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crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
Usually, when I give a four or five star review to a book that's part of a multi-decade spanning franchise, it's because the book stands on its own, or is a great starting point, or ending point for a series. That is not the case here.
This is very much the end of the first act of the Original X-Men Hanging Out In The Current Timeline saga that began in All New X-Men. It has a ton of characters (some we've never seen before), a lot of time travel shaningans, a bit too much repetitive dialog, and one of the lamest psychic battles in the history of X-Men comics, but overall I liked it. It's an X-fan's book. It has some great character moments, top notch art, and instead of providing the resolution readers were expecting it throws in the idea that the resolution can't happen, and it doesn't even tell us why.
But I really liked it.
For a crossover, I felt it was directed really well. At no point did I feel one issue was too heavy with one plotline, while ignoring other points. It felt like one cohesive X-story containing three titles' worth of characters. Given how awful Avengers vs. X-Men was (which also featured co-writing between Bendis and Aaron...but that one also included Hickman, Brubaker, Remender, and possibly a Chris Claremont fanfic writer), I expected this to be much more scattered.
I don't recommend this for anyone who isn't either very immersed in X-Men lore, or who hasn't read All New X-Men. But if you fall into at least one of those categories, you might very well enjoy this madness. I recommend it for fans of X-Men time travel, people who like X-Men mashup characters from the future, and anyone enjoying Bendis's All New X-Men run.
This is very much the end of the first act of the Original X-Men Hanging Out In The Current Timeline saga that began in All New X-Men. It has a ton of characters (some we've never seen before), a lot of time travel shaningans, a bit too much repetitive dialog, and one of the lamest psychic battles in the history of X-Men comics, but overall I liked it. It's an X-fan's book. It has some great character moments, top notch art, and instead of providing the resolution readers were expecting it throws in the idea that the resolution can't happen, and it doesn't even tell us why.
But I really liked it.
For a crossover, I felt it was directed really well. At no point did I feel one issue was too heavy with one plotline, while ignoring other points. It felt like one cohesive X-story containing three titles' worth of characters. Given how awful Avengers vs. X-Men was (which also featured co-writing between Bendis and Aaron...but that one also included Hickman, Brubaker, Remender, and possibly a Chris Claremont fanfic writer), I expected this to be much more scattered.
I don't recommend this for anyone who isn't either very immersed in X-Men lore, or who hasn't read All New X-Men. But if you fall into at least one of those categories, you might very well enjoy this madness. I recommend it for fans of X-Men time travel, people who like X-Men mashup characters from the future, and anyone enjoying Bendis's All New X-Men run.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe Marvel just doesn't know how to do a big battle book in a way I don't hate. There were certainly some interesting bits here. But mostly it was a mess that turned stupid. Though stupid in interesting ways. Certainly views of the future in X-Men are interesting and may bleed into future story lines, they should at least be semi-coherent. And this was not. And yet it wasn't bad, it just was rushed and not detailed enough. Maybe it should have been two good volumes instead of one sloppy one.
vulco1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pickett22's review against another edition
1.0
So, the best summary of this book can be found < href="http://waitingforthet.tumblr.com/post/67352075909/this-is-my-impression-of-the-end-of-the-battle-of"> here (with some moderately adult content).
There were a number of things I didn't like about this book, but mostly I feel that the psychic battle was the biggest disappointment of 2013. And not just in comics. I mean generally, it was the thing that lived up to the excitement it created the least. I LOVE psychic battles, so I was willing to give this one lots of leeway. I thought "I can overlook Emma's broken vocabulary, if he just writes the action well in this." But alas. We all know Bendis just doesn't like Emma, but if four Frosts and a baby Jean can't take on Jean-from-the-future, how does baby Jean do it by herself? Emma has the training, and I'm pretty sure she was as powerful as Jean (sans Phoenix,) and even though she doesn't have her own power any more, there are three Emma clones right there, so I'm thinking the Frost clan alone has her licked.
Plus I'm still not really clear on what baby Jean saw that made her change her mind. Wasn't the point of the plot twist that the future was actually pretty rosy and the people were actually the bad guys.
Overall the whole plot was an exercise in futility, as it changed nothing. The future people came back to do something that (it turns out) can't physically be done. Well shoot.
And there's lots of whining about who likes who (teenagers, man!), and more finger pointing (blah, blah, blah, Scott's a murderer, we get it).
I do kind of like that Kitty is on Scott's side, because it seems like SOMEONE is finally acting like themselves. Although it kind of makes me sad, because since Bendis doesn't like Emma/cannot write Emma there will be no wonderful Kitty/Emma Frienemy moments. I miss those.
Well, I miss Emma just generally, but you know.
(ALSO, I know this is from the issue after BotA ends, but DIGS ABOUT WARSONG/ENDSONG ARE NOT OKAY! THEY'RE NOT FUNNY, THEY'RE NOT GOOD BURNS, AND THEY'RE NOT OKAY! YOU CAN'T JUST DISREGARD IMPORTANT MOMENTS FROM THAT BOOK AND THEN HAUL BITS IN TO INSULT CHARACTERS YOU DON'T LIKE!
)
There were a number of things I didn't like about this book, but mostly I feel that the psychic battle was the biggest disappointment of 2013. And not just in comics. I mean generally, it was the thing that lived up to the excitement it created the least. I LOVE psychic battles, so I was willing to give this one lots of leeway. I thought "I can overlook Emma's broken vocabulary, if he just writes the action well in this." But alas. We all know Bendis just doesn't like Emma, but if four Frosts and a baby Jean can't take on Jean-from-the-future, how does baby Jean do it by herself? Emma has the training, and I'm pretty sure she was as powerful as Jean (sans Phoenix,) and even though she doesn't have her own power any more, there are three Emma clones right there, so I'm thinking the Frost clan alone has her licked.
Plus I'm still not really clear on what baby Jean saw that made her change her mind. Wasn't the point of the plot twist that the future was actually pretty rosy and the people were actually the bad guys.
Overall the whole plot was an exercise in futility, as it changed nothing. The future people came back to do something that (it turns out) can't physically be done. Well shoot.
And there's lots of whining about who likes who (teenagers, man!), and more finger pointing (blah, blah, blah, Scott's a murderer, we get it).
I do kind of like that Kitty is on Scott's side, because it seems like SOMEONE is finally acting like themselves. Although it kind of makes me sad, because since Bendis doesn't like Emma/cannot write Emma there will be no wonderful Kitty/Emma Frienemy moments. I miss those.
Well, I miss Emma just generally, but you know.
(ALSO, I know this is from the issue after BotA ends, but DIGS ABOUT WARSONG/ENDSONG ARE NOT OKAY! THEY'RE NOT FUNNY, THEY'RE NOT GOOD BURNS, AND THEY'RE NOT OKAY! YOU CAN'T JUST DISREGARD IMPORTANT MOMENTS FROM THAT BOOK AND THEN HAUL BITS IN TO INSULT CHARACTERS YOU DON'T LIKE!
)
wanderlustlover's review against another edition
4.0
2021 Summer (July);
Reread of Baby!Jean Arc
Most of these were read in a blur of summer bliss in a hammock in a backyard garden as I finally followed up on my original reads of the baby!Jean storyline that I'd gotten half into before falling out of again. I really do continue to love this storyline mostly for her.
I don't remember reading this one the first time around reading these arcs, so I came at this one entirely fresh. I had so many intense feelings about what was being done with the kids, who got to make choices and who didn't. Which and whose problems are greater, is there a right to your own choices if it effects the entire future/present.
The ending twist with Kitty was a really great thing to see, too.
Reread of Baby!Jean Arc
Most of these were read in a blur of summer bliss in a hammock in a backyard garden as I finally followed up on my original reads of the baby!Jean storyline that I'd gotten half into before falling out of again. I really do continue to love this storyline mostly for her.
I don't remember reading this one the first time around reading these arcs, so I came at this one entirely fresh. I had so many intense feelings about what was being done with the kids, who got to make choices and who didn't. Which and whose problems are greater, is there a right to your own choices if it effects the entire future/present.
The ending twist with Kitty was a really great thing to see, too.
matterofmichael's review against another edition
4.0
Overall a worthy read, even if this crossover book didn't feel much like one. But that's ok!
++time travel, still a sucker for it.
+++seeing other X-men from different timeliness never gets old
-slightly jarring to keep everyone straight
...shield and sentinels... That's going to get messy
++More Cyclops and Wolverine confrontations... Keep them coming.
-ending felt unresolved? And a characters motivation felt a bit out of place.
+some fun moments with young xmen and future xmen
+no disruptive flow from one issue to the next
++some really nice shots and writing in this one.
+still loving the young xmen and how they are dealing with the world
+glimpse into future always fun.
++time travel, still a sucker for it.
+++seeing other X-men from different timeliness never gets old
-slightly jarring to keep everyone straight
...shield and sentinels... That's going to get messy
++More Cyclops and Wolverine confrontations... Keep them coming.
-ending felt unresolved? And a characters motivation felt a bit out of place.
+some fun moments with young xmen and future xmen
+no disruptive flow from one issue to the next
++some really nice shots and writing in this one.
+still loving the young xmen and how they are dealing with the world
+glimpse into future always fun.
dominic_t's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a truly amazing crossover event. Storylines from four existing comic titles converged in this event, but the transition between issues of different titles was completely seamless. I wouldn't have guessed that these issues came from four different titles! The art was consistently very good.
The story was well-paced, and the character development was excellent. Really great work.
The story was well-paced, and the character development was excellent. Really great work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
renatasnacks's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty fun, although it definitely strained my limited patience for time-travel hijinx.
Still: President Dazzler! Also, reading this retroactively made some other X-books make a little more sense to me, so, hurrah.
Still: President Dazzler! Also, reading this retroactively made some other X-books make a little more sense to me, so, hurrah.
alessapereyra's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing, weird, totally insane with time travel (but hey, it's an X-men comic, what do you expect). I liked it.