X-Men: First Class, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Brightest [Hardcover]

Jeff Parker (Author), Roger Cruz (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 4 and up

For millions of years, mankind's place on Earth was unchallenged - until five young people paved the way for a new kind of human. While students at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast and Iceman taught the world what it meant to be X-Men. These are the hidden stories of the team that laid the foundation of a mutant dynasty! Collects X-Men: First Class #1-8.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (July 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785124268
• ISBN-13: 978-0785124269
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,009,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing take on the classic X-Men, April 12, 2008

By 

HJ Louw "Hermgerm" (South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Men: First Class, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Brightest (Hardcover)

Jeff Parker and Roger Cruz have constructed a wonderfully modernized version of the classic X-Men team. X-Men: First Class contains everything from iPods to the Internet, and portrays teenagers and life at boarding school exactly as it is, with the addition of super-powers of course. In this series the X-Men are teens who deal with the problems of puberty, homework, secret crushes and exams while simultaneously battling menaces such as the Lizard, demons, rogue computers, and alien entities not to mention other mutants. The characters are easy to identify with and most are likable. My favorites were Iceman and Hank McCoy (Beast), with Angel a close second. Scott and Jean's budding romance is done well, and I found myself enjoying the cleverness of the writing (a particular scene where Prof X sends Iceman on an errand after reading Scott's mind to give him some private time with Jean is especially moving). Action fills the pages along with excellent art and vibrant colors that make the characters leap off the page. Great stand-alone stories and a wonderfully invigorating team dynamic makes this take on the early X-Men the most believable and enjoyable. I am very glad that I got to read about the old X-Men in their very first incarnation again. Three cheers for Parker and Cruz for an outstanding book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember when comics were fun?, February 12, 2008

By 

Kevin Tam (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: X-Men: First Class, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Brightest (Hardcover)

I do, and this hardcover reminds us of the fact.

Jeff Parker (the same man who brought us sleeper hits like "Goom Got Game!" or "Doom, Where's My Car?") returns us to Stan Lee's roster of the original five X-Men: Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, Iceman and Cyclops.

They go on wacky adventures like a trip to the Arctic to meet an ancient civilization, or a trip to the Everglades to save Doctor Curtis Connors. There's a lot of humor in the book, and it's very lighthearted, but there's also a lot of heart. Jean, for example, talks to Scott about his power, his burden: "Just like a horse needs to run, you have to use your power." There's also an issue where the teens have to save Professor X, which is very touching about family values and teen power.

All the issues are self-contained, meaning there's a story in every issue that stands by itself. There are delightful easter eggs too, such as when Bobby makes ice claws on his hands, and Jean says "Oh please - big claws would be ridiculous!" or when the demon from the astral realm says "Rahh-jerrr-kruhhhzzz." Roger Cruz on art duties tells the stories well, and Marko Djrudjevic makes absolutely beautiful covers.

If you like fun comics, this is definitely worth your 25 bucks, and at amazon, 17 bucks is a steal. It's a fantastic book for kids as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatness!, May 15, 2008

By 

Alexander Fisk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: X-Men: First Class, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Brightest (Hardcover)

To start X-Men is my favorite comic, always has been and always will be. That being said there is alot of malarky that passes for X-Men these days (X-Men 3 and most of Ultimate X-Men for starters) and I am glad to see a comic take on the origin story and be so new and exciting. The characters develop well and the stories contained in this first tpb are nothing short of what an avid fan should expect. Each page was well worth the purchase and in the six months I have had it I have read it three times. Most definetly worth buying if your a fan of the X-Men or for the uninitiated it's a great start.