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Uncanny X-Men (1963) #307-310, Annual #18
X-Men: The Wedding of Cyclops and Phoenix
Wedding bells are ringing for the most star-crossed super hero couple of all: Scott Summers and Jean Grey!
But there’s a ton of action to go with the romance as the X-Men and Avengers must keep Magneto’s Acolytes from destroying Genosha, the mutant-killing Legacy Virus hits close to home, and Professor X decides to rehabilitate the monster known as Sabretooth!
But love conquers all when Jean and Scott tie the knot at last - before a mind-bending honeymoon to the far future, where they must raise Cyclops’ long-lost son and overthrow the planet-conquering Apocalypse!
Collecting X-MEN (1991) #26-35, AVENGERS (1963) #368-369, AVENGERS WEST COAST #101, UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #307-310, CABLE (1993) #6-8, X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) #3, UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL (1992) #18, X-MEN: THE WEDDING ALBUM, WHAT IF? (1989) #60, ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #1-4 and material from MARVEL VALENTINE SPECIAL.
But there’s a ton of action to go with the romance as the X-Men and Avengers must keep Magneto’s Acolytes from destroying Genosha, the mutant-killing Legacy Virus hits close to home, and Professor X decides to rehabilitate the monster known as Sabretooth!
But love conquers all when Jean and Scott tie the knot at last - before a mind-bending honeymoon to the far future, where they must raise Cyclops’ long-lost son and overthrow the planet-conquering Apocalypse!
Collecting X-MEN (1991) #26-35, AVENGERS (1963) #368-369, AVENGERS WEST COAST #101, UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #307-310, CABLE (1993) #6-8, X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) #3, UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL (1992) #18, X-MEN: THE WEDDING ALBUM, WHAT IF? (1989) #60, ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #1-4 and material from MARVEL VALENTINE SPECIAL.
832 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Fabian Nicieza
2,022 books424 followersFabian Nicieza is a writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of DEADPOOL and for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, and Robin.
His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.
The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.
His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.
The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 8, 2019
This volume is a really nice collection of the Scott & Jean stories of the time period, also heavily focusing on "their" "son", Nathan. This goes beyond the wedding, starting with the arc in Cable that revealed to Scott his connection with Cable and running through their meeting in the future. However, this omnibus also goes beyond its eponymous storyline, because it's yet another brick on the wall of X-Men oversized hardcovers. Thus, we start out with "Bloodties" and run through the few issues after the Wedding (before ending with Scott & Jean's return). The end result nicely fits between X-Men: Fatal Attractions and X-Men: Phalanx Covenant. (Unfortunately the collections of this time period are messy, and so both hardcovers include stories from both before and after this volume; I wish those other two omnibuses had been designed better.)
Bloodties (X-M26, UX-M307). Plotwise, Bloodties is a very nice sequel to both The X-TInction Agenda and Fatal Attractions that explores what happens when the remnants of Magneto's Acolytes fall upon the South-Africa-substitute nation of Genosha. Unfortunately, the writing never lives up to that thoughtful foundation. Instead, it's very slow because of heavy use of captions that don't necessarily add to the story The highlight of the comic ends up being not the overly long fight in Genosha, but rather Hawkeye and Widows' stand against the United Nations — and that's probably the most long-lasting repercussion of the story too. Meanwhile the X-Men and Genosha part of the plot ends up being just OK [3/5].
Fathers & Sons (Cable 6-8). This is the arc that creates the modern origin of Cable as the true son of Scott and Madelyn and the source of the Stryfe-clone. In doing so, it reverses some of the more shocking reveals of X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song, which is a bit of a shame, as they were somewhat trope-breaking. It also resolves Rob Liefeld's murky "Tolliver" story by revealing (somewhat unbelievably) that he's actually Tyler, Cable's son. No, it doesn't make much sense with what came before. This big pair of retcons is wrapped in with the return of Stryfe, but the comics are too busy painting a new background for Cable to be that interesting plotwise. Still, the background is something good to have as the Cable comic enters the back half of its first year [3+/5]. And it's great that Marvel included this story in this omnibus (even though it's also in the contemporary X-Force omnibus) because this is a pretty direct lead-in to The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix series which appears later.
Legacy (X-Men 27). The Legacy focus continues to good effect in the main X-Men comic, with good moral dilemmas involving Sinister and nice continuity with Infectia [4/5]. (And it's a bit annoying that X-Men Annual #2, which was in the "Wedding" TPB has gone missing from this omnibus, but perhaps it's intended for a "Skinning of Souls" hardcover, which would fill the last gap in the first three and a half years of the Adjectiveless X-Men series.)
Sabertooth (XMU3, X-Men 28). The Sabertooth plot starts off in Unlimited with a nice plotline: the rehabilitation of Sabertooth. Unfortunately, it's over stretched and dull there, and the artwork is shockingly amateur. [2+/5]. When it moves over to X-Men, the same problems continue: Nicieza envisions an interesting arc, but doesn't interest us getting there — though thankfully the X-Men issue has other stuff going on too [3+/5].
Charles (UXM309). I've often felt like Professor X held the X-Men back, but this is a fine example of how he could be used to tell interesting stories, as we learn of his past with Magneto and more notably with Voigt. It's all interesting backstory and interesting character revelation. [4+/5]
Hellfire (X-Men 29). I could do without the never-ending focus on Sabertooth, who Nicieza still has not made interesting, but otherwise this is a nice character piece contrasting Shinobi, Warren, and Betsy and a nice continued focus on the Hellfire club ... though nothing really happens [3/5].
Caliban (UXMA 18). Oh hey, Caliban kidnaps a young girl. Except the difference between this annual and Caliban's kidnapping of Kitty back in the '80s shows how wrong comics had gone in the '90s. The original comic was a nuanced story about (creepy) love, but this one is all about death and killing. Writing is pretty meh too, and it links to the ever-annoying Sabertooth plot (though this one-off writer is better than Nicieza about dealing with it). Still: a waste of an annual. [2+/5] And there's an entirely pointless Bishop short too ...
Cable (UXM310). Great to get the long-awaited reunion scene between Cable and Scott just before the wedding. Yeah, there's a stupid fight with stupid '90s guy X-Cutioner, but the rest of the issue is a very nice piece of Cable continuity [4/5].
Scott & Jean (UXM308, Album, X-Men 30). And finally, the main event! It's nice to have a great look at Scott & Jean's relationship a few months early in UXM308. It really convinces me of their love, and is a great look at the X-Men as family, calling back to Claremont's days. This would be a perfect issue if JR jr hadn't randomly insisted on drawing a quarter of the pages sideways, which was a problem throughout his issues here [5/5]. The Album that follows has some nice bonding between Jubilee and Jean, but also dull (and poorly formatted diary entries). The result isn't worth much [2/5]. The actual wedding is just joyful sappiness [4/5].
What If? (60). A nice walk through X-Men history, but these stories are too short to have any depth [3/5].
The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix. So now the follow-up to the stories of Nathan and Scott from Cable #6-8 and X-Men #310. In the mid '90s, the Summers family tree was a mess. There was Cable, the son who had been sent into the future to save him, and Rachel, the daughter who came back from the future to save the present. And neither of them was technically the offspring of 616 Jean and Scott. Then there was Stryfe, the insane clone.
1993's X-Cutioner's Song had helped to put some of the puzzle pieces together, primarily the Stryfe and Cable mysteries that had become greatly confused in Rob Liefeld's X-Force, and then Cable #6-8 reversed some of those puzzle pieces into their better known configuration. However, The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix was the story that put all of these disparate, yet connected elements into a single narrative, and also connected that up to the Age of Apocalypse.
It's rather deftly done, and has some very nice moments between the various members of the Summers clan. It also offers a great backstory for Cable and a neat leak at a dystopic future. By today's standards, the plot is pretty turgid, but this book is so full of great character moments that it gets by anyway. Overall, one of Lobdell's best X-works ... and I say that not being a Lobdell fan [4/5].
Soul Possessions (X-Men 31-32). The whole "Revanche" saga was one of the more bizarre and unfortunate storylines in the post-Claremont era, in part because it initially didn't fit well with Betsy's actual reincarnation of an Asian pinup doll in Claremont days. Here, it finally comes to an end, as Nicieza does his best to paper over his poor understanding of Psylocke's initial change with a series of retcons. I suppose it's OK. We also get some nice touchbacks to Betsy's origins with the X-Men in a few Mojo-related stories. [3/5].
An Untold Tale of Gambit (X-Men 33). Sabretooth tells a historical story of Gambit that makes him look bad. Really, not that much of a surprise, and so not an actual surprising story. And, boy, will Gambit look a lot worse in the future ... [2+/5].
Life & Consequences (X-Men 34). This issue might have been entirely revelatory at the time, as it fully reveals Sinister as a cloning master, father of an infinite number of Marauders. Today it just reads as a slow story, featuring the ever-opaque Threnody [3/5].
Sunset Grace (X-Men 35). To end the "Wedding" volume, we of course need to get Jean and Scott back to the present, which is what this story does. It also tells the tragic story of an older mutant, which is a bit slow, but otherwise touching [4/5].
Marvel Valentine's. An untold story of Scott and Jean in the future is cool, but this story is dull and pointless [2/5].
Overall, this volume is very mixed. It's at its best when focused on Jean and Scott, but there's a lot here that's just middle of the road. Call it 3.5 stars. At least it's a nicely coherent volume.
Bloodties (X-M26, UX-M307). Plotwise, Bloodties is a very nice sequel to both The X-TInction Agenda and Fatal Attractions that explores what happens when the remnants of Magneto's Acolytes fall upon the South-Africa-substitute nation of Genosha. Unfortunately, the writing never lives up to that thoughtful foundation. Instead, it's very slow because of heavy use of captions that don't necessarily add to the story The highlight of the comic ends up being not the overly long fight in Genosha, but rather Hawkeye and Widows' stand against the United Nations — and that's probably the most long-lasting repercussion of the story too. Meanwhile the X-Men and Genosha part of the plot ends up being just OK [3/5].
Fathers & Sons (Cable 6-8). This is the arc that creates the modern origin of Cable as the true son of Scott and Madelyn and the source of the Stryfe-clone. In doing so, it reverses some of the more shocking reveals of X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song, which is a bit of a shame, as they were somewhat trope-breaking. It also resolves Rob Liefeld's murky "Tolliver" story by revealing (somewhat unbelievably) that he's actually Tyler, Cable's son. No, it doesn't make much sense with what came before. This big pair of retcons is wrapped in with the return of Stryfe, but the comics are too busy painting a new background for Cable to be that interesting plotwise. Still, the background is something good to have as the Cable comic enters the back half of its first year [3+/5]. And it's great that Marvel included this story in this omnibus (even though it's also in the contemporary X-Force omnibus) because this is a pretty direct lead-in to The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix series which appears later.
Legacy (X-Men 27). The Legacy focus continues to good effect in the main X-Men comic, with good moral dilemmas involving Sinister and nice continuity with Infectia [4/5]. (And it's a bit annoying that X-Men Annual #2, which was in the "Wedding" TPB has gone missing from this omnibus, but perhaps it's intended for a "Skinning of Souls" hardcover, which would fill the last gap in the first three and a half years of the Adjectiveless X-Men series.)
Sabertooth (XMU3, X-Men 28). The Sabertooth plot starts off in Unlimited with a nice plotline: the rehabilitation of Sabertooth. Unfortunately, it's over stretched and dull there, and the artwork is shockingly amateur. [2+/5]. When it moves over to X-Men, the same problems continue: Nicieza envisions an interesting arc, but doesn't interest us getting there — though thankfully the X-Men issue has other stuff going on too [3+/5].
Charles (UXM309). I've often felt like Professor X held the X-Men back, but this is a fine example of how he could be used to tell interesting stories, as we learn of his past with Magneto and more notably with Voigt. It's all interesting backstory and interesting character revelation. [4+/5]
Hellfire (X-Men 29). I could do without the never-ending focus on Sabertooth, who Nicieza still has not made interesting, but otherwise this is a nice character piece contrasting Shinobi, Warren, and Betsy and a nice continued focus on the Hellfire club ... though nothing really happens [3/5].
Caliban (UXMA 18). Oh hey, Caliban kidnaps a young girl. Except the difference between this annual and Caliban's kidnapping of Kitty back in the '80s shows how wrong comics had gone in the '90s. The original comic was a nuanced story about (creepy) love, but this one is all about death and killing. Writing is pretty meh too, and it links to the ever-annoying Sabertooth plot (though this one-off writer is better than Nicieza about dealing with it). Still: a waste of an annual. [2+/5] And there's an entirely pointless Bishop short too ...
Cable (UXM310). Great to get the long-awaited reunion scene between Cable and Scott just before the wedding. Yeah, there's a stupid fight with stupid '90s guy X-Cutioner, but the rest of the issue is a very nice piece of Cable continuity [4/5].
Scott & Jean (UXM308, Album, X-Men 30). And finally, the main event! It's nice to have a great look at Scott & Jean's relationship a few months early in UXM308. It really convinces me of their love, and is a great look at the X-Men as family, calling back to Claremont's days. This would be a perfect issue if JR jr hadn't randomly insisted on drawing a quarter of the pages sideways, which was a problem throughout his issues here [5/5]. The Album that follows has some nice bonding between Jubilee and Jean, but also dull (and poorly formatted diary entries). The result isn't worth much [2/5]. The actual wedding is just joyful sappiness [4/5].
What If? (60). A nice walk through X-Men history, but these stories are too short to have any depth [3/5].
The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix. So now the follow-up to the stories of Nathan and Scott from Cable #6-8 and X-Men #310. In the mid '90s, the Summers family tree was a mess. There was Cable, the son who had been sent into the future to save him, and Rachel, the daughter who came back from the future to save the present. And neither of them was technically the offspring of 616 Jean and Scott. Then there was Stryfe, the insane clone.
1993's X-Cutioner's Song had helped to put some of the puzzle pieces together, primarily the Stryfe and Cable mysteries that had become greatly confused in Rob Liefeld's X-Force, and then Cable #6-8 reversed some of those puzzle pieces into their better known configuration. However, The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix was the story that put all of these disparate, yet connected elements into a single narrative, and also connected that up to the Age of Apocalypse.
It's rather deftly done, and has some very nice moments between the various members of the Summers clan. It also offers a great backstory for Cable and a neat leak at a dystopic future. By today's standards, the plot is pretty turgid, but this book is so full of great character moments that it gets by anyway. Overall, one of Lobdell's best X-works ... and I say that not being a Lobdell fan [4/5].
Soul Possessions (X-Men 31-32). The whole "Revanche" saga was one of the more bizarre and unfortunate storylines in the post-Claremont era, in part because it initially didn't fit well with Betsy's actual reincarnation of an Asian pinup doll in Claremont days. Here, it finally comes to an end, as Nicieza does his best to paper over his poor understanding of Psylocke's initial change with a series of retcons. I suppose it's OK. We also get some nice touchbacks to Betsy's origins with the X-Men in a few Mojo-related stories. [3/5].
An Untold Tale of Gambit (X-Men 33). Sabretooth tells a historical story of Gambit that makes him look bad. Really, not that much of a surprise, and so not an actual surprising story. And, boy, will Gambit look a lot worse in the future ... [2+/5].
Life & Consequences (X-Men 34). This issue might have been entirely revelatory at the time, as it fully reveals Sinister as a cloning master, father of an infinite number of Marauders. Today it just reads as a slow story, featuring the ever-opaque Threnody [3/5].
Sunset Grace (X-Men 35). To end the "Wedding" volume, we of course need to get Jean and Scott back to the present, which is what this story does. It also tells the tragic story of an older mutant, which is a bit slow, but otherwise touching [4/5].
Marvel Valentine's. An untold story of Scott and Jean in the future is cool, but this story is dull and pointless [2/5].
Overall, this volume is very mixed. It's at its best when focused on Jean and Scott, but there's a lot here that's just middle of the road. Call it 3.5 stars. At least it's a nicely coherent volume.
November 19, 2021
Non mi sarei mai aspettata di trovare una storia del genere. Devo dire che i matrimoni dei personaggi non mi hanno fatta emozionare, però si meritano 4⭐. Gran parte del fumetto è vecchio, ma ci sta secondo me qualcosa di particolarmente leggero.
November 3, 2016
Excellent ending for the Betsy two-parter. Absolutely essential must-read for all Psylocke fans.
Merged review:
Jean and Scott return from the future and get sent off on a very missable mission by Nick Fury. Guest artist takes some weird liberties.
Merged review:
Jean and Scott return from the future and get sent off on a very missable mission by Nick Fury. Guest artist takes some weird liberties.
May 2, 2020
Collects X-Men #26-35, Avengers #368-369, Avengers West Coast #101, Uncanny X-Men #307-310, Cable #6-8, X-Men Unlimited #3, Uncanny X-Men Annual #18, X-Men: The Wedding Album, What If? #60, Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4 and a ton of supplementary material covering roughly November 1993 through August 1994.
This is, as usual, a pretty mixed bag of stuff. The wedding itself is only a very small part of this collection. But that's basically exactly what was wrong with the X-Men in the 1990s. TOO MUCH GOING ON. More than half a dozen books plus non-stop limited series all crashing into each other, and none taking a breather to finish anything. And for all those who complain about Chris Claremont being too wordy in his day, have you even seen mid 90s X-Men? And most of the text is just unnecessary. Pretend like your fans have half a brain cell, please. Really kind of a mess. Redeemed by some occasionally great artwork and some stories (including yes, the wedding) which are meaningful to long time X-Men fans. Of course, some of it might anger long time fans as well (the fact that it refer to Jean Grey as Phoenix, not just in this misnomer later title of the collection but in the limited series from the time, when Rachel Grey was the Phoenix then, etc., etc.).
This is, as usual, a pretty mixed bag of stuff. The wedding itself is only a very small part of this collection. But that's basically exactly what was wrong with the X-Men in the 1990s. TOO MUCH GOING ON. More than half a dozen books plus non-stop limited series all crashing into each other, and none taking a breather to finish anything. And for all those who complain about Chris Claremont being too wordy in his day, have you even seen mid 90s X-Men? And most of the text is just unnecessary. Pretend like your fans have half a brain cell, please. Really kind of a mess. Redeemed by some occasionally great artwork and some stories (including yes, the wedding) which are meaningful to long time X-Men fans. Of course, some of it might anger long time fans as well (the fact that it refer to Jean Grey as Phoenix, not just in this misnomer later title of the collection but in the limited series from the time, when Rachel Grey was the Phoenix then, etc., etc.).
January 27, 2021
A big batch of stories regarding the Wedding, as well as the going on's of the X-Men in general during this time.
I thought this was a great snapshot of the 90's X-Men. From of course the titular event, to dealing with the legacy virus, to the arrival of Sabertooth into the mansion, and so much more, this volume really showed how much was going on back then in the X-Men's lives. I like the fact that Fabian Nicieza has a similar writing style to Claremont, in that he gives everyone a unique voice, and has interpersonal relationships as the main focus of the X books. The bulk of, if not all, of the book is about discussions and talks regarding things like Xavier's decision to bring Sabertooth to the mansion. There isn't really much action in this volume, more of seeing how every one interacts with each other.
The art is hit and miss. There are some good artists, like Andy Kubert and John Romita Jr - who do some of their best work in my opinion, Mike Mckone, Ian Churchill, and more. There are some artists that are a bit too into the 90's aesthetic, but really its a matter of preference.
Overall, I would say only check this out if you are a die hard X-Men fan. The lack of battles and action may deter some of the more casual fans of the X-Men.
I thought this was a great snapshot of the 90's X-Men. From of course the titular event, to dealing with the legacy virus, to the arrival of Sabertooth into the mansion, and so much more, this volume really showed how much was going on back then in the X-Men's lives. I like the fact that Fabian Nicieza has a similar writing style to Claremont, in that he gives everyone a unique voice, and has interpersonal relationships as the main focus of the X books. The bulk of, if not all, of the book is about discussions and talks regarding things like Xavier's decision to bring Sabertooth to the mansion. There isn't really much action in this volume, more of seeing how every one interacts with each other.
The art is hit and miss. There are some good artists, like Andy Kubert and John Romita Jr - who do some of their best work in my opinion, Mike Mckone, Ian Churchill, and more. There are some artists that are a bit too into the 90's aesthetic, but really its a matter of preference.
Overall, I would say only check this out if you are a die hard X-Men fan. The lack of battles and action may deter some of the more casual fans of the X-Men.
July 10, 2020
The fact of the matter is, if I were to write X-Men, it would be 70% character moments, 20% baseball/football games at the mansion, and 10% action. This has a little bit more action than *I* would have liked, but the character work is pretty stellar.
Plus, Thanksgiving football 🏈
Plus, Thanksgiving football 🏈
March 11, 2019
#33 is amazing, but the rest brings it down a fair bit sadly.
Read my full review on TheBookCloset
Read my full review on TheBookCloset
October 14, 2017
Soul Possessions part 2
Merged review:
The X-men enter into Mr. Sinister lair.
Merged review:
Sunset Grace?
Merged review:
The X-men enter into Mr. Sinister lair.
Merged review:
Sunset Grace?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews