X-Corp #2 Preview

[alliterator]

You've shown how the magical side of mutantdom can make for strange bedfellows in X of Swords and Excalibur — is that something to look forward to in X-Corp as it expands the Reign of X into the business world?

Who knows? That’s the thing about putting a price on something — anyone can theoretically come buyin'.

-- Tini Howard

Comments

[donnblake]

This is actually something that I've seen discussed when dealing with organizations that lack formalized decision making processes (by-design hierarchical communes and the like). People who are more comfortable with confrontation and with pushing their beliefs or agenda can wind up getting their way consistently anyways, and then present that as natural consensus of the group. It's not universal, and it's not like other decision making processes aren't vulnerable to capture by individuals/factions in the same way, but it's worth noting that "Just talk things over til we come to an agreement," doesn't always mean that everyone's actually on equal footing.

[arilou_skiff]

In general Krakoa seems decidedly undemocratic, the Quiet Council is appointed by... What criteria exactly? There doesent seem to be any real democratic mandate in the entire structure (the closest being the X-men election which is uh... Not a decisionmaking body)

And its interesting that it just goes uncommented upon.

[silverhammerman]

Krakoa is ruled by either an oligarchy or an aristocracy, depending on whether or not you buy the idea that the members of the Quiet Council are actually the best and brightest/some form of deserving nobility.

You'd think that given most of the named mutants are from Western democracies they'd have something to say about this, but then again most of them are coming to Krakoa from within the X-Men power structure, and almost all of the X-books are following characters in relatively close proximity to the Council, so I suppose they'd be used to it. The whole anti-democratic tone of Krakoa is one of those things that feels long overdue for having someone comment on it in-text.

[donnblake]

I've been calling them an Ad-Hocracy. You're right that we're looking at governance by a largely self-selecting minority of the society, but there also seems to be no clear breakdown of what powers and/or responsibilities the individual members of the Quiet Council, the Council as a whole, or its various appendages have, except as they arise on a case-by-case basis.

[silverhammerman]

That's quite right. In that way the Quiet Council feels kind of like a provisional government, but so far there's been no indication that there's anything to come after it.

I don't mind the Council because it's interesting to see story-wise, but the fact that characters don't seem to be addressing it and we don't get much sense of "civilian" life on Krakoa, makes the continued failure to address it conspicuous.

[arilou_skiff]

Yeah, and that kind of makes sense, but it is also something you would expect to see addressed, or at least considered, it makes sense that early governing structures would be provisional and ad-hoc, but it doesent make sense how little discussion there is about what should come afterwards.

[deh_tommy]

*Is* there an afterwards? I was under the impression that the Quiet Council is the proper government, not just a provisional one.

[alliterator]

Emma Frost calls it a provisional government in House of X, saying that there will be changes to it later on.

[donnblake]

By design *non-hierarchical, that should have read.