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literarygoblin's review against another edition
5.0
The debut of the new X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 changed everything for the course of this comic book series back in 1975 - it brought life to a franchise that, previously, garnered limited interest, and it boasted an all-star lineup of mutants from around the globe. The popularity of the X-Men is all thanks to the impact Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum had on the revitalization of the team, and without their week it’s a guarantee that the X-Men wouldn’t be as massive as they are today.
So, how does the reboot of the series stand up in retrospect?
From the first few pages, I already noticed something special about this series. The art was drawn with care and appreciation, and the coloring is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in any comic book.
And on top of the delightful art was Claremont’s poetic writing, which in itself is something worth admiring; take away the plot elements, and his prose still stands out as something very unique to comic books. There’s depth in Claremont’s writing and use of language - he isn’t simply trying to tell a story, he’s trying to engulf the reader entirely in the world of the comic. I think these were the first comics I read that had a creative voice that didn’t feel forced - Claremont’s style is believable and incredibly interesting.
In Giant-Size X-Men #1, the first issue in this collection, we’re introduced to a brand-new team that has become very iconic over the decades, and most of them are the mutants that people think of first when they hear the name X-Men. Most of these characters had enticing and promising introductions, making me excited to see the new team come together. It’s a strong start to a reemerging series and, once again, Claremont’s writing helps the work stand out. Once the team was assembled, it was a clash of various tempers and temperaments, and each X-Man, at one point or another, got the opportunity to show off their powers and abilities.
Once the X-Men encountered their first foe together, the stakes they faced were so creative and fun, but also very intense and well-written. It promised even more unique enemies, and the rest of the comics collected here didn’t disappoint - nearly every issue had unique foes to face, while also building towards the greater conflict that pops up at the very end in issue #100.
Despite the reputation that comics have of being goofy, Uncanny X-Men Vol. One shows that comic books can get serious too. When one character is mourning the loss of another, the writing acknowledges the difficulty of that loss, the art shows how much the character, Cyclops/Scott Summers, is struggling because of the blame he puts on himself. For a comic printed in 1975, the serious subject was handled quite well, and it helped me care for these characters even more.
Although this book certainly had its strengths, there are a few weaknesses that stood out to me, many of which stem from the era these stories were written in. When Marvel was bringing back the X-Men, whose series had been canceled for five years at that point, these new X-Men were hyped up as being a diverse team of people from around the globe. And even today, 45 years later, this run is still sometimes spoken of as if the cast is incredibly diverse.
But I think modern readers will see that that’s a bit of a cop-out. We’re introduced to seven new team members in Giant-Size X-Men #1 - 6 of the 7 are men, and 3 of the 7 are people of color. But before the end of the book, 2 of the 3 people of color are no longer a part of the team, leaving Storm/Ororo Monroe - the only woman and the last person of color - the job of representing minorities in a book designed to be a metaphor for real life minority groups. I understand that in the 1970s it was important to feature Russian or German characters in a positive way, hence the introduction of Colossus/Piotr Rasputin and Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, but it still feels thoughtless to write two POC out of the team so quickly.
Aside from the obvious bias that modern readers will find regarding the POC in this story, the rest of this book is incredibly strong. The stories are fascinating, the writing is fantastic, and the artwork is absolutely beautiful. The characters are all unique, they grow on you, and they have varying relationships with each other that make the team dynamic interesting and believable. For anyone that grew up on the X-Men cartoons or movies, or for anyone that would like to start reading X-Men comics, Uncanny X-Men Vol. One is a great starting point - it’s the introduction to so many iconic characters, and it’s full of stories that are entertaining without becoming too complex to use you.
literati42's review
5.0
If you love xmen but you haven't read the Claremont years you need to reexamine your life choices stat
peachmoni's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death
depreydeprey's review against another edition
5.0
These comics set into motion of the most important comic story lines ever while never sacrificing fun or storytelling. The X-Men get a much needed injection of diversity that is a much needed course correction for a failing title.
bmaackreadscomics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Problematic:
Far less WASPy cast, though still a bit of a sausage fest. Some of the newer,
more diverse characters aren’t portrayed as well as they should be, most notably the Apache John Proudstar who feels very out of touch by today’s standards with his unjustified disdain towards his people.
The Bad:
The Count Nefaria story in #94-95 wasn’t incredible, and they killed off Thunderbird so damn fast that it makes me curious as to why. And #96 was weird as hell as the X-Men fight an elder god thing that Cyclops accidentally unleashed. These stories weren’t really that bad, but they felt out of place and a little too much like the weaker parts of the classic X-Men run.
The Good:
So much more happens in these 8 issues than what happened in say 20 issues of the older stuff. Giant-Size X-Men #1 is just so good. It’s not perfect, but it’s extra length really makes it feel robust and epic and far less episodic. #97-100 are really really solid as well. I swear every single Sentinel story is just plain good. Jean Grey’s heroic sacrifice was emotional and well-earned. In fact, the emotion in these issues is so much better written than it had been previously. Characters get angry, happy, distraught. A very welcome addition.
Overall:
Regardless of the quality of the villains & plots, the characterization is on point and consistent. The continuity keeps building on itself, and you can just tel that these issues are where so many fantasy/sci-fi drama staples were either born or exemplified.
Far less WASPy cast, though still a bit of a sausage fest. Some of the newer,
more diverse characters aren’t portrayed as well as they should be, most notably the Apache John Proudstar who feels very out of touch by today’s standards with his unjustified disdain towards his people.
The Bad:
The Count Nefaria story in #94-95 wasn’t incredible, and they killed off Thunderbird so damn fast that it makes me curious as to why. And #96 was weird as hell as the X-Men fight an elder god thing that Cyclops accidentally unleashed. These stories weren’t really that bad, but they felt out of place and a little too much like the weaker parts of the classic X-Men run.
The Good:
So much more happens in these 8 issues than what happened in say 20 issues of the older stuff. Giant-Size X-Men #1 is just so good. It’s not perfect, but it’s extra length really makes it feel robust and epic and far less episodic. #97-100 are really really solid as well. I swear every single Sentinel story is just plain good. Jean Grey’s heroic sacrifice was emotional and well-earned. In fact, the emotion in these issues is so much better written than it had been previously. Characters get angry, happy, distraught. A very welcome addition.
Overall:
Regardless of the quality of the villains & plots, the characterization is on point and consistent. The continuity keeps building on itself, and you can just tel that these issues are where so many fantasy/sci-fi drama staples were either born or exemplified.
jamberg's review against another edition
4.0
More enjoyable each time I read it. Most recent read was scanned copies of original issues, so I had a chance to read the letters for the first time. So interesting! Storm was the most popular of the all-new all-different X-Men and Wolverine was pretty unpopular. Cyclops and Professor X had a lot more emotion than I recalled: at one point Prof tells the Cyke to go to save the new team and Cyke refuses because he is watching over a recovering Jean Grey (freshly Phoenix). Cyke says the team has to stand on their own eventually and Prof moves to backhand Cyke in anger before Prof has one of his psychic seizures.
Love Cockrum. Clarement writes freshly.
Also, reread these issues with Classic X-Men and the added material and back up stories. It's wonderful stuff, exciting and feels fresh in the context of the time.
Love Cockrum. Clarement writes freshly.
Also, reread these issues with Classic X-Men and the added material and back up stories. It's wonderful stuff, exciting and feels fresh in the context of the time.
erinelizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
Wow this was a surprise! I was expecting the characters to be happy go lucky and very stiff in writing and art. Almost too much angst from the new characters. Movement in almost every panel. I really enjoyed the dated but charming dialogue that made everything feel urgent and exciting. Some of the laughs I got from this book may not have been intended at the time, but others were intentional and are still funny today.
And the bonus art pages were very cool. Dave Cockrum's pages instructing other artists how to draw the x-men were funny Nightcrawler "From the front DO NOT connect the tail directly to his crotch-- you'll five the code fits & John Romita Ulcers!!"
And the bonus art pages were very cool. Dave Cockrum's pages instructing other artists how to draw the x-men were funny Nightcrawler "From the front DO NOT connect the tail directly to his crotch-- you'll five the code fits & John Romita Ulcers!!"