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Uncanny X-Men (1963) #253-255, 278-280
X-Men Legion: Shadow King Rising
David Haller is no ordinary mutant. Son of Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, David's incredible mental powers fractured his mind - and now, each of his personalities controls a different ability! And they're not all friendly, as Xavier and the New Mutants find out the hard way! But as Legion struggles to control the chaos in his head, he attracts the attention of one of Xavier's oldest and most malevolent foes...Amahl Farouk, the Shadow King, who has been secretly stalking and manipulating the X-Men and their allies for some time. When the Shadow King sinks his hooks deep into David's mind, will two teams of X-Men be enough to defeat him - or will David be the key to the villain's ultimate victory?
NEW MUTANTS (1983) 26-28, 44; UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 253-255, 278-280; X-FACTOR (1986) 69-70
NEW MUTANTS (1983) 26-28, 44; UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 253-255, 278-280; X-FACTOR (1986) 69-70
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2018
27 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,301 books906 followersChris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 17, 2018
This is a bit of an odd collection of stories. The first several issues are Legion's earliest appearances in New Mutants. Then the book shifts focus to the Shadow King with Legion being a very minor character in the book. Chris Claremont let this Shadow King story build over dozens of issues. Marvel's editorial team actually did a good job of cherry picking the panels out of 20 or so Uncanny X-Men issues having to do with the subplot before it culminated in the Muir Island Saga.
March 31, 2018
This collection reminded me why I quit reading X-Men comics (and Marvel comics in general). The very definition of convoluted is X-Men continuity. Too many characters with too little character development combined with plots that make soap operas seem normal. Comic books are known for characters that die, are resurrected, and change allegiances, but X-Men takes all that to extremes to the point where even longtime readers must get confused.
This volume reprints selected issues and issue fragments from New Mutants, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Factor. To bridge the gaps between these selections, prose summaries are inserted. These recaps really just emphasize how crazy and mixed up this franchise is, and that's for readers who are already somewhat familiar with the X-Men; I can only imagine how new readers would respond.
I picked up this collection because I had seen the TV series Legion and wanted to know more about his comic book origins. I guess the first clue that the title is grossly misleading is that Legion doesn't even appear on the front cover. Legion, aka David Haller, is a minor character throughout the volume. He does play a small but important part in the ultimate resolution with the villain of the second half of the volume, but we never get a good sense of who is is or how he sees the world. He is completely absent from much of the middle part of the book. The TV version is completely different from the comic book version other than the basic premise that Legion has multiple personalities who each control a different super power.
The artwork in this volume is outstanding, with the likes of Jim Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, Andy Kubert, Whilce Portacio, and more. It is perhaps worth getting this volume to luxuriate in their drawings, but otherwise this collection doesn't have much to offer.
This volume reprints selected issues and issue fragments from New Mutants, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Factor. To bridge the gaps between these selections, prose summaries are inserted. These recaps really just emphasize how crazy and mixed up this franchise is, and that's for readers who are already somewhat familiar with the X-Men; I can only imagine how new readers would respond.
I picked up this collection because I had seen the TV series Legion and wanted to know more about his comic book origins. I guess the first clue that the title is grossly misleading is that Legion doesn't even appear on the front cover. Legion, aka David Haller, is a minor character throughout the volume. He does play a small but important part in the ultimate resolution with the villain of the second half of the volume, but we never get a good sense of who is is or how he sees the world. He is completely absent from much of the middle part of the book. The TV version is completely different from the comic book version other than the basic premise that Legion has multiple personalities who each control a different super power.
The artwork in this volume is outstanding, with the likes of Jim Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, Andy Kubert, Whilce Portacio, and more. It is perhaps worth getting this volume to luxuriate in their drawings, but otherwise this collection doesn't have much to offer.
April 16, 2018
The source material for the main character in the show Legion. Completely different story. Interesting read. Includes a lot of various X group cross overs. Half of this might actually be Legion and the shadow king story. The rest is background material relating to the various X group members. This is the story where Charles Xavier is put in the wheel chair.
March 27, 2021
Since most of my knowledge of the X-Men comes from either the theatrically released films or the nineties cartoon, a lot of this was lost on me. Still, I appreciate the artwork and production values, and I was surprised at the low amount of profanity; that's a rarity when it comes to comic book omnibuses.
June 15, 2019
The first half of this volume is a messy hodgepodge of Legion appearances from 1980s New Mutants; the rest is the Muir Island Saga from early ‘90s Uncanny X-Men and X-Force which tells the story of the return of the Shadow King and his attempt to destroy Charles Xavier through harming his son David Haller and his former students, the X-men.
Unfortunately, none of it is particularly inspiring or interesting, except perhaps as a historical document for fans of the Legion television series who want to see the blueprint for the insanity of that show. Dan Stevens does a decent job as Legion, transcending his original source material, and Aubrey Plaza is brilliant.
Frankly, I was never much of a fan of Legion the comic book character or the New Mutants as a whole, and the Legion television show demands way too much from its viewers to keep up with the kaleidoscopic depiction of the schizophrenia. Nonetheless, the show is a whole lot more interesting than this graphic novel compilation. By time you get to the end of this volume, it all adds up to very little, unfortunately. Even the figure of the Shadow King is glossed over here instead of explored in any depth. I suppose the real significance of these stories doesn’t have anything to do with Legion at all. Instead, in the big scheme of things, what matters here is Xavier’s return to his teammates and students, and the integration of X-Force back into the X-Men as they try to put the pieces back together in the wake of the Mutant Massacre and the supposed deaths and disappearances of the X-Men.
Legion Quest is a far better storyline if you want to explore the characters of David Haller and Charles Xavier (and it leads right into the amazing Age of Apocalypse storyline), and as crazy as the television show feels, it also does a better job with the figure of David Haller than these stories in this volume. The television show is not properly integrated into the X-man universe, but it does a pretty spooky job exploring Haller’s mental illness and the menace of the Shadow King in the show is truly unsettling.
Unfortunately, none of it is particularly inspiring or interesting, except perhaps as a historical document for fans of the Legion television series who want to see the blueprint for the insanity of that show. Dan Stevens does a decent job as Legion, transcending his original source material, and Aubrey Plaza is brilliant.
Frankly, I was never much of a fan of Legion the comic book character or the New Mutants as a whole, and the Legion television show demands way too much from its viewers to keep up with the kaleidoscopic depiction of the schizophrenia. Nonetheless, the show is a whole lot more interesting than this graphic novel compilation. By time you get to the end of this volume, it all adds up to very little, unfortunately. Even the figure of the Shadow King is glossed over here instead of explored in any depth. I suppose the real significance of these stories doesn’t have anything to do with Legion at all. Instead, in the big scheme of things, what matters here is Xavier’s return to his teammates and students, and the integration of X-Force back into the X-Men as they try to put the pieces back together in the wake of the Mutant Massacre and the supposed deaths and disappearances of the X-Men.
Legion Quest is a far better storyline if you want to explore the characters of David Haller and Charles Xavier (and it leads right into the amazing Age of Apocalypse storyline), and as crazy as the television show feels, it also does a better job with the figure of David Haller than these stories in this volume. The television show is not properly integrated into the X-man universe, but it does a pretty spooky job exploring Haller’s mental illness and the menace of the Shadow King in the show is truly unsettling.
March 30, 2018
I've been enjoying the TV show on FX and so I thought I'd pick this book up to learn about Legion's comic book roots. I was a little disappointed, however, to find myself thrust blindly into the middle of 1980s' X-Men continuity that I'm not terribly familiar with.
If I was a reader then, I might have greater understanding and appreciation of the many, many mutants in this book and their interpersonal relationships. Sadly, most of this went over my head. What I thought I'd be getting with this book was a story focused on Legion, but really these stories dig very little into who he is beyond a few bullet points that he's the son of Charles Xavier and a constant victim. There's nothing really likable about Legion in this book, so it's hard to care about him.
It's not really like the TV show at all, and while I imagine comic book fans might think that's a problem with the show, I found it disappointing as someone who started with the show and is only a casual X-Men fan.
I will say that the art is pretty good throughout in this story that's packed with mutants fighting each other (and explaining why their powers trump other mutants powers in rock-paper-scissors fashion). So if you're just after mutants looking cool and blasting each other with rays and things, you might enjoy this more than I did. But if you're looking for deeper psychological stuff like in the excellent TV show, I'd say you're fine to skip this book.
If I was a reader then, I might have greater understanding and appreciation of the many, many mutants in this book and their interpersonal relationships. Sadly, most of this went over my head. What I thought I'd be getting with this book was a story focused on Legion, but really these stories dig very little into who he is beyond a few bullet points that he's the son of Charles Xavier and a constant victim. There's nothing really likable about Legion in this book, so it's hard to care about him.
It's not really like the TV show at all, and while I imagine comic book fans might think that's a problem with the show, I found it disappointing as someone who started with the show and is only a casual X-Men fan.
I will say that the art is pretty good throughout in this story that's packed with mutants fighting each other (and explaining why their powers trump other mutants powers in rock-paper-scissors fashion). So if you're just after mutants looking cool and blasting each other with rays and things, you might enjoy this more than I did. But if you're looking for deeper psychological stuff like in the excellent TV show, I'd say you're fine to skip this book.
March 30, 2023
That’s it, after over a decade-and-a-half since the 1970s Chris Claremont got to conclude his sprawling X-Men opus.
And unfortunately, he went out with a whimper not a bang.
The late 80s had the characters scattered all over the Earth (and the universe), and in the Muir Island Saga they got to come together again for the big showdown with the Shadow King. It was one of the longest subplots ever, a slow burn hinting for years that something that Moira MacTaggart was being mind-controlled to be evil or something.
After a very well-drawn storyline in outer space, Professor X returns to the planet to face his psychic nemesis the Shadow King. Colossus and Rogue are brought back into the fold as well, there's a weird Savage Land and Magneto interim, and then there’s a crossover with X-Factor so the original five X-Men get in there too.
The art is inconsistent and all over the place, Whilce Portacio drawing a particularly overdetailed issue, although the chapters drawn by Andy Kubert are kind of like foreshadowing for the artist who would later define the bulk of the 1990s. Unfortunately, Claremont doesn’t even finish the scripts halfway through.
It seems Marvel was to be more about teams of editors guiding artists, instead of supporting writers at this point. Fabian Nicieza cowrote the rest, and the Muir Island “Saga” doesn’t feel like one writer’s vision at all. There is an interesting epilogue by Peter David, who was always good at mixing heart with humor, right before his seminal X-Factor reboot.
And that was that. After this, it’s X-Men # 1 time…
And unfortunately, he went out with a whimper not a bang.
The late 80s had the characters scattered all over the Earth (and the universe), and in the Muir Island Saga they got to come together again for the big showdown with the Shadow King. It was one of the longest subplots ever, a slow burn hinting for years that something that Moira MacTaggart was being mind-controlled to be evil or something.
After a very well-drawn storyline in outer space, Professor X returns to the planet to face his psychic nemesis the Shadow King. Colossus and Rogue are brought back into the fold as well, there's a weird Savage Land and Magneto interim, and then there’s a crossover with X-Factor so the original five X-Men get in there too.
The art is inconsistent and all over the place, Whilce Portacio drawing a particularly overdetailed issue, although the chapters drawn by Andy Kubert are kind of like foreshadowing for the artist who would later define the bulk of the 1990s. Unfortunately, Claremont doesn’t even finish the scripts halfway through.
It seems Marvel was to be more about teams of editors guiding artists, instead of supporting writers at this point. Fabian Nicieza cowrote the rest, and the Muir Island “Saga” doesn’t feel like one writer’s vision at all. There is an interesting epilogue by Peter David, who was always good at mixing heart with humor, right before his seminal X-Factor reboot.
And that was that. After this, it’s X-Men # 1 time…
September 15, 2022
I really loved this one.
New Mutants are an interesting bunch. There is a lot of subtext going on in this series, and it's more apparent reading it now than it would've been if I had read it as a kid. There's so much social commentary, and so many interesting things being played with. Sienkiwicz is the artist, although he's being somewhat hampered by the style that is in vogue at the time. Claremont is the writer, so we all know what that means.
There are some things that have aged poorly - namely the references to autism, and some clumsy handling of the terrorist attack that incited the fracturing of David's mind. Apart from that, though, there are so many good complex things happening. The female altar, for instance? Brilliant. The twists and turns of just who is good and who is bad? Also brilliant. Whatever Rahne has going on? Perfection.
I really loved this series, and I'm looking forward to reading more Legion moving forward. I already have some titles picked out for that.
New Mutants are an interesting bunch. There is a lot of subtext going on in this series, and it's more apparent reading it now than it would've been if I had read it as a kid. There's so much social commentary, and so many interesting things being played with. Sienkiwicz is the artist, although he's being somewhat hampered by the style that is in vogue at the time. Claremont is the writer, so we all know what that means.
There are some things that have aged poorly - namely the references to autism, and some clumsy handling of the terrorist attack that incited the fracturing of David's mind. Apart from that, though, there are so many good complex things happening. The female altar, for instance? Brilliant. The twists and turns of just who is good and who is bad? Also brilliant. Whatever Rahne has going on? Perfection.
I really loved this series, and I'm looking forward to reading more Legion moving forward. I already have some titles picked out for that.
August 31, 2021
The "Muir Island Saga" is another gap in my X-history and this collection contains that story, but as it was seemingly published as to coincide with the Legion TV series, the collection also contains the first few appearances of Legion / David Hellar in New Mutants.
The issues contained within cover a 8/9 year period with editorial boxes / sections to fill in the blanks, which helped to keep this vast, sprawling story coherent. I do think this collection would have been better with the inclusion of Uncanny 117 (the first appearance of Shadow King) and 250, where Polaris, who plays a big role in the conclusion, gets her powers altered.
This collection would be fairly confusing with those unfamiliar with the X-Men and a lot of the late 80s context. This story is the precursor to the 90s "relaunch" of the X-books, so it is the end of a big, long chapter in X-history.
The issues contained within cover a 8/9 year period with editorial boxes / sections to fill in the blanks, which helped to keep this vast, sprawling story coherent. I do think this collection would have been better with the inclusion of Uncanny 117 (the first appearance of Shadow King) and 250, where Polaris, who plays a big role in the conclusion, gets her powers altered.
This collection would be fairly confusing with those unfamiliar with the X-Men and a lot of the late 80s context. This story is the precursor to the 90s "relaunch" of the X-books, so it is the end of a big, long chapter in X-history.
May 17, 2018
5/5 for the 1980s New Mutants comics at the beginning, 2/5 for the 90s X-Men comics at the end where the writing still mostly works, but the art turns to rubbish.
Also a good decision to include summaries in between the comics. A good collection overall.
Also a good decision to include summaries in between the comics. A good collection overall.
May 19, 2018
The NEW MUTANTS issues are great; the rest is a hot mess of crossover bs.
August 1, 2021
Hoping for more Legion or more complete story of the Shadow King. Still, great collection of X-Men chapters.
March 11, 2020
Interesting mash up of of classic issues. I particularly enjoyed the Uncanny X-Men issues with Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, Fabian Nicieza, etc. However, I found the New Mutants issues including the introduction of Legion a little lackluster. I particularly disliked the cast of the New Mutants and found their personalities & abilities sub-par at best. Fabian Nicieza really pulls the story arc together at the conclusion, penning the first issue of Uncanny X-Men not written by Chris Claremont in years. Overall a solid complication that is a little uneven do to the many talented artists working on these characters at the time.
August 2, 2018
The loved the beginning, the mid-80s New Mutants stuff. Love the art! First issues with Legion, I appreciate that. But then... when it became the sorta late 80s/early 90s X-men stuff I couldn't bear it! I did read all the parts with Legion though, and the Muir Island Saga (last 4ish issues in this collection) were entertaining. Hated the art style though. A 1990s pinup sorta thing. Teenage boy overload. Blarg. Also, I am getting tired of Legion being a butt-monkey! I'm getting to the point where I want him to like... kill everyone. That would be good. Legion Portrayal: 3/5
April 5, 2023
Gems include the 3part debut of Legion, the return of Legion, & the 3part formation of Muir Island X-Men, but the Muir Island Saga is meh
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews