X-Men - Page 4

X-Men: First Class - Finals 2009 (SC TPB), 144 pgs.

Written by Jeff Parker and Len Wein. Pencils by Roger Cruz, layouts by Amilcar Pinna, and with Colleen Coover and Dave Cockrum.
Colours: Val Staples. Letters: Nate Piekos. Editor: Nathan Crosby.

Reprints: X-Men: First Class - Finals #1-4, Giant-Size X-Men (1st series) #1 (2009, 1975)

Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Reviewed August 20, 2009

X-Men: First Class was a bit of surprise success for Marvel. At least, I'm assuming it was both a surprise and a success. That is, it started out simply as an eight issue mini-series presenting "untold" stories of the original X-Men, but with a healthy helping of humour and an All-Ages sensibility that, unlike some "All-Ages" projects, was still perfectly enjoyable for adults -- it merely meant there was less emphasis on violence and mayhem. It then led to a regular series, as well as spawning a whole slew of similar series: Wolverine: First Class (telling retro tales set during X-Men comics of the early 1980s) and Uncanny X-Men: First Class (reviewed below -- telling tales of the original "new" X-Men circa comics from the late 1970s). And though the regular X-Men: First Class series came to an end after only 16 issues, it's not clear if that was a result of tepid sales...or simply writer Jeff Parker having taken it as far as it could go. Because it spawned one more spin-off: the four issue mini-series, X-Men: First Class - Finals, which though still featuring the original X-Men, jumps ahead a couple of years from the X-Men: First Class series to tell essentially the last adventure of the original team before the advent of the "new" team.

So the heroes are no longer in their black and yellow costumes, but sporting their later, more individualistic togs, and they're preparing to graduate from the School for Gifted Youngsters, contemplating what will be the next step in their various lives. And it's a cute touch, to have it be they really do regard the school as, well, a school from which one graduates and moves on -- and being "X-Men" is not necessarily how they figure they will always be identified.

Like much of Parker's First Class run, it's a likeable, amiable effort...while maybe being a bit thin and breezy. The First Class comics often worked best as just one-off plots, not always lending themselves well to serialization -- and here the story is stretched over four issues. As well, Parker is a little too conscious of the tale being a kind of fond farewell, so he squeezes in references to many First Class issues...and some original X-Men comics as well. References that are brought about either by a Danger Room training session utilizing facsimiles of foes they'd fought before, an actual returning foe, or strange apparitions that plague them, as well as re-visiting one or two places they had been to in the First Class comics.

As I say, it can be a bit thin, plotting wise, and a bit rambling -- a sequence battling Danger Room robots takes up most of an issue!

At the same time, what was appealing about Parker's run remains intact: the light humour and badinage between the characters, the camaraderie. It isn't that Parker recreates the original Lee/Kirby/Thomas/etc. feel exactly -- the characters were rarely this flippant and wisecracking. Yet he doesn't betray the essence of the characters, and they are still recognizably the same people. Sure, the emphasis on casual banter even when in a fight robs much of the tension out of it -- but then, you aren't really supposed to believe anyone's going to die anyway. And essentially what Parker is going for is to evoke the sense of teens palling around, in a way that Lee and Thomas maybe didn't as much -- kind of reminding me a bit of the Silver Age/Bronze Age Teen Titans in that respect.

And it helps that the quips and interplay is often genuinely funny...and also genuinely affectionate. Even their put downs aren't barbed. These character are genuinely friends, even family, as much as they are a team.

And the plot also reflects some nice attention to character, as the team tries to puzzle out why some mysterious things have been occurring -- leading to some character insight.

One could argue a subtext here is the idea of a younger, more innocent X-Men that has yet to undergone the traumas and scars that succeeding years (and creatively desperate writers and editors) will subject them too. Of course, the X-Men were never quite this carefree as even the old comics had their share of angst. But it makes a nice theme -- the "young" X-Men on the verge of the burdens of adulthood.

Joining Parker is artist Roger Cruz who drew the original First Class mini-series and, though not as regularly, much of the subsequent series, too. Though here he's often working over layouts supplied by Amilcar Pinna. But the result is that if you liked the earlier First Class series, this maintains a consistent visual flavour. And it may even be better work at times. Maybe working from someone else's layouts meant Cruz could spend more time on the finished work. So though there's still an angular cartooniness...there's also a little more realism and depth (maybe supplemented by Val Staples' colours). There's an opening splash page of Jean Grey's head that's just gorgeous (in all the definitions of the word)...likewise, a panel of her sleeping in the final chapter is also memorable.

Hmmm. Maybe he just likes to draw Jean sleeping!

Rounding out this TPB is a reprint of Giant-Size X-Men #1 from 1975 which first introduced the "New" X-Men. Parker's mini-series ends with the original X-Men leaving on their final, post-graduation assignment to the mysterious island of Krakoa. The Giant-Size X-Men issue of course relates how Professor X recruits a new team to rescue the original class from that island. Not that it's an entirely seamless segue. The membership of the team as depicted in the two stories doesn't quite match up. But like with most of the First Class stories...you aren't really supposed to nitpick, the agreement between author and audience is more, Parker won't break from continuity too much...and we forgive the few times he slips.

The Giant-Size X-Men issue has been reprinted so many times over the years, chances are even a lot of casual fans probably have it somewhere in their collection. Still, if you don't -- it's a better than decent adventure. The tone is, of course, markedly different from Parker's. Darker, more an action-thriller than a light-hearted romp, and with the characters bitterer, more snarky. One can't escape how significant it was, revamping the then-floundering X-Men series and starting it on the road that would see it become a major foundation of the Marvel Entertainment empire. Viewed that way, it maybe won't live up to any excessive expectations. It's not particularly deep or profound, and the formula is pretty straightforward: Prof. X recruits various new characters and they break up into little pairings to tackle the menace before uniting in the climax. But in the telling it's well done, well paced, with some mood -- I've often thought writer Len Wein had a good "ear" for phrasing, and could often be counted on for a nice twist toward the climax. And you get an early appearance by Wolverine, and the first ever appearances of Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus.

The First Class - Finals arc is a gentle hearted visit with a likeable vision of the original team. While the classic introduction of the "new" X-Men is a fairly strong -- and seminal -- adventure.

This is a review based on the story as it was serialized in the comics.

Cover price: $__ USA

X-Men: First Class - Tomorrow's Brightest 2007 (SC TPB) 180 pages

Written by Jeff Parker. Pencils by Roger Cruz, with Paul Smith. Inks by Victor Olazaba.
Colours: Val Staples. Letters: Nate Piekos. Editors: Mark Paniccia, Nathan Cosby.

Reprinting: the eight issue mini-series (2006-2007)

Rating: * * * *  out of five

Number of readings: 1

As the X-Men have become mega-popular over the years, there have been occasional forays into telling retro stories featuring the founding team (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel and Iceman) from before the comic was one of the pillars of Marvel's publishing line. There was X-Men: The Hidden Years, which told stories set just before the formation of the "new" team, and X-Men: Children of the Atom, which was a prequel to the original stories. And then there's Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class.

This TPB collects the original mini-series (which was successful enough it led into an on going series -- of the same name! Which can definitely be confusing if you come upon the issues in the back issue bins). And it's an odd mix of intents.

Unlike so many projects that arise these days, this is not a "reimagining", per se -- this isn't meant to retell previously told adventures, or give radical new spins on old origins. These are basically "lost" tales that fit inbetween the old issues. At the same time, Parker and artist Cruz aren't rigorously recreating the old comics' milieu -- the time period has been modernized with contemporary expressions ("Dude!") and technologies that didn't even exist back when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first created the team (John Byrne did the same thing in The Hidden Years). Cruz has even slightly redesigned their costumes! (Though a character refers to their "other" costumes, as if maybe these adventures take place on days when their regular costumes are at the cleaners!) And the Cerebro room is modelled after the "big round room" of the movies. While Cyclops and Marvel Girl are clearly an item...whereas in the original comics, the mutually unspoken love between the two was stretched out for a long time.

Yet, in other respects this is meant to act as "lost" stories. This isn't an eight chapter epic, but eight independent stories (if you only found one or two issues at a comic shop, they'd still be eminently readable on their own), where the characters will make references to adventures from the original comics. In one issue Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch make an appearance...and it is mentioned that they used to be members of the disbanded Brotherhood of Evil Mutants -- a group who otherwise doesn't appear in these issues.

The result is a comic which continuity purists might find a bit annoying, whereas those wholly unfamiliar with the early X-Men might find it a bit confusing (though it's generally explained as you go).

But if you can forgive those problems...it's actually a whole lot of fun.

Because another way Parker breaks from tradition is that these stories are told with a heaping dose of humour, seeming like the X-Men meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or even, the X-Men as sitcom. There is still an adventure aspect to the stories, and it doesn't stray over into self-parody or anything. But it's meant to be a fun, light-hearted series. Though there are character-focused undercurrents, angst isn't really the order of the day.

This was part of Marvel's "All Ages" brand, telling stories deliberately meant to get away from the grit and the violence of their regular line (but unlike the other All Ages series, this is still sort of meant to be in regular continuity). So no one dies, or gets seriously injured, and though there are action-adventure tales (the team's encounter with Spider-Man foe the Lizard is one of the most suspenseful portrayals of the character I've seen!) some stories are more about misunderstandings, where conflict is resolved with dialogue more than fists.

It's family friendly in a way that can endear it to older, adult readers, rather than alienate the same.

The art by Roger Cruz is energetic and enjoyable. It's slightly cartoony, but in a way that suits the light-hearted tone, while also being dramatic enough to capture the action and adventure scenes, as well. It's open and detailed without being cluttered.

The first few issues, inparticular, boast some clever ideas and intriguing plotting that makes you want to turn the pages, to see where it's all headed. Parker's "tell it in one issue" stories are refreshing in an age of protracted stories where thin plots are stretched out over multiple issues. It's in that way more than anything that he evokes the spirit of the old comics. (Ironically, the subsequent on going series did start to employ "to be continued" stories).

And the humour and witty banter works quite well, so that you can find yourself grinning, even chuckling, without totally losing the sense of these being the X-Men, and therefore characters you're supposed to take seriously.

Of course part of the gimmick -- seeming inevitable with these sorts of retro projects -- is to work in existing Marvel characters the team never met the first time their stories were told. So we have encounters with The Lizard and the shape-shifting Skrulls, and guest appearances by Thor and Doctor Strange (though from the context, it's obvious the team had met him in their original run). And, admittedly, tying stories too much into the Marvel Universe and familiar characters can rob the plots of some of their freshness.

Ultimately, the first half (also collected as an over-sized comic New Beginnings) seem the strongest, Parker's plotting just a little sharper and original, the intriguing hooks just a little more intriguing. Once we get into the second half, the issues are still fun and enjoyable...but seem to lack that extra edge. Admittedly, maybe that's partly the inevitability of familiarity. When I read the first few issues, I didn't know what to expect, and so was pleasantly surprised by how delightful it all was. And maybe I was just becoming jaded by the later issues.

But overall, this emerges as definitely a "feel good" collection -- a refreshingly fun and funny romp with the merry mutants of yesterday.

This is a review of the issues as they were originally serialized in the monthly comic.

Cover price: ___

Written by Jeff Parker. Pencils by Roger Cruz, others

Reprinting: X-Men: First Class #1-16 over three TPBs (2007-2008)

Rating: * * * 1/2  out of five

Number of readings: 1

Reviewed July 22, 2009

After the success of the original X-Men: First Class mini-series (collected -- and reviewed -- above) there followed a monthly series that ran sixteen issues collected in three TPBs (though it's unclear whether it was intended to run longer, or was simply another "mini-series"...particularly as it then spawned the four part finale: X-Men: First Class - Finals). Anyway, I won't give these a full review, as I only have random issues from the run, but enough of them -- nine issues (so far) -- to offer an opinion that these volumes remain eminently enjoyable. Each volume is comprised of usually a two-part tale, and some single issue stories. The tone varies from more comedic and light-hearted (the Beast and the Iceman go off on a road trip with nary a super foe in sight in #4) to more suspense/adventure oriented (Cyclops solo investigates disappearances in rural country in #10) with a run-in with Sentinels (#6-7) and the obligatory guest stars designed to match the "retro" milieu of the series, including the Hulk, Man-Thing, Medusa and a Machine Man proto type. Most of the plots are self-contained in their issue or two, but for the issues collected in the third volume a sub-plot is teased along involving Angel leaving the team.

As mentioned in my review of the first mini-series, the point was to present a lighter, more "All Ages" X-book in contrast with the sometimes overly dark n' gritty tone of the main series. That doesn't mean there isn't death and nastiness...but it's restrained, the emphasis more on wit and wisecracks, and exploring the notion of these teenage heroes, tweaked a bit from how they originally were in the old Lee-Kirby comics...while still staying relatively true to the characters as they were -- the Beast and Iceman seem more closely palled, Cyclops is a little more dour than the rest, etc. There can be a certain light-weightness to the stories, a breeziness that can prevent them from maybe being "must read" classics, and some of the plots are paper thin (the Hulk encounter in #5). But they're also a lot of fun, something to pick up for a feel good, kick off your slippers read. Each volume has its share of better and lesser stories...and each will probably put a smile on your face.

Uncanny X-Men - First Class: Hated and Feared 2009 (SC TPB), 144 pgs.

Written by Scott Gray, with Jeff Parker, Roger Langridge. Pencils by Roger Cruz, with David Williams, others. Inks by various.
Colours: various. Letters: Nate Piekos. Editor: Nathan Cosby.

Reprinting: Uncanny X-Men: First Class - Giant-Size #1, Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1-4 (2009) - with covers

Additional notes: published closer to manga-size dimensions than the usual TPB.

Rating: * * * (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Reviewed Nov. 2011

X-Men: First Class was a retro series telling all new tales of the original X-Men as a sort of All Ages series (ie: less grim and gritty than a lot of modern super hero comics) and with a lot of comedy -- yet still being adventures, with emotional undercurrents. And if playing a bit fast and loose with continuity, it was nonetheless meant to be quasi-canonical (as opposed to an alternative continuity, the way other All Ages series have been). This then led to applying the formula to other versions of the X-Men...including this series.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class is set during the early days of the next phase of the team -- the roster introduced in the mid-1970s, created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum and continued by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Although, unlike the X-Men: First Class, written by Jeff Parker, here chief writer Scott Gray plays it a bit more straight -- there is some skewing toward slapstick (a scene where Wolverine is punched almost into orbit), but mainly this is meant to be drama.

Actually, the series kicked off with Giant Size Uncanny X-Men: First Class in which the humour is more pronounced and in which a framing story involving the team wraps around various 5 page solo flashbacks to the newer members (Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine and Banshee). It's okay, but the short anthology format is often problematic in comics.

The regular series starts out well. Having grown up (more or less) with this era, I really dug Gray's evocation of the characters and themes -- and a time before the X-Men franchise had mushroomed into a zillion spin-off titles and an insanely muddled continuity. These are adventure stories, but the action is often subordinate to the character drama -- which can be a good thing. In other words, it's the 1970s X-Men...with 2000-plus sophistication.

The opening two-parter focuses on Nightcrawler and Colossus -- though the others have their parts. At a meeting with the Inhumans (Marvel's other misfit team), Nightcrawler and Colossus are invited to visit the Inhumans' city, where Nightcrawler finds it a most tempting environment -- a city where everyone looks freakish and he is no longer shunned or hated. The themes are obvious enough, but well handled. Nightcrawler is the obvious character to use, but the pairing with Colossus is a nice touch -- and there are some nice, subtle scenes of a pensive Peter clearly recognizing what's going through Kurt's head...even before Kurt does. Of course, things don't go smoothly, leading to an X-Men/Inhumans smackdown. Hero vs. hero battles are a staple of comics -- often contrived and presented with all the relevance of a WWF match, usually kicking off a team up (as the heroes fight over a misunderstanding, then join together). Yet here, Gray goes the opposite route, building to the fight, not starting with it. The story is actually more drama than action, so when the fight comes, it arises (more or less) logically and plausibly out of what has transpired. It isn't a contrivance, but where the story is taking us.

At the same time, though even I referred to modern "sophistication", the fact is, a lot of modern comics act like they're more sophisticated than comics of old...but aren't necessarily. After all is said and done, it's a pretty simple, straight forward premise: the outcast X-Man seeing something attractive in a city of outcasts. The theme is as much the story as any plot -- and neither are that complex or twisty for a two-parter. Even the use of the Inhumans is a mixed bag. On one hand, guest stars have their appeal, the Inhumans are the logical choice for the premise, and make more novel guest stars than, say, Spider-Man. On the other hand -- they aren't uncommon guest stars, so it's not like this opening story is really that fresh.

The next two issues offer one off plots -- and further continue the trend of almost "solo" adventures. The Nightcrawler/Colossus story at least still involved the whole team. But with the next story, Banshee (and Moira MacTaggert) are the leads, with the others only in a minor opening sequence. In the fourth issue, Storm is featured, with Jean Grey (and guest stars Misty Knight and Colleen Wing) along...but the rest of the team only appear on a couple of pages. They're both decent enough tales. The Banshee one is a mix of drama and adventure, as Banshee finds himself seeming haunted by the ghost of his dead wife, stirring some emotional turmoil -- though maybe it fails to be as moody/spooky as the premise might warrant. The Storm/Jean one is a more straightforward adventure. But the solo focus may be problematic. After all, if part of the point of the series is to play the "nostalgic" card, then surely the reader wants a chance to see the classic team in all its ensemble glory...not what could be construed as just an expanded version of the X-Men Vignettes. As well, though it maybe offers a chance to give more scope to the characters in solo stories than they received allotted just a few panels in a team adventure...it could be argued there's a reason they were members of a team...as opposed to stars of their own series.

A factor of these "First Class" series is, of course, the chance to play with old toys. At the same time, there is a danger it means there can be a lack of freshness. So we kick off the series with the Inhumans, and visiting the Inhumans' hidden city (my long boxes are full of such stories). While the Storm story features villainess Nightshade -- I'm not sure she's around that much these days, but she cropped up in various comics back then. On one hand, that's the point: the nostalgia (particularly if Nightshade is basically a villain from a by-gone era)...on the other hand it means Gray isn't exactly trying to surprise us with new ideas (the story even drags S.H.I.E.L.D. into the mix).

Of course, part of the point is to tell stories that never got told back in the day. For instance, though Chris Claremont did make Jean Grey roommates with private eye Misty Knight, he never found an appropriate spot in the comics at the time to expand upon it. So by giving us a story where Jean and Misty, along with Storm and Colleen, have a "girls night out" it can certainly seem like a story that Claremont meant to write...but never did.

All the stories are perfectly decent page turners, with some action and adventure, but not at the sacrifice of character or human drama. A sub-plot teased through these issues (and meant to drag us into the next series of stories) clearly promises an adventure involving the full team is coming up next (though it does mean the TPB ends with a plot thread dangling).

The art is manly handled by Roger Cruz, who drew the X-Men: First Class series. His clean, straight lined style is appealing and though it was well-suited to the more humorous tone of that earlier series, he also seems to tweak it a bit to suit the more serious flavour here -- though still able to veer toward caricature for the silly bits. The Storm issue is drawn by David Williams. In some ways he has a more lush, rounded style than Cruz that's quite effective...but in other ways also leans toward simple, even cartoony. The result is that some panels I liked more than Cruz, but I probably liked Cruz more overall. The Giant Size is illustrated by a variety of artists.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class only ran 8 issues (plus the Giant Size) -- I don't know if that was a mark of poor sales, or whether that was intended from the start. After all, an on going retro series would be hard to maintain, as it would be tricky to figure out how it works around the existing comics published years ago.

Ultimately, this is a likeable enough chance to re-visit a classic incarnation of the team, and with a slightly kinder, gentler tone than a lot of modern comics...without losing its gravatus, emotional or suspense-wise. All Ages it may be...but it's definitely skewing toward older readers, just not in a way that would put off youngsters. Yet it didn't quite win me over as thoroughly as did X-Men: First Class. As a chance to visit the old gang, the opening two-parter hits that mark better than the rest, with a nice use of the whole team (even if focused on Nightcrawler and Colossus), some emotional undercurrents that rung true, plus some fantasy and action.

Cover price: $__ CDN./$14.99 USA

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