Scan barcode
tshepiso's review
4.0
It's always great to get back into Claremont X-Men especially after a long break from the comics.
This volume opens with the Avengers Annual #10. While it's most remembered for being the first appearance of Rogue what most fascinated me about the comic was everything Chris Claremont was doing with Carol Danvers. The story is her reintroduction after the infamously terrible Avengers #200. And here Claremont attempts and, in my opinion, succeeds at giving Carol the agency and empathy that was robbed from her in that story. It forefronts the callousness of the way her sexual assault and forced impregnation was treated. The directness of her final monologue to the Avengers felt like an indictment of writers that treat female characters as disposable and their bodies as sites of sexual violence without care. Sure Avengers Annual #10 is also a fun story filled with Brotherhood machinations and cool action (shout out to Rogue being and absolutely BEAST throughout) but its ending is what makes it a truly powerful read.
Outside of the annuals the bulk of this volume deals deals with the X-Men getting wrapped up in Shi'ar Empire shenanigans. While I wasn't a fan of Shi'ar plots in previous volumes it largely worked for me here. In this volume the X-Men are forced to hunt down Empress Lilandra's kidnapper, her evil sister Deathbird, before the empire destroys the earth in retaliation. The political machinations of this plot were pretty fun and well executed but what made this story was the melodramatic character drama woven throughout.
This volume sees the reveal that space pirate and Starjammer Corsair is Scott's presumed dead father. And don't get me wrong there are beats of this story I don't love, namely the relegation of Scott's mother Katherine Anne to a dead wife whose only role is giving Corsair pathos. A particularly striking character choice given Claremont's overall very strong writing of female characters. But despite that those moments of tension and connection between Cyclops and Corsair are genuinely moving. The narrative gives space for Scott feelings of abandonment and allows us to see how that childhood trauma has impacted his character. But Corsair isn't just left to be a deadbeat. Him and Scott genuinely connect over their shared loss and seeing them learn to be father and son again was beautiful.
Overall this was my exactly my shit. From Kitty trying on a million gaudy costumes on a Shi'ar ship to to Storms doomed romance with Arkon to neat crossovers with the Fantastic Four and Tigra and the grand fun space adventures that tie it all together. I just love the X-Men.
This volume opens with the Avengers Annual #10. While it's most remembered for being the first appearance of Rogue what most fascinated me about the comic was everything Chris Claremont was doing with Carol Danvers. The story is her reintroduction after the infamously terrible Avengers #200. And here Claremont attempts and, in my opinion, succeeds at giving Carol the agency and empathy that was robbed from her in that story. It forefronts the callousness of the way her sexual assault and forced impregnation was treated. The directness of her final monologue to the Avengers felt like an indictment of writers that treat female characters as disposable and their bodies as sites of sexual violence without care. Sure Avengers Annual #10 is also a fun story filled with Brotherhood machinations and cool action (shout out to Rogue being and absolutely BEAST throughout) but its ending is what makes it a truly powerful read.
Outside of the annuals the bulk of this volume deals deals with the X-Men getting wrapped up in Shi'ar Empire shenanigans. While I wasn't a fan of Shi'ar plots in previous volumes it largely worked for me here. In this volume the X-Men are forced to hunt down Empress Lilandra's kidnapper, her evil sister Deathbird, before the empire destroys the earth in retaliation. The political machinations of this plot were pretty fun and well executed but what made this story was the melodramatic character drama woven throughout.
This volume sees the reveal that space pirate and Starjammer Corsair is Scott's presumed dead father. And don't get me wrong there are beats of this story I don't love, namely the relegation of Scott's mother Katherine Anne to a dead wife whose only role is giving Corsair pathos. A particularly striking character choice given Claremont's overall very strong writing of female characters. But despite that those moments of tension and connection between Cyclops and Corsair are genuinely moving. The narrative gives space for Scott feelings of abandonment and allows us to see how that childhood trauma has impacted his character. But Corsair isn't just left to be a deadbeat. Him and Scott genuinely connect over their shared loss and seeing them learn to be father and son again was beautiful.
Overall this was my exactly my shit. From Kitty trying on a million gaudy costumes on a Shi'ar ship to to Storms doomed romance with Arkon to neat crossovers with the Fantastic Four and Tigra and the grand fun space adventures that tie it all together. I just love the X-Men.
rayaan54's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.5
linklex7's review
4.0
Pretty good volume of the Uncanny X-Men collection. Some fun and interesting stories in this volume worth reading.
vroodles's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
woodenpersonality's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
More...