wants to hurt people; who here is actually working for their own community? Are they a community at all? Or are they just a collection of powerful individuals? This assembly is also making us reflect on Apocalypse’s approach over the years. His “survival of the fittest” has routinely focused on breaking and empowering individuals; he makes his individual horsemen strong. He doesn’t focus on making them cohere. Meanwhile, it is coherence, it is community that allowed humanity to rise up and dominate far stronger creatures, and it is community that allowed Krakoa to gain power, and it is community taken to its vastest, most extreme, most horrifying end that Moira is hoping to fight. I think in this conflict, in the ways that we will see radical unity and radical individuality at odds, we’re going to see a lot of the ideas that this whole era has been grappling with in microcosm.

CD: It’s kind of relief to come to that conclusion because…it’s really the only thing I’ve been begging to be explored.

The Heart of the Cards

RS: The issue helpfully contains Tarot’s notes, but I think folks might find further detail valuable? I’d like to give everyone the original (well, the Rider-Waite) card, and give Rachel Pollack’s description (note that even when I’m not quoting, I’m paraphrasing her The New Tarot Handbook here consistently). And maybe as we go we can talk about them.

CD: Thank you for being so helpful, Rob! I am new at this so let’s take it one at a time.

Captain Britain: The IX of Swords

RS: You might recognize it from memes.

Pollack describes this card as possibly referring to a dark night of the soul, or possibly to a necessary confrontation with depression and horror. She offers these divinatory meanings: “sorrow, anxiety, depression. What wakes us up in the middle of the night, including dreams or bad news. On a lighter note, insomnia.”

RS: Notably, the original does not feature the depicted being stabbed. That’s a significant change

CD: Besty has been on edge since she took the mantle of Captain Britain. She’s been mired in crisis and even though he’s taken the reins by claiming the Starlight Sword as her own and crushing the amulet. The situation with Besty, her own inherent darkness and being torn between duty to Otherworld and to Krakoa is about to reach critical mass. She’s not walking out of this unscathed. The last issue of Excalibur went out of it’s way to remind us that inside Betsy lives violence and trauma. We will see it manifest before too long.

RS: I think there’s opportunity here too– we’ve been reminded that she hasn’t had a chance to deal with all of her trauma. Maybe now if she’s confronting it, there is a brighter future for her after this ordeal.

Cypher: II of Cups

What’s depicted here is “a union of equals.” I think if we turn to the divinatory meanings we’ll see something that’s very Doug/Warlock: “A relationship, possibly a new one but meaningful. Renewal of love; commitment. Any flow of energy between two people, mental or magical as well as emotional. Possibly yoga or spiritual practices that raise kundalini.”

RS: This is also one of the closest cards we see to the original depiction; the major changes: the figures do not appear to be equal in stature, and the caduceus, a medical symbol, has been replaced with the star-in-crescent, which has a very wide history

CD: It’s wholesome if you think about it. It’s been a really long time since we’ve seen Doug and Warlock together let along in action together. Warlock is very literally Doug’s sword. He’s his protection. Like a knight might protect a prince. Relationship indeed.

Gorgon: UNKNOWN

RS: MYSTERIOUS!

CD: [RECACTED]

Captain Avalon: Knight of Pentacles

Pollack describes the Knight of Pentacles as less romantic (in the Medieval sense) than the other knights; he’s practical, “grounded.” Divinatory meanings: “Hard-working, diligent, devoted to the task at hand, without need for outer rewards or glory. Cautious, not given to wildness or risk. Mind in the service of nature, without ego.”

RS: I guess that sounds like Brian? He’ll get the job done.

CD: Sure will. No matter what that means for him.

Magik: III Page of Wands

Pollack frames this card as existing in several possibilities; it looks like the figure is setting out on an adventure. It’s possible that he’s “literally missed the boat,” but also that he’s overlooking boats that he owns. There’s the possibility of loss, and the possibility of power. Divinatory meanings: “standing alone, looking out on your life. Committing all your resources to something. Alternatively, a reluctance to get involved, especially in relationships.”

RS: I can’t think of a more perfect dichotomy to describe Magik; she’s lost out on so much, but she’s also, in her heart, such an incredibly powerful person– and I don’t mean that literally. Superheroes aside, she’s an immensely strong woman. When I look at this card too I can’t help but see the Magik that Leah Williams wrote in What if? Magik and Dr. Strange: The End, the magic who was able to create the wand and not just the sword.

CD: Magik seems to be the most prepared for this bout. She’s strong, seasoned and already fights with a sword. She’s lost an innumerable amount of things in her life so she protects what she has left, fiercely. It’s important that she’s committed to this cause, but when you invest so much into how sharp your sword is, you can forget the real human cost of the fight.

EDIT 10/29/20 WE DONE GOOFED

RS: So, I goofed extremely hard. I read the “th____ of wands” as “three of Wands” on Magik’s card even though there is a data page that explicitly says it is the Page of Wands. My brain: is bad. So here’s the important information for Magik:

This remains a card of potential, but unlike the three, it is also a card of youth.

Divinatory meanings: “Freshness, enthusiasm, a willingness to begin something. Someone young and energetic. Exciting News. Possibly a faithful lover or a declaration of love.”

RS: The card is also even more reminiscent of What if: Magik, to the point where I would not be surprised if Felipe Andrade intentionally referenced the card during this scene.

Cable: The Fool

This is the first card of the major arcana, the first card of the deck as a whole. The major arcana in order can be seen as illustrating a story, and if taken this way, the protagonist is The Fool. But he doesn’t leave the story without being transformed.

Divinatory meanings: “Freedom, spontaneity, recklessness. Acting on instinct rather than plans or thought. All things are possible. Taking a chance on love or new ideas. Setting out.”

RS: This is shocking to me. If the understanding above is implied, then Cable is far more central to this series than I ever expected. I was certain that Doug was going to be our Fool.

CD: I was surprised, but the more I thought about it the more this one made sense. Especially as it pertains to this version of Cable and not our seasoned and grizzled one. This Cable has already done so many foolish things. He started out doing foolish things. He killed our Cable for the greater good and while it’s nice to see a version of Cable get to grow up with his parents, I can’t help but find him naive. The older version of Cable would have probably shot Scott and Jean on site after realizing there was a horrific alien entity that they had come into contact with. Nathan is a fool indeed.

Wolverine: Strength

Pollack emphasizes that the kind of “strength” depicted is not necessarily what we’d normally think of– there’s a strength in kindness and humility as well nature’s cruel jaws.

Divinatory meanings: “Confidence, gentle strength, openness. Overcoming destructive impulses. The ability to do something difficult with grace and courage. A person who loves animals.”

RS: Just as the Summoner here is associated with the card, so too was he previously. Interesting that people on either side would both be associated with the same card, and that Wolverine would be associated with the figure apparently being tamed, rather than the human figure taming.

CD: I like to remember that strength, true strength, isn’t anger or rage. It’s knowing when not to do those things. If we think about Wolverine in that context, I think this card makes a lot of sense for him. He’s gonna have to rely on others here which isn’t always his strong suit.

Storm: Death

Death isn’t The Bad Card. It usually is not literal Death. The Pale Rider causes change, and the other figures on the card react to change in different ways.

Divinatory meanings: “The end of something. The need to release something without fear or regret; usually this will lead to new possibilities. When physical death is actually an issue, the card calls on us to look at it honestly.”

RS: the card art is extremely striking– it doesn’t show Storm’s death. It shows Storm as Death, as the agent of change.

CD: It also fits with her dancing with Death on the cover of Marauders that’s coming up. I think it’s really important that we see a change for Storm off the back of X of Swords. She’s stagnated for so long and she really, really could benefit from a new role or something that really gives her a spotlight to shine.

RS: There’s an argument that she may be the best character in X-Men; there’s an argument that she may be the best character in Marvel Comics. That writers have struggled to give her any significant story for years is endlessly frustrating; I’m really hoping we start see the roots of the long-teased Storm: 2021 story here.

Apocalypse: The Lovers

The card calls to mind two major things: Adolescence, that is, leaving one’s childhood behind, and Eden, the ideal youth of humanity from which we were expelled.

Divinatory meanings: “Love, a deep relationship, choices, desire. Good partnership in business or creative work. The rational and the emotional in harmony with each other.

RS: There are some obvious connections here– I mean, Apocalypse and his ex (?) wife were literal lovers– but then Genesis clearly is a different kind of allusion to Eden, and Genesis and Saturnyne both speak to Apocalypse as if he were a child, or as if he needed to grow beyond childish things. He needs to leave behind his memories of Eden.

CD: You know. Apocalypse and Genesis are no Golden Lovers, but I’ll take it. For the record; I hope she stabs him in the heart.

RS: In addition to these, we have a few other Tarot Allusions to my eye, Here are a couple:

The Priestess

Divinatory meanings: “a time for silence and stillness rather than activity. Trusting your intuition, being with yourself. Sensing mysteries and truths that do not need to be explained. Sometimes a style of leadership that helps others find their own way rather than giving them directions.”

RS: The imagery here has moved details around– but I think it’s clearly drawing directly from the card. And as this priestess is a representative of Saturnyne, I think we’re meant to think of her as the High Priestess here ultimately.

CD: This is exactly what this is drawing on. Saturnyne has her hands in everything and she’s even had priestesses as we’ve seen in Excalibur. Just one more awesome thing for Pepe Larraz to draw.

Towers

RS: We are given yet another Tower: this time, of Dryador. The Tower has recurred throughout this era, beginning of course in HoXPoX:

And appearing recently, in the closest it’s ever been to the tarot card, in: X-Men #12.

And the Tower, for good or ill, portends calamity: “An explosive situation, upheaval. Sometimes extreme conditions, possibly even violence. Revelation, whether spiritual or a shocking discovery. Liberation. The sudden end of a long-standing problem.”

CD: We have seen this time so many times, yet I don’t think the imagery is going to stop here. They are playing the long game with this one. The entirety of HoX, PoX and now XoS has been about this very theme. Upheaval. The X-Men are absolutely not what they once were and you cannot change that much without going through growing pains. XoS is that.

Swords & Starlight

CD: Alright I know we got a huge info dump here in regards to Arrako, but there are some very obvious parallels here between the two sides. I was really struck with how much Red Root and Doug seem so similar. I know they are going to interact with one another, but Red Root seems like a warrior that’s tired of all the blood shed while Doug seems…more than apprehensive to fight even though he knows he has to. They wouldn’t have put this here unless it was going to pay off so bold prediction time: Doug and Red Root are gonna kiss.

I am joking.

Unless….

RS: Unless…

[Ed. note: Unless…]

Do I want Doug to kiss Red Root? Absolutely. And Krakoa. And Warlock. And for Krakoa to Kiss Arrako. [Ed. note: We’ve come close] I want a big ol’ wild polycule at the heart of this society.

Other parallels: there is one non-mutant on each team; Pogg Ur-Pogg, the glorious Amenth beast that seems to speak in rhyme, and Captain Avalon. Bei the Blood Moon, who just wants to fight, and Gorgon, who came running as soon as someone shouted “SWORDS!” There’s Kid Cable and Summoner, two young (relatively speaking, or, at least framed as young by the narrative) mutants caught up in different ways in the tangled webs of Apocalypse. And then there’s Apocalypse and Genesis themselves.

CD: That seems to be the whole thing with all of these. Krakoa and Arkkoa are literally two sides of the same coin. Krakoa WANTS to be reunited and I am assuming that Arkkoa wants the same thing. The really interesting part comes when we figure out what that actually means. What does that look like? Can one really exist without the other? Is destruction necessary? The ending book in the series certainly seems to allude to it. But what is actually being destroyed?

RS: And it seems like, in either outcome, they’re going to be united. We do not leave this story without the lands becoming whole, and without these peoples joining. So is what’s at stake (besides the fate of the Earth) ideology? Is it the nature of the unity that’s at stake? Some things in this story are still unclear– but, weirdly, in a way that’s intriguing to me rather than confusing.

We’ve talked about parallels between the groups, but I have to ask– are there any other specific characters that jump out at you now, now that we’ve seen more of them? Or any of their cool swords?

CD: THERE SURE ARE. Everyone loves Pogg Ur-Pogg but I perhaps am ashamed to say, I am not really aboard the hype train. He’s rad, but it was Bei that struck me. I don’t think it’s hard to see why. The sword is called The Seducer. Um that is right up my alley. Bei is the Arrako swordsman that I will be keeping an eye on. What about you?

RS: I must admit that I, a-choo-choo, remain on that hype train. I am a Pogg Ur-Pogg stan for life. [Ed. note: Love this gator] I know it’s extremely likely that he’s going to die or never be seen again after this story– but he’s going to occupy a special place in my heart, right next to Bill the Lobster. Otherwise, I’m extremely interested in the White Sword– what’s his deal, what can his sword do, and what boon does he hope to ask of his immortal enemies? But of all the swords I’m most intrigued by the Summoners– Colony. That certainly sounds like it’s relevant to the Bigger Picture of stuff going on here. It’s an evocative name.

CD: The cool thing about this is that it’s basically built to pick your favorite. I won’t begrudge anyone for having a favorite combatant. LORD KNOWS I DO. It’s built into my blood. Favorite sword boys aside (remember I had one before anyone else) I think we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the end of the issue. If you’ve been reading Excalibuddies you would know that I really, really am not a big fan of the large blue man at the center of this whole thing. That being said, he’s never been more riveting. Giving him something to lose, being on the opposite side of a war he started and of a people who have been so twisted by his own ideology that they decide to end him next. Beautiful stuff. Saturnyne points out that Apocalypse is being hasty with his decision making which started with invading Otherworld and her spire and not simply asking her. He’s desperate for something. It’s almost hard to believe it’s love.

RS: I haven’t had the opportunity to talk much about Apocalypse over on ToX-Men, unfortunately. I’m right there with you: he’s never been more “riveting!” He reminds me of a quarantine obsession of mine (and yes, I know I’m coming to this extremely late): Hannibal. He’s a character that does immense, immense evil– a character that selfishly manipulates and warps others– a character with a morally abhorrent ideology– and yet. For me, there’s something captivating there, as we plumb his depths, as we see the twisted loves he is capable of offering, as we explore the dark corners of his monstrous soul. And here, next to Saturnyne, and in front of Genesis. Apocalypse is– surprised. He feels, for a moment, naive. Even young. None of this is overturning the Apocalypse we’ve seen before– but it’s complicating someone who was a stock Powerful Big Bad into something absolutely fascinating.

CD: I hope he continues to pay for his life of lies and deceit.

Apocalypse and Genesis are also two pieces split from a whole. Except it seems like somewhere along the line, she outgrew him and he fell behind in his own survival of the fittest ethos that she states to him as the issue wraps up. I hope he’s suffering. I hope he FEELS IT.

RS: The Lovers, as we discussed above, is a card of a kind of change– it’s a card of growth. And I wonder if that suffering means that he can still change himself? If he can grow? If he can see the limitations of his own ideas and the possibilities if he’s willing to give them up? I hope so. Is it possible for the cause of the Bronze Age Collapse to undergo a Face Turn? Probably not– but I think the attempt would be interesting. Before we wrap up, there’s someone we’ve been talking around– what do you think of the other member of that conversation, what do you think of Saturnyne here?

CD: I think she’s just like Apocalypse if I am being honest. She’s not as transparent as he is, doesn’t wield the same ideals, but she likes everything in its place the way it’s supposed to be. She HATES change out of her control as we see with Betsy becoming Captain Britain without her blessing or more Captain Britain’s being created outside of her purview. She wants to be the focus, she wants to be the center. Their conversation comes off like old friends talking. They are playing the same game, just differently. Who can move the first piece and win the game.

RS: And just as Apocalypse is out of depth, we’ve already seen, in the latest chapter of Excalibur, that Saturnyne can even be surprised by the results of her own prophecies. She seems in control at the moment– but she might be just as unmoored as Apocalypse by the time this is over.

This was probably my favorite chapter of the event so far, and this is shaping up to be my favorite X-Men event, outshining Inferno. It’s everything at once: we have an entirely new world of characters, and also we’re plunging the depths of old, old continuity in Otherworld. We’re getting really sharp, interesting character moments, and also seeing a grand epic exploring the high concept of this era. We have a goofy anime tournament, and also a heartbreaking story of doomed loves and damned ideologies. Half-way through X of Swords: I like it.

X-Traneous Thoughts

Pogg Ur-Pogg
Is it rude to just give your guests tarot cards in certain vulnerable positions?
Satunyne cares so much about control and I am so interested in what’s going to happen when this all spirals so wildly.
We spent some time breaking down some of the poetic prophecies found in this issue. They kind of seemed a bit off.
Fundamentally, the problem seemed to be the meter; they attempted a kind of ballad meter (and didn’t even stick to that consistently). Even when eerie, that sort of thing is more folk-eerie than grand prophecy-eerie. Google “La Belle Dame Sans Merci,” and the Macbeth “Double Double Toil and Trouble,” and listen to the difference. The rhythm of a poem can matter.
Krakoan reads: Truth