Reviews (6)

Terrible but not quite as bad as Dominant Species
Popular opinion says that Draco is Chuck Austens worst Uncanny XMen arc, which is saying alot since his whole run has been terrible. But the truth of the matter, according to me at least, is Dominant Species is his worst.

Draco tries to explore the character of Nightcrawler, but it ends up marring the character and never really going anywhere. Turns out Nightcrawler is the son of Mystique and what we are led to believe is Satan, but who actually is an ancient mutant (yet another prehistoric mutant) who the "character" of Satan was based on. Ok, if you can get past the trappings of judeo-christian mythology, which never translates well when used in popular fiction in the first place, the story degenerates to the Satan character trapping the X-Men in his dimension (again another skewed take on the concept of Hell) and forcing them to sit at his dinning room table for, what, 3 or 4 issues worth of bad dialogue?

Its anticlimactic, nonsensical and holds the title as the second worst arc (so far) in Chuck Austen's offensively bad run on Uncanny X-Men.

If you want to read good X-Men stories go read some of Grant Morrison's New X-men books, or go read Essential X-Men 1 and 2. This crap by Chuck Austen gives the X-Men brand a bad name.

Chuck Austen = Horrible Writer
I will keep this short and simple. As a reader of countless X-Men stories, I have never run up against such a horrible writer as Chuck Austen. I don't know if he has naked pictures of the Marvel brass or what, but I just can't imagine why he would get the chance to destroy one of thier best comics. Stories that go nowhere. Character development that ignores the past. AWFUL plot lines... I could go on and on.

Save your money. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITH CHUCK AUSTEN ON IT!

Not as bad as it is said to be
Chuck Austen's run on Uncanny X-Men is definitely something you'll either love or hate, but I don't think that this storyarc deserves all the one star reviews it has garnered here. The Draco collects a prologue and a following six issue storyarc as long time X-Man Nightcrawler's past and origin is revealed. I don't want to ruin the surprises, but the opening prologue as we see Mystique do the unthinkable is worth picking this book up for alone. What follows is Nightcrawler, along with a group of teleporting and portal opening mutants whom all resemble each other, fleeing to a mysterious island (that was featured in Uncanny X-Men: Holy War) with Havok, Iceman, Archangel, Wolverine, Husk, and Jubilee not far behind. Meanwhile, Juggernaut and Northstar travel up north to see Sammy in a subplot, while Professor X finally finds out why Polaris has been in homicidal mode recently. Austen's storytelling isn't as bad as it is made out to be, but the man has always been a better artist than a storyteller. The art (mainly done by Philip Tan) is more of an acquired taste as well, but it is pretty solid for the most part. All in all, The Draco isn't a bad book at all, just don't expect anything too special.

Sucks
I have all the issues and its not worth buying the trade paperback, the art is inconsistant and the storyline is horrific. Don't support Chuck Austen and this atrocity!

Chuck Austen is the worst X-men writer in history.
I've never known the X-men to be in such horrificly boring, not to mention incredibly stupid stories as The Draco. In fact, the same can be said for just about any Chuck Austen penned story arc to date. In this story, Chuck Austen easily throws out Nightcrawler's true character and replaces it with his own nonsensical swill and prooves once again that he is the one man capable of sullying the legend of the X-Men, over, and over, and over again. Perhaps if the artists had something good to work with, the pages might actually look good for a change, as opposed to the continuously uninspired artwork of the two manga-heavy pencilers currently on the book. Don't let the one star fool you. If I had my way, this book would get zero stars. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Much better than I expected
Yes, I'm guilty of buying into all of the Austen-hate that seems to pervade the comic-reading world. Much of it is valid given Austen's propensity for confusing story-telling. I found the exception here though. This was a very well done bit of storytelling. Using the tried-and-true Romeo and Juliet story as a basis for his tale, Austen abley weaves together a story that's at times heart-wrenching. It's not by any means an original tale, and doesn't really feel like an X-Men story, but well done overall. And though I've never been a huge fan of Larocca, he really provids some beautiful work here. A worthwhile read.

fabulous
Somewhat soapopera-ish, she lies with angels is still a very good read, one of the best in the series.

Too dramatic for it's own good
Chuck Austen, arguably the most criticized writer in comics today, continues his Uncanny X-Men run with this five issue arc. The story revolves around Husk, who along with fellow X-Man Archangel pay her family a visit when her younger brother is injured. Soon enough a family war stirs up between Husk's Guthrie family and the Cabot family; all the while Husk's other brother Josh (who has angel type wings, hence the title of the book) and Julia Cabot declare their love for each other with Romeo & Juliet-esque results. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Polaris are called in as well; all of which are sadly underused in this arc. Austen's writing, especially the dialogue between Josh and Julia, is mellowdramatic lovey-dovey fare that doesn't seem realistic one bit, while the action itself is just one big drag. She Lies With Angels' only saving grace is the art by X-Treme X-Men artist Salvador Larroca which is absolutely gorgeous. All in all, this is still worth reading, but those who love to criticize Austen will find plenty to nitpick here. ... Read more

Book Description

They are the Exiles, reality-hopping nomads forced to repari the broken chains of time.Failure means a fate worse than death; success, a new reality and a new mission.The Exiles' latest assignment brings them face-to-face with the Fantastic Four and the X-Men!Will the team be able to stand on their own AGAINST the Marvel Universe's greatest heroes? Collects EXILES #46-51. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good for both young and old fans
This book collects the first four issues of the excellent X-men:Evolution comic. Unlike some other books based on TV series, this is not a rehashing of what you can watch on the DVD, but independent stories (namely the origin stories of Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean in this volume) which complement the series.

What I liked best about this book was that it appealed to all ages. On the surface it's a kids book - bright colors, clear lines, and nothing objectionable in its content. There was also a surprising depth to the writing and characters as well as good pacing and comic timing which will appeal to adults. It's a light fun read with enough depth to be satisfying.

from the WB's series
If you liked the WB series X-Men: Evolution (which was rather well done) you'll enjoy this as well. It covers the origin of all the characters. That is, how Prof. X found all of them. It's a nice start to the comic series.

Enjoyable
The first volume of this series is quite enjoyable, with good art, colors, and stories. However, the second volume is not nearly as good as the first. The art is of the same quality, but the story lines are muddled and confusing. I can truly recommend only volume 1 of this pairing to any but extremely hard-core fans. Save the money you would have spent on Vol. 2 and use it to buy one of the Evo DVDs.

THE XBEGENING
it shows the begening of the xmen. first professerx found storm
then wolverine he was kidnapped and stryker put anamantiom claws
in to his hands! and fought by is old freind sabertooth a
unthinking animal!then they find scott summures as cyclops! he
woke up with these rays that come out of his eyes he needs
shades to make it stop! then they find jeangrey she could
read your mind and pick up stuff with her mind!!!!!!!!!!
soon in the next book they find nightcrawler shadowcat rouge
and spyke!

Awesome!!
This is a wicked graphic novel!! The animation is great and the storyline is too. A must for any X-Men: Evolution fan!! ... Read more

Book Description

The children at the X-Mansion thought they had it tough when Professor X was running things - but now that Cyclops and Emma Frost have taken over the reins of the school, they're wishing for the simpler times of yesterday! As a new semester begins at the Xavier Institute, the X-Men-in-training are just getting comfortable with one another as the devastating news hits: The teachers plan to separate them into different squads! What happens when best friends are torn from one another in the name of school policy? And what do the New X-Men do about it? ... Read more

Reviews (6)

TWO Important Warnings . . .
First of all, NONE OF THESE REVIEWS ARE FOR THE RIGHT PRODUCT!! The trade paperback that is for sale on this page reprints only ONE Jim Lee X-Men issue! I don't know how Amazon constantly gets this screwed up, but they are all-too-often posting reveiws fordifferent products on the same page.Anyway, the product in question is the CHRIS CLAREMONT edition of the X-MEN visionaries TPB line, and it is THAT book which i am going to pan forthwith:This is an ego-indulgent selection of largely unrelated X-Men comics that totally disregards the reader and instead ends up as a vehicle by which Claremont can compile what he wrongly imagines to be his most "visionary" stories about this legendary superhero clan. Now, i have immense respect for Claremont and great admiration for everything he has contributed to the X-Men and superhero comics in general, but, that said, this collection still sucks.Instead of focusing on what makes the X-Men great (their teamwork, their collective inner conflicts about the society they seek to protect, the various ways in which their powers mesh and interact to create an indomitable fighting force, etc), Claremont picks a few rather inane and unrelated plot fragments dealing with what he feels are essential "character developements" among individual members of the various team incarnations.Consequently, the reader is presented with virtually actionless soap-opera like episodes dealing with Storm's love affair with Forge (beautifully illustrated by Barry-Windsor-Smith, but still terrifically dull when taken out of context), Kitty Pryde's sage-sensai relationship with Wolverine (terribly illustrated, despite C.C.'s editorial statements to the contrary, and also dull when removed from its broader storyline), a humorless farce of a bedtime story involving cartoonlike effigies of the aforementioned heroes, a single issue of the Hellfire Club/Savage Land story arc (already available in the vastly superior "Dark Pheonix Saga" TPB) and Claremont's later collaboration with Jim Lee (again, beautifull art, but questionable story selection).Most of these comics seemed poignant and relevant when i read them the first time as a 13 and 14 year old boy, but removed from their larger plot-contexts and veiwed in retrospect, they no longer have much to offer most fans.A huge dissapointment all-around (up to and including Claremont's self-aggrandizing editorial remarks) that is capped off nicely by the fact that NONE of the original covers are reprinted with the rest of the contents.This is really the final insult to the readers and fans when you consider that, especially in the case of the Barry W. Smith issues, the covers were the most memorable things about these comics!! If you want a quintessential Claremont X-Men story, you should get the Dark Pheonix trade and avoid wasting your money on this junky, slapdash book.

Jim Lee draws the X-Men!
This book should be titled "How to draw the X-Men by Jim Lee". Seriously. The stories here are nothing to shout about though the Claremont wit is to be seen in many panels. The real draw of the book is Lee's art which is gloriously reproduced here. For those of us who grew up in the 1980s, we felt this revolution firsthand. Comic books would never be the same again after Lee. The impact of his hyper-detailed, solid-bodied art hit comic-readers the way Neal Adams did in the 1970s. Lee understands the iconism and sexiness of superhero comics and display his knack for capturing both with his pencils (aided by inker Scott Williams).

The highlights:
1) Lee draws the best one-page splash Captain America EVER!
2) Psylocke's transformation from English lady to sexy Asian assassin.
3) The Crossing storyline - see Jim Lee draw cosmic! Shiar, the Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, etc.
4) The Magneto/Rogue Savage Land storyline - Jim Lee's Magneto is unbelievable. Regal, majestic and sexy at the same time. This is a Magneto that a girl will fall in love with - and literally does - the girl in question, unlikely as it is, Rogue! See also Jim Lee's drawing of Nick Fury, the SHIELD helicarrier and Kazar.

Get this volume and the following volume, "X-Men: Mutant Genesis" for the greatest X-Men eye-candy in history.

Mish mash
This collection is a microcosm of the X-Men universe: Confusing storylines, dense text, ponderous captions and brilliant art. Don't go looking for a coherent storyline here, this is basically just a showcase for the great Jim Lee's early X-Men work.

Don't judge a book by it's cover!
This is an excellent x-men paperback.It explores one of the hottest x-women's orgin, psylocke, and how she came to be a
beautiful asian "action junkie".There are two things that i did not like.Number one, I don't know who picked out that cover but it had nothing to do with the entire paperback.Another down side to this comic is that after 303 pages they didn't even finish off the ending.Other then that it's worth every penny to purchase this paperback!

Great book, but not an ideal intro
This is a really fun little graphic novel, loaded with great artwork and a decent storyline. I wouldn't recommend it as a first-time read for anyone unfamiliar with the X-Men - taken out of context from the overall series - it might be a somewhat confusing introduction. But for those who know the characters and have a general idea of what is going on, believe me, this one delivers the goods.

In the past, I have generally hated the X-Men's adventures in the Savage Land, or whenever they would go to outer space or get into really super sci-fi type situations. I always felt the X-Men stories worked much better when they were grounded in very normal, down-to-earth settings, because it made the X-Men themselves stand out and seem that much weirder. But this book is an exception to the rule. It's a big, crazy, larger-than-life adventure, part of which takes place in the prehistoric Savage Land, and part of which gets hyper technological, and it works out OK.

The artwork is tough and gritty. Jim Lee draws a mean, shadowy, ugly Wolverine who kills lots of villains and looks like he needs to take a shower very badly.

And Lee's women - whoa. This book contains more gratuitous cheescake shots than any X-Men graphic novel I've seen, but it's all very pleasing to the eye. Especially the scenes with Rogue, whose bare skin can kill anyone she touches and thus, understandably, was always the one major female character who kept herself completely covered at all times. This was the first storyline in the series where they finally drew her as a scantily-clad, sexy heroine. A real treat for male Rogue-fans who'd been reading the series patiently for years.

This storyline also chronicles the transformation of innocent young Psylocke into a mature woman trained in the art of Ninjitsu, and she becomes an ultra-violent, sexy bad girl. And then there are cameo appearances by other Marvel superheroes, namely Captain America (from the Avengers series) and The Black Widow (from the Daredevil series). All in all, it's a satisfying, action-packed, well-drawn, crowd-pleasing comic book in trade-paperback format. ... Read more

Book Description

Before manga hit it big, Art Adams brought big monsters, big eyes and cute girls to the Marvel Universe. This volume collects the best of Adams' Marvel work, from his landmark work on the X-Men to his odd-couple new FF team of Spider-Man, the Hulk, Wolverine & Ghost Rider. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

ESSENTIAL!
I bought this, an older version, at a book store in San Francisco, and I read the whole thing in a fifteen-hour or something flight back to Australia.
I hadn't read any of them, I'd just seen the movies, and I immediately knew who my favorite character was, Jean.
And, it was pure coincidence that I picked up this, the collection of comics leading up to Jean's conversion to Dark Phoenix and eventual 'suicide'. It was absolutely one of the best things I've read.
But the collection doesn't just have those stories, it includes a showdown with a Canadian super-hero team, a menacing mutant who can warp reality, a crazy assasin and his 'Disneyland of Death', two giant monsters and an exclusive club who planned to use Jean to take over the world.
The drawings are superb (mostly, there's one where a 14-year old girl, Kitty, looks like she's an anorexic seventy-year old) and better in black and white, cause I think Phoenix looks stupid colored in.
The stories are gripping, though there's a lot of dodgy dialogue, standard fair for a comic, you know, people stating the obvious, talking when they're about to be zapped into a thousand pieces of mutated flesh etc.
Must have for comic-fans, X-fans or people who like to read, but not to much reading and who like pictures accompanying those words.

More of the best!
Ok, first of all, "only" 4 stars, and that's based on the packaging (black'n'white + cheap paper), not on the quality of the material.

These are more of the classic X-men stories that turned Chris Claremont into a comic-book superstar. Found within are some of the best stories ever written, the "Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Days of Future Past", stories that by far and wide supercedes anything else written in those early days of the "modern" comic-book.

John Byrnes art is flawless, and manages to almost look as good in black and white as it does in it's original glorious coloring.

Quite simply, buy this if you are at all remotely interested in the X-Men. There are 4 issues in this series of "Essential" X-Men, but this one is probably the one that has the most to offer for a new fan. Heck, buy 2 and give one to a friend!

Truly Great Writing!
Being a fan of Comics and Literature in General this truly great writing....

You can read my review on the first volume on that page, but here it goes...

We see many things happen in this volume....the most is the powerful story of Jean Grey...who we see starts to get carried away with her powers...we see as she grows cocky, and the evil Hellfire Club with the help of Mastermind finally exploit Jean, and we see her turn into Dark Phoenix...what happens next is truly disturbing and Tragic, as we saw one of the most important stories in Comicdom happens...

We also see As Collossus who is questioning his Usefulness make his mark on the team...also there is some fun stuff such as a batttle with the madman Arcade, A battle with the mystical beast Weindigo, and Alpha Flight...

But then the Dark Phoenix saga is not only the great Classic in this Volume but that of the story of Days Of Future Past...

A dystopic and Disturbing Future, that reflects the reign of Nazi Germany, we see a story of what Racism will ultimatley do to a world if one strides that path....

Truly great stuff from Claremont and Byrne

On my meter 20/10

Best X-Men stories...and not the ones you'd think.
Everyone loves the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past. So do I, but that's not why I love this book. The Proteus story arc ("There's Something Awful On Muir Island!"), though poorly titled, shows some of the best X-Men ever using teamwork at its best to beat an enemy who defined predatory evil long before the likes of Vargas, Bogan, and even Sabretooth came along. John Byrne's representation of such mutants as Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Kitty Pryde, and Piotr Rasputin (AKA Phoenix, Storm, Shadowcat, and Colossus for the uninitiated) is human and heroic at the same time, something that was forgotten in the later days of the likes of Jim Lee.

But the best story, in my humble opinion, is one that takes place shortly after Kitty Pryde joins the X-Men...her "trial by fire," if you will. Kitty spends Christmas (Chanukah) at the mansion, and a demonic creature, one of the N'Garai from an earlier story arc, manages to get into the mansion and come after her. Without the X-Men to protect her, the mutant then known as Sprite manages to survive the demon on her own until she comes up with a brilliant solution to win the day.

These comics are nigh-impossible to find on their own, but in this format, they make for a wonderful glimpse into the world of our favorite mutant team at its finest.

Good Find!
I bought all of these to back track and read the previous things that had happened within the comic. This serves the purpose but was disapointed that they were not in color. ... Read more

Book Description

Welcome to Mutant Town, the dark corner of New York City where the long arm of the law has been severed clean. Here, the mutant population doesn't sport GQ style or champagne dreams. They eke out each day in squalid tenement rows and filthy streets where only one man and one law can be trusted: the X-Man Bishop. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Forget the 'Essentials', Masterworks are the best!
The 'true' X-men from back-in-the-day are finally available for the X-men fans of today. First off, this book contains the first ten issues of the series, including individual covers, in full color on glossy stock and and hard bound. These stories (Uncanny X-men 1-10) were written in '61 and '62 by Stan Lee and drawn by the Jack Kirby, with both a forward and afterward by Stan...'nuff said. It tells the origins of the X-men (original team: Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Iceman), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Magneto, Toad, Mastermind, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver), introduces modern mainstay characters like Jean Grey, Blob, and Kazar all for the first time, and guest-stars old-school Marvel money-makers like Namor the Sub-mariner and the Avengers. New-school fans may be a bit thrown by the presence of sixties throw-back characters like the Vanisher, Unus the Utouchable, and Lucifer or the lack of explanation of Magneto's powers or his prior relationship with Xavier, but it's worth it to see the Beast and Angel before they turned blue...It is incredible to see how good the story was in the sixties, even reading it now after the year 2000.

Lee/Kirby Treasure
This is great stuff! Beyond the simply drawn panels, goofy characterizations and nearly adolescent plot lines there's a real sense of marvel, excitement and virtue that's just absolutely wonderful. To my thinking this book shows the beginning of the combined creative genius of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Over the course of these earliest issues of the "original" X-Men we see Lee's seminal themes of isolation, alienation and intolerance really beginning to take root. At the same time we witness Kirby slowly depart from traditional styles of comic book illustration and gradually come into his own-by issue #10 with the introduction of Ka-zar we see the first glimmer of Kirby's eventual brilliance.
I can't see how anyone could be disappointed with the stories collected in this book.

Beats the Essintials all hollow
First off, even though these Masterworks are kind of pricecy, if you were to buy these comics that were anywhere near the quality of these Masterworks, it would cost you an arm & a leg.
These stories in X-men vol 1 are really good especialy when you conider marvel's target audience -- kids. Ignore the fact that everything is over-explained (and that Beast's character does a 180) And you should get a kick out of these if you have only the vaguest interest.
...

The beginning at last
This is it folks, this is where everyone's favorite merry mutants hit the comic scene and would go on to make an impact that not even Stan Lee could have predicted. Collecting the first 10 issues of The X-Men (years later it would be re-titled Uncanny X-Men); we are introduced to Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and the Beast: the original team of X-Men. Right off the bat they are thrown into battle against Magneto, and would later on face off against his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (which included Toad, Mastermind, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver) and introduces us to the Blob and Ka-Zar. Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Avengers also make appearances, but the heart of this TPB lies within Stan Lee's story. He had described the X-Men as a hybrid between the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man: a team with otherworldly superhuman powers who faced the alienation and isolation of being different and being feared by normal humans. Jack Kirby's pencils are more than a throwback to Marvel's Golden Age, and for the most part they still stand the test of time. Though the story doesn't directly deal with Magneto's past and his reasons for his beliefs of mutant supremacy; this Marvel Masterworks collection is a must have for any and every fan of the X-Men.

Like The Essentials, but Better: The Best X-Men Book Yet
This collection of comic books (most specifically, The X-Men 1-10) is the ideal novel for comic book readers: it includes enough issues to hold one's attention for quite a while, but it also is in color, so that purchasing the book is a worthy investment. It covers the origins of the original five X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl) and their first missions under their wheelchair-bound leader Professor X. Although The Essentials version of this book features twice as many issues from the series, this one is a much better quality book, including the cover, the color inking, the paper itself, and even an introduction by the inventor of the X-men himself. What's more, once you're done with this one, you can follow it up with Vol. 2, which includes issues # 11-20. A great read, collector's item, or book just to have around, you owe it to yourself to buy The X-Men Vol. 1 #'s 1-10. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lee and Kirby introduce Marvels Merry Mutants, the X-Men
When you go back and read the first ten issues of "The Uncanny X-Men," which are collected in this first volume of the Marvel Masterworks series devoted to Marvel's Merry Mutants, there are two things that stand out. The first are the various initial elements that were quickly jettisoned, such as Professor X having feelings for Jean Grey and Iceman looking like a walking snowman with boots. The second is that unlike most Marvel superhero titles this one had the advantage of coming up with the greatest villain in the very first issue. It took a while for Spider-Man to tangle with Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin while the Fantastic Four had to wait a while to meet up with Doctor Doom, but the X-Men got Magneto in issue #1.

These first ten issues are all scripted by Stan Lee with Jack Kirby drawing the first eight before doing just the layouts for Alex Toth and Werner Roth. The X-Men were clearly presented to be in the style of Fantastic Four (it says so in a little circle on the cover of issue #1) but with the teenage mutants attending the exclusive private school in New York's Westchester county there is also a touch of Spider-Man. The key defining element, of course, is the concept of genetic mutation, which in the atomic age became the explanation for Professor X (Charles Xavier), Cyclops (Scott Summer) with his power beams, the winged Angel (Warren Worthington III), the strong but agile Beast (Hank McCoy), the frozen Popsicle Iceman (Bobby Drake), and the telekinetic Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Instead of the random acts of being bitten by a radioactive spider or being exposed to cosmic rays or gamma rays, mutant genes produced not only the original roster of the X-Men but the vast majority of their villains from these first ten issues:

#1 "X-Men" introduces us to the group and their first public mission against Magneto, who claims a military base in the name of homo superior, the first battle in the war between the mutants and the humans; #2 "No One Can Stop the Vanisher" has a villain who causes problems just by disappearing, which is something of a let down after Magneto (but one of the problems with a group of superheroes is coming up with a group of super villains to fight each week or a single villain who can actually take on the whole group); #3 "Beware of the Blob" introduces one of the less inspiring mutants (and once again has Professor X saving the day by himself); #4 "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" brings back Magneto with Mastermind, the Toad, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as the ultimate counterpart to the X-Men; #5 "Trapped: One X-Man" continues the battle the two groups, which ends the training period for our teenage heroes. However, the battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants continues for the next couple of issues as Lee and Kirby continue to develop a main element of the comic with the good mutants versus the bad mutants.

#6 "Sub-Mariner Joins the Evil Mutants" pretty much gives it away with the title; #7 "The Return of the Blob" has the X-Men graduating in time for the Blob to join Magneto's group; #8 "The Uncanny Threat of Unus the Untouchable" introduces a mutant who cannot be touched (which sounds like a good power at the time); #9 "Enter, the Avengers" provides the obligatory crossover between Marvel titles, with the Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, and Wasp version of the Avengers taking on the X-Men; and #10 "The Coming of Ka-Zar" introduces Marvel's version of Tarzan and his faithful saber-tooth tiger companion, Zabu, as the X-Men travel to the prehistoric land beneath the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

You have to get to "Marvel Masterworks: Uncanny X-Men, Volume 2" to get to the Juggernaut and the Sentinels, but with Magneto and the expanding roster of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants you have the key dynamic that dominated the first four years of the comic book, before it got really exotic with artists Jim Steranko and Neal Adams just as the series was going down the tubes. "The Uncanny X-Men" was not as good as "The Fantastic Four" in this period, but it was my second favorite title after Spider-Man, which reflects my sense of affinity with teenage characters at that point in my life and not the true quality of the comics I was reading. There was just something about a group that had to be together because of the fears the world had about mutants that made this one resonate.

Besides, with Magneto trying to turn the table on the homo sapiens, the X-Men always had a certain nobility because they did not act like they were superior to us ordinary mortals. With these color reprints of the first ten issues of "The Uncanny X-Men" the historical value outstrips the narrative quality of the stories, but I happen to think history counts for something, even with comic book superheroes. ... Read more

Book Description

The island of Genosha was once a thriving nation of mutants, built from the ground up by Magneto, Master of Magnetism.Then, an apocalyptic attack killed every man, woman and child - reducing an entire society to rubble within hours.Now, Professor X has come to Genosha with one intention: to rebuild a nation from its ashes! Collects EXCALIBUR #1-4. ... Read more

Book Description

The X-Men and the Fantastic Four team up in this heart-pounding adventure! Can the two teams put their differences aside to stop a creeping menace from outer space that threatens our planet's very existence? Even as the heroes trek into the stars, the real threat to their mission might just be among themselves! It's the X-Men and Fantastic Four versus... the X-Men and Fantastic Four?! An unexpected adversary turns Marvel's two greatest hero families against one another. Collects X-Men/Fantastic Four #1-5. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

a Claremont classic
The Fall of the Mutants is another one of Chris Claremont's classic stories. It takes place when the original X-Men have formed X-Force and Wolverine leads the X-Men. Storm and Forge are elsewhere. And this is when the supposed death of the X-Men happens. Very good for those of us who remember it and those who are new to it.

For the fan...
One of my biggest hopes realized when this volume was released. This is the story that made me love the X-Men when I was a kid. And finally it's in one handsome reprint volume. It collects the classic "Fall of the Mutants" themed story-arcs in the X-Men, X-Factor and New Mutants books. The whole thing is not a crossover, it's a themed-collection of stories. A turning point and one of the darkest eras in the X-history.

1) The X-Men dies in Dallas... in full public view.
2) The X-Factor face Apocalypse in Manhattan (in my opinion, the greatest Apocalypse story ever written and drawn)
3) The New Mutants confront issues of life, freedom and death... and loses their innocence.

What more do you need to know?

Disappointing...
I was a comic reader way back when...during what I consider the glory days of comics in the late 70s and early to mid 80s. I was a big fan of the X-men during the Byrne/Claremont years, but ran out of time to indulge my misspent youth shortly after X-Factor showed up. I'd noticed recently that the X-men seem to be everywhere, and more popular than ever, so I thought I'd give this novel a shot. Bad move. I've always enjoyed Walt Simonson's work, and Apocalypse is an excellent villain, so the X-Factor story was great. However, the X-men tale paled in comparison to the stories I remembered from the Byrne/Claremont days. These characters don't even feel like the same people that were around during the Dark Phoenix saga. It's a shame, because they're much less interesting and feel more like characters in a kid's story, where you can just make up something to solve a problem. The New Mutants storyline was difficult to comment on, since I don't really know the characters or their history. Ho hum. Also, if you're expecting three stories that are related in some way, you'll be disappointed.

A Decent X-Over
"Fall Of The Mutants" is nothing special at all. It's not even a crossover as each of the x-teams have their own stories that don't interconnect one bit. The stories were not exactly that thrilling or climatic and I found myself bored reading parts of it.

The X-Men story takes place in Dallas where they must defeat the Adversary, who twisted the city by making an almalgam of different realities. Freedom Force also makes an appearence and helps out. The art is great, but the ending is ehhh. The big thing here is that the X-men pretend to die and move to Australia where they stay for a while. I was expecting some really good fights, but not really.

The X-Factor story isn't much better. You do get to see the first appearence ever of Archangel, which is memorable. But I found myself bored to death reading this. The horsemen are easily defeated and Apocalypse doesn't even fight X-Factor. The big drama is when Apocalypse sends his Ship rampaging through New York City, and it's up for X-Factor to save the city and help repair it. Along the way they deal with the bigotry of humans and blah blah blah. However, X-Factor does announce to the public that they are mutants and were masquerading as mutant-hunters, making this story important to their history.

My favorite story is the New Mutant's one. The art is great and so is the story. The students take their new friend Bird-Brain to Animator's island, filled with more animate hybrids like Bird-Brain. The New Mutants take on Animator and everything is looking good for them, until the Right and Cameron Hodge show up and give the animates and the mutants a pounding. Then Animator murders a New Mutant while the other mutants finish defeating the Right. It was really sad and emotional watching the kids deal with their friend's death. This story really came to life for me and was written really well.

All in all, this isn't the best book to buy. I basically bought it for the classic issues. Instead of buying this book, I recomend you to buy "X-Men: Inferno" or "X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda". Those were outstading x-overs in my opinion. "Fall Of The Mutants" is decent and your average run of the mill storylines. It did leave lasting marks on the lives of our favorite mutants, and that's what makes it good in a sense.

The Fall of The Quality
The only reason these issues are bound together is because they were run under the same banner when they were originally published in 1988. This isn't a crossover so don't get this expecting mutants from your favorite '80s X-books to team up in any way.

The Uncanny X-Men story is the only one you will probably enjoy; even though it is an endless fight scene the tactics are clever and well thought out and every character gets a moment or two to shine. This is also the only one with any emotion invested in it; you get intense battles, bits of humor and pathos and some nicely believable interactions that make for a much more complete story then the next two. Yes, the villain is cheesy but Claremont's stories aren't so much about beating bad guys as much as teamwork, heroic sacrifice and the human condition. The opening pages, with Colossus in Scotland befriending some kids who love playing X-Men, but flee in horror when his powers manifest has no bearing on the story but is nonetheless a nice commentary on how theory and reality are two very different things for the human mind to cope with. Silvestri's art looks more sketchy and unfinished then a normal comic but that's what gives it a sense of action and immediacy. All the many people running around the panels are easily recognizeable and never posed generically.

X-Factor is downright painful to read and I can't emphasize enough that it be skipped. The art is choppy, with word balloons inserted in awkward places that make reading difficult, and so awful I couldn't tell that one of the villains was a female until another character referred to them as a her. Some of the original art must have gone missing because photocopies of comic pages have been inserted in several places as an ugly replacement. The piece tries to convey how selfless helping will eventually alleviate bigotry but the humans we see go from little Hitlers to throwing tickertape parades overnight. This section also overlapped with a story in Power Pack but those issues aren't reprinted because they aren't an 'X' title so heroes pop up and baddies die with no explanation whatsoever. Most insulting is Cyclops' endless speechifying about how he never really loved his wife (Who we just saw sacrificing herself to save humankind) followed by a leap into the sack with Jean Grey. Um...your wife *just* died and your son is missing shouldn't you be worrying or grieving insead of spewing venom and bodily fluids all over the place?

New Mutants is an improvement over X-factor, but not by much. Characters have a tendency to repeat themselves and several suffer from 'cutesy speech syndrome' where alien creatures talk in annoying styles and fonts, ethnic accents fade in and out and people are perpetually dropping g's d's and sometimes entire words from their sentences. Over-the-top histrionics ruin what could have been a poignant look at teenaged heroes dealing with death in the line of duty. The art is weird and cartoony but works strangely well within the context of a pre-teen comic. Bret Blevins doesn't skimp on the details and he never draws the shape-shifting, techno-organic Warlock the same way twice

Claremont's work is serviceable; it's not as good as his heydey issues but when you write a book a month about the same characters for almost fifteen years the quality is bound to flag from time to time. Compared to the X-Factor and New Mutants sections his work reads like John Milton. Louise Simonson's characters come off as carbon copied and one dimensional. Her idea of recapping is having one person each issue reiterate that they possess super-powers...to a fellow teammate no less and her idea of a good story segue is to have the New Mutants leave the morgue where their friend's body lay and excitedly play dress-up in the attic.

None of these stories really overlap to form a cohesive whole and the end result is more like an overpriced anthology of what X-Men comics had sadly come to as opposed to the richer stories Vertigo was putting out at the same time. Invest your money, eyesight and time in one of the Essential X-Men volumes instead. ... Read more

Book Description

Mutants and world warriors rule in this world of single or tag-team fighting. Learn everything from the basics to killer combinations you can perform with your partner. Included are descriptions of every mode, descriptions of super moves, character overviews, and suggestions for the best tag-team combinations for both X-Men and Street Fighter characters. Don't forget to check out the game secrets and complete moves list for every character! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great strategy guide
X-Men Vs Street Fighter is one of the tightest games of all time and with this book , it helped me master the game ! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Believe the hype...
This is a REALLY good book! The Marvel novels were on a little roll here, and this one keeps the ball rollin'! Mr. Golden has really done fine work (again). He seems like one of the few writers who wrote these books to truly "get" the characters they are writing about...go figure. Just about every character gets some backstory, to help you truly understand them, and they each have distinct characteristics that set them apart from each other (save for a few of the Acolytes, but oh well). Great job, and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy...

this a must have for anyone that likes to read period.
I think that this was the best way to start a new line of books. This book will literally stop you dead whn you reach the distant end and you will be dieing to get the next two books. The end will leave you speachless and you wont be able to wait for the second and third to be reliesed

Serious Fans Beware
Personally, I didn't like the writing style or technique. Though the idea was interesting for a fanfic, it has several flaws, most of them on a major scale. The most obvious difficulty in accepting this as a serious work of the X-Men is the time frame. The story is obviously supposed to take place between X-Men #25 and Uncanny X-Men #304. The time frame is established by the leaving of Colossus and the fact that Wolverine has not been "dismembered" by Magneto as of yet. This is impossible, since the events of those issues had very little time lapse between them. Yet Golden's story supposedly takes at least three days of time between the two issues. Further, Golden writes the novels in 1996, a full two years after these issues have taken place and several other developments have occurred in the lives of the major players in the series.

Also, he fails to account for the absence of two of the major X-groups, Excalibur and X-Force, througout the novels. Further, he fails to account for the absence of the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, all who have strong ties to Manhattan, the scene for the majority of the story. Personally, I think the story was poorly conceived, though the idea had merit.

Another issue I have with the novels is characterization - Golden not only has written out Psylocke and Jubilee without explanation, he has also changed much of the idea behind the characterization developed by Marvel for the characters he does include. While remaining true to Cain Marko and Charles Xavier (to an extent), he completely ignores the characterizations developed for Storm, Jean, Rogue, Iceman, Archangel and several of the other characters that he treats dismissively.

While most of the reviewers for this series have said they were thoroughly pleased with it, I was immensely disappointed. Though fanfic can ignore continuity, the author generally makes a introductory courtesy note of the omission to the readers. This prevents disappointment with the story on a whole.

If you are looking for a good X-Men fanfic, there are several available on websites free of charge that are neither so long, nor so tedious as this. I am of the opinion that Mr. Golden needs to re-evaluate his next attempt to characterize the X-Men. And if Marvel is responsible for the editing on this series, they need to hire someone who can read for the *numerous* errors included in the manuscript.

Beginning of the Trilogy
Wonderful book by Chris Golden that begins the first part of the mutant empire trilogy. In depth knowledge into the X-Men universe. It details the begining where Magneto takes over the Sentinels to start his Mutant Empire in Manhatten. Unfortunately half of the X-Men team is sent off into space to rescue Corsair and the other half is left to confront Magneto and his evil ambitions.

Definitely one of the best X-Men novels
X-Men: Mutant Empire Book 1 - Siege, by Christopher Golden

I'm a longtime fan of the X-Men. I discovered the comic book over 10 years ago and have been following it or one of its cousin books ever since. In that time, I've also managed to compile a sizeable back-issue collection, meaning I have most of the X-Men comics from 1975 and on.

That leaves me with huge expectations for every X-Men issue, TV series, movie, and novel that comes out. Needless to say, I've been disappointed by many of them. Sometimes, my only wish is that a new X-Men related product merely be decent, if not great.

Siege, the first part of the Mutant Empire trilogy by Christopher Golden, meets and exceeds every single one of my expectations.

One thing I love about this series, and about each individual novel in it, is the pacing. With about 350 pages per novel, Golden has a great deal of room to work with, and he puts that to great use. He maintains suspense by actually having two simultaneous plots (although one is clearly a relative subplot).

The larger issue is that Magneto has taken control of the Sentinels (mutant-killing robots), and has declared himself ruler of New York City. One half of the X-Men deals with that, and the other half goes into space to rescue Corsair, Cyclops' father. I'll be honest - the latter plot is doomed to be filler from the start, and it doesn't occupy my interest much.

But beyond the plot pacing, the characterization is almost dead-on. The X-Men are just how I remember them from the comic books - complete with accurate dialogue, realistic character interaction, and even some personality development. It's a testament to Golden's skills that he continues to flesh out characters with over 20 (and in some cases, 30) years of history. Each of the characters has a particular worldview, and Golden not only gives each one fair representation, but he also gives the reader a deeper understanding of how each character ticks.

However, I do find that some parts of the novel degenerate into comfortable, "easy" writing. One of my complaints is Golden's description of both Deathbird and Henry Peter Gyrich (the two main villains in the novel) as "evil and insane." Ho-hum. Although he slips in a bit of irony by having Deathbird's obvious paranoia and insanity justified, he paints Gyrich as so thorough a bigot that he borders on contradicting established comic history (but then, that's a fanboy gripe).

I like it that Magneto, soon to be the principle villain of the story, receives very little attention and development in the first novel. His basic motivations and plans are spelled out at the very beginning, and then Golden proceeds to develop the character slowly as the novel proceeds. It's a great way to build suspense toward the inevitable takeover of New York.

In short, Siege is one of the best pieces of X-Men literature I have read, including the comic books. Christopher Golden has an excellent handle on the basics of fine writing, as well as the complex histories of his particular characters, and proceeds to combine them into an engaging and enjoyable tale. This novel stands alone for new readers, or even for people who don't want to buy the whole series (but be warned, the cliffhanger will make you want to read the other two books). And it will please all but the pickiest of longtime X-Men fans. Go for it. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Avengers + X-Men=Average Story
This trade paperback takes place recently after the events in FATAL ATTRACTIONS. Magneto is braindead and The X-Men and the Avengers rush to Genoshia where other mutants take the "dream" of Magneto and twist and turn it into a terrorist type plan.

The story is average and not a lot of the popular Avengers or X-Men are in attendance (Missing in action is Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus ).

The art is somewhat good. The best art coming from Mr. Kubert. If your bored or if this is on a 50% discount rack, is the only time its worth to pick up.

A gritty story, showing the realism of war.
An excellent story, showing a darker side to the marvel universe. The tragic story of war in the island nation of Genosha, the gritty realism of the story along with the excellent artwork, makes for a great read. I would strongly recommend this, for it is truly, one of the few classic storys produced by Marvel.

Whoever loves Exodus should read this.
In here Exodus is the trouble maker while Magneto is recovering from the loss of his mind, and colossus feeling kind of guildty for leaving the X-men, THis book is great, it has a lot of heroes in it and you can keep track of all the heroes. If you love The avengers, avengers WEst Coast, The X-Men, Exodus, or even Fabian Cortez, this is the book to read.

If you like a lot of heros, this could be for you
Agreed the art isn't great in the Avengers pieces, but if you like a lot of variety and a fun, fun book with a lot of adventure and a good ending that is a surprise till the end, this may be for you.

A good story with Avengers tension, mutant vs hero tension, mutant vs mutant tension and a great "Mageneto's Family" suffering for Magneto's sins storyline.

I would reccomend it.

Superheroes for the times
The greatest superheroes of all times are those that people like. The Avengers and the X-men are the two most popular superhero groups of all times. and allthough the art is styleless, the characters are timeless. ... Read more

Book Description

The X-Men have survived hatred, loss of life, and along the way helped save the world more than once.Still, they can never find peace as they all strive to achieve Professor Xavier's dream that man and mutant can peacefully coexist.

A wild, new evil mutant comes of age, celebrating his 18th birthday with all-out mutant mayhem.Who is Warp Savant and what famous event in X-Men history is he trying to recreate?By the time the team can answer this question, they have to jet to London so they can stop Mr. Clean, who calls himself a "genetic cleanser." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

uncanny x-men 394-399
I'm not real sure what to say about this colletion. It's a middle of the road story. Not real great, but not real bad. It brings up some issues, but never really deals with them. The art is good except for #398. I guess the hard core fan would like it.

Playful pop-culture x-men
This volume collects Joe Caseys first 6 issues on his run on Uncanny X-men with a sassy contemporary take on the X-Men. The main part of this trade is the 4 part Poptopia storyline about the young mutant Chamber getting a taste of the life of the rich and famous through an affair with a teen pop star. This quickly turns into a media scandal as dating a known mutant is a controversial career move for the Britney-copy. Ian Churchills colerful and playful art fit the story very well. On of the issues is drawn by a different artist in a much more moody but effectful style. The last story has the X-Men turning up at a mutant brothel (the 'X-Ranch') and one of the girls there, Stacy X, joining the X-Men

Gorgeous art, pathetic story.
I understand the X-Men have undergone a revolution by the time this trade paperback gets out.

Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Ethan Van Sciver do a fantastic job of revamping the books in the partner New X-Men series and its first story arc, E is for Extinction.

Joe Casey however, seems to have the right intentions, but just isn't apparently comfortable yet. He plays around with pop stars, and genetic cleansers, and mutant whores (to come after this trade paperback in the form of Stacy X), but he never really seems to be heading anywhere with his storylines.

The art for the first half of this trade paperback is gorgeous, thanks to Ian Churchill. He makes everything look good, even the ugly people look fantastic in an ugly way. But then he leaves halfway through, and the art takes a drastic turn for the worst. Without a good artist around (such as Marvel has always relied on to support the mediocre writing), the book falls flat. Ashley wood's art in the fourth book is just..repulsive.

I bought the Poptopia books separately, and have only read them maybe twice each. And that was for Ian Churchill's art. Don't buy it, go buy E is for Extinction by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely instead. ... Read more