Rating: 
Summary: Classic, mythic, campy and delicious
Review: This volume contains some of the all-time classic X-Men storylines, including the Dark Phoenix saga, and my personal favorite, "Days of Future Past". Both of these stories are epic and moving (at least to me). You shouldn't have much trouble figuring out where you stand plot- and character-wise, because at the time extensive recaps and internal monologue explaining everybody's powers was par for the course.
I don't want to make it sound like I'm trashing the writing, here. Some people probably have trouble with this style -- very word-heavy, paragraph-heavy even, and not very conversational at times. ("Malefic destiny"? Dude, Scott, it was cheesy when the narrator said it, so you had to pick it out of the ether?) I admit if you have a headache it's not the comic book to head for. But the plot is engaging, the action is quick, and the intense verbiage can be thought of as opera arias -- certainly not realistic, but an important part of the art form.
The characters are well-defined but not shallow -- each of them has problems and quirks that play into non-fight interaction, as well as the personality and style that is obvious in fights. Storm is claustrophobic, still grieving for her parents, and really alien to mainstream American culture; as well as being "dignified and moral." Colossus misses his family and farming, thinks it would be wrong to act on his and Kitty's mutual attraction (she's 14 or so, he's 17), and questions why he's a hero and whether it's disloyal to the USSR to be an X-Man; as well as being "stalwart and kind." You get to know these characters very quickly -- there's not much subtlety at play -- but you can't help but care about them.
The art is really great. Of course it's dated, and some people's costumes (especially the bit players -- Havoc and Polaris need a re-draw STAT) are just a bit weird, but Byrne draws action-packed fights that are easy to understand; clear, realistic emotions; and well-proportioned human figures (leaving aside the comic-book pretty-people issue -- I mean that their eyes, heads, legs, always look comfortable and graceful, and in the right place. Don't scoff, I've seen some really gifted comic book artists put eyes too high or forearms too short.) My only real beef is that a lot of the white girls look the same. Jean Grey is "pretty white girl with medium-length curly red hair." Amanda Sefton is "pretty white girl with medium-length wavy blonde hair" et cetera. That, frankly, is still common (Ultimate Spider-man, I'm looking at you!), and at least these are really pretty 'pretty white girls'!
In short? If you hate four-color superheroes...why are you reading this? If you can take a bit of camp and still care about the characters, this is a great thing to pick up. It has great characters, twisted plots, pretty pictures, the occasional funny, and, I'll admit it, the first time I read it I cried at least twice. ("Once upon a time, there was a woman named Jean Grey, a man named Scott Summers. They were young. They were in love. They were heroes." I get misty just quoting that.) Time travel, gods, alien empires, love, betrayal, racism, pinball, roller skates, disco, and sweet sweet continuity. Can't beat that for the low low Amazon price.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, Fun, Fun
Review: This volume includes issues 120-144. My first exposure to the X-Men was, surprisingly, the first movie, which was of course followed by X2. After X2, I vowed that I would delve deeper into the world of the X-Men and I figured I should go back to the roots: the comics! I found the names of the "Essential" books on a website and decided to purchase one. It was one of the best decisions! Not only do I have a big, cheap collection of 24 comics, but I know a lot more now because of them! Yes, I started in the middle of the story pretty much but that is only because one of my favorite characters is Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde). So, newbies and veterans alike, "The Essential X-Men" series is a great addition to a collection!
Rating:
Summary: Great stories, tough villains and interesting dialog
Review: When I was a child, my parents bought groceries at a small neighborhood store run by the parents of a schoolmate. The owner was kind enough to allow me to read the comic books on the shelves while my parents made their purchases. It was there that I learned to enjoy comic books and X-Men were among my favorites. This was the original cast and their battles with super villains are still in my memory.
This collection of sequential issues from #120 to #144 gives you a continuity of the story that was lacking in the original. How frustrating it was when a story would end in a cliff-hanger and it would be a month before you would learn what was next. It also points out what I always felt was the component that defined the superiority of Marvel comics over the others, the quality of the dialog. There are real stories and ideas in the actions, not just the shoot-em-up/beat-em-up tales in others.
The only down side to the collection is that all are in black and white. It tends to make the material look cheap, although the artistry is as good as ever. I read many of these comics when they were originally published and I enjoyed them more now than I did then. This time, I spent more time examining the art work and following the dialog, which makes the plot more exciting. This is advertised as volume 2 and I have embarked on a search for all remaining volumes.
Rating:
Summary: If there was a score higher than 5 stars......
Review: WHOA! This book totally blew me away! I already owned Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 (both very good reads) but I had somehow missed Vol. 2. Now that I've finally gotten around to picking it up, I couldn't be happier. Even if you've never heard of the X-Men, get this book. With slam-bang action, suspense, romance, and heartbreak this is a must-read that you won't be able to put down. WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR, BUY IT!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Trapped in a World they Never Made....
Review: With the X-men movie lighting up the box office, there is no better time than the present for new fans to be introduced to the classic past of this long-running comic title. "The Essential X-Men Vol. 2" delivers, nicely covering the terrific Chris Claremont/John Byrne run which resurrected the X-Men and made the book must reading for a generation of comics fans. The collection features the most tumultuous and terrific two years of the dynamic duo's run on the book, including the legendary "Dark Phoenix" saga and "Days of Future Past". During this run (Uncanny X-Men 120-144), Claremont turned up the realism and alienation a couple of notches and delivered some incredible stories. John Byrne's art is bold and detailed (the black and white presentation here only reinforces his fine pencils). If the movie left you hungering for more X-Men (and the current spate of mutant books left you cold), check out this collection and see what made this such a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A great way to read past issues that are too hard to find!
Review: With twenty-five issues of continuity, The Essential X-Men shows readers the hard-to-find issues of Uncanny X-Men that would normally cause you a bunch to get (well over $100!). This TPB is well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A MUST-HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER READ X-MEN
Review: Wow! This book helped fill in every story for two years. Mostly containing stories about the Dark Phoenix, it also has the 1st appearance of Kitty Pride, Alpha Flight, and many more. This B&W softcover book is well worth its very affordable price.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Starting Point
Review: Yes, I admit, I too jumped on the bandwagon with the film's release, but that movie made me realize in some small way what I missed out on when these books were first issued. And believe me, once I started going back to these classic issues I couldn't stop. For a bit of personal background, I was not a comics person when I was little. If anything I was more a DC guy than a Marvel guy. But while the DC heroes are more popular and more mainstream, Stan Lee's characters and situations have more depth and are more comic book-like than Supes or Bats or anyone else who had a '70s cartoon (or bad Friday night live action show....remember "Isis"?) made in their honor. But perhaps I digress. Suffice it to say that the characters of Phoenix, Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, etc etc etc could never be adequately fleshed out in a 90 minute feature. But over the course of just 24 issues of classic "X-Men" comics, you'll absolutely fall in love with these guys (there's an added bonus for those of us who remember the '70s--lots of pop culture references that are completely "of the moment"). But beware, this may be the start of a long journey. You may find yourself 1-click ordering every single volume once you've got the bug........
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