Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 2

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men #2

by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum (Illustrator), John Byrne (Illustrator)

When X-Men #1 first appeared in the fall of 1991 it shook comicdom to its core. This is a classic collection of the earliest issues of X-Men, introducing many of the characters and themes that continue today. Color illustrations throughout.

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Chris 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.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The old-school X-Men comics are usually fun and action-packed, and that's definitely the case here. If you've already seen all of the movies and the nineties animated series in its entirety, you should give this a try.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good omg! Talk about epicness and this volume is that only!

So we have the X-Men taking some time off and then going to Sean's home and then battling Black Tom cassidy and Juggernaut there and its a challenge for these new X-Men meanwhile in westchester Scott and Prof X take care of Jean and dealing with the Phoenix thing and trying to understand it. Back with the new X-Men they somehow are able to stop these 2 before comes Magneto and thus the big challenge and fight happens!

I love the way the threats just scale up and just showing how dangerous he is and the mastermind behind it all aka Erik the Red and his ultimate plans of taking down Xavier and thus the X-Men team up again and come to their home base to stop this guy and in the middle also enter Princess Nermani and Phoenix Jean and then facing off against fire-lord then going to some cosmic adventure and facing off against an Evil Xavier sorta but the real threat being: Emperor D'ken and the Imperial Guards!

It begins even crazier when we learn why all is happening and the freaking explanations become more epic with the coming of Star-jammers and their leader's connection to X-Men's leader and I love it and it turns into an epic saga where the X-Men and SJ fight Imperial Guard and the whole cosmic thing with M'krann crystal happens and I freaking love it!

And then some small issues let's say where Wolverine battles Weapon Alpha/Guardian of Alpha flight and another issue where they take on Warhawk, which was pretty cool and just shows how this team is coming together really well!

Its one of those volumes which is a lot to take in and has so much stuff from new characters and concepts and just part of a massive plan of Claremont regarding the Phoenix storyline and I love it and the art by Cockrum and Byrne again was awesome so yeah a definite recommend from me!

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashback:

After reading the first volume of “Uncanny X-Men,” I just could not wait to read the second volume of “The Uncanny X-Men” featuring the second generation X-Men! This time, the X-Men are up against even deadlier foes than before and they will have to fight harder then ever before!

What is the story?

Continuing from the first volume after Jean Grey seemingly sacrifices her life to save the X-Men in space, it turns out that Jean Grey has become the Phoenix! Oh, and not only that but the X-Men come across new villains such as Juggernaut, Black Tom Cassidy and Magneto!! Can the X-Men defeat these new and more dangerous villains? Read this volume to find out!

What I liked about this book:

Chris Claremont's writing: Chris Claremont has done it again in this second volume and this time, he gives the X-Men more character and back stories than the first volume. Chris Claremont made each character much more interesting, especially Storm since I never knew before that Storm had claustrophobia that resulted from her turbulent childhood. Also, I loved the way that Chris Claremont made the characters interact with each other in interesting ways, especially between Storm and Colossus as they relate to each other about their homelands (Storm missing Africa and Colossus missing Russia) and I also loved the growing loving relationship between Banshee and Moira MacTaggart as this was one of the few relationships I have seen in the X-Men universe besides Cyclops and Jean Grey’s relationship. Chris Claremont also did an excellent job at making this volume extremely dramatic and exciting at the same time as the X-Men have to face tougher foes than ever before.

John Byrne's illustrations: I just loved John Byrne’s illustrations in this comic book! As usual, it is done in an old school style that reminiscent the 70s since this comic was created during the 70s and I enjoyed seeing the original styles of the second generation X-Men including Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler and Banshee. I also loved the way that John Byrne draws the X-Men’s shocked expressions as they are fighting various villains throughout this volume and it truly made the characters truly realistic to look at.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this comic:

Even though I did not have a problem with this book, probably the only problem that younger “X-Men” readers might have with this volume is that the illustrations might be too old fashioned for younger readers since this comic was made during the 70s. Also, there is so much dialogue among the characters in this volume that younger fans of “X-Men” might not understand the dialogue going on between the characters. Also, when villains like Magneto and Juggernaut were introduced, there did not seem to be enough character development with them since they were just introduced out of the blue and there was no back story being told about these characters.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “The Uncanny X-Men Volume Two” is a truly brilliant sequel to the first volume and I definitely cannot wait to read the next volume of the “The Uncanny X-Men” and learn more about the X-Men franchise!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Nicholas Karpuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I accept that reading comics older than the mid-80's comes with some interesting baggage, I think I've just about reached my limit when it comes to Claremont's famous run on the series.

The thing is, when it comes to X-Men, people never shut up about this era. It's the source of a lot of the dynamics that have been reused in movies and cartoons for decades. It's the source of things like the Wolverine/Cyclops rivalry, the Dark Phoenix saga, etc. But I would argue that those later versions did a lot to make it more palatable.

Maybe I've been spoiled by modern comics with their clean, photoshopped lines and their clear, dynamic layouts, but these old Uncanny X-Men issues seem so cluttered and frugal with pages. Every page is crammed with panels, and the art is too scratchy and detailed for it to have a easily readable flow.

And the dialogue becomes a problem less because of its quality than its quantity. There's a cluster of bubbles in every panel, regardless of what's happening, and action scenes tend to double-down on the chattiness, rather than reducing it. This might be less problematic if a good portion of it didn't have that Stan Lee problem, where the character is describing what the art should already be communicating.

If Storm is surrounded by thunder and lightning, she shouldn't have to inform Juggernaut that she's harnessing the power of thunder and lightning. If ever there was a medium where "show don't tell" was economical, it's comics. I'm not sure if it's the authors lack of faith in the artist, or in the reader, but people explain what they're doing in almost every panel.

In this comic, if Wolverine went to use the bathroom, he'd holler out a play by play to nearby team mates.

But beyond the structural things, the stories are just damn goofy at times. Jean Gray gets Phoenix powers, and instead of jumping straight into that, Professor Xavier sends them off on a vacation to a Scottish castle where they end up getting help fighting the Juggernaut from some helpful leprechauns.

There's a limit to my tolerance for this old-school Scooby Doo nonsense, and I think volume 2 hit it.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I liked action and character development for X-Men villains development was lacking and pacing was rushed.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Marvel Masterworks collecting Chris Claremont’s legendary-run on the Uncanny X-Men comic book which would go from 1975-1990. If Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1 recounted the transition from the old era of X-Men and introduced a whole new roster of characters who are now legends in their own right, this volume was the world building introducing the interpersonal dramas and stories that have persisted to this day. We get the first introduction of the greater-scope story that would consume this era Claremont’s run with the tragic story of Jean Grey with the first manifestation of her Phoenix persona (now known as the Phoenix Force) and we are given more backstory on Storm and clues on Wolverine’s backstory and the Weapon X program. These 10 issues also introduced the Shi’Ar Empire and Alpha Flight (Canada’s answer to The Avengers). Also we meet the Starjammers (space pirates) to set-up more drama concerning Cyclops and his family (along with the collateral drama he is already going through with Jean’s story). I will hold back talking more about Jean Grey until I read through and review the actual Dark Phoenix Saga, but this is one of the famous stories in comic books and Claremont is setting it up masterfully here.

Dave Cockrum & John Byrne do some of the best art-work in The Bronze Age of Comic Books and it is amazing to have two top-tier artists working on the book at the same time.

I look forward to reading all these books I have in the backlog and this was a solid one to get under my belt.

[Tawfek]

4 stars

[Charlie Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the last 10 issues

[Dang Ole' Dan Can Dangle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of what I said in my review of the first volume applies to this one as well. Although I'd say that this volume, as a whole, is better.

Claremont's writing gets even better, the quality of the stories gets much better, the characters get heaps of development. The comics show the X-Men in and out of action, and really allows you to get to know them--whether in seeing them play baseball, go on picnics, etc.--without ever feeling forced. A lot of back-story going on as well. We learn Storm's origin (and her one weakness), while the mystery of Wolverine's past deepens.

Of course, also in these issues, we see Jean Grey turn into the Phoenix. To take such an average character like Marvel Girl a.k.a. Jean Grey and turn her into the series' most captivating and involved character is a stroke of writing genius. This volume contains the first Phoenix Saga; the second, more popular Phoenix Saga being the Dark Phoenix Saga, which these issues are preluding.

We also see the debut of The Starjammers, who are pretty awesome, and we learn their leader Corsair's little secret that he's really the father of Cyclops.

There's plenty of great baddies in here, too, both new and old. The return of Juggernaut and Magneto are definitely highlights.

Cockrum's art only gets better as well. I especially love his close-up facial designs. (I'm of the opinion that Cockrum's art works best with Sam Grainger as inker.) Two of the issues feature guest artists, and towards the end of this volume we see Cockrum leave the series and John Byrne take over. His work is easily as good as Cockrum's, if not better. Issue #108 hosts some of the greatest comic book art of the 70s; Byrne not only handles the outer space scenery and action well but also has panels that are very expressionistic in style. He does a good job in not straying too far from Cockrum's style (something that's important in a series, especially when, like Byrne, you're taking over on the second part of a two-part story) while also giving it a bit of his own freshness.

The two-parter that runs across issues #107 and #108 is easily one of the greatest (if not the greatest) X-Men stories hitherto its publication. The story had a lot of build up, the action is great, we meet new heroes and villains, there's a real sense of world and consequence, and it takes place in freakin' space! The artwork and writing are at all time highs.

This volume would get 4 stars from me if it weren't for some disappointing issues. Notably #106 and #110, both of which are guest artist issues, i.e. fill-in issues, which are not only lackluster stories in and of themselves, but they also upset the flow of the larger narrative arc and often feel inherently unnatural (as they usually are told in the form of flashback or some other unfavorable device).

A very good volume with some amazing issues, and some unfortunate passable issues as well.

Favorite issues: "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before!" (#107), "Armageddon Now!" (#108)
Best Cover Art: "Enter the Phoenix" (#101)
Rating: 3.65 out of 5

My other X-Men reviews:
The X-Men, Vol. 1
The X-Men, Vol. 2
The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1
X-Men: Proteus
The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 2
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men: From the Ashes

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are real leaps in quality in this volume, mostly during the stories centering on Jean Grey and her transformation into the Phoenix. Not only is it satisfying to see Claremont set plates spinning for an endgame that's way off yet, but its also a joy to see a thoughtful storyline that shows Phoenix struggling to control and understand the power that she sees thrust upon her. Superhero stories are all about this in a way, but Claremont, here, begins to take it to its logical conclusion. Throwing the X-Men into space is also a welcome change of pace, and whilst the story isn't quite consistent or coherent its interesting to see how Claremont links together seemingly disparate ideas and supervillain attacks and welds them togeter into something a little more epic. Furthermore there's an upping of the soap-opera element in this volume as the relationship between Scott and Jean becomes something a little more complex - the two don't just love each other, there's a genuine misunderstanding between them as to where their relationship stands.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume charts the classic days of the X-men, as the new team becomes the most popular team, and the creative names behind the book, Claremont, Byrne and Austin take the Uncanny X-men into comic book history.

Volume two introduces the Shi'ar and the Imperial Guard, a full on copy of the Legion of Superheroes translated into Marvel-dom. It is high melodrama and cosmic action that is up there with the Kree-Skrull war as definitive Marvel storytelling. Most importantly, these are the early issues that set up the ultimate X-men storyline, Dark Phoenix.

I read these when I was a kid, and I'm happy to have these excellent bound reprints to return to... plus I'm getting my wife to read them for the first time, and she can see what all the fuss is about. For others like her who may only know the X-men from the movies... this is the original stuff. Read it and enjoy!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of my continuation reconciliation with the X-Men I picked up the second Uncanny trade. I still love that Wolverine isn't very prominent, although by the end of these stories he is starting to become less of a raging asshole and more of a two-dimensional character. Nightcrawler is obviously Claremont's favorite X-Man (and by extension my favorite so far). Overall the quality of the stories is good, but a couple of fill-in issues with terrible art take a half-star, or the idea of a half-star, away from my rating (3 and 1/2).

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories and the art contained within these pages are truly remarkable. They are big stories with lots of focused intention. And really, that’s all you can ask for a comic. When you compare it to the modern stories that are told, there’s really no positive similarities. Uncanny X-Men is unmatched. It feels fresh. It strikes a balance between history and the future.

The problem for me with reading this is the prose. It’s written in the 70’s and has the narrative voice of a 60’s Sunday cartoon. Which was the style at the time. Fair enough, but it’s corny having to read it sometimes. Claremont has the tendency to over explain the scene. It’s a visual medium and yet he constantly explains what you can see. It’s a bizarre choice. But one I can understand.

That being said, it’s unique to find something that Is simultaneously fresh and outdated at the same time. It’s not really a big problem, but it does make it harder for me to read.

But maybe I’m just an uncultured fuck.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've forgotten just how second team was in this collection. Wolverine and Storm were just coming into their own, Nightcrawler was just learning how his powers worked, and so on. Jean is learning about her Phoenix force and how she has changed.
Classic storytelling and great artwork for the time. Still holds its lustre even 40+ years later.

[Kathryn Kania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claremont is starting to come into his own. Which means, somehow, it got hornier.

[Enigmaticblue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that these are considered classics, but classics are not always that much fun to read. This volume was just messy, is the word I would use.

[Ricardo Franco Marín · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little wordy and the pacing is all over the place, but I get it, releasing once a month with no certainty that sales would permit a long series, you have to have this type of pace.

But I truly enjoyed it.

[Rocío · Rating 3 out of 5]

No se por qué me costó tanto leerlo si ya estoy acostumbrada a leer los comics viejos com diálogos eternos y mucha explicación innecesaria, pero esta vez me aburrió un poco.

Siendo algo tan icónico como Jean Grey adquiriendo los poderes de Phoenix y salvando al mundo, pensé que iba a ser un poco más interesante, pero lo sentí bastante meh.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume marks the beginning of the famous Phoenix Saga. After dying at the end of the previous volume, Jean Grey brings herself back to life and declares that she is now "Phoenix, fire and life incarnate."

Meanwhile Xavier has been having strange dreams of starship battles. It turns out an alien princess was communicating with him as she heads to earth to escape her tyrannical brother. Phoenix ends up using her now formidable psychic powers to open up a portal and send the X-Men into space where she then saves the universe.

These issues aren't great. They're still an early point in Claremont's career where he's figuring things out and they end up feeling kind of bland. However, they're an essential part of the Dark Phoenix Saga to come, which is something that both film adaptations missed (though to be fair, they're both written by the same person: Simon Kinberg). Jean needs to save the universe as Phoenix for her later fall into darkness to be anything but a standard villain arc. The version we see in the films would be no different if it was any other X-Men villain instead of Jean Grey. Of course this requires a lot more set-up than a 2 hour movie has time for. Perhaps that's why the best adaptation of the Phoenix Saga occurs in a tv show that isn't an X-Men show at all: Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the next couple volumes, which I remember as being much more enjoyable than this one, as the Phoenix Saga begins to ramp up and the stories become more connected.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read some of these old Claremont series for a while. When I got my daughter into the 90s X-Men animated series recently, it triggered my desire to go check out the stories that are behind so much of that fantastic show.

I decided to stick to the comics related to the Phoenix, since it's such an epic and iconic story arc. This book, followed by vol #3, and the Dark Phoenix saga book cover that era pretty well.

Is some of the dialogue a bit dated and clunky? A lot of descriptions of the action? Yes.

But the core stories themselves are so fantastic, and so formative for any modern understanding of the X-men.

It's an experience worth having, imo.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

whoops! Looks like my previous specific comments for Vol. 1 apply more to this collection. The Phoenix is fascinating in it's original form and with the fleshed out stories included in the back ups of the reprints.

A great thing about the Claremont years is that the readers really got a sense of how the X-Men lived. The stories showed the mansion, including individual and personalized rooms, as well as leisure time. It was also great to see the characters getting to know each other.

[Kenneth Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

This book continues the saga of Phoenix as an X-man. The X-Men themselves look better than ever with the beginning of John Byrne's legendary run as illustrator. This volume also brings us the Starjammers, Lilandra, the Shi'ar Empire and the M'kraan Crystal. Classic Claremont! Love it!

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It really is amazing to me how well these comics still hold up, and it's great to see John Byrne begin his run on the book.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the weird things about the Claremont/Cockrum run is that the X-Men - still considered a tricky customer, sales-wise - were coming out bi-monthly. These 10 issues take a couple of hours to read now, but span almost 2 years of publication time.

Which has a material impact on how they're written. Claremont has time to make every sequence count, and needs that time to make sure a comic full of still-new characters sticks in readers' minds every two months. It's one reason - as well as his natural preference - that character interaction is so much at the forefront here compared to battles.

The first issue here - 101 - is radical not because it's The First Appearance Of Phoenix but because it's the first time Claremont's risked writing a story with no antagonists. Jean is assumed dead, reappears, collapses, and the bulk of the story is around the characters' response to that. By the time the team throw down with Juggernaut in 102, it's been 120 days without an on-panel fight. That's a whole new set of assumptions about what readers want (and will tolerate) in a serial comic.

OK, that's just one issue, and for most of this stretch there are plenty of fights, though the energy in the story always comes from the team interaction around them and generally the fights work or don't as extensions of that - in the Juggernaut fight the line of conflict isn't between the team and the villains so much as between Storm (paralysed by claustrophobia) and her own internal struggles. This stuff is more common now than it was then, to say the least.

By the end of this volume the conflict-shows-character approach - so exciting in Claremont's first issues - is starting to show its limits. There are only so many times you can see Cyclops or Wolverine yelling "BACK OFF, Mister!" before you start hoping for some actual developments. The switch of artist from Dave Cockrum to John Byrne will help - Byrne's tastes in storytelling are a little more traditional - but this volume is still very much the Cockrum era, a wild ride of great characterisation and chaotic visual flair.

Cockrum's final story is the heart of the volume, and the first real touchstone episode of the Claremont era. The team are whisked across space and engage in a battle around the cosmic M'Kraan Crystal, a battle that allows Cockrum to go hog wild with his costume design skills introducing dozens of characters at once, and allows Claremont to literalise the points he's been making about friendship and teamwork (with a big dollop of Jewish mysticism in there too - as with the "Leprechauns Of Cassidy Keep", this comic is weirder than I and maybe you remember).

The handful of issues this space story and its build-up occupy are another reminder of that extended publication time - the first time we see our space-faring antagonists, they're a crew clearly modelled on Star Trek. After their trip to space, Nightcrawler and friends relax by going to see Star Wars, which had come out - and changed geek culture forever - while the X-Men's space saga was happening. A coincidence which surely didn't hurt sales, since Claremont's ideas of mad Emperors and space swashbucklers scratched the Lucas itch in ways most actual imitations didn't.

Not everything in this volume is great. Even with 60 days between issues, we have two art fill-ins, one of which is a story fill-in too (though it manages to invent Onslaught 20 years earlier and several hundred pages shorter). These are weak, and so are some of the Claremont stories - there's a perfunctory Magneto story which reads very much like someone said "What's this Leprechaun shit Chris? Do a Magneto story." The man who'll turn Magneto into his signature character has no real idea what to do with him at this stage, at least not on the page. But mostly this run remains hugely readable - and while it got tighter, it's still obvious why everyone spent decades ripping it off.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the Animated Series that has since morphed into X-Men 97, you'll find a ton of source material in this volume. The writing is only slightly cheesier than it is in the cartoon.

Much of the plots in this volume would get four stars but Claremont has an odd pacing issue whish may have something to do with art. He'll send the X-Men through a Star Gate to rescue an alien princess, and then the next issue supposedly takes place after that one but has the X-Men at the mansion fighting what appears to be the original X-Men team. It's a tedious story which adds nothing to any narrative Claremont is telling. Then, in the next issue, they've gone through the Star Gate.

If this story was supposed to take place at some period before the previous issue, why does the issue open with the Professor dealing with the effects of Starlord from the previous issue? It's very confusing.

Also, Erik The Red is one of the worst, most confusing villains in the X-Canon. His origin has since been explained through writing about comics but during the story there is one or two (out of a billion) narration boxes saying that he's a Sh'iar agent. How this has tied into any of his previous appearances in the comics doesn't make any sense. Worse, the X-Men overcome a magic crystal threatening the universe ... somehow ... and then we just don't ever hear about Erik The Red again for decades when more modern writers try and explain his origin and purpose. Claremont just abruptly seemed to forget he was supposed to be a major part of the story.

There are several other threads Claremont plants and forgets about in this volume, which drag down an otherwise fun story.

Yes, Claremont's Exposition/Narration boxes are a bit much if you're used to reading modern comics. I'm more forgiving of them in his 1970s/early 80s run than I am when he used the same style to write in the 21st century.

I thought I was going to include this volume in my Headcanon since it does have important milestones for the series. But there's too much scattershot in this collection. Also, the versions of these stories in The Animated Series are tighter and more intriguing, so I'm leaving them out of the comics headcanon and choosing to remember them as fun cartoons instead.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segundo tomo de los X-Men de Claremont, y segundo tomo del arranque de la maravillosa historia río que construyó con estos personajes que Len Wein y David Cockrum habían creado en el mítico Giant Size 1, un cómic que es absolutamente historia. Este segundo tomo, tal y como anuncia la portada, arranca instantes después del final del tomo anterior, en el que tras luchar con los Centinelas de Stephen Lang en la estación espacial de SHIELD, los X-Men se habían precipitado a la Tierra en una lanzadera espacial averiada, y con el sacrificio de Jean Grey para que pudieran llegar, estrellándose aun así la lanzadera en Jamaica Bay. Pero Jean Grey no iba a morir aquí, e iba a volver como Fénix, con un carácter más cósmico y un cambio estilístico y aumento de poderes notable.

Con Fénix en el grupo, los siguientes números se iban a centrar en las visiones de Xavier de algo que se acerca desde el espacio, y en los sucesivos enfrentamientos entre la Patrulla con el enigmático villano Eric el Rojo y sus aliados. Así, tendremos momentos tan importantes como el retorno de Magneto a su estado adulto (había regresado a su niñez de manos del mutante llamado Alpha en las páginas de los Defensores), a Eric el Rojo controlando a Kaos y Polaris, o el enfrentamiento entre la Patrulla-X y el Señor del Fuego, el antiguo heraldo de Galactus, justo antes de descubrir que las visiones de Xavier le conectaban con la princesa Lilandra del Imperio Shi'ar, perseguida por su hermano, el malvado D'Ken, dispuesto a convertir en un arma uno de los elementos más poderosos del Universo, la Galaxia de Neutrinos del interior del Cristal M'Kraan, capaz de aniquilar el propio universo.

Con este tomo, dibujado en casi su totalidad por Cockrum pero cuyo cierre ya cuenta con los lápices de John Byrne, y supone el inicio de las aventuras de la Patrulla-X en el espacio, con lo que los mutantes saltaban al lado cósmico de Marvel, y donde aparecía el Imperio Shi'ar y la Guardia Imperial, que serían parte fundamental de la evolución del Universo Marvel en los años siguientes y hasta el día de hoy. Y que como todo lo de Claremont, debe leerse siempre.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Claremont's legendary run on the Uncanny X-Men is largely collected in a 12-volume (and counting) set in the Marvel Masterworks series that takes us through some of the most pivotal stories in X-Men lore. (As of volume 12, it gets up to Uncanny X-Men #200.) Here we see the launch of a new X-Men team that includes, over time, Cyclops, Jean Grey/Phoenix, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Rogue and many others. The stories include some of the most iconic in X-Men history, including the Hellfire Club saga, the Dark Phoenix saga and the Trial of Magneto. All told, the Marvel Masterworks - Uncanny X-Men series is must-read material for anyone who wishes to dive deeply into the rich (and often difficult to navigate) history of the X-Men. It is must-read material for anyone who wants to get a taste for what it was like during a period of time when the X-Men grew from an also-ran Marvel title into one of the greatest superhero tentpole franchises of all time. And if all that isn't enough, within these volumes are some of the most enjoyable writer/artist pairings you'll find from this era of Marvel comics, including Claremont's epic collaborations with John Byrne, Dan Green and John Romita, Jr. Within these volumes are stories that continue to resonate today, tales that beyond beyond people in colorful tights punching each other out and into an ongoing commentary on what it means to be hated for one's nature, on what it means to protect those who see you as an enemy, and what it means to live with heroic dignity in a world committed to stripping that very thing from you. These are some of the finest comic book stories ever published. They are deeply fun to read, and most of all, they are an important chapter of a beloved medium.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects Issues 101-110 of the Uncanny X-Men following the big events of X-Men #100. In these ten issues, they face off against many villains including the team of Black Tom and the Juggernaut, as well as Magneto, and dealt with alien enemied and met Lillandra. The first issue also sees Jean Gray's transformation into Phoenix.

In many ways, as a 10-issue slice of action from the 1970s X-Men, it felt like a lot of issues were only setting the stage for greater battles ahead, so reading these ten in isolation is a bit of frustration.

On the other, some of the stories we get later, paticularly regarding Lillandra and the Starjammers are ideas that would be key to the 1990's X-men Animated and would essentially be adapted word for word. That series is acclaimed and it's probably time to recognize that one reason for its success is the plots and characters Claremont created here.

One thing that deserves praise is just how balanced the team book is in terms of how its handled. I think its fair to say Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Professor X get more focus than the other characters, but no one's forgotten. You do feel like you know the other characters and they do have their moments. One thing that's particularly impressive is that this volume manages to have all these characters without character-stuff turning the book into a soap opera. There's just enough to make the characters real and then we just get on with the story. This might be helped by the comics being about 18 pages in length and therefore, soap operas are hard to fit in with all the action.

Overall, not as good as the first, but still a strong volume.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Grey pilots the X-Men's shuttlecraft to safety, exposing her to the most intense solar storm in centuries. The exposure kills her, but in true comic book fashion, she doesn't die. She comes back as Phoenix, an extremely powerful mutant. So powerful, in fact, that Jean is afraid of these new abilities. She can kill almost at whim, which delights and disgusts her. She hides this truth from the other X-Men as they have various adventures against various foes. Often, they are taking a break from action only to be interrupted by by an enemy. They visit Shaun Cassidy's ancestral Scottish home for a little vacation. They are attacked by his evil brother. During a picnic at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, they are attacked by a Canadian superhero who wants to bring Wolverine back to the homeland. Heroes don't get any time off!

The stories are exciting if a bit repetitive. The real interest is Jean's character arc as she deals with what's happening to her. Her parents come to visit, creating more drama. Also, Scott (aka Cyclops) is wondering about their relationship, especially as Wolverine, the inveterate loner, starts showing interest in Jean. Cyclops and Wolverine are at odds usually (leaders and loners don't mix well). The new situation only ratchets up the tension.

Recommended.

[Mark Plaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Phoenix Saga is an Improvement, but Claremont's Peak Years Are Still to Come

Although Marvel Comics had the best talent in the comic book business at the time of the comics in this collection, the writing was at a very crude level that would be quickly rejected by editors today. The biggest culprit being the sin of "telling, not showing" in the form of extraneous details, too much exposition, and filling the gaps of action with primitive dialogue, or narration in captions.

However, I cannot knock Claremont's persistence to bravely move forward with characterization that was quite innovative for comics at the time. "The Phoenix Saga isn't A+ material but was cutting edge and set the precedent for better quality writing in the series to come.

Dave Cockrum provides his distinctive style to most of these stories that come alive with exciting action and smooth visual storytelling. Hats off to the colorists and letters as well who make the images pop in such a classic fashion.

I would be remiss not to mention the beginning of John Byrne's run on this series. He is one of the best comic artists of all time and contributed much to boosting the X-Men to the legendary status they enjoy today.