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X-Men Origins
X-Men: Origins
Provides the very first adventures of X-Men Jean Grey, Colossus, Wolverine and others as they meet Professor Charles Xavier of the Xavier Institute and the other mutants who try to harness their unique abilities. Original.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
About the author
Sean McKeever
535 books36 followersAfter writing indie comics (such as the ensemble teen-drama The Waiting Place) for six years, Sean got his big break writing an issue of The Incredible Hulk for Marvel Comics in 2001. Since then, Sean has written hundreds of comics for Marvel, DC Comics and other publishers, including notable runs on Sentinel, Inhumans, Mystique, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Gravity, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Birds of Prey and Teen Titans.
Best known for delivering introspective, character-driven work, Sean also wrote several weeks of the Funky Winkerbean syndicated comic strip, much of which has been reprinted in the celebrated collection, Lisa's story: the other shoe.
In 2005, Sean won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Sean continues to write comic books; he also writes for the videogame and animation industries.
Best known for delivering introspective, character-driven work, Sean also wrote several weeks of the Funky Winkerbean syndicated comic strip, much of which has been reprinted in the celebrated collection, Lisa's story: the other shoe.
In 2005, Sean won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Sean continues to write comic books; he also writes for the videogame and animation industries.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 21, 2021
"What am I to become?" -- Hank 'Beast' McCoy
"A hero. A champion of your own kind - 'homo superior' - and of the human race from which they sprang. An X-Man." -- Professor Charles Xavier
X-Men: Origins presents a dilemma - in retelling the early years for six characters their stories are simultaneously a.) not detailed with enough backstory to provide a good start for the newbie crowd, but also b.) doesn't bring anything new to the table for those fairly well-versed in said 'X' personnel from the long-running superhero team. The standout chapters were Jean 'Marvel Girl' Grey (in which she sort of resembles actress Sissy Spacek in the mid-70's, a sly choice given one of her signature movie roles from that same time period) and Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau (with his relaxed Cajun-accented speech, as usual, pumping some life into the tale). Otherwise, the only selling point was the artwork - a different artist handled each character, and it was uniformly excellent from cover to cover.
"A hero. A champion of your own kind - 'homo superior' - and of the human race from which they sprang. An X-Man." -- Professor Charles Xavier
X-Men: Origins presents a dilemma - in retelling the early years for six characters their stories are simultaneously a.) not detailed with enough backstory to provide a good start for the newbie crowd, but also b.) doesn't bring anything new to the table for those fairly well-versed in said 'X' personnel from the long-running superhero team. The standout chapters were Jean 'Marvel Girl' Grey (in which she sort of resembles actress Sissy Spacek in the mid-70's, a sly choice given one of her signature movie roles from that same time period) and Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau (with his relaxed Cajun-accented speech, as usual, pumping some life into the tale). Otherwise, the only selling point was the artwork - a different artist handled each character, and it was uniformly excellent from cover to cover.
February 12, 2012
I never thought I’d have the chance to scope out a Booksale branch in Davao City. I’ve exhausted all the bargain graphic novels in all the Booksale branches in Cagayan de Oro; I wanted a chance to try other branches beyond my city. A recent training tri sponsored by my school came at the right time. I found a few trades and this is my first review of a book from my haul.
X-Men Origins is a collection of one shots featuring the back stories of six X-Men characters who figure prominently in the X-Men movie trilogy. The stories are self-contained, so having a different creative team for every issue works for it, giving each origin story a unique visual sense that more or less fit the character on the spotlight. It picks a modern setting for its stories, yet still picks up on the stories from its decades long continuity.
For this collection I’ll do a bunch of mini-reviews, done in the order they appear in the book.
Colossus. Trevor Hairsine’s art reminds of Bryan Hitch’s style, especially the way he renders his figures. Hairsine’s has an edgier feel to it that makes it appropriate for a story set in bleak, rural Siberia.
Jean Grey. This is the best story in this collection. Though the story is similar to the one I read in a collection of X-Men First Class one-shots, it is Mike Mayhew’s art that puts it over the top. Mayhew has an Alex Ross-like gift of rendering photorealistic characters on paper and pencil. But the best skill Mayhew is drawing beautiful women and he tops Ross in that department. His rendition of Jean Grey makes it easy to believe that the original X-Men were falling head over heels trying to catch her attention and win her heart.
Beast. J.K.Woodward handled the art in this issue and his colors give it a painted look and a period feel. His art manages to make Beast dynamic which fits the character since aside from his genius intellect; Hank McCoy’s mutant power of strength and agility is very physical.
Sabretooth. I thought this would be the weakest story, since it has art from 90’s stalwart Dan Panosian, but it works surprisingly well, as his art is raw and action-packed, suited to the feral nature of Victor Creed.
Wolverine. I thought this could have been done better. It has Mark Texeira, a former regular Wolverine artist on board. Taken as it is, it is just a rehash of old Wolverine stories before he joined the X-Men.
Gambit. David Yardin and Ibraim Roberson work well together as a tandem on this chapter. I am familiar with Gambit’s origin and I really like how writer Mike Carey fleshes out his origin, especially those tales that were referred to, but I’ve never actually read before in an X-Men book.
This is a great book to have for reference on these characters. It has solid stories and fits in well with the established continuity of the characters.
X-Men Origins is a collection of one shots featuring the back stories of six X-Men characters who figure prominently in the X-Men movie trilogy. The stories are self-contained, so having a different creative team for every issue works for it, giving each origin story a unique visual sense that more or less fit the character on the spotlight. It picks a modern setting for its stories, yet still picks up on the stories from its decades long continuity.
For this collection I’ll do a bunch of mini-reviews, done in the order they appear in the book.
Colossus. Trevor Hairsine’s art reminds of Bryan Hitch’s style, especially the way he renders his figures. Hairsine’s has an edgier feel to it that makes it appropriate for a story set in bleak, rural Siberia.
Jean Grey. This is the best story in this collection. Though the story is similar to the one I read in a collection of X-Men First Class one-shots, it is Mike Mayhew’s art that puts it over the top. Mayhew has an Alex Ross-like gift of rendering photorealistic characters on paper and pencil. But the best skill Mayhew is drawing beautiful women and he tops Ross in that department. His rendition of Jean Grey makes it easy to believe that the original X-Men were falling head over heels trying to catch her attention and win her heart.
Beast. J.K.Woodward handled the art in this issue and his colors give it a painted look and a period feel. His art manages to make Beast dynamic which fits the character since aside from his genius intellect; Hank McCoy’s mutant power of strength and agility is very physical.
Sabretooth. I thought this would be the weakest story, since it has art from 90’s stalwart Dan Panosian, but it works surprisingly well, as his art is raw and action-packed, suited to the feral nature of Victor Creed.
Wolverine. I thought this could have been done better. It has Mark Texeira, a former regular Wolverine artist on board. Taken as it is, it is just a rehash of old Wolverine stories before he joined the X-Men.
Gambit. David Yardin and Ibraim Roberson work well together as a tandem on this chapter. I am familiar with Gambit’s origin and I really like how writer Mike Carey fleshes out his origin, especially those tales that were referred to, but I’ve never actually read before in an X-Men book.
This is a great book to have for reference on these characters. It has solid stories and fits in well with the established continuity of the characters.
March 6, 2026
X-Men: Origins was excellent. Having initially read the Gambit: Origins One-shot and enjoying it, I thought I'd get the collected volume. I am glad I did. It is quite good.
Beautifully drawn, kudos to the numerous artists, all of whom are excellent. The stories are essentially retellings of the Origin stories of Jean Grey, Wolverine, Beast, Colossus, Gambit, and Sabertooth. The various writers, including Mike Carey, are similarly top notch. All of this adds up to a 5-star volume.
Beautifully drawn, kudos to the numerous artists, all of whom are excellent. The stories are essentially retellings of the Origin stories of Jean Grey, Wolverine, Beast, Colossus, Gambit, and Sabertooth. The various writers, including Mike Carey, are similarly top notch. All of this adds up to a 5-star volume.
September 23, 2015
grrrrr i really hate this "every comic must have different artwork"
Colosus, Wolverine and Gambit had awesome artwork. Jean and Beast were like repainted photographs so they look like comics. Beside the two uglies, i really enjoyed them all. Wolverine and Gambit will forever be my favorite characters.
Colosus, Wolverine and Gambit had awesome artwork. Jean and Beast were like repainted photographs so they look like comics. Beside the two uglies, i really enjoyed them all. Wolverine and Gambit will forever be my favorite characters.
November 27, 2020
This graphic novel gives us the origins of six X-Men: Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Sabretooth, Wolverine and Gambit. Each story is told by different authors and illustrators, thus there was some inconsistency in how each story unfolds.
Colossus by Chris Yost and Trevor Hairsine
Pioter is a young Siberian teen who is devastated when his older brother Mikhail is killed in the line of duty and during his grief turns into Colossus for the first time. A friend of Mikhail witnesses it but keeps the secret, but the Russian secret police suspect something. A baby sister Illyana is born and Pioter finds it harder to hide his powers so this gentle giant leaves his home and joins the X-Men to keep her safe. This story was my favorite, for despite its short length told a cohesive story that gave you enough details on his origins. The art was well done, especially a splash page of Pioter saving Illyana’s life.
Jean Grey by Sean McKeever and Mike Mayhew
The story introduces Jean Grey as a teen who is so overwhelmed by her psychic abilities that she has become a recluse so her parents reach out to Professor X to help her learn how to control her abilities. He gets her past her trauma of feeling a friend’s death and teaches her to harness her gifts. But as a teen, she is still unpredictable and leaves the academy alone where she needs to use her powers to help when a crisis occurs. While chastised at the end by the Professor, you see Jean is healing. The art in this story was the best of the six, with a photo-realism style similar to Alex Ross.
Beast by Mike Carey and J.K. Woodward
We are introduced to Beast as a burly high school genius named Hank who is mocked for his appearance but then heralded as a hero when he helps the football team win State. A bit of an explanation of his origins is given when it is revealed that his Dad was exposed to a high amount of radiation before he was born, thus genetically passing it on to him. Then there is a villain who wants to use Hank as his pawn and Professor X gets involved. Without Hank’s consent, he wipes the memory of Hank from his parents and the community and enlists him to join the X-Men. I hated the Professor for doing that, how cruel to rip Hank away from his family without warning. The art was hideous in this story- the artist was aiming for a photo-realism style found in the Jean Grey story, but it was muddy and distorted.
Sabretooth by Kieron Gillen and Dan Panosian
Long-lived Sabretooth is seen as a child in the rural late 1800s who kills his older brother over a piece of pie on his brother’s birthday. Horrified, his parents lock him away but he grows into a feral and cruel teen who eventually escapes and kills them. As an adult, he meets Logan who he befriends but then betrays and begins a tradition of finding him every year to fight on his birthday (or perhaps his brother’s birthday?). I was quite put off when Logan’s lady love is a sexy Native American with the name of Silver Fox. It was a racist and inaccurate depiction of Native women of that era and took me out of the story.
Wolverine by Chris Yost and Mark Texeira
This story draws from the 2001 story Wolverine: Origin and how Logan’s power came to him as a child in Canada when he witnessed his parents being killed. The story then deals with later years and how Professor X tries to show him that he is more than a killing machine and that he needs to tap into his morality and become an X-Men. The art is solid with good depictions of Logan throughout the years along with his iconic yellow costume.
Gambit by Mike Carey, David Yardin and Ibraim Roberson
I love me some Gambit, so I was willing to overlook that the story didn’t truly show his origins. Instead, it begins with his marriage to Bella Donna. The whole idea of them marrying didn’t make sense, as they were from feuding clans – the Thieves Guild vs the Assassin’s Guild. It was supposed to have a Romeo and Juliet vibe but I think the marriage would have been stopped before the ceremony, not immediately afterward. But…the rest of the story shows while Remy briefly works for bad people, his goodness wins out in the end. The art was decent, but sometimes facial features were oddly puffy looking.
This wasn’t the strongest collection of stories, as the shift in writing and art styles kept it from being consistent. I felt the Colossus and Jean Grey stories were the strongest, both in writing and art. The X-Men were one of my first comic loves, and even though I haven’t been reading a lot about them in recent years, I noticed inconsistencies in the stories. It was an interesting early look at some X-Men heroes and villains but not what I would consider canon.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2020/11/2...
Colossus by Chris Yost and Trevor Hairsine
Pioter is a young Siberian teen who is devastated when his older brother Mikhail is killed in the line of duty and during his grief turns into Colossus for the first time. A friend of Mikhail witnesses it but keeps the secret, but the Russian secret police suspect something. A baby sister Illyana is born and Pioter finds it harder to hide his powers so this gentle giant leaves his home and joins the X-Men to keep her safe. This story was my favorite, for despite its short length told a cohesive story that gave you enough details on his origins. The art was well done, especially a splash page of Pioter saving Illyana’s life.
Jean Grey by Sean McKeever and Mike Mayhew
The story introduces Jean Grey as a teen who is so overwhelmed by her psychic abilities that she has become a recluse so her parents reach out to Professor X to help her learn how to control her abilities. He gets her past her trauma of feeling a friend’s death and teaches her to harness her gifts. But as a teen, she is still unpredictable and leaves the academy alone where she needs to use her powers to help when a crisis occurs. While chastised at the end by the Professor, you see Jean is healing. The art in this story was the best of the six, with a photo-realism style similar to Alex Ross.
Beast by Mike Carey and J.K. Woodward
We are introduced to Beast as a burly high school genius named Hank who is mocked for his appearance but then heralded as a hero when he helps the football team win State. A bit of an explanation of his origins is given when it is revealed that his Dad was exposed to a high amount of radiation before he was born, thus genetically passing it on to him. Then there is a villain who wants to use Hank as his pawn and Professor X gets involved. Without Hank’s consent, he wipes the memory of Hank from his parents and the community and enlists him to join the X-Men. I hated the Professor for doing that, how cruel to rip Hank away from his family without warning. The art was hideous in this story- the artist was aiming for a photo-realism style found in the Jean Grey story, but it was muddy and distorted.
Sabretooth by Kieron Gillen and Dan Panosian
Long-lived Sabretooth is seen as a child in the rural late 1800s who kills his older brother over a piece of pie on his brother’s birthday. Horrified, his parents lock him away but he grows into a feral and cruel teen who eventually escapes and kills them. As an adult, he meets Logan who he befriends but then betrays and begins a tradition of finding him every year to fight on his birthday (or perhaps his brother’s birthday?). I was quite put off when Logan’s lady love is a sexy Native American with the name of Silver Fox. It was a racist and inaccurate depiction of Native women of that era and took me out of the story.
Wolverine by Chris Yost and Mark Texeira
This story draws from the 2001 story Wolverine: Origin and how Logan’s power came to him as a child in Canada when he witnessed his parents being killed. The story then deals with later years and how Professor X tries to show him that he is more than a killing machine and that he needs to tap into his morality and become an X-Men. The art is solid with good depictions of Logan throughout the years along with his iconic yellow costume.
Gambit by Mike Carey, David Yardin and Ibraim Roberson
I love me some Gambit, so I was willing to overlook that the story didn’t truly show his origins. Instead, it begins with his marriage to Bella Donna. The whole idea of them marrying didn’t make sense, as they were from feuding clans – the Thieves Guild vs the Assassin’s Guild. It was supposed to have a Romeo and Juliet vibe but I think the marriage would have been stopped before the ceremony, not immediately afterward. But…the rest of the story shows while Remy briefly works for bad people, his goodness wins out in the end. The art was decent, but sometimes facial features were oddly puffy looking.
This wasn’t the strongest collection of stories, as the shift in writing and art styles kept it from being consistent. I felt the Colossus and Jean Grey stories were the strongest, both in writing and art. The X-Men were one of my first comic loves, and even though I haven’t been reading a lot about them in recent years, I noticed inconsistencies in the stories. It was an interesting early look at some X-Men heroes and villains but not what I would consider canon.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2020/11/2...
December 23, 2023
Sin duda creo que los X-men no pueden salkr del draam de sufrimiento con Jame y Fenix.
Creo que no es lo mio los comics pero fue bastante entretenido leer a los personajes y retomara peleas poderosas contra Magneto.
Creo que no es lo mio los comics pero fue bastante entretenido leer a los personajes y retomara peleas poderosas contra Magneto.
March 10, 2021
Wow, this book sucked so extremely hard. I read X-Men Origins II first and I’m glad I did cause if I had read this one first I wouldn’t have bothered with the second volume. The Colossus and Jean Grey stories were both really good but the rest were either mediocre or literally incomprehensible. It wasn’t even shitty in a fun/ugly/campy way. Wtf.
September 7, 2017
I liked this, but I didn't love it. In other words, I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn't say it was profound. My favorite inclusion was Jean Grey's origin story mainly because I liked the artwork a lot. Although we've seen and/or heard of all of these stories before, it was nice to have them retold and collected in this volume. Additionally, I liked that they had different art styles because it served to further the notion that the same story can be told in many different ways. Overall, this is a nice comic to have in one's collection, but I wouldn't say its a landmark addition to the X-Men universe.
December 13, 2022
This was good. I was really interested in several of these, the Gambit one was intriguing and reminded me of what read as a kid in the Mutant Massacre and Fall of the Mutants series.
September 5, 2020
Minhas faves foram da Jean, do Bobby e do Noturno. A mais fraca foi a do Fera, acho que nunca entendi direito o personagem dele
July 19, 2012
As the title suggests, this book collects stories of the X-men before they were X-men.
Included are Sabretooth, Wolverine, Beast, Jean Grey and others.
Fans will be familiar with most of the stories but there are few minor surprises.
While the art is good, the stories might be best suited for new readers.
Notes
Professor X is kinda...creepy.
Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers
Included are Sabretooth, Wolverine, Beast, Jean Grey and others.
Fans will be familiar with most of the stories but there are few minor surprises.
While the art is good, the stories might be best suited for new readers.
Notes
Professor X is kinda...creepy.
Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers
April 18, 2011
3.5 stars
Pretty good for a few short origin stories. Jean Grey, Beast, and Colossus were my favorites. The artwork was really nice, too.
Pretty good for a few short origin stories. Jean Grey, Beast, and Colossus were my favorites. The artwork was really nice, too.
September 29, 2011
Jean Grey have always been my favorite XMEN character! The way they showed her story made me love her more. :) The graphics were amazing and so are the dialogues. I REALLY REALLY LOVED IT!
December 23, 2023
This is a collected edition of 6 comic issues from the X-Men Origins series. All of them are solid, brief stories regarding the origins of the following characters:
1. Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus
2. Jean Grey
3. Hank McCoy, aka Beast
4. Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth
5. Wolverine (Logan)
6. Remy Labeau, aka Gambit
All the issues, are by different authors and different illustrators which are of course credited in the books itself, and it definitely shows! Each issue has its own unique artstyle, some more similar than others. The ones that stood out for sure, are Jean Grey's which went for a very almost photorealistic approach. Similarly, Hank McCoy's also had a quite a different style from the rest.
The stories were all pretty solid, but because its more of an origin story, there isn't really so much suspense. I would say my favorite of all, is probably slightly Jean Grey's just because the art was definitely unique and the story, while somewhat similar to Colossus's in the beginning, in their origins of their powers, I just found more interesting overall as she doesn't really deal with fighting just focusing on her own issues.
Recommend if you're interested in getting a good summary of these characters backstories.
1. Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus
2. Jean Grey
3. Hank McCoy, aka Beast
4. Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth
5. Wolverine (Logan)
6. Remy Labeau, aka Gambit
All the issues, are by different authors and different illustrators which are of course credited in the books itself, and it definitely shows! Each issue has its own unique artstyle, some more similar than others. The ones that stood out for sure, are Jean Grey's which went for a very almost photorealistic approach. Similarly, Hank McCoy's also had a quite a different style from the rest.
The stories were all pretty solid, but because its more of an origin story, there isn't really so much suspense. I would say my favorite of all, is probably slightly Jean Grey's just because the art was definitely unique and the story, while somewhat similar to Colossus's in the beginning, in their origins of their powers, I just found more interesting overall as she doesn't really deal with fighting just focusing on her own issues.
Recommend if you're interested in getting a good summary of these characters backstories.
February 12, 2012
I'll review X-Men Origins and X-Men Origins II together since they're so similar.
X-Men Origins covers a wide array of X-Men characters, but don't expect it to be like the movie versions of X-Men Origins, which follows a continuous story. No, these are short vignettes that only give a small dose of the origins of these characters. Each character might have many different kinds of powers, from the ability to turn into steel or the ability to kill a person by giving them a massive migraine, but they all have one thing in common: they are all persecuted by man and driven to do things they don't want to do.
It's ironic that man deems himself better than mutants because he is human, and yet man displays the least amount of humaneness in these books. So we have mutants who are tortured, persecuted, ostracized, and hated simply because they are different.
The only mutant in these books who doesn't show an inkling of humanity is Sabretooth, who has a psychotic urge to kill anyone he deems worth killing. Of course, we learn his story of how he was badly abused by his father, but yet it is obvious that there is nothing worth saving in him. This makes him an intriguing character indeed, and I feel like that's why a lot of the other reviewers loved his story the most; but the idea of Sabretooth goes against the ideas of the rest of the story that try to portray humans as worse than mutants. In Sabretooth's story I feel that he goes against this idea because he is worse than humans, and although I can sympathize with his past, it's simply impossible to see any salvageable piece of humanity left in him. He is pure animal, which does make an interesting foil to Wolverine, who also has many animalistic qualities, but also has the sense of mind to hold back.
Some might argue that Emma Frost is another mutant in these books that go against the X-Men idea that humans are not better than mutants; however, I find it a lot easier to sympathize with her character than Sabretooth, and I definitely cannot cast her to the side as a simple animal. The fact of the matter is that Emma Frost could possible be redeemed by Charles Xavier. The opportunity is out there. This seems unlikely with Sabretooth; however, with Emma Frost, it seems she cannot get over her past with her father, so it is difficult for her to move on and become a healthy, loving, humane mutant.
Overall, with Emma Frost I greatly appreciated her story, especially since the publishers of this book decided to include the original The Uncanny X-Men (1963) #131. I loved, loved, loved this as it shows part of Emma Frost's character as seen in the original comic. I almost wish they decided to add some more issues like this that covers the origins of some of the other characters, so that it follows something like a new adaptation, original issue, new adaptation, original issue format.
The only other original issue they added in these books is the one of Nightcrawler; however, I greatly liked the new adaptation 100 times more than the original issue (Giant-Size X-Men #1), which was lackluster at best. Perhaps this shows the amazingness of the new version of Nightcrawler's origin, which I absolutely loved, and might be my favorite of all of them, or it might be because the original issue, Giant-Size X-Men #1, is simply not that great. Regardless, I loved, loved, loved Nightcrawler's story in these books. Perhaps I am biased because Nightcrawler was always my favorite character growing up, and I would almost always play as Nightcrawler in the 1989 NES game The Uncanny X-men, but I most definitely loved Nightcrawler's story and his relationship with his foster mother and the priest. I have to admit that I was getting a little emotional while reading it.
As for other honorable mentions, I absolutely loved the style of Jean Grey's Origins. I believe the writer and artists did a fantastic job delving into Jean Grey's mind because the art style felt very much like a dream, so I as a reader felt like I was in her head seeing what she was seeing and experiencing what she was experiencing. Perhaps the only flaw is a very discombobulating image of Jean Grey's sister's head, which seems very detached and freakishly ginormous.
And last but not least there is Deadpool's origins. I find this story most intriguing because I didn't grow up reading or watching Deadpool, so I knew close to nothing about his character. In fact, I had no idea what his powers even entailed except that he was some sort of ninja/assassin/murderer. All in all, I think the way they set up his character as being a premise to a new Deadpool movie is fantastic! This literary technique really gives me a taste of his character, and it works remarkably well for him to be able to tell his story with flashbacks in an interview fashion.
I'll have to say that Deadpool is definitely one of the most interesting X-Men villains whom I've come across. I think it's because, when I read his story, I was left wondering if he was a villain or a hero. In a way, Deadpool is very similar to Dexter who loses his humanity, but still decides to do good along the way, even if that good in his head is through killing. In Dungeons and Dragons terms, Deadpool seems like he would be Chaotic Neutral, which makes an interesting change of pace from the typical villains, such as Sabretooth, who are simply Chaotic Evil, or Magneto's character who is Lawful Evil.
I do recommend this book to fans of the X-Men series who are interested in learning more about these characters. I believe the author takes some creative licensing for some of the characters, which might confuse some readers, who are used to the original story line; however, I must say I find the stories very appealing, especially due to their emotional content. The only story I am not too fond of is Wolverine's but that is only because I have heard his story a half a dozen times in different comics, TV shows, and movies, so it feels a tad bit tiresome. Other than that, I greatly like these books.
X-Men Origins covers a wide array of X-Men characters, but don't expect it to be like the movie versions of X-Men Origins, which follows a continuous story. No, these are short vignettes that only give a small dose of the origins of these characters. Each character might have many different kinds of powers, from the ability to turn into steel or the ability to kill a person by giving them a massive migraine, but they all have one thing in common: they are all persecuted by man and driven to do things they don't want to do.
It's ironic that man deems himself better than mutants because he is human, and yet man displays the least amount of humaneness in these books. So we have mutants who are tortured, persecuted, ostracized, and hated simply because they are different.
The only mutant in these books who doesn't show an inkling of humanity is Sabretooth, who has a psychotic urge to kill anyone he deems worth killing. Of course, we learn his story of how he was badly abused by his father, but yet it is obvious that there is nothing worth saving in him. This makes him an intriguing character indeed, and I feel like that's why a lot of the other reviewers loved his story the most; but the idea of Sabretooth goes against the ideas of the rest of the story that try to portray humans as worse than mutants. In Sabretooth's story I feel that he goes against this idea because he is worse than humans, and although I can sympathize with his past, it's simply impossible to see any salvageable piece of humanity left in him. He is pure animal, which does make an interesting foil to Wolverine, who also has many animalistic qualities, but also has the sense of mind to hold back.
Some might argue that Emma Frost is another mutant in these books that go against the X-Men idea that humans are not better than mutants; however, I find it a lot easier to sympathize with her character than Sabretooth, and I definitely cannot cast her to the side as a simple animal. The fact of the matter is that Emma Frost could possible be redeemed by Charles Xavier. The opportunity is out there. This seems unlikely with Sabretooth; however, with Emma Frost, it seems she cannot get over her past with her father, so it is difficult for her to move on and become a healthy, loving, humane mutant.
Overall, with Emma Frost I greatly appreciated her story, especially since the publishers of this book decided to include the original The Uncanny X-Men (1963) #131. I loved, loved, loved this as it shows part of Emma Frost's character as seen in the original comic. I almost wish they decided to add some more issues like this that covers the origins of some of the other characters, so that it follows something like a new adaptation, original issue, new adaptation, original issue format.
The only other original issue they added in these books is the one of Nightcrawler; however, I greatly liked the new adaptation 100 times more than the original issue (Giant-Size X-Men #1), which was lackluster at best. Perhaps this shows the amazingness of the new version of Nightcrawler's origin, which I absolutely loved, and might be my favorite of all of them, or it might be because the original issue, Giant-Size X-Men #1, is simply not that great. Regardless, I loved, loved, loved Nightcrawler's story in these books. Perhaps I am biased because Nightcrawler was always my favorite character growing up, and I would almost always play as Nightcrawler in the 1989 NES game The Uncanny X-men, but I most definitely loved Nightcrawler's story and his relationship with his foster mother and the priest. I have to admit that I was getting a little emotional while reading it.
As for other honorable mentions, I absolutely loved the style of Jean Grey's Origins. I believe the writer and artists did a fantastic job delving into Jean Grey's mind because the art style felt very much like a dream, so I as a reader felt like I was in her head seeing what she was seeing and experiencing what she was experiencing. Perhaps the only flaw is a very discombobulating image of Jean Grey's sister's head, which seems very detached and freakishly ginormous.
And last but not least there is Deadpool's origins. I find this story most intriguing because I didn't grow up reading or watching Deadpool, so I knew close to nothing about his character. In fact, I had no idea what his powers even entailed except that he was some sort of ninja/assassin/murderer. All in all, I think the way they set up his character as being a premise to a new Deadpool movie is fantastic! This literary technique really gives me a taste of his character, and it works remarkably well for him to be able to tell his story with flashbacks in an interview fashion.
I'll have to say that Deadpool is definitely one of the most interesting X-Men villains whom I've come across. I think it's because, when I read his story, I was left wondering if he was a villain or a hero. In a way, Deadpool is very similar to Dexter who loses his humanity, but still decides to do good along the way, even if that good in his head is through killing. In Dungeons and Dragons terms, Deadpool seems like he would be Chaotic Neutral, which makes an interesting change of pace from the typical villains, such as Sabretooth, who are simply Chaotic Evil, or Magneto's character who is Lawful Evil.
I do recommend this book to fans of the X-Men series who are interested in learning more about these characters. I believe the author takes some creative licensing for some of the characters, which might confuse some readers, who are used to the original story line; however, I must say I find the stories very appealing, especially due to their emotional content. The only story I am not too fond of is Wolverine's but that is only because I have heard his story a half a dozen times in different comics, TV shows, and movies, so it feels a tad bit tiresome. Other than that, I greatly like these books.
November 15, 2022
If someone were to check out my other reviews over the years, they'd see this type of book is not my usual vibe. I decided to do the A to Z Challenge this year, and needed a book that started with X. So here we are. I also listed it in my 52 Week Challenge as a "book that intimidates you", even though no books actually "intimidate" me. Comics and graphic novels just seem like sensory overload to my brain, so I hardly ever read them, so that was the best fit I could come up with for that prompt.
That being said, I do enjoy Marvel stories and the X-Men characters and plot lines. It was interesting to see these origin stories for a variety of characters, both known and unknown to me. I do think each character had a good storyline and of course the artwork is excellent.
Maybe I'll grab another X-Men book from the library next year, when I need another X titled book. I did enjoy this more than I anticipated, but still would not reach for this off the shelf on my own.
That being said, I do enjoy Marvel stories and the X-Men characters and plot lines. It was interesting to see these origin stories for a variety of characters, both known and unknown to me. I do think each character had a good storyline and of course the artwork is excellent.
Maybe I'll grab another X-Men book from the library next year, when I need another X titled book. I did enjoy this more than I anticipated, but still would not reach for this off the shelf on my own.
August 14, 2026
You’re X-men Purist? 2⭐️
You’re fairly new to X-men 4-5⭐️
This book tells the individual origin stories of 5 mutants as standalone stories: Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Sabretooth, Wolverine, and Gambit
Most of the stories tell the story up til meeting Professor X and the intro to the Gifted School for children.
My only minor disappointments are:
*Not covering the oldest X-men like Cyclops and Storm first before covering Gambit and Colossus.
*I feel like the Wolverine story is missing a lot
But I felt like the Jean Grey, Beast, Colossus, and Sabretooth stories were well told
Probably questionable why the Professor X original story wasn’t told.
You’re fairly new to X-men 4-5⭐️
This book tells the individual origin stories of 5 mutants as standalone stories: Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Sabretooth, Wolverine, and Gambit
Most of the stories tell the story up til meeting Professor X and the intro to the Gifted School for children.
My only minor disappointments are:
*Not covering the oldest X-men like Cyclops and Storm first before covering Gambit and Colossus.
*I feel like the Wolverine story is missing a lot
But I felt like the Jean Grey, Beast, Colossus, and Sabretooth stories were well told
Probably questionable why the Professor X original story wasn’t told.
January 13, 2018
I thought that this was definitely a book work reading with some stories better than others. I loved the Colossus story, Jean Grey was good as wel. The Beast was above average. Sabertooth story was kind of weak to me not much depth to the character. The Wolverine was pretty good as well with some good plot points. The Gambit story was just weird and uninteresting to me. Lastly the variety of art work is what makes book, I love when comics give us versatility. My rating for this issue is a 3.9 out of 5.0.
May 15, 2020
I really loved this book, as a new X-Men fan it was a lot of fun to read those origin stories. Also I've never read anything about Gambit, but he intrigued me and I am going to see if there's more to read about him. Very curious about the second volume! :D
July 19, 2020
This collection of a bunch of re-tellings of X-Men origins seemed...pointless. These stories have been told so many times that even with a few subtle changes, nothing changes. The art was all over the place. Overall, not sure why this was a thing.
September 3, 2017
A fun look back at some of our favorites.
A change in some, yet a interesting look.
A change in some, yet a interesting look.
August 5, 2018
About half of these are solid or add some interesting bits of background. The other half are basically just retelling things we already know. A so-so collection.
July 8, 2019
Origin stories of the more prominent members of the X-Men, characters I grew up watching on the telly.
October 15, 2019
Kind of a mixed bag, but there's nothing bad here, and some really good stories, so I nudged my vote up.
August 12, 2020
Not bad.
May 12, 2024
Pretty fun rehash on various origin stories. Beast’s artwork was my least favorite.
May 9, 2025
ouemyi
November 23, 2025
Amazing art interesting origin
September 26, 2026
Sabertooth really just woke up and chose violence
April 20, 2026
Really enjoyed the colossus story, he’s a character who tends to get limited attention, this focus was really cool, good art and well written. Jean grey and beast were just okay, art was funky and story too predictable. Wolverine and gambit stories were solid.
Would have been fun if there was a common thread tying the stories together or if they built off one another. Hard to build momentum with all the one-off stories!
Would have been fun if there was a common thread tying the stories together or if they built off one another. Hard to build momentum with all the one-off stories!
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