A Era do X-Man: O Espetacular Noturno

Age of X-Man (Collected Editions)

by Seanan McGuire

Um mundo perfeito ainda precisa de diversão! E o astro de maior grandeza só poderia ser ele: o Espetacular Noturno! Ele e sua coestrela Meggan acabam envolvidos por algo muito perigoso: um romance secreto. Mas o astro do Estúdio X está para descobrir que, às vezes, o preço da fama é alto demais!

COLLECTING: AGE OF X-MAN: THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER 1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Science Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2019

About the author

Hi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.

Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).

I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally Nightcrawler has everything he ever wanted -key member of the X-Men, working and spending time with Meggan, and adored throughout the world as a celebrity movie star! Sounds way too good to be true?.

Long time Nightcrawler fans would have read the outline of this book with high expectations in the development of Kurt's character but alas we have more or less a carbon copy of countless Marvel events where the protagonist's changed-world/reality is great, but the cracks begin to show and his changed reality is turned upside down. Ideas are needed to keep me reading Marvel, as my patience grows thin. Once again a good read and OK art, just very little originality or innovation. 7 out of 12, Three Stars

2019 read

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another alternate universe story, X-Men editorial? Can we say ‘flogging a dead horse’ much?

Oh, well, judging this one on its own merits, it’s an OK little parallel universe story featuring Nightcrawler as a big time movie star in a world where family relationships and romantic love are forbidden. Seen it all before in other SF works so it isn’t breaking any new ground but it’s reasonably entertaining. The art is decent but nothing special.

Overall, it was fine, I guess.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Considering the fact that I quite like Nightcrawler, I really wanted to enjoy this series, but it's a boring, jumbled mess from start to finish. Kurt Wagner is not only an X-Man, but also the world's biggest movie star in Nate Grey's alternate Utopian universe. We see him at the height of his success, he has the perfect life where he wants for nothing, but eventually is tempted by his attraction to his costar Meggan (you may remember her from Excalibur), and any kind of love in the Age of X-Man is a big no-no.

Unfortunately, much of the action we get in this story is merely from Nightcrawler's movies being filmed, so there's no reason at all to care. The most exciting thing that happens in the entire series is a fist fight that breaks out with a rival movie studio (which is to say nothing exciting at all happens in this series). And the drama fares no better, being mostly confusing, with character's muddled motivations turning on a dime with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Kurt learns that he has a daughter in this world, and he desires to meet her more than anything...until he suddenly doesn't care about her at all. Meggan tries to talk him out of finding his daughter initially and then ends up wanting to raise and protect her...with no evident catalyst for this sudden change.

I would have rated this book 2 stars but the baffling, selfish choice that Kurt makes at the end of the book for seemingly no reason just ruins it for me. The story did not adequately set up this decision, and when he presents his decision to Meggan (in a very ambiguous way, which she understands perfectly though the reader very likely will just be confused) she accepts it with very little fuss, even though it's the kind of life-changing decision that would warrant at least five minutes of debate (I can't say more without spoiling the story, but suffice it to say it was very unsatisfying). And speaking of baffling decisions, Kurt's response to a bunch of people standing around threateningly and putting his daughter in what he believes to be danger is to TELEPORT A FOUR-YEAR-OLD GIRL TO THE TOP OF A TALL BUILDING (with no more than a six inch tall "railing" along the edge) AND THEN LEAVE HER UNATTENDED BY HERSELF. It cracks me up that the situation he puts her in actually seems quite a bit more dangerous than the one he takes her out of, though I realize that the appearance of the building may have been a miscommunication between the writer and artist. Regardless of the reason behind it, I still find it very funny.

I can't really talk about the surprise reveal toward the end of this, but so much of the drama in this story (and particularly surrounding that reveal) is the kind of stuff that could have been avoided entirely if characters had just taken a few minutes to talk to each other. I imagine these conversations never happened because of the distrust and paranoia that comes from such a Big Brotherly kind of society that Nate Grey built, but the story doesn't really do anything to create that kind of oppressive atmosphere. With vague stakes and even vaguer motivations, there's unfortunately little compelling story to be found here.

1.5 stars

[RG · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very compelling story

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues.

I was not impressed by most of the Age of X-Man anthologies. This one I took an interest in because of a) Nightcrawler and b) Seanan McGuire.

I still do not like the central conceit of the X-Man stories, but this one shines in its character moments and understanding of what makes Kurt tick - in any reality. I loved the nods in the background art and in the German dialogue to other Kurt moments and his national identity. I loved the moments given to the Cuckoo sisters. The art complemented the dialogue and the action quite well.

For those not familiar with Age of X-Man, these are alternate reality tales where family does not exist - each person is genetically unique, and romance and romantic attraction are forbidden. In this world, Kurt falls for his co-star (he is, after all, an action movie star, as he has dreamed of being in the past) and stumbles across the path of Mystique... who long-time X-Men fans know is his mother in our reality. The plot comes to a satisfying conclusion with lots of great dialogue. Seanan's love of the X-Men and knowledge of the characters allows for several moments that made me laugh out loud and smile and nod as I recognized the deep cut references she sprinkled throughout. This one is worth a read for X-Men fans.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A escritora sensação do momento Seanan McGuire fica encarregada da construção do mundo do Espetacular Noturno neste encadernado cuja arte ficou à cargo de Julian Frigeri. Neste mundo, da A Era do X-Man, o nosso intrépido e cavalheresco Noturno é um grande ator de filmes de ação e é sócio majoritário de um empreendimento de cinema chamado Estúdio X. Ele vive às voltas com os treinadores de mutantes e dublês Magma e Kylun e tem um amor secreto por Meggan, já que na A Era do X-Man os mutantes são proibidos de emoções fortes como o amor e a paixão. Os segredos se acirram quando Mística apresenta para Noturno sua filhinha Tenia e revela a ele que ele tem sofrido lavagens cerebrais ao longo dos anos. Assim, Noturno se revolta contra as irmãs Cuco, administradoras dos Estúdios X e também suas captoras. O quadrinho é divertido sim, mas não o suficiente para ganhar mais de três estrelas. Ele lembra algumas das mais fraquinhas histórias do grupo mutante Excalibur, quando este estava próximo do cancelamento do título. E o mesmo vale para os desenhos de Julian Frigeri. Mas é sempre bom ver o Noturno em ação, não é mesmo?

[Myles Likes Tacos and Rice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic has a lot of nice moments and I love that the Cuckoos get some shine, but the concept and story was really all over the place. They didn't even really go into the importance of having Nightcrawler do these movies for propaganda reasons, which I think would've been interesting and its also where I thought this book was heading after the first issue

However I would definitely buy the single issues if I saw them in the bargain bin, but I would cut the book up as there are some nice panels that would look good on a wall.

[Robert Kirwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the better ones in Age of X-Man.

Lots of action, the art is on point, the characters are as we know them and there's alot of intrigue to keep things going!! Very fun and of course, Meggan is back!!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty pointless as far as the larger Age of X-Man story. It wasn't bad but having Nightcrawler in two different books was confusing. I tried to read them in the order suggested by a website I found but they don't seem to fit together.

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

4.5

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, so... I'm more of a DC fan. What does that mean? It means I have NO IDEA what this "Age of X-Man"-thing is. So why did I pick this book up? Easy: I always liked Nightcrawler--cool power, nice guy, interesting backstory. So when I saw a graphic novel starring him, I found I couldn't resist. So coming in as someone who KNOWS NOTHING... I liked it. It kind of felt like an alternate reality/what-if story. (I don't know if that's what it is, but that's how it felt, at least.) I liked the theme of love and family being integral to humanity--that's why the Cuckoos couldn't erase it forever and why Nightcrawler kept coming back to it, time and time again. The fact that he ultimately sacrificed his own feelings of attachment so the ones he loved could flee only heightens the theme. It ended with him being oblivious, but I don't think a guy with a good heart can really stay with such a dry, unfeeling status quo. Adding to the richness of the theme was the fact that, without attachment, the world was seemingly better. OR WAS IT? (Insert dramatic music.) Re-education centers that were supposedly myths, people going to secret clubs and wearing masks just to experience closeness.... Proof that what makes us better is love. The irony is that it also sometimes makes us worse. Of course, the end theme was a testimony to its power (as shown through Nightcrawler's sacrifice). Again, I don't know how much of this story is canon, but as someone without any attachment (no pun intended) to the Marvel universe, I definitely enjoyed it.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is sort of a cheat as I am reviewing the whole crossover at one time. I'm recovering from a surgery with a lot of time to lay around and read so I plowed through the all of the trades at one time. (I would give the whole series a 3.5 star rating, most likely...)

I feel like this series was interesting. I'm a sucker for an alt-universe tale but I thought that this one was on the better end of the spectrum, personally. A bit more cerebral than punchy, though, so your mileage may vary. (And some of the more cerebral bits are sort of only surface-cerebral, but hey - that's superhero books for ya.)

At any rate, I thought it was a good premise (and I like this take on Nate, personally) and most of the sideplots were interesting and had great moments of characterization. The overarching main plot was a little empty in the end (and very rushed - I'm curious if there was originally going to be more time given to this series?) but I personally feel that several of the personal arcs were definitely worth it in the end.

High points for me were Nextgen (I always love the young X-Men characters, though) and X-tremists (I really dug the blob/Psylocke dynamic) while the low points were Prisoner X and the X-tracts (neither of which was particularly a low point in my opinion - just not up to the others).

[Tim B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this because Meggan, Nightcrawler, and Kylun we’re back together and I love Excalibur. It was neat to see how Nightcrawler would be in a world where he maintained his love of acrobatic swashbuckling but was untempered by religious beliefs. Kylun was just filler and he didn’t bring anything really to the story, and that was disappointing. I think he was thrown in for us folks who love Excalibur. Many questions were left unanswered, especially with regard to Meggan: why was Meggan a white blonde (in the past when she and Nightcrawler crushes on each other she would morph in a blue skinned lady, and here it was much more than a crush), how did the re-education actually work on her since she is married with a child and ultra strong (maybe calling back to her old naive days where she was obsessed and educated by TV?); and what happened to her elemental control? Toward the end, the book lets you know that it is not Meggan that is important, it is just that Nightcrawler likes love and tries to find it with whomever he finds. TJ was thrown in as a plot driver, but she never does anything here. Nightcrawler is still a nice man willing to sacrifice anything for those he cares about.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once a Nightcrawler fan, forever a Nightcrawler fan. Only been about a decade of that for me, if not more.

This is the trouble with having everything. You have so very much to lose.

While I may grate against the Age of X-Man premise that love (familial, romantic, etc.) all being illegal among mutants, I was intrigued by how it was utilized here in the Cuckoo sisters and the reveals around Kurt.

Mainly, I loved reading this for him. His character is one I adore and this new non-religious (no ties, remember?) take on him is super interesting. McGuire is a fantastic author and wrote him and the other characters very well! Little Germanic phrases and bits slipped in to show the ways Kurt is similar and also different to who we usually expect him to be.

It’s a great little side story that I thoroughly enjoyed! Though my distaste for love-law elements may angle me away from other Age of X-Man installments.

[Shandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. I generally adore Seanan McGuire’s writing no matter the format, but this one felt very out of context, and I did not enjoy the ending at all. I think I figured out that it’s an alternate universe, where mutants are all accepted (maybe everyone is a mutant? Unclear) but love and families are forbidden. This makes very little sense to me, but okay...

The art was great (Meggan was perhaps a little too boobalicious for my taste - it seemed unlikely she’d actually stay in her shirt, as drawn!), and I enjoyed the dialog. I’m only a sporadic reader of X-men comics, so I’m sure I missed references to some bigger arc maybe?

Basically, I kind of enjoyed it, but it’s not the ending I would pick, or the world I’d want to live in!

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this one was partly my fault. I didn't realize Age of X-Man happened between the events of Matthew Rosenberg's run. I thought this took place during HOX/POX.

And the book does a really bad job of helping the reader understand what's going on. Also, the cover -- seriously an important way to judge a comicbook -- is no help. It sets up that there's going to be a cheerful story that has some connection with Spider-Man. This isn't that.

It's kind of a mutant Eternal Sunshine with a little Three Amigos. But I was so confused by the fact that things were different from any established continuity and disappointed by the inability to generate tension.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going on a bit of a Nightcrawler binge. While I may not be the biggest Marvel buff (being more of a DC fan), I've always kind of had an interest in this character. And while there are probably better titles/runs to go with, this was the one that I got my hands on first.

The story itself just wasn't all to appealing to me. I get that it's a what if type title, but I've read better what ifs. And I didn't really feel a connection with the characters. The art was good, but that's about all I can give it.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Age of X-Man series is suffering from the same over saturation problem that many comic book crossovers suffer from. We end up reading a lot of filler. In this reality, Nightcrawler is a movie star. So we once again have characters remembering how things were before, and other characters trying to stop them from remembering. This ending did have an interesting wild card, but really I think this crossover could have been told with fewer parts. Perhaps the rest of the series will change my mind.

That being said, this series was still entertaining.

[Estel · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to rate this, how to rate this. In general I feel that the event it's tying into is silly, and has a premise that everyone realizes in a second is ridiculous and dystopian. But it's still a good tie-in, which does good service to the characters, and showcases a Nightcrawler characterization that I love. Giving it 4 stars for that and really hoping Marvel figures out what they're doing with the mutants at some point.

[[ishtaru] · Rating 5 out of 5]

my love for Seanan McGuire’s writing only affects my opinion a little... because I loved this. first of all, nightcrawler is my favourite mutant so write that down. second of all, this story just resonated with me IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. i think it’s really well written, and the ending is bittersweet in that perfect kind of way that speaks to hope for the future even though there’s sadness in the now.

[Gavin Wask · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Age of X-Man series, this time, surprisingly focusing on Nightcrawler and his film empire. It shows another perspective of the world in which our heroes now inhabit as well as it falling down around them.
It was nice to see Meggan and Magma involved in this story as well as bit parts for Surge, Hellion and Lady Mastermind.

An interesting and fun story.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the resolution of this complicated plot and how it fits into the larger Age of X-Man storyline. Kurt is an easy sell for me, though, so I loved getting to read a story arc focusing on him. (And Meggan, whom I also love. And I love them together. Look, I was just really easy for this story, okay?)

[Jessi Collier Wakefield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightcrawler is and always has been my all time favorite comic book hero. Hands down.
Sorry reading over 100 pages of just him is right up my alley. Except...this wasn't. And that makes me sad. I give it 3 stars because I will always like whatever Nightcrawler is in, but the story and the ending left me flat.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nightcrawler and others wonder why love is outlawed while dealing with people who claim to know them from another life. Like most of the Age of X-Man titles, a mystery needs to work on multiple levels when the reader already knows everything that's going on and these stories don't really go that far.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a ride. The character dynamics were interesting but I did find some of their choices to be a tad confusing at times. It was a lot of fun noticing the deep rooted references and being able to appreciate and sometimes laugh at them.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was the most entertaining of the Age of X-Man books, with Nightcrawler getting to play the Hollywood leading man in a way that suits him perfectly. Some of the plotting around the Stepford Cuckoos confused me and, like the whole crossover, the ending was anti-climatic.

[Adan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, this wasn’t very good, though it does point to how pervasive the whole “you can’t love” thing is, and what lengths some folks go to shut that all down. But Nightcrawler and Meggan? Nope, don’t buy it.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe my favorite tie-in so far in this event, and does a strong job discussing love and it's meaning in life.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Christian Saca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

Nice standalone story for Nightcrawler. A little vague and could've explained the little one's story better, but still a great read.