X-Men: Days of Future Past Author: Visit Amazon's Chris Claremont Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0785164537 | Format: EPUB
X-Men: Days of Future Past Description
- Series: X-Men
- Paperback: 184 pages
- Publisher: Marvel (December 21, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0785164537
- ISBN-13: 978-0785164531
- Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is the epilogue to the Dark Phoenix saga, the swan song for the team of writer Chris Claremont and penciler Johny Byrne as the co-plotters for "The Uncanny X-Men," and the arrival of Kitty Pryde as the newest and youngest pupil in Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters on Graymalkin Lane outside the Westchester County Township of Salem Center. What you will find in this trade paperback collection are issues #138-143 of "The Uncanny X-Men" and Annual #4, where the artwork is handled by John Romita, Jr. & Bob McLeod.
"Elegy" (#138) begins with Jean Grey's funeral and ends with Scott Summers leaving the X-Men for a while. It really is the true epilogue to the Dark Phoenix saga and most of the issue is a walk down memory lane, recapping the history of the X-Men from when Jean first showed up at the school. Fans of the series will enjoy recognizing issues from the past (remember Grotesk and the Living Pharaoh).
The Annual story, "Nightcrawler's Inferno," has a demon who is fighting Doctor Strange yanking the X-Men off into another dimension, leaving Professor X and Kitty behind. This one involves a more classical interpretation of Hell, what with Minos and Cerberus from Dante coming into play, but like most Annual stories seems a bloated attempt to do something big as opposed to the much bigger impact of a solid multi-part story (see below).
"...Something Wicked This Way Comes!" (#139) has Kitty being introduced to training in the Danger Room, and Wolverine and Nightcrawler head to Canada to meet up with Alpha Flight and an old problem. That would be the Wen-Di-Go, who they fight in "Rage!" (#140), while Ororo takes Kitty to dance lessons with Stevie Hunter.
Much of the dark doings in the X-Men books these past thirty years go back to that infamous two-issue arc way back in 1980. "Days of Future Past" was only a few issues removed from the tragic "Dark Phoenix" saga, so you can make a pretty solid case for this stretch of stories as writer Chris Claremont cresting to his absolute peak. His exceptional artist and co-plotter John Byrne, well, his heyday would span plenty of years beyond Claremont's. For those trying to unearth back issues of this classic adventure, you can find it in the trade paperback X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, which collects issues #138-143 as well as X-MEN ANNUAL #4. For X-Men fans, this is a must get.
The trade opens with Jean Grey's friends and family attending her burial and a grief-stricken Cyclops reminiscing about Jean. Along the way, he manages to summarize the entire X-Men run up to that point. Cyclops' abrupt leave of absence would herald Ororo's assuming the leadership role.
The annual (illustrated by John Romita, Jr. and Bob McLeod) tells of how the X-Men and Dr. Strange storm Hell as they attempt to rescue Nightcrawler. This issue also brings to light a very dark secret from Nightcrawler's past (and this on his birthday, too).
Next is a two-issue story featuring Wolverine and Nightcrawler's eventful visit to Canada and their team-up with Alpha Flight as they take on the Wendigo.
This takes us to issues #141-142 which comprise the pivotal, very influential "Days of Future Past," an arc that is as significant as Jim Shooter's "The Adult Legion" story in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (issues #354-355, 1967). In the horrifying dystopian future of 2013, where Sentinels run rampant and super-heroes are a thing of the past, anti-mutant hysteria has brought mutants to the brink of extinction.
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