Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 6 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 6 written by Chris Claremont, penciled and co-plotted by John Byrne, penciled by Dave Cockrum, Brent Anderson, and Bob Wiacek, and inked by Terry Austin and Josef Rubinstein

This book starts with the famous Days of Future Past storyline, which I have reviewed as a Dual/Duel review comparing it with the movie. The story is a classic time-travel thrill ride with an adult Kitty Pride traveling from a dystopian future to try and stop the dystopia from happening. It follows the usual line but in an enjoyable way.

The second story is a self-conscious imitation of the movie Alien. Kitty Pride is left alone in Xavier's mansion and has to fight an ancient and horrible monster while everyone else is off celebrating the Christmas holidays. It works as a story on its own but is not particularly outstanding.

The next story follows Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, who is on a leave of absence from the X-Men. He's in Florida and has been working anonymously on a fishing boat. He's still trying to deal with the loss of his beloved Jean Grey who died as Dark Phoenix. Scott gets drawn into a trap when the demon D'Spayre, who thrives on other intelligent beings' despair, has been tormenting some local people, including Man-Thing, the Marvel Comics version of Swamp Thing. The story is okay though it is very obvious about what it's trying to do. A little more creativity would have given it at least some subtly. 

Next, Doctor Doom has kidnapped X-Men villain Arcade and threatens to kill him. Arcade's henchwoman, Miss Locke, kidnaps some of the X-Men's loved ones to blackmail them into saving Arcade. Professor X sends one team of X-Men to Doom's castle to free Arcade while another team goes to Arcade's Murderworld amusement park to free the hostages. Lots of action ensues. The Doctor Doom half of the story is more interesting and enjoyable.

The X-Men have an uninteresting encounter with a subterranean mutant named Caliban while Scott is shipwrecked with Aletys, the female captain of the fishing boat. He loses his glasses and can't open his eyes lest his optic blasts destroy things, so she has to lead him around. They struggle with romantic feelings and then a big, mysterious island rises out of the ocean. They go to investigate, hoping for food and water. They discover Magneto. Scott has been reduced to rags so Magneto does not recognize him (the girl is also scantily clad, in case you were wondering). 

The other X-Men go to Antarctica to investigate Magneto's old lair, which has been excavated a bit. They have a run-in with some bad guys there. They fly back north when Magneto unleashes his big plan. He demands the entire world disarm and submit to his rule or he will destroy them. He wants to pacify all the homo sapiens so the mutants, which he refers to as "homo superior," will be safe from fear and oppression. A Soviet sub fires nuclear weapons at Magneto's island. He handily dispatches the nukes and punishes the sub. The X-Men's jet comes flying over and he downs it, forcing a confrontation. Meanwhile, Professor Xavier has come on a yacht and contributes to the battle from a distance. After a long conflict, Magneto's plan is defeated. In the course of the fight, Magneto thinks he's killed Kitty Pryde, which causes him to rethink his attitudes. He flees, leaving the X-Men victorious.

This book is bookended by the best stories, Days of Future Past and the confrontation with Magneto. The rest is okay, more like filler episodes between the big story arcs.

Recommended.

 

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 5 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 5 written by Chris Claremont, penciled and co-plotted by John Byrne, penciled by John Romita, Jr., and inked by Terry Austin and Bob McLeod

This book includes the finale of the Hellfire Club plotline (which introduces Kitty Pryde and Dazzler) and leads directly into the famous Dark Phoenix saga. I reviewed that storyline here, and it was just as enjoyable to re-read it. The book also has the aftermath, where Cyclops leaves the group and Storm is put in charge. The group has some smaller, single or double issue adventures afterward. Wolverine finally sorts out his relationship with the Canadian government; Nightcrawler faces his past in an interesting story involving Dante's Inferno; Kitty Pryde starts to gel with the team.

The book ends with some interesting bonus material. The original ending to the Dark Phoenix saga, where Jean Grey doesn't die but is only depowered, thus forcing the Phoenix entity out of her, is given. It's less satisfying than the published version. Another bonus story has Jean's older sister trying to connect with her younger sister while facing the possibility that Jean's nieces and nephews might have mutant powers. The story is in black and white and a little hard to read but interesting. There's also text from an interview with the X-Men creative team discussing the decision to switch the ending of the Dark Phoenix saga which had some nice insights but ran a little long.

Recommended.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks X-Men Vol. 4 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 4 written by Chris Claremont, penciled and co-plotted by John Byrne, art by George Perez

The X-Men face a variety of enemies in this collection. They also get reunited with Professor X and other associates. Moira MacTaggert summons the X-Men to her island lab just off Scotland's shores. A powerful mutant (who happens to be her son) manages to escape confinement. The X-Men reunite with Jean Grey, who came to Scotland after the volcano erupted in Antarctica. Jean is being stalked by Jason Wyngarde, who psychically makes Jean have odd flashbacks to a life in the 1800s. In the fantasy he's created, she's enamored with him and plans to marry him. Jean becomes more confused as readers' understanding becomes more clear--Wyngarde is a member of the Hellfire Club, a gentleman's club in New York City full of powerful people who want more power. They are behind a lot of shenanigans and are clearly on their way to being the next big problem for the X-Men.

This series also sees the introduction of Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and Emma Frost as well as the exit of Banshee, who seems to have permanently lost his powers. He stays behind in Scotland to comfort Moira after that story ends. The story is exciting, especially the ongoing Jean Grey plot. Her powers are only growing while her mind is deteriorating. Dark Phoenix is on the horizon!

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 3 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 3 written by Chris Claremont, penciled and co-plotted by John Byrne

Magneto attacks again, this time kidnapping the X-Men and taking them to his Antarctic base underneath a volcano. While they are trapped, he works on his orbiting base. The X-Men just barely manage to escape, though they are split up and each group think the other has died. Beast and Jean Grey make it to the Antarctic surface where they are discovered by a search plane. They return to New York where Jean tells Professor X the others are dead. Xavier closes up the school and leaves with the new love of his life, the space queen Lilandra. He leaves for her kingdom while Jean goes to Scotland. Beast goes back to the Avengers.

Meanwhile, Cyclops, Storm, Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine have escaped by tunneling away from the base. They wind up in the Savage Land, an Antarctic pre-historic jungle heated by geothermal sources. They have adventures with the local inhabitants, finally escaping to the sea where they wind up on a Japanese science vessel that's in lockdown until they return to Japan. Six weeks later, in Japan they try to contact Xavier only to find no one answering. That's just as well, because a supervillain threatens Japan. The X-Men team up with Japanese superhero Sunfire to take out the threat. They almost make it back to America--the Canadian government detours their plane so they can get Wolverine back. He was a multi-million dollar experiment and part of a plan to develop a Canadian superhero team.

The world-travelling nature of the story keeps things interesting, as does the human drama of dealing with the supposed deaths of their comrades (even by the end, no one finds out the others survived). The plotting is fantastic and fun, making this a very enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 2 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 2 written by Chris Claremont, art by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne

Jean Grey pilots the X-Men's shuttlecraft to safety, exposing her to the most intense solar storm in centuries. The exposure kills her, but in true comic book fashion, she doesn't die. She comes back as Phoenix, an extremely powerful mutant. So powerful, in fact, that Jean is afraid of these new abilities. She can kill almost at whim, which delights and disgusts her. She hides this truth from the other X-Men as they have various adventures against various foes. Often, they are taking a break from action only to be interrupted by by an enemy. They visit Shaun Cassidy's ancestral Scottish home for a little vacation. They are attacked by his evil brother. During a picnic at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, they are attacked by a Canadian superhero who wants to bring Wolverine back to the homeland. Heroes don't get any time off!

The stories are exciting if a bit repetitive. The real interest is Jean's character arc as she deals with what's happening to her. Her parents come to visit, creating more drama. Also, Scott (aka Cyclops) is wondering about their relationship, especially as Wolverine, the inveterate loner, starts showing interest in Jean. Cyclops and Wolverine are at odds usually (leaders and loners don't mix well). The new situation only ratchets up the tension.

Recommended.

Book Review: Hellboy Omnibus Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction by M. Mignola et al.

Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction story and art by Mike Mignola, script by John Byrne, colors by Mark Ciarello and James Sinclair

In an attempt to squeeze some more money out of the Hellboy franchise, Dark Horse Comics is republishing the stories in internal chronological order (starting with Hellboy's birth in 1944 and going on to his afterlife in Hell) with a bunch of "Omnibus Editions." The plan is to have four volumes with two side volumes of "short stories," presumably the stories that aren't part of the main story arc of the character, where Hellboy is fated to cause the end of the world but he steadfastly refuses to. The publishing plan is a little ambiguous since one of the stories in this volume does not advance the main story arc. Still, it's fun to revisit the early stories and since I borrowed this from the library, I don't mind a chance to reread the early stuff. Here's the various stories in this volume...

Seed of Destruction--The first Hellboy story arc tells the origin of Hellboy in an attempt by the Nazi's occult branch to get a weapon to win World War II. Hellboy is brought up American paranormal investigator Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who acts as a father figure. The story arc also tells of Bruttenholm's death when a weird frog-creature attacks him. Hellboy investigates, leading him to the Cavendish Hall, home of an exploring family that's been looking for weird stuff. Turns out they are in league with the unidentified man who summoned Hellboy back during WWII and he wants Hellboy to do his bidding. Not very likely, considering Hellboy's better nature. It's a good origin story though Mignola's style is a little rough compared with more recent work.

The Wolves of Saint August--Father Edward Kelley travels to the Balkans and is about to put an ancient chapel back into use. One local shows up and relates a legend about a royal family that was cursed to become werewolves. Then the local turns wolf and kills the priest. The priest is an old friend of Hellboy's. Hellboy comes to investigate along with Dr. Kate Corrigan, a B.P.R.D. researcher who wants more field experience. She gets plenty since the whole village is dead from savage animal attacks. Their investigation brings out what's left of the royal family, causing an exciting fight at the end. The book suffers a little bit from accepting the Edgar Allan Poe version of the Inquisition (i.e. ridiculous and sadistic witch/demon hunters with zero sympathy whatsoever); otherwise I enjoyed it very much.

The Chained Coffin--Hellboy stops off in England and revisits the church where he first appeared on earth. Spending the night there, he has a horrible dream about a priest and a nun who tried to save a repentant witch (who was their mother!) from the demon coming to claim her after the witch's death (she's in the chained coffin). The dream turns into a waking nightmare as Hellboy sees the offsprings' battle with Satan, who strongly implies that the witch might be Hellboy's mother. The story is spooky and fills in some holes for Hellboy and the reader.

Wake the Devil--A bunch of Nazis who were frozen at the end of World War II are awake again when an American corporate honcho comes to their isolated castle just north of the Arctic Circle. They are all in league with Rasputin, the mad Russian monk who survived his assassination at the dawn of the Russian Revolution. Rasputin thinks he's to usher in a new world and was part of the Nazi project that  brought Hellboy to Earth. He has a new scheme to bring about Ranga Rok, involving the resurrection of a Romanian vampire. Hellboy and the B. P. R. D. work to foil his plan. All sorts of characters come into play, like the Baba Yaga, Hecate, Roger the Homunculus, etc., who play larger roles in future stories. Having read just about everything, it's exciting to see them get their start.

Almost Collossus--Liz Sherman, firestarter, is dying since she transferred her power into Roger the Homunculus in the previous story. Hellboy and Corrigan hunt for Roger while everyone else frets over Liz at a local facility. Roger gets some backstory and a brother (of sorts) who generates conflict and reflection on bigger issues.

The book also has two short promotional stories that introduce Hellboy as a future action hero that are more interesting as an early showcase of the imaginativeness of Mignola. The book ends with the usual assortment of sketches, including early versions of Hellboy, Rasputin, and other characters.

Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans (who don't already have the material) or those who haven't tried his stories out yet.

Book Review: Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles by G. Ruka et al.

Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles written by Greg Ruka, George Perez, John Byrne, Gail Simone, Geoff Johns, and Brian Azzarello with art by many talented artists

Ares, Medusa, Cheeta, Power Girl, Superman, and a host of others (including the vengeful children of Ares!) face off against Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman. This book takes seven single issues from the past thirty years and gives readers almost literally Wonder Woman's greatest hits. The stories are epic and entertaining, showcasing not only her amazing strength and agility but also her intelligence and integrity. She is a powerful fighter and often makes tough sacrifices in order to save the mortals of Earth.

The art ranges from good to great and the writing is very well done. Highly recommended!

Book Review: X-Men The Dark Phoenix Saga by C. Claremont et al.

X-Men The Dark Phoenix Saga written by Chris Claremont, co-plotted and penciled by John Byrne, inked by Terry Austin

The X-Men are returning from another adventure when Jean Grey experiences yet another seeming time slip where she inhabits an ancestor of hers from the 18th century. The 1700s Jean Grey is head-over-heals in love with Jason Wyngarde. Unbeknownst to her there's a modern-day Jason Wyngarde who is a member of the inner circle of the Hellfire Club. The overall club is populated by the rich and powerful of America. The inner circle is a bunch of mutants with world-domination ambitions. They want to bring other mutants into the fold, especially Jean Grey. Her telekinetic and telepathic powers recently went off the chart when she became the Phoenix. When the X-Men get back to headquarters, Professor X sends them to check on two new mutants detected by Cerebro (Kitty Pryde in Chicago and Dazzler in New York City). The Hellfire Club has secretly hacked into Cerebro so they are after the two new mutants and they know all the powers of the X-Men. A hard fight is in store.

This book is a far ranging and focuses on Jean Grey's psychological turmoil. At first she can't figure out what's going on with the time slips; the earlier Grey is more dangerous and cruel. But that's just a side of her personality she keeps under wraps. Keeping that undercover is harder and harder as her powers grow and the corrupting influence of Wyngarde deepens.

The story is also loaded with lots of action which occasionally go over the top, especially at the end. The drama goes to eleven, but in a satisfying way.