Uncanny X-Men New Age V1 TP End of History 1st print Alan Davis

Description

Uncanny X-Men: The End of History TPB
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Alan Davis

Beloved X-Men writer Chris Claremont returns to the title he made famous, joined by frequent collaborator Alan Davis – no stranger to UNCANNY X-MEN himself, having written and drawn the series several years ago.Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN #444-449
NEAR MINT FIRST PRINTING!
Paperback- 144 pages

Over the past 30 years the X-men have grown to be one of marvels most induring and lasting icons in the comic medium. Chris Claremont was the writer for the series from 1970 something (whenever the giant sized issue revamped the entire cast) to about 1992-or 1993ish. Between that time the X-men went from obscure comic geek fandom to a well established franchise. They have become just as famous as Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, or any other superhero or superhero group you can think of. And for 20 years or so Chris Claremont was the man behind the rise. They have 3 major movies under their belt (spin-offs planned), a fiercely loyal fan base that includes adults who grew up reading the old comics and new fans of the movies.

When it was announced the beloved Chris Claremont would return to Uncanny X-men for the first time in more then 10 years hopes were high. What the X-men franchise needs is a strong central core. With all the other X-titles, spin-offs, ultimatizing, one-shots, movies, and such then X-men have lost what made Chris Claremont’s first run so magical- continuity. And with Alan Davis onboard, be sure to look out for callbacks to their excellent run on Excalibur (one of my favorite X-books of all-time!)

Been a fan of Uncanny since issue 150 when Storm and Emma Frost switched bodies and the Hellfire Club kidnapped the Xmen the second time around back in about 1981 (’82?). Claremont is still the best writer this book has had in my opinion, but I also love Joss Whedon at the helm of Astonishing X-Men. I have really enjoyed reading the teamup of Davis and Claremont in this rework of this book, which I thought had gone way downhill after the “Draco” storyline where Kurt found out he really was half-demon.

But I loved this collection, which I collected as individual issues. Marvel Girl’s return was pure genius, particularly her rivalry with her father’s lover, Emma Frost. The enmity and lack of sentimentality makes perfect sense, we all know Emma would make a horrid, wicked stepmother, and was the reason for Scott and Jean’s divorce. Emma hammers the point home when she says “the child should never have been born.” Hm. Still trying to figure out when Rachel’s birthday occurs in Earth 616’s timeline, if ever. We never really find out her true age.

I also love the brewing chemistry between Storm and Logan, whom I figured have always had a faint regard for each other, anyway, albeit subtle. They have kissed in one or two issues before (i.e., Boys’ Night Out during the Outback “Reavers” storylines, in the second to last frame, one of the issues prior to Inferno when Storm was seeking out Forge to get her powers back; Storm has also always argued on Logan’s behalf when Xavier was about to kick him off the fledgeling team. X-Men: The End also points to these two has having a romantic connection in the future. I hope they continue it. They’ve both been orphaned at an early age, they both don’t really fit with anyone else, they both are mavericks. They work.

The plots in this collection are great, as well as the dialogue. I am, however, irritated that Cannonball walks off the team after two adventures after this book. Bad move. I don’t want to have to collect every X-book that Marvel prints to have to chase down my favorite characters, but that seems to be their mad plot. I think Uncanny fans should buy this book if they really enjoy Claremont’s work. And Alan Davis’s work on titles such as the original Excalibur. Storm looks beautiful.

My biggest complaint is that the partnership between this artist and writer is that it was too short-lived. Marvel can’t keep their really great artists on long enough.

Collects UNCANNY X-MEN #444-449. Near mint, 1st print.