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Amazing X-Men (2013) (Collected Editions)
Amazing X-Men, Vol. 2: World War Wendigo
Writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost return to the X-Men!
When Wolverine discovers that an old friend is missing, his visit to Canada soon transforms into a hairy situation. The Wendigo virus is running rampant, transforming people into flesh-eating monsters! Now, the X-Men and Alpha Flight must fight to stop the growing tide of Wendigos from consuming everything and everyone in their path...a task made harder when an X-Man falls prey to the deadly disease! Desperate, the X-Men take the fight to the Spirit Realm, but how do the Great Beasts fit into this mayhem? And will even the combined forces of the X-Men and Alpha Flight be enough to save Canada from this cannibalistic plague?
Plus: Iceman, Firestar and Spider-Man must renew their amazing friendship to save New York City!
Collecting: Amazing X-Men 7-12
When Wolverine discovers that an old friend is missing, his visit to Canada soon transforms into a hairy situation. The Wendigo virus is running rampant, transforming people into flesh-eating monsters! Now, the X-Men and Alpha Flight must fight to stop the growing tide of Wendigos from consuming everything and everyone in their path...a task made harder when an X-Man falls prey to the deadly disease! Desperate, the X-Men take the fight to the Spirit Realm, but how do the Great Beasts fit into this mayhem? And will even the combined forces of the X-Men and Alpha Flight be enough to save Canada from this cannibalistic plague?
Plus: Iceman, Firestar and Spider-Man must renew their amazing friendship to save New York City!
Collecting: Amazing X-Men 7-12
136 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2014
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142 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
July 17, 2023
This fourth ongoing X-Men team (Nightcrawler leads) book of this era, is one book too far, over saturation much? First we have a (I gave it 1 out of 12) an atrociously bad 'comedy' featuring Firebird, Iceman and Spider-Man. The main course is a Wendigo epidemic co-starring Alpha Flight. Story's OK, but everything in this book bar Kurt's return seems to have no bearing on continuity, it feels like all filler. 5 out of 12 a filler of a Two Star read.
2018 read
2018 read
June 7, 2015
3.5 stars
With two really campy ideas packed into one comic, I'm sort of surprised at the result. Not as awful as I expected!
That's not to say it was great, but it could have been so much worse.
Anyway.
First up, does anyone remember these guys?
Back in the day, they were college roommates/superheroes.
And...dammit! It was high time for a reunion!
There were a few chuckles in this one-shot, but the plot (like the tv show) was too full of holes to be satisfying.
Where the fuck did Spider-man get the baby, why did it fart gamma rays, and why would its (evil) parents be willing to leave the planet they planned to invade just to get it back?
Shhhhhh. Just keep walking.
It's better not to know the answer to some things...
The title of this volume lets you know that this is going to be a Wendigo heavy plot. So, I'm pretty sure I'm not spoiling anything by mentioning that the Canadian monster is the star of this show.
I knew you mild-mannered Canucks had to have a dirty little secret!
Fucking Cannibals, the lot of you!
So, the deal is, anytime someone eats human flesh on Canadian soil, they turn into a Wendigo.
Because...
Well, because Canada is full of wacky curses like that. Trust me.
This story could have been super stupid, but it was actually pretty cool. Some guy kills a dude who was sleeping with his wife, stuffs him in the meat grinder at the packing plant they both work at, and voilà! manages to infect thousands with the Wendigo curse.
And not only do the X-men follow their stubby Canadian teammate into the fray, but guess who else shows up to help?
That's right! Canada's own superhero team...Alpha Flight!
Anyway, this was more fun than I dared to hope so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, go ahead and give it shot.
With two really campy ideas packed into one comic, I'm sort of surprised at the result. Not as awful as I expected!
That's not to say it was great, but it could have been so much worse.
Anyway.
First up, does anyone remember these guys?
Back in the day, they were college roommates/superheroes.
And...dammit! It was high time for a reunion!
There were a few chuckles in this one-shot, but the plot (like the tv show) was too full of holes to be satisfying.
Where the fuck did Spider-man get the baby, why did it fart gamma rays, and why would its (evil) parents be willing to leave the planet they planned to invade just to get it back?
Shhhhhh. Just keep walking.
It's better not to know the answer to some things...
The title of this volume lets you know that this is going to be a Wendigo heavy plot. So, I'm pretty sure I'm not spoiling anything by mentioning that the Canadian monster is the star of this show.
I knew you mild-mannered Canucks had to have a dirty little secret!
Fucking Cannibals, the lot of you!
So, the deal is, anytime someone eats human flesh on Canadian soil, they turn into a Wendigo.
Because...
Well, because Canada is full of wacky curses like that. Trust me.
This story could have been super stupid, but it was actually pretty cool. Some guy kills a dude who was sleeping with his wife, stuffs him in the meat grinder at the packing plant they both work at, and voilà! manages to infect thousands with the Wendigo curse.
And not only do the X-men follow their stubby Canadian teammate into the fray, but guess who else shows up to help?
That's right! Canada's own superhero team...Alpha Flight!
Anyway, this was more fun than I dared to hope so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, go ahead and give it shot.
October 8, 2018
"Fly out of here as fast as you can. Get to Alpha Flight. Get to the X-Men . . . GET EVERYONE!" -- Logan
"Logan doesn't get scared . . . EVER. Have Northstar prep a Blackbird. We're going to Canada." -- Storm
First, let's talk about the brief story that begins Volume 2: World War Wendigo . . . or let's not. It's irrelevant and juvenile, and has nothing to do with the rest of the book. The only redeeming aspect is the reuniting of the Spider-Man / Ice Man / Firestar trio (fondly remember by some of us from their '81-'83 animated series). Otherwise, it was a waste of time and a bad way to start the volume.
MUCH better was the main plot, with the two superhero teams (X-Men, of course, and Alpha Flight; though the Avengers make an appearance) racing to the 'Great White North' to stop a Wendigo (cannibalistic / zombie-like demonic creatures that resemble Bigfoot or Sasquatch -- that's just my take on them) outbreak and invasion threatening the U.S. While the finale is sort of rushed the rest of the execution was just great, with lots of action and the occasional suspense of a horror movie.
It might not quite deserve a 4 stars, but I'm rounding up because the middle part was so enjoyable.
"Logan doesn't get scared . . . EVER. Have Northstar prep a Blackbird. We're going to Canada." -- Storm
First, let's talk about the brief story that begins Volume 2: World War Wendigo . . . or let's not. It's irrelevant and juvenile, and has nothing to do with the rest of the book. The only redeeming aspect is the reuniting of the Spider-Man / Ice Man / Firestar trio (fondly remember by some of us from their '81-'83 animated series). Otherwise, it was a waste of time and a bad way to start the volume.
MUCH better was the main plot, with the two superhero teams (X-Men, of course, and Alpha Flight; though the Avengers make an appearance) racing to the 'Great White North' to stop a Wendigo (cannibalistic / zombie-like demonic creatures that resemble Bigfoot or Sasquatch -- that's just my take on them) outbreak and invasion threatening the U.S. While the finale is sort of rushed the rest of the execution was just great, with lots of action and the occasional suspense of a horror movie.
It might not quite deserve a 4 stars, but I'm rounding up because the middle part was so enjoyable.
March 5, 2015
Enjoyable to read, but not actually, you know, good. There are definitely some good points. The book is pointedly trying not to take itself seriously, which I'm more than ok with. Except that it goes overboard, sometimes to the point of being borderline nonsense, as with the first issue. And the concept of the World War Wendigo storyline is actually really good. A Wendigo outbreak is a genuinely frightening concept, especially at the scale shown here. Right up until the entire situation is resolved with a plot turn that feels way too easy. Even more so considering how long the rest of the story is stretched out. Maybe it would have felt less rushed if the exact same ending had been at the end of a three issue story instead. So not much good, but definitely fun. There are some good moments, and I did like the interactions between Northstar and his twin sister, though.
May 26, 2016
I'm a big fan of Kyle and Yost's run on X-Men. They wrote some hard hitting stories that kept the characters true to form. They left for awhile then returned for this short run on Amazing. It's a different X team than what they had before but it really felt "old school" meaning there was a problem and the X-Men go to solve it and along the way you get that family bickering and familiarity with some excellent mutant action. The art wasn't bad either except for some reason the last couple pages were filled in by someone else. It was a fun read, comforting like a well worn shoe that fits perfectly.
The first issue in this volume though was an attempt to have a Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends reunion with Firestar (who is a mutant and now in the X-Men along with IceMan.) I found this one issue to be very, very annoying. The plot is poorly explained and the dialogue is just all over the place, almost as if a thought is never completed, jumping from person to person, each one saying whatever pops into their head. It made no sense and felt like a complete waste. Thankfully it had nothing to do with the Kyle/Yost story.
The first issue in this volume though was an attempt to have a Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends reunion with Firestar (who is a mutant and now in the X-Men along with IceMan.) I found this one issue to be very, very annoying. The plot is poorly explained and the dialogue is just all over the place, almost as if a thought is never completed, jumping from person to person, each one saying whatever pops into their head. It made no sense and felt like a complete waste. Thankfully it had nothing to do with the Kyle/Yost story.
August 13, 2020
Pues el proyecto explosivo de Marvel con Aaron y McGuinness duró poco, y el guionista saldría de la colección nada más terminar el primer arco, y el dibujante tras el primer número del segundo, el que vamos a comentar hoy. Y la verdad es que en mi opinión, la colección salió ganando con la llegada de Chris Yost y Craig Kyle. Ambos habían hecho ya un trabajo excelente en la etapa de Academia-X y demás, y aunque habían estado un tiempo sin trabajar juntos, llegaron a la Increíble Patrulla-X de nuevo en tándem, y con un arco que hundiría sus raíces en la historia más tradicional de los mutantes, algo en lo que los guionistas ya habían mostrado experiencia.
Con Guerra Mundial Wendigo (que evidentemente toma el camino de World War Z), Craig y Yost convierten la colección en la más aventurera de los mutantes, con una formación clásica (Lobezno, Tormenta, Rondador, Coloso... además de Estrella de Fuego, Estrella del Norte y, en esta ocasión, Alud). Y sí, la historia tiene un arranque siniestro de huevos. En una planta de tratamiento de carnes de Canadá, un conflicto entre dos empleados acaba con una pelea y con uno de ellos muerto, así que para deshacerse del cadáver, el asesino procesa al muerto como carne picada, y este se sirve como hamburguesas a numerosas personas... Pero claro, hay una antigua maldición que pesa sobre Canadá y según la cual aquellos que coman carne humana, se convertirán en el Wéndigo, una criatura bestial que ya se había enfrentado a Lobezno, a la Patrulla-X y a Alpha Flight. Y aquí lo que tenemos en una conversión en masa de Wendigos, que además extienden la infección entre los heridos... y eso incluye a Lobezno, que por lo tanto se volverá asalvajado contra sus compañeros.
La Patrulla-X se alinea con Alpha Flight (y con su alineación más clásica, a mi ver a Ave Nevada y a Estrella del Norte junto a Aurora... me vuelve loco) para tratar de detener a los Wendigos, cuyas víctimas tratan de huír a Estados Unidos, y se encuentran con que con la transformación masiva de los Wendigos, la gran Bestia Tanaraq, uno de los enemigos clásicos de Alpha Flight, ha conseguido derrotar al resto de las Grandes Bestias, rompiendo el equilibrio en el mundo espiritual...
Como veis, una aventura de estilo clásico y con sus raíces bien asentadas en la tradición tanto de la Patrulla-X como de Alpha Flight, construyendo una aventura de lo más entretenida.
Con Guerra Mundial Wendigo (que evidentemente toma el camino de World War Z), Craig y Yost convierten la colección en la más aventurera de los mutantes, con una formación clásica (Lobezno, Tormenta, Rondador, Coloso... además de Estrella de Fuego, Estrella del Norte y, en esta ocasión, Alud). Y sí, la historia tiene un arranque siniestro de huevos. En una planta de tratamiento de carnes de Canadá, un conflicto entre dos empleados acaba con una pelea y con uno de ellos muerto, así que para deshacerse del cadáver, el asesino procesa al muerto como carne picada, y este se sirve como hamburguesas a numerosas personas... Pero claro, hay una antigua maldición que pesa sobre Canadá y según la cual aquellos que coman carne humana, se convertirán en el Wéndigo, una criatura bestial que ya se había enfrentado a Lobezno, a la Patrulla-X y a Alpha Flight. Y aquí lo que tenemos en una conversión en masa de Wendigos, que además extienden la infección entre los heridos... y eso incluye a Lobezno, que por lo tanto se volverá asalvajado contra sus compañeros.
La Patrulla-X se alinea con Alpha Flight (y con su alineación más clásica, a mi ver a Ave Nevada y a Estrella del Norte junto a Aurora... me vuelve loco) para tratar de detener a los Wendigos, cuyas víctimas tratan de huír a Estados Unidos, y se encuentran con que con la transformación masiva de los Wendigos, la gran Bestia Tanaraq, uno de los enemigos clásicos de Alpha Flight, ha conseguido derrotar al resto de las Grandes Bestias, rompiendo el equilibrio en el mundo espiritual...
Como veis, una aventura de estilo clásico y con sus raíces bien asentadas en la tradición tanto de la Patrulla-X como de Alpha Flight, construyendo una aventura de lo más entretenida.
July 1, 2015
Space Baby (7). This issue is so horrible that I'm embarrassed to have read it. It's a pity because the humor is funny at times, but pretty much not when the space baby appears. Also, the Spider-Man characterization was so bad that I had a hard time believing this wasn't Superior. I dunno how anyone could possibly of thought this was a good idea [2/10].
World War Wendigo (8-12). It gets better, but that's not saying much. This arc is the epitome of the second-tier X-Men books: it's totally purposeless. Oh, there's some nice humor and some good use of Alpha Flight mythology. But the main plot is five issues of punching Wendigos. It's a world-wide disaster that will never be referred to again. And the ending is full of plot holes. Remember when the X-Men became elemental gods, but it didn't really matter? Remember when the Great Beasts did a big take-back because they felt bad? Yeah, not so much. [4/10]
And this is why I mostly haven't bought Amazing X-Men, the later Astonishing, or the Gischler X-Men. Thank goodness for libraries (though this one was so bad that I'm annoyed at having wasted my time).
World War Wendigo (8-12). It gets better, but that's not saying much. This arc is the epitome of the second-tier X-Men books: it's totally purposeless. Oh, there's some nice humor and some good use of Alpha Flight mythology. But the main plot is five issues of punching Wendigos. It's a world-wide disaster that will never be referred to again. And the ending is full of plot holes. Remember when the X-Men became elemental gods, but it didn't really matter? Remember when the Great Beasts did a big take-back because they felt bad? Yeah, not so much. [4/10]
And this is why I mostly haven't bought Amazing X-Men, the later Astonishing, or the Gischler X-Men. Thank goodness for libraries (though this one was so bad that I'm annoyed at having wasted my time).
May 8, 2020
Thank fuck that’s over.
This series is the worst, and not even the great Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle could save it.
Sooooo boring. Ugh! I’m angry I read that. So little story dragged across 6 issues. I can summarize it all in a couple words:
Wendigos in Canada. Some fighting. Some magic stuff. No more Wendigos.
Boom! I saved you the trouble.
Boring art too. SKIP!!
This series is the worst, and not even the great Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle could save it.
Sooooo boring. Ugh! I’m angry I read that. So little story dragged across 6 issues. I can summarize it all in a couple words:
Wendigos in Canada. Some fighting. Some magic stuff. No more Wendigos.
Boom! I saved you the trouble.
Boring art too. SKIP!!
November 23, 2016
If I were Canadian I would feel insulted.
Let's ignore the first story of this volume where Iceman, Spiderman and Firestar meet, because it is actually the least dumb of all of them. Sure, the story about an alien baby somehow left behind while a goat was kidnapped was so dumb and badly executed that it was plain boring, but still not the worst here.
The whole World War Wendigo story was just much worse and a good example of the randomness of Marvel canon and what events constitute huge crossover events and which not.
It started pretty early when this was implying that Rockslide does not know that Logan is Wolverine, respectively not even knowing that the "guy with the claws" is Logan. He talked to that guy several times, he lives in the same building, they fought side by side, and later Storm asks why Prof. X ever made Iceman and X-Men... did this universe have a giant mindswipe again? Apparently not, no reboot or retcon or anything, the writers are just that bad.
And as for the whole premise of this story:
If they are suggesting that we have lots of Wendigoes because one murder victim was processed in a meat-packaging facility and lots of people ate it, then why did that never happen before? Seriously, did Canada never have cases of cannibals before? Wendigoes should be a known fact... sigh... here I go again, thinking in terms of consistent world building.
And I know they are trying to build tension here and it is partially working, but the USA has thousands of super powered beings so why do we only see two Avengers and some X-Men here? Heck, why are those rampaging Wendigoes even a threat? And they should be, the comics itself says that every Wendigo is as strong as the Hulk and their condition can now be spread via bite, so why on earth is this not some crossover or big event? Thousands of Hulks coming towards the United States and these few superheroes are all there is? I get it; Dr. Strange is incapacitated but what about all the other mystics? Not even a cameo?
And Kurt has a small army of mini-mes with the same teleportation powers has him, so why isn't he using them? I know the creative team has been changed from issue 6-8 but come on, the editors are the same, and didn't they notice that? Or anything?
So the writers could not make me feel suspense by this.
And of course the Wolverine-wendigo gets special treatment, why would it be any different right? The other Wendigoes are even afraid of him. Gosh I can't stand this "Wolverine is soooo special" crap anymore. It only hinders storytelling and not enhances it. This constant wolverine ass kissing makes me almost throw up.
And how does the day get saved? This is how:
Since the other Great Beasts had already lost against Tanaraq, Storm things that it's a better idea for them to turn her, Rockslide, Firestar and Iceman into gods, because they did so well so far. That would work only be sheer luck. So they basically saved the day because they hid Tanaraq hard enough for Guardian to break free from his belly and thereby killing Tanaraq. That is just plain lazy writing. Plus, It is neither Shaman, nor Talisman nor Snowbird (even though she looks nothing like a regular Inuit) who saved the day, nope; it's a team of Americans plus one white Canadian. And yes, I know that Storm is "Kenyan", but she is also of African American descent.
And here is also something else, one character is called "TwoYoungmen", has long black hair, called Talisman and dresses like a stripper. So she is probably supposed to be Native American of some sort... then why not have a Native American term as her code word? Oh right, Marvel never uses terms from other languages for their superheroes. Ok, maybe not never, but rarely.
Plus: Writers, just finally manage to learn how to use German, it is far more likely that a contemporary German would use "na großartig" oder "echt klasse" (unless you go into cursing territory) instead of "wunderbar."
Let's ignore the first story of this volume where Iceman, Spiderman and Firestar meet, because it is actually the least dumb of all of them. Sure, the story about an alien baby somehow left behind while a goat was kidnapped was so dumb and badly executed that it was plain boring, but still not the worst here.
The whole World War Wendigo story was just much worse and a good example of the randomness of Marvel canon and what events constitute huge crossover events and which not.
It started pretty early when this was implying that Rockslide does not know that Logan is Wolverine, respectively not even knowing that the "guy with the claws" is Logan. He talked to that guy several times, he lives in the same building, they fought side by side, and later Storm asks why Prof. X ever made Iceman and X-Men... did this universe have a giant mindswipe again? Apparently not, no reboot or retcon or anything, the writers are just that bad.
And as for the whole premise of this story:
If they are suggesting that we have lots of Wendigoes because one murder victim was processed in a meat-packaging facility and lots of people ate it, then why did that never happen before? Seriously, did Canada never have cases of cannibals before? Wendigoes should be a known fact... sigh... here I go again, thinking in terms of consistent world building.
And I know they are trying to build tension here and it is partially working, but the USA has thousands of super powered beings so why do we only see two Avengers and some X-Men here? Heck, why are those rampaging Wendigoes even a threat? And they should be, the comics itself says that every Wendigo is as strong as the Hulk and their condition can now be spread via bite, so why on earth is this not some crossover or big event? Thousands of Hulks coming towards the United States and these few superheroes are all there is? I get it; Dr. Strange is incapacitated but what about all the other mystics? Not even a cameo?
And Kurt has a small army of mini-mes with the same teleportation powers has him, so why isn't he using them? I know the creative team has been changed from issue 6-8 but come on, the editors are the same, and didn't they notice that? Or anything?
So the writers could not make me feel suspense by this.
And of course the Wolverine-wendigo gets special treatment, why would it be any different right? The other Wendigoes are even afraid of him. Gosh I can't stand this "Wolverine is soooo special" crap anymore. It only hinders storytelling and not enhances it. This constant wolverine ass kissing makes me almost throw up.
And how does the day get saved? This is how:
Since the other Great Beasts had already lost against Tanaraq, Storm things that it's a better idea for them to turn her, Rockslide, Firestar and Iceman into gods, because they did so well so far. That would work only be sheer luck. So they basically saved the day because they hid Tanaraq hard enough for Guardian to break free from his belly and thereby killing Tanaraq. That is just plain lazy writing. Plus, It is neither Shaman, nor Talisman nor Snowbird (even though she looks nothing like a regular Inuit) who saved the day, nope; it's a team of Americans plus one white Canadian. And yes, I know that Storm is "Kenyan", but she is also of African American descent.
And here is also something else, one character is called "TwoYoungmen", has long black hair, called Talisman and dresses like a stripper. So she is probably supposed to be Native American of some sort... then why not have a Native American term as her code word? Oh right, Marvel never uses terms from other languages for their superheroes. Ok, maybe not never, but rarely.
Plus: Writers, just finally manage to learn how to use German, it is far more likely that a contemporary German would use "na großartig" oder "echt klasse" (unless you go into cursing territory) instead of "wunderbar."
February 2, 2015
This volume is a bit of a mixed bag. Honestly, my main draw is the cast. Having Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Northstar teaming up with several others is a great time for me.
As a result, the opening issue, focused on Iceman, Firestar, and Spider-man fell a little flat. This title is supposed to be a little more campy and fun, but this one took it too far. It was nonsensical to the point of just not making sense, and I really could've lived without it. Nothing terrible, just not my taste at all.
From there, we get the World War Wendigo storyline, which was actually pretty interesting, until the, quite literal, deus ex resolution style. It was something of a new twist on an old foe. My only issue was sometimes the writing was a bit heavy handed and the opening had things that didn't make sense - such as a longtime student of the Jean Grey School saying he doesn't know who Wolverine is. Otherwise, I liked the action and the characters. Really anything that pulls in Alpha Flight should be a good time.
The art is similarly mixed. There's something about Ed McGuinness that I don't like, especially when he draws Storm. Barberi, though, is very much in the style I like. Sharper lines and more defined shapes and characters. There are a couple of anomalies, like a villain's design changing from one artist to the other, and multiple artists within one issue, which always makes for a jarring transition.
If this is something you're predisposed to like, I'm sure it won't disappoint. On the other hand, it is far from perfect. It's very middle of the road, but I had a good time reading it.
As a result, the opening issue, focused on Iceman, Firestar, and Spider-man fell a little flat. This title is supposed to be a little more campy and fun, but this one took it too far. It was nonsensical to the point of just not making sense, and I really could've lived without it. Nothing terrible, just not my taste at all.
From there, we get the World War Wendigo storyline, which was actually pretty interesting, until the, quite literal, deus ex resolution style. It was something of a new twist on an old foe. My only issue was sometimes the writing was a bit heavy handed and the opening had things that didn't make sense - such as a longtime student of the Jean Grey School saying he doesn't know who Wolverine is. Otherwise, I liked the action and the characters. Really anything that pulls in Alpha Flight should be a good time.
The art is similarly mixed. There's something about Ed McGuinness that I don't like, especially when he draws Storm. Barberi, though, is very much in the style I like. Sharper lines and more defined shapes and characters. There are a couple of anomalies, like a villain's design changing from one artist to the other, and multiple artists within one issue, which always makes for a jarring transition.
If this is something you're predisposed to like, I'm sure it won't disappoint. On the other hand, it is far from perfect. It's very middle of the road, but I had a good time reading it.
March 8, 2015
I reviewed this on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/review/R3MYBIK7...
After an explosive first collection that brought Nightcrawler back from the dead (see: Amazing X-Men Volume 1: The Quest for Nightcrawler ), volume 2 settles into what seems to be the hallmarks for the series. Amazing X-Men Amazing X-Men is lighter superhero fare with writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost delivering some genuinely humorous moments between moments of brawling. Amazing X-Men also seems to spotlight some of X-Men that aren't usually prominently featured. The team roster features Iceman, Firestar, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Northstar, Rockslide, Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers/Grey), and Storm.
This collection opens with an amusing team up issue. X-Men Iceman and Firestar are tasked with getting groceries. They end of teaming with Spider-Man to save a baby, a goat, and sports history.
The meat of this collection, however, is the Wendigo story. In a macabre set up, a murder disposes of his victim by turning him into ground beef. The beef is distributed throughout Canada. In Canada, a curse turns anyone who has eaten human flesh into a Wendigo. The X-Men team up with Alpha Flight to solve the Wendigo outbreak that threatens to overrun the entire world.
Amazing X-Men continues in Amazing X-Men Volume 3: Once and Future Juggernaut
After an explosive first collection that brought Nightcrawler back from the dead (see: Amazing X-Men Volume 1: The Quest for Nightcrawler ), volume 2 settles into what seems to be the hallmarks for the series. Amazing X-Men Amazing X-Men is lighter superhero fare with writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost delivering some genuinely humorous moments between moments of brawling. Amazing X-Men also seems to spotlight some of X-Men that aren't usually prominently featured. The team roster features Iceman, Firestar, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Northstar, Rockslide, Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers/Grey), and Storm.
This collection opens with an amusing team up issue. X-Men Iceman and Firestar are tasked with getting groceries. They end of teaming with Spider-Man to save a baby, a goat, and sports history.
The meat of this collection, however, is the Wendigo story. In a macabre set up, a murder disposes of his victim by turning him into ground beef. The beef is distributed throughout Canada. In Canada, a curse turns anyone who has eaten human flesh into a Wendigo. The X-Men team up with Alpha Flight to solve the Wendigo outbreak that threatens to overrun the entire world.
Amazing X-Men continues in Amazing X-Men Volume 3: Once and Future Juggernaut
January 23, 2015
I refuse to acknowledge the first issue of this volume because it's so utterly bad that I want to be sick. It makes a grand total of no sense, all of the characters feel completely wrong, and it's just bad. The artwork is nice though!
The actual World War Wendigo story is decent enough. It's not exactly new territory for the X-Men, who've fought Wendigos plenty of times before, but there are some new twists and turns to this story, and there's a lot of scope for the story too instead of it just being one small group of X-Men. However, it does drag on a little, and would likely have been better as 4 issues instead of 5, with most of the first 3 issues easy to condense down together. The final 2 issues are great however, pitting the X-Men up against gods, and there's some great characterization along the way too, as you'd expect from expert X-scribes Kyle and Yost. More great artwork too, if a little uneven due to Carlo Baberi needing fill-ins on 2 of his 4 issues, which is irritating, but never mind.
The actual World War Wendigo story is decent enough. It's not exactly new territory for the X-Men, who've fought Wendigos plenty of times before, but there are some new twists and turns to this story, and there's a lot of scope for the story too instead of it just being one small group of X-Men. However, it does drag on a little, and would likely have been better as 4 issues instead of 5, with most of the first 3 issues easy to condense down together. The final 2 issues are great however, pitting the X-Men up against gods, and there's some great characterization along the way too, as you'd expect from expert X-scribes Kyle and Yost. More great artwork too, if a little uneven due to Carlo Baberi needing fill-ins on 2 of his 4 issues, which is irritating, but never mind.
March 2, 2015
The abysmal second volume of Amazing X-Men looks great on paper. Kyle and Yost taking over an X-book, spiriting the team away to Canada, to deal with mythological cannibal monsters. How fun! Something goes horribly wrong though, leaving us with a nonsensical, absurd, poorly written and illustrated mess.
The first issue, (a Spider-Man and his amazing friends throw-back) is the prettiest in the book, while simultaneously being an impossible to follow, insipid mess of off-target characterization and eye-rolling dialogue. What follows is an uglier, better written (if only by a little) waste of an excellent cast, that includes the constantly underutilized Alpha Flight, and even A-list Avengers (doing a whole lot of what I'm not sure).
This book is an absolute skip, and I can't come up with a good reason to read it. Even if you're a fan of the unique cast members, skip this one comfortably, knowing that no one gets any great dialogue, or aha moments, or is even utilized in a unique or interesting way.
The first issue, (a Spider-Man and his amazing friends throw-back) is the prettiest in the book, while simultaneously being an impossible to follow, insipid mess of off-target characterization and eye-rolling dialogue. What follows is an uglier, better written (if only by a little) waste of an excellent cast, that includes the constantly underutilized Alpha Flight, and even A-list Avengers (doing a whole lot of what I'm not sure).
This book is an absolute skip, and I can't come up with a good reason to read it. Even if you're a fan of the unique cast members, skip this one comfortably, knowing that no one gets any great dialogue, or aha moments, or is even utilized in a unique or interesting way.
May 30, 2016
Memo: if you're gonna write x-men after 2013, make sure it sucks, like hard.
God this book was a chore to get through. Such awful, awful banter. And since when did all my favorite characters become the amazing assholes. They bicker more than the new52 justice league.
When are writers going to realize nobody likes it when heroes act like spoiled teenagers.
Such lazy ass writing. Firestar is insufferable. And way to make Talisman a glorified fuck-buddy who gets stabbed and nobody seems to care. Oh wait , we need her to cure the Canadians. Too bad she's the only one who gets taken out.
And what's up with the way this whole book started. Some old white dude with a serious case of ear hair is accusing some young Hispanic dude of sleeping with his wife? Like seriously, the old guy looks like a wrinkly 60 year old and he's accusing a guy who just started growing facial hair of shacking up with his wife....... I have an easier time believing Puck hooking up with Talisman than that artistic brain fart.
Marvel, just kill the X-Men already. Bring them back when Fox gives in.
God this book was a chore to get through. Such awful, awful banter. And since when did all my favorite characters become the amazing assholes. They bicker more than the new52 justice league.
When are writers going to realize nobody likes it when heroes act like spoiled teenagers.
Such lazy ass writing. Firestar is insufferable. And way to make Talisman a glorified fuck-buddy who gets stabbed and nobody seems to care. Oh wait , we need her to cure the Canadians. Too bad she's the only one who gets taken out.
And what's up with the way this whole book started. Some old white dude with a serious case of ear hair is accusing some young Hispanic dude of sleeping with his wife? Like seriously, the old guy looks like a wrinkly 60 year old and he's accusing a guy who just started growing facial hair of shacking up with his wife....... I have an easier time believing Puck hooking up with Talisman than that artistic brain fart.
Marvel, just kill the X-Men already. Bring them back when Fox gives in.
May 14, 2017
*1.5 stars*
Welp. That was probably the most disappointing comic book trade I have ever read. It's such a shame, especially because the first trade in this trilogy is one of my favourites. Maybe I feel the way I do because I read this in two sittings, or because I wasn't in the mood. I don't know.
What I do know is that I did not like this book. The dialogue seemed forced, thus creating both superficial characters and plot. I didn't care. I'm still holding out hope for the final trade because I still love the idea, and the characters were incredible in the first one. Second-book-syndrome, perhaps? I'd just hate for this series to be ruined for me after the fun I had with the first volume. Sigh.
Welp. That was probably the most disappointing comic book trade I have ever read. It's such a shame, especially because the first trade in this trilogy is one of my favourites. Maybe I feel the way I do because I read this in two sittings, or because I wasn't in the mood. I don't know.
What I do know is that I did not like this book. The dialogue seemed forced, thus creating both superficial characters and plot. I didn't care. I'm still holding out hope for the final trade because I still love the idea, and the characters were incredible in the first one. Second-book-syndrome, perhaps? I'd just hate for this series to be ruined for me after the fun I had with the first volume. Sigh.
February 16, 2024
Monster of the day with some especially dumb writing. And the worse kind of witty dialogue, the kind that thinks it's clever but isn't. And random badly written, not especially well drawn guest stars like Spider-Man and Captain America. There have been some really good X-men books lately, but this was not one of them.
December 29, 2015
It is not as bad as I would have thought. I mean, this smelled a lot like "since Wolverine is going to die, it is time to send him one last time in Canada,and since it is in Canada, we have to put the Alpha Flight in". It is exactly like that. I found the premise quite funny and original but after that it is just a big brawl but we can see .
February 18, 2016
What starts as a neat premise -- a murder in a meat factory triggers thousands of people being afflicted by the wendigo curse -- is quickly squandered into a standard zombie tale (oh no! One bite, one scratch and you too can become a wendigo), followed by the old trope of the Decapitated Army brought to you through an Instant Win Condition (thanks TV Tropes).
May 12, 2015
2.5 Stars
Ummmmmm ok? Plague of Wendigos' and the solution is to go kill a god that no one has ever heard of? An incredibly odd ride for Amazing X-men... and its basically an Alpha Flight comic anyways.
Not recommended.
Ummmmmm ok? Plague of Wendigos' and the solution is to go kill a god that no one has ever heard of? An incredibly odd ride for Amazing X-men... and its basically an Alpha Flight comic anyways.
Not recommended.
August 13, 2021
Kurt wrócił z zaświatów i czas zacząć się bardziej przyziemnymi sprawami, jak inwazja krwiożerczych w Kanadzie, gdzie X-men połączą siły z legendarnym Alpha Flight. Ale początek należy do zupełnie kogoś innego...
Spider-Man, Iceman i Firestar. To trio jest podobnież znane wyjadaczom i stanowi swoisty ukłon dla fanów. Szkoda tylko, że jest tak niemrawy. Historia o dziecku jest zła, aczkolwiek momentami śmieszna... Nie wiem jak to się udało, ale tak jest. Dalej jest nieco lepiej.
Zaczyna się od zbrodni w afekcie. Zazdrosny mąż zabija przypadkiem prawdopodobnego kochanka i dla zatuszowania miele go w maszynie, bo mężczyźni pracowali w jakiejś masarni. Zła wieść: mięso to trafi do ludzi, którzy nieświadomie je skonsumują (życie...). Jeszcze gorsza wieść: To Kanada, która jest obłożona klątwą kanibalizmu, więc jak ktoś weźmie gryz ludzkiego mięcha to zamienia się w białe Wendigo. Dosyć? Nie! Najgorsza wieść: każdy zraniony przez tę istotę zamienia się w kolejnego futrzaka! Sprawia to istny wysyp Wendigo, a rozwiązania brak...
X-men z Wolverine'm na czele łączą siły z kanadyjskim zespołem bohaterów i muszą trafić w tzw. Spirit Realm (czyli na nasze Wymiar Duchowy), gdzie znajduje się coś/ktoś odpowiedzialny za klątwę, którą trzeba przełamać. Całość mi się nawet podobała, ale...
Kyle chyba nie dogadał się z Yostem, bowiem podczas lektury można wyłapać braki w fabule. X-meni jako jakieś emanacje żywiołów. Są, ale skąd to się wzięło? Mamy jeden slajd, gdzie uzgadniają, że muszą walczyć, a potem Bach! Są tacy jacy są. I takich miejsc jest jeszcze parę. Plus powrót Colossusa, co uważam za dobrą wiadomość.
Immonen, Medina, Barberi. To znane mi nazwiska, które wiążą się z użytą tu kreską, która jednak jest taka sobie. Rzemieślniczo zrobiona, ale bez przebłysku.
Mam problem z drugim tomem Amazing X-men. Z jednej strony jest tu kilka scen wartych uwagi, a z drugiej strony mamy tylko ciąg nieustannej akcji przeplatanej jakimiś fajerwerkami. Średni produkt z przebłyskami.
Spider-Man, Iceman i Firestar. To trio jest podobnież znane wyjadaczom i stanowi swoisty ukłon dla fanów. Szkoda tylko, że jest tak niemrawy. Historia o dziecku jest zła, aczkolwiek momentami śmieszna... Nie wiem jak to się udało, ale tak jest. Dalej jest nieco lepiej.
Zaczyna się od zbrodni w afekcie. Zazdrosny mąż zabija przypadkiem prawdopodobnego kochanka i dla zatuszowania miele go w maszynie, bo mężczyźni pracowali w jakiejś masarni. Zła wieść: mięso to trafi do ludzi, którzy nieświadomie je skonsumują (życie...). Jeszcze gorsza wieść: To Kanada, która jest obłożona klątwą kanibalizmu, więc jak ktoś weźmie gryz ludzkiego mięcha to zamienia się w białe Wendigo. Dosyć? Nie! Najgorsza wieść: każdy zraniony przez tę istotę zamienia się w kolejnego futrzaka! Sprawia to istny wysyp Wendigo, a rozwiązania brak...
X-men z Wolverine'm na czele łączą siły z kanadyjskim zespołem bohaterów i muszą trafić w tzw. Spirit Realm (czyli na nasze Wymiar Duchowy), gdzie znajduje się coś/ktoś odpowiedzialny za klątwę, którą trzeba przełamać. Całość mi się nawet podobała, ale...
Kyle chyba nie dogadał się z Yostem, bowiem podczas lektury można wyłapać braki w fabule. X-meni jako jakieś emanacje żywiołów. Są, ale skąd to się wzięło? Mamy jeden slajd, gdzie uzgadniają, że muszą walczyć, a potem Bach! Są tacy jacy są. I takich miejsc jest jeszcze parę. Plus powrót Colossusa, co uważam za dobrą wiadomość.
Immonen, Medina, Barberi. To znane mi nazwiska, które wiążą się z użytą tu kreską, która jednak jest taka sobie. Rzemieślniczo zrobiona, ale bez przebłysku.
Mam problem z drugim tomem Amazing X-men. Z jednej strony jest tu kilka scen wartych uwagi, a z drugiej strony mamy tylko ciąg nieustannej akcji przeplatanej jakimiś fajerwerkami. Średni produkt z przebłyskami.
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December 23, 2022This arc of Amazing X-Men was also on the grim side, but in its way was a decent callback to some of the 1970s and early 1980s classics of the X-Men working with Alpha Flight -- or fighting against Alpha Flight, one or the other. This time, Aurora was a total b***ch, and I'm not exactly sure what her problem was, though I knew she'd had plenty of problems along the way, starting with abusive nuns and the way the abuse was a major factor in the development of her dissociative identity disorder.
Jean-Paul had actually mellowed somewhat since his marriage to Kyle. I *think* this run was set after Astonishing X-Men, and at least a fair chunk of Academy X. Northstar thinks of Kyle, anyway. A kinder, gentler Northstar was a change from his early days of Alpha Flight, though it's understandable why he was guarded and hostile back then.
There's an amusing bit of a callback reference here in which Thor says that he senses something of Alfheim about Northstar and Aurora -- a Fae realm that Northstar went to when his sickness turned out to be caused by his separation from the realm instead of a real-life disease that was becoming known in the 1980s and 1990s. And then Jean-Paul turned out not to be an Alfheim-type fairy, because Loki is a lying liar who lies, which was a retcon that actually was plausible. And also Northstar and Aurora's arrogance reminded Thor of Alfheim fae, which is just funny in itself.
The plot reminded me a bit of the Skrull Kill Krew premise, only worse in scope and dreadfulness. I thought more characters were going to end up permanently dead, but .
Jean-Paul had actually mellowed somewhat since his marriage to Kyle. I *think* this run was set after Astonishing X-Men, and at least a fair chunk of Academy X. Northstar thinks of Kyle, anyway. A kinder, gentler Northstar was a change from his early days of Alpha Flight, though it's understandable why he was guarded and hostile back then.
There's an amusing bit of a callback reference here in which Thor says that he senses something of Alfheim about Northstar and Aurora -- a Fae realm that Northstar went to when his sickness turned out to be caused by his separation from the realm instead of a real-life disease that was becoming known in the 1980s and 1990s. And then Jean-Paul turned out not to be an Alfheim-type fairy, because Loki is a lying liar who lies, which was a retcon that actually was plausible. And also Northstar and Aurora's arrogance reminded Thor of Alfheim fae, which is just funny in itself.
The plot reminded me a bit of the Skrull Kill Krew premise, only worse in scope and dreadfulness. I thought more characters were going to end up permanently dead, but .
May 23, 2023
After the thoroughly lame and unfunny one-shot that opens the collection, the main 5-issue arc concerning a Wendigo outbreak takes over and the X-Men once again find themselves dealing with a vicious threat.
Writers Kyle and Yost do an excellent job of selling the threat - you really feel like the team are dealing with some serious and deadly stuff. But then the story devolves into a bunch of jokey fights and some ridiculous guff about magic monsters or something and it all becomes a lot less interesting. And guess what? When it ends, which happens very quickly, everything is okay and everyone is fine and the status quo is returned, and oh by the way a bunch of humans died but no need to dwell on that as we head off for another adventure.
As much as I enjoy the work of Kyle and Yost, with their darker storytelling sensibilities, this was like reading a tie-in novel for a TV series, where you know no one is going to die, nothing is going to change, and the status quo will be the same at the end as it was in the beginning. That doesn't mean these can't still be fun, or a worthy read, but this one isn't quite good enough to stand out as anything more than a cool idea and some run-of-the-mill X-hijinks.
Writers Kyle and Yost do an excellent job of selling the threat - you really feel like the team are dealing with some serious and deadly stuff. But then the story devolves into a bunch of jokey fights and some ridiculous guff about magic monsters or something and it all becomes a lot less interesting. And guess what? When it ends, which happens very quickly, everything is okay and everyone is fine and the status quo is returned, and oh by the way a bunch of humans died but no need to dwell on that as we head off for another adventure.
As much as I enjoy the work of Kyle and Yost, with their darker storytelling sensibilities, this was like reading a tie-in novel for a TV series, where you know no one is going to die, nothing is going to change, and the status quo will be the same at the end as it was in the beginning. That doesn't mean these can't still be fun, or a worthy read, but this one isn't quite good enough to stand out as anything more than a cool idea and some run-of-the-mill X-hijinks.
May 21, 2022
It's a strange one, this run. Each one of the three volumes has a mainly different creative team behind it, and yet, so far at least, has a cohesive tone that it attempts. Both the main stories, as of yet, rescuing Nightcrawler from the afterlife and stopping an ancient Canadian curse have the same fun ridiculousness as each other, and so neither feel out of place, despite the shift in writer. The only true problem I think that this volume faces is in fact the opposite problem as to last volume. Volume One didn't feature enough context and explanation for elements, and so left burning questions about the nature of how this afterlife works unanswered. Volume Two, on the other hand, features a little too much exposition, explaining in detail the lore behind the Great Beasts and the Wendigos, to the point where the intended fun, fast pacing of the book is interrupted slightly. Maybe its due to my admittedly limited knowledge about the nicheties of the Marvel universe, but I still think it's a complaint nonetheless. I'm not sure whether I'll take a break before diving into Volume Three, only time will tell.
March 12, 2025
The X-Men scramble to Canada when they receive a message from Wolverine and he sounds.... scared.
Craig Kyle takes the team to the great white north to deal with a Wendigo situation that is getting out of control very quickly. The way the outbreak starts is kind of silly - but in the interest of brevity, it kind of works. Kyle actually succeeds in making the outbreak pretty harrowing, as the team is overwhelmed pretty quickly, with team members actually turning into Wendigo's themselves.
Of course, you cant have a Canadian based story without Alpha Flight, and this is no difference. They actually save the day with the help of the X-Men and its always cool seeing the two teams team up. I think Kyle did a good job of making the adventure fun... but it doesn't really have anything beyond that. The volume feels a bit frivolous and for the most part it is - but that's not to take away from the more adventure based story that we get.
If youre a fan of the X-Men, this is a good - yet inconsequential - story that will entertain you.
Craig Kyle takes the team to the great white north to deal with a Wendigo situation that is getting out of control very quickly. The way the outbreak starts is kind of silly - but in the interest of brevity, it kind of works. Kyle actually succeeds in making the outbreak pretty harrowing, as the team is overwhelmed pretty quickly, with team members actually turning into Wendigo's themselves.
Of course, you cant have a Canadian based story without Alpha Flight, and this is no difference. They actually save the day with the help of the X-Men and its always cool seeing the two teams team up. I think Kyle did a good job of making the adventure fun... but it doesn't really have anything beyond that. The volume feels a bit frivolous and for the most part it is - but that's not to take away from the more adventure based story that we get.
If youre a fan of the X-Men, this is a good - yet inconsequential - story that will entertain you.
August 4, 2018
Continuing the great x-read of 2017/18...
3.5 stars.
This is a surprisingly good read. Entertaining, exciting, dark, hilarious... It has a bit of it all, ranging from delightful campiness to high drama. I would rate it much higher exact that I felt that the last couple of issues of the collection fell apart a little, lowering the stakes and my interest in the conclusion.
There's some fantastic character development throughout (although I don't quite know about the odd tension between NorthStar and his sister - not sure where that is coming from but I haven't read a ton of Alpha Flight so it may make sense...) I mean, who knew that I could end up liking Firestar so much?
Honestly, this is a really good series so far. Looking forward to more.
3.5 stars.
This is a surprisingly good read. Entertaining, exciting, dark, hilarious... It has a bit of it all, ranging from delightful campiness to high drama. I would rate it much higher exact that I felt that the last couple of issues of the collection fell apart a little, lowering the stakes and my interest in the conclusion.
There's some fantastic character development throughout (although I don't quite know about the odd tension between NorthStar and his sister - not sure where that is coming from but I haven't read a ton of Alpha Flight so it may make sense...) I mean, who knew that I could end up liking Firestar so much?
Honestly, this is a really good series so far. Looking forward to more.
December 27, 2018
Its hard to do much new with the Wendigo but Kyle and Yost do. While there was still quite a bit of retreaded Canadian material, there were some good moments. I wish the art was by McGuinness throughout and the opening Amazing Friends story missed the mark. There were also some weird characterizations like Bobby and Firestar. Both are treated like teens. Overall, a decent book but so much potential.
April 18, 2019
This might be filler, but darn it if I didn't have a good time.
A classic lineup with Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine Rachel Summers, Iceman and Northstar? Yes, please.
Alpha Flight being cool and not overstaying their welcome? Yeah!
A whole bunch of Wendigo monsters? I like me a Wendigo!
Five issues is a bit too long for this story, but I had fun the whole way through.
And the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends issue was pretty funny.
A classic lineup with Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine Rachel Summers, Iceman and Northstar? Yes, please.
Alpha Flight being cool and not overstaying their welcome? Yeah!
A whole bunch of Wendigo monsters? I like me a Wendigo!
Five issues is a bit too long for this story, but I had fun the whole way through.
And the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends issue was pretty funny.
December 9, 2018
It starts with a fun issue that has a Spiderman appearance. Then we get a five-part Wendigo story that I really liked. Thousands of people have the Wendigo curse, so how do the X-Men, Alpha Flight, and the Avengers defeat them without hurting the cursed people? It's full of action and a good read, although I didn't care for the ending.
February 6, 2020
At first I was skeptical about this team. But this came together as a pretty good story with a surprising ending. Not to mention guess stars I haven’t seen for awhile pop back up. Not to mention enemies. My only issue is the lackluster treatment Bobby was getting. Especially from Storm, that seemed way out of her character.
May 29, 2017
Wolverine and his fellow teachers are asked by alpha flight to help fight a wendigo infection. Mainly as they had dealt with them before. A fun read that is definitely a tie in to wolverine and the xmen. Oh and Nightcrawler is in it. A good read.
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