District X

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District X is a location in Marvel Comics. It is a neighbourhood in New York, first seen during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. The rise in Manhattan's mutant population, coupled with racism among normal humans, led to mutants forming their own community. Although humans lived in this neighbourhood as well, they were in a minority.

However, the neighbourhood was quite poor, with a prominant crime rate and warring mutant gangs. Most of the residents regarded it as a ghetto. District X's heyday came during the House of M storyline, when it was transformed into a rich, exclusively mutant neighbourhood named Mutopia X(during the same storyline, Hell's Kitchen was transformed into a human ghetto called Sapien Town). After this story, however, the residents suffered the 'Decimation', and most of them were stripped of their mutant abilities. The remaining mutants mostly moved to a relocation camp on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. Now the ghetto is the base of operations for X-Factor Investigations.

Despite the obvious practical and logistical problems created by having an entire neighborhood of people with mutant powers in one of the largest cities in the United States, District X is hardly ever mentioned in Marvel Comics titles not affiliated with the X-Men in some way.

[edit] District X (comic)

Cover to District X #5, featuring Bishop and Ismael. Art by Steve McNiven.

District X was an ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics which began in 2004. A police procedural, it is set in New York City's fictional Mutant Town, a de facto ghetto for mutants.

The series stars the X-Man and FBI agent Lucas Bishop, who has been assigned to the ghetto to investigate rising crime rates among the population. Bishop works with NYPD patrolman Ishmael Ortega, an ordinary human married to a mutant (Armena Ortega).

During the House of M crossover, the series was replaced by the miniseries Mutopia X. After, Hine continued some of the series' plotpoints in The 198 miniseries although, for the most part, the series and its arcs have been ended. This is for multiple reasons, including sagging sales as well as the purpose of the series (an all mutant ghetto in the heart of New York City) no longer existing after the events of M-Day.

Hine also continued his take on X-verse in Son of M and it's soon to be released follow-up Silent war, with the more direct continuation of District X and X-Men:198 currently on sale as the Civil war: X-Men mini series

[edit] Cast

District X's large ensemble cast includes:

A "mysterious stranger" called Mr. M (also the title of the first story-arc), who attempted to destroy District X out of sheer world-weariness but was stopped by Bishop and Ortega.
Two rival crimelords, "Filthy" Frankie Zapruder and "Shaky" Kaufman.
Gregor, a mutant who puts down roots whenever he falls asleep.
Winston Hobbes, a large worm-like mutant who inhabits the District X sewer system,
Armena Ortega, wife of Ishmael Ortega who generates a protective bubble when she sleeps,
A large population of mutants whose mutations and/or personalities make them unsuitable for the flashier "super" life. Examples include a woman who can burst into flames but is not immune to being burnt, a man whose sole power is that his skin is bright green, and a boy who has large skin flaps under his arms.