HOUSE OF M BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by Olivier Coipel, inked by Tim Townsend, Rick Magyar, John Dell, Scott Hanna, colored by Frank D'Armata

This story follows the events of Avengers Disassembled and Planet X, but if you don’t have those, don't worry - there’s a summary at the beginning of this book. Scarlet Witch is mentally breaking down after what she did to some teammates in the previously mentioned storylines. The X-men and Avengers come together to figure out what to do with her, and Pietro thinks this meeting is about whether they should kill her or not. He runs off to warn her, and the next thing we know, reality has shifted into a world where mutants are the regular, sapiens (non-mutants) are almost extinct, and every hero pretty much has the life they’ve always wanted. The problem is, Wolverine remembers everything, and so does a little girl, whose mutant powers can help unlock the subconscious of other people and help them remember the way the world was. They have to confront Wanda and make her put everything right, but this leads to an even bigger disaster!

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This is a great storyline with some wonderful "what if" possibilities.  What if Magneto got his way and mutants were recognized as superior humans?  What would happen to the Earth if there were no mutants at all?  This is also part of the basis for The MCU's WandaVision, as it draws on Wanda's mental breakdown and the creation of her twin sons.  This, along with The Vision by Tom King should be included for any collection wanting to capitalize on the popularity of WandaVision.  This title, however, is not as self-contained as The Vision, being the direct result of two different storylines, so it might be a good idea to snag those as well.

There is some violence, but not any more than other superhero titles.  There is grief and some mental health concerns with Wanda.  This would be suitable for most high school readers and mature middle school readers.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Publisher: Marvel
Publication Date: May 17, 2006
ISBN: 9780785117216 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Superheroes, Action Adventure, ​Marvel