X-Men: The Shattering [Paperback]

Alan Davis (Author), Terry Kavanagh (Author), Mike Raicht (Author), Jay Faerber (Author), Rob Jensen (Author), Adam Kubert (Illustrator), Tom Raney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: X-Men | Publication Date: July 22, 2009

The X-Men have stayed together in the face of countless threats, but what happens when the team's leader simply disbands it? Marvel's mightiest mutant mind snaps the team into pieces - but an unholy alliance of ancient and alien evils isn't calling it quits, so neither will the X-Men! Plus: Colossus and Marrow face a shared friend and foe, Rogue discovers the Destiny Journals, and Wolverine stares Death in the face - but which is which? Also featuring Cannonball, Moonstar, Nate Grey the X-Man, and more! Collects Uncanny X-Men #372-375, X-Men #92-95, Astonishing X-Men #1-3, and X-Men 1999 Yearbook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (July 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785137335
• ISBN-13: 978-0785137337
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very average stories, but good concepts and production values, February 15, 2011

By 

Arthur Chang (BSG 75) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: X-Men: The Shattering (Paperback)

I read X-men sporadically in collected TPBs, usually out of order, so I'm not familiar with all the subplots and intricate character histories. That said, this story was easy to follow, had some surprises in it that the careful observer or x-fan may be able to spot easily, but for someone who's not an expert with X-stories and the marvel U, it has some good twists.

I will respond to the previous reviewing's comment about Prof X turning sour being important to the story and there is a resolution to it that seemed reasonable, but I suppose not everyone will be satisfied.

The artwork is excellent as always from Alan Davis. He's not partnering with Mark Farmer, but the inker still does a great job (in fact in some instances I prefer it over Farmer's). The issues not penciled by Davis are good as well, but have the post-Jim lee style that not everyone will be happy with.

The production of the book is fantastic. The colors are solid, with excellent shading and gradients, and it's printed on glossy paper so it doesn't look like a 12 year old story.

It does leave a few plot points unfinished, and also stretches a few beyond this book, but then again, that's the case with almost any ongoing comic book franchise, especially the X-men. Some of the characters are also not that interesting or well developed, such as X-Man/Nate Grey, who always seemed like a storywriting experiment that never got completed and became a marketing ploy.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but there's nothing here that's groundbreaking and it's certainly not a must-read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Because Someone Somewhere Demanded It Maybe, September 5, 2010

By 

Alan Smithee (Ames, IA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: X-Men: The Shattering (Paperback)

Marvel has made the baffling decision to release trade paperbacks chronicling the stories leading up to and including The Twelve Saga, I'm presuming for the reason of casting the critically derided (well, by me at least) Matt Fraction run in a more positive light. For trying to tackle the Twelve Saga, the Shattering is pretty much essential reading, and while the maneuverings of Apocalypse make no more sense here than they did in the Twelve Saga, or the Ages of Apocalypse, this book at least sets up where the characters are for the beginning of that story.

So the premise of this book is that Professor X is feeling grumpy and yells at the X-Men. The X-men take exception to this and leave. The story then follows the different groups of characters, and this is really where the book is strongest, however once the Mannites are introduced the story kind of just falls apart and doesn't pick back up. There is some very blatant misdirection, which could have been well done, but is so poorly executed, most of us will just scratch our heads in confusion. There are some subplots running that if you didn't read the X-Books at the time won't make sense, particularly the one with Bishop in space, but they are usually brief and easy to just ignore. The art is of varying quality, and while none of it is of particular mention, it gets the job done, so I won't really complain.

Some of the comics in here (and especially in the Twelve) can be difficult to come by, so if you're a collector this book may in fact be a dream come true. If you liked the Twelve Saga, you'll probably like this. I guess. However, if you're new to comics and don't have a PHd in X-Men you'd be better off starting somewhere else. Grant Morrison's New X-Men begins soon after this, and I can think of no better place to start.