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X-Men Forever (2009) (Collected Editions)
X-Men Forever, Volume 1: Picking Up Where We Left Off
Comics icon and New York Times bestselling writer Chris Claremont returns to his legendary run with X-Men: Forever The shockwaves after the death of Magneto are still reverberating all over the world. Attempting to heal the rift between man and mutant kind, Professor Xavier volunteers his X-Men to go on a mission to capture Magneto's sole remaining Acolyte, Fabien Cortez But with Nick Fury - and the entire world - watching over their shoulders, the stakes have never been higher for Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Storm, Beast, and Professor X. With Tom Grummet bringing Claremont's vision to the page, this landmark series is packed with enough surprises and twists to shake the X-Men mythos to its very core Collects X-Men Forever #1-5.
120 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2009
5 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,275 books890 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 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 9, 2024
3.5 stars
"This is gonna be a wild ride for a minute, but you can trust me. Ah' promise to keep ya safe." -- Rogue, heroically swooping in to save the ****ing day (AND a friend) in the climax
Fifteen years later, X-Men Forever is probably best remembered as the title that brought enduring writer Chris Claremont - who (along with artist John Byrne) helmed the monthly X-Men series from 1975 to 1991, and revitalized Marvel's offbeat and maligned mutant superhero group with the introduction of many now-signature characters - back into the 'X'-fold after a nearly twenty-year sabbatical. That's certainly a big selling point, but how was this introductory volume? Often pretty good, but not mind-blowingly awesome. While the large ensemble cast is handled well - though they occasionally spout some clunky or repetitive dialogue - a key member is taken out of the equation early on, and his absence from the proceedings was disappointing if not unforgivable. Still, I always get a kick out of seeing the plucky Kitty Pryde handle things like a boss - she does not receive her due as a super-heroine - and this happily was a very action-oriented and conspiracy-fueled storyline.
"This is gonna be a wild ride for a minute, but you can trust me. Ah' promise to keep ya safe." -- Rogue, heroically swooping in to save the ****ing day (AND a friend) in the climax
Fifteen years later, X-Men Forever is probably best remembered as the title that brought enduring writer Chris Claremont - who (along with artist John Byrne) helmed the monthly X-Men series from 1975 to 1991, and revitalized Marvel's offbeat and maligned mutant superhero group with the introduction of many now-signature characters - back into the 'X'-fold after a nearly twenty-year sabbatical. That's certainly a big selling point, but how was this introductory volume? Often pretty good, but not mind-blowingly awesome. While the large ensemble cast is handled well - though they occasionally spout some clunky or repetitive dialogue - a key member is taken out of the equation early on, and his absence from the proceedings was disappointing if not unforgivable. Still, I always get a kick out of seeing the plucky Kitty Pryde handle things like a boss - she does not receive her due as a super-heroine - and this happily was a very action-oriented and conspiracy-fueled storyline.
April 28, 2020
Story - 3.0
Graphics - 3.25
Graphics - 3.25
March 18, 2022
This volume collects the first five issues of Claremont's return to X-Men after a seventeen-year hiatus. The title is a trifle misleading, because some of the characters and situations have changed in the interim, but all long-time X-readers have accepted that every arc and storyline is an alternate-universe situation due to reboots and ret-cons and resets. (And that's okay once you get the hang of it; it's like how the characters worked in the old European morality plays with Harlequin and that crowd centuries ago.) It's a good, well-written story that features (the original) Nick Fury of the (ahem) Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate overseeing Prof. Xavier and his band of not-always-so-very-merry-mutants facing off against Fabian Cortez, one of their own, and the mysterious Consortium. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Hank, Kitty (and Lockheed, 'natch), Remy, Rogue, Logan, and Storm all participate, not to mention a whole lotta Sabretooth. There's plenty of angst in the great love triangle, lots of action, and, best of all, Kitty has a claw. Grummett's art is excellent, with plenty of expressive eye shadings to go along with the "Booms!" and "Bamfs!" Excelsior!
January 15, 2015
Entitled X-Men Forever: Picking Up Right Where We Left Off is not exactly an accurate description for the first volume of Chris Claremont's grand return to X-Men comics after his supposed retirement in 1992. This was originally intended to be a follow-up to the 1991-1992 eleven-issued run of X-Men with artist Jim Lee but not every character featured in that nineties comic book series was able to be featured here. I'm referring, of course, to Psylocke, Jubilee, Banshee, Forge, Bishop and Angel.
For X-Men Forever, we get Nightcrawler and Shadowcat alongside the usual favorites: Professor X, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Beast, Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit and Storm. Although the events for the first five issues of this volume happens right after Magneto's demise back in X-Men #1-3, this one feels like a disjointed story because the tonality, visual feel and writing are completely different from the nineties series. Artist Tom Grummett also provides pulpy dimensions to the illustrations that suit this era of Claremont's X-Men.
That said, Picking Up Where We Left Off was everything that has made Chris Claremont's writing for the X-Men definitive and diverse (if not nostalgic for those who grew up reading his stories for a better part of the two decades of his career). Regardless of how you may feel about his often soap-opera-ish verbose style and narrative framing, Claremont's X-Men stories are always guaranteed to be engaging, much like a soap opera in television about a dysfunctional family facing a ridiculous amount of unfortunate events that test the bonds of their relationship.
Claremont simply has a knack for making the most absurd or dramatic of interactions and storylines just click together to form a cohesive and enjoyable story where characters are interacting like real people (in spite of the stilted dialogue). Yes, Claremont may have characters talking rather bizarrely at times (in an occasional self-aware and cheeky manner even when scenes are grim and serious) but you can look past that and consider the package of these stories at their humblest face value: they're genuinely entertaining, deeply moving at times and sheer fun. There is an endearing and earnest quality to the way Claremont treats these characters; each of their uniqueness is marked by compelling drama in their daily struggles as people and as a community of outcasts and aspiring world-builders. It can get cheesy but it's still very heartfelt. This is Claremont's X-Men at its most rudimentary form where being a mutant means troubles will always find a way to your doorstep and all your relationships are meant to suffer in bittersweet regrets and reflection. And it's very addictive to read it!
Comprised of five issues, the story arc Love--And Loss! almost killed me. I never expected it to be so goddamn stressful and bad for the heart. The plot was off-beat and uncompromisingly inventive in such a way that it managed to put two of the most popular and well-loved characters (and deservingly so) in irreversibly tragic roles that I never once saw coming so while it was unfolding before my very eyes, I tried so hard not to flinch from its unforgiving sight. The first two issues nicely set up the pieces, building up the necessary character drama that will fuel the next stages of conflict for the rest. We get Jean Grey and Logan's "unconsummated" love for each other which is going to become a terrible inconvenience for everyone, mind you. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde's role in the progression of the storyline will become significant and the substantial loss of a fallen comrade will burden her in a way no one will be made quite aware of until later on during more dangerous missions.
I have to say that this first volume is loaded with twists that could either make you so, so, horribly suffocated and yet riveted all the same (like I was) or question the very fabric of Claremont's fiction. Love--And Loss could be rather polarizing. If you never liked character-driven stories filled with agonizing moments of drama where everyone is discovering awful shit and reacting devastatingly to it, plus some servings of off-the-kilter action sequences, all the while nothing gets satisfyingly resolved, then perhaps this corner of Claremont's writing is not suited for you. For me, it's perfect. Not necessarily a classic masterpiece like his earlier works but one close to my soul anyway.
Six months from now when I have read other X-Men titles by other writers, I will still look back at the Claremont works read and reviewed here in my blog and sigh in nostalgic bliss. This volume will always have a special place because it broke my heart so much worse than expected. So here are the blurbs for the five issues. I don't want to spoil the details of each issue because the hurricane of ache needs to be experienced first-hand, although clicking the links of the individuals reviews will certainly do the job.
Issue #1 --> In which Jean Grey and Logan are connecting secretly through a shared telepathic bond, Storm and Rogue connected in a very uncomfortable way that sends them awkwardly away from each other for a while, and Nick Fury wants to put the X-Men for a more public appearance to make the normal citizens feel safe about them, if not less inclined to persecute them.
Issue #2 --> In which everyone gets knocked out via Jean's massive mental breakdown; Storm fights Sabretooth and the rest of X-Men arrive just in time as she blinds the motherfucking shit out of him because she's had enough.
Issue #3 --> IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS FUCKED.
Issue #4 --> IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS WORSE THAN FUCKED. IT'S VERY, VERY FUCKED.
Issue #5 --> In which the X-Men come to terms that everything is worse than fucked because it's very, very fucked only to discover that EVERYTHING COULD GET MORE FUCKED THAN IT ALREADY HAD BEEN. Also known as the issue where they contemplate their new set of priorities, Professor X gets shamed for being such a secretive jerk, and Nick Fury decides he can make it all work out for the best.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS IN THIS SITE
For X-Men Forever, we get Nightcrawler and Shadowcat alongside the usual favorites: Professor X, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Beast, Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit and Storm. Although the events for the first five issues of this volume happens right after Magneto's demise back in X-Men #1-3, this one feels like a disjointed story because the tonality, visual feel and writing are completely different from the nineties series. Artist Tom Grummett also provides pulpy dimensions to the illustrations that suit this era of Claremont's X-Men.
That said, Picking Up Where We Left Off was everything that has made Chris Claremont's writing for the X-Men definitive and diverse (if not nostalgic for those who grew up reading his stories for a better part of the two decades of his career). Regardless of how you may feel about his often soap-opera-ish verbose style and narrative framing, Claremont's X-Men stories are always guaranteed to be engaging, much like a soap opera in television about a dysfunctional family facing a ridiculous amount of unfortunate events that test the bonds of their relationship.
Claremont simply has a knack for making the most absurd or dramatic of interactions and storylines just click together to form a cohesive and enjoyable story where characters are interacting like real people (in spite of the stilted dialogue). Yes, Claremont may have characters talking rather bizarrely at times (in an occasional self-aware and cheeky manner even when scenes are grim and serious) but you can look past that and consider the package of these stories at their humblest face value: they're genuinely entertaining, deeply moving at times and sheer fun. There is an endearing and earnest quality to the way Claremont treats these characters; each of their uniqueness is marked by compelling drama in their daily struggles as people and as a community of outcasts and aspiring world-builders. It can get cheesy but it's still very heartfelt. This is Claremont's X-Men at its most rudimentary form where being a mutant means troubles will always find a way to your doorstep and all your relationships are meant to suffer in bittersweet regrets and reflection. And it's very addictive to read it!
Comprised of five issues, the story arc Love--And Loss! almost killed me. I never expected it to be so goddamn stressful and bad for the heart. The plot was off-beat and uncompromisingly inventive in such a way that it managed to put two of the most popular and well-loved characters (and deservingly so) in irreversibly tragic roles that I never once saw coming so while it was unfolding before my very eyes, I tried so hard not to flinch from its unforgiving sight. The first two issues nicely set up the pieces, building up the necessary character drama that will fuel the next stages of conflict for the rest. We get Jean Grey and Logan's "unconsummated" love for each other which is going to become a terrible inconvenience for everyone, mind you. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde's role in the progression of the storyline will become significant and the substantial loss of a fallen comrade will burden her in a way no one will be made quite aware of until later on during more dangerous missions.
I have to say that this first volume is loaded with twists that could either make you so, so, horribly suffocated and yet riveted all the same (like I was) or question the very fabric of Claremont's fiction. Love--And Loss could be rather polarizing. If you never liked character-driven stories filled with agonizing moments of drama where everyone is discovering awful shit and reacting devastatingly to it, plus some servings of off-the-kilter action sequences, all the while nothing gets satisfyingly resolved, then perhaps this corner of Claremont's writing is not suited for you. For me, it's perfect. Not necessarily a classic masterpiece like his earlier works but one close to my soul anyway.
Six months from now when I have read other X-Men titles by other writers, I will still look back at the Claremont works read and reviewed here in my blog and sigh in nostalgic bliss. This volume will always have a special place because it broke my heart so much worse than expected. So here are the blurbs for the five issues. I don't want to spoil the details of each issue because the hurricane of ache needs to be experienced first-hand, although clicking the links of the individuals reviews will certainly do the job.
Issue #1 --> In which Jean Grey and Logan are connecting secretly through a shared telepathic bond, Storm and Rogue connected in a very uncomfortable way that sends them awkwardly away from each other for a while, and Nick Fury wants to put the X-Men for a more public appearance to make the normal citizens feel safe about them, if not less inclined to persecute them.
Issue #2 --> In which everyone gets knocked out via Jean's massive mental breakdown; Storm fights Sabretooth and the rest of X-Men arrive just in time as she blinds the motherfucking shit out of him because she's had enough.
Issue #3 --> IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS FUCKED.
Issue #4 --> IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS WORSE THAN FUCKED. IT'S VERY, VERY FUCKED.
Issue #5 --> In which the X-Men come to terms that everything is worse than fucked because it's very, very fucked only to discover that EVERYTHING COULD GET MORE FUCKED THAN IT ALREADY HAD BEEN. Also known as the issue where they contemplate their new set of priorities, Professor X gets shamed for being such a secretive jerk, and Nick Fury decides he can make it all work out for the best.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS IN THIS SITE
September 7, 2021
The X-men gather again today and they are attacked by Fabian Cortez and something happens with Rogue, and we see the romance between Logan and Jean and he kinda quits the team when suddenly while Jean is talking to professor and all, she gets a psychic thing of Logan where he is attacked and sorta killed. Thus begins the mystery of what happened with Logan, and we find it out through the mystery and it involves Storm and Sabretooth fighting, we learn what their motivations, things are not what they seem they are, betrayals, unique twists and turns and a young Ororo in the centre too? And who is really this storm and whose the group behind it? How will X-Men deal with this new situation? I Loved this volume and its so different and Claremont doing what he does best, inter-personal drama, suspense, thriller, moments with characters, sudden changes to characters and the art is so 90s and gorgeous! I loved every moment of this and just shows why Claremont is the best X-Men writer ever!
August 23, 2018
This is definitely a cult classic book. Meaning I can see why someone can like it, even though I didn't.
Its exactly what Claremont delivered in Uncanny but with all his quirks and tropes dialed to 11. From overwriting,body alterations, time-conundrum convolutions, power-swapping, melodrama and out of nowhere on your face romance (having read his original run a few weeks ago, It baffled me how many times and how quickly Cyclops and Jean seemed to change their feelings for each other, but that could be editorial interference, who knows).
If you liked the weirdest of the Claremont era. This is the book for you.
Its exactly what Claremont delivered in Uncanny but with all his quirks and tropes dialed to 11. From overwriting,body alterations, time-conundrum convolutions, power-swapping, melodrama and out of nowhere on your face romance (having read his original run a few weeks ago, It baffled me how many times and how quickly Cyclops and Jean seemed to change their feelings for each other, but that could be editorial interference, who knows).
If you liked the weirdest of the Claremont era. This is the book for you.
June 21, 2015
Read first time in 2010. Pure 5 stars.
Read again in 2015. Pure 5 stars. Again. :-)
Read again in 2015. Pure 5 stars. Again. :-)
November 20, 2009
What can I say beyond the fact this felt like the first real X-Men story I’ve read in a very long time? That’s in both good and bad terms. This is pretty much the same Claremont who defined these characters, but also the same Claremont whose writing can prove horribly stilted at times, particularly when it comes to tin-eared dialogue and piling on the soapy melodrama.
Nevertheless, reading this felt like going back in time to when I still bought Uncanny regularly off the stands and wondered from month to month what was going to happen next to the characters I’d been following for so long. And, frankly, my curiosity has be reignited enough that I‘ll be picking up the next TPB as well.
In other words...X-Men Forever’s nothing extraordinary and it’s certainly not going to redefine comics, or the X-Men either, but it’s a welcome return to form both for Claremont and the team some of us grew up with.
Nevertheless, reading this felt like going back in time to when I still bought Uncanny regularly off the stands and wondered from month to month what was going to happen next to the characters I’d been following for so long. And, frankly, my curiosity has be reignited enough that I‘ll be picking up the next TPB as well.
In other words...X-Men Forever’s nothing extraordinary and it’s certainly not going to redefine comics, or the X-Men either, but it’s a welcome return to form both for Claremont and the team some of us grew up with.
July 18, 2012
Eeesh, what can I say? Well, what the fuck was that? would be a good place to start. For beginners, it has every cunt in it. And STUFF HAPPENING. If you can figure out why and how, good for you, shake ma haun. It's Claremont given a blank cheque, so you can bet it's going to have lots of running about, people spontaneously declaring love for one another out of nowhere, and the kind of plot twists that make you say, "Wait . . . what?" I like Claremont, shit some of his stuff I love, this just isn't it. Clones and resurrection and phony death and whatever the fuck else he can fit in. Also it reads like he wasn't told how long the series would run for and tried to pile as much in as possible, so nothing has air or time to set in. Just KABLAM! BOOM! and holy shit what now? Very much a stylish but substance-free fireworks display of X-Men storytelling.
August 10, 2013
Chris Claremont is back to finish his magnum X-Men opus with the Forever line. Following his last issue of the mainstream title, Claremont opts to change everything according to his own vision. With the team on the hunt for Fabian Cortez, a battle with the powerful mutant begins to alter the team. Wolverine is murdered, Storm is revealed to be a traitor, and a newly-blinded Sabretooth has agreed to join up. Making matters worse is the hidden secret of Charles Xavier: Mutants burn out due to their powers. Claremont continues to juggle the X-Univese, refusing to know when enough is enough. The forced tropes of soap opera love triangles, power swaps, and thought bubbles worked in the 80s, but today's readers deserve something more. If you want to jump back into older X-Men plots, this volume does pick up where Claremont left off. That may not always be a good thing though.
April 29, 2013
The plotting starts off over the top, but becomes interesting by the end. The dialogue is just soooooo bad though. I can't decide whether it's worth checking out another book from the library to read …
April 12, 2024
“Picking up where we left off?” If only!
I really didn’t like X-Men Forever when it first came out. Mainly because I couldn’t get over the bait-and-switch. We were promised post-‘91 Claremont, but that’s not what we got.
This time around, 15 years later, I like it better—maybe only because my expectations adjusted. Still, I hate a lot of Claremont’s choices:
-Archangel, Iceman, Colossus, Psylocke, Banshee, Forge, and Jubilee are MIA, with zero explanation.
-Kitty and Kurt are back, also without any explanation; and where the hell is Rachel? Why would she remain in the UK? And wouldn’t they have all people have wondered about Colossus?
-Especially considering the whole “X-Men are dead” thing.
-I can’t stand the Jean-Logan crap. 1991 Jean barely knew 1991 Logan. It’s such a cheap storyline—essentially it’s just fanfiction and fan service at this point. Manga and its “shipping” culture have a lot to answer for.
-I also can’t stand the Nick Fury stuff. Yeah, Fury played a role in X-Men v2 #1-3 but I never gave a single shit about SHIELD. It’s fine as a background institution in the Marvel universe, but this becomes a SHIELD-X-Men book, basically.
-Kitty got claw. Dumb.
-Kid Storm. Dumber. I hated that storyline the first time. It went nowhere, it served no purpose. Yet it’s back. A better idea would have been to turn Storm into a bitch who got sick of fighting the same bad guys over and over. Imagine Claremont actually gave us the “strike first” Storm he promised us after Fall of the Mutants?!
-Even Claremont has to jump on the “Charles Xavier is a jerk!” train. Blah.
So, better than I remembered. Even the art. At the time I thought Grummet was super generic. I think it’s just the overall production, though, and not the pencils. But I know the series really goes off the rails after this, in every aspect.
My biggest issue with X-Men Forever remains: all of the excitement for this weird project was built around the imminent fulfillment of decades of titillating rumors about what Claremont intended to do with the X-Men for the roughly 20 issues leading up to 300. I’m pretty confident he does none of that in this book. I get why he didn’t want to just go through the motions of writing the same stories he’d teased the fans with but surely he could have kept to the broad strokes, at least. I don’t know. I guess I’ll see how the rest of the series holds up with my lowered expectations
I really didn’t like X-Men Forever when it first came out. Mainly because I couldn’t get over the bait-and-switch. We were promised post-‘91 Claremont, but that’s not what we got.
This time around, 15 years later, I like it better—maybe only because my expectations adjusted. Still, I hate a lot of Claremont’s choices:
-Archangel, Iceman, Colossus, Psylocke, Banshee, Forge, and Jubilee are MIA, with zero explanation.
-Kitty and Kurt are back, also without any explanation; and where the hell is Rachel? Why would she remain in the UK? And wouldn’t they have all people have wondered about Colossus?
-Especially considering the whole “X-Men are dead” thing.
-I can’t stand the Jean-Logan crap. 1991 Jean barely knew 1991 Logan. It’s such a cheap storyline—essentially it’s just fanfiction and fan service at this point. Manga and its “shipping” culture have a lot to answer for.
-I also can’t stand the Nick Fury stuff. Yeah, Fury played a role in X-Men v2 #1-3 but I never gave a single shit about SHIELD. It’s fine as a background institution in the Marvel universe, but this becomes a SHIELD-X-Men book, basically.
-Kitty got claw. Dumb.
-Kid Storm. Dumber. I hated that storyline the first time. It went nowhere, it served no purpose. Yet it’s back. A better idea would have been to turn Storm into a bitch who got sick of fighting the same bad guys over and over. Imagine Claremont actually gave us the “strike first” Storm he promised us after Fall of the Mutants?!
-Even Claremont has to jump on the “Charles Xavier is a jerk!” train. Blah.
So, better than I remembered. Even the art. At the time I thought Grummet was super generic. I think it’s just the overall production, though, and not the pencils. But I know the series really goes off the rails after this, in every aspect.
My biggest issue with X-Men Forever remains: all of the excitement for this weird project was built around the imminent fulfillment of decades of titillating rumors about what Claremont intended to do with the X-Men for the roughly 20 issues leading up to 300. I’m pretty confident he does none of that in this book. I get why he didn’t want to just go through the motions of writing the same stories he’d teased the fans with but surely he could have kept to the broad strokes, at least. I don’t know. I guess I’ll see how the rest of the series holds up with my lowered expectations
November 4, 2025
Chris Claremont ranks among my favorite superhero creators, along with Larry Hama, John Byrne, Dave Cockrum, Len Wein, David Michelinie and Mark Bagley...
...BUT I am not sure what in Apocalypse's name he was thinking here. For a moment, it's great seeing the old team, their family-like dynamic, the romantic tensions and of course the classic mutant action. And then, things get weird.
This review mentions events from volumes 1-5, because I am unimaginably bored to dissect each volume's problems individually. This is the best in the series, by the way - it only goes downhill from there.
***SPOILERS***
The X-Men are hunting Cortez, when the Blackbird is shot down and chaos ensues. so far so good. But who downed the Blackbird? Never explained (even in future volumes).
Then Wolverine is murdered - by Storm, who has turned evil and joined The Consortium, somehow eventually tied to the Trasks and Sentinels. But she is not a clone or a S.H.I.E.L.D. LMD, which complicates things even further when Little 'Ro appears. Did I mention Wolverine, the one legit near-immortal mutant is is murdered, an Claremont makes a point of his not coming back as many X-men do?
As a result, Sabretooth, unequivocally Wolverine's father in this continuity, is permanently blinded by Storm, joins the team and along the way also loses a hand.
Then we have Jean Grey. *sigh*. So she actually, finally chooses Wolverine over Cyclops. Then he dies. She then moves on to Beast. He also dies. Somewhere in there, there is also a nod to the Xavier-Jean relationship.
Along the way, the X-Men go to the USSR and tangle with Colossus and his sister Ilyanna, Storm engineers Black Panther's death, kills Killmonger and takes the throne of Wakanda for herself.
And the art is great only when Tom Grummet illustrated the first volume. The rest ranges from mediocre to bad. Generally, this was not a well thought-out series, which is a real pity, given what it was supposed to have been.
...BUT I am not sure what in Apocalypse's name he was thinking here. For a moment, it's great seeing the old team, their family-like dynamic, the romantic tensions and of course the classic mutant action. And then, things get weird.
This review mentions events from volumes 1-5, because I am unimaginably bored to dissect each volume's problems individually. This is the best in the series, by the way - it only goes downhill from there.
***SPOILERS***
The X-Men are hunting Cortez, when the Blackbird is shot down and chaos ensues. so far so good. But who downed the Blackbird? Never explained (even in future volumes).
Then Wolverine is murdered - by Storm, who has turned evil and joined The Consortium, somehow eventually tied to the Trasks and Sentinels. But she is not a clone or a S.H.I.E.L.D. LMD, which complicates things even further when Little 'Ro appears. Did I mention Wolverine, the one legit near-immortal mutant is is murdered, an Claremont makes a point of his not coming back as many X-men do?
As a result, Sabretooth, unequivocally Wolverine's father in this continuity, is permanently blinded by Storm, joins the team and along the way also loses a hand.
Then we have Jean Grey. *sigh*. So she actually, finally chooses Wolverine over Cyclops. Then he dies. She then moves on to Beast. He also dies. Somewhere in there, there is also a nod to the Xavier-Jean relationship.
Along the way, the X-Men go to the USSR and tangle with Colossus and his sister Ilyanna, Storm engineers Black Panther's death, kills Killmonger and takes the throne of Wakanda for herself.
And the art is great only when Tom Grummet illustrated the first volume. The rest ranges from mediocre to bad. Generally, this was not a well thought-out series, which is a real pity, given what it was supposed to have been.
November 12, 2024
Not sure of what I just read, or how it continues or where it picked up from. But I have nothing but questions, and not the fun kind.
SPOILERS
I saw the "spy" twist coming by story 3. It wasn't clever and there were too many plot devices that kept everyone alive. Kitty Pryde's "upgrade" was surprising and fun. Trying to explain it was half@$$'d. Why is Logan the son of Sabretooth? And how was Xavier not paralyzed? XMen working for Fury should be an ongoing arc. Whats with the kid-clone? How do they know Remy but not Logan? Lastly, the mutation flaw makes no sense. How old are Logan and Sabretooth again? SMH.
Story had exciting potential that fizzled out.
SPOILERS
I saw the "spy" twist coming by story 3. It wasn't clever and there were too many plot devices that kept everyone alive. Kitty Pryde's "upgrade" was surprising and fun. Trying to explain it was half@$$'d. Why is Logan the son of Sabretooth? And how was Xavier not paralyzed? XMen working for Fury should be an ongoing arc. Whats with the kid-clone? How do they know Remy but not Logan? Lastly, the mutation flaw makes no sense. How old are Logan and Sabretooth again? SMH.
Story had exciting potential that fizzled out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2022
A very engaging XMen story. I was getting bored of XMen, due to the repetitiveness of their storylines. But I'm absolutely loving this. You don't get the phoenix saga or days of futures past. It's an original story.
March 19, 2023
Lots of very unexpected twist and turns. Will definitely keep reading to see where it goes.
October 28, 2011
So, I've been inexplicably nostalgic lately for the x-stories of my youth... Figured the best place to start was claremonts continuation of his run from x-men #3. It isn't canon, but I would get it instead of being lost by current continuity.
First problem... It isn't a true continuation from his leaving point. Certain characters disappear without a mention. Others are just as inexplicably part of the team... It's sloppy writing....
And the thing with Claremont... When he's on, he's on. But when he's off... This first arc seemed to echo the worst of his style. Of course, it is all set up, so I am in for the next volume. I just hope it shows a glimmer of the old Claremont.
This had the Claremont soap opera without the Claremont sharp story.
Oh, and the character death (and the suddenly Retconned relationship regarding that character) was mid 90's sensationalism. Pointless and reactionary....
First problem... It isn't a true continuation from his leaving point. Certain characters disappear without a mention. Others are just as inexplicably part of the team... It's sloppy writing....
And the thing with Claremont... When he's on, he's on. But when he's off... This first arc seemed to echo the worst of his style. Of course, it is all set up, so I am in for the next volume. I just hope it shows a glimmer of the old Claremont.
This had the Claremont soap opera without the Claremont sharp story.
Oh, and the character death (and the suddenly Retconned relationship regarding that character) was mid 90's sensationalism. Pointless and reactionary....
June 22, 2011
I love many different X-men spin offs and alternate universes within the x-verse, and the lineup for this one interested me, so i bought it..I'm not going to pretend i'm an expert on all things xmen within the comics, because i'm not..I just know that i didn't enjoy this one too much..I liked that it was the x-men, but i didn't enjoy the juvenile-ish feel of the writing. Parts of this tradeback edition were really good, but then fell flat..The ongoing plot of the 5 issues could have been done way better. I dont know a lot of the back history on the Forever series, but it seemed very much like it was adapted from the 90's television cartoon series. I would recommend as read to any X-men devotee, but to just jump into it, i wouldn't recommend it that much.
October 19, 2012
It's really important to consult Wikipedia before sitting down to a random X-Men trade.
I'm currently going through the Astonishing X-Men series—catching up to House of M. My son asked to borrow this trade at our last trip to the library so we got it out and I read it a few nights ago.
The team lineup had me confused right away: Jean Grey's alive and Gambit is kicking around. The dialog seemed quite old-fashioned —way more exposition and momologue-ing than I'm used to. Storm's evil?
So I checked the source of all facts and it turnes out X-Men Forever is an alternate universe storyline. Goodo.
The book itself was pretty good fun. Straightforward superheroing. Lots of action and not much to actually think about which is what I wanted when I read it.
I'm currently going through the Astonishing X-Men series—catching up to House of M. My son asked to borrow this trade at our last trip to the library so we got it out and I read it a few nights ago.
The team lineup had me confused right away: Jean Grey's alive and Gambit is kicking around. The dialog seemed quite old-fashioned —way more exposition and momologue-ing than I'm used to. Storm's evil?
So I checked the source of all facts and it turnes out X-Men Forever is an alternate universe storyline. Goodo.
The book itself was pretty good fun. Straightforward superheroing. Lots of action and not much to actually think about which is what I wanted when I read it.
March 14, 2012
Interesting experiment, in that this series starts right where Chris Clarmont left off writing X-men, pretending that ten years of X-history never happened.
Only problem is that Clarmont's last couple years on X-men were crap and having him continuing those plot threads and ideas only reminds me why I never read many 90's marvel comics.
Interesting idea, I'd like to see marvel try more of these 'Forever' projects, but this one left me feeling pretty blah.
Only problem is that Clarmont's last couple years on X-men were crap and having him continuing those plot threads and ideas only reminds me why I never read many 90's marvel comics.
Interesting idea, I'd like to see marvel try more of these 'Forever' projects, but this one left me feeling pretty blah.
October 28, 2009
Wow, a helluva trip down Nostalgia Ave. Claremont has not written a good X-Men book in a long time, but this one delivered. Go into with the expectation that you're picking up reading X-Men right where Claremont left off in the Jim Lee years and you will LOVE IT. Also, GREAT art from Tom Grummett.
May 12, 2011
I haven't read the issues from the 1990s that lead right up this collection, but it was pretty cool. It was easier to follow than the convoluted real continuity and the art was awesome. The characters look just like the ones in the Animated Series, which is one of my favorite X-men iterations.
October 7, 2009
It's like I'm 15 or something...
December 14, 2009
Magneto is dead, Jean Grey is in love with Wolverine, Fabian Cortez is being hunted down and the x-men have a traitor in their midst.
Interesting but nothing exceptional
Interesting but nothing exceptional
January 18, 2011
Dear Marvel,
Please stop "re-imagining" shit.
Thank you
Please stop "re-imagining" shit.
Thank you
May 28, 2011
Excellent artwork, but parts of story don't sit properly. No spoilers, but I think you would understand after reading.
June 30, 2011
This is set in alternative universe. It goes in a strange tangent to the etablished continuity, it has potential though.
June 13, 2012
This series pretty much picks up from when I stopped (consistently) reading X-Men. How very convenient for me! I felt like this 1st one started a bit slow, but it picked up by the end.
June 26, 2014
Interesting book. For anyone complaining about the death of Wolverine needs to check this out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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