[BOOK REVIEW] X-Men: Mutant Genesis by Chris Claremont

Title:  X-Men:  Mutant Genesis

Author:  Chris Claremont

Artist:  Jim Lee

Genre: Action / Adventure / Science Fiction / Prejudice


Year Published: 1991


Year Read: 2014


Publisher: Marvel Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 12+ (Violence and Some Fighting Scenes)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

I have been reading the “X-Men” comics for awhile now, but there was one story line that fans were raving about during the 1990s and that was “X-Men: Mutant Genesis!” Well, the reason why “X-Men: Mutant Genesis” was praised a lot by the fans during the 1990s was because this was the highest selling comic book at the time. It also helped paved way for the famous 1990s cartoon series and it even paved way for an arcade game called “X-Men: Children of the Atom.” “X-Men: Mutant Genesis” was also considered Chris Claremont’s final work on the “X-Men” comics (well at least up until the 2000s anyway). Now, having been introduced to the “X-Men” franchise through the 1990s cartoon series, I had to check out the comic book that helped inspired the cartoon series for myself!

What is this story about?

There are two stories in this volume: one that involves the X-Men fighting against Magneto and the other with Wolverine being kidnapped by the Hand, Weapon X and Fenris.

Magneto Story (Rubicon: Issue #1, Firestorm: Issue #2, and Fallout: Issue #3)

In this story, when Magneto posed a threat to all the humans on Earth, both the United States and Russia decided to blow up his home planet, Asteroid M in order to stop him. At the same time, a group of mutant worshippers, led by Fabian Cortez, become Magneto’s new Acolytes and help him try to find his personal goal. Meanwhile, the X-Men, who have split up into two teams: the Blue team (consisting of Cyclops, Psylocke, Beast, Wolverine, Gambit and Rogue) and the Gold team (consisting of Storm, Archangel, Colossus, Iceman, Jean Grey, and Banshee) all try to stop Magneto before it is too late!

Omega Red Story (The Resurrection and the Flesh: Issue #4, Blowback: Issue #5, …Along Came Sabretooth: Issue #6 and Issue #7)

In this story, Omega Red, Wolverine’s old nemesis, is resurrected by the Hand, Weapon X and brother and sister team, Fenris and is out for revenge on both Wolverine and Sabretooth!  Not only that, but Omega Red is also seeking for a secret weapon that could give him even more strength and only Wolverine knows where the secret weapon is located at!

What I loved about this story:

Chris Claremont , John Byrne and Scott Lobdell’s writing: I must admit that these stories were fun and exciting at the same time and I really enjoyed reading the volume that put the X-Men on the map (at least during the 1990s)!  Chris Claremont’s writing for Magneto’s story was well written and I loved the way that Chris Claremont gave each character a focus in the story, especially showcasing how Gambit and Rogue work within a team.  I also loved the way that Chris Claremont split up the X-Men into two teams, the Blue and Gold teams, not because they had a falling out with each other (which is a story line that is unfortunately used in the recent comics), but because it was a way for the X-Men to do more activity in saving the world by having two different teams perform different missions whenever they are needed.  It was also interesting in seeing Magneto as the villain again since throughout the 1980s, he was working with the X-Men and you can actually see the history he had with the X-Men and how he keeps wondering why the X-Men are fighting him, despite his reasons being destructive. I really enjoyed John Byrne and Scott Lobdell’s writing of the second story that involved Omega Red as it was much more character driven, with some bits of Wolverine’s past being exposed and the blossoming relationship between Rogue and Gambit. I also loved the introduction of Jubilee in this story as she seems to replace Kitty Pryde as the tag along kid of the group and the scenes with her provided so much humor to the story.  I also loved the way that John Byrne and Scott Lobdell portrayed Omega Red as being a villain who is bent on revenge against Wolverine and the scenes where he beats up Wolverine were quite intense.

Jim Lee’s artwork:  Probably the best part about this volume was Jim Lee’s amazing artwork!  Every time I see Jim Lee doing the artwork for a comic book, you know that I will automatically fall in love with it!  I loved the way that Jim Lee drew the characters as they all look truly realistic, yet a bit scratchy in some areas. I also loved the way that Jim Lee drew the action sequences as the explosions really do glow off the pages and I loved seeing the characters actually fighting hand to hand with their enemies (the best ones being of Psylocke using her martial arts skills to fight against enemies as they look amazing)!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I gave this a four star rating was because I felt that the stories moved along too fast and there were not enough character moments in the stories (save for the romantic relationship between Rogue and Gambit and Jubilee providing some fun to the story). Even though most of my favorite characters were in these stories, it felt like they were just there for the sake of action rather than actual character development and many fans have pointed out that the 1990s was a time of mainly action-driven comics.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “X-Men: Mutant Genesis” was a truly fun and exciting read and I would recommend this book to any X-Men fan looking for a comic book that can be read just for the fun of it!