What do you think?
Rate this book
Uncanny X-Men (1963) #515-522
X-Men: Nation X
A mutant nation has been created on UTOPIA, off the coast of California. But what does that mean to the X-Men? Magneto's return has stunned the X-Men, but that's not the only surprise they're in for as a herd of Predator X's come hungry for mutant tartar. The hits just keep on coming, but can the X-Men, still nursing their wounds from UTOPIA, deal with all this? What about when the island they call home begins to sink and Namor is the only one who can save the day? Plus: Jubilee returns to the X-Men, Gambit has trouble adjusting to life on Utopia, Northstar deals with the distance that island living necessitates and No-Girl has to save all the X-Men from a foe living right under their noses, Magik has banished Anole to Limbo, but why? COLLECTING: Uncanny X-Men #515-522, Dark Reign: The List - X-Men, Nation X #1-4
360 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
6 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,222 books1,866 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 26, 2017
I'm not a faithful reader of X-men but I picked this one up because Fraction was a writer on it, and he has never disappointed me.
I'm pretty shaky on the whole x-men continuity. Are they popular? Staying secret and hiding in a school? Being hunted by the government? Taking over an island? Are they dying out? Wiped from the face of he earth by a gypsy curse? Plague? Alien invasion?
I honestly have no idea. But this story arc is relatively self-contained. And I know enough about most of the characters to enjoy the stories well enough. That said, this wouldn't be a good place to start reading if you didn't know much about the x-men.
As an added bonus, in this volume, I got to read the resolution of the Kitty Pride Plot arc that started when I read Joss Whedon's X-men years ago. So that was a very pleasant bonus for me. But I'm very aware that it won't be seen as a payoff for everyone.
So... yeah. Worth your time if you're already into x-men and know a fair chunk of the modern characters and lore. Otherwise, you might want to read some of the other stuff first, despite the fact that Fraction is writing chunks of this, and his work, as always, is top notch....
I'm pretty shaky on the whole x-men continuity. Are they popular? Staying secret and hiding in a school? Being hunted by the government? Taking over an island? Are they dying out? Wiped from the face of he earth by a gypsy curse? Plague? Alien invasion?
I honestly have no idea. But this story arc is relatively self-contained. And I know enough about most of the characters to enjoy the stories well enough. That said, this wouldn't be a good place to start reading if you didn't know much about the x-men.
As an added bonus, in this volume, I got to read the resolution of the Kitty Pride Plot arc that started when I read Joss Whedon's X-men years ago. So that was a very pleasant bonus for me. But I'm very aware that it won't be seen as a payoff for everyone.
So... yeah. Worth your time if you're already into x-men and know a fair chunk of the modern characters and lore. Otherwise, you might want to read some of the other stuff first, despite the fact that Fraction is writing chunks of this, and his work, as always, is top notch....
January 23, 2015
I must have missed out on whatever big battle/event that led the X-Men to start living on a giant floating rock in the sky. Also, I have no idea what happened previously to Namor for him to end up living with the mutants.
Either I'm reading all of these stories out of order, or I just need to play a huge game of catch-up...not sure.
Soooo.
Even knowing nothing about the lead up to Nation X, I still really liked it.
Supplies are running low, everyone is on edge, and Scott is hanging on by a thread.
Up pops Magneto!
He swears he's changed his ways, but Professor X isn't having it (which seemed a bit odd), and tries to fry his mind.
Ker-BitchSlap! ...says Scott, and overrules Xavier.
Whoa!
Suddenly Magneto has a tentative position on Utopia.
Lots of spoilery stuff happens, and Magneto ends up sitting on top of a mountain, trying to prove he's a good guy.
Here, Kitty Kitty!
That's right, Eric is using his power to bring back a fan-favorite!
So, can he bring Ms. Pryde and her giant World-Eating bullet safely home?
Well, duh.
Alrighty, all of that was very exciting stuff, and well worth reading.
The last part of this is a bunch of one-shot stories, and (per usual) some are better than others.
My personal favorite was the story about the alien dude, whose world finds out they only have a few years left before it's Lights Out. There were a few other really enjoyable stories, and few decent ones, and a couple of stinkers.
*shrugs*
Basically, what I expected.
Overall, a really good book! If you can get your hands on it, you won't be disappointed.
Get this review and more at:
Either I'm reading all of these stories out of order, or I just need to play a huge game of catch-up...not sure.
Soooo.
Even knowing nothing about the lead up to Nation X, I still really liked it.
Supplies are running low, everyone is on edge, and Scott is hanging on by a thread.
Up pops Magneto!
He swears he's changed his ways, but Professor X isn't having it (which seemed a bit odd), and tries to fry his mind.
Ker-BitchSlap! ...says Scott, and overrules Xavier.
Whoa!
Suddenly Magneto has a tentative position on Utopia.
Lots of spoilery stuff happens, and Magneto ends up sitting on top of a mountain, trying to prove he's a good guy.
Here, Kitty Kitty!
That's right, Eric is using his power to bring back a fan-favorite!
So, can he bring Ms. Pryde and her giant World-Eating bullet safely home?
Well, duh.
Alrighty, all of that was very exciting stuff, and well worth reading.
The last part of this is a bunch of one-shot stories, and (per usual) some are better than others.
My personal favorite was the story about the alien dude, whose world finds out they only have a few years left before it's Lights Out. There were a few other really enjoyable stories, and few decent ones, and a couple of stinkers.
*shrugs*
Basically, what I expected.
Overall, a really good book! If you can get your hands on it, you won't be disappointed.
Get this review and more at:
June 20, 2020
Luego de la lucha contra los Dark Avengers de Norman Osborn los X-Men liderados como siempre por Cíclope tratan de rehacerse luego de haberlos enfrentado con relativo éxito en una isla a la que llamarán Utopia. Son prácticamente exiliados y aunque todo este volumen trata de sus relaciones nuevas (Nation X) también están algo fragmentados, Emma Frost carga en su psique una consciencia de the Void lo que la obliga a estar en su forma diamantina todo el tiempo y la vuelve más fría que nunca, mientras Cíclope va configurando aún más un estado militar ante la amenaza cada vez más hostigadora a la supervivencia de los mutantes.
La situación cambia bastante pues llega Magneto quien a partir de ese momento se vuelve un aliado cercano a Cíclope ante la incredulidad de todos incluso el propio Xavier quien quería botarlo. Más o menos se configura el equipo básico y el estado mutante de aquí a muchos años con Cíclope a la cabeza secundado por Magneto y Emma Frost y con una organización bélica. Aunque Nation X no me gustó casi nada, el retorno de un personaje muy entrañable al final del volumen fue uno de mis momentos favoritos.
La situación cambia bastante pues llega Magneto quien a partir de ese momento se vuelve un aliado cercano a Cíclope ante la incredulidad de todos incluso el propio Xavier quien quería botarlo. Más o menos se configura el equipo básico y el estado mutante de aquí a muchos años con Cíclope a la cabeza secundado por Magneto y Emma Frost y con una organización bélica. Aunque Nation X no me gustó casi nada, el retorno de un personaje muy entrañable al final del volumen fue uno de mis momentos favoritos.
February 25, 2018
This one was kind of all over the place, story-wise. Each issue collected here worked pretty well on its own but as far as a cohesive storyline goes... well, you can pretty much forget about it. There were some really nice moments but the inconsistency factor hurts it too much for me to give it more than three stars.
September 18, 2012
After the battle against Osborn and the Dark Avengers, the X-men head to their own island of the coast of San Francisco called Utopia. That's mainly what this book is about: the X-men getting settled into their new home, and setting up the status-quo of the X-men titles for the next few years. Also, Magneto comes back - BUT NOT AS A VILLAIN. If you pick up a recent X-men comic, you'll see that Magneto now hangs around with the X-men. This is the story where his 'redemption', if you will, begins.
And honestly, considering that's all it is, it's pretty good.
My main complaint is very simple, and all's it takes is two words: Greg Land. I'm really not a fan of his style. His style is also the complete opposite of Terry Dodsons, so its an odd choice to have them rotating on a title. Dodsons art is beautiful to look at. Each of his panels and characters are drawn with care and art. Greg Land traces and reuses the same work over and over. Which, yes, is quick. But it's horrible to look at.
There's also a collection of short stories from the mini series title Nation X. These include stories from the likes of Scott Snyder, Becky Cloonan, Chris Yost and Michael Allred. Some of them are really good, especially the Wolverine & Nightcrawler road tripe by Allred. But some are average.
And honestly, considering that's all it is, it's pretty good.
My main complaint is very simple, and all's it takes is two words: Greg Land. I'm really not a fan of his style. His style is also the complete opposite of Terry Dodsons, so its an odd choice to have them rotating on a title. Dodsons art is beautiful to look at. Each of his panels and characters are drawn with care and art. Greg Land traces and reuses the same work over and over. Which, yes, is quick. But it's horrible to look at.
There's also a collection of short stories from the mini series title Nation X. These include stories from the likes of Scott Snyder, Becky Cloonan, Chris Yost and Michael Allred. Some of them are really good, especially the Wolverine & Nightcrawler road tripe by Allred. But some are average.
April 12, 2015
The early stories dealing with Magneto were close to "A" quality.
But then all these mostly disconnected short tales dropped down what could have been a B plus to A minus tale from a B minus to B.
MY GRADE: B minus to B.
But then all these mostly disconnected short tales dropped down what could have been a B plus to A minus tale from a B minus to B.
MY GRADE: B minus to B.
September 5, 2013
Good story, picking up just after the X-Men and other mutants have moved to Utopia. Problems abound on a logistical level, such as the island sinking (as it's just an asteroid floating) not enough food, etc.
The biggest development here is the arrival of a certain Magnetic personality, a bitter enemy, and what Cyclops will do about the arrival.
There's also some friction with Namor and the Atlanteans.
The book ends with the more or less return of an old teammate thought long gone, thanks to the intervention of someone powerful...
The rest of the book is 15-20 little stories called Nation X, which cover many of the island inhabitants and day to day happenings there.
A good book, lots of storyline development and action, worth reading, if nothing else, helps show the start of the move towards Schism.
The biggest development here is the arrival of a certain Magnetic personality, a bitter enemy, and what Cyclops will do about the arrival.
There's also some friction with Namor and the Atlanteans.
The book ends with the more or less return of an old teammate thought long gone, thanks to the intervention of someone powerful...
The rest of the book is 15-20 little stories called Nation X, which cover many of the island inhabitants and day to day happenings there.
A good book, lots of storyline development and action, worth reading, if nothing else, helps show the start of the move towards Schism.
October 31, 2020
3.5 stars. I’m really just speaking on Uncanny X-men #520-522 as I already read the other issues in the complete collection. I can say I really enjoyed that part. In the Astonishing X-men by Wheadon the was a plot thread left open and I always wondered what happened with that. Now that I’m back knee deep in comics again I wondered where I’d even find that conclusion. Then it happened in this book. I was so excited when I got to that part!!! Awesome!! The back half, Nation X 1-4 was Ok. For the 7 of you who read my reviews you know how I feel about one-shots and short stories. Just not enough there to get me to care all that much. Well that’s what Nation X was. A bunch of 6-8 page short stories by a bunch of different writers. Some were blah and some were cool. But I am looking forward to what else Fraction has in store for the rest of his run.
October 2, 2025
I read most of this book in the two Complete Collections (Vol 2 and Vol 3), so the two-star rating is really only for the four Nation X issues at the back. They comprise short stories about the many mutants on Utopia and are generally fine, if completely detached from larger plotlines. Another knock against them: they seem to be a backdoor way to try out new (and often bad) artists.
In general, I'm not sure why a large chunk of Matt Fraction's run gets sucked up into this book as "Nation X." It's not like there was an overarching event going on.
In general, I'm not sure why a large chunk of Matt Fraction's run gets sucked up into this book as "Nation X." It's not like there was an overarching event going on.
August 20, 2010
I've been curious about Nation X ever since I first heard of the story. I should say that I wasn't very impressed. Don't mistake me, I liked reading the book, but I was hoping for much more. This story is built on the idea of a mutant independent city-state and that by itself should be enough to allow for the development of an astonishing graphic novel.
Nation X shows how the X-Men lead the mutants in a new place, living separately from the regular people, near San Francisco. It's nice to see Cyclops leading even though Professor X is around. He still doubts himself, as always, but he seems to have a more optimistic attitude towards his leadership, he's trying to be more intuitive and just try things even if he isn't sure of the possible outcome. We see him organizing the X-men to defend Utopia from a Predator X attack, order a team to go right to New York to work out who was behind it (I'll avoid the spoilers here), accepting Magneto in Utopia despite Xavier's disapproval, dealing with his attitude and starting a sustainable community by having people research energy sources and come up with some sort of food production. It's interesting to see the X-club (Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Kavita Rao and now deceased Yuriko Takiguchi) investigating and trying solutions for these problems while all having different approaches. Magneto's comeback is, as he is always, awesome. I love his story and his personality and consider Magneto one of the best built Marvel characters. He has a plausible, though not astonishing whatsoever, excuse for his absence from recent events, and seems to be inspired by Cyclops' achievement in creating Utopia and asks to be a part of it under his orders, dismissing a deranged Xavier who is confident they are being tricked. He's still the same person though and he struggles with waiting and asking for permission when he finds a way to solve things himself. After some disagreements with Summers he comes up with a present to show the mutants his good intentions: (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) he brings back an otherwise forever lost x-girl, Kitty Pride, by pulling the bullet she got herself locked in, using his powers to an extent that risks his own life. Another very good detail is Beast's reaction to latest events. He is distressed by Scott's leadership, feels ignored, doesn't trust Magneto and is still mad at Cyclops' for leaving him to torture until the "right time" came to save him. Yet another motive to praise the authors is the telepathic rescue of Emma Frost and Cyclops while dealing with the sliver of Void she had imprisoned in her diamond form. It was well written and very well illustrated and makes for one of my favourite parts of this book. (SPOILER) That Scott managed to lock the Void in a mind prison is amazing but, after having read through the Siege event, I was left thinking if it won't be just another window for the Sentry/Void's comeback. There are a lot of other goods in Nation X, such as the cooperation with Namor and his overwhelming ego, Storm coming round to help, rediscovering Psylocke, Rogue's astonishing new confident attitude, even during combat, Fantomex, yes, he's around and he's fun, and more. Most of these feel underdeveloped though, and have me wishing I could follow an event like this longer instead of going back to small, specific team based comics but they are good on their own too.
In the end of X-men: Nation X there is a collection of short stories that made life on Utopia believable, transforming the idea into a real community, with daily events and funny details, the last one, about the King and Queen of Utopia being my favourite, mostly because of Niko Henrichon's art. Others short stories of note are Jubilee's and Gambit's, both quite interesting and taking a peek into their future.
While going back through the book to write the review I noticed I was enjoying it much more that when I first read it. I guess my mood when I first read it didn't help, or the fact that the story is told too quickly (a problem I have with most Marvel graphic novels) made me feel less excited about it. As I said on the beginning of this post, Nation X had the potential to be amazing, and it was very good at times, but didn't meet the expectations. It still makes for a good book, and a must read for X-Men lovers.
This review was originally published on my blogt
Nation X shows how the X-Men lead the mutants in a new place, living separately from the regular people, near San Francisco. It's nice to see Cyclops leading even though Professor X is around. He still doubts himself, as always, but he seems to have a more optimistic attitude towards his leadership, he's trying to be more intuitive and just try things even if he isn't sure of the possible outcome. We see him organizing the X-men to defend Utopia from a Predator X attack, order a team to go right to New York to work out who was behind it (I'll avoid the spoilers here), accepting Magneto in Utopia despite Xavier's disapproval, dealing with his attitude and starting a sustainable community by having people research energy sources and come up with some sort of food production. It's interesting to see the X-club (Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Kavita Rao and now deceased Yuriko Takiguchi) investigating and trying solutions for these problems while all having different approaches. Magneto's comeback is, as he is always, awesome. I love his story and his personality and consider Magneto one of the best built Marvel characters. He has a plausible, though not astonishing whatsoever, excuse for his absence from recent events, and seems to be inspired by Cyclops' achievement in creating Utopia and asks to be a part of it under his orders, dismissing a deranged Xavier who is confident they are being tricked. He's still the same person though and he struggles with waiting and asking for permission when he finds a way to solve things himself. After some disagreements with Summers he comes up with a present to show the mutants his good intentions: (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) he brings back an otherwise forever lost x-girl, Kitty Pride, by pulling the bullet she got herself locked in, using his powers to an extent that risks his own life. Another very good detail is Beast's reaction to latest events. He is distressed by Scott's leadership, feels ignored, doesn't trust Magneto and is still mad at Cyclops' for leaving him to torture until the "right time" came to save him. Yet another motive to praise the authors is the telepathic rescue of Emma Frost and Cyclops while dealing with the sliver of Void she had imprisoned in her diamond form. It was well written and very well illustrated and makes for one of my favourite parts of this book. (SPOILER) That Scott managed to lock the Void in a mind prison is amazing but, after having read through the Siege event, I was left thinking if it won't be just another window for the Sentry/Void's comeback. There are a lot of other goods in Nation X, such as the cooperation with Namor and his overwhelming ego, Storm coming round to help, rediscovering Psylocke, Rogue's astonishing new confident attitude, even during combat, Fantomex, yes, he's around and he's fun, and more. Most of these feel underdeveloped though, and have me wishing I could follow an event like this longer instead of going back to small, specific team based comics but they are good on their own too.
In the end of X-men: Nation X there is a collection of short stories that made life on Utopia believable, transforming the idea into a real community, with daily events and funny details, the last one, about the King and Queen of Utopia being my favourite, mostly because of Niko Henrichon's art. Others short stories of note are Jubilee's and Gambit's, both quite interesting and taking a peek into their future.
While going back through the book to write the review I noticed I was enjoying it much more that when I first read it. I guess my mood when I first read it didn't help, or the fact that the story is told too quickly (a problem I have with most Marvel graphic novels) made me feel less excited about it. As I said on the beginning of this post, Nation X had the potential to be amazing, and it was very good at times, but didn't meet the expectations. It still makes for a good book, and a must read for X-Men lovers.
This review was originally published on my blogt
February 27, 2011
Good solid storytelling, but a little talk-y at first. I like it, I don't love it. It felt like Fraction was just biding time, circling in a character-development holding pattern while the Big Event snuck up in us.
June 23, 2024
From the return of Magneto, an attack from Predator X's and the aftermath, of who sent them.. with Fantomex. the science club-x dealing with the island sinking. Cyclops and Emma dealing with sliver of the void taken from the Sentry. And a great heroic act by Magneto. All very well written.
June 8, 2021
Namor with the X-Men, Magneto returning, killer dinosaurs and a the wrap-up of one of the best X-Men storylines from Astonishing X-Men all in this one book, and more!
With so much going on I was pretty consistently entertained. Lots of good humour and action here, as well as some great character moments (though not as many as I feel there could be). Seeing Namor work with the X-Men was a joy, and seeing his dynamic with the different characters, especially Magneto, was quite amusing.
The art was less consistent that the writing, but that's nothing unusual for these kinds of stories.
Overall this was a good filler between Utopia and Second Coming. Pushing the story and characters forward in a not mind numbingly boring way! Recommended.
With so much going on I was pretty consistently entertained. Lots of good humour and action here, as well as some great character moments (though not as many as I feel there could be). Seeing Namor work with the X-Men was a joy, and seeing his dynamic with the different characters, especially Magneto, was quite amusing.
The art was less consistent that the writing, but that's nothing unusual for these kinds of stories.
Overall this was a good filler between Utopia and Second Coming. Pushing the story and characters forward in a not mind numbingly boring way! Recommended.
September 9, 2025
The Utopia era X-Men is a tough read. There are so many characters being written by so many writers, and none of those writers seem at all in sync.
I enjoyed the Dark Reign story at the beginning, but I just can't look at Greg Land's emotionless porn tracing for long without my eyes steaming. I do find it amusing that he can't draw Beast consistently from issue to issue. Maybe someone should mail that hack some Yeti porn.
Fraction's story in this volume is scattered in a fairly Claremontish manner. This isn't an arc, per se, it's an eightish part story about the X-Men getting used to their new roles on Utopia, but each chapter has a different focus. It's not at all new-reader friendly, but it's a series of standard X-stories with the occasional bit of emotional resonance.
Magneto and Namor's arc in this volume are far superior to Emma & The Void, Cyclops constant cycle of self-doubt, Professor X's motivations changing almost panel to panel, or...actually they barely touch on any other characters.
The Nation X issues in the back are a bit of relief, as they feature art as opposed to Land's tracing, which....why doesn't Dynamite hire him to do Vampirella, or Zenescope could hire him for any one of their Illiterate Lonely Man With No Internet Access Who Wants To Pretend He's Reading A Story When He's Really Fawning Over Pencilled Boobs comics. Someone please get him a job away from Marvel so he can stop detracting from actual stories with his lifeless tracing.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the Nation X stories in the back are varying degrees of fine. I mostly enjoyed the variety of art.
I enjoyed the Dark Reign story at the beginning, but I just can't look at Greg Land's emotionless porn tracing for long without my eyes steaming. I do find it amusing that he can't draw Beast consistently from issue to issue. Maybe someone should mail that hack some Yeti porn.
Fraction's story in this volume is scattered in a fairly Claremontish manner. This isn't an arc, per se, it's an eightish part story about the X-Men getting used to their new roles on Utopia, but each chapter has a different focus. It's not at all new-reader friendly, but it's a series of standard X-stories with the occasional bit of emotional resonance.
Magneto and Namor's arc in this volume are far superior to Emma & The Void, Cyclops constant cycle of self-doubt, Professor X's motivations changing almost panel to panel, or...actually they barely touch on any other characters.
The Nation X issues in the back are a bit of relief, as they feature art as opposed to Land's tracing, which....why doesn't Dynamite hire him to do Vampirella, or Zenescope could hire him for any one of their Illiterate Lonely Man With No Internet Access Who Wants To Pretend He's Reading A Story When He's Really Fawning Over Pencilled Boobs comics. Someone please get him a job away from Marvel so he can stop detracting from actual stories with his lifeless tracing.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the Nation X stories in the back are varying degrees of fine. I mostly enjoyed the variety of art.
September 26, 2015
First, I just need to give past-me a big hug, or maybe a high-five, for choosing the reading order I did.
The essential ones for me before Nation X was Joss Whedon's Astonishing run and Utopia. Taking off just after the events in Utopia, where the mutants, led by Cyclops, tried to live in peace in San Francisco, this one continues with the struggles our mutants face when living on their new sanctuary - Asteroid M.
When living on a floating asteroid, cut from the human society, one problem or two might pop up.
And on top of that, their new home's creator - Magneto, shows up and asks for forgiveness.
While not a major event, this helped the setting and the current state of mind our X-Men were in and I really enjoyed it.
Second Coming - here I come.
The essential ones for me before Nation X was Joss Whedon's Astonishing run and Utopia. Taking off just after the events in Utopia, where the mutants, led by Cyclops, tried to live in peace in San Francisco, this one continues with the struggles our mutants face when living on their new sanctuary - Asteroid M.
When living on a floating asteroid, cut from the human society, one problem or two might pop up.
And on top of that, their new home's creator - Magneto, shows up and asks for forgiveness.
While not a major event, this helped the setting and the current state of mind our X-Men were in and I really enjoyed it.
Second Coming - here I come.
Read
April 16, 2014The second great era of X-Men comics begins here. Yes, you can go back to the start of Fraction's run if you want, but this is where we get Cyclops finally becoming the leader the battered mutant race needs, telling chrome-domed quisling Charles Xavier to be quiet while Magneto is talking (am I editorialising slightly?). Of course, mostly it gets even better once Fraction hands over to Kieron Gillen. But there's still much to cherish here; I liked the emphasis here (which I don't recall in later volumes) that while Magneto is powerful indeed, he is also an old man, and sometimes that shows. It somehow gives him an even greater dignity, which I wouldn't have thought possible.
February 26, 2017
It took quite a few volumes for me to catch on to Fraction's X-Men. He's eschewing the modern 6-issue plotlines for longer, more classic X plotlines that meander from one thing to the next. But there's a lot of good stuff in this volume.
In my mind, the thing that distinguishes the X-Men from so many other teams is entirely built around the vignettes in the back of the old X-Men Classic comics from the '70s or '80s. The second half of this book--Nation X--is definitely in that spirit. They aren't all good, but there's lots of nice little character pieces in there.
In my mind, the thing that distinguishes the X-Men from so many other teams is entirely built around the vignettes in the back of the old X-Men Classic comics from the '70s or '80s. The second half of this book--Nation X--is definitely in that spirit. They aren't all good, but there's lots of nice little character pieces in there.
August 8, 2013
Interesting side Story to Civil War.
November 21, 2022
Who wouldve thought the econmocial dealings of a newly created nation was so interesting? Because in large part, this is what the core of Nation X boils down to.
Once the X-Men decide to raise Avalon and make it their new home, Nation X, the intricacies of maintaining such an operation become very apparent, very quickly. Things like supplies, shelter, prisoners, funerals, even the business of maintaining the land afloat all come into play, and for the most part, fall onto Cyclops' shoulders. So it was interesting seeing how he prioritizes and deals with each one of these problems as they make themselves known.
Now this book is more of a collection of short stories all set on the new island, and range from basic feelings of how the new inhabitants are settling in, to feelings on the overall theme of mutant coexisting yet apart from the rest of humanity, to full blown assaults on the island itself. However, I'm reviewing this more as an overall review of the entire Nation X storyline, including stories from other books which tie in. Once you factor in all the books, the picture painted is much wider and much more interesting, in my opinion.
There isn't anything really bombastic, until the end that is - - but the story doesn't really need something huge and catastrophic at this point. It's interesting enough to see how the X-Men are settling in, and how they are going to operate for some time.
Highly recommended for fans of the X-Men.
Once the X-Men decide to raise Avalon and make it their new home, Nation X, the intricacies of maintaining such an operation become very apparent, very quickly. Things like supplies, shelter, prisoners, funerals, even the business of maintaining the land afloat all come into play, and for the most part, fall onto Cyclops' shoulders. So it was interesting seeing how he prioritizes and deals with each one of these problems as they make themselves known.
Now this book is more of a collection of short stories all set on the new island, and range from basic feelings of how the new inhabitants are settling in, to feelings on the overall theme of mutant coexisting yet apart from the rest of humanity, to full blown assaults on the island itself. However, I'm reviewing this more as an overall review of the entire Nation X storyline, including stories from other books which tie in. Once you factor in all the books, the picture painted is much wider and much more interesting, in my opinion.
There isn't anything really bombastic, until the end that is - - but the story doesn't really need something huge and catastrophic at this point. It's interesting enough to see how the X-Men are settling in, and how they are going to operate for some time.
Highly recommended for fans of the X-Men.
June 29, 2024
After spending the last month or more reading vintage comic books, it was refreshing to read some modern ones for a change of pace. The Dark Reign: The List- X-Men one-shot is pretty good and features some beautiful artwork by Alan Davis (see cover image above). The writing on UXM by Matt Fraction is decent, but it's Greg Land's artwork that annoys the piss out of me. Every single woman's face looks like some kind of "o" face, like the guy watches pornos for modeling or something. For "fanboys" living in their parents' basement, this is probably cool. For me, it's stupid. I don't read comic books to fill a gap in my life, I read for escapist pleasure. The Nation X issues are a waste of time. They could have put all of the worthwhile stories into a one-shot and saved us all some time and money.
I just wish that someone would undo the following horrible things that Grant Morrison did to the X-Universe: 1. Making Emma Frost (the White Queen) Cyclops' love interest and a member of the team. Awful. 2. The White Queen's secondary mutation, the diamond form. Actually, all secondary mutations. 3. The Stepford Cuckoos. I remember that there were five and two of them got killed. I can't recall much else, like why they were named that. Awful. Until these things are undone, all new issues of the X-Men will continue to disappoint me on some level.
I just wish that someone would undo the following horrible things that Grant Morrison did to the X-Universe: 1. Making Emma Frost (the White Queen) Cyclops' love interest and a member of the team. Awful. 2. The White Queen's secondary mutation, the diamond form. Actually, all secondary mutations. 3. The Stepford Cuckoos. I remember that there were five and two of them got killed. I can't recall much else, like why they were named that. Awful. Until these things are undone, all new issues of the X-Men will continue to disappoint me on some level.
November 14, 2021
I enjoy this run of X-Men a lot. The individual villains are pretty forgettable, especially because they usually show up early to the audience but not to the heroes, get a couple of pages per issue dedicated to their plan, and then they finally meet the X-Men and get defeated.
But the villains aren’t what works best about this era. What works is Cyclops being pushed to the edge in order to protect the X-Men, dealing with the constant waves of problem after problem. While there are far too many X-Men to give everyone the spotlight (and I don’t always agree with who they decide to focus on and who to sideline), it’s clear that Cyclops is selecting the X-Men to bring in on missions/handle problems due to their utility. Ultimately that does mean a couple of heroes get way too much focus, while others barely make appearances. That’s a bummer, but it also works for the sociological storytelling at play.
But the villains aren’t what works best about this era. What works is Cyclops being pushed to the edge in order to protect the X-Men, dealing with the constant waves of problem after problem. While there are far too many X-Men to give everyone the spotlight (and I don’t always agree with who they decide to focus on and who to sideline), it’s clear that Cyclops is selecting the X-Men to bring in on missions/handle problems due to their utility. Ultimately that does mean a couple of heroes get way too much focus, while others barely make appearances. That’s a bummer, but it also works for the sociological storytelling at play.
December 30, 2019
The first half of this book (Uncanny X-Men #515-522) is a good read. It serves as a good stopgap between major X-Events. It's nice to see more Namor and how his, err, personality traits interact with the rest of the X-Men. My star review reflects this portion of the book. The second half of the book (X-Nation #1-4) is a series of one-shots focusing on the various characters living in Utopia. These stories serve more as character studies of the individuals adapting to the new living arrangements. These stories, written and illustrated by different people, incorporate a more indie comic book style. I like the idea better than the execution. The stories are uneven and don't really contribute to the continuity much.
January 6, 2021
*This review is just for the Nation X issues, as everything else is also collected elsewhere*
A grab bag of stories, some serious, others simplistic. The good ones are surprisingly touching, but the bad ones felt like a waste of time. I wouldn’t recommend getting the trade because it’s weirdly collected (issues collected in Fraction’s complete collections 2 & 3), but if you find it digitally, why not.
A grab bag of stories, some serious, others simplistic. The good ones are surprisingly touching, but the bad ones felt like a waste of time. I wouldn’t recommend getting the trade because it’s weirdly collected (issues collected in Fraction’s complete collections 2 & 3), but if you find it digitally, why not.
October 12, 2024
An enjoyable dip into the X-Men demi-monde that reveals Scott Summers' plans for a veritable Utopia.
The villains are a bit rote, but the philosophical concerns are what keeps this entire story moving along.
Of particular note is Peter David's X-Factor story that adds some extra colour into Cyclops' plans. Not exactly revelatory, but so much of X-Men books around this time appeared to be treading water.
The villains are a bit rote, but the philosophical concerns are what keeps this entire story moving along.
Of particular note is Peter David's X-Factor story that adds some extra colour into Cyclops' plans. Not exactly revelatory, but so much of X-Men books around this time appeared to be treading water.
May 9, 2018
I'm still continuing my great x-read of 2017/2018 and I am WAY behind on reviews due to a move and limited down time. I will be updating everything I have read in the meantime with tiny (or nonexistent) reviews so I can catch up again...
I don't remember a lot about this one (which doesn't speak well of it, I suppose).
I don't remember a lot about this one (which doesn't speak well of it, I suppose).
November 21, 2023
This is a fun chunk of story from the Utopia era. More happens here than I remember, between the predators, the pheniox tease, the Magneto developments, and the mindscape stuff. Those nation X short stories are not particularly strong, but fun to read none the less. I miss reading Scott and Emma bantering, true power couple goals.
July 22, 2018
continuing the great x-read of 2017/18...
Apparently I didn't review this volume when I read it?
I recall it being an enjoyable collection but I may have to reread it at some point as I don't remember a lot from it...
Apparently I didn't review this volume when I read it?
I recall it being an enjoyable collection but I may have to reread it at some point as I don't remember a lot from it...
September 3, 2019
The UXM stuff is really good (as always with Matt Fraction.) The actual Nation X anthology series is very meh. Some stories work, most are filler. I didn’t get much out of it. It wasn’t a smooth read.
May 20, 2020
Mostly the same as Fraction vol. 2, but with all the side Nation X stories too. Those are, for the most part, great. Some are interesting character studies, others are just crazy wacky stuff. It was crazy trying to bind them into a larger storyline.
October 21, 2018
The five stars is for the nation x mini series, the uncanny x men issues are pretty average
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews