The Unauthorized X-Men: SF And Comic Writers on Mutants, Prejudice, And Adamantium (Smart Pop Series) [Paperback]

Len Wein (Editor), Keith R.A. DeCandido (Collaborator), Karen Haber (Collaborator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Where fiction meets truth: the enduring legacy of the "X-Men". This is a collection of essays from the writers, artists and critics of the comics world, tracing the evolution, metaphors and message of the legendary X-Men empire. "The X-Men" are one of the all-time success stories of the superhero comics universe. Rivalled only by Superman and Spiderman in terms of longevity, variety and universal appeal, they have graced the pages of countless comics and been brought to life in two animated television series and three blockbuster movies. So what is the enduring appeal of the mutants? Their powers? Their costumes? The cool claws that shoot out of Wolverine's knuckles when he gets angry? All of these things equate to shortterm popularity. Like all truly great superheroes, the X-Men have much, much more. It is the astonishing complexity of the X-Men universe - the way in which it captures and enlarges upon virtually every human more - that sets it apart from regular costume comic fodder. Massive themes of racism, evil, human greed, intolerance and redemption run through its core. The politics of mutants versus humans and mutants versus mutants draws clear and lasting parallels with the real-world issues of intolerance, militant global policing and factional infighting we see every time we turn on the news. Spawned by the Cold War, informed by the Holocaust and offering a clear vision of disastrous possibilities for a third worldwide conflict, the X-Men universe is visionary allegory at its best. "The Unauthorized X-Men" explores the reality of the comics from a host of fascinating angles.

About the Author

Len Wein is a co-creator for the New X-Men, who helped create classic X-Men characters including Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Storm. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Smart Pop (March 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932100741
• ISBN-13: 978-1932100747
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,144,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty awsome!, February 10, 2007

By	Lizzibeth - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unauthorized X-Men: SF And Comic Writers on Mutants, Prejudice, And Adamantium (Smart Pop Series) (Paperback)

This was an interesting book. Instead of all the flowery things ppl can say about the X-Men, there were real people who (for the most part) had some hand in the creation of the X-Men talking about what they thought about the X-Men as a whole. In one of the chapters a man tells of how when he was a young boy he got the first issue of the commic and loved it, but didn't see any more until he was older. He told about how he had loved the first issue...but wasn't a big fan of what they ended up becoming. I enjoyed this book because it had so many different opinions and veiw points of the same thing. All in all a good read!!