X-men's Krakoa Era: A Retrospective and Marvel's Promise of Change
Marvel's X-Men Editor Calls Out Krakoa's Accessibility Issues!
Whoa, hold up, X-Men fans! Marvel's senior X-Men editor, Tom Brevoort, recently admitted on his Substack, "Man with a Hat," that the Krakoa era, despite being incredibly ambitious, kinda flopped in terms of accessibility! It had issues with its approach to providing accessibility, which failed fans and completely missed its own marks in appealing to a wider demographic. Brevoort stated they are aiming to resolve some of the many problems previously highlighted concerning how this storytelling era might have possibly impacted new readers of this franchise.
The five-year Krakoa storyline was massive, bringing in new ideas and creating plenty of amazing moments that completely impacted how fans saw their favorite mutants! But it created another issue: being so big it became incredibly overwhelming and inaccessible, meaning that trying to catch up to it is really going to become far too hard for any regular audience. The sheer scope of this specific arc created many problems which would only increase when considering its extremely deep lore. What's he gonna do to fix all this mess? Keep reading to find out!
Brevoort's Criticism: Krakoa's Exclusive Focus
Brevoort responded to a fan, Callie who wrote regarding a popular narrative that had been used concerning what the actual purpose behind that story arc actually intended; demonstrating the many expectations that might have already existed when considering that narrative which influenced audience expectations! Brevoort admitted the intention (by writers Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, and Marte Gracia) during those early phases in House of X and Powers of X was having "something for everyone". But that completely missed the mark and failed; even that early vision completely failed to deliver results for both new and older fans. And the later releases failed far more.
Brevoort’s critique of the later Krakoa era emphasizes some specific flaws with it: a lot of crossover between the ongoing X-Men titles. Everything revolved around Krakoa's internal workings; that singular setting; resulting in less focus and fewer exciting narratives around other settings; creating a strange confinement around how stories were told. It becomes harder and harder for a wider group of people to enter these stories; and it certainly explains just why those narratives were becoming more exclusive instead of inviting new and long-term readers.
Krakoa's Downsides: A Lore Overload
Here's the main thing Brevoort calls out. Trying to jump into those later Krakoa comics? Total nightmare! Even seasoned X-Men fans might have some difficulty trying to catch up. The lore became so overwhelmingly big; those existing plots intertwined tightly. You really have to read tons of titles, and at an incredibly significant price point, just to get a coherent grasp of all that lore and what happens to those various characters!
Now compare that with "From the Ashes" (the new X-Men era)! Fewer ongoing titles made it far easier to read; none demands reading everything. While knowing more adds richness, you don't have to, because a singular episode, one specific part, is actually designed and developed independently from another episode.
Krakoa's Upside: A Massive Mutant Soap Opera!
It wasn’t totally awful though. The immense scope did add something. It felt epic and totally connected to that large-scale X-Men storytelling— those amazing ongoing mutant sagas reminiscent of those grand-scale soap operas; and while that approach certainly creates immense difficulties in creating plots for viewers; many still found it deeply rewarding to follow everything closely and linearly as it released, without really needing that weekly recap that other programs would benefit from to convey that plot, and the plot's many details! The large-scale commitments produced deeply memorable moments, adding enormous levels of investment that could reward audiences tremendously, depending on preferences.
Conclusion: A Course Correction for Marvel's Mutants
The Krakoa era's mixed reception is noted; some fans and critics enjoyed it intensely and it changed how those titles were told completely. Others? Not so much. Brevoort's comments and the studio’s stated intention toward course correcting are really valuable; not implying this earlier approach failed entirely, acknowledging how the overall creative impact, the huge success made throughout that era might also impact the future storytelling arc in different, creative directions, yet also attempting to reach those new audiences who failed to understand this prior approach; and even older fans might prefer other methods to creating narratives in those various superhero plots; demonstrating that those older styles of storytelling can be successfully used; showing an impressive approach from the writing and creative side; completely demonstrating that the X-Men franchise can make some impressive pivots towards meeting new, wider audiences, without diminishing that prior success.
