X-Treme X-Men Volume 3: Schism TPB [Paperback]

Chris Claremont (Author), Salvador Larroca (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (June 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785110844
• ISBN-13: 978-0785110842
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,075,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book in this series, and best art by Larocca, March 22, 2006

By 

C. Reeves "television and romance addict" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: X-Treme X-Men Volume 3: Schism TPB (Paperback)

I loved this. And I will tell you why.

Schism reprinted one of the most interesting story arcs of X-Treme X-Men and it picks up after Storm's splinter cell of X-Men have already found Destiny's Diaries. The book opens with Jean Grey's plea for Storm and her group to come back to the mansion. Problem is, Storm doesn't want to budge, and she feels she has good reason. Xavier's vision isn't as pure as it used to be, and she doesn't want to go back to just being a blind follower of his doctrines, particularly when he condones murder by the mutant student he attempts to protect.

X-Treme X-Men features my favorite roster of X-characters, namely Storm (she's the bomb in this one), Rogue, Bishop, Sage, and Wolverine. I'm indifferent to Gambit, since I feel that he is still a strong mutant and intriguing character, but that he began whining a lot. In this book, he and Rogue are both rendered powerless by Vargas (see "Invasion") after Vargas impaled them on his sword. Gambit's relationship with Rogue didn't need even more reason to be on-again, off-again (consider previous problems with his blindness, her inability to touch him, his shady past with Sinister, etc.). From this point forward, Gambit began to seem very wishy-washy as a leading man. Thankfully, this book doesn't focus much on him.

Storm gets her due with excellent dialogue and great exchanges between her, Logan, and Kitty. This will remind you why she is such a neat heroine. Logan isn't kicking butts and taking names in this one, he's helping Ororo with her rehabilitation in the wake of Viper's attack, which is great. Bishop and Sage explore their friendship in more depth, and readers are treated to seeing how analytical and complex they each are. This story also expands Elias Bogan's presence as a prominent villain in this series.

There was some humor in this. As the X-Men are enjoying some dessert, Beast asks Storm what it was like to belong to Khan's harem, and to once again be the object of the villain's affection. In regard to all of their enemies coming after Storm as a potential conquest, Logan pipes up and says "Doesn't any bad guy worth the name?" The other thing that tickled me was when the mutant boy that Sage and Bishop were after teleported them to Times Square without their clothes. The police officer questioning them tells Bishop "I don't believe our clothes come in your size. But neither do most people."

The plot is good, and there are actually a few. Sage and Bishop investigate a murder by a young mutant who had been offered asylum at the Institute. Storm calls Emma on it and is rebuffed and dismissed. Moments between these two are tense and rely on the reader knowing the history between them, but it's great to see. It's also nice to see Emma get some comeuppance from the person she has most wronged (except Jean; a catfight between those two would have been good, too).

In the meantime, in "X-treme X-Men X-Pose," we see Storm trying to give mutants in general better PR in a news documentary. Claremont brings back Neal Conan and Manoli Wetherell, the two telejournalists from "Fall of the Mutants" in Uncanny. Undoing Storm's good intentions are a sleazy creative director wanting to skew their footage to make Storm look anti-"sapien," and Warren, one of the original X-Men, using his financial clout to shelve the documentary before it can hit the public.

This book is very political and smart. It raises a lot of ethical questions and brings out qualities in these characters that you may have forgotten they had. Claremont proves that he can still write snappy dialogue and emotions for the characters that he created so long ago, and still give the reader a fresh way to look at them.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Storyline In The "X-Treme" Series, April 5, 2005

By 

Edmund Lau Kok Ming (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Treme X-Men Volume 3: Schism TPB (Paperback)

"Schism" collects the X-Pose miniseries and the "Schism" storyline originally published in the regular series. This is Claremont doing "mutant-politics". The result is Claremont's most insightful and poignant work ever. I think a lot of this is attributable to the fact that (when this story was written) Grant Morrison seemed to have usurped his throne as "Mr. X-Men". However, as a long time reader of the X-Men books, I think I share Claremont's views about Morrison's handling of the X-characters and the underlying concepts behind the whole thing. There is a lot to get excited about with Morrison's "X-Corp" and pro-active mutant-forces but it opens up a lot of controversial questions in "mutant politics". Here, you have Claremont writing in a very "interactive" style showing the Morrison characters (typified by Emma Frost, the White Queen) behaving totally in-character (like if Morrison were writing them) to debate with the Claremont characters (typified by Storm) on these same "political" issues. The end result is a work that examines the core of what the X-Men is really about and that Xavier's exuberance over his new pro-active techniques may be more dangerous than any enemy of humanity ever. Interestingly, Morrison's "Planet X" storyline seemed to be the realization of what Claremont feared would happen ultimately. I tip my hat off to Claremont's courage in taking on Morrison's philosophy square in the face in an intelligent way without resorting to appeals based on nostalgia.

Salvador Larroca's art continues to be very eye-pleasing and with the darker linework, they come off much clearer than in the previous two volumes.

The "X-Pose" storyline is another look at "mutant politics" - this time from the perspective of humans (or "baseline humans", a term that Claremont is using more and more) and the media. It is refreshing for old time readers like myself to see the return of old Claremont stalwarts like the two reporters from "The Fall of the Mutants" storyline and taking centerstage here.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Claremont, July 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: X-Treme X-Men Volume 3: Schism TPB (Paperback)

If you've ever enjoyed any of Chris Claremont's X-men stories, then Schism will not disappoint. It deals with the X-Treme X-Men turning away from their friends to become a sort of mutant police force, to deal with crimes that involve mutants, the sort of crimes normal police forces may not be equipped to handle. The title story is set up as an intriguing mystery, but the most enjoyable part of the story is the tension between the X-men and Emma Frost, former White Queen of the Hellfire club and a current staff member of Charles Xavier's school.