Review of HOUSE OF M

House of M by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to give Mr. Bendis credit: This installment is a twisted version of “Careful what you wish for.” And the fallout is an interesting thought experiment. How suddenly the personalities of stalwart “heroes” shift when confronted with a reality they didn’t anticipate. (Interesting how no one bothers to hold a mirror up to their sudden reversal of opinion, either. Irony for you)

I can dive into the psychological experiment behind the concept of delivering a world of “everything you ever wanted” to a small slice of the world. But what interests me more is between two teams of self-proclaimed heroes, everyone’s eager to point fingers at a villain. Meanwhile, who’s actually howling for blood? And why aren’t they stopping to ask questions FIRST? It feels like a double-sided coin that no one was interested in recognizing. (Because, naturally, good is supposed to BE good. And you have to make SOMEONE evil – that’s the rule of comics)

That lack of a thought process is what irked me throughout the volumes. Everyone behaves on a primal instinct and emotion. Yet, supposedly, the entire situation arose from a psychological break. (Yes, I admit – I haven’t read whatever preceded this volume) The brain and its working remain at the heart of things, but no one wants to use theirs? Easier to remain ruled by the heart?

Seems counterintuitive to superheroes, if you ask me.

But it’s always easier to blame someone for their feelings. Especially a woman. At least, that seems to be the takeaway message here.

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