Legendary, magical, superb... whatever you call it, this book is worth every penny.
July 18, 2006 - If a series is lucky, it is blessed with a magical run. These runs define the book and the characters for years, perhaps even decades to come. Marvel's Uncanny X-Men had such a stroke of luck when Chris Claremont came on board. With Dave Cockrum and John Byrne at his side, Claremont not only revived a title from the brink of extinction, he propelled it to the top of Marvel's properties. The first Uncanny X-Men Omnibus takes readers on that journey, starting with Giant-Size X-Men #1 special and the following 30+ issues of the ongoing series. Reading this series not only clearly demonstrates the talent of all those involved, but also manages to illustrate in no uncertain terms what makes the X-Men so compelling.
When Chris Claremont stepped on board X-Men it had just been authorized for fresh content. The series had not been selling well enough to justify new stories, and by some stroke of luck had not been outright cancelled. Launching with a 64-page special and moving into a bi-monthly schedule, Marvel wanted to prove to readers that these mutants were worth an investment.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 rapidly established a number of characters. Older characters such as Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Sunfire and Banshee also returned to the title. Len Wein (writer of Giant as well as the plotter of the first two new issues of Uncanny), with artist Dave Cockrum, developed a new team and several new characters. Wolverine was introduced from the pages of The Incredible Hulk. New characters included Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm and Thunderbird.
Giant-Size represents a passing of the torch of sorts. Older X-Men including Angel, Iceman, Jean Grey, Havok and Polaris were present in the story, but opt out of participating in the new roster as of issue #94. Wein clearly wanted to show that this team, aside from the established leadership (Cyclops and Professor X), was different and fresh. He also wanted to increase the stakes and make these adventures seem serious.
Aside from Jean Grey being inserted rather abruptly, the permanent roster is Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Banshee, Storm and Wolverine. This is a fairly novel concept to fans of the modern series, where rosters, and creative teams, seem to change every year. Within the first few issues, Wein set the tone; Claremont picked up the ball and ran it to places that no one expected.
Claremont received writing credits starting with issue #94. He quickly began to flesh out the team, focusing on each character, making them distinct. Unlike so many modern interpretations of the character, Storm acted like a goddess in these early days, frequently reminiscing about her time in Africa as well as American customs she found to be confining. Colossus was another character who missed his homeland, and wanted to rejoin his family. Claremont not only inserted angst into his characters, but was careful to create a sense of continuity - characters with personal problems (Cyclops and Banshee were also frequent victims of their emotions) oftentimes performed poorly in battle. Claremont was careful to create a sense of balance. No character ever seemed too feeble or worthless; everyone had their moments of fame. Characters were also cleverly manipulated to keep things interesting. The group is split into different pairings and various characters move in and out of psychological and physical pain, affecting not only the tone of the book but how the team dynamic works.It is interesting to note that Wolverine was clearly not the blockbuster star that he is today. Claremont understood that a personality like Wolverine was best used in moderation. Wolverine was not everywhere, and did not dominate the team or every scene. Over the course of the 40 issues Wolverine's antics increased with his strength, but he was no more important than any other team member. At this point there was little mention of Weapon X or even a healing factor. How times have changed.
Most of the stories contained in the Omnibus are excellent, but all are good. The Phoenix saga is being constantly worked. Black Tom is hinted towards several issues before his debut. The Hellfire Club is also a group that is gradually introduced. These villains are far more effective and ominous because they don't appear out of nowhere. There is a sense of familiarity with motive and character by the time a new villain arrives. It's a very effective tool and Claremont is very efficient with it.
Grade A+
Sell Comic Books - We Sell Your Comic Books For YOUWe make it easy to sell your comic books and get higher prices than you'll get at other comic stores or on eBay. We may sell them on E-bay, but we know where the highest buyer is, and the way to make you the most money.All we need are pictures. You send us the pictures, we'll send you the cash. If desired, we can look at the comics in person or have them mailed. Contact us ane we'll make it work.If you do not wish to consign, or you can't wait for the cash, we can let you see how much we'll pay for your comics before you even submit them to us for sale. We have been buying and selling comic books for over twenty years. If you don't know what your comics are worth, talk to us before you sell!
Contact: Todd Currie @ johnnyelcamino@hotmail.com
These are currently the best selling comics:
Uncanny X-Men (1963) Marvel
Batman (1940) DC
Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998 1st Series) Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man (1998- 2nd Series) Marvel
Detective Comics (1937-) DC
Action Comics (1938 DC) DC
X-Men (1991) Marvel
Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) Marvel
Fantastic Four (1961-1996 1st Series) Marvel
Captain America (1968 1st Series) Marvel
Incredible Hulk (1962-1999 1st series) Marvel
Contact: Todd Currie @ johnnyelcamino@hotmail.com
July 18, 2006 - If a series is lucky, it is blessed with a magical run. These runs define the book and the characters for years, perhaps even decades to come. Marvel's Uncanny X-Men had such a stroke of luck when Chris Claremont came on board. With Dave Cockrum and John Byrne at his side, Claremont not only revived a title from the brink of extinction, he propelled it to the top of Marvel's properties. The first Uncanny X-Men Omnibus takes readers on that journey, starting with Giant-Size X-Men #1 special and the following 30+ issues of the ongoing series. Reading this series not only clearly demonstrates the talent of all those involved, but also manages to illustrate in no uncertain terms what makes the X-Men so compelling.
When Chris Claremont stepped on board X-Men it had just been authorized for fresh content. The series had not been selling well enough to justify new stories, and by some stroke of luck had not been outright cancelled. Launching with a 64-page special and moving into a bi-monthly schedule, Marvel wanted to prove to readers that these mutants were worth an investment.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 rapidly established a number of characters. Older characters such as Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Sunfire and Banshee also returned to the title. Len Wein (writer of Giant as well as the plotter of the first two new issues of Uncanny), with artist Dave Cockrum, developed a new team and several new characters. Wolverine was introduced from the pages of The Incredible Hulk. New characters included Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm and Thunderbird.
Giant-Size represents a passing of the torch of sorts. Older X-Men including Angel, Iceman, Jean Grey, Havok and Polaris were present in the story, but opt out of participating in the new roster as of issue #94. Wein clearly wanted to show that this team, aside from the established leadership (Cyclops and Professor X), was different and fresh. He also wanted to increase the stakes and make these adventures seem serious.
Aside from Jean Grey being inserted rather abruptly, the permanent roster is Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Banshee, Storm and Wolverine. This is a fairly novel concept to fans of the modern series, where rosters, and creative teams, seem to change every year. Within the first few issues, Wein set the tone; Claremont picked up the ball and ran it to places that no one expected.
Claremont received writing credits starting with issue #94. He quickly began to flesh out the team, focusing on each character, making them distinct. Unlike so many modern interpretations of the character, Storm acted like a goddess in these early days, frequently reminiscing about her time in Africa as well as American customs she found to be confining. Colossus was another character who missed his homeland, and wanted to rejoin his family. Claremont not only inserted angst into his characters, but was careful to create a sense of continuity - characters with personal problems (Cyclops and Banshee were also frequent victims of their emotions) oftentimes performed poorly in battle. Claremont was careful to create a sense of balance. No character ever seemed too feeble or worthless; everyone had their moments of fame. Characters were also cleverly manipulated to keep things interesting. The group is split into different pairings and various characters move in and out of psychological and physical pain, affecting not only the tone of the book but how the team dynamic works.It is interesting to note that Wolverine was clearly not the blockbuster star that he is today. Claremont understood that a personality like Wolverine was best used in moderation. Wolverine was not everywhere, and did not dominate the team or every scene. Over the course of the 40 issues Wolverine's antics increased with his strength, but he was no more important than any other team member. At this point there was little mention of Weapon X or even a healing factor. How times have changed.
Most of the stories contained in the Omnibus are excellent, but all are good. The Phoenix saga is being constantly worked. Black Tom is hinted towards several issues before his debut. The Hellfire Club is also a group that is gradually introduced. These villains are far more effective and ominous because they don't appear out of nowhere. There is a sense of familiarity with motive and character by the time a new villain arrives. It's a very effective tool and Claremont is very efficient with it.
Grade A+
Sell Comic Books - We Sell Your Comic Books For YOUWe make it easy to sell your comic books and get higher prices than you'll get at other comic stores or on eBay. We may sell them on E-bay, but we know where the highest buyer is, and the way to make you the most money.All we need are pictures. You send us the pictures, we'll send you the cash. If desired, we can look at the comics in person or have them mailed. Contact us ane we'll make it work.If you do not wish to consign, or you can't wait for the cash, we can let you see how much we'll pay for your comics before you even submit them to us for sale. We have been buying and selling comic books for over twenty years. If you don't know what your comics are worth, talk to us before you sell!
Contact: Todd Currie @ johnnyelcamino@hotmail.com
These are currently the best selling comics:
Uncanny X-Men (1963) Marvel
Batman (1940) DC
Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998 1st Series) Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man (1998- 2nd Series) Marvel
Detective Comics (1937-) DC
Action Comics (1938 DC) DC
X-Men (1991) Marvel
Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) Marvel
Fantastic Four (1961-1996 1st Series) Marvel
Captain America (1968 1st Series) Marvel
Incredible Hulk (1962-1999 1st series) Marvel
Contact: Todd Currie @ johnnyelcamino@hotmail.com
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