By: Grant Morrison Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 1096 Publication Date: December 20, 2006
Product Description: Sixteen million mutants dead... and that was just the beginning! In one bold stroke, writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles, JLA, Fantastic Four: 1234) propelled the X-Men into the 21st century - masterminding a challenging new direction for Marvel's mutant heroes that began with the destruction of Genosha and never let up. Regarded as the most innovative thinker of the current comic-book renaissance, Morrison proceeded to turn the mutant-hero genre on its ear. Gone were the gaudy spandex costumes - replaced by slick, black leather and an attitude to match. Now, his entire Eisner Award-nominated run on New X-Men is collected in one deluxe hardcover! Collects New X-Men #114-154 and Annual 2001
Perfect X-Men Introduction I've been reading comics books since I was 10 but have never really gotten in to X-Men. I've never been a fan of "team" books and tend to read solo titles. But, having heard all the hype about Grant Morrison's revamping of the X-Men and looking to try something new, I decided to pick up the New X-Men Omnibus and give it a whirl. It was exactly what I was looking for. The story was engaging, with Morrison and Quietly weaving an intriguing and suspenseful yarn that really explores who the X-Men are. Aside from the main storylines, I found the de-evolution of Beast to be interesting and would like to hear more of what happens with that. Also, the further evolution of Iceman was a plot device that was introduced but not really expanded upon.
The physical book itself is stunning. Presented in an oversized, coffee-table format allows the comics to be reprinted larger than their originals. The enlargement really allows the reader to concentrate on Frank Quietly's distinctive illustrations and lends itself as a superb guide for aspiring artists.
Overall, Marvel has done an excellent job with their Omnibus books, and this one is no exception. If you can find it for under $100 and are in the market for an excellent read, this is the book for you.
The best X-Men run in at least two decades Remember when Uncanny X-Men was a cutting edge comic? When I started reading the X-Men titles in 1990, they had this mystique surrounding them. X-Men was the dangerous superhero team that the "cool" comic geeks followed. Looking back it seems a bit ridiculous. A lot of that mystique came from a single character (Wolverine), dynamic artwork by Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, etc. and continuity so baffling that only the truly obsessive could keep track. Unfortunately the X-Men titles began to slide into mediocrity shortly after I started reading them. Just when I was ready to stop reading them altogether, Marvel decided to really shake things up.
They brought in Grant Morrison. By placing more emphasis on character development and sharper dialogue than on spandex slug-fests, Morrison, along with writers like Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, and Garth Ennis, are responsible for what has to be the best wave of comics since Frank Miller and Alan Moore started deconstructing the genre back in the mid 80's.
It says a lot that of the two X-Men Omnibus volumes released so far, one contains Chris Claremont's initial run on Uncanny X-Men and the other is Grant Morrison's entire New X-Men run. Both runs revolutionized their respective titles, smashing the status quo and challenging traditions. Morrison's run introduced a major new villain, unleashed a new wave of Sentinels, destroyed Genosha, killing 16 million mutants, and made Emma Frost an A-list character...and that's just the first four issues! Throughout the run we're treated to a Scott/Jean/Emma love triangle, revelations about the Weapon Plus program that created Wolverine, Xorn, the U-Men, the destruction of the Shi'ar Empire, a riot at Xavier's School, a completely unhinged Magneto, a disturbing vision of the future, and an unforgettable night on the town with Wolverine and Cyclops. Morrison smashes through the X-Men Universe with punk rock-like abandon and uses the shards to put together something new and exciting that would, for a while, make the X-Men an edgy, must-read comic once again. And his movie-inspired uniforms were a huge improvement over the old costumes.
The artwork sadly, is not as consistent as the writing. Nobody managed to stay on the book for more than four consecutive issues, but at least the artwork was (mostly) high quality. I've come to absolutely love Frank Quitely's quirky style, so his issues are my favorites. Ethan Van Sciver (Green Lantern) also shines here, as does Chris Bachalo, who's drawn pretty much every X-book by now. The occasional issue by Leniel Yu, Phil Jiminez, and John Paul Leon are well done, but Igor Kordey's artwork is the low point of the book. His style is just not suited to this kind of title. The final issues were drawn by former X-Men artist (and current Witchblade/Darkness hotshot) Marc Silvestri, who definitely helps end things with a bang.
This is a shining example of what comics in the 21st century can be, and will go down in history as one of the three most important X-Men runs ever. The fact that you can get all of the issues in one mammoth hardcover volume is just the icing on the cake.
An imaginative, daring run for an established series First off, the presentation of all of Morrison's issues here in this hardcover edition is very well-crafted. Marvel has provided quite a bit of bonus material including scripts, unused art, the "Morrison Manifesto" and an introduction by Mike Carey. As for the stories themselves, the arc consists of about 42 issues, and is as well-executed and thought provoking as any X-men run in recent memory. (I hesitate to say "EVER" because comics were quite a different animal in the late 70s/early 80s when Claremont & Byrne were doing their thing.) The one drawback or advantage, depending on your personal taste, is that the artwork varies over the course of the book; the product of different artists being utilized throughout. I personally did not find this detrimental; it was nice to see characters/situations presented in different styles while retaining the narrative voice. This collection is a breath of fresh air from one of comics' most distinct talents helming one of comics' premier series.
Dark, edgy, and utterly brilliant In the world of the New X-Men, the oppressed are not ennobled, but embittered. A sainted martyr is nothing more than a failed tyrant. The heroes are simultaneously corroded from within by their own human failings and assailed from without by the forces of evil.
The Nihilistic setting and gruesome plot are not laced with comic relief, but instead barbed with sardonic humor. Nothing is sacred. Morrison goes so far as to viciously satirize comic book fans in the context of a school shooting. Those of us who have cheered Magneto while dreaming of mutant powers will grimace and chuckle in uneasy self-deprecation. Far from the lighthearted banter seen in other X-Men works, the humor is as twisted as a supervillian's soul.
The stories have the feel of thrillers rather than action movies. The villians are as original as they are disturbing. The empathetic reader is more likely to shudder in revulsion than bristle in righteous outrage. The result is much more emotionally engaging than the usual over-dramatic rush by the "good guys" to defeat the "bad guys" in a flurry of oversized onomatopoeia and droll one-liners.
The characterization is stark and unforgiving. Along with the usual great, tragic flaws, the characters are presented with all cutting edges exposed. Emma Frost particularly shines as a jumble of weakness and strength, selfishness and altruism. With Logan's utilitarian ethics, Jean Grey's telepathy, and Henry McCoy's dry wit, she adds a much-needed "edge" to the X-Men team.
The most brilliant aspect of the New X-Men is also the most subtle. Forgoing the trite and pompous narration employed by most comic authors, Morrison lets the characters' dialogue and actions speak for themselves. With the vividly realistic artwork and seamless, linear layout narration would be an irritating redundancy.
After finishing the New X-Men Omnibus, I had the feeling of waking from a dream, suddenly aware of my physical surrounding for the first time in hours. Only when I emerged from Morrison's world did I realize how thoroughly it had absorbed me.
THE PUNK ROCKER OF COMICS IS IN FULL FORM! The manifesto by the author in the extra features explains it all: Grant Morrison set out to jumpstart the X-Universe in a way that has rarely been seen before. He succeeds in leaps and bounds. Here, he has all the epic grandeur spawning from the teams 40+ year history. But instead of getting bogged down by all that past, he uses it as "window dressing" for great stories about enormous characters.
HAVING THE WHOLE RUN IN ONE COLLECTION IS A DREAM COME TRUE! The oversized, glossy pages are gorgeous, and this is definitely worth the price tag.
And finally, the thing I like best about Morrison, is he made it suck to be a mutant again. For too long, Mutants were mostly beautiful people filling out sexy spandex that were "cursed" by their gifts. Wah. Characters like beak (a scrawny chicken-boy) and Three-Faced John make it easy to see why mutants are outcast, and that's what makes them so interesting.
p.s. I took off a star cause i'm not the biggest Frank Quietly fan.
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