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Mystique #1-2
Mystique by Brian K. Vaughn Ultimate Collection
Mystique has used her powers to go against the X-Men in their battle for mutant-human coexistence for years, but in this complicated world, Mystique begins to find the battle lines are no longer so clear. In exchange for protection, Mystique reluctantly agrees to work for Charles Xavier. But instead of being invited to join the X-Men, Mystique is asked to participate in politically sensitive operations as a secret agent. Can this former mutant-rights terrorist be trusted?
312 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
October 15, 2015
4.5 stars
Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines
Look what Mama found when she took the kids to the local shop for Free Comic Book Day!
So this is a few years old, but it's aged very well. From the slick art (that bumped it up half a star) to the timeless quality of the story line, this is one that I can see myself enjoying just as much in another 10 years.
US Homeland Security has finally managed to capture the mutant terrorist, Mystique. Seconds before she's about to get put down for good, Magneto crashes in and rescues her.
Except.
It's not really Magneto.
Charles Xavier needs someone for a few special assignments. Someone who is a master of espionage. Someone who can take care of themselves in highly dangerous situations. Someone he can disavow all knowledge of...if things go sideways.
Someone like Mystique.
And Mystique needs the Professor's help. He has a device that can mask her from the various (and numerous) agencies that are gunning for her. Besides, everything he wants her to do lines up with her own ideas about helping mutants.
Well, except for the part about not killing anyone...
This was so much fun to read! I've always liked Mystique (or at least the idea of her), but I've never really been able to slog through enough X-Titles to get a clear picture of who she was. This was an excellent way for me to get more insight about her, without having to deal with all of those other pesky mutants.
Someday, I plan to acquaint myself properly with the X-Men. Really!
In order to do that, though, I'll probably have to seclude myself on an island for a few years.
I mean, seriously, do you know how much X-Shit there is out there?!
So, until that day, I'll settle for stuff like this.
Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines
Look what Mama found when she took the kids to the local shop for Free Comic Book Day!
So this is a few years old, but it's aged very well. From the slick art (that bumped it up half a star) to the timeless quality of the story line, this is one that I can see myself enjoying just as much in another 10 years.
US Homeland Security has finally managed to capture the mutant terrorist, Mystique. Seconds before she's about to get put down for good, Magneto crashes in and rescues her.
Except.
It's not really Magneto.
Charles Xavier needs someone for a few special assignments. Someone who is a master of espionage. Someone who can take care of themselves in highly dangerous situations. Someone he can disavow all knowledge of...if things go sideways.
Someone like Mystique.
And Mystique needs the Professor's help. He has a device that can mask her from the various (and numerous) agencies that are gunning for her. Besides, everything he wants her to do lines up with her own ideas about helping mutants.
Well, except for the part about not killing anyone...
This was so much fun to read! I've always liked Mystique (or at least the idea of her), but I've never really been able to slog through enough X-Titles to get a clear picture of who she was. This was an excellent way for me to get more insight about her, without having to deal with all of those other pesky mutants.
Someday, I plan to acquaint myself properly with the X-Men. Really!
In order to do that, though, I'll probably have to seclude myself on an island for a few years.
I mean, seriously, do you know how much X-Shit there is out there?!
So, until that day, I'll settle for stuff like this.
March 15, 2022
The complete solo Mystique series in which she is forced to work undercover by Xavier. Also introduces Shortpack, the Quiet Man and Shepard, with Forge as a supporting character and appearances by Prof X, Rogue, Wolverine etc. The series also features one of the best final arcs of a limited long-run Marvel title! 6 out of 12
2011 read
2011 read
April 4, 2025
"You want to know how an 'unrepentant killer' like me can suddenly start contributing to the common good? You think I'm running some kind of scam? You can't imagine that I'm capable of doing one benevolent act without some ulterior motive?" -- the title character, astride her high horse
The good thing about this collection is that it's fast-moving, featuring that blue-skinned beauty of a shapeshifter in a vignette-based volume where Mystique gets quite a 007 groove on during a series of globe-hopping adventures. (Professor Xavier - legendary X-Men team founder - requests her to perform a number of politically sensitive special missions due to her particular set of skills . . . as well as her slippery set of standards.). The bad thing is that our featured antiheroine is often downright haughty and/or irritable-sounding much of the time, leading to 300+ pages to feel like an eternity. However, I did sort of like the Serling-esque twist in one of the final stories, featuring a 'kidnapped' mutant child who is unexpectedly more of a little bastard than any of the adults around him.
The good thing about this collection is that it's fast-moving, featuring that blue-skinned beauty of a shapeshifter in a vignette-based volume where Mystique gets quite a 007 groove on during a series of globe-hopping adventures. (Professor Xavier - legendary X-Men team founder - requests her to perform a number of politically sensitive special missions due to her particular set of skills . . . as well as her slippery set of standards.). The bad thing is that our featured antiheroine is often downright haughty and/or irritable-sounding much of the time, leading to 300+ pages to feel like an eternity. However, I did sort of like the Serling-esque twist in one of the final stories, featuring a 'kidnapped' mutant child who is unexpectedly more of a little bastard than any of the adults around him.
January 2, 2015
I vaguely remember when this series was released. It was, I think, around the same time that Morrison was writing X-Men. I had zero interest in reading it. I've never been a big fan of Mystique in general, and the sexy covers were kind of a turn off. I didn't read Emma Frost for much the same reason, though I admit that these covers are at least a step above those. And I never would have, if not for Anne's very positive review. Thanks, Anne!
I really am glad I read this. I really didn't know what to expect, and I'm pleased that this turned out to be a quite fun espionage book at heart. This version of Mystique has an incredible amount of control over her shapeshifting and is very competent in the field, which certainly helps. The story ideas are interesting, different enough to not be entirely predictable, and present Mystique with actual challenges. Nice.
Above and beyond that, Vaughan put a lot of work into Mystique's world view. Maybe the heavy lifting was done by previous writers, but Vaughan still deserves credit for making her thought processes distinctive and consistent. She think pretty much exactly the way you'd expect a lifelong mutant terrorist/freedom fighter to think. And she isn't completely cold, even to non-mutants. She may not be entirely sympathetic by the end of the volume, but she's definitely had her moments.
I was very much surprised with how much I ended up liking this series. Enough that I'm planning on reading the next volume, even if it's by a different writer. Because Vaughan's work on the series very much ended in the middle of an ongoing storyline, and I want to see how that ends.
I really am glad I read this. I really didn't know what to expect, and I'm pleased that this turned out to be a quite fun espionage book at heart. This version of Mystique has an incredible amount of control over her shapeshifting and is very competent in the field, which certainly helps. The story ideas are interesting, different enough to not be entirely predictable, and present Mystique with actual challenges. Nice.
Above and beyond that, Vaughan put a lot of work into Mystique's world view. Maybe the heavy lifting was done by previous writers, but Vaughan still deserves credit for making her thought processes distinctive and consistent. She think pretty much exactly the way you'd expect a lifelong mutant terrorist/freedom fighter to think. And she isn't completely cold, even to non-mutants. She may not be entirely sympathetic by the end of the volume, but she's definitely had her moments.
I was very much surprised with how much I ended up liking this series. Enough that I'm planning on reading the next volume, even if it's by a different writer. Because Vaughan's work on the series very much ended in the middle of an ongoing storyline, and I want to see how that ends.
February 16, 2016
I read this because I try to read everything by Vaughn, and had passed this one by. I did not look forward to reading an X-Men comic, really, but I knew he would add something to it, and I'm not wrong. Mystique, the shapeshifting assassin, one of the interesting bad guys in the Marvel universe, in this run is given the focus (if not a lot of depth), and becomes a sort of world-traveling espionage superhero who gets involved in geopolitics everywhere and surprises you with wit and great characters. In Vaughn's version, she's a freedom fighter, who uses her mad skills to save the world. Not such a bad person; she was misunderstood! The artists decide to make her look like every other woman in the superhero universe, of course, and the art is just okay, done by various artists, but I liked it pretty well, maybe 3.5-5.0 mainly above a 3 because of Vaughn's invention.
January 19, 2018
I really enjoyed this! While Mystique in this graphic novel was definitely different than the Mystique we typically see in the X-Men movies, I still really enjoyed this. It had a super intriguing plot, it blew my mind, made me fall in love with the artwork, and it was just a really fun time. If you are a fan of X-Men, then I highly recommend you check this out!
June 15, 2024
i did not have reading x-men comics on my bingo card like ever but WHAT A GOOD TIME THIS WAS. my girl!!!
November 3, 2017
A great run of this classic character!
I admire Mystique since the days of the animated series, and I was delighted to read a story she's at the center of. Vaughan's Mystique is confident, kick-ass and non-apologetic. But more than that, she is a complex character with a grey moral compass.
The independent stories could be more interesting, but I don't feel they are the important part of the story.
Also - I love the strips in which Mystique is in mid-transition. I can't get enough of these.
I admire Mystique since the days of the animated series, and I was delighted to read a story she's at the center of. Vaughan's Mystique is confident, kick-ass and non-apologetic. But more than that, she is a complex character with a grey moral compass.
The independent stories could be more interesting, but I don't feel they are the important part of the story.
Also - I love the strips in which Mystique is in mid-transition. I can't get enough of these.
August 3, 2018
Drop Dead Gorgeous (#1-6). The X-Corps-era of X-Men comics was a fun one, with its focus Professor X and the X-Men having a presence on the international stage. This book is very much a part of that era, with Mystique acting as Xavier's top spy, doing work across the world that the X-Men can't.
Mystique herself has always been an intriguing character in the X-Men mythos, but she's rarely been written that well when she's part of a large cluster of villains. Thus, it's a real pleasure to see her in a solo book. Vaughan presents a believable and consistent characterization of her, that nonetheless steps back from the most sociopathic takes over the years. Yes, she's violent and remorseless, but she cares about mutants and she has lines that she won't cross. Most of the delight of this volume is in seeing how she interacts with Xavier and the world.
There's a mission here too, with Sentinels in Cuba, blahblahblah. It's fine enough, and it's a good incident to get Raven moving. It also really picks up toward the end, when Raven starts to realize the human costs implicit in her mission. The last issue or two are particularly great.
The other fun thing about this volume is that Vaughan clearly sets up a premise that could run for a long series, and then before his first arc's even over, he twists that in a fun way. It's a pity that by that point we're already a quarter of the way through the whole series [4+/5].
Bigpox (#7-10). The second Mystique arc leans heavily into James Bond tropes ... and it's not nearly as interesting as the first. Forge makes gadgets that have all kinds of potential problems. Haha. And Raven fights and runs and runs and fights. There's still some interesting double-and-triple-crossing going on, but otherwise this second arc is pretty shallow [3/5].
Forge (#11-12). Forge and Mystique working together on a domestic case offers some great nods to their X-Factor continuity — and generally, their interactions are electric. There's also a plot here, and though it has a nice twist, there's also lots of fighting, which drags this otherwise strong arc down a bit [3+/5].
Carnival (#13) Vaughan ends his run with another 007-like heist, but this one is more enjoyable than the previous take, because he keeps it light and mixes in some humor and some empathy. It's a nice final story, because we see some of the strength of his early Mystique. [4/5]
Mystique herself has always been an intriguing character in the X-Men mythos, but she's rarely been written that well when she's part of a large cluster of villains. Thus, it's a real pleasure to see her in a solo book. Vaughan presents a believable and consistent characterization of her, that nonetheless steps back from the most sociopathic takes over the years. Yes, she's violent and remorseless, but she cares about mutants and she has lines that she won't cross. Most of the delight of this volume is in seeing how she interacts with Xavier and the world.
There's a mission here too, with Sentinels in Cuba, blahblahblah. It's fine enough, and it's a good incident to get Raven moving. It also really picks up toward the end, when Raven starts to realize the human costs implicit in her mission. The last issue or two are particularly great.
The other fun thing about this volume is that Vaughan clearly sets up a premise that could run for a long series, and then before his first arc's even over, he twists that in a fun way. It's a pity that by that point we're already a quarter of the way through the whole series [4+/5].
Bigpox (#7-10). The second Mystique arc leans heavily into James Bond tropes ... and it's not nearly as interesting as the first. Forge makes gadgets that have all kinds of potential problems. Haha. And Raven fights and runs and runs and fights. There's still some interesting double-and-triple-crossing going on, but otherwise this second arc is pretty shallow [3/5].
Forge (#11-12). Forge and Mystique working together on a domestic case offers some great nods to their X-Factor continuity — and generally, their interactions are electric. There's also a plot here, and though it has a nice twist, there's also lots of fighting, which drags this otherwise strong arc down a bit [3+/5].
Carnival (#13) Vaughan ends his run with another 007-like heist, but this one is more enjoyable than the previous take, because he keeps it light and mixes in some humor and some empathy. It's a nice final story, because we see some of the strength of his early Mystique. [4/5]
February 14, 2023
Kind of disappointed in this one by Brian K. Vaughan who usually delivers well beyond whatever I'm expecting. This is a by the numbers anti-hero collection where Mystique gets recruited to doing some shadow-ops by Professor X in exchange for protection from several government's looking for her. She has a sidekick who's a guy that shrinks and gets recruited to double cross Xavier by The Quiet One, who context clues indicate is some lady but we never find out who it is in this volume. This book ends at issue 13, which is the end of Vaughan's run on the book but unfortunately nothing here as me super excited to ever track down volume 2 to see what Sean McKeever does with the story. The art was decent though.
October 7, 2017
While I liked this series quite a bit, I still have some mixed feelings. It's an interesting study of Mystique, but it's far from Vaughan's best work. I think this likely because I like his work best when we get a fleshed out view of multiple perspectives, watch characters interact, and gradually see his masterful worldbuilding. But because this collection was so focused on Mystique, we didn't get much of anything else. Ultimately, if you want to read it because you love Mystique, I think it's a great choice. If you want to read it because you love Brian Vaughan, it's only so-so.
March 24, 2024
Solid 3. I was expecting for something more on the side of the mystery, maybe more mission impossible style, but it's more action packed, so mayne that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as others.
It definitely improves on the second half, especially because of the artist. Jorge Lucas is not good here. But it's a fun read and the covers are AMAZING.
It definitely improves on the second half, especially because of the artist. Jorge Lucas is not good here. But it's a fun read and the covers are AMAZING.
July 27, 2012
When I picked this up, I was intrigued that Mystique had her own series. Even though she is one of the "bad guys" in the X-Men universe, I do find her intriguing. This series has Mystique up to her neck. She has made enemies around the world, and they all want her head. So, she makes a deal with Charles Xavier to be one of his clandestine agents: people who can do some sensitive missions that will not be traced back to Xavier or the X-Men. In exchange, she gets protection.
The collection is a pretty entertaining series of spy stories where Mystique uses her skills. Usually the tales involve helping mutants in some way. They are pretty good for a quick entertaining read, but there is no major substance here. It's light entertainment. What I wish would have been better was the art. Some of the art in the series is just not that good compared to other works I have seen. Also, the art in the series stood in contrast to the cover art, and the cover art was often a lot better. I tended to find myself wishing, "why didn't they have that cover artist do the series. It would have allowed the character to look better." So my big issue this time around was the art. The stories are ok. Personally I liked the story taking place in Cuba where she is helping children as the regime is preparing to use Sentinels against the local mutants. It just caught my eye. And by the way, what would spy stories be without some double crosses? But I will leave the readers to discover those.
So, overall, I did like it. It was a nice, easy read. I think fans of X-Men will probably like it, at least the casual readers. And I will certainly look for the next collection, hoping things will stay interesting.
The collection is a pretty entertaining series of spy stories where Mystique uses her skills. Usually the tales involve helping mutants in some way. They are pretty good for a quick entertaining read, but there is no major substance here. It's light entertainment. What I wish would have been better was the art. Some of the art in the series is just not that good compared to other works I have seen. Also, the art in the series stood in contrast to the cover art, and the cover art was often a lot better. I tended to find myself wishing, "why didn't they have that cover artist do the series. It would have allowed the character to look better." So my big issue this time around was the art. The stories are ok. Personally I liked the story taking place in Cuba where she is helping children as the regime is preparing to use Sentinels against the local mutants. It just caught my eye. And by the way, what would spy stories be without some double crosses? But I will leave the readers to discover those.
So, overall, I did like it. It was a nice, easy read. I think fans of X-Men will probably like it, at least the casual readers. And I will certainly look for the next collection, hoping things will stay interesting.
June 12, 2019
If they took Brian K Vaughan’s Mystique and faithfully adapted it into a movie, using the same dialogue, characterizations and stories as this book... it would be one of the best comic book movies ever made.
Every page of this was pure enjoyment. I read it in one sitting. I’ll definitely read it again.
This is the best version of Mystique. She’s sassy, funny, tough, complex, and layered. She kicks ass. She has one liners that put Deadpool and Spidey to shame. Each adventure was a blast.
I know it’s a great volume because I was actually sad it was over when I finished it. I’m nervous about the second trade, because it’s no longer going to be Brian K Vaughan writing... but I’m still going to read it right away.
Fox’s movie Mystique blows. She doesn’t have shit on this Mystique.
Let’s talk about art. It was great throughout. The characters were expressive, the action and drama was well captured and engaging, and the colors were perfect. The best looking issues were #7 - 10 and #13, drawn by Michael Ryan, but Jorge Lucas and Manuel García were also more than stellar. I look forward to reading anything else they’ve done.
All in all, this really kicked ass. I’m happy I finally read it. It rules.
Every page of this was pure enjoyment. I read it in one sitting. I’ll definitely read it again.
This is the best version of Mystique. She’s sassy, funny, tough, complex, and layered. She kicks ass. She has one liners that put Deadpool and Spidey to shame. Each adventure was a blast.
I know it’s a great volume because I was actually sad it was over when I finished it. I’m nervous about the second trade, because it’s no longer going to be Brian K Vaughan writing... but I’m still going to read it right away.
Fox’s movie Mystique blows. She doesn’t have shit on this Mystique.
Let’s talk about art. It was great throughout. The characters were expressive, the action and drama was well captured and engaging, and the colors were perfect. The best looking issues were #7 - 10 and #13, drawn by Michael Ryan, but Jorge Lucas and Manuel García were also more than stellar. I look forward to reading anything else they’ve done.
All in all, this really kicked ass. I’m happy I finally read it. It rules.
July 13, 2013
I'm not surprised to find this 13 issue run by Brian K Vaughan to be one of the best Mystique stories around, largely because Brian K Vaughan never writes a bad comic book. Forced to work for Professor X, Mystique becomes his X-Corps' off-the-books fixer/agent. Taking place during a period of the X-Men (or X-Family) that I'm not very familiar with, this makes the read even better, as it serves as both a great stand alone series, steepled in espionage and "black ops" styled missions, and also offers this unique and often-humorous window into the X-Men world from one of their detractors - Mystique herself. The 13 issues plus design art from some of the industry's top talent makes this great 'anti-hero' X-Men graphic novel well worth picking up.
May 30, 2015
What an intense story line. Much more engaging than DC comics. New favorite villain is The Host, amazing concept.
September 22, 2016
Well, I really enjoyed this ride!
June 8, 2025
First time back with Marvel for a while and enjoyed this tight little Mystique run.
Vaughan sets M up as a spy for Xavier on trips to Cuba and a Johannesburg to remove Soviet Sentinels and a deadly smallpox attack.
In the process we get to meet Small stack (a mutant who began shrinking when he hit puberty and only with Prof X's intervention did he manage to get stuck at Thumbelina proportions) who is mystique's operative handler, Forge - mystique's ex boyfriend and her Q, and Shepard who is the right hand man of a cloaked figure named te Quiet one. Shepard has both Small Stack and Mystique hooked up as double agents, although neither of them know it and is bent on revenge.. in some form.
It's not clear to me who the Quiet Man could be: maybe Magneto?
Overall this was a diverting entry that showed us the state of mutant affairs abroad and that Prof. X has covert operations on the side.
The two arcs have two different artists, the second being by far my favorite, rendering M in pencil sketches and gorgeous hues.
More to come later, review in progress...
Vaughan sets M up as a spy for Xavier on trips to Cuba and a Johannesburg to remove Soviet Sentinels and a deadly smallpox attack.
In the process we get to meet Small stack (a mutant who began shrinking when he hit puberty and only with Prof X's intervention did he manage to get stuck at Thumbelina proportions) who is mystique's operative handler, Forge - mystique's ex boyfriend and her Q, and Shepard who is the right hand man of a cloaked figure named te Quiet one. Shepard has both Small Stack and Mystique hooked up as double agents, although neither of them know it and is bent on revenge.. in some form.
It's not clear to me who the Quiet Man could be: maybe Magneto?
Overall this was a diverting entry that showed us the state of mutant affairs abroad and that Prof. X has covert operations on the side.
The two arcs have two different artists, the second being by far my favorite, rendering M in pencil sketches and gorgeous hues.
More to come later, review in progress...
January 9, 2026
This is pretty weak for BKV. It's also an older title, so there's that. I can honestly see what they're going for here and I admit, it was pretty fun having Mystique secret agent around the globe. Parts of this are ridiculously dated, which usually make for fun moments in retrospect; references to TV video games and all that from the Bush Jr. era. There's also very rough (though well intentioned) trans rep in this book which was pretty progressive for back then, but regressive and cringe now.
The big hold-ups are that half of the art is frankly awful, and the story in no way concludes or even wraps up a single good arc. The individual issues aren't very self contained in terms of episodes nature, but the whole book doesn't even try. I'm sure this was just a surprise cancellation and not really the fault of the creators, but still, how could I possibly recommend this to anyone when it feels like maybe half of an intended story with zero follow through?
Kinda fun, good idea, mediocre execution and zero conclusions.
The big hold-ups are that half of the art is frankly awful, and the story in no way concludes or even wraps up a single good arc. The individual issues aren't very self contained in terms of episodes nature, but the whole book doesn't even try. I'm sure this was just a surprise cancellation and not really the fault of the creators, but still, how could I possibly recommend this to anyone when it feels like maybe half of an intended story with zero follow through?
Kinda fun, good idea, mediocre execution and zero conclusions.
April 25, 2023
A bit of hidden gem here, with Brian K Vaughan having written 13 issues of Mystique working for Professor X as a deniable asset of sorts. There’s plenty of action, character work, and inventive expansions as to what a shapeshifter can actually do. There are some low points in there—some of the art gives Mystique weird skinny waist proportions and generally she’s a bit underdressed—but there are plenty of fun moments to keep the reader engaged.
Given that Vaughan will be remembered most for Saga, Y: The Last Man, and whatever he creates next, this will be regarded as a lesser work, but given I had no idea this existed until recently, it takes on a fun ‘hidden treasure’ quality for me, making the spyjinks all the more enjoyable.
The collection suffers from an abrupt ending, but I understand that the story continues with Sean McKeever picking up writing duties, so I’ll look to hunt that down and find out how it all ends! A fun read for X-fans.
Given that Vaughan will be remembered most for Saga, Y: The Last Man, and whatever he creates next, this will be regarded as a lesser work, but given I had no idea this existed until recently, it takes on a fun ‘hidden treasure’ quality for me, making the spyjinks all the more enjoyable.
The collection suffers from an abrupt ending, but I understand that the story continues with Sean McKeever picking up writing duties, so I’ll look to hunt that down and find out how it all ends! A fun read for X-fans.
July 10, 2020
I can't believe Brian Vaughan wrote this.
I can't believe anyone continued this.
This book works against itself the entire time.
Mystique is an unrepentant killer brought in as, like, a proto-X-Force. She's a mutant who kills for Xavier's dream. Interesting, maybe? Except she acts like she's never killed anybody!
Also, her main power is that she can shift her appearance and blend in anywhere. But it never works! She either shifts back to her normal appearance or she gets discovered or something.
It also feels completely unintegrated with every other mutant story ever.
There are a few moments where just seeing Forge, Xavier and Mystique shoot the breeze/do mission briefings starts to build some momentum but it mostly pffffts.
I can't believe anyone continued this.
This book works against itself the entire time.
Mystique is an unrepentant killer brought in as, like, a proto-X-Force. She's a mutant who kills for Xavier's dream. Interesting, maybe? Except she acts like she's never killed anybody!
Also, her main power is that she can shift her appearance and blend in anywhere. But it never works! She either shifts back to her normal appearance or she gets discovered or something.
It also feels completely unintegrated with every other mutant story ever.
There are a few moments where just seeing Forge, Xavier and Mystique shoot the breeze/do mission briefings starts to build some momentum but it mostly pffffts.
October 13, 2021
This is a totally fine, paint-by-numbers superhero comic from the early 2000s. Evil corporation, mutants in danger, infiltrate the base, use a spy gadget, shatter a plate glass window, and so on and so forth. Mystique doesn't have a personality except "kind of a jerk who wants to betray everyone", but at least she gets to use her body-morphing powers in creative ways. She faces off against a number of faceless goons and equally faceless antagonists, kicks many of them in the face, etc. If you like these things, you will like this comic.
February 28, 2018
This comic was solidly okay. I didn't *need* to read it. I had higher expectations for the character Mystique. But the comic had some high points:
*Much shape-shifting fun
*Blurred lines regarding the nature of Mystique's (moral) character
*Much needed butt-kicking
*Globe trotting fight sequences
*A strong female lead who's comfortable with who she is.
But at the end of the day, I expected more. Better writing, deeper character development and backstory. Three stars.
*Much shape-shifting fun
*Blurred lines regarding the nature of Mystique's (moral) character
*Much needed butt-kicking
*Globe trotting fight sequences
*A strong female lead who's comfortable with who she is.
But at the end of the day, I expected more. Better writing, deeper character development and backstory. Three stars.
March 5, 2018
Eh
Beautifully drawn but the writing leaves something to be desired. This feels like a man writing a woman and the character comes off as having no depth. Not sure if this is because of the writer of because the direction of this project lacked clarity. It's nice to look at though.
Beautifully drawn but the writing leaves something to be desired. This feels like a man writing a woman and the character comes off as having no depth. Not sure if this is because of the writer of because the direction of this project lacked clarity. It's nice to look at though.
February 18, 2021
J'adore le personnage de Mystique et le genre de l'espionnage lui va très bien. Le récit est plein de surprises. Cependant, on sent que Vaughan voulait initier une longue histoire au bout de laquelle il n'a pas pu aller, et refermer le tome à la fin est très frustrant. De plus, le dessin est vraiment très moyen la plupart du temps, alors que les couvertures sont exceptionnelles.
July 12, 2021
I enjoyed it overall. I would have enjoyed it more if some of the surrounding characters in it were also women, I'm never really satisfied when any story is a leading woman and only supporting men. I also enjoyed the nods to Raven's attraction to women and her soft spot for mutant kids. A pretty solid read.
August 24, 2022
While I didn’t find this particularly deep in regards to its conflict or themes, I would be lying if I were to say I didn’t enjoy reading stories about Mystique as a terrorist turned spy. It’s possible that the stories here carry more weight when read in conjunction to the following Mystique comics or the X-men stories that would have been published concurrently to this.
February 12, 2025
I read these issues on the marvel unlimited app. Mystique Ultimate Collection Volume 1&2 are okay. I really don't want to go into it. I don't know how to put it but the ending to Volume 2 is like WTF. Mystique get a partner/sidekick and I'm going to look up if he's ever teamed up with Mystique after this.
July 13, 2017
Is this book perfect? No. Did I enjoy reading it? Heck yes. The sexy art was obnoxious, and there were definitely some cringe-worthy moments, but there were also some really great characters, and I was consistently needing to know what would happen next. So it was a worth while read!
August 31, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! Mystique is a very interesting character, and my only complaint is that I wish we got more into her personal life and family backstory a little more, but overall it was a great read.
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