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brittanyw31's review against another edition
5.0
This is a classic and I enjoyed every page of this comic. It was completely worth buying on impulse at the last second.
caitlinann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alinaedwards's review against another edition
i have very mixed thoughts on this iconic saga. will separate them into pros and cons for my own sanity
pros:
- second half was so close to epic, and much more enjoyable. the final sequence was very emotional.
- each of the x-men have their own personalities sketched out really clearly. they have their own quirks and voices and they work so well together as a team. the sequences where they’re all together are the best
- the duality between jean / (phoenix) / dark phoenix is very interesting. separate but the same. unable to coexist as one.
cons:
- while Claremont was obviously really good at coming up with good plots and premises, the details of his writing bother me so much. it’s so soap opera-esque, so melodramatic and bombastic. I don’t know if it was his choice to make the heroes mention their powers in *every single issue* but it annoyed the heck out of me. and honestly, sometimes they themselves annoyed me because his writing is just kinda shit.
- the hellfire club is dumb. why are they after mutants when the leaders are mutants? and why doesn’t professor x have his power for the first half (then he somehow gets them back towards the end)? maybe I needed to read previous issues to get it but this is why comics can be annoying to read. there are often a lot of things left unexplained.
- another thing, what exactly triggered jean’s descent into becoming dark phoenix? was it the time slips? again it’s very possible I wasn’t paying attention well enough but that’s another question I kept asking.
overall… I get it. I do. the idea of the dark phoenix is really interesting and watching jean go apeshit was entertaining for sure. but there are just so many problems here. can’t say I’m a fan of claremont’s writing after this (and his Wolverine solo story)
pros:
- second half was so close to epic, and much more enjoyable. the final sequence was very emotional.
- each of the x-men have their own personalities sketched out really clearly. they have their own quirks and voices and they work so well together as a team. the sequences where they’re all together are the best
- the duality between jean / (phoenix) / dark phoenix is very interesting. separate but the same. unable to coexist as one.
cons:
- while Claremont was obviously really good at coming up with good plots and premises, the details of his writing bother me so much. it’s so soap opera-esque, so melodramatic and bombastic. I don’t know if it was his choice to make the heroes mention their powers in *every single issue* but it annoyed the heck out of me. and honestly, sometimes they themselves annoyed me because his writing is just kinda shit.
- the hellfire club is dumb. why are they after mutants when the leaders are mutants? and why doesn’t professor x have his power for the first half (then he somehow gets them back towards the end)? maybe I needed to read previous issues to get it but this is why comics can be annoying to read. there are often a lot of things left unexplained.
- another thing, what exactly triggered jean’s descent into becoming dark phoenix? was it the time slips? again it’s very possible I wasn’t paying attention well enough but that’s another question I kept asking.
overall… I get it. I do. the idea of the dark phoenix is really interesting and watching jean go apeshit was entertaining for sure. but there are just so many problems here. can’t say I’m a fan of claremont’s writing after this (and his Wolverine solo story)
theblixt's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gallaghergirl12's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed this. Being that it was written in the 80's I had some idea of what to expect but it turned out to be only a little.
Tracking Jean's descent into evil was interesting and surprisingly subtle. Little things like being extra brutal in a fight or just callous.
And the resolution was actually shocking, turned out I didn't know as much about this as I thought and the whole second half was a trip (the first half was good too but I had a rough idea how that would go).
And it was odd to read (expected since this is from an ongoing series) because the first half had one conflict that was disconnected from the second half besides setting up the X-Men's development for that fight.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this. Glad I found out I can borrow old comics from my library's app.
Tracking Jean's descent into evil was interesting and surprisingly subtle. Little things like being extra brutal in a fight or just callous.
And the resolution was actually shocking, turned out I didn't know as much about this as I thought and the whole second half was a trip (the first half was good too but I had a rough idea how that would go).
And it was odd to read (expected since this is from an ongoing series) because the first half had one conflict that was disconnected from the second half besides setting up the X-Men's development for that fight.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this. Glad I found out I can borrow old comics from my library's app.
lactomar's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't enjoy the artwork as much as I thought I would. The storyline was pretty weak for being billed as one of the greatest stories in comics.