X-Men

[Philip Ayres]

Really?

Am I right in thinking it's young Cyclops rather than broken Cyclops?

[Andy Turnbull]

May 26, 2014 21:56:24 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Really?

Am I right in thinking it's young Cyclops rather than broken Cyclops?

Yes it is young Cyclops.

Andy

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Picked up a few half-price (but still therefore very expensive) X-Men hardcovers recently, from back in the days when they wrote and drew comics as I like to see them written and drawn. They are really helping to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of late '80s / early '90s X-Men and putting the movies in context. Have read 'Bishop's Crossing' and now half-way through 'Fatal Attractions'. Thoroughly enjoying.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

A late 70s to late mid 80s Marvel trade is almost always a joy.

What other X-Men have you read from that time period Martin?

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Jun 1, 2014 8:08:11 GMT Philip Ayres said:

A late 70s to late mid 80s Marvel trade is almost always a joy.

What other X-Men have you read from that time period Martin?

When I've read what I've got now I'll probably have read all the X-Men and Uncanny X-Men comics from when Jim Lee came on board with the art up to just before Age of Apocalypse. I know that from that point on the comics change in a range of respects and not in a way that endears them to me. I really don't think I'm interested in reading anything later than that (i.e. later than X-Men #37, Uncanny X-Men #317). However, I am open to reading earlier stuff, i.e. pre-Uncanny X-Men #244. But on the cheap! The hardbacks are lovely but ruinous!

I've seen some mini-format Marvel reprint TPBs on shop shelves that look quite tempting. This one, for example:

www.amazon.co.uk/Uncanny-X-Men-Days-Future-Past/dp/1904419933/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401618489

I invite recommendations on Marvel pocket books to buy.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

A quick peak at the Pocketbook line reveals that any of the Avengers and X-Men ones look like gold.

Avoid the X-Men Hidden Years ones though

[The Doctor]

The pocketbooks are a good way to read decent copies of those stories in a cheap way.

Phil speaks truth.

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

I heartily recommend

www.amazon.co.uk/Uncanny-X-Men-Scarlet-Glory-Various/dp/1846530970/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NQCSM4DZ6F42M1CX1BC

It's From The Ashes and has some of the most glorious art in all of the X-Men run - Paul Smith.

Andy

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Thanks, Andy. Ordered for 78p + postage.

Any other specific recommendations from the cheap and cheerful pocket books line?

Happy to take Avengers recommendations as well as X-Men.

Martin

[legios]

The Days of Futures Past one you were looking a is decent, and if you are thinking about that I'd be inclined to pick up "Dark Phoenix" as well, as it collects the immediately previous issues, and is one of the iconic X-Men storylines.

Karl

[Jim]

You would be hard-pressed to go wrong with any of the X-Men pocketbooks, I've been avidly reading them since they were first released almost a decade ago and always keep an eye out for the new releases. Remarkably good value and brilliantly portable for the commute.

If you haven't read it before, a good non X-Men pocketbook to go for is the Stern & Byrne Cap run in Blood on the Moors:

www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-America-Blood-Marvel-Pocketbooks/dp/1846531403/ref=pd_sim_b_23?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CQW9D86KWDKPFVJHYGM

-Jim

[Grand Moff Muffin]

OK, I'll take Karl's DOFP recommendation and Jim's Blood on the Moors. Thanks, guys.

Dark Phoenix is out of the question though as it's only going for silly prices.

Martin

[The Doctor]

Any Avengers or Fantastic Four pocketbook is good as is the Silver Surfer one.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

CSBG's Year of the Artist does Paul Smith

Day 159 Paul Smith 1: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/08/year-of-the-artist-day-159-paul-smith-part-1-marvel-fanfare-1/

Day 160 Paul Smith 2: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/09/year-of-the-artist-day-160-paul-smith-part-2-uncanny-x-men-173/

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Got #173 in front of me in the "Scarlet in Glory" pocket book. I haven't read the story yet, but I can see what all the fuss is about this artist, as the fight sequences are very dynamic - it turns into real-time animation in my head when I look at it. However, for panels in isolation (whether action or static), I find more polished detail to linger over in Jim Lee and, to a lesser extent, Andy Kubert, and I think they benefit more from the large-format hardcover treatment. Which works out nicely for me.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

As I said in the comments of the linked article I like X-Men 174 even better. It's a quieter issue but the art is beautiful.

[Philip Ayres]

Day 161 Paul Smith 3: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/10/year-of-the-artist-day-161-paul-smith-part-3-the-golden-age-3/

Day 162 Paul Smith 4: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/11/year-of-the-artist-day-162-paul-smith-part-4-x-men-unlimited-43/

Day 163 Paul Smith 5: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/12/year-of-the-artist-day-163-paul-smith-part-5-the-rocketeerthe-spirit-pulp-friction-1/

[Philip Ayres]

More Year of the Artist that's X-Men related, this time JRjr:

Day 167 JRjr 1: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/16/year-of-the-artist-day-167-john-romita-jr-part-1-iron-man-120/

Day 168 JRjr 2: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/17/year-of-the-artist-day-168-john-romita-jr-part-2-amazing-spider-man-246-and-250/

[Philip Ayres]

Day 169 JRjr Day 3: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/18/year-of-the-artist-day-169-john-romita-jr-part-3-daredevil-260/

Day 170 JRjr Day 4: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/19/year-of-the-artist-day-170-john-romita-jr-part-4-uncanny-x-men-301/

[Philip Ayres]

Day 171 JRjr Day 5 goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/20/year-of-the-artist-day-171-john-romita-jr-part-5-captain-america-1/

[Philip Ayres]

Got X-Force 6 this week. First issue of the current series that's really clicked for me, thanks to an increased ammount of Dr Nemesis. Guessed who Meme really was early on in the issue and was nice to be proved right.

X-Factor on the other hand has been a joy almost since it started. Peter David does his usual trick of using all the X characters nobody wants and does something interesting with them.

Panini's X stuff meanwhile nears Marvel now and All New X-Men while the new volume of Panini's Avengers prints Uncanny Avengers.

[Philip Ayres]

Two nice X-Men legends this week

goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/06/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-477/

[The Doctor]

The contents of Essential X-Men #10 are unmitigated shite. Thankgoodness it was a library loan. Awful, awful bollocks about nothing.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Collects

X-Men #265-272, Annual #14; material from Fantastic Four Annual #23;
New Mutants #95-97, material from Annual #6; X-Factor #60-62, material from Annual #5

marvel.wikia.com/Uncanny_X-Men_Vol_1#No._251-300_.281989_-_1993.29

That's the end of a very bad run. But the end is in sight. Jim Lee's on board and the art's picked up. The team's getting back together. But there's the Shadopw King tosh in progress

Days of Future Present ain't too bad

On the minus side it contains Extinction Agenda which suffers horribly in the non X-Men chapters. Liefield's not at his best for his two, and misses one, and the X-Factor art is just ****. Portacio shows up imeadiately after iirc.

There's only 8 issues of actual X-Men in the trade.

[The Doctor]

It was all awful and reminded me how bad most X-Men comics are. I have a fondness for many of the characters though the history of X-Men comics are the odd runs of really fun comics mostly surrounded by a miasma of dross.

When X-Men is good it's really good. When it's bad it's really bad.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Let's cut to the chase here Ralph: the first few issues in the volume introduced Gambit and that was that in your eyes!

[The Doctor]

Actually in his first few issues he isn't annoying. He's just sort of there. I just thought the comics in the volume were dreadful.

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

There was a time I had a few of those Essential X-Men books, but now that I'm enjoying the hardcovers and pocket books I can't imagine ever going back to black and white. The colour makes such a difference!

I like the hardcovers starting from the beginning of the 1991 X-Men series, and I like the pocket books, but the period in between those two eras, with the X-Men dispersed across the globe, was tedious and frustrating. Couldn't wait for everyone to get back together with the Prof. at the mansion.

Storm is highly annoying in the pocket books, and the one thing I don't like about them. She didn't annoy me in the 1991-1993 period. But Nightcrawler's ace, and so's Lockheed.

Two Thor pocket books lined up next... Never read a Thor comic before! What will I make of them?

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Jul 9, 2014 6:47:31 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

Storm is highly annoying in the pocket books, and the one thing I don't like about them. She didn't annoy me in the 1991-1993 period. But Nightcrawler's ace, and so's Lockheed.

By 1991 Storm's story was done. She's fab in the earlier issues, particularly between 165 and 224. But after then? waste of space, apart from maybe when she was youthed and some issues of eXtreme X-Men.

Nightcrawler is ace, no matter what Burns may say. A crime that his limited series, and his third of Bizarre Adventures 27 haven't been reprinted!

Thor comment followed up in the Collected Editions thread

[Philip Ayres]

Looks like they might be about to finally spring the Cyclops trap door

www.bleedingcool.com/2014/08/11/the-great-cyclops-conspiracy-of-2014/