Book Description

It begins here!The critically acclaimed, fan-favorite storyline that rocked the X-Men Universe to its core is collected across four volumes!In a cracked-mirror world ruled by the genocidal mutant despot Apocalypse, only one hope remains: Magneto and his Astonishing X-Men! The first in a four volume series collecting the entire Age of Apocalypse storyline. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

This comic is a great look at the mutant controversy.
For people (like me) who read X-Men for the parts on mutant prejudice, this is one must read! The plot is based on a group trying to eliminate mutants. They develop a machine harnessing Professor X's telepathic abilities with which they can weed out mutants from humans. The X-Men are forced to stop the plan, and ally with Magneto. The book is definitely aimed at a slightly mature audience. There isn't as much action as a comic, but there is lots of fighting for mutant equality through talking and encounters. Also, the illustrations are touching. Anderson catches the darker side of the X-Men that works well with the story. If you find this, it's a good buy.

The essence of X
"God Loves, Man Kills" is Marvel Graphic Novel Number 5. Written by Chris Claremont and Brent Eric Anderson, the book is lettered by Tom Orzechowski and colored by Steve Oliff. In this science fiction adventure, the superheroic mutants known as the X-Men face a complex struggle against William Stryker, a powerful televangelist who is masterminding an ominous plot. Complicating this conflict is the presence of Magneto, the mutant whose own agenda is at odds with those of both Stryker and the X-Men.

This X-Men adventure features Professor X, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Ariel, and Nightcrawler. This is an excellent story which, in my opinion, captures the essence of the X-men mythos. "God Loves" is a thrilling mix of action, interpersonal drama, and philosophy. The authors effectively develop the core idea of the mutants as a misunderstood and persecuted minority. There are some really heart-tugging scenes--these are characters you can really care about. The artists deliver some unforgettable visuals.

Stryker is a truly monstrous, horrifying figure. But his effectiveness is a character lies in the fact that he is so similar to many real-live Religious Right figures. Stryker is a Bible-quoting preacher who uses his vast wealth and political influence to wage a campaign of hate against a particular minority group. With a copyright date of 1982, "God Loves" strikes me as eerily prophetic, and still chillingly relevant.

The plot of "God Loves" is similar in certain aspects to that of the 2003 film "X2"--I don't think it's any accident that the mutant-hating villains in these stories have the same name. But despite the parallels "God Loves" still stands on its own as a powerful, well-written X-Men story. I consider it one of the essential masterpieces in the graphic novel genre.

More X-greatness from Chris Claremont and friends
At the time that I write this, Amazon has not properly identified this item for whatever reason. This is Essential X-Men Vol. 5. The volume is notably thicker than previous entries in the series, apparently because the paper is thicker. This should come as a welcome change for those who have complained about the flimsiness of the paper in the Essentials series - though I never found it to be a problem.

This volume contains The Uncanny X-Men issues 180-198, plus annuals 7 & 8. The bulk of the issues are penciled by John Romita Jr. and inked by Dan Green; a combination which we've already seen in the latter section of volume 4, although the art style is more distinctive here, maybe the artists were honing their technique? And Kitty looks noticably different here, even from earlier issues drawn by the same artists; but then, fans have grown accustomed to the repeated changes in Kitty's appearance as different artists have taken over the magazine.

There are two issues focusing on Storm, titled Lifedeath and (surprise!) Lifedeath II. These are penciled by Barry Windsor-Smith, and they have a look completely unlike any other issues of the magazine (esp. the latter which W-S also inked). Their tone is also atypical, more melancholy than usual - perhaps because of the influence of the artist, who also contributed to the plotting, as was usual with Claremont's X-Men.

Most of these issues display the virtues that are associated with Chris Claremont's long run as writer of The X-Men; chiefly a focus on the characters and their relationships with each other. Among other things, volume 5 shows Kitty's relationship with Peter go through some zig-zags; Storm loses her mutant powers and heads off to her old home in Africa to try to find new meaning in her life; and, wonder of wonders, Magneto - the X-Men's archfoe, whom they have repeatedly combatted since way back in the very first issue - has had a change of heart and has joined forces with Professor Xavier. Actually, this is not too much of a surprise because he experienced a moral crisis at the end of issue 150.

I have just two real complaints. One is that for a while, increasingly throughout the first half of this volume, the writers show a preoccupation with magic and sorcery, which reaches its peak with issues 190-191, which show Manhattan being taken over by the sorcerer Kulan Gath, and magically reduced to primitive barbarism. These two issues in particular have (to my mind, anyway) a rather grim and unpleasant tone. And since our heroes are mutants rather than magicians, they become increasingly helpless throughout these stories and have to be repeatedly bailed out by people such as Peter's sister and Nightcrawler's girlfriend, both of whom secretly practice magic of one sort or another; or by Warlock, a member of the New Mutants who is actually an alien from another planet.

If you find yourself getting depressed at this point, I recommend jumping ahead to Annual #7 (the annuals are included at the back of the volume) which offers a welcome change of tone. After the Kulan Gath sequence, though, Claremont and his collaborators seem to have worked out their fixation with magic, and the following issues return to the character-driven type of story that made this such a great magazine for so long.

My other complaint pertains to the writers' increasing fixation on the theme of anti-mutant prejudice and persecution. Although present in the X-Men since back in Stan Lee's days, the presentation of this theme here starts to become shrill and overbearing. In earlier times there were major characters who were non-mutants, yet were intimates of Prof. Xavier and/or the X-Men, such as Dr. Corbeau and (especially) Moira MacTaggert. I found myself increasingly missing such characters, as the writers sometimes seemed to be slipping into a simplistic world-view in which all mutants are unjustly persecuted and all non-mutants are moral monsters. To be fair, there are some decent non-mutants here, but they are all walk-ons rather than major characters.

However, these flaws are not enough to to spoil the greatness that is Chris Claremont's X-Men. If you have enjoyed the first four volumes of this Essentials series, you owe it to yourself to read this one as well.

Classic X-Men story
This classic X-Men story from the golden years of Chris Claremont's legendary run on the book is one of the most well known and well regarded tales to ever hit the X-Men. The story revolves around William Stryker; a powerful bible banging televangilist with an agenda for mutantkind. The X-Men are thrown into the thick of Stryker's would be crusade, with Magneto waiting in the wings with plans of his own. Claremont's superb and powerful storytelling is at his best here, and maybe is his best next to the classic Dark Phoenix Saga. The art is great as well, although some may find it a bit too 80's. The basic story of God Loves, Man Kills, would be used in the X2: X-Men United movie which used a villian named Stryker, only instead of him having power through religion he had it through the military. Even though this story is out of print, you can find it in the X-Treme X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills 2 book.

Good Read, The Basis For X-Men 2 (Movie)
I've been a fan of the X-Men for some time and I was glad I picked this up. It's nice to read the true origin of the story found in the X-Men 2 movie. The art isn't as flashy as it now but it is still an enjoyable story with a good message. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

pretty good
in case you were wondering, this collection includes 10 issues:

Uncanny X-Men 210-213
X-Factor 9-11
New Mutants 46
Thor 373-374
Power Pack 27

technically an issue of daredevil also tied into this crossover, but it's not included here.

crossovers are always fun, but as another reviewer mentioned they tend to meander. the writers didn't seem overly concerned about keeping the crossover self-contained, so a lot of the comics bring up events that don't get resolved until after the events in the books contained here. most of the backstories are explained enough that newbie readers shouldn't be too clueless, although if you're new to the x-men you should start off w/ the essential x-men series.

highlights: great fight w/ psylocke, wolvie, and sabretooth; apocalypse assembling his four horsemen; angel getting overwhelmed by the marauders.

minor gripe: WHY does thor not have a beard on the cover when he does at the time of these comics??

Really complete
If you want complete stories, then you are not going to do much better. If you want to see the X-Men in a state of war, then this is a far better storyline than the X-Tinction Agenda. Lots of mutants, lots of fights, and lots of poignant moments, from the injuries that led to the creation of Excalibur and Archangel, to Psylocke joining the X-men, to the death of so many Morlocks. The inclusion of Thor and Power Pack was well-handled. This novel can not be more highly recommended.

Mutants aplenty
Excellant graphic novel. One of the better X-men novels. Allstar cast includes X-men, X-factor, New Mutants, Power Pack, Morlocks, Marauders, Apocalypse and the beginings of his four horseman, and the Mighty Thor. Only dissapointment was not seeing Thor pummel the overrated sabertooth like the insignificant flea that he is, who comments that he would have torn Thor to shreads. All in all I highly reccomend this.

Good Story With Too Many Extras
I'm a comics fan and like most people I got my comics start with Marvel. I eventually bought more than Transformers and G.I. Joe and I got into X-Men. I think this graphic novel epitomizes my feelings about Marvel in general and the mutant comics (X-Men, X-Factor, etc.) in particular. The story here is a compilation of all comics from the storyline. The story is straight forward, a group of mutants has set out to kill all other mutants but in the process the story has to conveniently cross-over into Thor, Power Pack and more. Marvel does this to increase their readership on other titles. Since this is a trade paperback you get everything in order for one price. When reading the story in this fashion I began to see how annying this was since the story meandered due to the cross-vers that were barely related but I also felt sorry for those who bout the cross-overs off the shelf since they spent a ton more than they probably intended to.

The story itself is good but reads more like it's for the die hard fans, not really for comics and graphic novel fans looking for something more to read.

Good story, lots of action, & Sabretooth vs. Wolverine!!!
A good story with good art, featuring the first appearence of the Marauders, the foundation for Excalibur, the loss of Angel's wings, and the deaths of most of the Morlocks! There are two Wolvie vs. Sabretooth battles and some sub plots featuring X-Factor, Power Pack, Thor, and the New Mutants. ... Read more

Book Description

Magneto, the X-Men's deadliest villain, returns. They've faced the Weapon X program, Proteus and even the superhuman strikeforce known as The Ultimates. Now, still licking their wounds from their prior battles, can Xavier's mutant team possibly survive the return of their most powerful foe? ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Magneto is back for his rematch with the Ultimate X-Men
One thing that was always impressive about the X-Men was that it was one of the few superhero comic books where the definitive villain popped up in the first issue. Of course we are talking about Magneto the Mutant Master of Magneticism. The same thing was true for "Ultimate X-Men," where Marvel essentially restarted the series in contemporary times, reconceptualizing some of the core elements. For example, this time around the original X-Men combine Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast and Iceman from the first lineup with Storm and Colossus from the second (with Wolverine being recruited from the dark side so that he can appear on every cover of the trade paperback reprints). The result is a lot of familiar items are condensed into each story arc, which is then collected into a trade paperback.

"The Return of the King" is Volume 6 in the "Ultimate X-Men" series and the title, of course, refers to Magneto. In the first volume in the series the X-Men fought Magneto and not only defeated him, but also apparently killed him. However, this turned out to be one of Professor X's mind games; he convinced Magneto that he was Erik Lensheer, unaware of his past life as a mutant terrorist. When the Brotherhood of Mutants discovers Magneto is still alive they find him and remove the mental blocks Xavier had placed in his minds. We are now back to the beginning in many ways, except this time around both Magneto and all the homo sapiens are very wary. In fact, the Bush Administration has Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. going after all the mutants, including the X-Men. Since they already have Xavier in custody, stopping Magneto is going to be a problem.

Actually, stopping Magneto is always a problem. For a long time I have been convinced that Magneto would actually win and the reason I liked the first volume of this series so much was that I thought it recognized this fact by having Professor X and the X-Men going up against Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants go at it just once for all the marbles. In the end Magneto should have been dead because he should be unstoppable in a rematch; indeed, look at what ends up doing in this one, extending his magnetic reach across the entire planet. Besides, if you can explode nuclear reactors, why stop at just one? Magneto is simply the most dangerous super villain in the Marvel (or Ultimate) universe. When they were retooling him they should have ratcheted down his power level a couple of notches (Actually, they should do the same thing for Xavier as well).

But since Magneto winning would mean coming up with a new title for the comic book, Magneto has to be defeated. Once again the key is getting his helmet off of his head and while I like the way that happens this time around, I still do not really buy that anybody could get close enough to actually do it. Besides, as is often the case with these Ultimate titles, things end up reflecting the blockbuster movies (e.g., Magneto, living in a plastic cage). Clearly one of the defining elements of the X-Men today is the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr and the first issue of "Return of the King" provides an encapsulated version of their history (as well as a new explanation for how Xavier ended up in his wheelchair). Certainly there is something to be said for the ongoing debate that the pair have been having for over a decade.

Collected in "Return of the King" are issues #26-33 of "Ultimate X-Men," written by Mark Millar, and illustrated by Adam Kubert and David Finch, with Ray and Ben Lai. The most interesting addition to the X-Men mythos this time around is the sub-plot in which Wolverine finds a way to get Cyclops out of the way so that he can make a move on Jean Grey, especially given the intriguing idea that Logan and Scott are Charles and Eric, the next generation. Most of the relationships between the Ultimate X-Men (e.g., Colossus and Wolverine, Beast and Storm) are more interesting as well. Sometimes I think the "Ultimate X-Men" is overloaded with ideas, but for those who remember Marvel's Mery Mutants from the very beginning the changes are always something to think about.

Final Question: Since the Ultimate version of Nick Fury is African-American (apparently there were Howlin' Commandos in the Vietnam War), does that explain why Colin Powell was omitted from the White House discussions while Dick Chaney and Donald Rumsfeld were not? Just curious at that rather interesting omission.

The Ultimate Tale of The Ultimate Heroes
This TP collection contains the finest story arc yet for The Ultimate X-Men. Magneto is loose. The Ultimates want him after he has massacred hundreds of innocents in bridge collapse, and they figure the best way to get him is through The X-Men. Meanwhile, romantic jealousies lead to tragedy and betrayal as the Wolverine, Scott Summers , Jean Grey triangle goes over the boiling point. This series coincided with The Ultimate War, which you should read as well. Heck, read The Ultimates so you understand what this is all about. Great art, breathtaking plot twists and the great dialogue that only Mark Millar can provide. Don't miss this collection!

Contains "Ultimate X-Men" issues 26-33 (Not Just for Kids)
I have the hardcover "Ultimate X-Men" volumes 1 and 2 [covering issues 1-25] and the paperback, "Ultimate War". The title page includes a brief synopsis that should help you understand what's going on if you haven't read the earlier volumes. If you want a roll call, this volume includes the "ultimate" line versions of Magneto, Professor X, Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Nick Fury, Sabretooth, Multiple Man, Mastermind, Nightcrawler, Forge, the Blob, Iceman, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Rogue, and a mutant called Detonator whom I have not run across in the regular Marvel X-Men, but I'm still catching up. There's also a cameo by another mutant, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

This book opens by showing us how Magneto and Prof. X worked together, how their friendship deteriorated over several years, and, in more detail, how Magneto crippled Xavier. Then it moves into the present day and Magneto's progress on his refuge for mutants as well as the unpleasant scene where he deals with plans for a satellite mutant tracker. Meanwhile, the X-Men-in-hiding are dealing with Magneto's brotherhood in the hope of rehabilitating their image.

Is the rumor that Wolverine deliberately left Cyclops to die in the Savage Land true?

In the grand tradition of comic book villains, Magneto tells our heroes something of his frightful plan for eliminating the human-mutant relations problem. The X-Men have only a week to find Magneto's hiding place and save the world. (Let me just say that a machine, different from and much more powerful than the one used in the first X-Men movie, is involved.) The final battle certainly kept my interest.

During most of the action, Professor X is being held prisoner in a S.H.I.E.L.D. detention camp for mutants suspected of being terrorists. He refuses to betray his students, of course. I reread his words of encouragement to a fellow prisoner after rereading earlier volumes and those words became a little unnerving near the end. Why?

Because of what Prof. X tells Nick Fury and what he tells Magneto when they meet again late in the book. You won't have to have read the earlier volumes to speculate on whether or not Xavier is telling the truth. I'm afraid that he *is* telling the truth. If so, that would explain a couple of his moves in earlier volumes that I found incredibly stupid -- and would make this version of Prof. X a little scary.

Ignore the "9-12" age group recommendation. While they might enjoy the action, I think you need to be older than that to fully appreciate this book.

Covers Ultimate X-Men # 26-33
First keep in mind that this should be considered an alternate universe version of the X-Men. That way you won't be screaming about the differences from the regular comics. If you've already read through volume 5, "Ultimate War", the opening does not pick up where that left off. It traces the rise and fall of the partnership between Professor Xavier and Magneto for the first 20 pages or so.

Magneto is getting ready to destroy the entire human race, except for a token man and woman. The X-Men are in hiding, although they do make an attempt to rehabilitate their image and track down Magneto. Prof. X has been moved to that detention unit for mutants in Cuba that was threatned in "Ultimate War". Cyclops is not dead (was anyone expecting he would be?), but he's not in good condition. Of course the X-Men will save the day, Prof. X will escape, and Magneto will be foiled, but there'll be plenty of fighting, explosions, and a threatened nuclear meltdown.

Loved the part where Storm meets the Beast's parents, not to mention having my suspicion about Xavier's cat confirmed.

The final scene between Xavier and Magneto is my favorite part of the book.

X-cellent!
I enjoyed this volume greatly! This picks up from the very badly drawn volume five, the X-Men are recovering from their attack from the Ultimates, and Professor X is still held captive. Many things are revealed in this volume...and the action is extraordinary! I was a bit disappointed that the cover isn't how it's viewed on this page (of course it has Wolverine on the front; but that pic wtih Magneto rocks), but I got over it. Buy your copy today!!! ... Read more

Book Description

The place is a world very much like ours. The time is now. The phenomenon is genetic mutation. It is a time of change. Humanity now faces mutants, a mysterious sub-species that is gifted with strange and frightening powers. Hidden among the population. they are feared and hated by their human cousins. As rumors and urban myths about their existence spread across the world, the US government creates its own initiative to deal with this threat: the Sentinel Project. Meanwhile two men wage a secret war for the hearts and minds of young mutants everywhere. Charles Xavier has recruited a cadre of students including Cyclops, Jean Grey and Beast, that call themselves the X-Men. But there are others out there, living in fear, struggling to deal with what they are: Ororo Munroe, Bobby Drake and another, more dangerous mutant named Logan. Simultaneously, the terrorist known only as Magneto has assembled The Brotherhood, a militant group dedicated to the overthrow of human authority. A war is on the horizon and these amazing young men and women will decide the future of all humanity!

Just as Ultimate Spider-Man reinvented and reinvigorated Marvel's flagship character, Ultimate X-Men promises do the same for comics' most popular super hero team. Streamlining the mutant heroes into a manageable core group, this non-stop saga action and intrigue takes place in a continuity recognizable to fans of this year's blockbuster smash X-Men movie. Ultimate X-Men is the perfect choice for anyone who can't get enough of the X! ... Read more

Reviews (27)

What the X-Men movie should have been.....
Marvel created the "Ultimate" line of books to try to entice new readers by scrapping decades of complex continuity in favor of a fresh start. Supposedly, no prior knowledge of the books or their characters are necessary for you to get a good read that won't leave you scratching your head in bewilderment. So....does it work?

I guess....I've been reading comics since I was 3, so I really can't say how a "newbie" would fare.

I CAN tell you that I loved this book!! I wish that the makers of the atrocious X-Men flick had filmed this for the mutant's initial big-screen outing.

Mark Millar and the Kubert Bros. story does a great job of getting you up to speed fast: People born with strange, potentially deadly, powers exist among us, and pose a very real threat to life as we know it. Two men, Professor Charles Xavier (Leader of The X-Men), and Magneto (Leader of The Brotherhood of Mutants), fight an idealogical battle to win the hearts and loyalty of their fellow Mutants. Xavier wants to help Mutantkind make peace with Humanity, while Magneto sees Humanity as an annoyance that must be disposed of, so Mutants can ascend to their rightful place. This take-no-prisoners approach doesn't sit well with president Dubya; he unleashes the giant robotic Sentinels on a search-and-destroy mission to annihilate all Mutants. The story follows the recruiting of The X-Men (Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, The Beast, Iceman, Colossus, & Wolverine), and their first confrontation with Magneto. (And what a confrontation it is!)

Magneto has never been better written; he comes across as both charismatic and chilling...a super-powered cross between Charles Manson and Hannibal Lecter. He also does something VERY original with The Sentinals...very clever, Mr. Millar! Xavier is more cold-blooded than he is in the "real" Marvel continuity; I don't totally trust him.(Did he tamper with Scott's mind to make him defect....? Hmmmmm.)

If I loved it so much, why just a Four? I didn't care for the portrayal of Colossus: When we meet him, he's a soldier for the Russian Mafia, selling a stolen Nuclear weapon to an underling of Magneto. This troubling "Character flaw" is never mentioned again. That just bothered me a lot...I guess I hold my heroes up to high standards. I was also kinda weirded out by the way Jean just lept into bed with Wolverine, and the strong language peppered throughout the book. I'm no prude, but X-Men is an all-ages type of book, and the language just seemed unnecessary.

Overall, a great read- I'm gonna stick around for more.

A Great X-Introduction
This is Volume 1 of Marvel's new "Ultimate X-Men" series, which has attempted to do away with 30 years of pre-existing stories and complicated events and provide a new generation with the story of the X-Men, without having to have any prior knowledge. I have been out of comic books for about 10 years, and never got into the X-Men seriously, but with the success of the movies, I wanted to pick up a few books and start reading. I bought all of the previous issues of the original X-Men series, however the idea of having to read through 30 years of comics and mediocre art from the '60s really turned me off. Not to mention all of the complicated story lines and past events. I was very pleased then to be able to pick up Ultimate X-Men and start completely fresh with the X-Men.

To start, this is an excellent series. I've read all of the issues so far and "The Tomorrow People" is definitely the best storyline so far. We are introduced to the current X-Men team, who are a bunch of teenagers. We're given some limited knowledge about their backgrounds and introduced to their abilities. Most you will be familiar with if you're read the original X-Men, although I've noticed that Wolverine is definitely darker in this book, as well as many other characters. They have no qualms about killing people off in "Ultimate," and nothing they do would surprise me. This is contrasted by the usual humorous elements of Marvel Comics, as well as the personal relationships and teenage romances they set up. In a lot of ways, this comic is like the X-Men Evolution cartoon series with their handling of the more personal side of the characters. It can be a bit of a soap opera, but it works very well.

The storyline of this volume is excellent. It's packed with a great introduction to the kids, as well as a Xavier that appears to be a bit more devious and "human" than seen in the traditional Comic. Wolverine is definitely the character they've played with the most. He is just absolutely dangerous in this series. I thought this was the same old Wolverine that I grew up with from the Marvel Universe, but "Ultimate" Wolverine is just a plain loose cannon. Like the other deviations from the traditional universe, this works very well in this series. It lends an aura of excitement that I can't recall feeling in the past. My one concession with this series is that the covers are really bland to me, and too much like paintings, and some of the artwork in later issues by Bachalo looks really bad. I mean Rob Liefeld-bad. Kubert does a great job with the pencils in this one however. If you're looking to get into the X-Men and want a good place to start, you absolutely can not go wrong with "The Tomorrow People," one of the best written, and easiest to read, comics I've come across in a long time.

a new breed of x-men
The Ultimate line is what Marvel created to try to bring new readers to Marvel. They created a great story here populated with characters that are familiar as well as fresh. I also liked the art. If you want to jump in at the beginning of the X-Men, this is a great new place to start. If you are an old fan, this is a great addition to what we already know and love.

A great series for X-Men fans and long time comic collectors
I'm currently reading the Ultimate X-Men trade paperbacks. I used to collect X-Men during the Jim Lee,Marc Silverstri and Whilce Portacio run but stopped after they left for Image. Comic books as a whole are stagnant but there are a few titles still worth collecting and the whole Ultimate line is worth it.
This series has a more updated harder edge to it plus there isn't all the convoluted X-Men history to wade through.

Good read as an updated version
There are some people who will have problem with the way the X-men are portrayed, but it is interesting. I wish the movies were more like this book. This book presents the opportunity to take the team in an entirly unexspected direction. ... Read more

Book Description

It is the moment you've all been waiting for! Gambit returns to Ultimate X-Men! Because the fans demanded it, the Cajun thief is back! But what is he going to steal? And can the X-Men stop him? It's all about the Ragin' Cajun as the mysterious Gambit gives hints of where he's been, what he wants and why the X-Men will not be happy about it. ... Read more

Book Description

Dream-team creators Joss Whedon (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America) present the explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series - marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? As demand for the "mutant cure" reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally - and some unexpected adversaries - tipping the scales! Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-6. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Its nice to see a more realistic Marvel Universe!
Well this book was good, but Volume 1: The Tomorrow People was better. This book introduces many new and important character's to the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Including Juggernaut, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Sabertooth, and Nick Fury. The story tells of the Weapon X program kidnapping and basically enslaving the X-men and their leader, Professor Charles Xavier. The X-men are forced to do everything that Professor Xavier has tought them is wrong. Using tiny explosive chips planted into each of the X-men's heads, they are forced to do as they are told, or else KABLOOEE! I also like the fact that the whole Cytorak, or whatever its called, crystal was not included. Some of you may not understand, but taking out things like that make the story less confusing and more realistic. The day Marvel start incorporating things like "magic crystals" and such into the Ultimate Universe, is the day I stop reading them. I have come to expect a level of "realism" from these books. Anyway, this book also hints at the future creation of the Ultimates (the Ultimate Universe's version of the Avengers).

A bit inferior to the traditional Weapon-X story
"Return to Weapon X" is the 2nd trade paperback in the Ultimate X-Men series from Marvel, and covers Ultimate X-Men issues 7-12. This book features the popular "Weapon-X" storyline from the traditional X-men comics, with some drastic changes. Purists of the X-Men will probably be very upset, and those that are relatively new to the X-Men (like myself), will be a bit let down. The new Weapon-X storyline that writer Mark Millar has decided to create is just not as good as the original. "Weapon-X" was one of the main sagas in X-Men, if not all of the Marvel Universe. I didn't read X-Men, but I can remember the excitement surrounding this storyline and how much it made me want to start reading X-comics. Millar's version of it is rather boring, and there is too much of a focus on the other mutants rather than how Weapon-X relates to Wolverine. Wolverine's past is explored much more in later issues of "Ultimate," and I feel it was just a bit too soon in this new series to explore it. It all leads up to an anti-climatic finish with some rather large holes that don't make much sense.

The storyline is written by Mark Millar and most of it is pencilled by Adam Kubert, who has done a decent job with the X-Men in my opinion. While it's not the best storyline featured in Ultimate X-Men, I would recommend anyone who enjoys the series to pick it up, but I would encourgae you to start with the first book "The Tomorrow People" and reading the series in order. If you have a limited budget though and can't purchase all the books, you won't really be missing much by skipping this one.

great followup
What we have here is a great follow up to vol one of the Ultimate X-Men. We introduce more characters and get this new take on the Weapon X story. Well done story at that. Still gets high marks for art and character.

If you like X2, you'll like this.
Ultimate X-Men: Return to Weapon X is the second story arc of Ulitmate X-Men. The story starts as the terrorist group, Weapon X, kidnaps the teleporter Nightcrawler and forces him to work along with other mutant victims Rogue and Juggarnaut (who has a strange, new costume.) A few weeks later, Cyclops, Storm, and Colossus are in Tokyo being interviewed on a talk show. Following orders, Rogue secretly absorbs Colossus's memories and leads Weapon X to the Xavier Institute. The X-Men are abducted and forced to be Weapon X agents. This graphic novel is obviously what X2: X-Men United was based on. There are many similarties like Weapon X creating a Cerebro copy, Iceman visting his parents, and the X-Men teaming up with the Brotherhood of Mutants. The only bad thing about this book is the characters. Jaggurnaut was pulled out from out of nowhere and had no connection with the proffesor. Sabretooth is still a volunter agent for Weapon X, but has an adamantium skeleton along with eight claws. I have many more small examples, but these two are the most noticable.

The Weapon-X Program "recruits" the X-Men
Despite the title and the cover art for this second trade paperback volume in the "Ultimate X-Men" series (collecting issues 7-12), "Return to Weapon X" does not focus on the character of Wolverine. True, he is a key part of the solution for the predicament our Merry Mutants have found themselves in this time around, but Weapon X is now a big time secret government program run under the auspices of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury that has a rather impressive little roster of mutants in its service: Juggernaut, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Sabertooth. Think of them as the government's answer to the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and that pretty much accounts for all of the mutants belonging to groups at this point in the series.

Despite being on a first name basis with the President of the United States, Xavier's School for Gifted Children is hit by Colonel Wraith and his shock troops, both human and mutant. Now Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others will serve the greater good and help the government fight fire with fire (the only good mutant is a mutant with a neural implant). Of course, since this is a comic book, the person in charge of this government program is psychotic and perfectly willing to do anything to do anything to get the job done (or did I mention already that Wraith was in charge?). The main part of the story arc has to do with the X-Men regaining their freedom, but this is also mixed up with Wolverine's search for his past and Nick Fury's search for an illegal genetic operation violating the Superhuman Test-Ban Treaty.

I think that one of the main strengths of the Ultimate comic books is that they emphasize story arcs that take multiple issues (six in this case) so that a dozen issues into the series we have only dealt with two major stories instead of a self-contained episode with a new villain every single month. This should help the well from running dry too quickly. Writer Mark Millar along with Penciller Adam Kubert (with Tom Raney & Tom Derenick) and Inker Art Thibert (with Scott Hanna, Joe Kubert, Danny Miki, & Lary Stucker) are having fun tweaking the "original" X-Men stories and creating some new dynamics (e.g., Storm is interested in Hank McCoy, Nightcrawler does not speak English) so I think that those who have been reading the X-Men since issue #1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (or issue #1 of "The Giant-Size X-Men") will enjoy the differences more than neophytes and appreciate the way key stories resonant (e.g., Jean Grey is Marvel Girl and not Phoenix when she steps over the line this time around).

"Return to Weapon X" is not as good as the first volume in the series, but it is hard to compete with Magneto when you talking about the X-Men, whichever version of the group is involved. Millar's story is certainly complex enough and you can see all sorts of things being set up for down the road. As long as you are not offended by the very existence of the series, you should find "Ultimate X-Men" or any of the other titles in the Marvel series to be at least entertaining and quite possibility compelling. At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the tweaking. ... Read more

Book Description

The Ultimates vs. the Ultimate X-Men: the battle begins. When the X-Men do the worst thing they could to humanity, the government orders Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the rest of the Ultimates to bring them down. A small but lethal army, the Ultimates were created to face these and other newly rising threats to mankind. But the X-Men's founder, Professor X, hasn't been training his students for nothing -- and the youngs mutants just might take out the Ultimates first. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

This is more of a delaying action that a full out war
You would think that a showdown between the Ultimate X-Men and the Ultimates (the Nuevo Avengers) would offer an epic battle, but instead "Ultimate War" is pretty much a holding action. This trade paperback which is Volume 5 in the "Ultimate X-Men" series collects the four issue mini-series, which follows up on the conclusion of Volume 4 "Hellfire & Brimstone" where Magneto remembers himself and prepares to put humanity in its proper place. In the wake of the revelation that the Mutant Master of Magnetism was not killed and that Charles Xavier had lied about Magneto's true fate, the X-Men join the Brotherhood of Mutants on the government's hit list and the Ultimates are sent to bring them down.

Of course the lineups of the two groups is substantially different from the first time they fought in "The Avengers" #53, with Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Black Widow added on one side and Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus on the other. More importantly, it takes the Ultimates until issue #4 to track down the X-Men, although the Ultimates do get to tangle with Magneto when Daddy Dearest comes looking for Pietro and Wanda (I do hope that Magneto really is their father this time around because that would be a pretty good change from the first time through the Marvel Universe). Writer Mark Millar and artist Chris Bachalo reduce the "war" to a series of one-on-one battles: Iron Man vs. Colossus, Thor vs. Storm, Captain America vs. Wolverine, and the Wasp vs. Professor X. The problem is that they all take place in one issue, which means we only get a couple of pages for each confrontation. To quote Xander: "Big overture, little show."

The biggest problem with "Ultimate War" is that the mini-series is hamstrung from the beginning: not much can actually happen because the big showdown with Magneto has to be with the X-Men. The end effect is not a complete reset to where we started, but its is close all things considered. There are also some implications for down the road, such as when Captain America recalls Wolverine as Corporal James Howlett of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (of all of the new and improved Marvel Superheroes in this Ultimate book the one I like the most is Cap; the living legend is now much more of a pragmatist than an idealist, which makes perfect sense for somebody who fought Hitler and the Nazis during World War II). Consequently, it is not like you can skip this without being at something of a disadvantage when the story continues in "The Ultimate X-Men," which is precisely the point of such mini-series.

Ultimate War
Here we have two new Marvel creations meeting and fighting: The Ultimate X-Men and the Ultimates. The art is back up to par in this book. The story still as strong as the previous books. Even this far along they've kept it fresh.

Marvels Ultimates
I don't buy comics anymore I buy manga and graphic novels and stopped collecting comics a couple of years ago as the prices increased while the quality decreased. The Ultimate line from Marvel has been outstanding. This review doesn't apply to this individual trade per se but Marvel Comics as a whole under Joe Quesada. I thought I was done with comics but Quesada brought me back if only for the trades.

Ultimate filler....
I found the matchups also X-biased and without the huge dramatic impact of the Ultimates series -- Colossus tossing Thor around after Thor and Hulk go toe to toe? Wolverine shredding Stark's armor and taking out Iron Man in seconds? Isn't Iron Man the guy who captured the Rhino in U-Spidey without working up a sweat? C'mon. The revisionist stuff is great, and works in Ultimates, U-X and U-Spidey, but Ultimate War is only filler between the two super teams' Ultimate books. Poor use of continuity and very little action payoff.

Good But what About Captain Vs. Wolverine
This was a great comic X-Men vs. Ultimates first of all my two favorite characters Colossus and Wolverine were awesome. Colossus beat up iron for a little and then beat up Thor. And wolverine just killed every one in his path. The only thing i really wanted to see was Capn America vs. Wolverine. INsted all the action ends with Capn america playing a mind trick on wolverine then shooting him with a machine gun. Where is the hand to hand combat even though the better fighter is wolverine that would be great stuff ending is awful though ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The song sung for the last time?
This TPB reprints Uncanny X-Men #294-296, X-Force #84-86, X-Men #14-16 and X-Factor #16-18.

Cable has been framed into the assasination of Professor Charles Xavier. But nobody knows this except Cable himself. So the X-Men, X-Force and New Mutants suspect each other as they try to find Cable. And the biggest of foes join in. This is also the prologue of the release of the deadly Legacy Virus from Stryfe, which will kill some great characters on later issues of X-Men.

The story is very long, but good enough. The art is okay and differs in style from book to book. But it's nothing bad at all. And at least the characters are drawn well, opposed to some more recent issues that put the characters to shame.

A lot of the X-members feature in this arc, but it's mainly more a Cable story.

a fair story but only for x-men fans
there is a lot going on and not muh is explained, we get some good fights and nice moments but little else.

it has it's place in x-men history to be sure and if you are an x-men fan then this may be imporant since it deals with the summers family, but if your just looking for a book that you can pick up and read with not much knwoledge of the x-men.. then this is not it.

and the art goes from great to really bad, this was a crossover that went into many x-books with many different artists and the change between chapters (issues) can be striking.

Possibly one of the finest....
this book is possibly one of the finest marvel comics books ever written. If you are an X-men fan you will enjoy it through and through. You form attactments to the character. it is well written. thoroughly enjoyable.

very good
this was a very good story, & well-done crossover. it had a lot of things going on at the same time, but it wasn't hard to follow. this is a must-read

GREAT BOOK
Strfye puts a nice developed plan pitting the Xteams against one another. Great book! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Classic issues yes, but not the best collection
First off I will say that the issues collected here from Chris Claremont's early legendary run on the X-Men are essential reads for any X-Men fan, but Marvel should have really put more thought and money into this volume of Essential X-Men. The entire book is in black and white, no color at all except for the covers of the book. Also, the cover itself is made of poor quality material and scratches up and tears easily. All that aside, this TPB brings us the new team of X-Men which includes Wolverine and Banshee, and also introduces us to Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm. The new X-Men face off against Magneto, Juggernaut, the Shi'ar, and we also see the death of a fellow X-Man who actually managed to stay dead for quite some time (and in the Marvel universe, especially in the X-Men universe, that is a hard thing to do). All in all, this collection is a good pick up for any X-Men fan, just beware before you buy.

The relaunch of a comic series that changed everything
The New X-Men became the most popular comic book series in the late Seventies and early Eighties and has continued to be so almost to this day. You can see why by looking at this reprint edition, which carries (unfortunately in black and white newsprint reproduction) the first twenty or so issues of the relaunched series. One of the most interesting things is to see how long it took for Chris Claremont, the main writer, to get the series "right." For the first ten or so issues the stories were pretty standard early Seventies Marvel cheesiness, with far too many characters and hyperdramatic posturing (there's so much going on in the Empress Lilandra story--featuring the introduction of not of two sets of heroes, the Starjammers and the Imperial guard, but also an entirely new Marvel interstellar empire--that it's very confusing to see what kind of effect Claremont and his illustrator, dave Cockrum, had in mind). With the introduction of John Byrne into the series as the artist, however, Claremont begins to take his time with his stories, and focus on subtler characterization. The superb Mesmero story, "Mind Games," is the first where you feel both the writer and the artist are doing something truly innovative. And from then on, it just gets better and better.

"Essential" is right
I think these Essential collections are awesome. The important thing is that you get a lot of comic for a pretty cheap price. Everyone keeps complaining that they aren't color - but think of how much it would cost if they were. With a series as long as the X-Men and all it's sub-series, I know I, and probably quite a few other fans, wouldn't be able to afford a higher price. Here you get all the back issues and back story you wouldn't be able to read otherwise (unless you have the time/money to go hunting for all the back issues) for a good price. I have no complaints.

In the begining
I have always loved the X-men. My cousin and I grew up reading these comics. These "Essential" series comics are great. they are a cheap way to catch up on all the ones I missed as well as reading those issues I fondly remember. I really like the fact that I can read them from the begining, and with out gaps (I hate getting a comic book that keeps refering to an issue I don't have.)
For many the fact that they are black and white, has been a problem, but I still have many of my old issues, and I found that in general the black and white "essential" was clearer.
I got over the lack of color quickly (However my ten year old nephew keeps telling me to get them in color, so maybe its just me.)
I plan on buying all of the Marvel Essentials books; I think they are great.

Essential X-Men I
I purchased this for a x-mas gift and it is all in color.
every page is full color.
I keep reading that it's black and white well mine aint.
I had the original X-men comic way back when and sadly did not retain it.
anyine else get a colored one? ... Read more

Book Description

Jamie Madrox, stabbed, staggering off a bus. Jamie Madrox, setting up a detective agency in the heart of Mutant Town. Jamie Madrox, a peaceful Shaolin priest. Which is the real Jamie Madrox? In this noir-esque thriller of a limited series, it's possible that even Madrox doesn't know anymore. Peter David, acclaimed for his run on X-Factor, reunites several of that title's most popular and whimsical characters - Jamie Madrox, Wolfsbane, and the aptly named Strong Guy - and sends them on an adventure of light and darkness. Featuring the incredibly moody pencils of Pablo Raimondi. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terribly underrated noir-ish comic with the Multiple Man
The great Peter David may have made a name for himself with his unheralded run on the Incredible Hulk, but his all too brief run on X-Factor showcased some of his best work.The character he wrote the best in that series, Jamie "Multiple Man" Madrox, gets his own mini-series here, and David manages to greatly utilize all the promising aspects of the character for the most part.Madrox is a private investigator these days, who after witnessing the death of one of his "dupes", investigates to find out just what happened and why.What he uncovers is a little conspiracy filled with mayhem and mutants, and the noir-ish presentation will pull the reader in.While some of it is a bit predictable, Madrox is a surprisingly great read with some witty storytelling by David, and great supporting roles from Jamie's former X-Factor teammates Strong Guy and Wolfsbane.The moody art by Pablo Raimondi is reason enough to check this TPB out alone, and the conclusion leaves the door open for David to work some more Madrox magic.All in all, older X-Men readers who dug the character of Madrox (and you all know who you are) would do well to give this a look. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

still going strong
This contains New X-Men #21-25. And it is still going strong. The story is well written with great characters. The art is a little spotty here, but it is such a great story that that can be forgiven.

Just plain good X-reading!!!
I have enjoyed the Ultimate X-Men title as a reader of the Graphic Novels only. I started with the first two books in paperback form, but after this edition of books 3 and 4 in Hardcover I wouldnt buy or recommend anything else! In fact, if I could I would buy the first Hardcover edition of the series.

The book itself is beautifully made and very sturdy. Not to mention looking pretty good on a bookcase. And it's just really cool to have so many pages of good reading in one place.

The stories themselves are pretty good two. Mark Millar's writing page by page (as opposed to just the plot) is really bloody good and I'm getting more into the characters that aren't Wolverine more than ever before. The artwork is mostly good tho I wish Andy Kubert would have done more issues.

Needless to say it was a page-turner and tho I'm not an age-old fan who was dissapointed with the Phoenix intro - I was a fan from the start of the second X-Men series and I really like the return to just plain adventure stories with a writer who has the courage to mix everything up (for the better). And also, in combination with the previous Hardcover (or Vols 1 & 2 of the Trade Paperback) it's a great read for any new readers.

This book destroyed the Phoenix Saga!
The Phoenix saga is in my opinion in the top 3 most important events in any X-men incarnation. This story is SOO good, that it has become one of a few storylines that is and forever will be in every X-men incarnation (of course the incarnation would have to have Jean Grey in it). Unfortunatley this book makes a mockary of the Phoenix saga. First off, the Phoenix is a god is immense power, no change there. But the thing that [...] me off is how easily Xavier managed to stop Jean(Dark Phoenix). As I recall, the original Phoenix saga lasted many issues, this book turns it into like 5 pages. Dark Phoenix is made into a wuss. I dont care how strond Xavier is, he cannot stop the Dark Phoenix in 5 minutes, OK! This book took one of my favorite characters, spat on it, crapped on it, pee'd on it, buried it alive and fed it to the dogs. I hope that the phoenix will be better percieved in future stories. Other than that, it was a pretty good book... hehe...

The Phoenix Saga Begins...
Story: I loved the story of the fourth Ultimate X-Men story arc. Although it is rushed into only five issues (with the final a double-length), it is one of the best. The novel starts innocently enough: Kitty Pryde joins the X-Men. But soon Jean begins to see terrible visions of the Phoenix. It is revealed Jean has been chosen to be the host of the Phoenix Force. Meanwhile, Cyclops and Wolverine (who earlier tried to kill each other) journey to the Savage Land to fight a computer being only to find Shadowcat is tagging along. I like the idea that the Hellfire Club funds Xavier's operation. The ending is horrible though.

Art: Ya' have to love the art style of issus 21, 22, and 25. But Kaare Andrews art in issues 23 and 24 almost made me gag. It looks like rejected material from a G-rated animated movie. This is probably the only reason this book is rated 5 stars.

Character: Like most of this book, the best of the best. The X-Men's attitudes are much better than theirs in "World Tour" where they seemed addicted to killing. Cyclops and Wolverine got more aggresive than ever when they tried to murder each other. The conflict between Beast and Storm is great, especially when Beast is responsible for Magneto's return at the end. What Iceman does when the whole world is expecting him to blame Xavier for his concusion is great. Ultimate Shadowcat's personality is the same as the old, but it's still great. The new Brotherhood is very daring and stupid, and Sabretooth, Taod, Jagguranut, and Rogue have all left. I don't really get what's with this Prosimian person though- good thing Magneto kills him off.

Although this book is not good for people that do not know mch about the Phoenix Saga, it is a good read for fanatics.

The Ph
This volume captures several interesting stories of the Ultimate X-Men series, and paved the way for more anticipated action for future issues. The introduction of Shadowcat, Cyclops and Wolverine at the Savage Land, the ambush at the Hellfire Club (which was done with great tribute to the Dark Phoenix saga), the manifestation of Phoenix, the return of Magneto, etc. you get them all in this volume. Once again, excellent art work on the Ultimate X-Men series. I'd love to see a better rendition on the Phoenix manifestation part, but I'm inclined to believe there'll be more to come after the Magneto return saga. Too bad we didn't see the rest of the Hellfire Club members, and Sebastian Shaw's showtime was drasticially cut. Nevertheless, still a great read. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Collecting Ultimate X-Men #34-39. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

the hunt is on
i thoguht that the story in this graphic novel was exceptionally good. it starts out in a bar with logan eating and a women walks in acting she is like a fan of him and the x-men. when she leaves the diner he is in takes heavy fire and he is seriously wounded. he then goes to the house of peter parker and hides there until he is healed. he learns that people from weapon x are looking to kill him with new equipment. there are also appearences by spider-man and daredevil. the artwork in this novel is also very good and there are some funny parts to the story. this one probably has the most action and wolverine dies, don't worry he comes back like a page later.

Fair but could have been much better
it was a fair story story though from the cover i expected more daredevil than the little we seen, he never even gets to do more than throw his stick a couple of times, spidey kind of leaves before the end of the story too.

at least for once bendis didn't skip the action, in fact it's pretty much nothing but action from the third page where wolvie gets blasted.

spidey is played a little too dumb here i think, yeah i know he's a rookie but DD or wolvie are having to get him out of harms way a lot and he does not listen well.

fair read and I have skipped the rest of the ultimate x-men since i don't care a bit about them after having read the first 26 issues and dropping the book, seeing them coem in near the end showed me why, oh well i still have the trades coming out of the older claremont x-men to fall back on :

Somebody is seriously hunting down Logan to kill him dead
Wow. There have been lots of changes in the Ultimate version of the Marvel Universe, but one constant has been the back story on Wolverine. He remains a mutant with extraordinary healing capabilities and claws popping out of his hands whose skeleton has been coated with the unbreakable metal adamantium by a covert military group called Weapon X. In the process of creating the ultimate living weapon they also wiped clean his memory. Once known as Logan he is now called Wolverine and has been trying to be a member of the X-Men.

But now two things have happened. First, Professor X has discovered a wedding ring that belonged to Wolverine in the government's Weapon X files. The ring bears the inscription: "To James, with all my love." This leads us to wonder if James is Wolverine's real name and who was he married to? Second, since his feelings for Jean Grey led him to leave Cyclops behind on a mission to die, he has left Charles Xavier's school. When "Ultimate X-Men Volume 7: Blockbuster" begins Wolverine is just trying to enjoy a cup of coffee and a sandwich. That is before a hail of automatic gunfire rips him to shreds.

"Blockbuster" collects together issues #34-39 of "Ultimate X-Men," written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by David Finch. The story arc follows the pursuit of Wolverine by a strange strike force armed with sophisticated military technology that includes a way of tracking Logan and adamantium bullets. Unwilling to ask the X-Men for help after the initial assault Logan ends up hiding out in the basement of none other than Peter Parker. When the battle moves to Hell's Kitchen that means not only Spider-Man but now Daredevil is also involved in Wolverine's problems. Eventually Nick Fury and Shield as well as Professor X and the X-Men become involved as some more clues regarding Logan's past are revealed.

Throughout this storyline Bendis and Finch take full advantage of Wolverine's powers of recuperation to really put him through the wringer. This is especially true of Chapter 3, that begins with Logan being driven through a series of buildings by a rocket and reaches a crescendo when he has an up close and personal encounter with the psychotic blonde heading the team that is trying to kill him. She clearly knows who he is but Logan has no memory of her whatsoever and if you think this might be the woman who gave him that wedding ring you will not be alone.

Although this is a very personal storyline in terms of Wolverine there are significant implications for the X-Men as well. Bendis continues to expand the idea of mutants being a divisive political problem as the modern equivalent of the slavery issue while the X-Men's role in the "real" world continues to be restricted by the order of the government. But more importantly, in the short-term, it is not Wolverine but another X-Men who takes a fateful step over the line.

With "Blockbuster" we basically have a giant chase story. These people are out to get Wolverine and to take him down hard. Throughout the entire story they are chasing him, but there are also times when he is trying to turn the tables on them as well. The appearances by both Spider-Man and Daredevil are well integrated into the story and as much as this is an action driven story there are plenty of character driven moments; the exchanges between Wolverine and Spider-Man are especially good, but those between Logan and Xavier are clearly more important. Consequently, "Blockbuster" lives up to its title because it not only stands on its own as a great action story but because it advances a couple of key plotlines for "Ultimate X-Men." To be continued... ... Read more

Reviews (7)

new x-men #13-18
Millar keeps up the high quality of storytelling he has shown us so far. I really don't know what else to say that hasn't been said already.

Someone in Professor X's closet wants to kill him
By now it is clear that Wolverine is going to be on the cover of each and every trade paperback in the "Ultimate X-Men" series, and Volume 3, "World Tour," is no different. The character who should be on the cover would be Professor X, because he is the pivotal character in the major plot line of issues 13-13 of this comic book, which has to do with the X-Men coming face to face with David, his son with Moira MacTaggert, who has escaped from his confinement on Muir Island. In what is essentially the prologue to the story arc, "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way," we check up on the X-Men through the context of Xavier's article on mutants and learn that Magneto is not dead: the Professor has placed a mental block in his lower cerebrum to prevent him from remember who Erik Lensherr really is and how to use his mutant powers. Xavier's position is that he would not take the life of another living creature when a peaceful solution was possible. In the four-part "World Tour" story that follows, Xavier learns to rue his world and rethink his position.

Ultimately, "World Tour" is not simply a retelling of the Proteus story from Volume 1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (issues 125-128), because the fact that Doctor MacTaggert's son is now also Charles Xavier's is a significant change and placed in the context of Xavier's attempt to blitz the world with a public relations effort in support of mutants forces a reconsideration of what Xavier is trying to do. Remember, in the "original" Proteus story Xavier was in a galaxy far, far away enjoying the first state ball hosted by the newly-crowned Empress Lilandra. The sub-plot, which has Colossus returning to Russia because of his disagreement with Xavier's tactics in general (and letting Magneto live in particular), provides a different take on the issue of responsibility for mutants. The epilogue, "Resignation," returns Xavier to the park when Erik Lensherr is playing where the Professor is entertaining a change of much more than heart.

This trade paperback volume also includes a two part story introducing Gambit as a street hustler who ends up using his mutant gifts to protect a young girl that he has met. The idea is apparently to explore those mutants who are not part of Xavier's School for Gifted Children, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, or another other organized group of merry mutants. These "Ultimate X-Men" stories are not, to date, superior to the original comic's glory days under Chris Claremont and John Byrne, but they are an entertaining take on the familiar characters in a slightly different context. Like the best of the Claremont-Byrne story lines it takes several issues to tell the story and for those who remember the X-Men (both the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby originals and the Claremont-Dave Cockrum next generation) it is interesting to see Mark Millar and Adam Kubert's twists on what we remember.

Why not just read the original?
I loved Bacheolo's art in this book. Really good stuff. Again Millar's poor writing of villains shows. Proteus just didn't have an "umph" behind him. Though he did get in his required body count (is it just me or do villains now aday have to kill like 300+ people an issue? Is it like a requirement to get their villain's license?). I will give Millar points for having Proteus being Xavier's son.
Still, over all, I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was Tomorrow People or even Return to Weapon-X. I think Millar is running out of steam. If you want a good telling of the Proteus Saga go pick up the original Claremont/Byrne one, it's worth it.

Ultimate X-Men: Great Stuff!
After countless attempts at creating a new universe, or continuum, the folks at Marvel finally hit on the right approach: recast their franchise characters as younger and more in tune with the issues of the day. Add top-notch writers and artists and voila! we have a hit. Though the story arcs are so far quite familiar to those with any sense of Marvel's history, the fresh approach to characters and the nifty art contribute to an overall great reading experience.

I would recommend this compilation to anyone who can't get enough of the Marvel universe or those who would like to start their trip into said universe. In short, recommended for any Marvel fan!

Proteus, magneto,and gambit oh my
This is a mile stone in the ultimate line. It shows colosuss returning to russia, a battle with xaviers son proteus a reality warping mutant and a issue featuring a heartwarming and violent story of gambit. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Very disapointing
I used to be a huge X-Men/Chris Clairmont/Jim Lee fan and bought this because it came out right after I had stopped collecting. I was very disapointed. The story is weak, and the art is even weaker, except for the Jim Lee issues. The whole thing seems rushed and thrown together, with a very contrived plot, as if they needed a cross over story arc to sell more New Mutants and X-Factor books. Not recommended

One Of The Worst X-Stories Ever Written
I didn't come into this story expecting it to be great, but it was a whole lot worse than I thought. With the exception of the issues featuring Jim Lee, the art is horrible. The coloring is atrocious, some of the worst I have ever seen in a comic book story. Even though some of the writers are quite good, here they all collectively sucked, even Chris Claremont. Claremont's dialogue has never been his strong suit, but here it's just rediculous. The scripting by the rest of the crew is even worse. The only thing I could think about while reading this was how much money I wasted on it. Even the title is stupid. Avoid "X-Tinction Agenda" at all costs. If your looking for a good X-men crossover, pick up "Bloodties", which is kinda/sorta the same story as this, but much better. Hell, pick up anything as long as it's not this.

Not bad as far as crossovers go
Good:
-Jim Lee's Art
-The crossover has lasting impact to the X-Men mythology
-Plenty of action
-It's good