New X-Men, Vol. 3

Rating:
Summary: New X-Men Vol.2 Hardcover Edition : Reprints Nos. 127-141!
Review: Grant Morrison's New X-Men is constantly surprising me. It makes good twists in the stories. There's only one thing I don't like: the face of some characters changes too much from one number to another (check Wolverine or Emma Frost). There are diferent pencilers so there's nothing to do about it.

Note: Amazon said it includes the stories found in New X-Men book 3 (New worlds) & book 4 (Riot at Xavier's) and some behind the scenes (drawings). It also includes some stories from the book 5 (Assault on weapon plus) because it REPRINTS Nos. 127-141!

It doesn't include the New X-Men Anual 2002. New X-Men Vol.1 Hardcover edition does include the New X-Men Anual 2001

Don't get confused with the links to paperback edition. The paper cover is the same from the paperback edition of volume 3 (the one with wolverine and one claw)

I love the hardcover edition because if you need something to show in your bookshelf, you can remove the paper cover and you get a nice black book.

Rating:
Summary: Morrison's great as usual, but the art hurt's this volume...
Review: Grant Morrison's writing in this book is up to his usual great standards but, this time out the inconsistant art really hurt's the overall enjoyment. As many know, Frank Quitely, the book's "regular artist" can't keep a deadline to save his life, so we have Ethan Van Sciver as his back-up, Sciver, while having a style that dosen't really mesh with Quitely's still look's good on the X-Men and during the issues in this book, he really started to come into his own. Then, he start's having trouble keeping up, so Marvel does the worst move they have done in recent year's by bringing Igor Kordey in to become the book's main artist. Kordeys art is just plain ugly. Totally clashes with Morrison's style of writing and Kordey draws a couple of the pivotal issues of this storyline killing the flow of the story. Still, through all the ups and downs of the art, you still have Morrison's awsome writing injecting these characters with excitement and life for the first time in many years, however watered down it is.

Rating:
Summary: "THE X-MEN ARE BACK! BETTER THAN...uh, almost ever..."
Review: Like many people, I stopped reading the X-Men a long, long time ago - around the time Chris Claremont brought back Jean Grey for the umpteenth million time. Lost my faith and interest, but I still occassionally thumbed through an issue just to see what the latest farce was (the most ridiculous being Wolverine regaining his adamantium skeleton - just as the character started to become interesting again).

Then - coinciding with the release of the (generally well-done) movie - I heard Grant Morrison was taking over the writing on the book. I picked up his first issue, and right from the start you knew he'd put in his time rethinking and recreating the X-Men. New costumes; new, more adult problems facing the characters (such as the strain between Scott and Jean's marriage, the Beast's quest for identity); and, oh yes, the little matter of the genocide of all the mutants on the island of Genosha - including Magneto (Morrison has stated he has no doubt Marvel will revive the character someday - but not while he's doing the scripting).

The plot twists from this point are fantastic, and there's no turning back from some: the public revelation of Xavier and what is really going on behind the doors of his school, Logan and Jean Grey resolving their sexual tension once and for all (long over-due), Emma Frost suddenly becoming the absolute most interesting character in the series.

The drawbacks? As every other reviewer here has mentioned, it's the art. Frank Quitely's work is indeed fantastic - a welcome change from the bursting muscles and heroic facades of the past - but the others who fill in A) disrupt the continuity, even if they had been Quitely's equal (or at least in his style), but B) they're not: Kordey's pencils are, as virtually every reviewer has stated, poor, sloppy, amateurish. I don't know if he was given like 14.8 hours to get the job done, but it sure looks that way. On every page. In every panel.

Still, it's a good read despite these flaws; and I'd recommend it higher than anything else going on in mainstream comics right now. A very brave, interesting, and necessary change of pace for Marvel's most popular title.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting!!
Review: The second volume of Grant Morrisons X-men run cranks up the action and the drama. Morrisons storytelling skills are astounding, when Cassandra was coming back to destroy the Xmen i could feel the desperation and fear of the characters. Clever plot twists are around every corner. The only reason i gave the book 4 stars is due to the fluctuating quality of the art, sometimes its good and sometimes its bad. A good follow up to "E IS FOR EXTICTION". EP

Rating:
Summary: Unfocused.
Review: The third installment of Grant Morrisons run on the Xmen slows down the pace slightly as it tries to expand on certain plotlines. Scott begins to have an affair with Emma, Xorn tries to help a confused mutant, a dangerous threat is unleashed in France, Fantomex is introduced (UGH) and Polaris tries to cope with her fathers (Magneto) legacy. The story is quite interesting, unfortunatly the art isn't up to snuff. The storyline where the Xmen are attacked in a subway in France is atrociously drawn, too much is going on and the hideous art made it very hard to understand what exactly is happening. I wouldn't reccommend it. EP

Rating:
Summary: New X-men is great
Review: This is the start of Grant Morrison's take on the X-men. This graphic novel reprints New X-men #114-126 and New X-men Annual 2001. This book follows the X-men Cyclops, Beast, Phoenix, Wolverine, and Emma Frost. Tey face off against Cassandra Nova, Professor X's evil twin, the U-men, and the Shi-ar Imperial Guard. This novel also introduces some new x-men (imagine that!) like Xorn and Beak. The only bad side to this book is that some of the art isn't as great as I'd like. Some art is great, like Frank Quitely but others aren't. Well I hope this helped make your decission about this novel.