Okay, here we go! Took me long enough! Again, I did ape some of my earlier X-Periment entries, but I've decided that's okay! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
10) World Tour
(Uncanny X-Men # 111 – 121)
Summary:
While Professor X is vacationing with Lilandria, Mesmero
captures the X-Men. When Beast goes to rescue them, however, they are all then
re-captured by Magneto, who takes them to his Antarctic base. The X-Men engage
Magneto, this time both the X-Men and Magneto more prepared for the other. The
fight ends when the base is destroyed and Magneto retreats, weakened.
The X-Men are separated from Beast and Phoenix, both believing the other dead.
As Phoenix and Beast head back to New York, the X-Men end up in the Savage
Land. Once there, the X-Men fight off Zaladane and her forces by joining with
Ka-Zar and Sauron. Saving the Savage Land, the X-Men get on perhaps the worst
raft ever and try and sail to South America.
Meanwhile, Professor X is upset of the supposed loss of the X-Men and decides
(after a flashback revealing his first encounter with a fellow Mutant, the
Shadow King) to leave for the Shi’ar with Lilandria. The X-Men are rescued from
their sinking raft by a Japanese freighter, which takes them to Japan. Once
there, the X-Men meet up with Sunfire and Wolverine meets Mariko, who he is
immediately smitten with.
They save Japan from Moses Magnum and are on their way back to New York when
they are attacked by Vindicator again, this time with the entire Canadian
super-hero team Alpha Flight with him. A battle ensues and eventually,
Wolverine evades capture. Upon arriving at the mansion, the X-Men try to put
their lives together.
Why It’s # 10:
I can’t stress enough just how good this is. I mean, it really is. This is the golden age of John Byrne and
Chris Claremont. Each and every
character gets a moment and some kind of development. The X-Men are so well-defined – from
Cyclops, being in command and in love with Jean; to Storm, still new to the
western world and the X-Men; and even Colossus, who makes some dumb mistakes. Wolverine has great moments, pining for Jean
and fighting Alpha Flight. Professor X
and Jean are great, mourning the X-Men.
Plus, Magneto is written great, Ka-Zar is is bad-ass, Alpha Flight is
kick-ass, and Sunfire is, well, classic Sunfire.
Aside from the characterization, the fight scenes are exciting
and versatile. We get into the X-Men’s
reactions and thought processes as they battle their foes.
Bottom Line:
From the circus to Antartica to the Savage Land to Japan
to Canada – it’s an odyssey that challenges the still-new X-Men in a brand new
way. The X-Men are well defined,
each one getting their moments. The threats are substantial, adding gravity
to the situation. If you had to
pin-point the best of Claremont/Byrne, this might just be it. Maybe.
9) Crossroads
(Uncanny X-Men 273-277)
Summary:
The post X-Tinction Agenda X-Men are teleported into the
Shi'ar Empire which is in the thores of a civil war. Deathbird, having claimed
the throne, gathers the X-Men to kill Xavier. The X-Men are confused, but
eventually join up with the Starjammers and Lilandra. Deathbird is taken care of,
the X-Men are reunited with Professor X, and Lilandra is running the show again. Twist: turns out Xavier is a Warskrull,
basically a warrior class of Skrulls. The X-Men eventually defeat the
Warskrulls, meet up with the real Xavier, and then hightail it back to Earth.
And Lilandra is in charge again.
Meanwhile, Magneto, Rogue, Nick Fury, and Ka-Zar are all involved in a massive campaign
against Zaladane and Magneto's old Mutates.
Magneto eventually kills Zaladane, alienating himself from the X-Men
once and for all.
Why It’s #9:
In terms of what kind of X-Men story this, it reads like
a big, cinematic adventure. The stakes
are high on both Earth and in space, with huge bombastic villains and great,
dynamic art illustrating it all.
Jim Lee
at his best, hand’s down.
But honestly, the heart of the story is Magneto. This is perfect Magneto; the sum of all his
parts, a reconciliation of all the inconsistencies in his history. Holocaust victim, super-villain, teacher, and
now . . . uncertain of his path. It’s
brilliantly done, using his backstory to do a character study. To be honest, it’s maybe the best Magneto
stories ever. Sure, the Shi’ar stuff is
a blast, but the Savage Land/Magneto material is the best.
8) Children of the Atom
(X-Men: Children of the Atom # 1 – 6)
Summary:
Mutants have just begun to emerge. Scott, Bobby and Hank are high school
students at Free Port High School.
Jean’s being helped by Professor X.
Warren spends his nights as a vigilante super-hero. A hate monger named Metzger is recruiting
students and teenagers into his anti-mutant group ARM. Magneto is sneaky about. Agent Fred Duncan is dispatched to
investigate the growing Mutant crisis. Professor
X begins to gather the boys and is about to recruit Jean, but she’s captured by
ARM, along with one of ARM’s former teenage member, Chad (who is also a
Mutant). Xavier and Duncan go to rescue
Jean; the boys follow to fight ARM.
Magneto shows up and deals with Metzger, Chad dies, and the pre-X-Men
X-Men fight a monster created by Metzger.
Professor X takes the boys home and soon, Jean arrives at the school for
her first day.
Why It’s # 8:
The pre-X-Men # 1 origins have been done, but quite
frankly, they pale against this. I know
it’s not canon, but I don’t care. It’s
great. The way the story brings in
elements from the original back-up origin stories and keeps the X-Men grounded
is great. The hints and nods at
established X-Men backstory is fun. Casey
uses the media to create a realistic perspective on the emergence of
Mutants. Magneto is used well, as is
Metzger.
The art is really fun too and calls back to the Silver
Age in so many ways, but still keeping modern.
It’s a shame that Steve Rude wasn’t able to do the whole book, but Essad
Ribbic, Paul Smith, and Michael Ryan do a good job filling his shoes.
Bottom Line:
A retroactive origin of the X-Men with grounded
storytelling, great characterization, and fantastic art. It’s canon as far as I’m concerned.
7) From the Ashes
(Uncanny X-Men # 168 – 176)
Summary:
Kitty refuses to join the New Mutants and demonstrates
this in a team-up with Lockheed against an Sidrian alien in the bowels of the
mansion. The X-Men then encounter the
Morlocks, a community ugly Mutants that capture Angel. Storm fights their leader, Calisto, declares
herself their new leader. Shortly
thereafter, Rogue comes to the mansion, looking to join the team. The X-Men take her in, but are dubious of
her intentions. Things change when the
X-Men head to Japan to attend Logan’s wedding – which involves a duel with the
Silver Samurai and during which Rogue earns her keep. Logan is then shot down by Mariko at the
alter. Not long after this, Scott and
his new girlfriend (and Jean Grey lookalike Madelyne Pryor) decide to get
engaged. Mastermind shows up, convinces
everyone that Maddie is Phoenix reborn, but Cyclops prevails and they defeat
Mastermind. He and Maddie go on a
honeymoon and fight a giant squid.
Why It’s # 7:
This Chris Claremont in his prime. While he does indeed
tell great stories beyond this, this collection of X-Men issues is perhaps some
of the best - peroid. In many ways,
"From the Ashes" is bit on the tragic side for the X-Men, filled with
characters with unfortunate twists in their lives that make them seemed sad and
somewhat doomed.
The Morlocks - Mutants so ugly and freakish that they must hide in the sewers
and tunnels beneath New York City.
Wolverine and Mariko's wedding - cut short because of Mastermind's
intervention, but ultimately because Mariko finds Logan unworthy and without
honor.
And Rogue, who cannot touch anyone skin-to-skin without absorbing their powers
and personality.
In light of this with this, the X-Men are given some character growth. Kitty
proves herself capable of standing on her own two feet when she refuses to join
the New Mutants - as well as kissing Peter. Storm gets that wild mohawk and
becomes a lot more punk.
Tying together these stories is the subplot of Scott and Madelyne Pryor's love
affair. Maddie, resembling Jean Grey, becomes the new love of Scott's life.
Despite what eventually is revealed about her and her fate down the line,
Maddie is still interesting because she is capable of being her own
character. With Claremont writing and
Smith, Romita Jr., and Simonson on the art, this is some of the best X-Men
stories yet.
Bottom Line:
The X-Men contend with personal conflicts even as they
deal with lower level, more terrestrial threats that challenge them in new
ways.
6) Age of Apocalypse
(X-Men: Alpha, Astonishing X-Men # 1-4, Amazing X-Men #
1-4, Generation Next # 1-4, X-Calibre # 1-4, Gambit and the X-Ternals # 1-4,
Factor X # 1-4, X-Man # 1-4, X-Universe # 1-2, X-Men Chronicles # 1-2, Tales
from the Age of Apocalypse: Astonishing X-Men, Tales from the Age of
Apocalypse: Factor X, X-Man # -1, X-Men: Omega)
Summary:
David Haller – Legion – goes back in time to kill Magneto
in the hopes of saving his father’s dream of Mutant/human peace. A few X-Men, including the already time-lost
Bishop, go back in time with him.
Charles and Erik were best friends back then and Charles gives his life
to save Erik. The X-Men and Legion
vanish, except for Bishop. Apocalypse
then rises and proceeds to either take over or destroy most of the world. Humanity has been sequestered to what’s left
of Europe.
Twenty years later, Bishop comes across the X-Men through
a psi-connection, Magneto realizes that this reality is not as it should
be. He sends Gambit and his X-Ternals
into space to retrieve a piece of the M’Kraan Crystal. Colossus, Shadowcat, and Generation Next are
dispatched with finding Illyana.
Nightcrawler and Mystique are sent to Avalon aka the Savage Land to find
Destiny. Meanwhile, Magneto’s two X-Men
teams assault Apocalypse’s forces on two fronts – one to deflect a mass culling
in the mid-west and another assisting and an evacuation in new England. Unfortunately, Magneto is attacked an the
mansion and both he and Bishop are taken captive. Eventually, his and Rogue’s son Charles is
taken too. Even as the X-Men plot and
scheme, Sinister’s own plans come to fruition: Nate Grey, the X-Man, is
unleashed upon Apocalypse. And the Human
High Council is prepared for a final ending to Apocalypse: a nuclear strike
that Wolverine must protect.
Eventually, all of these threads come together as Bishop
journeys back in time and prevents the Age of Apocalypse from ever
occurring. As the timeline fades,
Magneto defeats Apocalypse and stands with his family as the world burns away.
Why It’s # 6:
There are a lot of X-Men stories that I would describe as
epic, but this one takes the cake.
There are huge, inter-weaving storylines involving Cyclops, Jean, and
Nate Grey. There’s new backstory to
explore. Old faces pop up in surprising
ways. There are even new characters that
somehow survive the Age of Apocalyse. It’s
the X-Men, without much hope to hold onto and with their backs up against the
wall, but somehow they achieve the impossible.
In this worst case scenario, where Mutants rule with both an iron fist
and a heavy boot, the X-Men are still fighting the good fight.
The art itself is worth it too. Great redesigns capture the mood and tone of
the crossover. Familiar landmarks in
both the real world and in the Marvel Universe are broken and shattered. The fight scenes are often kinetic and full
of excitement; you know that anything can happen.
There are some missteps, but the whole is greater than
the sum of its parts.
Bottom Line:
An epic, huge X-Men story that presents the worst case
scenario for the X-Men: malevolent Mutant domination. But somehow, the X-Men win the day.
5) Baptism by Fire
(X-Men # 85)
Summary:
In New York City, the X-Men jump into a burning hospital
to rescue babies from dying. They bring
them out of the hospital, but are immediately confronted by the cops who have
their guns trained on them. Professor X
offers to freeze the cops, but Storm appeals to them, and gains their
trust. Meanwhile, in LA, Magneto assumes
the role of a company man whose community center has just been destroyed. He buddies up with the center’s foremen, Joe,
in an effort to get a read on humanity before launching his next big
attack. Magneto is surprised to find Joe
fairly passive about Mutants and surprisingly likeable. When Joe makes a comment about Hitler,
Magneto flips out, and reveals himself. Joe then gets in Magneto’s face and blames
Mutants like him for scaring humanity so badly.
Why It’s # 5:
This single issue defines both Magneto and the X-Men so
very well. The X-Men are trying to build
bridges with humanity, and get eye-to-eye with those that hate and fear them. They don’t blink. And it works out, with the X-Men emerging
from the encounter as heroes. Magneto on
the other hand, is looking for a reason to burn a bridge with humanity. In the end, his own feelings get in the way
and he finds his reason, as misguided as it is.
The stories run parallel and weave together nicely. And even though it’s a “prelude” to the
disappointing “Magneto War,” it’s also a great stand-alone. You don’t need to know what Magneto is up to,
only that it’s no good. If you only saw
the X-Men in the cartoons or the movies, you can still read this and enjoy it.
The art is equally spectacular. Alan Davis and Mark Farmer knock it out of the
park. The colors are vibrant and moody.
Bottom Line:
Overall, a great singular issue that defines both Magneto
and X-Men to a tee.
4) Weapon X
Summary:
Logan is captured to be turned in a fighting
machine. He’s given an Adamantium skeleton,
which reveals a set of claws. He’s then
stripped of his humanity, becoming nothing more than a killing machine,
subjected to brainwashing and various simulations. Eventually, the programming breaks, and Logan
kills everyone before fleeing into the wilderness.
Why It’s # 4:
"Weapon X" made me a Wolverine fan. I'm not the biggest Wolverine
fan, simply because a lot of writers don't write Wolverine in a way that I can
relate to him. Writers have taken him on and done decent jobs, but I never
really felt the character was all he's cracked up to be.
"Weapon X" changes all that. In this story, we learn the secret
origin of Wolverine (well, part of it anyway). We see Logan stripped down from being a human
being into, really, an animal. It really puts Wolverine in a new light for me,
making all of the stories that have come before hand stand on more solid
ground. Within the context of the big picture, this story makes Wolverine into
a better character. We now know that him being a jackass is for a good reason.
The art is amazing and the way that it flows with the writing is great synchronization.
It's a brutal story. The POV of the Weapon X heads (the sympathetic Hines; the
scheming Doctor Cornelius; and the down-right evil Professor) make it even
darker, given us an insight as to what is happening beyond Wolverine's perspective.
Bottom Line:
The best Wolverine story, a dark and twisted take on him
as he struggles to exact his revenge on those that stripped him of his
humanity.
3) Days of Future Past
(Uncanny X-Men #
141-142)
Summary:
In the future, Sentinels control most of the world. Mutants are held in internment camps, not
permitted to breed and restrained with collars that cut off access to their powers. A small surviving band of X-Men (Kate Pryde,
Colossus, Magneto, Wolverine, Rachel Summers, Franklin Richards, and Storm)
devise a plan to send Kate’s mind back into her past body to stop the
assassination of Senator Robert Kelly, whose death kicked this all off. The plan succeeds and she convinces the X-Men
to go to Washington DC to stop Mystique and her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
from doing just that.
Meanwhile, in the future, the surviving X-Men attack the
Baxter Building to stop the Sentinels before the humans nuke New York once and
for all. One by one, all are killed
except Rachel and Kate. In the past,
Kate prevents the assassination, but the fate of the future is left up in the
air.
Why It’s # 3:
In a lot of ways, this is opposite of the “Age of
Apocalypse.” This is other worst case
scenario. Now, we’ve seen a lot of
alternate realities on this list – worlds where humanity is going extinct and
Mutants are the dominate species; worlds where the X-Men don’t exist; worlds
where Mutantkinds rise has ruined the Earth; and worlds where Mutant rule
supreme with an iron fist. But this one
represents perhaps the worst possible outcome – where pretty much everyone is
dead and falls victim to Sentinels. It
fulfills a lot of what Master Mold’s plan was from his first appearance:
control humanity to protect humanity.
The plan on the future X-Men is desperate, more desperate
than Mangeto’s in the Age of Apocalypse.
And watching them get picked off one by one while watching our present
day X-Men be victorious has a very eerie resonance. And to have it left uncertain if the future
is saved makes this all the better.
Bottom Line:
The X-Men face a future that looms over them even today. It’s dark, but offers the possibility of
hope.
2) X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
(X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills OGN)
Summary:
A crazy, Mutant-hating reverend by the name of William
Stryker has organized a whole church-load of people against Mutants, accusing
them of basically being devil-spawn. His
army – the Purifers – kill Mutant children, drawing the attention of
Magneto. He then captures Professor X
and brainwashes him. He also captures
Cyclops and Storm. The X-Men investigate
and eventually join with Magneto. They
free Cyclops and Storm and confront Styker during a big televised
appearance. Stryker plans on revealing
all Mutants by using Professor X’s power.
Anyone who gets a bloody nose is a Mutant, basically. The X-Men confront him, Magneto gets taken
down by Xavier, and Stryker prepares to kill Kitty. Stryker is then shot by a cop, in defense of
Kitty. Back at the mansion, Professor X
experiences a crisis of faith and nearly joins Magneto. Luckily, he declines and finds himself
humbled by his students dedication to his dream.
Why It’s # 2:
God Loves, Man Kills is brilliant. It's X-Men for adults
with really bad cuss words like bastard, hell, shit, damn, and even the n-word!
Neat! There's guns, not lasers. And it
100% embracing the idea of racism; it makes it normal and scary. It’s not just Bastian and John Sublime, it’s
the gang in the alley and the kid in your class.
It's a great story because it's so honest to its self. Stryker,
as nutty as he was, was sort of relatable and interesting. One could
understand his position, even if it was very extreme. I also very much enjoyed
the fact that it wasn't Christianity that was the source of the problem - it
was the use of it to do ones selfish bidding. And it blows up on him.
There's a theme of faith throughout this story. Not only the faith in God
and Christ, but also in Xavier's and Magneto's dream. Magneto and the X-Men are
fighting together because they both want the survival of Mutantkind
and their friends back - but also because they have faith in their dreams. In
the end, Xavier even falters in his faith, but is brought back to it by his
friends and family.
Bottom Line:
It's beautifully
rendered story and with amazing art and a great story.
1) The Dark Phoenix Saga
(Uncanny X-Men # 129 – 139)
Summary:
After their confrontation with Proteus, the X-Men head
back home and are reunited with Professor X.
They soon discover two new Mutants – Dazzler and Kitty Pryde. Unfortunately, these are also targeted by the
mysterious Hellfire Club. The Hellfire
Club capture the team meeting with Kitty; they capture them all but Kitty. The Dazzler team manages to thwart the
Hellfire Club and, along with Kitty, go after the Hellfire Club. They battle their goons and Phoenix fights
Emma Frost, putting her into a coma.
The X-Men reconvene at Angel’s house and agree to
infiltrate the Hellfire Club. They soon
discover that they are lead by the villainous Sebastian Shaw, cybernetic Donald
Pierce, Mutant Leland, and their old enemy, Mastermind. Mastermind has corrupted Jean Grey and has managed
to release her darker side. All but Wolverine
are captured. Wolverine, thought dead,
emerges from the sewers and tears through the Hellfire Club’s goons. Jean is shaken loose after a psi-war between
Scott and Mastermind and helps free the X-Men.
The X-Men are able to defeat the Hellfire Club and Jean exposes
Mastermind to the vastness of the universe.
Unfortunately, the damage is done. Jean evolves into the Dark Phoenix and takes
down the X-Men. She then flees into
deep space, feasts on a star, which goes
nova and wipes out a planet. She then
returns to Earth. The X-Men, now teamed with Hank and Angel, track her down to
her parents house. A battle ensues,
including a moment where Jean regains control and begs Logan to kill her. Logan can’t and the Phoenix gains
control. Professor X then enters the
arena and engages in a psi-war with Phoenix, eventually defeatinig. Scott, overjoyed, proposes to Jean.
The Shi’ar then arrive and declare that Jean must die so
as to destroy the Phoenix. Professor X invokes
an ancient rite that allows the X-Men to fight for Jean’s life. And so, on the Blue Area of the moon, the
X-Men and the Imperial Guard face off for her life. The X-Men falter, but the Phoenix rises again
and takes down the Imperial Guard. The
X-Men are woken, but can’t stop her.
Jean regains some control and runs off.
Scott follows and pleads with her to regain control. Instead, Jean bids him farewell and uses the
Blue Areas ancient weapon to kill herself, ending the threat once and for all.
After the battle, Scott resigns from the X-Men . . . and
Kitty Pryde arrives to join.
Why It’s # 1:
In the very first issue of X-Men, a teenaged redhead
arrives at the school and demonstrates her telekinetic abilities. The boys fawn over her and she eventually
earns her place by helping them defeat Magneto at Cape Citadel. A hundred and twenty odd issues, Jean has
evolved to the status of demi-god, with her powers out of control and becoming
so destructive, she wipes out a civilization and must answer to an intergalactic
empire.
Teaching Mutants to control their powers and preventing
Mutant villains are cornerstones of the X-Men’s mission. And here you have Xavier’s first student
succumbing to her dark desires and losing complete control of the fantastic powers she wields. In the end, it takes her very humanity to
stop herself, and she makes the human decision of all – to give her life so
that others will live.
It’s a story that’s epic in scope and utilizes nearly all
of the X-Men (I really wish they would have brought Iceman in; instead we only
see him at the funeral). But it’s full
of amazing moments and great insight. Wolverine’s
brutal attack on the Hellfire Club is among my favorites. The psi-war between Xavier and Phoenix is brilliant
and carefully understated. My favorite
moment, though, is when Scott and Jean are on the moon and all of the X-Men
have been defeated. They take refuge in
this little knook and you can just sense the tension and desperation. The ultimate moment is a little over-dramatic,
simply because Cyclops drones on for a bit, but it’s still felt.
I like to include Uncanny 139, because it brings the history
of the X-Men to full circle. When I was
reading this in context of the X-Periment, I once told a friend of mine that “you can just stop with
this story.” It’s because it is the ultimate
X-Men story. One of their own losing
control, becoming a villain, and then their own humanity ending the
threat.
Bottom Line:
It's the best. Ever.
Side-Note:
Yes, I know, cosmic entity, clone, whatever. It was still Jean Grey.
And that's that! The Uncanny X-Periment will return in proper order shortly!
