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Essential Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1 (Essential Classic X-Men #1)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 422 ratings · 22 reviews

Telepathic teacher Charles Xavier assembles his first recruits -- Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Beast and Marvel Girl -- and trains them to use their unique genetic gifts for the betterment of mankind.

Paperback, 528 pages

Published July 21st 2010 by Marvel (first published 1991)

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Mar 06, 2013 Helmut Barro rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, superheroes

Blass im Vergleich

In diesem Band wird einem typische 60er-Jahre-Marvel-Standardwahre geboten. Die X-Men waren zu dem Zeitpunkt letztlich nur eine weitere Superheldengruppe, und die ganzen Konflikte, die sie ausstehen müssen, seien es psychische Probleme oder die Frage nach der Überlegenheit einer Rasse, die die späteren X-Men so vervorstechen ließen, kommen hier nur extrem untergeordnet vor. Die Geschichten sind eher leicht und locker. Die Zeichnungen, naja, was kann man über Kirby negatives sag...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, re-read-and-re-rate

I was initially excited by this book (I mean, it's X-men, comon!) but I ended up being kind of disappointed. No, very disappointed. If you want some good X-men, I'd recommend the later era, the New X-men, Astonishing X-Men, the Dark Phoenix Saga, etc. The original comics suck.

The art is just ok, nothing super eye catching (granted, this version has no color).

Jean Grey did not have much action AT ALL and for a lot of the comics just wheeled Professor X around while the guys were fighting, and whi...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Kevruzz rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's nothing quite like reading the old stuff. It's dated and often facepalmingly silly, but it's not much different from watching an old genre show like "Star Trek" or "He-Man"

Like any other long-running series, X-Men went through its share of growing pains. On the one hand, there are random moments of strangeness that crop up every so often, like Iceman's ice can heal injuries, or Magneto doing astral projection. The good news is that this first volume is packed with some fantastic adventur...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: yes-i-m-a-geek

It should first be noted that I kinda grew up on checking out silver age comic volumes from the library, so my enjoyment of 60's comics is generally much higher than your average fellow. However, with that said, X-men is not the best of silver age comics. There's good reason this title eventually got cancelled, though it was actually decent at the time of cancellation.

However, this did lay the groundwork for what was to come when the series would get revisited in '75. It also has a bit of the N...more It should first be noted that I kinda grew up on checking out silver age comic volumes from the library, so my enjoyment of 60's comics is generally much higher than your average fellow. However, with that said, X-men is not the best of silver age comics. There's good reason this title eventually got cancelled, though it was actually decent at the time of cancellation.

However, this did lay the groundwork for what was to come when the series would get revisited in '75. It also has a bit of the New Mutants/Generation X charm of the main characters still being youth. Though most of that charm is brought up in my head rather than in the page. I was starting to see why people would be drawn to making such stories as First Class, etc. Though it still seems like a deadend way of writing. I was getting the inclination to throw around a modern interpretation of the early days though. So I too was suckered in.

The most important thing to come from the beginning was that the origin of the superpowers was built into the system. There's good reason Stan Lee hated trying to come up with the origins for these characters powers. And he hit the jackpot with this one. The origin of the powers didn't matter so much as the backstory of the character. The powers obviously don't make sense in reality even if you are an evolutionist, but... well you're reading the wrong thing if that matters too much to you.

The best issues of the run all come lumped together as issues #12-16. These include the introduction of Juggernaut and the Sentinels. The former was told in a style that I haven't seen predated. The Sentinels story was the first to really push what would become the strongest theme for the series as a whole. It also may have gotten ripped off by the I, Robot movie, though I bet Stan Lee took the idea from somewhere as well, possibly even from Asimov's original.

Besides that though, Magneto is kinda laughable. He's a stereotypical villain. The love triangle thought bubbles can be tiresome. Also Jack Kirby needs a bit more sci-fi, I think. He just never feels entirely at home with X-men earthboundness. Also, X-Men kinda counters Kirby's Hegelian philosophies I think. If we are supposed to be growing better, why do the same evils get passed down to the next step of humanity? Perhaps if he had been writing it would have come across differently.

I do like how Professor X is kinda set up to be a bit too harsh and end-justifies-the-means oriented. Though I am not sure that is exactly how Stan Lee viewed it. It has been used, and perhaps overused, plenty now and I think it is how I best like Professor X. It may be his dream that they follow, but he has a few issues to work out. Oh and there's that one creepy thought bubble he gets in issue 3...

If you're a continuity junkie like myself this is a fairly important read for the series. And if you like silver age comics it is still quite readable/enjoyable. It just doesn't stand up to, say, Fantastic Four or Spider-Man from the time period.

The cover art is enjoyable as it gives you a glimpse into an alternate dimension where Bruce Timm and Paul Dini got a different license in the early 90's...

Includes issues #1-24
First appearances: Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, Angel, Magneto, Blob, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Mastermind, Toad, Juggernaut, Sentinels, the Trask family, the reinvention of Ka-zar (and Zabu!), the Savage Land, the mansion, Cerebro, the original Asteroid M.

Some lesser knowns: Vanisher, the Stranger, Mimic, Unus, Lucifer, and Locust.

I look forward to finally filling my gap between #24 and Neal Adams work.(less)

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May 17, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kyle-s-books, graphic-novels, owned

As an avid X-Men fan, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to read these early issues where the X-Universe first began! As a fan of the X-Men during Chris Claremont's reign, it was very interesting to go back and see what the original five X-Men were like when Stan Lee was at the helm! The issues are mostly episodic with a few story arcs here and there. And, as with most comics, some issues are better than others. Regardless, this is a wonderful collection and a must-have for any hard core Marvel Comics...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Bradley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

First read these in the original comic form. I was an avid reader of the X-Men series and had collected the old back issues to see what had gone before. If I must be honest, Stan Lee's writing was terrible. His plots were poorly researched. His characterisation, particularly of women, was insulting. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was 10 when he wrote this. Bad as it was, though, it laid the ground work for the brilliant writing of Chris Claremont in later years. This is where it all begin...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, comic-graphic-novel, science-fiction, setting-1960s, teen, psychic

Okay, I'm gonna say a few sacrilegious things. I must say I did like it, and it was worth it to me to see the X-Men's origins. But this teeters on being boring at times. Not because it doesn't have enough action, but because it has too much. You read up to the fight scene and then I found myself flicking pages, going "fight scene, fight scene, fight scene - Ah! talking!". I enjoyed it all the same. Especially to see Magneto shaking his fists all the time. Jean Grey establishes herself early on a...more

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Nov 20, 2012 William Clemens rated it 2 of 5 stars

I like the X-men, I appreciate what Stan Lee created, but seriously, these are hard to read.

The genesis of the X-men is disappointing considering where they are now. Dopey teenagers scuffling with each other, and a fairly creepy sad professor X leading them. Characters are given personalities at a whim, text bubbles overflow to cover character's faces, and powers develop on an as needed basis. The art does stand up well, and they are fun to look at, but overall I think I'd rather read the Wikipe...more

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Jun 01, 2008 J rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

Righteous! I decided to re-read Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1, having recently read Wolverine: Origin. What incredible fun!

The team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby is phenomenal. Their work in the 60's completely revolutionized comics and set a precedence that still resonates today. Lee's cheesy yet witty dialogue and narration combined with attempts to incorporate cultural changes and social issues of the time adds interesting sociological overtones to these stories. The light chauvinism of the mal...more

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Dec 18, 2008 The_Mad_Swede rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, marvel-comics, essentials-marvel, 2008, kirby-jack, superheroes

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 27, 2011 Elijah Kinch Spector rated it 4 of 5 stars

The early years of the X-Men cause a lot of consternation for comics fans, I think. So much of what makes the X-Men a great series is there, but unlike other Stan Lee creations from the period, so very much of it is not.

A lot has been said about these early years already, so I'm not going to expound on the corny dialogue, goofy villains, inconsistent characterization, or sexism (although that last one wasn't as bad as I expected) -- you can find others writing about that stuff everywhere. But re...more The early years of the X-Men cause a lot of consternation for comics fans, I think. So much of what makes the X-Men a great series is there, but unlike other Stan Lee creations from the period, so very much of it is not.

A lot has been said about these early years already, so I'm not going to expound on the corny dialogue, goofy villains, inconsistent characterization, or sexism (although that last one wasn't as bad as I expected) -- you can find others writing about that stuff everywhere. But reading these comics one more time was a very interesting experience: years ago, I came to these early stories already a fan of the X-Men's 70s and 80s heyday, so this time around I was already quite aware of the big differences between what's here and what comes later. This helped me to be more aware of smaller things, which was kind of fascinating.

Honestly, I wrote a fuck-ton of status updates on it, so just scroll down to those and you'll get a pretty good review as is, I think. Nonetheless, what stood out to me the most this time was the nuance (purposeful or not) of the "mutant as oppressed minority" theme. See, in past reads of this early stuff, it seemed that that particular subtext, so important to the X-Men mythos, was pretty much absent. This time around, it actually turned out to be more prevalent than I'd previously thought.

Well, maybe "prevalent" isn't the word. It doesn't stand out much in the early stories because it isn't much there, but the way in which it insidiously weaves itself into the background is just about the most mid-20th century Jewish thing ever. What I mean is, our heroes can pass, and as such they, for the most part, don't come up against much real bigotry. Oh sure, they're told by Professor X that humans may hate and distrust mutants, but we see no real proof of it. Over the first spate of issues, it's a possibility hanging somewhere in the background, referenced by the Professor as a possible problem, referenced by Magneto as a reason to strike first (and this is the early, pretty much entirely evil Magneto), and seen most explicitly in a flashback to Scarlet Witch in The Old Country. It's something that hangs over our heroes' heads, something that they know exists, and know can be turned against them, but which isn't readily visible. In this way, despite the early 60s timeframe, it really seems to reflect the bigotry that the creators were most accustomed to, at least at first. (Of course, the beauty of the X-Men concept is that, in the end, anybody can see their alienation in it, so I'm not saying that this is the only reading one can get from it.)

The first time one of our mutant heroes is directly on the receiving end of prejudice, in issue #8, it's Beast (the most lovable of the original team? probably). And, after being chased by a mob, he doesn't react in the gracious way so typical to the X-Men and their way of looking at the world. No, he flips the fuck out, yells at Cyclops:

I'm through risking my life for humans... for the same humans who fear us, hate us, want to destroy us! I think Magneto and his Evil Mutants are right... Homo Sapiens just aren't worth it! .... If the human race is gonna be my enemy -- fine! But I'll make the rules for my next fight!

Then he storms out and quits the X-Men. Of course, he's back by the end of the issue, but it's a pretty stark and hateful response for a superhero in the early 60s. It is also, of course, a totally believable and understandable reaction, and to see it come from the most level-headed (or almost anyway -- watching Jean flip out like that would've been amazing!) of the X-Men makes it all the stronger.

Strangely enough, near the end of the book it's Roy Thomas who really makes the "X-Men as outcasts" thing explicit. I say strange, because at the same time he stops pairing them with villains that relate to the mutant question in any way, instead using some really boring and silly no-name antagonists. He certainly borrows a page from the "Spider-Man: MENACE!" playbook in making them such, but that he has them framed for two different crimes and never really absolved in the eyes of the public or the government is pretty damn daring, and of course goes on to fuel anti-mutant feelings, even if we're still quite a way from the threats of the later Chris Claremont years.

Also: fun adventure, awesome Jack Kirby art, watching great characters begin to solidify, Professor X being a massive asshole, and making fun of beatnik culture. All in all, it's hard to say how much of this book is "good" and how much is "historically important" but then the two start to melt together and it doesn't much matter.(less)

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Aug 21, 2012 Maxwell Heath rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, superheroes

These early stories are generally pretty fun. It's interesting to see the characters develop over the course of the first few issues (it takes a little while for the Beast to become a long-winded intellectual, for example). It's also nice to see the variety of villains the X-Men face. From the expected evil mutants to mad scientists and evil aliens, there doesn't seem to be much of an overarching theme to their villains, though that isn't necessarily an issue. It is somewhat annoying to see the...more

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Apr 03, 2007 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-books

Bitch all you want about the crappy quality of the "Essential" line, its still 24 comics for $14, and genre-forming issues that I've known of my entire life but never otherwise would have a chance to read. For some bizzare reason, Marvel titled the collection of the earliest issues "Uncanny X-Men," even though the title was merely "X-Men" back in those days, then switch to the simple "X-Men" for the latter issues when the book did have the "Uncanny" adjective. Whatver. These comics are pure pulp...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Chris Witt rated it 1 of 5 stars

Black & White. Story-Telling is pretty much comical. (Eek, pun.) I was a big X-Men reader starting around issue 190 or so. So it was kinda' neat to finally go back and get to see a few things I never knew - like how the Sentinels came about or how Professor X lost the use of his legs. (That latter story is pretty lame, actually.) Anyhow, just didn't really enjoy this collection of the first 24 issues. Comics have come a long way.

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Dec 11, 2011 Katy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

How much leeway so you give conics from this decade? I pushed through the first 30 or so issues but as stories they honestly cannot hold a candle to even the 90s cartoon. In terms of the worst element of the writing, Lee's cheesy dialogue competes with a surprising amount of sexism for the honour, and it is difficult to put aside the bland, shallow nature of the characters, scenes, and stories of these comics. What little plot & characterisation we get is blunt and unimaginative.

Fans, espec...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Automation rated it 1 of 5 stars

reading this book cover to cover is a herculean act of patience. did anyone notice that internal monologue that professor x has about how bad he wants to bone jean grey, wtf?

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Jun 27, 2007 Max Ostrovsky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, fiction

I've been catching up on the comics (at the urging of a friend) for quite some time now. The first few years of the comic, I had to dredge through. Now that I'm rapidly approaching the Dark Phoenix saga, I've gotten pretty into it. I'm trying to get caught up to the modern era so I can go ahead and read House of M and the Civil War series.

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Jun 07, 2012 Eliran rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The artwork is rather simple, along with the story-lines; I find it amusing reading through the old works and I'm very glad that the industry has evolved greatly since then.

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Apr 03, 2009 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

A quick read and one that takes me back to my youth. Stan lee and Jack Kirby were like literary gods to me in my early teens. If you like Marvel you'll understand this!

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Mar 17, 2012 Summer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

Pretty cheesey, but I still enjoyed reading the original X-Men comic books. They're nothing like the movies.

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Aug 10, 2011 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little simplistic, but fun

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Jun 25, 2008 Anastazia V added it

SWEEEEEEEEET!

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May 21, 2013 SCPL Teens marked it as to-read

May 19, 2013 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 18, 2013 Joseph Stiles rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 18, 2013 707 Maeve P. added it

May 13, 2013 Ale Balbino marked it as to-read

May 13, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-and-comics, super-heros

May 13, 2013 Lyanne 'ly' rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 12, 2013 Scott Walkinshaw marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Stan Lee

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) is an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Captain America, and many other characters, int...more

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