Plot:Scarlet Witch makes the world go all wonky as her powers do the same. Craziness ensues, and the Marvel Universe will never be the same.

Comments: They always say, "BLANK will never be the same," but House of M completely delivered on this ideal.

The collection itself is worth it. Reading the eight-issue arc in one sitting gives it a better sense of tragedy, and it makes Bendis's writing all the more effective. It gives a certain structure to the story that was lost on its initial monthly-esque reading.

The colors seem to pop all the more on the increased glossy paper, and the line work from Olivier Copiel and his army of inkers is astonishing. The way he delivers facial expressions and slumped shoulders (especially on Magneto and Spider-man) make the characters seem all the more real.

Additionally, the pencils-only reproduction of the first page (part of the heaping helping of extras) show that Copiel is an outstanding find in the comics world. It's unfortunate that his deadlines suffer, but the amount of time he spends on each page, on each figure, can be seen quite exquisitely in the first chapter.

Again, the extras in this hardback collection offer more to the overall story. The Secrets of the House of M one-shot included here gives more insight into the ancillary characters from the main mini whom we saw little of.

For instance, I wasn't aware that Hank Pym in the House of M had a wife who was killed, or that Iceman was one of the Four Horseman of Apocalypse. You gain a lot of background info on these characters that you wouldn't know anything about unless you read every single tie-in issue (and I'm not rich, so I didn't).

There's also an round-table discussion between Hank McCoy, Hank Pym, and Otto Octavius regarding the "Dead-End Syndrome" facing humans in the House of M world. Remarkable.

Then there's the Pulse House of M special that just gives a crazy National Enquirer look into the lives of all the characters faced with this strange reality.

The story itself does change the Marvel universe. You can feel it in the X-Men books, as Wanda states "No More Mutants" and the expelling of energy gave rebirth to Vulcan and Darwin (seen in Uncanny X-Men), and was the basis for almost two-years worth of X-stories after this mini wrapped.

The Avengers universe doesn't trust itself. The characters that remembered the House of M can't trust the world around them, and we see that today in the Secret Invasion event. It's all an immense task in storytelling that Bendis put the wheels to work, right here in this storyline.

The story works best when looking at the pillars of Marvel. Spider-man and Wolverine are affected in major ways by this story. Spidey learns that a happy life could have been had in the face of this strange world, with his true love Gwen, his uncle Ben and aunt May both healthy and happy, and a beautiful son named Richie.

He also learned that MJ would have been the most popular movie star and model in the world, if only she hadn't married him--and now that One More Day has passed and a Brand New Day continues to happen, maybe this all came from the House of M.

Wolverine also continues to change from the House of M. He learned all of his past. He learned all of his history. Now he has the task of deciphering the puzzle that is his life and finding out how that life made him who he is.

I still find it impossible to not get goosebumps when Wolverine sits up and says, "I remember. My whole life . . . I remember all of it." His face in almost a look of ecstasy, the character finally allowed to grow.

Finally, the last group most changed by House of M, the most tragic characters of the tale: Wanda, Pietro, Magneto, and even Lorna. They all lost their abilities (though Lorna got them back as a Horseman of Apocalypse). Each and every one of the House of M appears beaten throughout the story. Lost. Broken. Wavering in their lives and not knowing which way to go. It gives Magneto a new lease as a character, and this is one fan who hopes it's a very long time (if ever) before he gets his powers back.

Final Word: House of M actually changed the landscape of the Marvel Universe. Whether it was for better or worse, that's your call. I'm just here for the ride.

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