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tshepiso 's review for:
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Volume 5
by John Buscema, John Byrne, John Romita Jr., Chris Claremont
4.5 stars
I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am that I adored one of the most celebrated X-Men comics of all time. Especially because I’ve loved all of Claremont and Byrne’s preceding work. The Dark Phoenix saga—which takes up the bulk of this volume—is an amazing work. It's such a cathartic read with excellent character work that stunningly pays off the three years of this run.
What makes the epic storytelling of the Dark Phoenix saga work so well is the emotional investment in these characters. The X-Men were established as more than just a team but a family and Claremont and Byrne play on the heartstrings of these relationships beautifully. There's this beautiful sequence of scenes in issue #137 where the team reflects on why they’re willing to fight for Jean and the love they have for her and it's so beautifully written and reflects on the genuine friendship between the crew excellently.
The most emotional moments in the saga were defiantly the ones between Scott and Jean. These two love each there so deeply. Every moment from Scott's ferocious determination to save the love of his life from Mastermind and the Hellfire Club to their final battle against the Shi'ar Empire was so sincere and so vulnerable. Scott's desperation and despondency were palpable.
The best part of the Dark Phoenix saga was its ending. While Jean was originally intended to live Jim Shooter’s brilliant suggestion that they play out the consequences of Dark Phoenix’s actions made for a brilliant conclusion. The story plays up the weight of the transformation of Jean and her final sacrifice was all the more beautiful for it. Adaptions of this storyline often see Jean cut down by her lover and they do a massive disservice to the true bravery at the heart of Jean that's so brilliantly represented here.
My only complaint about this volume was the, in my opinion, unnecessary inclusion of the two issues and annual in the X-Men run after Elegy. From a collection standpoint while the stories were well written they felt out of place after the tremendous highs of the saga.
I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am that I adored one of the most celebrated X-Men comics of all time. Especially because I’ve loved all of Claremont and Byrne’s preceding work. The Dark Phoenix saga—which takes up the bulk of this volume—is an amazing work. It's such a cathartic read with excellent character work that stunningly pays off the three years of this run.
What makes the epic storytelling of the Dark Phoenix saga work so well is the emotional investment in these characters. The X-Men were established as more than just a team but a family and Claremont and Byrne play on the heartstrings of these relationships beautifully. There's this beautiful sequence of scenes in issue #137 where the team reflects on why they’re willing to fight for Jean and the love they have for her and it's so beautifully written and reflects on the genuine friendship between the crew excellently.
The most emotional moments in the saga were defiantly the ones between Scott and Jean. These two love each there so deeply. Every moment from Scott's ferocious determination to save the love of his life from Mastermind and the Hellfire Club to their final battle against the Shi'ar Empire was so sincere and so vulnerable. Scott's desperation and despondency were palpable.
The best part of the Dark Phoenix saga was its ending. While Jean was originally intended to live Jim Shooter’s brilliant suggestion that they play out the consequences of Dark Phoenix’s actions made for a brilliant conclusion. The story plays up the weight of the transformation of Jean and her final sacrifice was all the more beautiful for it. Adaptions of this storyline often see Jean cut down by her lover and they do a massive disservice to the true bravery at the heart of Jean that's so brilliantly represented here.
My only complaint about this volume was the, in my opinion, unnecessary inclusion of the two issues and annual in the X-Men run after Elegy. From a collection standpoint while the stories were well written they felt out of place after the tremendous highs of the saga.