What do you think?
Rate this book
X-Treme X-Men (2001) (Collected Editions)
X-Treme X-Men, Vol. 8: Prisoner of Fire
It's the end of the road for the X-Treme X-Men...but you can bet they're not about to go out silently Sage's dark past return to haunt her when a form enemy. Elias Bogan, pits the members of the X-Treme team against one another. Plus, the return of two X-Men from the team's past
216 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2004
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,271 books887 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
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 1, 2022
And so ends X-Treme X-Men, with a climactic battle against Elias Bogan, an evil mutant with the ability to possess people, whom I care nothing about.
With this I've finished the main X-Men titles in the New X-Men era. It wasn't a great time for X-Men and I'm glad to be done with it.
With this I've finished the main X-Men titles in the New X-Men era. It wasn't a great time for X-Men and I'm glad to be done with it.
October 10, 2022
Elias Bogan's henchman ambush Bishop leaving, and it is up to Cannonball, Gambit, Rogue, Sage, Storm, Sunspot, Magma, Lila Cheney, Skids, and Shadowcat to save their teammate in a final showdown. Bludgeon, Cudgel, Manacle, Revenant, and Rolling Thunder are joined by a mysterious telepath with surprising ties to the X-Men.
Chris Claremont ends the series with a mixed bag. It does not help that I am not a fan of the Elias Bogan storyline. His goals were never clear to me, and I still do not understand his enmity towards Sage. I may not be thrilled with his antagonist, but I am glad that Claremont provides closure. What really saves this run for me, however, is that it is essentially a New Mutants reunion. It might have been an unnecessarily large cast, but at least they were characters I love.
Chris Claremont ends the series with a mixed bag. It does not help that I am not a fan of the Elias Bogan storyline. His goals were never clear to me, and I still do not understand his enmity towards Sage. I may not be thrilled with his antagonist, but I am glad that Claremont provides closure. What really saves this run for me, however, is that it is essentially a New Mutants reunion. It might have been an unnecessarily large cast, but at least they were characters I love.
January 26, 2023
Context matters. Yesterday I read Storm: the Arena and I basically hated it. Today I finished X-treme X-Men with this collection, and it is a real palate cleanser after that pile of hot garbage. Which means it was a passable but not wonderful X-Men story, which is where X-treme seems to live when it isn't flirting with mutant authoritarianism.
The X-Men's showdown with Elias Bogan was actually pretty decent, up until the very end where the whole place got torched by Magma and there were a bunch of loose ends that were probably never followed up on. And Selene showed up kinda, unless it was just a vision. Like I said, loose ends. The series ends with Storm flashing her new XSE marshall badge which as far as I know is never addressed again and even if that's not true I'm going to pretend it is.
Tacked on at the end was a forgettable Annual that should have been collected in one of the TPBs from back when the team was still dealing with Destiny's diaries.
Kordey's art was improved over The Arena, but it was still inconsistent at times. Also, the colorist apparently decided to give Sage a tan. Which, okay, not a big deal, but she has been white as a sheet for the whole series and honestly I just assumed it was part of her mutation.
Gambit got his powers back in a needlessly horny scene with Sage dressed as Rogue in a negligee. Rogue did not, but it was heavily implied that Sage could restart her powers as well.
The New Mutants reunion was kind of fun, I say as someone who is not familiar with the New Mutants at all.
I do want to give Claremont props for being the only X-writer who regularly tied into events in the concurrent X- titles. He also had a habit of using real NPR reporters for news bits throughout the series. I wonder the reporters being name-dropped had a real life affiliation with Claremont or an affection for comics.
So, what did I think about X-treme X-Men that I haven't already talked about in this or other reviews? Not a lot really. The series was a mixed bag. Some good characterization, uneven plotting, and dubious political undertones. It lost focus and arguably purpose after the alien invasion arc, but the latter half was not wholly without charm. It lacked the inventiveness of Morrison's New X-Men and the sheer balls to the walls left-field weirdness of Austen's Uncanny, making arguably the least memorable book of the era. And, honestly, I think that's appropriate.
The X-Men's showdown with Elias Bogan was actually pretty decent, up until the very end where the whole place got torched by Magma and there were a bunch of loose ends that were probably never followed up on. And Selene showed up kinda, unless it was just a vision. Like I said, loose ends. The series ends with Storm flashing her new XSE marshall badge which as far as I know is never addressed again and even if that's not true I'm going to pretend it is.
Tacked on at the end was a forgettable Annual that should have been collected in one of the TPBs from back when the team was still dealing with Destiny's diaries.
Kordey's art was improved over The Arena, but it was still inconsistent at times. Also, the colorist apparently decided to give Sage a tan. Which, okay, not a big deal, but she has been white as a sheet for the whole series and honestly I just assumed it was part of her mutation.
Gambit got his powers back in a needlessly horny scene with Sage dressed as Rogue in a negligee. Rogue did not, but it was heavily implied that Sage could restart her powers as well.
The New Mutants reunion was kind of fun, I say as someone who is not familiar with the New Mutants at all.
I do want to give Claremont props for being the only X-writer who regularly tied into events in the concurrent X- titles. He also had a habit of using real NPR reporters for news bits throughout the series. I wonder the reporters being name-dropped had a real life affiliation with Claremont or an affection for comics.
So, what did I think about X-treme X-Men that I haven't already talked about in this or other reviews? Not a lot really. The series was a mixed bag. Some good characterization, uneven plotting, and dubious political undertones. It lost focus and arguably purpose after the alien invasion arc, but the latter half was not wholly without charm. It lacked the inventiveness of Morrison's New X-Men and the sheer balls to the walls left-field weirdness of Austen's Uncanny, making arguably the least memorable book of the era. And, honestly, I think that's appropriate.
September 16, 2018
Why is this series so bad? It's got a villain that could conceivably be cool; it's got (some) characters I care about; and there is actually a husk of an interesting plot in there. But, boy I hated it all the way through. If this wasn't the very last volume, I definitely would have given up.
Now this series has never been great--in fact, it's probably safe to say that it's rarely even been good--but this volume suffers terribly. It's got the typically terrible Claremont dialogue, but this time it's matched up with some seriously awkward art. (I kept thinking of the drawings I used to do in middle school--the anatomy and shading really is that awkward. But, for the record, I don't think this is Kordey's doing; I suspect it's the inkers.) It also has a fantastically cheesy wrap-up.
Here's a typical example of the insanity found herein: the big villain has mind-controlled Bishop into working for him. This is a problem for the X-Men, because on top of being a powerful mutant, and an all around BMF, Bishop has also spent his life studying the X-Men. So he has first-hand knowledge of their skills, from teaming up with them, as well as a historical knowledge, since he comes from the future. Sure enough, when the X-Men run up against him, he easily hands them their respective butts. But wait! Enter the (currently depowered) Gambit, who manages to defeat Bishop using nothing but his staff and some really bad fight choreography. Why? There's nothing in the history of the Marvel universe that makes me think Gambit is capable of such a thing. It completely breaks my (already slipping) suspension of disbelief...
...and therein lies the problem with this series as a whole. Every couple of months, Claremont will spin his little wheel and decide which of the X-Men will be the Baddest Person in the Universe for the month, and that person will go around trouncing everyone. Who will it be next month? Rogue? Psylocke? Sage? Gambit? There's just no telling.
Now this series has never been great--in fact, it's probably safe to say that it's rarely even been good--but this volume suffers terribly. It's got the typically terrible Claremont dialogue, but this time it's matched up with some seriously awkward art. (I kept thinking of the drawings I used to do in middle school--the anatomy and shading really is that awkward. But, for the record, I don't think this is Kordey's doing; I suspect it's the inkers.) It also has a fantastically cheesy wrap-up.
Here's a typical example of the insanity found herein: the big villain has mind-controlled Bishop into working for him. This is a problem for the X-Men, because on top of being a powerful mutant, and an all around BMF, Bishop has also spent his life studying the X-Men. So he has first-hand knowledge of their skills, from teaming up with them, as well as a historical knowledge, since he comes from the future. Sure enough, when the X-Men run up against him, he easily hands them their respective butts. But wait! Enter the (currently depowered) Gambit, who manages to defeat Bishop using nothing but his staff and some really bad fight choreography. Why? There's nothing in the history of the Marvel universe that makes me think Gambit is capable of such a thing. It completely breaks my (already slipping) suspension of disbelief...
...and therein lies the problem with this series as a whole. Every couple of months, Claremont will spin his little wheel and decide which of the X-Men will be the Baddest Person in the Universe for the month, and that person will go around trouncing everyone. Who will it be next month? Rogue? Psylocke? Sage? Gambit? There's just no telling.
July 25, 2017
Continuing my x-treme x-read of 2017…
As I believe that this is the last volume of X-treme X-men, I have to say that the series dies not with a bang but with a whimper. The story here manages to somehow be both confusing and dull. I don’t know if it was the art or the writing but I found myself lost as to what was happening at several points. The Bogan storyline is wrapped up in an unsurprising way (I mean, who didn’t see the secret identity coming?), Rogue and Gambit still are able to accomplish just as much as their brethren without any powers with no explanation of how, Storm comes back but isn’t quite herself (where have we heard that one before?) Really, this whole volume feels like it was phoned in by Claremont.
It was nice to see some older characters that I hadn’t seen in awhile but the cast of characters in this book has grown so much that no one gets much of a chance to shine.
One question: Why on earth have a drug that is keyed to work only for those with the x-gene (Here, called Rave – very original name. Ha.) when there has already been a drug keyed to work only for those with the x-gene (Kick) as a running plotline in another concurrent X-men comic? Were the writers communicating that little with one another? Or did Claremont just want to create his own version for some reason?
Overall, I can’t say that I will remember this series among the best of the X-men…
As I believe that this is the last volume of X-treme X-men, I have to say that the series dies not with a bang but with a whimper. The story here manages to somehow be both confusing and dull. I don’t know if it was the art or the writing but I found myself lost as to what was happening at several points. The Bogan storyline is wrapped up in an unsurprising way (I mean, who didn’t see the secret identity coming?), Rogue and Gambit still are able to accomplish just as much as their brethren without any powers with no explanation of how, Storm comes back but isn’t quite herself (where have we heard that one before?) Really, this whole volume feels like it was phoned in by Claremont.
It was nice to see some older characters that I hadn’t seen in awhile but the cast of characters in this book has grown so much that no one gets much of a chance to shine.
One question: Why on earth have a drug that is keyed to work only for those with the x-gene (Here, called Rave – very original name. Ha.) when there has already been a drug keyed to work only for those with the x-gene (Kick) as a running plotline in another concurrent X-men comic? Were the writers communicating that little with one another? Or did Claremont just want to create his own version for some reason?
Overall, I can’t say that I will remember this series among the best of the X-men…
February 6, 2024
2.5/5.0
July 6, 2025
Updated Readthrough 2025:
I didn't hate this nearly as much as I did last time I read it. I also didn't find it at all incomprehensible. It was just scattered and not very interesting. It's certainly not nearly as bad as The Draco or Rage War.
One of the big problems is that the series has set up a villain who's supposed to be a major threat, and it seems to take about four panels to beat him, initially, and when we get out Freddy Kreuger Isn't Dead Moment, the process to beat him takes longer but it's still not interesting or satisfying.
There's absolutely no reason to read this, but it's not quite as bad as some of the other books coming out at the same time.
***
Original 2018 Review:
For me, this is in contention with Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 4: The Draco and Counter X: X-Force: Rage War for the worst X-Men related book Marvel ever bothered to collect.
This is the final volume of Claremont's unfocused run, and it wraps up some of his loose ends and decides that this is the origin of the XSE from Bishop's future. Marvel editorial has wisely completely ignored this run in every book that comes after it. Even the art in this book looks likes it's trying to distance itself from the story. All the faces look the same: rushed. And while I wasn't a huge fan of Kordey's previous work on this title, thie particular collection looks like he was given 24 hours notice and had to do his best, knowing that the story was incomprehensible and the series was cancelled. There's an annual in the back, which takes place Much Earlier in the X-Treme X-Men run, and it's so superior to the art in this volume that it's painful. And I hated the art from the beginning of the run.
I recommend this for X-Men fans who are looking for a story so bad that they can swear off ever reading another X-book again.
I didn't hate this nearly as much as I did last time I read it. I also didn't find it at all incomprehensible. It was just scattered and not very interesting. It's certainly not nearly as bad as The Draco or Rage War.
One of the big problems is that the series has set up a villain who's supposed to be a major threat, and it seems to take about four panels to beat him, initially, and when we get out Freddy Kreuger Isn't Dead Moment, the process to beat him takes longer but it's still not interesting or satisfying.
There's absolutely no reason to read this, but it's not quite as bad as some of the other books coming out at the same time.
***
Original 2018 Review:
For me, this is in contention with Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 4: The Draco and Counter X: X-Force: Rage War for the worst X-Men related book Marvel ever bothered to collect.
This is the final volume of Claremont's unfocused run, and it wraps up some of his loose ends and decides that this is the origin of the XSE from Bishop's future. Marvel editorial has wisely completely ignored this run in every book that comes after it. Even the art in this book looks likes it's trying to distance itself from the story. All the faces look the same: rushed. And while I wasn't a huge fan of Kordey's previous work on this title, thie particular collection looks like he was given 24 hours notice and had to do his best, knowing that the story was incomprehensible and the series was cancelled. There's an annual in the back, which takes place Much Earlier in the X-Treme X-Men run, and it's so superior to the art in this volume that it's painful. And I hated the art from the beginning of the run.
I recommend this for X-Men fans who are looking for a story so bad that they can swear off ever reading another X-book again.
April 14, 2012
God, the writing in this one is terrible. Claremont has a big cast to juggle and fails miserably. By the time we reach the climax of the storyline, he is attempting to come up with creative ways for the various characters to harness their powers. By the time we reach the end, nothing really makes sense anymore. Also, if you have read a lot of stuff by Claremont, you will recognize his trademark touchy-feely dialogue. The cast hugs and talks about their feelings so much that you would think you were reading a romance comic.
The art is serviceable. But I have seen other work by Kordey and can tell that some of the art misses because he was rushed.. The biggest gaffe would have to be his depiction of Gambit, who looks like a cancer victim in the last stages of illness. This gn is only for X-Men completists or anyone trying to bridge various storylines on your way to (hopefully) better X-Men stories.
The art is serviceable. But I have seen other work by Kordey and can tell that some of the art misses because he was rushed.. The biggest gaffe would have to be his depiction of Gambit, who looks like a cancer victim in the last stages of illness. This gn is only for X-Men completists or anyone trying to bridge various storylines on your way to (hopefully) better X-Men stories.
September 2, 2016
The X-Treme team finally goes toe-to-toe with Elias Bogan, and unlike most of Claremont's recent efforts, actually wraps up the story in a satisfying fashion. There are inventive uses of super powers here, intelligent discussions about how to deal with possessed friends, and everyone from the whole run comes back to say hi and chip in for the final battle. Claremont is in full form here, having gotten all his dumb ideas out of the way in the previous arc and saving all the stuff he's great at for later.
Unfortunately, the grand conclusion is marred by how uninteresting Elias Bogan is. He has a dark history with Sage, whose dark secret was completely predictable and boring (just like everything else about Sage). He turns people against each other, just like every other Claremont villain. He has evil red eyes, which is only slightly less dumb than Malice's evil choker.
However, don't let those gripes dissuade you from reading a natural, satisfying ending to the series.
Unfortunately, the grand conclusion is marred by how uninteresting Elias Bogan is. He has a dark history with Sage, whose dark secret was completely predictable and boring (just like everything else about Sage). He turns people against each other, just like every other Claremont villain. He has evil red eyes, which is only slightly less dumb than Malice's evil choker.
However, don't let those gripes dissuade you from reading a natural, satisfying ending to the series.
September 27, 2013
Chris Claremont, longtime writer of the X-Men, is such a well-crafted, familiar voice that these stories seem like a visit with old friends. His characters and characterizations really help these characters, even when Grant Morrison's run and the movies took over the focus of other X-Men titles. The art by Igor Kordey is quite good, too: what's he up to since this mid-2000s work? I liked this, though it's taken me until now to procure and read the individual issues from back-issue bins.
Recommended.
Recommended.
November 28, 2015
Compared to the promising start that X-Treme X-Men had, this is not particularly impressive. I appreciate the fact that Claremont was able to draw Shadowcat in for this arc and reintroduce Rachel Grey to the X-Men after being stranded in the future for a long time and a brief set of appearances in Cable. Elias Bogan doesn't seem to be a very original villain to me -- what makes him all that different from the Shadow King? A few X-Corporation guest appearances (mainly former New Mutants characters) were nice to see as well, but overall, this was pretty forgettable.
August 19, 2013
the last time i followed xmen closely kitty pryde, a cute awkward 13 year old w/a crush on collosus(sp) had gotten a baby dragon she named lockheed.
i didn't know what was going on w/in this comic or who some of the main characters were/are. i gave up half way through, however i think its well written (it is by claremont afterall) and the art is nice. kitty looks ready for the stage at the crazy horse.
i didn't know what was going on w/in this comic or who some of the main characters were/are. i gave up half way through, however i think its well written (it is by claremont afterall) and the art is nice. kitty looks ready for the stage at the crazy horse.
December 20, 2010
Too many characters and generally bad art. Not new complaints about an X-Men spin-off book, I'm sure.
June 11, 2017
The x-treme X-men faces of against Elias Bogden in the final volume of the series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews