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The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus
The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 5
Chris Claremont, together with an absolute dream team of art talent - John Romita Jr., Arthur Adams, Barry Windsor-Smith and Dave Cockrum - brings you more indisputable mutant masterworks! From Juggernaut's earthshaking return to the second "Lifedeath" to the conclusion of the Asgardian Wars, they're Marvel milestones one and all! You'll also see the birth of Nathan Summers and witness his "Days of Future Past" sibling Rachel coming to terms with the power of the Phoenix Force! The Beyonder and the mutant-hunting Nimrod loom over it all, and Barry Windsor-Smith crafts a defining Wolverine tale in "Wounded Wolf." Also featuring Dave Cockrum's swashbuckling NIGHTCRAWLER limited series, and Ann Nocenti and Arthur Adams' quintessentially '80s LONGSHOT limited series! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #194-209, X-MEN ANNUAL (1970) #9-10, NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION (1985) #1, NEW MUTANTS ANNUAL (1984) #2, NIGHTCRAWLER (1985) #1-4, LONGSHOT (1985) #1-6 and material from MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #33.
1064 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
17 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,280 books889 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 6, 2024
3.25 stars. This starts off great. We have Nimrod showing up proving to be a very difficult foe. Rachel Gray or Phoenix, getting some more airtime and a tag team with the New Mutants special #1 and X-Men annual 9 telling a dope story with the X-Men and New Mutants mixing it up with Loki and the Enchantress. Arthur Adams killed the art duty through those two issues. Then issue 200! The trial of Magneto! This was really we’ll done. The trial of a notorious mutant while the city having protest while on the verge of a boiling over. Issue 204 with Nightcrawler got a little weird tho and the issue with Wolverine telling Rachel she can’t kill and trying stop her by trying to kill her. Huh? The Nightcrawler 4 issue mini series revisited Kitty Pride’s bedtime story from previous issues. The allure had wore itself thin by now however. The Longshot 6 issues mini had a cool idea and concept but the writing for a little too choppy at times. Then enter Mojo vs the Mutants in the last two annuals. Warlock and Doug do some cool stuff here and Betsy Braddock or Psylocke join the crew but the story was decent. Let’s keep this mutant train rolling. On to some X-Factor and more New Mutants.
July 17, 2024
I waited years for this damn book. And now that it’s here… yeah, I’m happy. Is it the best batch of Claremont’s run? No. Claremont lost the plot after Paul Smith left Uncanny and he still hadn’t recovered by now. While there are glimpses of the old magic, the stories between 194-209 see Claremont both wheel-spinning and spaghetti-throwing. I don’t buy that X-Factor or Secret Wars II or Alan Moore are to blame. The book threatened to go off the rails well before X-Factor was planned, he had time to pivot when he knew he couldn’t use The Fury, and as subpar as the X-Men SWII issues are they’re at least more focused than the issues surrounding them—you even get the sense Claremont was happy to use SWII for some breathing room.
Honestly, this omni is worth getting just for Alan Davis’s creepy, surreal, beautiful work on New Mutants Annual 2, plus Art Adams’s hyper detailed, intricate, beautiful work on the X-Men annuals. Claremont really is on fire when working with those two. In general, Claremont is at his best when he’s not dealing with the whole mutant-human relations issue that the X-Men are “supposed” to be all about. Although really the whole mutant thing was just a shortcut for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to skip preposterous origin stories. Not surprisingly it developed into a social justice parable but a parable that doesn’t bear the least amount of scrutiny, and the best X-Men stories but one all have nothing to do with it. X-Men fighting Mojo and Loki, though? Awesome.
Back to the main title. I love JRJR’s art but his eye for costumes is… unfortunate. This is the worst dressed team of X-Men ever. And that’s kinda saying something. Luckily, the book and the entire X-Men line is about to go bananas. Issues 207-209 set the stage for the upcoming mutant mania awesomeness.
Of course, they’re marred slightly as these issues also feature Wolverine doing his legendary hypocritical flip-flopping on the “no killing” rule. None of the excuses people have invented for this make a lick of sense. When Claremont plotted Wolverine going after Rachel, he didn’t just drop the ball. No! He drove to SpaceX, he snuck onto the launchpad, he duct-taped the ball to a space shuttle, and he put the damn ball into orbit. It makes absolutely no sense.
Sure, I’m glad Rachel got the boot, because she was too whiny and I love Excalibur-era Rachel, but her exit here is a travesty. Claremont knew he screwed up with the character, clearly. Why else lobotomize her? I think the better option would have been to tell us the story of a young woman who learned to deal with trauma but I guess Claremont didn’t want to bother. Granted he had a lot going on. He’s really an idea man. He’s very good at starting stories but not finishing them. (In these issues you’ll see a bunch of dead-end stories introduced.)
It’s a cop out when storytellers find shades of gray in completely black and white situations. I groan whenever a hero refuses to “sink to the villain’s level,” but I loathe when so-called heroes cowardly refuse to kill out and out evil. (Um, yeah, I’d kill baby Hitler.) Story-wise, it makes sense so you can reuse the villain but it makes the heroes look craven. Selene, without a doubt, is a net negative for humanity. Killing her would be a boon. Killing Selene would be justice no matter how you look at it. How many thousands upon thousands of innocent people has she killed over the centuries?
And Wolverine is so full of shit here. His argument is “you can never kill no matter how evil the enemy is, no matter how many lives they’ve taken and certainly will take again, never mind that I’ve happily killed tons of people some of whom probably weren’t anywhere near as evil as Selene, I’m suddenly firm on the whole “no killing” thing right now and to prove it I will kill you right now, SNIKT!”
This is the nadir of Claremont’s (original) X-Men.
Another thing that always bugged me about 207. The X-Men realize Wolverine, a very physically ill veteran, is missing at the same time they realize that Rachel, a very mentally ill teenager, is missing. Storm orders the X-Men and the Morlocks to search for Wolverine and Wolverine alone. Even though there are plenty to search for both. One can say Storm decides that on purpose because she’s angry with Rachel but that makes Storm look like more of a jerk than she already does in this issue. Claremont is a wonderful writer but he could also be a terrible writer. (Maybe that’s what makes Uncanny so good, the ups and downs?)
But having Wolverine of all people “kill” Rachel because otherwise she was about to kill a literal vampire… travesty. In 210—in which issue by the way we see Selene immediately casually murder more people!—Claremont has Wolverine (of “killing is what I do best” fame) lecture the X-Men about how righteous he was to stab Rachel. “I murdered my teenage superhero friend because she was about to murder a literal vampire. Because, you see, the X-Men aren’t murderers, we’re heroes! So I had to murder an X-Man hero. Make sense?”
Huh?
And don’t give me that crap about Logan thinking Rachel was gonna turn into Dark Phoenix Junior any second now. Hogwash! Sure, Rachel was a little power happy not long before this but there are a few dots short of a connection to make that argument hold any water.
Another problem with this batch of issues is that the X-Men look like complete and utter assholes. They don’t seem to care AT ALL about the New Mutants. It’s appalling. The Beyonder killed the junior team and wiped out all memory of their existence? Storm, Leader of Leaders: “Oh, who cares, they were resurrected anyway. Plus, Magneto and… apparently the White Queen are taking care of them. We’re gonna chill in San Fran! I mean, Kitty has a date tonight. And when we do finally return home we won’t even check on the kids. We’ll unnecessarily hang out in the Morlock tunnels instead of our mansion. But don’t worry, I’ll come up with a flimsy excuse for why we’re literally borrowing Morlock clothes and sleeping in Morlock beds. I guess I just REALLY REALLY hate the New Mutants! Sue me!”
Storm is the worst superhero team leader of all time. I love the bitch, but she ain’t a leader. You tried, Storm; you failed, Storm; call Cyclops!
The X-Men, even Illyana’s brother Peter, even her “soul” sister Kitty, literally don’t care. There are so many instances of the X-Men behaving completely irresponsibly and selfishly in these issues. (I can’t see it happening under OG Cyclops’ leadership.)
In his blog Jason Powell calls this the start of the era of darker X-Men. “Having temporarily holed up in the Morlock tunnels while waiting for Wolverine to heal from his battle with Deathstrike, they are in straits so desperate that compassion, for the first time in their history, takes a back seat to simple survival. This is entirely new territory for the characters and the series.” Except, he’s wrong. I agree it’s the beginning of “dark” X-Men but the straits have not been shown to be so dire the X-Men don’t have time for compassion. If anything the straits are dire because the X-Men have no time for compassion! Granted, straits are ABOUT to get real dire, but the X-Men don’t know that. They’re just being selfish jerks.
This omnibus does contain some very, very good comics not of the main series. You have the adventures of the X-Men and New Mutants in Asgard, Dave Cockrum’s silly but mostly fun Nightcrawler series, Ann Nocenti & Art Adams’ Longshot mini, and then you have Claremont incorporating into Uncanny elements from both Longshot and Alan Moore’s and Alan Davis’ Captain Britain series. So there are definitely a lot of classic X-moments here even if the thrust of the story in the main title was limping along. But, hashtag, it gets better. Much better. This was a limp before and after comics greatness. The story continues in 210, which is in the Mutant Massacre omnibus*, and that issue starts with a bang!
*Some omnibus collectors get extremely bothered and upset when anyone points out that the contents for the last Mutant Massacre oversized hardcover are identical to the Mutant Massacre omnibus. If anything the paper and the binding are superior. Bizarre. If you’re looking for Mutant Massacre the non-omnibus is of a higher quality, regardless of the trade dressing.
Honestly, this omni is worth getting just for Alan Davis’s creepy, surreal, beautiful work on New Mutants Annual 2, plus Art Adams’s hyper detailed, intricate, beautiful work on the X-Men annuals. Claremont really is on fire when working with those two. In general, Claremont is at his best when he’s not dealing with the whole mutant-human relations issue that the X-Men are “supposed” to be all about. Although really the whole mutant thing was just a shortcut for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to skip preposterous origin stories. Not surprisingly it developed into a social justice parable but a parable that doesn’t bear the least amount of scrutiny, and the best X-Men stories but one all have nothing to do with it. X-Men fighting Mojo and Loki, though? Awesome.
Back to the main title. I love JRJR’s art but his eye for costumes is… unfortunate. This is the worst dressed team of X-Men ever. And that’s kinda saying something. Luckily, the book and the entire X-Men line is about to go bananas. Issues 207-209 set the stage for the upcoming mutant mania awesomeness.
Of course, they’re marred slightly as these issues also feature Wolverine doing his legendary hypocritical flip-flopping on the “no killing” rule. None of the excuses people have invented for this make a lick of sense. When Claremont plotted Wolverine going after Rachel, he didn’t just drop the ball. No! He drove to SpaceX, he snuck onto the launchpad, he duct-taped the ball to a space shuttle, and he put the damn ball into orbit. It makes absolutely no sense.
Sure, I’m glad Rachel got the boot, because she was too whiny and I love Excalibur-era Rachel, but her exit here is a travesty. Claremont knew he screwed up with the character, clearly. Why else lobotomize her? I think the better option would have been to tell us the story of a young woman who learned to deal with trauma but I guess Claremont didn’t want to bother. Granted he had a lot going on. He’s really an idea man. He’s very good at starting stories but not finishing them. (In these issues you’ll see a bunch of dead-end stories introduced.)
It’s a cop out when storytellers find shades of gray in completely black and white situations. I groan whenever a hero refuses to “sink to the villain’s level,” but I loathe when so-called heroes cowardly refuse to kill out and out evil. (Um, yeah, I’d kill baby Hitler.) Story-wise, it makes sense so you can reuse the villain but it makes the heroes look craven. Selene, without a doubt, is a net negative for humanity. Killing her would be a boon. Killing Selene would be justice no matter how you look at it. How many thousands upon thousands of innocent people has she killed over the centuries?
And Wolverine is so full of shit here. His argument is “you can never kill no matter how evil the enemy is, no matter how many lives they’ve taken and certainly will take again, never mind that I’ve happily killed tons of people some of whom probably weren’t anywhere near as evil as Selene, I’m suddenly firm on the whole “no killing” thing right now and to prove it I will kill you right now, SNIKT!”
This is the nadir of Claremont’s (original) X-Men.
Another thing that always bugged me about 207. The X-Men realize Wolverine, a very physically ill veteran, is missing at the same time they realize that Rachel, a very mentally ill teenager, is missing. Storm orders the X-Men and the Morlocks to search for Wolverine and Wolverine alone. Even though there are plenty to search for both. One can say Storm decides that on purpose because she’s angry with Rachel but that makes Storm look like more of a jerk than she already does in this issue. Claremont is a wonderful writer but he could also be a terrible writer. (Maybe that’s what makes Uncanny so good, the ups and downs?)
But having Wolverine of all people “kill” Rachel because otherwise she was about to kill a literal vampire… travesty. In 210—in which issue by the way we see Selene immediately casually murder more people!—Claremont has Wolverine (of “killing is what I do best” fame) lecture the X-Men about how righteous he was to stab Rachel. “I murdered my teenage superhero friend because she was about to murder a literal vampire. Because, you see, the X-Men aren’t murderers, we’re heroes! So I had to murder an X-Man hero. Make sense?”
Huh?
And don’t give me that crap about Logan thinking Rachel was gonna turn into Dark Phoenix Junior any second now. Hogwash! Sure, Rachel was a little power happy not long before this but there are a few dots short of a connection to make that argument hold any water.
Another problem with this batch of issues is that the X-Men look like complete and utter assholes. They don’t seem to care AT ALL about the New Mutants. It’s appalling. The Beyonder killed the junior team and wiped out all memory of their existence? Storm, Leader of Leaders: “Oh, who cares, they were resurrected anyway. Plus, Magneto and… apparently the White Queen are taking care of them. We’re gonna chill in San Fran! I mean, Kitty has a date tonight. And when we do finally return home we won’t even check on the kids. We’ll unnecessarily hang out in the Morlock tunnels instead of our mansion. But don’t worry, I’ll come up with a flimsy excuse for why we’re literally borrowing Morlock clothes and sleeping in Morlock beds. I guess I just REALLY REALLY hate the New Mutants! Sue me!”
Storm is the worst superhero team leader of all time. I love the bitch, but she ain’t a leader. You tried, Storm; you failed, Storm; call Cyclops!
The X-Men, even Illyana’s brother Peter, even her “soul” sister Kitty, literally don’t care. There are so many instances of the X-Men behaving completely irresponsibly and selfishly in these issues. (I can’t see it happening under OG Cyclops’ leadership.)
In his blog Jason Powell calls this the start of the era of darker X-Men. “Having temporarily holed up in the Morlock tunnels while waiting for Wolverine to heal from his battle with Deathstrike, they are in straits so desperate that compassion, for the first time in their history, takes a back seat to simple survival. This is entirely new territory for the characters and the series.” Except, he’s wrong. I agree it’s the beginning of “dark” X-Men but the straits have not been shown to be so dire the X-Men don’t have time for compassion. If anything the straits are dire because the X-Men have no time for compassion! Granted, straits are ABOUT to get real dire, but the X-Men don’t know that. They’re just being selfish jerks.
This omnibus does contain some very, very good comics not of the main series. You have the adventures of the X-Men and New Mutants in Asgard, Dave Cockrum’s silly but mostly fun Nightcrawler series, Ann Nocenti & Art Adams’ Longshot mini, and then you have Claremont incorporating into Uncanny elements from both Longshot and Alan Moore’s and Alan Davis’ Captain Britain series. So there are definitely a lot of classic X-moments here even if the thrust of the story in the main title was limping along. But, hashtag, it gets better. Much better. This was a limp before and after comics greatness. The story continues in 210, which is in the Mutant Massacre omnibus*, and that issue starts with a bang!
*Some omnibus collectors get extremely bothered and upset when anyone points out that the contents for the last Mutant Massacre oversized hardcover are identical to the Mutant Massacre omnibus. If anything the paper and the binding are superior. Bizarre. If you’re looking for Mutant Massacre the non-omnibus is of a higher quality, regardless of the trade dressing.
April 29, 2024
The one thing that came to mind while watching X-Men 97 was, damn i missed these guys. Its been so long since their last movie, thank god for the comics. This is the 5th Uncanny X-Men omnibus collecting issues from the year 1985 and 1986. It has the mini series from Longshot and Nightcrawler, Marvel Fanfare, some annuals, The New Mutants, and Uncanny X-Men 194 until 209. Chockfull of talent from that time, ofcourse Mister Claremont. But also Arthur Adams, Dave Cockrum, Alan Davis, John Romita JR. And the fantastic Barry Windsor-Smith ( who provided this great DM cover. It contains the classic Battle between Cyclops and Storm for the leadership of the X-Men, and the brutal Wolverine tale from Windsor-Smith. 👌🏼 this omnibus contains many many different issues and series ! And this is where Claremont goes overboard, its a hot mess actually, but dammit its the X-Men, and there is also great fun to have here. Just not very logical at times...
September 29, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
The dictionary definition of a mixed bag. Less than half of this book is made up of issues of Uncanny. As Claremont's seminal run starts to wind down, we are treated to some of his best work, as well as some pretty forgettable material to boot.
I'll never be a fan of the way this was mapped. Suitable controversy was stirred up upon it's announcement, yet for the concessions that were offered, it's still not how I would have done it. The annuals and other odds and ends never have been, nor never will be my cup of tea, despite having the phenomenal Alan David and Arthur Addams on art duty. It doesn't help that most of this stuff was collected in New Mutant's omni's released some time ago. That said, the Deadshot mini-series, and the cartoonish (childish) Nightcrawler series from the usually stellar Dave Cockrum were so unappealing I couldn't even read them.
The odd stinker aside, the Uncanny issues , which is what we all came for, are great. It took a while to get used to JRj's art, although once I did, I found myself appreciating it far more than I expected to upon first cracking open the book. I loved Paul Smith's work, rating it much higher than most. JRj is probably the least talented of all the X-Men artists up until now, but dammit if he didn't get the job done regardless.
If this didn't collect all the excess material, and simply finished out Claremont's run proper, you would be looking at higher marks and higher praise. But the rollercoaster of quality running through this book will forever keep it from reaching the high's of what came before. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
The dictionary definition of a mixed bag. Less than half of this book is made up of issues of Uncanny. As Claremont's seminal run starts to wind down, we are treated to some of his best work, as well as some pretty forgettable material to boot.
I'll never be a fan of the way this was mapped. Suitable controversy was stirred up upon it's announcement, yet for the concessions that were offered, it's still not how I would have done it. The annuals and other odds and ends never have been, nor never will be my cup of tea, despite having the phenomenal Alan David and Arthur Addams on art duty. It doesn't help that most of this stuff was collected in New Mutant's omni's released some time ago. That said, the Deadshot mini-series, and the cartoonish (childish) Nightcrawler series from the usually stellar Dave Cockrum were so unappealing I couldn't even read them.
The odd stinker aside, the Uncanny issues , which is what we all came for, are great. It took a while to get used to JRj's art, although once I did, I found myself appreciating it far more than I expected to upon first cracking open the book. I loved Paul Smith's work, rating it much higher than most. JRj is probably the least talented of all the X-Men artists up until now, but dammit if he didn't get the job done regardless.
If this didn't collect all the excess material, and simply finished out Claremont's run proper, you would be looking at higher marks and higher praise. But the rollercoaster of quality running through this book will forever keep it from reaching the high's of what came before. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
August 28, 2024
This omnibus has some real highs: Lifedeath II, The Trial of Magneto, most of Rachel’s arc, the Wolverine vs. Deathstrike issue, and Psylocke’s addition to the team. Unfortunately, there are some weaker issues, and Longshot has just never done much for me. :/ It’s still quite good, but more mixed than the truly great issues.
Uncanny X-Men #194 ⧫ 4 Stars “Juggernaut's Back in Town”
Nimrod arrives, and though he’s not my favorite villain, this is a pretty cool battle issue, showing how powerful Nimrod is while also giving the Juggernaut his due. It’s a basic writing device that a new enemy showing up to trounce a previous strong enemy establishes a threat, but it’s often done poorly, disrespecting or disregarding an established villain. Here Juggernaut has some fun, and the reader sees each X-Man respond; then, Nimrod shows up more to make the fight cool than to just beat Juggernaut.
Uncanny X-Men #195 ⧫ 4 Stars “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...!”
Another great issue that works best if you know who Power Pack is, but it’s not required. I’m reading Power Pack for the first time, and it’s delightful. There are some great moments for our featured X-Men: Wolverine, Rogue, Kitty, and Rachel. Also, the cliffhanger is so good, but it leads into Secret Wars II #1, which is garbage.
*Nightcrawler is away, and I believe his series, collected at the end of this omnibus, is here chronologically since Nightcrawler mentions it had occurred the previous year in issue 204.*
Uncanny X-Men #196 ⧫ 3 Stars “What Was That?!!”
I like several aspects of this, but the Beyonder really makes this feel like a different book. Claremont is holding it together, but it’s a more confused issue. Oh, and Kitty says the N-word to a black man to make a point about using the “mutie” slur… I know what it’s trying to do, but this has not aged well. The Kitty cigar scene is funny, at least. At least the “Lifedeath II” and “The Trial of Magneto!” are coming up!
Uncanny X-Men #197 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “To Save Arcade?!?”
This is a really fun issue with Kitty and Colossus rebuilding their relationship along with some surprisingly entertaining stuff from Arcade (for a joke villain, he has some strong issues). DOOMTRAIN!
Uncanny X-Men #198 ⧫ 5 Stars “Lifedeath: From the Heart of Darkness”
The second part of Storm’s story is also excellent. Left for dead in Africa, Storm finds her way from death to life. I also appreciate that Clarmeont doesn’t go for the easy [and stupid] nature is better than technology route. The “Lifedeath” issues thrive on being complex and beautiful.
Uncanny X-Men #199 ⧫ 5 Stars “The Spiral Path”
Another great Rachel issue! This seeds three great storylines that have a huge impact on the team. This omnibus would probably be an easy five-star if not for the Secret Wars II nonsense.
New Mutants Special Edition #1 ⧫ 4 Stars “Home Is Where the Heart Is”
Despite having a somewhat silly opening, most of what happens is character development for the team. Moonstar, Karma, Cannonball, and Magik have probably the best arcs with Moonstar’s journey particularly echoing in the future. Magma’s isn’t great, but the others are fine. The team definitely looks like twenty-somethings the way Arthur Adams draws them, which helps make the opening more palatable. I wish this stayed with the New Mutants as the next issue…
Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 ⧫ 3 Stars “There's No Place Like Home”
The X-Men arrive, and the story gets way too cluttered. Why have the full team? Kitty, Colossus, Storm, and maybe Nightcrawler would have been better. It’s still cool, but there’s just not enough room.
Uncanny X-Men #200 ⧫ 5 Stars “The Trial of Magneto!”
The end of an era, and the start of maybe the greatest Magneto arcs, though one could argue that “God Loves, Man Kills” is the start; this is where it picks up. I strongly recommend reading New Mutants #35 after this.
Uncanny X-Men #201 ⧫ 4.5 Stars “Duel”
Rick Leonardi guest pencils one of my favorite issues. Storm [easily] beats Cyclops to become the leader of the X-Men because Cyclops is stupid. Oh sorry, he doesn’t realize that he needs to retire to take care of his family. It’s a very emotional issue, but it really works.
Uncanny X-Men #202 ⧫ 4 Stars “X-Men... I've Gone To Kill -- The Beyonder!”
Rachel is right! Seriously, I love the continued Rachel character work, leave it to Claremont to really effectively use the Beyonder, but man, he needs to go. Also, there’s some really spectacular art in this!
Uncanny X-Men #203 ⧫ 4 Stars “Crossroads”
Rachel vs. the Beyonder concludes with another meditation on the use of power, and the importance of struggle. Look, the Beyonder is dumb, but Claremont really made these issues count.
Uncanny X-Men #204 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “What Happened to Nightcrawler?”
A pretty fun episode about Nightcrawler regaining his confidence. I wish it was a little more substantial, but I have been continually surprised at how effectively Claremont uses Arcade.
Uncanny X-Men #205 ⧫ 5 Stars “Wounded Wolf”
Damn, Windsor-Smith Wolverine might be the best Wolverine. This issue is why Lady Deathstrike is a classic Wolverine villain. Believe it or not, Yuriko Oyama originated in Daredevil #197-199 in an impressive, but more positive tale. Bill Mantlo introduced a prototype Lady Deathstrike in Alpha Flight #34 in a middling story. This is where the real bad blood begins, and it’s awesome. Katie Power guest stars, and I would never have thought to put her in the role, but damn does it work! (Shoutout to the great Power Pack series!)
Uncanny X-Men #206 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Freedom Is a Four Letter Word!”
The X-Men face the Freedom Force who are mostly the Brotherhood, but with Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman in tow. Storm gets some great stuff, and Rachel continues to struggle.
Uncanny X-Men #207 ⧫ 3 Stars “Ghosts”
While recovering from his encounter with Deathstrike, Wolverine gets drawn into Rachel’s dreams. She’s scared off and decided to take care of some unfinished business with Selene at the Hellfire Club. This is a little much. I think an issue between this and the last focusing on Nightcrawler might have made this more palatable. Cool cliffhanger, though.
Uncanny X-Men #208 ⧫ 2 Stars “Retribution”
The X-Men and Hellfire Club fight, and Wolverine [Claremont] tries to make a better argument than last issue. I think Claremont is stretched a little thin with the Annuals and upcoming crossover again because it doesn’t really make sense. I had to kill her to prevent her from killing a killer, so she wouldn’t become a killer? What?
Uncanny X-Men #209 ⧫ 3 Stars “Salvation”
A huge Nimrod battle issue that’s just way better.
Nightcrawler #1 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “How Much Is That Boggie in the Window?”
This series is super fun, even when it gets a bit ridiculous. More Nightcrawler as a Science-Fantasy swashbuckler, less of the cosmic nonsense of that Iceman miniseries.
Nightcrawler #2 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “A Boggie Day in L'un Dun-T'wn”
I honestly wonder if the series was meant to end here because this ends the first arc, and the last two, while fun, seem more superfluous.
Nightcrawler #3 ⧫ 3 Stars “To Bamf, or Not to Bamf!”
Cute, but a little too wacky
Nightcrawler #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Wizard of Oops”
The wackiness ends. Overall, pretty fun!
Longshot #1 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “A Man Without a Past”
I suppose this sets up an interesting mystery; unfortunately, I know where it leads, and I’m not a fan. Also, Longshot is just desperately bland with his luck powers serving more as plot convenience than interesting power. This looks great, but is incredibly hollow.
Longshot #2 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “…I’ll Wave to You from the Top!”
This sets up the love interest? I guess. I wish it didn’t linger on what Nocenti thinks movies are like because that was the dumbest part. I know it mirrors his backstory, but I don’t really care.
Longshot #3 ⧫ 2 Stars “Just Let Me Die”
This one basically devolves into madness with the themes just flowing in and out as stuff happens.
Longshot #4 ⧫ 2 Stars “Can’t Give It All Away!”
She-Hulk and Spider-Man show up, presumably to boost sales. Unfortunately, this is the full introduction of Mojo and the spineless ones… They suck.
Longshot #5 ⧫ 2 Stars “Deadly Lies”
Fighting, lots of fighting. Also, Doctor Strange shows up, so he can sorcerer ex machina next issue.
Longshot #6 ⧫ 2 Stars “A Snake Coils...”
Everything is revealed, and it’s pretty boring. I just can seem to care about Longshot or his vague interdimensional war with Mojo. I kind of prefer they stay out of my comics usually, but Claremont does better in the next couple of issues.
New Mutants Annual #2 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Why do we do these things we do?”
Alan Davis really handles the insanity of this issue well. It’s an issue where feeling trumps sense, and it’s the art that holds it together. Psylocke officially collides into the X-Books, though she bookends the issues. It’s Doug Ramsey who gets main character status with an assist from Warlock, and I really like his journey. If all Mojo stories were like this, I probably wouldn’t despise them so much.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 ⧫ 3 Stars “Performance”
This is sort of the less-good retread of the previous issue. Also, the graduated New Mutant costumes look terrible. The one good thing is that Psylocke continues to worry about her eyes.
Marvel Fanfare #33 ⧫ 3 Stars “Shadows on the Soul!”
It’s a comic that was part of a canceled computer game, and it’s fine. It very much reads like that. Bonus points for Rogue-Hulk and the Rogue Torch.
Other Comics Reviews
X-Men Omnibus #1
X-Men Omnibus #2
Epic Collection Volume 4: It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn
Champions Classic Complete Collection
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #2
X-Men Classic Omnibus
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #3
New Mutants Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #4
Defenders Epic Collection Vol. 8: The New Defenders
Defenders Epic Collection Vol. 9: The End of All Songs
Alpha Flight Omnibus #1
Dazzler Omnibus
Captain Britain Omnibus
Uncanny X-Men #194 ⧫ 4 Stars “Juggernaut's Back in Town”
Nimrod arrives, and though he’s not my favorite villain, this is a pretty cool battle issue, showing how powerful Nimrod is while also giving the Juggernaut his due. It’s a basic writing device that a new enemy showing up to trounce a previous strong enemy establishes a threat, but it’s often done poorly, disrespecting or disregarding an established villain. Here Juggernaut has some fun, and the reader sees each X-Man respond; then, Nimrod shows up more to make the fight cool than to just beat Juggernaut.
Uncanny X-Men #195 ⧫ 4 Stars “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...!”
Another great issue that works best if you know who Power Pack is, but it’s not required. I’m reading Power Pack for the first time, and it’s delightful. There are some great moments for our featured X-Men: Wolverine, Rogue, Kitty, and Rachel. Also, the cliffhanger is so good, but it leads into Secret Wars II #1, which is garbage.
*Nightcrawler is away, and I believe his series, collected at the end of this omnibus, is here chronologically since Nightcrawler mentions it had occurred the previous year in issue 204.*
Uncanny X-Men #196 ⧫ 3 Stars “What Was That?!!”
I like several aspects of this, but the Beyonder really makes this feel like a different book. Claremont is holding it together, but it’s a more confused issue. Oh, and Kitty says the N-word to a black man to make a point about using the “mutie” slur… I know what it’s trying to do, but this has not aged well. The Kitty cigar scene is funny, at least. At least the “Lifedeath II” and “The Trial of Magneto!” are coming up!
Uncanny X-Men #197 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “To Save Arcade?!?”
This is a really fun issue with Kitty and Colossus rebuilding their relationship along with some surprisingly entertaining stuff from Arcade (for a joke villain, he has some strong issues). DOOMTRAIN!
Uncanny X-Men #198 ⧫ 5 Stars “Lifedeath: From the Heart of Darkness”
The second part of Storm’s story is also excellent. Left for dead in Africa, Storm finds her way from death to life. I also appreciate that Clarmeont doesn’t go for the easy [and stupid] nature is better than technology route. The “Lifedeath” issues thrive on being complex and beautiful.
Uncanny X-Men #199 ⧫ 5 Stars “The Spiral Path”
Another great Rachel issue! This seeds three great storylines that have a huge impact on the team. This omnibus would probably be an easy five-star if not for the Secret Wars II nonsense.
New Mutants Special Edition #1 ⧫ 4 Stars “Home Is Where the Heart Is”
Despite having a somewhat silly opening, most of what happens is character development for the team. Moonstar, Karma, Cannonball, and Magik have probably the best arcs with Moonstar’s journey particularly echoing in the future. Magma’s isn’t great, but the others are fine. The team definitely looks like twenty-somethings the way Arthur Adams draws them, which helps make the opening more palatable. I wish this stayed with the New Mutants as the next issue…
Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 ⧫ 3 Stars “There's No Place Like Home”
The X-Men arrive, and the story gets way too cluttered. Why have the full team? Kitty, Colossus, Storm, and maybe Nightcrawler would have been better. It’s still cool, but there’s just not enough room.
Uncanny X-Men #200 ⧫ 5 Stars “The Trial of Magneto!”
The end of an era, and the start of maybe the greatest Magneto arcs, though one could argue that “God Loves, Man Kills” is the start; this is where it picks up. I strongly recommend reading New Mutants #35 after this.
Uncanny X-Men #201 ⧫ 4.5 Stars “Duel”
Rick Leonardi guest pencils one of my favorite issues. Storm [easily] beats Cyclops to become the leader of the X-Men because Cyclops is stupid. Oh sorry, he doesn’t realize that he needs to retire to take care of his family. It’s a very emotional issue, but it really works.
Uncanny X-Men #202 ⧫ 4 Stars “X-Men... I've Gone To Kill -- The Beyonder!”
Rachel is right! Seriously, I love the continued Rachel character work, leave it to Claremont to really effectively use the Beyonder, but man, he needs to go. Also, there’s some really spectacular art in this!
Uncanny X-Men #203 ⧫ 4 Stars “Crossroads”
Rachel vs. the Beyonder concludes with another meditation on the use of power, and the importance of struggle. Look, the Beyonder is dumb, but Claremont really made these issues count.
Uncanny X-Men #204 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “What Happened to Nightcrawler?”
A pretty fun episode about Nightcrawler regaining his confidence. I wish it was a little more substantial, but I have been continually surprised at how effectively Claremont uses Arcade.
Uncanny X-Men #205 ⧫ 5 Stars “Wounded Wolf”
Damn, Windsor-Smith Wolverine might be the best Wolverine. This issue is why Lady Deathstrike is a classic Wolverine villain. Believe it or not, Yuriko Oyama originated in Daredevil #197-199 in an impressive, but more positive tale. Bill Mantlo introduced a prototype Lady Deathstrike in Alpha Flight #34 in a middling story. This is where the real bad blood begins, and it’s awesome. Katie Power guest stars, and I would never have thought to put her in the role, but damn does it work! (Shoutout to the great Power Pack series!)
Uncanny X-Men #206 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Freedom Is a Four Letter Word!”
The X-Men face the Freedom Force who are mostly the Brotherhood, but with Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman in tow. Storm gets some great stuff, and Rachel continues to struggle.
Uncanny X-Men #207 ⧫ 3 Stars “Ghosts”
While recovering from his encounter with Deathstrike, Wolverine gets drawn into Rachel’s dreams. She’s scared off and decided to take care of some unfinished business with Selene at the Hellfire Club. This is a little much. I think an issue between this and the last focusing on Nightcrawler might have made this more palatable. Cool cliffhanger, though.
Uncanny X-Men #208 ⧫ 2 Stars “Retribution”
The X-Men and Hellfire Club fight, and Wolverine [Claremont] tries to make a better argument than last issue. I think Claremont is stretched a little thin with the Annuals and upcoming crossover again because it doesn’t really make sense. I had to kill her to prevent her from killing a killer, so she wouldn’t become a killer? What?
Uncanny X-Men #209 ⧫ 3 Stars “Salvation”
A huge Nimrod battle issue that’s just way better.
Nightcrawler #1 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “How Much Is That Boggie in the Window?”
This series is super fun, even when it gets a bit ridiculous. More Nightcrawler as a Science-Fantasy swashbuckler, less of the cosmic nonsense of that Iceman miniseries.
Nightcrawler #2 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “A Boggie Day in L'un Dun-T'wn”
I honestly wonder if the series was meant to end here because this ends the first arc, and the last two, while fun, seem more superfluous.
Nightcrawler #3 ⧫ 3 Stars “To Bamf, or Not to Bamf!”
Cute, but a little too wacky
Nightcrawler #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Wizard of Oops”
The wackiness ends. Overall, pretty fun!
Longshot #1 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “A Man Without a Past”
I suppose this sets up an interesting mystery; unfortunately, I know where it leads, and I’m not a fan. Also, Longshot is just desperately bland with his luck powers serving more as plot convenience than interesting power. This looks great, but is incredibly hollow.
Longshot #2 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “…I’ll Wave to You from the Top!”
This sets up the love interest? I guess. I wish it didn’t linger on what Nocenti thinks movies are like because that was the dumbest part. I know it mirrors his backstory, but I don’t really care.
Longshot #3 ⧫ 2 Stars “Just Let Me Die”
This one basically devolves into madness with the themes just flowing in and out as stuff happens.
Longshot #4 ⧫ 2 Stars “Can’t Give It All Away!”
She-Hulk and Spider-Man show up, presumably to boost sales. Unfortunately, this is the full introduction of Mojo and the spineless ones… They suck.
Longshot #5 ⧫ 2 Stars “Deadly Lies”
Fighting, lots of fighting. Also, Doctor Strange shows up, so he can sorcerer ex machina next issue.
Longshot #6 ⧫ 2 Stars “A Snake Coils...”
Everything is revealed, and it’s pretty boring. I just can seem to care about Longshot or his vague interdimensional war with Mojo. I kind of prefer they stay out of my comics usually, but Claremont does better in the next couple of issues.
New Mutants Annual #2 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Why do we do these things we do?”
Alan Davis really handles the insanity of this issue well. It’s an issue where feeling trumps sense, and it’s the art that holds it together. Psylocke officially collides into the X-Books, though she bookends the issues. It’s Doug Ramsey who gets main character status with an assist from Warlock, and I really like his journey. If all Mojo stories were like this, I probably wouldn’t despise them so much.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 ⧫ 3 Stars “Performance”
This is sort of the less-good retread of the previous issue. Also, the graduated New Mutant costumes look terrible. The one good thing is that Psylocke continues to worry about her eyes.
Marvel Fanfare #33 ⧫ 3 Stars “Shadows on the Soul!”
It’s a comic that was part of a canceled computer game, and it’s fine. It very much reads like that. Bonus points for Rogue-Hulk and the Rogue Torch.
Other Comics Reviews
X-Men Omnibus #1
X-Men Omnibus #2
Epic Collection Volume 4: It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn
Champions Classic Complete Collection
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #2
X-Men Classic Omnibus
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #3
New Mutants Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #4
Defenders Epic Collection Vol. 8: The New Defenders
Defenders Epic Collection Vol. 9: The End of All Songs
Alpha Flight Omnibus #1
Dazzler Omnibus
Captain Britain Omnibus
August 27, 2025
2025 - Days of Future Past: 365 Days of The X-Men
Day 209 - 239 (7/28 - 8/27)
Day 209 - 239 (7/28 - 8/27)
March 26, 2025
So at this point in the run. Its absolute filler, it doesn’t feel like there is much direction. Magneto becoming a good guy is cool but there aren’t that many stories that take his conflict further.
Mojo finally appears but his stories are way too long and repetitive. Longshot as a series was eh, boring character and Nightcrawler the series was a disappointment and then there is all this weird Beyonder stuff that has stuff happening off screen and Rachel gets to a point of annoyance.
And it doesn’t help that run is way too wordy to begin with. Yes thats the era, yes thats the claremont style but without strong stories it gets tedious
On a positive level the Wolverine issue drawn by Barry Windsor, phenomenal.
Mojo finally appears but his stories are way too long and repetitive. Longshot as a series was eh, boring character and Nightcrawler the series was a disappointment and then there is all this weird Beyonder stuff that has stuff happening off screen and Rachel gets to a point of annoyance.
And it doesn’t help that run is way too wordy to begin with. Yes thats the era, yes thats the claremont style but without strong stories it gets tedious
On a positive level the Wolverine issue drawn by Barry Windsor, phenomenal.
August 10, 2023
Volume 5 was a long time coming but now it's here, and I just finished it.
It's been years since I read these issues and I'd forgotten how much good stuff is contained within.
LifeDeath II
The Asgardian Wars
The Trail of Magneto
Cyclops Vs Storm
Wounded Wolf
All classic X-Men stories.
The bulk of the art on the regular issues is by John Romita Jr, which is decent, but pales in comparison to Barry Windsor-Smith (2 issues) and Arthur Adams (The New Mutants special, 2 Uncanny X-Men Annuals, and The Longshot mini-series). But then those two couldn't handle a monthly schedule, and JR jr is both consistent and dependable.
When it comes to Uncanny X-Men there are fewer issues in this volume than in previous ones as The four issue Nightcrawler mini-series and the six issue Longshot mini-series are included.
Nightcrawler is one of my favourites when it comes to old-school X-Men but this mini has never floated my boat. It's meant to be a swash-buckling yarn but I just find it a bit boring. I like Cockrum's art, but I don't think he was much of a writer. At least not with this.
The Longshot mini has the advantage of the always stunning artwork of Arthur Adams. The series has some great moments, but for something that was 6 issues it doesn't achieve much. I mourn the supposed graphic novel that was meant to follow this but never materialised. I think with that the whole endeavour would have had more worth.
But it did give us Longshot, and Mojo, and Spiral, who play a part in the two annuals that (pretty much) conclude the volume. These bring Betsy Braddock (Psylocke) on to the team and I'm looking forward to reading (again) the Mutant Massacre and beyond, where she becomes a main player.
The final issue featured is an issue of Marvel Fanfare that contains the 4th issue of the cancelled Questprobe project. It slots into continuity snugly but it's not particularly interesting!
It's been years since I read these issues and I'd forgotten how much good stuff is contained within.
LifeDeath II
The Asgardian Wars
The Trail of Magneto
Cyclops Vs Storm
Wounded Wolf
All classic X-Men stories.
The bulk of the art on the regular issues is by John Romita Jr, which is decent, but pales in comparison to Barry Windsor-Smith (2 issues) and Arthur Adams (The New Mutants special, 2 Uncanny X-Men Annuals, and The Longshot mini-series). But then those two couldn't handle a monthly schedule, and JR jr is both consistent and dependable.
When it comes to Uncanny X-Men there are fewer issues in this volume than in previous ones as The four issue Nightcrawler mini-series and the six issue Longshot mini-series are included.
Nightcrawler is one of my favourites when it comes to old-school X-Men but this mini has never floated my boat. It's meant to be a swash-buckling yarn but I just find it a bit boring. I like Cockrum's art, but I don't think he was much of a writer. At least not with this.
The Longshot mini has the advantage of the always stunning artwork of Arthur Adams. The series has some great moments, but for something that was 6 issues it doesn't achieve much. I mourn the supposed graphic novel that was meant to follow this but never materialised. I think with that the whole endeavour would have had more worth.
But it did give us Longshot, and Mojo, and Spiral, who play a part in the two annuals that (pretty much) conclude the volume. These bring Betsy Braddock (Psylocke) on to the team and I'm looking forward to reading (again) the Mutant Massacre and beyond, where she becomes a main player.
The final issue featured is an issue of Marvel Fanfare that contains the 4th issue of the cancelled Questprobe project. It slots into continuity snugly but it's not particularly interesting!
December 30, 2024
Even if it's not the best of Claremont's X-Men run, Uncanny X-Men Volume 5 has some stellar offerings.
This book is split into two halves: the first half is an epic about the X-Men rising from their lowest moments to protect mutantkind, climaxing in the better half of the Asgardian Wars and Uncanny 200, and then the second half that mainly serves as a chaotic first act to the next era of Claremont's run. The first half is definitely the standout, with stories like Lifedeath II, The Trial of Magneto, and the aforementioned Asgardian Wars, that serve as the climaxes to the story that Claremont has been telling since 1980 (after the end of Dark Phoenix). It's exhilarating watching this era, largely about mutants entering a world of increasing hostility, come to a solid conclusion via Magneto choosing to be a hero.
The second half is great in its own way too, however, featuring solid character work for Rachel Summers (a character I wasn't too crazy about before, but who I now quite enjoy), and Uncanny X-Men 209, an unexpectedly magnificent issue that I believe will be a tone setter for this era. In truth, though, this section feels like a setup for the next era built on massive crossovers between the various X-groups and major, violent conflicts. Still, with Claremont, you can count on even the most perfunctory issues to be both well written and very fun, and I really appreciated the crossovers with the New Mutants throughout.
This book certainly feels like the "midpoint victory" before the era of darkness that it's clearly setting up. I look forward to reading that era, but am also extremely glad that I got to read the era before. It might not be the strongest offerings of the Claremont run, but its stories (especially 209, 201, 200, 196, and 198) are immensely satisfying for a long time reader.
This book is split into two halves: the first half is an epic about the X-Men rising from their lowest moments to protect mutantkind, climaxing in the better half of the Asgardian Wars and Uncanny 200, and then the second half that mainly serves as a chaotic first act to the next era of Claremont's run. The first half is definitely the standout, with stories like Lifedeath II, The Trial of Magneto, and the aforementioned Asgardian Wars, that serve as the climaxes to the story that Claremont has been telling since 1980 (after the end of Dark Phoenix). It's exhilarating watching this era, largely about mutants entering a world of increasing hostility, come to a solid conclusion via Magneto choosing to be a hero.
The second half is great in its own way too, however, featuring solid character work for Rachel Summers (a character I wasn't too crazy about before, but who I now quite enjoy), and Uncanny X-Men 209, an unexpectedly magnificent issue that I believe will be a tone setter for this era. In truth, though, this section feels like a setup for the next era built on massive crossovers between the various X-groups and major, violent conflicts. Still, with Claremont, you can count on even the most perfunctory issues to be both well written and very fun, and I really appreciated the crossovers with the New Mutants throughout.
This book certainly feels like the "midpoint victory" before the era of darkness that it's clearly setting up. I look forward to reading that era, but am also extremely glad that I got to read the era before. It might not be the strongest offerings of the Claremont run, but its stories (especially 209, 201, 200, 196, and 198) are immensely satisfying for a long time reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2023
A fun romp with the X-Men. These collected editions don’t hold together great as a single omnibus narrative. They all have good bits and bad bits mixed together.
Claremont shines when he is being a little preachy and stretches a storyline across multiple issues. There are a few standout single issues like the Life Death II story with Storm; the duel between Cyclops and Storm for leadership of the X-Men, or the Wounded Wolf with Wolverine. But there aren’t any great story arcs here.
I also particularly enjoyed the Longshot mini-series by Ann Nocenti and bit where the X-Men and New Mutants end up in Asgard.
But the very loose storyline with Rachel Summers struggles to figure out where she belongs was a bit weak, and the Njghtcrawler stories here were boarding on awful.
While I am intrigued by the characters of Spiral and Mojo; the timeline was jumbled and Spiral seemed to be everywhere at once (working for Mojo, running the Body Shoppe, and joining Freedom Force). They explain this through Spiral’s time shifting powers, but it seems like too much of an excuse for sloppy storytelling.
Overall though an interesting read. This also happens to cover the issues I first bought off the rack when I was just getting into superhero comics. Good to go back to these.
Claremont shines when he is being a little preachy and stretches a storyline across multiple issues. There are a few standout single issues like the Life Death II story with Storm; the duel between Cyclops and Storm for leadership of the X-Men, or the Wounded Wolf with Wolverine. But there aren’t any great story arcs here.
I also particularly enjoyed the Longshot mini-series by Ann Nocenti and bit where the X-Men and New Mutants end up in Asgard.
But the very loose storyline with Rachel Summers struggles to figure out where she belongs was a bit weak, and the Njghtcrawler stories here were boarding on awful.
While I am intrigued by the characters of Spiral and Mojo; the timeline was jumbled and Spiral seemed to be everywhere at once (working for Mojo, running the Body Shoppe, and joining Freedom Force). They explain this through Spiral’s time shifting powers, but it seems like too much of an excuse for sloppy storytelling.
Overall though an interesting read. This also happens to cover the issues I first bought off the rack when I was just getting into superhero comics. Good to go back to these.
October 30, 2024
Pretty much the definition of a mixed bag.
The UXM comics at the heart of this are quite good. We get major development for Rachel, a relatively new character at the time. We get a phenomenal fight with Nimrod and the Hellfire Club, with real repercussions. We get the Trial of Magneto, one of the most memorable stories of this period. We get an equally memorable battle between Ororo and Scott for leadership of the team. We get the Secret Wars II crossover at some of its best. We get the intro of Lady Deathstrike.
We also get the famous pair of Asgard specials, which are great character pieces for all the New Mutants and also a really neat juxtaposition.
But alongside that we get some less than memorable miniseries, which aren't by Claremont. The Nightcrawler series is just silly, half of it non-memorable, half of it a repeat of Kitty's Fairie Tale. The Longshot miniseries is actually something I've been waiting to read for decades ... and it turns out to be slow and pointless and meandering, which unfortunately is often how I find Ann Nocenti's writing. Some great characters (well, Longshot and Spiral at least) and some storytelling that barely goes anywhere.
So, great to finally close the loop of the classic UXM run, which we've been waiting for since UXMO #1 came out in 2013. And I do appreciate the side stories, even if they're not all that great.
The UXM comics at the heart of this are quite good. We get major development for Rachel, a relatively new character at the time. We get a phenomenal fight with Nimrod and the Hellfire Club, with real repercussions. We get the Trial of Magneto, one of the most memorable stories of this period. We get an equally memorable battle between Ororo and Scott for leadership of the team. We get the Secret Wars II crossover at some of its best. We get the intro of Lady Deathstrike.
We also get the famous pair of Asgard specials, which are great character pieces for all the New Mutants and also a really neat juxtaposition.
But alongside that we get some less than memorable miniseries, which aren't by Claremont. The Nightcrawler series is just silly, half of it non-memorable, half of it a repeat of Kitty's Fairie Tale. The Longshot miniseries is actually something I've been waiting to read for decades ... and it turns out to be slow and pointless and meandering, which unfortunately is often how I find Ann Nocenti's writing. Some great characters (well, Longshot and Spiral at least) and some storytelling that barely goes anywhere.
So, great to finally close the loop of the classic UXM run, which we've been waiting for since UXMO #1 came out in 2013. And I do appreciate the side stories, even if they're not all that great.
March 27, 2025
All the Claremont stuff was enjoyable aside from some weird stuff involving Wolverine lecturing people on not killing when, you know, he's Wolverine. Rachel is a little too whiny for my liking but I still enjoy her story.
The issue with this Omnibus is about half of it is filler. I'm not crazy about annuals but I at least can respect those being put in. The Nightcrawler miniseries is fun, all I can say there. But holy shit I hated Longshot. I genuinely debated just giving up the omnibus because of how insufferable I found it and it doesn't help because as of right now Longshot isn't super involved with the main story. The writing was wack, the story was boring, but the art was pretty cool I'll give it that.
Finishing this Omni felt more like a chore then the others and I really think they should've found a better way to bridge to Mutant Massacre, I would've been perfectly happy with a cheaper and smaller Omni without Longshot and Nightcrawler (even though I enjoyed that one).
The issue with this Omnibus is about half of it is filler. I'm not crazy about annuals but I at least can respect those being put in. The Nightcrawler miniseries is fun, all I can say there. But holy shit I hated Longshot. I genuinely debated just giving up the omnibus because of how insufferable I found it and it doesn't help because as of right now Longshot isn't super involved with the main story. The writing was wack, the story was boring, but the art was pretty cool I'll give it that.
Finishing this Omni felt more like a chore then the others and I really think they should've found a better way to bridge to Mutant Massacre, I would've been perfectly happy with a cheaper and smaller Omni without Longshot and Nightcrawler (even though I enjoyed that one).
August 1, 2023
I didn't remember how good the JRjr era of X-Men was. The main series has soap opera drama, the annuals are sprawling crossover epics with a consistent creative team, and the miniseries are delightfully weird fever dreams. Sure, the core Rachel storyline is not very interesting, but everything from teenage crushes to Ilyana's Playgirl collection is executed with grace and humor. This is the last chance the series had to breathe before the yearly onslaught of crossovers and subsequent editorial pressure. Even Secret Wars 2 can't keep X-Men down, as the Beyonder is contrasted with the similar existential threat of Phoenix.
My only complaint is that we really didn't need 100+ pages of reference material about the 1986 Longshot mini. Even Art Adams fans might get fatigued seeing the complete pencils, then the complete inks, then the script, for multiple issues.
My only complaint is that we really didn't need 100+ pages of reference material about the 1986 Longshot mini. Even Art Adams fans might get fatigued seeing the complete pencils, then the complete inks, then the script, for multiple issues.
January 15, 2025
For an Uncanny X-Men omnibus, there are far too many other things here. I understand the logic of having spin-offs and tie-ins, but this omnibus was barely half and half (16 issues of core UXM and 15 issues of other assorted titles).
The main title content is fairly solid, with ongoing storylines and familiar characters that showcase Claremont’s ability to weave intricate plots and develop individual personalities. Though there are a few missteps (Wolverine vs Rachel), there are also a few gems (Wolverine vs Deathstrike) so things tend to balance out.
The other stuff (especially the Nightcrawler and Longshot minis) in this collection felt like fluff. It is notable in terms of including the ever-expanding Marvel mutant roster of the mid-80s, but not intrinsic to the main title or its stories. As such, this felt like half the omnibus it should have been.
The main title content is fairly solid, with ongoing storylines and familiar characters that showcase Claremont’s ability to weave intricate plots and develop individual personalities. Though there are a few missteps (Wolverine vs Rachel), there are also a few gems (Wolverine vs Deathstrike) so things tend to balance out.
The other stuff (especially the Nightcrawler and Longshot minis) in this collection felt like fluff. It is notable in terms of including the ever-expanding Marvel mutant roster of the mid-80s, but not intrinsic to the main title or its stories. As such, this felt like half the omnibus it should have been.
July 27, 2024
The Uncanny issues are great. Rachel and Rogue get a lot of play, some good moments for Wolverine. I like that Kitty hasn't kept on resenting Colossus.
Asgardian Adventure wasn't as fun as I was lead to believe. A lot of exposition. I thought it would be something else. Art was great.
Big moments in this, birth of Nathan, near death of Xavier/Magneto takes over the school but not the X Men as I thought would happen, shooting of Madelyne, potential death of Nightcrawler, 'kidnapping' of Rachel.
Asgardian Adventure wasn't as fun as I was lead to believe. A lot of exposition. I thought it would be something else. Art was great.
Big moments in this, birth of Nathan, near death of Xavier/Magneto takes over the school but not the X Men as I thought would happen, shooting of Madelyne, potential death of Nightcrawler, 'kidnapping' of Rachel.
September 24, 2023
On the one hand, these are some of the weakest X-Men stories of the Claremont era. On the other hand, this is the most Arthur Adams art you can get in any Marvel book besides his own upcoming Omnibus, and more Arthur Adams is never a bad thing. You can even see his work noticeably improve throughout the several years collected here. Fun, semi-inconsequential reads, It is not surprising these were the last of the original Claremont X-Men to be collected in omnibus form.
December 14, 2025
As other pointed out, a very mixed bag in this volume.
Great Claremont and romita jr issues, but also some very VERY average material. The Nightcrawler miniseries was pretty insignificant, and I ended up skipping also the Longshot SIX issue long one. Unreadable. Plus, a couple of annuals that were also a burden to read.
Giving it three stars only for the initial material, including some milestone issues.
Great Claremont and romita jr issues, but also some very VERY average material. The Nightcrawler miniseries was pretty insignificant, and I ended up skipping also the Longshot SIX issue long one. Unreadable. Plus, a couple of annuals that were also a burden to read.
Giving it three stars only for the initial material, including some milestone issues.
July 19, 2025
Good book - contains a subset of the material from the mutant massacre prelude which I have and read.
Probably a “tighter” read than the massacre omnibus as it doesn’t have the x-factor issues. Still however has the same problems I had with that book which I documented in that review - number 1 being far too much Mojo who is probably my least liked x-men villain
Decent read though.
Probably a “tighter” read than the massacre omnibus as it doesn’t have the x-factor issues. Still however has the same problems I had with that book which I documented in that review - number 1 being far too much Mojo who is probably my least liked x-men villain
Decent read though.
May 27, 2024
The main stuff is solid but doesn’t hit the highs of earlier in the series, and there are some weird issues / mini-series added in to fill the omnibus that I was less interested in (the annuals aren’t usually my thing)
April 1, 2025
Pretty good collection of stories. Reading concurrently with New Mutants Omnis.
The Longshot mini-series wasn't my favourite, but this does have some excellent stories.
Should I have waited for the Prelude to Mutant Massacre Omni instead of this one? Maybe.
The Longshot mini-series wasn't my favourite, but this does have some excellent stories.
Should I have waited for the Prelude to Mutant Massacre Omni instead of this one? Maybe.
September 3, 2023
Solid. Like some of the story arches found here, just not the greatest of x-men story arches. Mojo isn't amoung my favorite enemies either, so that evened out the score
October 17, 2023
3.5 stars
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