Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: I was a bit put off when i learend that Alex Ross didn't paint the interior art of this tpb, but i was pleasently surprised by the quality of the art by John Paul Leon. The interior art is nothing short than breathtaking. Gritty and with a newspaper-picture feel to it, it makes reading the story a pleasure and a unique experience. Oh, and the story itself is great, especially if you are an enemy of loose-ends, since this book is nothing less than an attempt to explain the whole Marvel universe, with origins of key figures and races aplenty. All in all, I heartely recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: It promised so much.
Review: I was quite disappointed by this book. The only reason I bought it was because of Alex Ross. This book promised fourteen pieces of cover art by Ross, as well as character design and plotting. Ross has been a huge and fast rising star in the comic world over the last ten years. He was the golden child with the touch of midas. Unfortunately this book just doesn't do it for me. I'm not a huge fan of the Marvel Comics Universe anyway. If you are then maybe this is the perfect book for you. Be warned though. There are hugely disparate plot threads that never weave and provide both a constant distraction and disruption to the flow of the book. There is no real hook to grab the casual reader and involve them. This book rises little above the level of amusing gimmic. If you want some good Ross work, then try out Marvels or Kingdom Come. They're much more impressive, not just because they are cover to cover Ross artwork, but also because they have much better and tighter plots.
Rating:
Summary: worth taking the time to read
Review: I wasn't sure what to make of the series because of the familiar yet altered characters on the cover of the trade, but read it and was very pleasantly surprised. The story takes place in the future of the Marvel Universe where old heroes have aged and some heroes have been replaced by their children or other people with similar powers.
It isn't just a story about the Avengers or X-Men, it's about how the Marvel Universe is all tied together. I thought that the writer did a great job taking events that happened as far back as the Kirby era and making them work in the story. The story is told in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. I think this is a great read. The only thing that could have made this trade better is interior art by Alex Ross.
Rating:
Summary: best marvel book i've read in a while
Review: I've been reading comics most of my life. I started out reading mostly Marvel, but switched to reading DC almost exclusively due to storylines like the Spider-Clone thing and Heroes Reborn. Thankfully, with books like this one and the naming of Joe Quesada as EIC, Marvel is making all the right moves and has become great once again. But that's not the point here. The point is that this is an incredible book. Although dark, apocalyptic futures are pretty common in comics (everything from Days of Future Past from Marvel to Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come from DC, the latter of which was also an Alex Ross magnum opus), this one is perhaps the best thought-out and complex I've ever read. The story is essentially a "What if..?" style tale, where we see the fates of Marvel's popular characters in a world where, apparently, the entire human race has evolved into superpowered mutants. However, it is also much more than that, as Ross and Kreuger manage to tie almost everything of importance that's ever happened in the Marvel Universe into one coherent story. This is done so convincingly that you almost get the idea that this is exactly what Stan and Jack had in mind back when they created these characters. This book is a beautiful complete story on its own, but also ends with a prelude into the next series, Universe X. This will also be followed by another series, Paradise X; apparently, the three together form a trilogy. I can't wait for those series to finish up and become available in trade paperback form, as they ought to be every bit as good as this one is. A couple of small problems: The story is really dense and hard to get into at first. The character X-51, or Machine Man is a really obscure hero prior to this piece of work; I'd never heard of him, but he seemed to be on a first name basis with all of the major heroes. And lastly, without meaning any offense to John Paul Leon (because his art really is great), but I would have loved to have seen this book painted by Alex Ross. He co-plotted and did the covers, but it would have been even better if he could have done all of the interior art as well. Still, these minor quibbles don't keep this from being an incredible piece of work. If you're a fan of the Marvel Universe, or were in the sixties and seventies, or you're not a fan of the Marvel Universe but do like comics, do yourself a favor and check this out.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Character Designs...Little else
Review: Like so many long-time Marvel fans, I thrilled at the sight of Alex Ross' character designs for future versions of Marvel's stable of heroes. Likewise, I thrilled at the possibility of these characters in their own book. Then..I read that book... I have to give Earth X credit. It truly tries to do something new with the Marvel Universe. There's an experimental sense to the series (more in story than in artwork) that cannot be denied. For that reason, I have to at least give this collection two stars. Unfortunately, the story is labored and the art and dialogue are leaden. Pacing is way off and (as many have already mentioned in earlier reviews) the art is often so obscure you have to struggle to understand what you're looking at. There are much better graphic novels out there and much better ways to spend your reading time (Ross' own Marvels or Kingdom Come would make a great start). Outside of character design, there is very little to recommend in this collection. To call it pseudo-intellctual is a compliment.
Rating:
Summary: Great Character Designs...Little else
Review: Like so many long-time Marvel fans, I thrilled at the sight of Alex Ross' character designs for future versions of Marvel's stable of heroes. Likewise, I thrilled at the possibility of these characters in their own book. Then..I read that book... I have to give Earth X credit. It truly tries to do something new with the Marvel Universe. There's an experimental sense to the series (more in story than in artwork) that cannot be denied. For that reason, I have to at least give this collection two stars. Unfortunately, the story is labored and the art and dialogue are leaden. Pacing is way off and (as many have already mentioned in earlier reviews) the art is often so obscure you have to struggle to understand what you're looking at. There are much better graphic novels out there and much better ways to spend your reading time (Ross' own Marvels or Kingdom Come would make a great start). Outside of character design, there is very little to recommend in this collection. To call it pseudo-intellctual is a compliment.
Rating:
Summary: Wrapping up the Marvel Universe
Review: Marvel Comics used to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. It was until the company decided to gouge their young readers for every nickle of their allowance that Marvel was the only universe in graphic art worth reading. But in recent years with the ridiculous slush pile of X-men related books, stories that are senseless, and art that is pathetic, comic books took a massive nose-dive into pulp-ville. Alex Ross writes for those of us who grew up with Marvel, trusted them to deliver characters worth caring about, art worth losing yourself in, and plots that made the imagination soar. He is also given the last word on what really ought to happen to the Marvel Universe. For me, this was the best thing to ever happen to the Marvel Universe. After reading this marvellous series there is no need to ever purchase another Marvel book again. Alex Ross set it all right and delivered the goods that our comic book creator-heroes would have wanted to see. Thanks for the greatest, and merciful, ending to the Marvel Universe Alex. You've done well.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting characters. Plot takes forever to get nowhere.
Review: Maybe Frank Miller and many others raised the bar too much, but when I pick up a graphic novel now, I expect it to hold my interest just as firmly as any other well-written work of fiction. I'm a sucker for the whole heroes-in-their-golden-years concept, and I like the way the older characters are characterized and visualized. Unfortunately, it's in service of an uninvolving plot. The psuedo-profound dialogue is pretty awful, and the new Red Skull is almost as annoying as young Anakin in the Phantom Menace (I didn't think it was possible either). Moreover, an epic can hardly be satisfying if the payoff is a cosmic joke. This may work in a satire, like Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, but not in an epic.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting characters. Plot takes forever to get nowhere.
Review: Maybe Frank Miller and many others raised the bar too much, but when I pick up a graphic novel now, I expect it to hold my interest just as firmly as any other well-written work of fiction. I'm a sucker for the whole heroes-in-their-golden-years concept, and I like the way the older characters are characterized and visualized. Unfortunately, it's in service of an uninvolving plot. The psuedo-profound dialogue is pretty awful, and the new Red Skull is almost as annoying as young Anakin in the Phantom Menace (I didn't think it was possible either). Moreover, an epic can hardly be satisfying if the payoff is a cosmic joke. This may work in a satire, like Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, but not in an epic.
Rating: 
Summary: Complicated for Rookies, but Fun for Fans!!
Review: Not your typical heroes comic book, but this book have a real depth!! Although the artworks not as dazzling as the cover but it comes handy to describe Alex Ross's ideas,..a terrific ideas that is!! For fans who already familliar with Marvel Comics, it's absolutely a masterpiece!!
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