Rating: 
Summary: The series that made me quit superhero comics
Review: To be fair, I was already losing interest in the superhero genre when Grant Morrison began his run on New X-Men. Mr. Morrison has an excellent (and no doubt well-deserved) reputation as a comic book writer; not having read any of his other work, I can't judge. But what went on in the pages of New X-Men turned me off the book completely. More hate and fear from a world the X-Men are trying to protect? More stories of mutants on the verge of annihilation? More kick-you-in-the-head plot twists out of left field? Enough! Wizard magazine recently reported that Mr. Morrison's run is going to end with a glimpse-into-the-future storyline. Do we really need another look at a possible future that won't take place for another 150 years? Who cares? There are only so many places you can go with the premise of the X-Men, and most of them have already been visited.Mr. Morrison does deserve credit. He tried to reinvigorate an established franchise, and perhaps some will say he succeeded brilliantly. Judging from most of the reviews that seems to be the general consensus. Personally I couldn't buy his stories. At the beginning of his run we're introduced to Cassandra Nova, a powerful mutant who turns out to be Prof X's twin sister; a person so twisted and evil that Charles kills her in the womb before she's even born. She comes back years later to get revenge on her brother. Who can blame her? He also scripted the dissolution of Jean and Scott Summers' marriage. Some might call those great plot lines. I disagree. Maybe I didn't care for the direction the book was taking and that turned me off. I believe it had more to do with having been spoiled by CrossGen comics. CrossGen publishes titles that have nothing to do with the played out superhero genre. Fantasy, sci-fi, political intrigue, sword and sorcery, horror, mystery....so many choices. The big difference between CrossGen and other publishers is that CrossGen's stories are not told in 3-4 issue 'arcs', but rather in one continuous narrative that allows for rich, satisfying character development and plot detail. If you're still interested in storylines involving world destruction, resurrected and re-resurrected super-vilains, and the superheroes who thwart them, then by all means this is the book for you. If you desire a richer tapestry start reading titles by CrossGen or Vertigo.
Rating: 
Summary: I CAN ACTUALLY READ THE X-MEN!!!
Review: To say Grant's New X-Men was a breath of fresh air would be an understatement. For the first time in forever I opened a X-Men book and wasn't completely lost in two pages. Grant has reinvigorated these characters and made the franchise brand new and exciting like only he can! Step aside Claremont and Byrne, these X-Men stories will detonate your current work to dust.
Rating:
Summary: The Atypical X-Men
Review: Yeah this is the X-Men, there's no need to adjust the set. Yeah, they aren't wearing spandex, this is a good thing, believe me. Grant Morrison does the X-Men a good service and decides to take them in a surprising new direction. Gone are the overly complicated and boring stories of the last few years that leave dangling plot threads that get resolved years afterward.
So what do we get? A smaller, more manageable team, better characterzation (Emma Frost, written by Morrison is probably one of the most fun characters out there in comics), and then there's the actual story. E is for Extinction packs a good punch, especially the ending of the second issue (I'm not gonna give that away but it's a stunner of an ending). An X-Men story hasn't been this bold in ages.
I didn't use to like X-Men much, but now, it feels worth a look finally.
Oh and no matter what anyone says, the new costumes are better than the old. Would you rather wear skin tight spandex or something that can pass off as clothing?
| 
