X-Men: Vignettes, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Chris Claremont (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2002

The X-Men have been called many things: Outlaws. Freedom Fighters. Mutants. But what of the individuals themselves, away from their masks, when they're not saving the world? What of their friends, families, and lovers? This beautiful, soulful collection -- reprinting the bonus tales from CLASSIC X-MEN #1-#13 -- showcases some of the most inspired stories ever told of Marvel's ever-popular mutants.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (March 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785108122
• ISBN-13: 978-0785108122
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Character-driven X-Men Stories, August 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: X-Men: Vignettes, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

If you enjoy character-driven stories about the X-Men of Marvel comics, if you like the X-Men stories of the 70s and 80s, or if you're a fan of Chris Claremont's writing, pick this up. Also, if you really like the Dark Phoenix Saga, you'll probably enjoy some of the Phoenix back-stories here.

The baker's dozen of stories in this trade paperback are reprints of some of the early back-up stories from Classic X-Men. All are written by Claremont and illustrated (in color) by Jon Bolton. His style is less super-hero/comic book and more akin to illustration. The lines are softer and the emphasis is on storytelling and facial expressions.

The stories show some of life behind the scenes of Uncanny X-Men stories from Giant-Sized X-Men #1/Uncanny 94 to about the Uncanny 120s. (I being specific for the rabid collectors). This book would be a great companion to Essential X-Men #1 (and #2 as well). It would also accompany The Dark Phoenix Saga book very well.

The stories cover the aftermath of the battle against Krakoa, the impact of Thunderbird's death, the beginning of friendship between Jean and Storm, Nightcrawler's struggles with his appearance, Colossus' first love, the politics of the Hellfire Club, etc.

I think the most powerful pieces are the ones about Jean/Phoenix. The idea is this: what if you were 24, in love, a hero, and one day you gained nearly unlimited power? How would you live life as a human once you became a god? The pieces here show Jean before her trip to space, during her transformation, and later, dealing with the effects. And they are beautiful.

Buy yourself a treat: Get the first 2 Essential collections (or the DP Saga) and this collection and indulge your deep abiding love of the classic X-Men comics. Yes, they're about super heroes, but at heart they're about what kind of people we are and what kind of world we want to make.

Then get Claremont's X-Men: Visionaries collection and be indulged further.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good Package, But Pricey., August 25, 2002

By 

Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: X-Men: Vignettes, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Vignettes reprints the back-up stories from Classic X-Men #'s 1-13. As usual, Writer Chris Claremont's stories are too wordy, often giving extraneous information that the reader could glean from the art (By John Bolton, making a rare pen and ink appearance, a nice change of pace from his usual painting; The art is just as beautiful, no matter what medium he uses.).

As a longtime Marvel fan, I found the stories complimented the older X-Men stories perfectly, giving me new insight into the old stories. The problem is, without the old stories, a new reader would be totally lost with most of these stories. The book is also over-priced for the scant 175 pages. Older X-Men fans will find a lot to cheer about, but readers who aren't up on their Mutant history will probably want to take a pass....

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Quieter Moments, May 16, 2003

By 

Kellyannl (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Men: Vignettes, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

This volume collects the backstories printed in X-Men Classics from it's beginning through it's reprinting of the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Basically, it's a collection of short stories about what happened "between the lines" of Uncanny at this period of the X-Men's history. Often they're quieter, relationship-driven stories as opposed to the action of the series proper. It helps if you have the stories that the vignettes are backing up in front of you for reference if you don't think you'll remember them - if you don't know what's going on you might be lost.

Some of the vignettes are better than others, and of course your opinion will be colored by which characters you like most. Certainly two of the Nightcrawler stories are essential reading and some of the best material ever written for him. The first is "The Big Dare" - the notorious buddy classic in which Nightcrawler and Wolverine play a famous game of tag that results in Logan getting Kurt a little tipsy and daring him to walk down the street in public undisguised. The second is the beautiful tearjerker "The Gift", in which Kurt bonds with a little boy to whom he self-appoints himself guardian when he sees the child walking down the street alone in the middle of the night.