Rating: 
Summary: THIRTY - ODD YEARS FROM NOW . . . . .
Review: "Many" stories are told in the epic that is "Earth X" and the volumes
that were to follow. So many in fact that one is easily lost in the back alleys
that form a most formidable network of Marvel lore. But you know what? For
the Marvel fan - that's the FUN of it! You also get a story that can be read
and enjoyed over and over and over again because of its relative `complexity'.Earth X:
One of the greatest - if not the Ultimate "What If" - stories I've ever read.
Many readers were no doubt daunted by the prodigious length and complexity
of this epic venture in Marvel lore (I was, at first!); but patience bears sweet fruit. Synopsis:
Welcome to a grim future - a future in which the Terrigen Mists, developed
by a race known as the Kree, have been unleashed upon an unsuspecting
humanity - resulting in the mutation of all the humans on Earth, even its heroes!
Who did it - and why? And can humanity be saved?
Do you know who the Celestials are? Earth X explores their role in the Cosmos
as never explored before, and places our beloved Earth square into the conflict.
What is the purpose of evolution - what lies beyond mutation - and whose ends are
served?
Join earth's greatest heroes as they fight on two fronts: One front is led by
Captain America, who struggles to keep the nations of the Earth together in the midst
of a food shortage; as well as a struggle against The Skull - now the worlds greatest
psychic and telepath - who seeks the subjugation of all mankind. Cap's mission is
further complicated by the devious drones of Hydra, who leach onto a human host
in order to control the mind.
The second front is led by former Machine Man, "X-51", Reed Richards, and the
Inhumans, who attempt to bring some order to the chaos resulting from the empending
threat of the Celestials - a struggle entailing man's future, a struggle to ensure that destiny
is writ not by the gods - but by man himself. Everything ties back into the Celestials
and their ultimate plans for mother Earth. In short, Earth X is a tour de Force of Marvel Universe history. Nary a stone
(character) is left unturned as our much-beloved characters and their well-known
origins are re-examined and shown to contain more than a few novel twists in their
re-telling: What was the purpose of the Vibranium guarded by Black Panther
and his Wakandian people; what is the difference between a mutant and an
Inhuman; what happened to several heroes the day The Skull's celestial seed
manifested in him; what is the real purpose of the Watchers? The true function
of Galactus? Heavy weights like the Eternals, the Asgardians, the Kree, and Infinity
Himself are also part of the mystery revolving around mankind. Some heroes still
live, some have died, yet all still exist - their realities still interpenetrate one other,
and each works from its respective side to confront the threat of the Celestials. We
also learn what happens to the X-Men, the Avengers, Fantastic Four and all the
other heroes.
This is not whimsical writing: Kim Krueger and Alex Ross placed a great deal of
effort into re-imagining the Marvel U. Not only that, but the issues are very philosophical
and presented in a way that any reader who's ever pondered the meaning of life and
the place of mankind in the universe will be given plenty of food-for-thought. I've read the other reviews here and can't help but think many of those who
`read' the series didn't actually have the stamina or willingness to try to understand
or appreciate it. Perhaps they weren't long-term readers (admittedly, that helps)
and were simply lost in the wealth of material and the breadth of storytelling - they
should perhaps try again. This is not some little jaunt to the grocery store, not
your run-of-the-mill monthly title - its a project with all the ambition of Dante's Divine
Comedy told in three parts, so strap your seat-belts on (or don't bother) - this is for fans
of the Marvel Universe and not weekend warriors (sorry, but that's my opinion). I took
the time and money to investigate the whole (over 1,800 pages in toto!) and found it quite
worthy. I can't have been alone: Marvel allowed Jim Krueger et al some 70 issues
(five trades) to tell his story! The artists chosen could have been better `at times', but that's not to detract from
the brilliant work we did get, esp. by Leon and Ross. I applaud the efforts of all
those involved for giving us one of the most potent and interesting entries into the
canon of comicbook-dom I've ever come across. Here's to the Future!
Rating:
Summary: Profound
Review: As someone with a history as comic reader that runs into decades, I can only marvel (pardon the pun) at this spectacular piece of work. Continuities like Marvel and DC cover such vast and varied terrain of time, space, and dimension that conceiving of a unifying story seems almost impossible. Indeed previous efforts, like the sophomoric Secret Wars series in Marvel or the rather more effective yet still limited Crisis in DC seemed to demonstrate nothing so much as the impossibility of the task. Alex Ross and company in this work prove that with tremendous talent and effort one can truly bring together the entirety of Marvel's complex continuity. Some readers complain about the occasionally serpentine plot of this work and I must agree I found it rather hard to follow when I read it as individual issues. However, when brought together and read as a single work, one realizes the depth of Earth X. Moreover, despite the story's Homeric quality it never looses sight of the basic theme that runs through the Marvel Universe, the basic humanity of all its characters. One has to be impressed as some of the more diverse and often forgotten characters such as Rom the Space Knight (here carefully and cleverly presented for reasons of trade mark) play a role in the epic story. What I like most however is how in this work Ross, as in Marvels and Kingdom Come, captures the essences of the heroes both in image and story. Spiderman's humanity, Captain America's idealism, Scott Summer's desire to live up to a father figure's exacting standards all appear as these much loved characters face a world much changed yet still familiar. It goes without saying that as with all of Ross's other work, the painted pages jump out at the reader brining the story to life. Here we have a graphic novel that brings an entire universe to a whole new adult level.
Rating:
Summary: Part 1 of an Amazing Trilogy
Review: Earth X is not just a ripoff of the incredible Kingdom Come story from DC it is an Amazing tale of the Beginnings of the Marvel Universe and why heroes are heroes. Bringing together all the Cosmic beings and characters in the Marvel Universe to explain why people are born with superhuman abilities, Earth X sometimes losses the reader, however this is not the fault of the plot rather that the story brings together over 60years of stories from the various Characters in the Marvel Universe. At the beginning of each issue, the Narrators (X-51 and the Watcher) give the reader a brief history of a particular Hero such as Spiderman to provide backround information on the character to provide those of us who are not familiar with a certain Marvel Character. Overall, I found this to be an extremely smart story that we rarely see in comics today. If you like this I recommend reading the final 2 chapters in the "X" story line, "Universe X", which comes out soon in paperback form, and the final chapter "Paradise X" coming soon to comic book stores.
Rating:
Summary: ...i have nothing witty, just "wow"...
Review: Earth X is the ultimate homage paid to the creations of Lee, Kirby, Ditko, Everett, and anybody who created anyone in the Bullpen.
The reason, for me, why Marvel's roster of heroes resonates with me more than DC's stable, is that every character that popped out of Stan Lee's head (heroes, at least) was the human element he injected into every character. Superman can't die, Batman will always have his fortune, Wonder Woman is an immortal Amazon; what do they know about sacrifice? Every Marvel hero understood what they were doing, why they were doing it, and what or who they were doing it for. In short, we, as their readers came to understand their sacrifice.
In Earth X, we see the distant fruit of those sacrifices, and still they sacrifice. From the opening homage to when Marvel retained the licence to Kubrick's 2001, you understand that every character must still sacrifice to fulfill their destiny for the greater good. The Richards storyline is especially poignant. And all those sacrifices, while not completely in vain, none of them mattered when the entire population of Earth ends up mutated. Now our heroes are not only redundant, they're unwanted, and even feared and fearful themselves.
Sure, it may have started as a little excersize for Alex Ross's creative muscles, but John Paul Leon (who is one of the most overlooked great talents out there today) shines in his heavy use of ink and shadow. This is a dark future, and a dark book that Mr. Kreuger has crafted. And, if you are a fan of Marvel's storied history, warts and all, Kreuger handles it all with the utmost care and respect. When you realize the grand design of both the book and the secret of "why there's a Marvel Universe", you will be completely blown out of your chair, not because of the revelation, but by the tremendous amount of love these creators have for the subject material.
Added value to the book in the chapter-dividing prose sections, accented by Alex Ross's sketchbook, where you're given even more insight into this world. This is a well thought out, rich tapestry, not just some "how can I screw around with the Icons of Marvel" game. There are reasons within reasons, seeded throughout. I still find something I missed the last time I read it every time I pull it off the shelf. It's that good.
This isn't some DC 20-minute-read-thru snack. This is a Marvel meal, and you'll have plenty of leftovers for big sandwiches for the rest of the week. This is what Kingdom Come should have been, but was never realized. Ross finally makes good on that promise here on Earth X.
P.S. Opinions vary on the quality of the rest of the series, so much so that, because I like Earth X so much, I have not, to this date, read past this volume. I don't want to join that debate, nor do I want to be disappointed if they're turkeys. Either way, it doesn't matter. It's as useless as the debate over whether Shane is dead or exhausted as he rides out of town. Fun to shout about, but pointless...
This book is very much enough for me. Flawless. It should have a bonus star.
Rating: 
Summary: Pseudo profound
Review: I didn't care for this book. I had to force myself to complete it...I lost interest half-way through, but after reading over a hundred pages, I get kind of compulsive about finishing. I was put off by the Appendices after each chapter. They were written like the conversation between Dave and Hal in "2001". ("Hal." "Yes, Dave.") I just got lost in this over-long, drawn out tale. It was too complicated, and I know my Marvel history. I think the writing was designed to fill one year's worth of pages, and was written as the year wore on. Like "Secret Wars" and "Crisis on Infinite Earths". The writer ain't Shakespeare, but he wrote like he was trying to be. The art, while it wasn't like the cartoony [stuff] permeating today's titles, was extremely difficult to make out. It was murky and undiscernable.
Rating:
Summary: Where To Start...?
Review: I think that in general I'm more of a Marvel fan than I am DC (although nothing beats Batman) which helped to make this graphic novel surviveable. The whole thing is strongly reminiscent of the DC Watchmen even down to the text blurbs to fill the story at the end of each chapter. Everyone's a superhero, the art is a little off from the more popular art (the excetion here is this art is not that great at all, like a cross between Frank Miller and John Romita Sr. before either one of them were good). The story is almost half over before it really picks up. I'd suggest reading or sampling this at the library before putting down cash for this.
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: 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: A great new perspective on the Marvel Universe
Review: Nothing much more needs to be said, but let me just say that the art in this book is very fitting to the story and done very well. A lot of people are getting down on just that aspect, but believe me, if Ross gave this guy the okay, it has got to be great, right? The story of course is awesome and this is just a great book for any fan of the Marvel Universe.
Rating:
Summary: Not as impressive as I'd heard
Review: Surely, many readers were drawn in by the fact that this series was conceived and designed by Alex Ross, but his golden touch does not extend to the story. Jim Krueger's plot is so unfocused and meandering, it's hard to zero in on what's really going on. The very end of the book is actually pretty good, and the revelation about the true purpose of the Earth and its heroes is very imaginative, but the build-up could have been more direct. The first 8 parts of the story were quite irritating, as they consisted of not much more than condescending banter between Uatu and X-51, the narrators, with abrupt clips of the future players in the Marvel Universe. It seems like the objective is not to tell a story, but to squeeze as many Marvel characters into the book as possible. Of course, it was nice to see so much art by John Paul Leon, but it got to where I was concentrating more on the art and less on the story. Surely it wasn't necessary to draw this series out over 12 issues to make the final point! And what's up with the chapter appendices? If an author has to provide 3-4 pages of text at the end of each chapter to explain what it was you just read, something is wrong. An overblown and half-baked project, but I will give it 3 stars (not a passing grade, mind you) for the art/design, as well as the development of certain characters (namely, Tony Stark and Reed Richards. Captain America, who is actually a major player in the story, is just as cardboard here as he's always been).
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