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X-Men Epic Collection
X-Men Epic Collection, Vol. 17: Dissolution & Rebirth
Outback - and outgunned! The X-Men are brought to their lowest point as the team slowly breaks apart...but who will rise to take their place? When Nanny attacks the X-Men's Australian base, tragedy strikes for Storm! The cyborg Reavers take their revenge - and they have brutal plans for Wolverine! The mystical Siege Perilous heralds a fresh start for the besieged mutants, but Psylocke will fi nd herself transformed into the Mandarin's ninja assassin! Can Jubilee and a grievously injured Wolverine bring her back to the light? Meanwhile, a new team forms on Muir Island, but Legion's secret means tragedy for Freedom Force! Banshee and Forge begin a quest for the missing X-Men, but they'll encounter more than they expected! COLLECTING: VOL. 17: UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 248-267
488 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2019
20 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,280 books888 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.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 10, 2020
This is a two-star quagmire of inexplicable confusion (Siege Perilous, anyone?), random character arcs, and ridiculous villains (first and foremost among them the robotic, egg-shaped Nanny, along with her protégé Orphan Maker).
Why does it get three stars, then?
Two reasons: Jim Lee art and the debut of Gambit (though even that ties into a ridiculous storyline wherein Storm is de-aged by the aforementioned Muppet Babies-esque villain, and Gambit somehow knows everything he needs to know about Storm and Nanny despite there being nothing to indicate HOW he knows what he knows (and yes, I realize that Gambit has had the shit retconned out of his history such that I’m pretty sure they pinned the JFK assassination on him, but none of that is suggested at the outset).
This is a weird period in X-Men history, though it leads into a significant even in X-Tinction Agenda, which then leads into the arrival of Bishop and the much-ballyhooed Claremont/Lee relaunch of the X-Men that remains, to this day, the single best-selling comic of all time, if I’m not mistaken. So, there are some worthwhile story seeds in here for the hardcore X-folks (which makes this sound way dirtier than it is), but if you’re a casual fan, this is to you what traveling is to Italy is for the vast majority of the population right now: non-essential and likely to be a bad idea.*
*I look forward to seeing how poorly this joke ages when no one remembers the great COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 in a few years.
Why does it get three stars, then?
Two reasons: Jim Lee art and the debut of Gambit (though even that ties into a ridiculous storyline wherein Storm is de-aged by the aforementioned Muppet Babies-esque villain, and Gambit somehow knows everything he needs to know about Storm and Nanny despite there being nothing to indicate HOW he knows what he knows (and yes, I realize that Gambit has had the shit retconned out of his history such that I’m pretty sure they pinned the JFK assassination on him, but none of that is suggested at the outset).
This is a weird period in X-Men history, though it leads into a significant even in X-Tinction Agenda, which then leads into the arrival of Bishop and the much-ballyhooed Claremont/Lee relaunch of the X-Men that remains, to this day, the single best-selling comic of all time, if I’m not mistaken. So, there are some worthwhile story seeds in here for the hardcore X-folks (which makes this sound way dirtier than it is), but if you’re a casual fan, this is to you what traveling is to Italy is for the vast majority of the population right now: non-essential and likely to be a bad idea.*
*I look forward to seeing how poorly this joke ages when no one remembers the great COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 in a few years.
March 20, 2023
This was the official beginning of the 1990s X-Men, heading towards the climax of the multi-decades-long Chris Claremont saga, and that makes for a confusing read.
Before the best-selling renumbered X-Men # 1, before the animated series status quo so many think of when they hear “the X-Men”, there was this transitionary time when the 80s had to wrap up in order to begin anew.
After the mutant team gave up and left Australian Outback, they went through the mystical Siege Perilous and ended up all over the world. In the premiere of superstar artist Jim Lee’s first issue, Storm seemingly dies (later it’s revealed she’s transformed into a child… yes, it’s confusing. That storyline did introduce the gentleman thief Gambit).
Then Wolverine and Jubilee go on the run, where they meet Psylocke who has been transformed into an Asian ninja—this happened to be due to Iron Man villain the Mandarin, during the Acts of Vengeance storyline in fact. That trope has aged a bit poorly, I admit, but this iteration of Psylocke sure looks cool.
In the meantime, there are many sub-par issues about the extremely slow-building Shadow King storyline on Muir Isle. The focus turns to Banshee and Forge for some reason, as if there weren’t enough characters, with mysterious psychic forces manipulating everyone. There’s also a buildup towards a showdown with apartheid-analogue nation of Genosha, crossover event scheduled for the next graphic novel, and amnesiac Colossus and Dazzler show up here and there along with Jean Grey and many weird bad guys.
Taking each chapter individually, there are a lot of high-quality stories in this collection. As a whole, it felt like too much. So many overlapping plot threads made it increasingly difficult to keep track of what the heck was going on, and in retrospect one can’t blame Marvel for soon wiping the slate clean and starting over.
Can only recommend for the most hardcore of fans, those who know all the backstory and can’t get enough. Still, that’s what used to make superhero comics fun. Eventually, it all becomes too much and reboots are inevitable. Note that this pattern is even happening to the superhero genre in film nowadays…
Anyway, it’s not the best X-Men ever, but Jim Lee and Gambit and ninja Psylocke would all be necessary elements to fully understand the mad decade that was the 90s.
Before the best-selling renumbered X-Men # 1, before the animated series status quo so many think of when they hear “the X-Men”, there was this transitionary time when the 80s had to wrap up in order to begin anew.
After the mutant team gave up and left Australian Outback, they went through the mystical Siege Perilous and ended up all over the world. In the premiere of superstar artist Jim Lee’s first issue, Storm seemingly dies (later it’s revealed she’s transformed into a child… yes, it’s confusing. That storyline did introduce the gentleman thief Gambit).
Then Wolverine and Jubilee go on the run, where they meet Psylocke who has been transformed into an Asian ninja—this happened to be due to Iron Man villain the Mandarin, during the Acts of Vengeance storyline in fact. That trope has aged a bit poorly, I admit, but this iteration of Psylocke sure looks cool.
In the meantime, there are many sub-par issues about the extremely slow-building Shadow King storyline on Muir Isle. The focus turns to Banshee and Forge for some reason, as if there weren’t enough characters, with mysterious psychic forces manipulating everyone. There’s also a buildup towards a showdown with apartheid-analogue nation of Genosha, crossover event scheduled for the next graphic novel, and amnesiac Colossus and Dazzler show up here and there along with Jean Grey and many weird bad guys.
Taking each chapter individually, there are a lot of high-quality stories in this collection. As a whole, it felt like too much. So many overlapping plot threads made it increasingly difficult to keep track of what the heck was going on, and in retrospect one can’t blame Marvel for soon wiping the slate clean and starting over.
Can only recommend for the most hardcore of fans, those who know all the backstory and can’t get enough. Still, that’s what used to make superhero comics fun. Eventually, it all becomes too much and reboots are inevitable. Note that this pattern is even happening to the superhero genre in film nowadays…
Anyway, it’s not the best X-Men ever, but Jim Lee and Gambit and ninja Psylocke would all be necessary elements to fully understand the mad decade that was the 90s.
January 27, 2020
Was interesting re-reading these. Read these as single issues back when they came out.
October 23, 2024
Certainly the best of the X-Men collections I’ve read recently, in part because it’s not weighted down by the demands of a crossover event; it’s entirely Uncanny X-Men, no X-Factor, New Mutants, or (ugh) Power Pack. That also means it’s all written by Chris Claremont, firing on all cylinders to craft dark, compelling stories that draw deeply from the franchise’s history. The art is also more consistent, with Marc Silvestri and Dan Green doing much of it; the other artists acquit themselves nicely as well.
The team is scattered for most of this collection, and the tone changes depending on the character they’re focusing on. The Australia era is a fan favorite for a reason, and issue 251 is not just an iconic cover, but one of the strongest single issues in the latter years of Claremont’s long run.
At its best, Uncanny X-Men is a grand, globetrotting melodrama, full of twists, betrayals, and intertwining storylines, and this collection represents that perfectly. If you want to check out the later era of Claremont’s run, this is the pace to start.
The team is scattered for most of this collection, and the tone changes depending on the character they’re focusing on. The Australia era is a fan favorite for a reason, and issue 251 is not just an iconic cover, but one of the strongest single issues in the latter years of Claremont’s long run.
At its best, Uncanny X-Men is a grand, globetrotting melodrama, full of twists, betrayals, and intertwining storylines, and this collection represents that perfectly. If you want to check out the later era of Claremont’s run, this is the pace to start.
February 15, 2023
Prvi Dzim Lijev rad na XMenima, prva pojava Gambita, prva pojava De-aged Storm. Malo li je?
September 8, 2019
It was kinda cool to learn that Forge is Cheyenne, I didn't know that.
March 7, 2021
Sempre que um cara de cabelos grisalhos, barba branca, gosto musical duvidoso começar a falar que quadrinhos bons eram no tempo dele, pergunta se ele lia X-Men lá por 89/90, se ele falar que sim, mostra esse porcaria e pergunta: "Sério que isso é bom?"
Há muito a ser dito sobre tudo o que acontece aqui:
- O Claremont tá insuportável, a verborragia ultrapassando todos os dicionários de breguice do universo, um único quadrinho em que aparece apenas a Jubileu fugindo de ninjas tem mais ou menos 38 palavras, quatro balões de pensamento, dois balões de fala da Jubileu, um balão de fala do ninja aleatório número um e um balão de fala do ninja aleatório número dois;
- A arte é complicada, no mínimo, as edições do Jim Lee ainda se seguram, as do Marc Silvestri são mais ou menos, mas os aleatórios que desenhavam o que os outros não entregavam no prazo são bem difíceis, tem um cena com o Donald Pierce fazendo "moonwalk" que é no nível #RobIsGod de bizarrice;
- Alguém sabe explicar a Babá e o Fazedor de Órfãos? São personagens que eu nunca entendi;
- A Tempestade morre, mas volta no meio do Mississipi como uma menininha de 10 anos;
- A cidade perdida no meio do deserto australiano é atacada pelos ciborgues do Pierce, o Wolverine é crucificado, mas a Jubileu, que se esconde nos túneis tecnológicos do lugarejo, o salva;
- Alguém sabe explicar o Siege Perilous? Eu não. E ainda assim a Psylocke convence o Colossus, o Destrutor e a Cristal a passarem por ali para uma nova vida;
- Nessa nova vida; a Psylocke vira uma ninja assassina da Mão; o Colossus vira um artista em Nova Iorque, divide apartamento com fugitivos genoshanos e se apaixona pela Callisto; a Cristal aparece numa praia em Malibu, perto da casa da Lila Cheney, alguém tenta matá-la e não se fala mais no assunto; o Destrutor, bom, ninguém se importa com ele, então eu não sei o que aconteceu;
- Os ciborgues atacam a Ilha Muir porque tinha promoção no Decolar, matam a Sina, o Avalanche e mais um personagem aleatório da Força Federal;
- Como sempre, tem alguma merda acontecendo com as múltiplas personalidades do Legião;
- Enquanto isso, em Hong Kong, Jubileu, Wolverine de tapa olho e seus fantasmas - ele fala com fantasmas da Carol Danvers (?) e do Nick Fury original - enfrentam a nova assassina da Mão numa batalha pela alma de Psylocke, que deixou de ser uma recatada menina inglesa para se tornar uma sexy e impiedosa ninja master mega plus - provavelmente a bunda com mais closes desnecessários da história dos X-Men;
- A Moira coloca um uniforme de X-Men com um fio dental afundado no rego;
- O Banshee e o Forge, depois de colocaram uniformes de X-Men com fios dentais afundados no rego, morrem, mas passam bem e resolvem se esconder e investigar as ruínas da mansão Xavier;
- Lá, eles encontram a Jean Grey, afinal o mundo é pequeno pra caralho mesmo, são atacados por morlocks;
- O Banshee perde a boca, a Jean Grey perde os braços e ganha tentáculos;
- Depois de darem uma coça nos morlocks, os "novos" X-Men encontram um amnésico Colossus e uma bela Callisto, policiais genoshanos dão curto na nave do X-Factor para capturar os fugitivos genoshanos;
- A menina Tempestade descobre que está sendo perseguida pelo Rei das Sombras;
- A menina Tempestade encontra um tal de Gambit, um daqueles tipos sombrios e solitários de capote com uma incrível necessidade de um parceiro mirim;
- Vocês sabiam que o Gambit ficava verde quando usava os poderes?
- No fim; Gambit e Tempestade fogem do Rei das Sombras; os policiais genoshanos são soltos; Jean Grey, Banshee e Forge querem encontrar os X-Men.
É uma confusão do cacete, as histórias são tenebrosas, cada edição falar de uma coisa que não tem nada a ver com a anterior, são umas vinte edições que saem de lugar nenhum e vão para lugar algum. Uma porcaria gigante e sabem o que é pior?
Eu lembro de ler o formatinho dos X-Men da Abril e achar o máximo.
Ler essa porcaria só aumentou a minha vontade de voltar no tempo e bater no meu eu de 14/15 anos.
Há muito a ser dito sobre tudo o que acontece aqui:
- O Claremont tá insuportável, a verborragia ultrapassando todos os dicionários de breguice do universo, um único quadrinho em que aparece apenas a Jubileu fugindo de ninjas tem mais ou menos 38 palavras, quatro balões de pensamento, dois balões de fala da Jubileu, um balão de fala do ninja aleatório número um e um balão de fala do ninja aleatório número dois;
- A arte é complicada, no mínimo, as edições do Jim Lee ainda se seguram, as do Marc Silvestri são mais ou menos, mas os aleatórios que desenhavam o que os outros não entregavam no prazo são bem difíceis, tem um cena com o Donald Pierce fazendo "moonwalk" que é no nível #RobIsGod de bizarrice;
- Alguém sabe explicar a Babá e o Fazedor de Órfãos? São personagens que eu nunca entendi;
- A Tempestade morre, mas volta no meio do Mississipi como uma menininha de 10 anos;
- A cidade perdida no meio do deserto australiano é atacada pelos ciborgues do Pierce, o Wolverine é crucificado, mas a Jubileu, que se esconde nos túneis tecnológicos do lugarejo, o salva;
- Alguém sabe explicar o Siege Perilous? Eu não. E ainda assim a Psylocke convence o Colossus, o Destrutor e a Cristal a passarem por ali para uma nova vida;
- Nessa nova vida; a Psylocke vira uma ninja assassina da Mão; o Colossus vira um artista em Nova Iorque, divide apartamento com fugitivos genoshanos e se apaixona pela Callisto; a Cristal aparece numa praia em Malibu, perto da casa da Lila Cheney, alguém tenta matá-la e não se fala mais no assunto; o Destrutor, bom, ninguém se importa com ele, então eu não sei o que aconteceu;
- Os ciborgues atacam a Ilha Muir porque tinha promoção no Decolar, matam a Sina, o Avalanche e mais um personagem aleatório da Força Federal;
- Como sempre, tem alguma merda acontecendo com as múltiplas personalidades do Legião;
- Enquanto isso, em Hong Kong, Jubileu, Wolverine de tapa olho e seus fantasmas - ele fala com fantasmas da Carol Danvers (?) e do Nick Fury original - enfrentam a nova assassina da Mão numa batalha pela alma de Psylocke, que deixou de ser uma recatada menina inglesa para se tornar uma sexy e impiedosa ninja master mega plus - provavelmente a bunda com mais closes desnecessários da história dos X-Men;
- A Moira coloca um uniforme de X-Men com um fio dental afundado no rego;
- O Banshee e o Forge, depois de colocaram uniformes de X-Men com fios dentais afundados no rego, morrem, mas passam bem e resolvem se esconder e investigar as ruínas da mansão Xavier;
- Lá, eles encontram a Jean Grey, afinal o mundo é pequeno pra caralho mesmo, são atacados por morlocks;
- O Banshee perde a boca, a Jean Grey perde os braços e ganha tentáculos;
- Depois de darem uma coça nos morlocks, os "novos" X-Men encontram um amnésico Colossus e uma bela Callisto, policiais genoshanos dão curto na nave do X-Factor para capturar os fugitivos genoshanos;
- A menina Tempestade descobre que está sendo perseguida pelo Rei das Sombras;
- A menina Tempestade encontra um tal de Gambit, um daqueles tipos sombrios e solitários de capote com uma incrível necessidade de um parceiro mirim;
- Vocês sabiam que o Gambit ficava verde quando usava os poderes?
- No fim; Gambit e Tempestade fogem do Rei das Sombras; os policiais genoshanos são soltos; Jean Grey, Banshee e Forge querem encontrar os X-Men.
É uma confusão do cacete, as histórias são tenebrosas, cada edição falar de uma coisa que não tem nada a ver com a anterior, são umas vinte edições que saem de lugar nenhum e vão para lugar algum. Uma porcaria gigante e sabem o que é pior?
Eu lembro de ler o formatinho dos X-Men da Abril e achar o máximo.
Ler essa porcaria só aumentou a minha vontade de voltar no tempo e bater no meu eu de 14/15 anos.
July 12, 2024
Two stars is a generous gift of a review score for this book. Yes, it's nice to see some Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri art, but Chris Claremont had completely lost his own plot by this point, and was just scooping his hands up his butt and throwing the contents at the walls.
His occasional good ideas in this volume are buried under the embarrassingly stupid Siege Perilous storyline, an attempt to introduce a new team, which he immediately abandons, being unable to decide who he wants to be a hero and who he wants to be a villain, the incredibly dumb Nanny and Orphan Maker characters turning Storm into a child for no discernable reason, trying to stuff every villain he's ever thought of somewhere in these twenty three issues (I'm including issues #244-#247 since they're not collected anywhere else, and SHOULD be a part of this collection), and just generally forgetting about storylines for issues and then abruptly bringing characters back with the lazy "amnesia" concept because of the Again Incredibly Stupid Siege Perilous.
It's really sad that someone so vital to X-Men history, and someone once so talented as Chris Claremont, thought this run of slop was acceptable to tack on to his previously interesting run.
Don't bother reading it. It was years before they collected this into trade, and there's a reason. It's really bad. You don't need to see the first appearance of Gambit because it's been retconned so many times that it doesn't even mean anything here. He's not even cool at this point, he's just one of a billion characters who shows up in five or six pages of story in a 470 page clusterfluff.
Your nostalgic glasses have to be shaded really really rosy to enjoy this book.
His occasional good ideas in this volume are buried under the embarrassingly stupid Siege Perilous storyline, an attempt to introduce a new team, which he immediately abandons, being unable to decide who he wants to be a hero and who he wants to be a villain, the incredibly dumb Nanny and Orphan Maker characters turning Storm into a child for no discernable reason, trying to stuff every villain he's ever thought of somewhere in these twenty three issues (I'm including issues #244-#247 since they're not collected anywhere else, and SHOULD be a part of this collection), and just generally forgetting about storylines for issues and then abruptly bringing characters back with the lazy "amnesia" concept because of the Again Incredibly Stupid Siege Perilous.
It's really sad that someone so vital to X-Men history, and someone once so talented as Chris Claremont, thought this run of slop was acceptable to tack on to his previously interesting run.
Don't bother reading it. It was years before they collected this into trade, and there's a reason. It's really bad. You don't need to see the first appearance of Gambit because it's been retconned so many times that it doesn't even mean anything here. He's not even cool at this point, he's just one of a billion characters who shows up in five or six pages of story in a 470 page clusterfluff.
Your nostalgic glasses have to be shaded really really rosy to enjoy this book.
May 30, 2023
This is an interesting stretch of the Claremont run, where the story really fractures. The X-Men have ended up mostly split into different storylines, which is interesting, ambitious storytelling but also becomes a bit difficult to keep track of. A few really significant plot points that I knew were going to happen almost surprised me in how brief they felt (spoilers warning: the X-Men using the Siege Perilous; Longshot leaving the team; Destiny's death) -- I had to re-read a few of these issues because I felt sure that I missed something, but I hadn't. It's interesting to see the beginning of the Muir Island saga taking shape and knowing how long it's going to run in the background.
I miss Silvestri's art, although Jim Lee starts appearing in this stretch of issues. There are a few fill-in artists who are serviceable, but Silvestri leaves big shoes to fill and they don't all feel impactful. Regardless, a fun read.
I miss Silvestri's art, although Jim Lee starts appearing in this stretch of issues. There are a few fill-in artists who are serviceable, but Silvestri leaves big shoes to fill and they don't all feel impactful. Regardless, a fun read.
December 1, 2020
This collects the tail end of one of my favourite eras in X-Men comics, the Outback team. That first third of the book is top-notch, especially with art by my favourite X-Men artist, Marc Silvestri. After that, though, it’s pretty hit-or-miss. There’s some great moments but also some slower parts that are not all that interesting, even if it plants seeds that pay off in the future. Of course, this was not meant to be read collected, and worked a lot better when you read only two stories a month (the comic was bi-weekly at that time). I actually like it for it, as I don’t care for the “writing for the trade” mindset in mainstream comics these days. I’m giving it 3/5 (which I consider a good rating) because of the format. I think the sum of its parts are actually better than the whole, in this case.
September 27, 2025
Many of these stories are in the recent Uncanny X-Men Marvel Masterworks, but I went ahead and read them again. A very interesting period of X-Men history. The art on the first half is better than the second, but the comics that aren't by Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri are passable at least, if not spectacular. The whole volume is interesting though. The X-Men essentially die, but comic readers know most deaths aren't permanent, and some of the characters return in this very volume. These stories make for some creative moments, in that there isn't an official team of X-Men for most of the issues! Claremont though weaves an interesting tale. I would recommend this volume to a reader who wants to read a little different X-Men story, or those who want to witness the genius of Chris Claremont in top form.
December 15, 2025
Actual rating 3.6 stars.
I did not think I was going to get through this EC.
It was rough there in the middle, with characters I didn’t know or particularly care to learn more about.
What didn’t help was reading this in the middle of an event that I unfortunately lost motivation to read.
Anyway, the end redeemed things for me. Focusing on a singular character, Storm, and the introduction of Gambit!
I don’t know why the X-Men were separated but I think this series suffered for that decision.
I also noticed that there was a lot of talking which made the story lines feel like they went on for a little longer than they needed to.
I should say, a lot of major things were happening in this EC, like Betsy getting an entirely new face and, as stated, the introduction of Gambit.
So maybe your tolerance for all the other things going on is higher and you’d enjoy this more than I did.
I did not think I was going to get through this EC.
It was rough there in the middle, with characters I didn’t know or particularly care to learn more about.
What didn’t help was reading this in the middle of an event that I unfortunately lost motivation to read.
Anyway, the end redeemed things for me. Focusing on a singular character, Storm, and the introduction of Gambit!
I don’t know why the X-Men were separated but I think this series suffered for that decision.
I also noticed that there was a lot of talking which made the story lines feel like they went on for a little longer than they needed to.
I should say, a lot of major things were happening in this EC, like Betsy getting an entirely new face and, as stated, the introduction of Gambit.
So maybe your tolerance for all the other things going on is higher and you’d enjoy this more than I did.
July 20, 2023
Just didn’t dig most of this one. There isn’t a coherent story, just a mix of a million things happening at once. I liked nanny, orphan maker, Gambit, and psylocke. Besides them this just felt messy.
I read this out of order from everything that happened before so I’m guessing the confusion might come from that partially.
The art is great throughout otherwise it would have been a 2/5..
I read this out of order from everything that happened before so I’m guessing the confusion might come from that partially.
The art is great throughout otherwise it would have been a 2/5..
December 26, 2025
The overall story is wheel-spinning but the bizarro “Psylocke randomly gets turned Asian” storyline and the introduction of Gambit make it worthwhile. Also Jim Lee had the sauce, great comics artist. I get why he eventually left but he was so good at doing edgy superhero art and it fits this era of the X-Men really well.
April 19, 2023
Some good issues with great characters: Nanny and Orphan Maker, Malice/Polaris issues but there are a lot of onsie issues that are quite boring: Dazzler's stalker, Forge and his quests (they seemed to bored me)>
January 17, 2025
This book covers the dissolution of the Outback era team and the issues leading up to Jim Lee’s celebrated run (although there are a handful of Jim Lee issues collected here). I get the sense that this era doesn’t have the best reputation amongst fans, but I really admire this period. Claremont essentially breaks up the team, and what you have is nearly a year and a half of X-Men issues in which the team does not exist. Personal bias aside (these were the issues I first started reading as a kid), but I think that’s incredibly audacious, and I have a hard time thinking of another book that has ever done something like that, or ever will.
But a cool idea will only get you as far as how well you execute it. This is where this collection falters a bit, but only towards the end. It starts off strong showing how bad luck and tragedy leads to the break-up of the team, featuring great art by Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee. The initial issues detailing the immediate aftermath continue to be great, with some great issues featuring the Reavers (crucifying Wolverine and attacking Muir Island) and the introduction of ninja Psylocke. But the momentum starts to run out when we begin catching up with some of the astray team members and focusing heavily on the Forge-Banshee partnership. They are all cool characters, but Forge and Banshee just aren't strong enough characters to anchor the book, while the fights with the Morlocks, the Harriers, and Press Gang are ultimately too underwhelming. The art is what really spoils it, as most of these issues feature fill-in artists who are just not up to the caliber of Silvestri or Lee.
The art continues to hamper when we return to Storm and get the introduction of Gambit. These issues at least have a better story (featuring the twin threats of the Shadow King and Nanny hunting for a radically altered Storm), but the fill-in art continues to handicap what could’ve been great issues. You get a glimpse of what could’ve been in the final issue collected here, featuring dynamic art of Homage Studios (ie. Whilce Portacio & Jim Lee) that elevates the story. I think all of the sub-par issues might've been similarly elevated with better art.
Jim Lee’s proper run will start with issue 268 (to be featured in the next Epic volume). It begins the process of truly reforming the team, and is a justly celebrated period of X-Men. But just because these issues are sandwiched between two “greater” periods doesn’t mean they are bad. Reading all the issues collected here in one go really helps the story feel more organic and self-contained, beginning and ending on Storm issues. The growing threat of the Shadow King hangs over this whole period, which adds a nice menacing subtext to just how wrong things are going without the X-Men around.
I enjoy this era for being different, for being “experimental” in a sense, for trying to tell a long form story rather than one that is neatly tied up by the end whenever the supervilliain of the week is defeated. It really made the X-Men story feel epic and world-spanning, and when coupled together with the following Jim Lee run tells a grand story of the X-Men triumphing from their lowest ebb.
But a cool idea will only get you as far as how well you execute it. This is where this collection falters a bit, but only towards the end. It starts off strong showing how bad luck and tragedy leads to the break-up of the team, featuring great art by Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee. The initial issues detailing the immediate aftermath continue to be great, with some great issues featuring the Reavers (crucifying Wolverine and attacking Muir Island) and the introduction of ninja Psylocke. But the momentum starts to run out when we begin catching up with some of the astray team members and focusing heavily on the Forge-Banshee partnership. They are all cool characters, but Forge and Banshee just aren't strong enough characters to anchor the book, while the fights with the Morlocks, the Harriers, and Press Gang are ultimately too underwhelming. The art is what really spoils it, as most of these issues feature fill-in artists who are just not up to the caliber of Silvestri or Lee.
The art continues to hamper when we return to Storm and get the introduction of Gambit. These issues at least have a better story (featuring the twin threats of the Shadow King and Nanny hunting for a radically altered Storm), but the fill-in art continues to handicap what could’ve been great issues. You get a glimpse of what could’ve been in the final issue collected here, featuring dynamic art of Homage Studios (ie. Whilce Portacio & Jim Lee) that elevates the story. I think all of the sub-par issues might've been similarly elevated with better art.
Jim Lee’s proper run will start with issue 268 (to be featured in the next Epic volume). It begins the process of truly reforming the team, and is a justly celebrated period of X-Men. But just because these issues are sandwiched between two “greater” periods doesn’t mean they are bad. Reading all the issues collected here in one go really helps the story feel more organic and self-contained, beginning and ending on Storm issues. The growing threat of the Shadow King hangs over this whole period, which adds a nice menacing subtext to just how wrong things are going without the X-Men around.
I enjoy this era for being different, for being “experimental” in a sense, for trying to tell a long form story rather than one that is neatly tied up by the end whenever the supervilliain of the week is defeated. It really made the X-Men story feel epic and world-spanning, and when coupled together with the following Jim Lee run tells a grand story of the X-Men triumphing from their lowest ebb.
March 27, 2025
This is a time of the X-Men in transition. It's the end of the Australian Outback era. The X-Men get scattered, mostly through the Siege Perilous. There's some great stuff to be found in here. Psylocke gets a makeover to become an assassin with a psychic knife. (I still don't understand how she became Asian though.) One thing I had missed in past reads, Psylocke predicts where all the X-Men wind up after going through the Siege Perilous while undergoing brainwashing by the Hand. Destiny bites the dust even though her visions continue to pop up for decades. The first appearance of Gambit. Even if it's not the most focused stories at times, it's still a great time to read the X-Men. Plus Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee draw most of the issues so the book looks fantastic.
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