Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 and 2 Comics Review

Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 and 2 Comics Review

Oct 05

X-Men has always been my favorite Marvel team. I have fond memories of watching the animated series as a kid and then purchasing some of their comic books as a teen.

Well, after being away from comic book reading for some time now, I find it hard to follow certain X-Men story arcs these days. They just require too much from their readers. There’s always some tie-ins and crossovers you need to grab before you can finally comprehend an entire storyline. As if that wasn’t enough, you also have to catch the previous books (years and years of them, I guess) or for the very least, search the web so you would know who’s-who because they’ve got tons of new characters already.

Call me boring but I’d prefer reading Uncanny X-Men: First Class anytime.

It’s X-men without the baggage! Its a refreshing take on our favorite mutant heroes told in a trouble-free story with an old school feel. And old school it is because the story focuses on the X-Men lineup first introduced way back Giant-Sized X-Men #1 (circa 1975) namely Cyclops, Wolverine, Phoenix, Storm, Colossus, Banshee and Nightcrawler. No complicated crossovers, no never-ending tie-ins and no confusing continuities whatsoever.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class issues 1 and 2 (of an 8 issue series actually) is mainly about Nightcrawler and I love it that way. I think Kurt, being my favorite from the X-Men Evolution series, also deserves some exposure and he really gets it here. I’m also a Wolverine fan, yes, but there are a lot of interesting characters in the team other than him. It’s great to see Kurt get the spotlight this time (Wolverine gets very minimal airtime here by the way, especially for issue 2 where he only appears on the cover and the last page).

For the first book, we get a glimpse of Nightcrawler doing heroic deeds but still being misunderstood and hated by humans – at times, even feeling like an outcast among his own team of mutants. When he meets the Inhumans and gets to visit Attilan, he thinks he finally found a place where he could fit in without having to worry about his horrific appearance. Well, until something happened, of course! Good thing Peter Rasputin (Colossus) was there with him and before he knew it, poor Kurt was already facing a tribunal for charges of blasphemy of a sacred Attilan ceremony.

What I like about issue #2, aside from the awesome fight scenes (excellently done by artist Roger Cruz) is the way Cyclops was portrayed. We see him here as a mature leader who carefully analyzes what’s best for the team and the circumstances before anything else. Again, I’m cool with the thought knowing these characters are being explored in meaningful ways. I’m obviously looking forward for more.

All in all, I think these two issues rock and I’ll make sure to check out the remaining six. Writer Scott Gray’s good in characterization and Roger Cruz illustrations can be very dynamic. This is a book that will probably appeal more to new readers or, like me, old readers who want to avoid long historical hassles and simply enjoy a good read.

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