| Essential Classic X-Men, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Arnold Drake, Werner Roth, Jack Sparling, Dan Adkins, Ross Andru, Don Heck, George Tuska, Jim Steranko, Barry Smith, John Buscema
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy Used: $1.99
You Save: $15.00 (88%)
New (35) Used (19) from $1.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 287600
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 6.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0785121161
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9780785121169
ASIN: 0785121161
Publication Date: May 31, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Very good condition
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 8 | | NEXT » |
 A little disappointing April 22, 2008
Yet another Volume 2 of the Essential series that does not live up to the quality of the first. This volume starts with a weak story and ends with a weaker story, with a few decent ones in-between, including stories involving the Juggernaut and the Mutant Master. The best part of this volume is the origin stories of Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, and Beast. Also, there is some amazing Jim Steranko art toward the end which makes up for some weak writing on those issues.
A good look into the past March 28, 2008
This book is a great deal: 30 issues (including Avengers #23). The stories are typicall of the late 60's. The dialogue is pretty silly, and the comic definately feels dated. However, it's a great way to see how the X-Men evolved. Werner Roth does the majority of the art, and it's ok, though nothing special. The last few issues in the book were the best, dealing with Magneto and the introduction of Polaris. There is minimal dialogue and some good action.
The second half of the issues start giving us the origins of the X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, and Beast). I found them to be pretty boring and predictable. They also aren't really origin stories, since they were all born with their powers and didn't get them through some unfortunate accident like most other superheroes. The tales all deal with how they became students of Xavier. There are also a few descriptions of each of their powers which were unnecessary (since by this time we're pretty familliar with thie powers and how they work) and obvious attempts to explain some of the discrepencies betwwen the art and the story (for instance, why cyclops is almost always shown firing his optic blast with his hands by his side, when his visor is supposed to be operated by turning a knob on the side).
If you are interested in seeing the beginings of the X-Men and getting a good (and cheap look) at how it all started, then this is definately worth picking up.
 Classy February 9, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Black and white colored.
Who cares? Stories are amazing!
And we can see old days funs and vocabs!(Chickadees!)\
X-Men amazing. Marvel is the best!
It's About Bloody Time, Marvel! January 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Marvel released volume one in this series YEARS ago, and they have finally given us volume two. The stories in this volume are very rarely reprinted, and are very entertaining.
Worth a look, especially if you're a mutant continuity nut like me.
More of Marvel's Magnificent Mutants October 22, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
It may hard to believe to modern comics readers, but the X-Men weren't always a hot commodity. In fact, the first incarnation of the team lasted just a few dozen issues before going into a semi-hiatus status with only reprints. It would take the appearance of the "new" X-Men in Giant Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94 to raise the comic to the "A"-list. But even if it was a second-tier book in the beginning, there was a lot of good stuff there.
Essential Classic X-Men #2 covers issues 25-53, a period which saw the original team of Iceman, Angel, Beast, Marvel Girl and Cyclops really come into its own, especially when its leader, Professor X, apparently perishes. Many classic villains are featured in this book, including Juggernaut, the Blob, Unus, Mastermind, the Mole Man, the Super-Adaptoid and most particularly Magneto. There are also some instantly forgettable villains such as the Cobalt Man and Mekano, and sadly (considering how many issues he occupies), the Mutant Master, leader of Factor Three. This run is also notable for the first appearances of the Banshee (looking rather freakish) and Polaris.
Unlike the first volume, the X-Men (with the possible exception of Marvel Girl) are beginning to become really distinct characters. Nonetheless, the most interesting member winds up being the temporary X-Man, the Mimic, whose prickly personality is a nice contrast to his utterly benevolent teammates.
With an assortment of writers and artists, this collection is generally hit-or-miss, but overall, there is enough good stuff to merit a solid four stars. By today's standards, these stories may be somewhat crude, but they are representative of the stuff produced in the 1960s. Most importantly, they are fun to read, and provide a lot of the basis for the modern Marvel mythology. For those only familiar with newer versions of the X-Men, this collection has both historical value and is an entertaining read.
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