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Uncanny X-Men (1963) #306, 311-314, 316-317
X-Men: Phalanx Covenant
The techno-organic nightmare known as the Phalanx has risen! Powerful anti -mutant bigots have created the ultimate weapon from the ashes of the deceased alien Warlock: a cold, vicious and unstoppable foe that absorbs all in its path. But these Phalanx are far more than their creators bargained for - and they plan to summon their parent race to overtake Earth! When the Phalanx take out the X-Men, the remaining mutants must split into three teams: to save young mutants from the Phalanx's clutches, to prevent their foes from contacting their homeworld, and to rescue the X-Men! But even with the aid of the rogue Phalanx unit Douglock, can these ragtag groups succeed? COLLECTING: UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) 306, 311-314, 316-317; EXCALIBUR (1988) 78-82; X-MEN (1991) 36-37; X-FACTOR (1986) 106; X-FORCE (1991) 38; WOLVERINE (1988) 85; CABLE (1993) 16
458 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2014
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Scott Lobdell
1,624 books230 followersScott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.
He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.
He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 5, 2021
Well these issues do have the advantage of unpredictability, mostly due to the writers clearly having no idea what was going to happen next either.
The Phalanx are basically Borg Nanites and like the Borg so overpowered that they have to be constantly nerfed in order to make them into somethign that looks beatable.
There’s about a dozen different versions of the Phalanx in here with each writer going they’re own way. Eventually someone grabbed all the threads and tried to stitch them into something coherent and it... almost works.
The other half of the Phalanx stuff is the lead up to Generation-X which i mostly think looks terrible.. there’s like one good issue here which made them seem like they could be something. However given that i’ve never heard of any of those characters lately i’m guessing its not going to be great.
Also in these issues we have the new Captain Britain, called Britannic. He’s never been great since Alan Moore wrote him but i didn’t think he could be any lamer than recent (to this event) comics, but they found a way.
Just a really messy storyline overall. About 10% good, 10% terrible and 80% of utterly forgettable.
The Phalanx are basically Borg Nanites and like the Borg so overpowered that they have to be constantly nerfed in order to make them into somethign that looks beatable.
There’s about a dozen different versions of the Phalanx in here with each writer going they’re own way. Eventually someone grabbed all the threads and tried to stitch them into something coherent and it... almost works.
The other half of the Phalanx stuff is the lead up to Generation-X which i mostly think looks terrible.. there’s like one good issue here which made them seem like they could be something. However given that i’ve never heard of any of those characters lately i’m guessing its not going to be great.
Also in these issues we have the new Captain Britain, called Britannic. He’s never been great since Alan Moore wrote him but i didn’t think he could be any lamer than recent (to this event) comics, but they found a way.
Just a really messy storyline overall. About 10% good, 10% terrible and 80% of utterly forgettable.
June 28, 2019
Meh, mediocre. Good parts and bad parts. Nothing spectacular. Some of the artwork is gorgeous. The fact that Emma Frost is back is a BIG plus.
The action scenes can be quite messy and there were no real stakes to the story.
The action scenes can be quite messy and there were no real stakes to the story.
November 1, 2019
The early part of this hardcover predates the Phalanx Covenant crossover, but is almost all good setup. Uncanny X-Men nicely introduces the Phalanx and even prepares the White Queen for her starring role in Generation X; these are good comics with great characterization and continuing plot. The Excalibur issues spin Douglock out of the Phalanx and give us three issues to get to know him, though it's really Zero who steals this issues; they're a nice tie back to the X-Cutioner's Song crossover, and give good attention to the Legacy Virus, before it became a boring part of the X-comics' backstory.
The overstuffed Phalanx Covenant crossover proper is cleverly split into three parts.
"Generation Next", including the X-Men comics themselves, is mainly focused on setting up the Generation X comic, and it does a good job of this, focusing on Sean, Emma, and the Generation X team (introducing most of them). It's certainly enough to make you want to read the new comic, though this part of the comic is dragged down by the endless fights with the Phalanx. It's also great and somewhat shocking seeing the intro to Blink, who is better used shortly therafter in the Age of Apocalypse.) (And these four issues unfortunately overlap entirely with the Generation X Classic, Vol. 1, making it a bad correlation with the omnibus line, so hopefully we'll start getting some Generation X omnibuses at some time?)
"Life Signs" seems to be the big heart of the crossover, and it's cool giving it over to the three subsidiary X-teams: Excalibur, X-Force, and X-Factor. Unfortunately, all three issues are bloated double-sized issues, and the story doesn't stand up to it. So we get too many teams fighting each other and too many info dumps and only discover the destroy-the-Babel-Spire plot late on, bu which time we're pretty bored. (And somehow, despite those double issues, most of the characters get no characterization at all: we get some good interactions between Doug Locke and his former comrades and little more through three infinitely long issues.) And these all overlap with Cable & X-Force Omnibus, so apparently publishing other omnibuses doesn't proof us against overlap.
"Final Sanction" is similarly overbloated. Cable, Wolverine, Scott, and Jean get to solve the whole Phalanx problem. Larry Hama actually does a better job at writing at this overly large issue size, but still this is a big fight (and a big climb). The height is the interaction between Nate, Jean, and Scott post-The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix, but Hama just plays around without offering anything in conclusion. More Cable & X-Force Omnibus overlap.
Overall, there's some interesting material in The Phalanx Convenant, but it's in the normal sized issues, not the five bloated ones at the end of this collection.
The overstuffed Phalanx Covenant crossover proper is cleverly split into three parts.
"Generation Next", including the X-Men comics themselves, is mainly focused on setting up the Generation X comic, and it does a good job of this, focusing on Sean, Emma, and the Generation X team (introducing most of them). It's certainly enough to make you want to read the new comic, though this part of the comic is dragged down by the endless fights with the Phalanx. It's also great and somewhat shocking seeing the intro to Blink, who is better used shortly therafter in the Age of Apocalypse.) (And these four issues unfortunately overlap entirely with the Generation X Classic, Vol. 1, making it a bad correlation with the omnibus line, so hopefully we'll start getting some Generation X omnibuses at some time?)
"Life Signs" seems to be the big heart of the crossover, and it's cool giving it over to the three subsidiary X-teams: Excalibur, X-Force, and X-Factor. Unfortunately, all three issues are bloated double-sized issues, and the story doesn't stand up to it. So we get too many teams fighting each other and too many info dumps and only discover the destroy-the-Babel-Spire plot late on, bu which time we're pretty bored. (And somehow, despite those double issues, most of the characters get no characterization at all: we get some good interactions between Doug Locke and his former comrades and little more through three infinitely long issues.) And these all overlap with Cable & X-Force Omnibus, so apparently publishing other omnibuses doesn't proof us against overlap.
"Final Sanction" is similarly overbloated. Cable, Wolverine, Scott, and Jean get to solve the whole Phalanx problem. Larry Hama actually does a better job at writing at this overly large issue size, but still this is a big fight (and a big climb). The height is the interaction between Nate, Jean, and Scott post-The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix, but Hama just plays around without offering anything in conclusion. More Cable & X-Force Omnibus overlap.
Overall, there's some interesting material in The Phalanx Convenant, but it's in the normal sized issues, not the five bloated ones at the end of this collection.
March 12, 2023
These 90s comics are getting too damn tedious.
January 15, 2015
After having read this and X-Cutioners Song and Fatal Attractions, I have to say that I think the 1992 cartoon saved Marvel. It's clear that Marvel needs at least two properties to be running. And in the 90s it was clearly Spider-Man and the X-Men.
But the X-men comic appears to have been a bit of a disaster before the Age of Apocalypse.
Perhaps the most baffling thing about this book is that it's so huge but it does not appear to contain the basic plot points. At a certain point individuals begin to try to rescue the X-Men. But we never see the X-Men get captured. At one point, Emma Frost is in the body of Iceman. Then, she's not!
The Legacy virus is passed by a little CPR. But one person has it and just walks around downtown Paris (before the the mode of transmission is determined, apparently) without worrying.
Bafflingly this even is actually four smaller stories that are not too well-thought-out or too connected.
I mean, the Phalanx . . . They can absorb people and matter, right? So why do they ever get defeated? Why don't they just absorb everything all at once?
And there's not too much character or seemingly any subtext. It's just supposed to be an interesting adventure. It is not. It's a mess. I mean, just almost everything. Like it begins with Archangel's rivalry with Hodge. And that never . . . . I mean then Archangel disappears for the whole story.
But the X-men comic appears to have been a bit of a disaster before the Age of Apocalypse.
Perhaps the most baffling thing about this book is that it's so huge but it does not appear to contain the basic plot points. At a certain point individuals begin to try to rescue the X-Men. But we never see the X-Men get captured. At one point, Emma Frost is in the body of Iceman. Then, she's not!
The Legacy virus is passed by a little CPR. But one person has it and just walks around downtown Paris (before the the mode of transmission is determined, apparently) without worrying.
Bafflingly this even is actually four smaller stories that are not too well-thought-out or too connected.
I mean, the Phalanx . . . They can absorb people and matter, right? So why do they ever get defeated? Why don't they just absorb everything all at once?
And there's not too much character or seemingly any subtext. It's just supposed to be an interesting adventure. It is not. It's a mess. I mean, just almost everything. Like it begins with Archangel's rivalry with Hodge. And that never . . . . I mean then Archangel disappears for the whole story.
August 6, 2021
The good: Introducing Generation X, a team I loved/love/consistently want more of, meaningful forward momentum for the X-line, a compelling villain and an interesting, brisk story that's fun to follow.
The bad: Turns out, techno-organic material looks REALLY bad when it's covering a whole page. Like, really bad. A single character made of it? I love it. The whole page, a dull, formless, confusing yellow-black mass that takes you completely out of the action of the book.
If you have a better attitude toward techo-organic material in X-books, you might have a better attitude toward this story than me. It probably deserves to rate higher. I just couldn't, it was tough to look at. The peril of a visual medium, art that you can't get behind makes an otherwise good, perhaps great, story worse...
The bad: Turns out, techno-organic material looks REALLY bad when it's covering a whole page. Like, really bad. A single character made of it? I love it. The whole page, a dull, formless, confusing yellow-black mass that takes you completely out of the action of the book.
If you have a better attitude toward techo-organic material in X-books, you might have a better attitude toward this story than me. It probably deserves to rate higher. I just couldn't, it was tough to look at. The peril of a visual medium, art that you can't get behind makes an otherwise good, perhaps great, story worse...
May 3, 2023
Chrises on Infinite Earths: Final Sanction, Generation Next & Life Signs
I read the phalanx covenant event first, then filled in the prologue issues. The stories are mixed, a lot of meh, but a few good bits. The Excalibur issues leading up to the event are particularly great.
Read for techno-organic battles and a whole lot of X-people.
I read the phalanx covenant event first, then filled in the prologue issues. The stories are mixed, a lot of meh, but a few good bits. The Excalibur issues leading up to the event are particularly great.
Read for techno-organic battles and a whole lot of X-people.
November 1, 2016
An excellent X-Men event. Above par. This oversized hardcover is the way to go. It's got some nice extras. It's the one book with the full story. Even if the line art and color reproduction is a bit messed up.
I read this along with an earlier book called "Origin of Generation X: Tales of the Phalanx Covenant" which contains most of the same material. The "Origin of Generation X: Tales of the Phalanx Covenant" has vastly superior color and line reproduction. Everything just looks better there. It's a real shame because "X-Men: Phalanx Covenant" has more content and it's printed in a larger dimension.
I read this along with an earlier book called "Origin of Generation X: Tales of the Phalanx Covenant" which contains most of the same material. The "Origin of Generation X: Tales of the Phalanx Covenant" has vastly superior color and line reproduction. Everything just looks better there. It's a real shame because "X-Men: Phalanx Covenant" has more content and it's printed in a larger dimension.
September 6, 2025
The collection does a good job of compiling all you need to read regarding the Phalanx trilogy of short crossover events encompassing all X-titles during July- August of 94, even including the setups preceding them that aren’t necessarily part of the events. Now, are stories here any good at all? I personally only appreciated the Generation Next angle. The UXM issues included as a prelude are way more interesting as well and solely due the Emma Frost focus, not the Phalanx B-plot. Life Signs started really strong but the second half was hot garbage. Overall the whole Phalanx ordeal was a mess, and felt like there was no plan nor communication between all X-title offices. The writing quality varied from title to title, but mostly was consistently bad. Dialogue is all over the place, as well as captions, and don’t get me started with the youngsters lingo. Art is equally inconsistent, a lot of bad and not enough good. As I am rating the book in terms of reading worth, and not printing quality (it’s gorgeous, enormous, perfectly crafted, and complete) this only deserves a 2.5/5.
August 10, 2017
-Generation Next (UXM #316, XM #36, UXM #317, XM #37): These issues were pretty cool. It was neat to see the X-Men take a backseat while Banshee, Emma Frost, and Sabretooth were put into the spotlight. The new mutants in this story (who would later form Generation X) were also quite interesting. 5/5
-Life Signs (XFac #106, XFor #38, Exc #82): It was fun seeing X-Force, Excalibur, and X-Factor being the main focus of these titles, as well as the return of Doug Ramsey as 'Douglock.' Great plot, but the ending was a little too abrupt with insufficient buildup. 4/5
-Final Sanction (Wolv #85, Cab #16): Good to see the return of Cyclops, Jean, Cable, and especially Wolverine. Storytelling wasn't too good but there was plenty of action. Great artwork too. Again, a very abrupt ending. 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
-Life Signs (XFac #106, XFor #38, Exc #82): It was fun seeing X-Force, Excalibur, and X-Factor being the main focus of these titles, as well as the return of Doug Ramsey as 'Douglock.' Great plot, but the ending was a little too abrupt with insufficient buildup. 4/5
-Final Sanction (Wolv #85, Cab #16): Good to see the return of Cyclops, Jean, Cable, and especially Wolverine. Storytelling wasn't too good but there was plenty of action. Great artwork too. Again, a very abrupt ending. 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
February 27, 2025
This is a bit of a sprawling mess that tries to be contained in three three-part storylines all about the Phalanx, but the writing and art doesn’t consistently deliver. The concept of a techno-organic collective being leads to some interest ideas, but it is better done in Star Trek’s Borg stories than here. It is really too bad, but it seems Marvel decided it needed to tie all these different mutant related X books together in a cross title mash up (hey it boosts sales), but it doesn’t always work as a piece of storytelling.
August 26, 2020
I loved all of the Generation Next stuff (Where’s my Generation X Omnibus Marvel?). It really made interesting characters out of Banshee and Emma Frost — which I thought impossible. In fact, there’s some really solid character work overall.
I know the 90’s gets a lot of flack, but this is all highly entertaining.
I know the 90’s gets a lot of flack, but this is all highly entertaining.
March 31, 2020
interesting. nothing sort extraordinary here but not a bad story
September 9, 2021
While the individual issues weren't always that great, overall I really liked this event.
November 10, 2023
Damn this took a long read time.
January 11, 2022
This was one of my gateways into comics, and it's kind of a New Mutants (which led to Gen X) for the 90s. Joe Mad's art is pretty solid, and while the story is ultimately a little forgettable I decided to reread it due to the Phalanx having a role in Hox/Pox.
This comic came out during an interesting gap; it's after all the Image founders have left Marvel and the writers were almost a bit rudderless without Claremont and the artist driven comics.
This comic came out during an interesting gap; it's after all the Image founders have left Marvel and the writers were almost a bit rudderless without Claremont and the artist driven comics.
April 21, 2015
"In the final section of the Phalanx Covenant, we get a special team of X-Men teaming up to do what needs to be done as assembled by Charles Xavier, cleaning up the loose ends left by the Phalanx."
Read the whole review on TheBookCloset
Read the whole review on TheBookCloset
July 6, 2019
I really like issues where fighting takes a back seat and the focus is on emotions, intents, and stories. That is this issue. Meggan and Brian’s love is deep and powerful. Kitty and Doug’s friendship is true. Xavier and Moira’s complicates past has brought about a mutual respect and endearment. This is why X-Men titles always were more interesting than enhances humans.
January 14, 2015
I appreciate the fact Marvel keeps making these nice over size hardcovers. However, it's clear there is missing story points in this one making the overall story a bit of a mess.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews