X-Statix, Vol. 1: Good Omens

X-Statix (Collected Editions) #3

by Peter Milligan (Writer), Mike Allred (Illustrator)

Rising from the ashes of X-Force comes the X-Statix, America's favorite mutant team. Instead of hiding from the spotlight, these photogenic mutants are camera-friendly, heavily marketed media darlings, garnering monumental press and fame that would put any movie star to shame. The only threat to their runaway success is a rival group of flashy new mutants threatening to steal their thunder. With the entire world watching, can the X-Statix reclaim their rightful place in the spotlight?

Collecting: X-Statix 1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.

He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.

His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.

Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).

Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix

Reviews

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sad to say that I began reading this because it got weeded from my library's GN collection and I was looking through it for collage-worthy illustrations. I got too into the illustration and story and ended up not being able to cut into it. Now it resides in my home collection.

I had never seen X-Force or the X-Statix before, amongst the myriad X-men, Avengers, Wolverine, Dark Wolverine, Civil War: Insert Hero Here, etc. series, and I wasn't sure if this was a real series or a satire of series, since it's definitely overtly playing on that stuff, what with the name and lineup changes, and the major plot point being the death of a former member of the team and the creation of a reality tv series that picks a rival superhero team... anyway. I gradually kenned that it was a series, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story in this volume. A series, but me not at sea in the story! Hallelujah. I shall be ordering the other volumes in (if we have them in the system).

BONUS: Paul Pope illustrated the last issue collected here.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

From X-Force to X-Statix, the duo of Peter Milligan and Mike Allred have been delivering some real interesting stories with the variety of characters. Its like watching Big Brother but with people with superpowers, but inside that fake drama there is also real emotion surrounding the characters.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después de año y medio Milligan y Marvel afrontaron lo que tenían que haber hecho desde el principio: darle una nueva cabecera al tebeo. El resto se ajusta a lo que habíamos visto en Fuerza-X, en este caso centrándose en el primer supergrupo rival: un grupo que lucha por conseguir el favor de su público y arrebatarle las audiencias. Aquí Milligan petardea un poco porque pasa olímpicamente de imprimir el más mínimo carisma en su alineación, más allá de lo extravagante de sus poderes. Sí que saca partido a lo que realmente le interesa: darle forma a una némesis colosal a la que hacer frente. Ese devoto de Guy Smith que termina llevándole a tomar dos decisiones que dan mucho juego en el último número del tomo. Funciona especialmente bien además por el cambio de dibujante; Paul Pope tiene el punto sucio y tenebroso que potencia la oscuridad de las elecciones morales de Mister Sensible.

[C. Varn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meta-cynical

Peter Milligan's meta-commentary on the absurdity of the X-Teams continues and in full force -- yet Milligan's "gift" for making most of the characters largely unsympathetic can occasionally get to be a little much . That said, it was definitely more interesting with a clearer aesthetic than most of the Marvel comics from the same period.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Layla Madrox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los reboots más crueles y fascinantes de la Historia de Marvel.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una relectura corrida e íntegra de este tomo le baja una estrellita de la lectura incompleta anterior. No porque sea peor que los tomos anteriores (o sea, los de Fuerza-X), sino porque le falta su redondez y originalidad, relativamente hablando. De todos modos, los guiones siguen siendo muy divertidos y ácidos y el dibujo no deja de ser impecable, aunque el capítulo dibujado por Pope contrasta aclimáticamente con los de Allred. La edición española es muy prolija y sin errores -al menos a simple vista-, ojalá encuentre el #2 y la miniserie Lobezno/Doop para finalmente completar la saga.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reprints X-Statix #1-5. X-Statix adjusts to Edie's death and are faced with new corporate competition in O-Force. X-Statix never seemed to live up to X-Force's storylines (some seemed too drawn out) but this collection is good. Milligan just pushes the format of a team book and creates a parody of all comics that have come before.

[Mza · Rating 2 out of 5]

... lost some of the visual ingenuity and playfulness of earlier installments ...

... probably the 1,000,000,000th story about a nerdolescent with godlike powers ...

... in one eye and out the other, I reckon ...

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third volume in the X-Force/X-Statix story line. The characters feel more fully developed and they somehow seem like they are less over the top.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Primera edición en castellano de X-Statix. Este tomo incluye los nsº 1~5.

[Guido]

Primera edición en castellano de la primera saga de X-Statix.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rebranding of the X-Force team to X-Statix doesn't go too smoothly, with many of the team members confused by the meaning of the change. Their public ratings have been stifled, causing increased tension amongst some members of the team who crave the spotlight. But Orphan can't pause team operations for long - they need a new team teleporter. Venus Dee Milo is added to the roster, and conveniently begins to slide in as the potential new love interest for Orphan. Naturally, in an era of celebrity worship, the fans turn on Orphan as they see Venus as a poor replacement for the recently deceased U-Go-Girl. This plot point seems like pointed satirization of comic fans who complain about new characters taking up old mantles, in addition to lampooning parasocial relationships fans have with celebrities.

Meanwhile, a young mutant named Arnie Lundburg wreaks havoc in his small town in Minnesota by taking control of the denizens. The rival team to X-Statix, O-Force, is sent in but Arnie makes short work of them. Realizing that Arnie is a huge fan of X-Force, Orphan and X-Statix are able to convince Arnie to stand down and offer him a position on the team. Though Arnie is just a child, the team realizes that he is a true sociopath and that things can't end well for him.

Milligan's and Allred's fantastic run continues with this relaunch of the series as X-Statix #1. The absurdist, dark and subversive humor continue to reign strong throughout, with the satirization of celebrity worship culture still going strong. The final issue features artwork from Paul Pope and Darwyn Cooke, and though the aesthetic is a bit off from Allred's more exciting pop art style, it's still great overall.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the direction they took for this volume. It's a new series name, new numbering, but it's still the same team and story. It's still picking up the pieces from the first dozen issues. So what's wrong with these sorts of relaunches? The fans get angry at the name and member changes, people think it's some attempt to take this old tired property and give it a new rush of publicity, there are other 'new' series to compete with... and yeah that's what this volume is about! An angry, toxic fanboy, trying to control everything around him including his favourite superhero team. The old team being disillusioned and figthing each other. A new, rival team of superheroes, trying to pull one over on their 'washed out' predecessors.

You miss U-Go-Girl? Here's everyone trying to find a replacement, worrying about straight-up replacing someone who was so important, and everyone being angry they have to replace her at all. It's a new series, so let's have everyone re-evaluate their status quo- that way if you're picking this up new, you're familiarizing yourself, but if you're an old reader there's a purpose to it being a 'new' series because it has a 'new direction'!

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gang is back, with all the drama and all the good stuff. This picks up right after X-Force, Volume 1: New Beginnings. If you liked that, you'll definitely like this. plot summary: The team squabbles. That's pretty much all you need to know. Okay, the team needs a new member after the loss of Edie Sawyer, and they decide on Venus De Milo, who is mostly molecules but can teleport and stuff. Another team, the O-Force, hops on the scene and steals the spotlight. But they get into trouble when they face a master mental manipulating-kid (who also happened to be a fan of Edie's). Guy Smith goes to save them and face the kid alone (because the team can't get along). He has to reckon with his grief, but the rest of X-Statix arrives to save him. Guy lets the little tyrant join X-Statix, but then secretly arranges for his death. Stricken with more grief, he quits X-Statix.The artwork really pops. I like this style.

[Evan Bolick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun comic. Basically mixing reality show tropes with superhero hijinks, X-Statix remains a very relevant comic, being topical despite my reading it well after it came out. Although established Marvel superheroes guest star on occasion (like Wolverine, Cannonball, and X-Force), the main cast are almost all original creations. Milligan does a fantastic job of giving each new character depth and fleshed out story arcs. So when characters die (and many do, including obvious fan faves), it is really a gut punch. The social commentary is great (not too thick, but nice and layered with shades of grey). And he also goes into the surreal (including an almost completely wordless episode where the team is sucked into the mind of one of the members). A really fun series for those looking for a comic not bogged down by continuity and that is very reflective of real life.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' una X-Force che non ricorda per nulla l'originale, sotto gli occhi dei media, sempre tesa ad acquisire nuova audience, popolata di personaggi non proprio eroici. La storia segue le peripezie dell'unico mutante del gruppo che vuole fare le cose per bene, autonominatosi "Orfano". La storia è molto veloce, quasi frenetica, e pare spesso adattarsi alla forza iconica pop dei fantastici disegni di Allred. Il risultato è allucinogeno, come al solito con Allred, ma il substrato di trama, seppur sopra le righe, mi è sembrato più convincente di molti altri suoi lavori. Ah, ovviamente, visto che si tratta di mutanti, c'è una comparsata di Wolverine. Serie da seguire.

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed Milligan and Allred X-force run. The very first issue was especially remarkable, but sadly I never thought their satire was as pungent as intended, and it didn't improve as it went on. The idea that X-Force had to change names because the old group members sued them is fitting and amusing, but I didn't feel like this first issue amounted to anything.

This is actually not a bad super hero story, the characters are interesting although a bit inconsistent, and Mike and Laura are amazing as always, but that's the problem for me. I was expecting something more. This is one of those works that end up looking far too much like the stories they are mocking.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing the X-istential X-read of 2017...

This series (X-force into X-statix) remains a really fresh take on the x-mythos. This volume was a little more uneven than the last couple, but still infinitely readable, funny, and at times even touching.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The Allreds’ art continues to be great in this, and it’s still mostly a fun and creatively meta premise, but these issues also felt like they were spinning their wheels more than Milligan’s X-Force series that preceded this.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like a real step up from the X Force books, with the satire and absurdity still ticking over but with a far darker plot and moral ambiguity around the nonsense. There’s two really quite startling moments that already mark it as a very different beast indeed

[Jipi Perreault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably one of the best take superheroe/celebrities and the ususal Mike Allread quirkyness is an added bonus. It might took you a while to get into it but you won't regret it.

[Rohith Chandramouli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good Mike Allred art. Interesting writing, and very high stakes for a superhero book. Definite recommend.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant trade by Milligan and the Allreds.

[Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic, the artwork is 10/10, ditto on the writing. Razor sharp wit and humour and the whole 'metaness' is really satisfying too

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shame about the art in the last issue. Ugly art, which coincidentally accompanied an ugly storyline. The rest of the issues were good though.

[Elise Haskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with Nextwave, this is the best Marvel comic series of the ‘00s.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remains consistent, even with the name change.

[William Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verrrrryyyyy early 00’s, I kinda love that Marvel was willing to do something so weird and satirical here.