Today, the whole world knows him as Magneto, the most radical champion of mutant rights that mankind has ever seen. But in 1935, he was just another schoolboy - who happened to be Jewish in Nazi Germany. The definitive origin story of one of Marvel's greatest icons begins with a silver chain and a crush on a girl - and quickly turns into a harrowing struggle for survival against the inexorable machinery of Hitler's Final Solution From X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong writer Greg Pak and award-winning artist Carmine Di Giandomenico. Collects X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
It takes a lot of nerve to use the Holocaust as setting for a superhero story, but villain/antihero Magneto's background requires it, and the story by Pak and DiGiandomenico carries out the idea with respect. The boy who would become Magneto is Max Eisenhardt, smart and athletic, living with his family in Germany in 1935. He watches in horror as the Germans invade Poland, prompting his family to flee; he sees them killed, like thousands of others; he takes his place as a worker in a concentration camp. But all the while, it nags at him that he should be fighting back, and his father's admonition to wait for the moment, a time when everything lines up, when anything is possible, when suddenly you can make things happen rings in his head, as does the face of the girl he has always loved, a girl who has ended up in a Gypsy camp, fated for extermination. This is an inherently powerful story, handled with grace and care, delivered in a haunting, painterly style—and filled with historical information and context. Extensive back pages include a teacher's guide to using this series in the classroom. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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More About the Author
Greg Pak is a filmmaker and comic book writer best known for directing the award-winning feature film "Robot Stories" and writing the epic "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" storylines for Marvel Comics. He was named one of 25 Filmmakers to Watch by Filmmaker Magazine, described as "a talent with a future" by the New York Times, and named "Breakout Talent" of the year by Wizard Magazine.
Pak's run on Marvel's "Incredible Hulk" comic book included the much lauded "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" epics and was named the Best Ongoing Series of 2007 by Wizard Magazine. Pak created the character of Amadeus Cho, who won a 2005 Marvel.com fan favorite poll, and has written numerous Marvel miniseries, including the top-selling "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong" and the critically acclaimed "Magneto Testament." Pak also wrote the "Battlestar Galactica" series for Dynamite and co-writes the fan favorite "Incredible Hercules" series with Fred Van Lente.
Pak edits AsianAmericanComics.com and AsianAmericanFilm.com and writes the "Pak Talks Comics" column for PakBuzz.com. He studied political science at Yale University, history at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and film production at the NYU graduate film program. He is represented by Sandra Lucchesi of the Gersh Agency, Los Angeles, and David Hale Smith of DHS Literary.
Pak's run on Marvel's "Incredible Hulk" comic book included the much lauded "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" epics and was named the Best Ongoing Series of 2007 by Wizard Magazine. Pak created the character of Amadeus Cho, who won a 2005 Marvel.com fan favorite poll, and has written numerous Marvel miniseries, including the top-selling "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong" and the critically acclaimed "Magneto Testament." Pak also wrote the "Battlestar Galactica" series for Dynamite and co-writes the fan favorite "Incredible Hercules" series with Fred Van Lente.
Pak edits AsianAmericanComics.com and AsianAmericanFilm.com and writes the "Pak Talks Comics" column for PakBuzz.com. He studied political science at Yale University, history at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and film production at the NYU graduate film program. He is represented by Sandra Lucchesi of the Gersh Agency, Los Angeles, and David Hale Smith of DHS Literary.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Origin Story of a Great Marvel Character,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: X-Men: Magneto Testament (Hardcover)
A subperb example of expanding a super hero character's origin story. Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico have done an epic job. They manage to tell Magneto's story, remain true to most of the existing continuity, and maintain historical accuracy. This is a moving and important account of a Jewish boy's coming of age during the Nazi era in Germany, and the story of survival in Auschwitz. But more, this story shows us how the young Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) survived in Auschwitz, working in the Sonderkommando, which reveals much about the character's later history as Magneto. The writing and art are first rate. The coloring is excellent as well. The book contains a true Holocaust story -- that of Dina Babbitt, called "The Last Outrage" and a teacher's guide for Holocaust studies in the classroom.Magneto is one of Marvel's most important and sophisticated characters. Despite repeated depictions in the comics (in recent years) that are flat, one-dimensional, and uninspired, (usually due to the writer not wanting to address the full complexity of Magneto's psychology and history), Magneto remains one of the best adversaries in comic book history precisely because of his Holocaust and World War II backstory. This character was a good man who became a costumed "villain" to protect his mutant people. Magneto spent most of his life trying to play by the rules, trying to forget his past. He started out as a heroic and well-intentioned boy, growing up in a loving family -- but a family increasingly beset and attacked by Nazi-inspired hatred and violence. MAGNETO TESTAMENT depicts a part of this journey of the character, from the years 1935 to 1944, with a coda from 1948 at the end. I highly recommend this book, for fans of the comic book character, fans of the movie version of Magneto, and for anyone interested in a graphic novel about the Holocaust, for either reading or teaching others.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
well-done,
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This review is from: X-Men: Magneto Testament (Hardcover)
Magneto's Testament finally gives readers the background story of Magneto in one book. Certain things are different then what had been assumed in the past, and a few things are tweaked- for example the only time when magneto's powers come into play is when he is shot at and it is severely downplayed. It's not obvious that it was his powers and instead looks as if his father acted as a shield. This is different from the scene in the X-Men movie where his will to stay with his parents bends the metal gates at the labor camp. Also, there was no saved by wolverine or captain america which was shown as happening in the series X-Men Evolution.All in all this is a good read, and a great addition to anyones shelf.The artwork is both well done and respectable to those who actually survived the holocaust. It, however, is not filled with epic action sequences between mutants and Charles Xavier makes no appearance in it whatsoever. However, you do meet Magda, the gypsy who is destined to be the mother of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. A definite necessity for an X-Men fan, and a good read even for those who aren't. :)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb read. Chilling and sad.,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: X-Men: Magneto Testament (Hardcover)
This is one of the best origins I have ever read for a comic book character. I have been collecting comics for over 20 years and always was fascinated about Magneto's origin. We all know Magneto was a Jewish kid growing up during WW2 but this book gives us more detail into his childhood life and his family.If you took off the X-men name on the cover, and you took off the Magneto in the title, this would still be a fantastic comic. Spoilers: There are no mutant abilities or any super powers happening in this book. It's a tale of Max Eisenhardt (Magneto's birth name) growing up during the Nazi rise to power and his struggles for survival. I was moved by the book simply because it is retelling real life. The stuff that happens in the comic happened in real life during those times and it is saddening to think people can treat others this way. The art while not the best, fit the book and the mood perfectly. The book moves at a fast pace and can be read in about 30 minutes. This is also a great book to us as supplemental material to teach young children about the Holocaust and why we can never sit back and ever let anything like this happen again. 5 stars! Get this hidden gem today.
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