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Counter-X #3
Counter X Volume 3
Nate Grey's beside himself! He has to figure out if he's his own best friend or worst enemy when he starts a tour of alternate universes, with a red-headed nemesis who's either his lover Madelyne or his mother Jean - if not both! Plus: A Broken Man's come a lot of broken miles to face a group of mutants who didn't want to save or conquer the world, but will Nate defend them when he learns they did something much, much worse? It's a showdown for the Mutant Shaman to save at least two worlds, before he starts on all the others!
Collects X-Man #63-70.
178 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2008
55 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,968 books5,767 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2024
Another 'Revolution' book made so much better with the Warren Ellis touch. Taking Nate Grey and Madelyne Prior and making them so much more. A must read for Nate fans :) 8 out of 12 Four Stars from me.
2018 read
2018 read
November 18, 2017
Weird story. Reminds me of the Authority I just read in that it assumes the reader expects a war between a hyper-advanced United Kingdom and "Asia." That's a little gross.
It feels like Ellis expects us to believe this is the first time the X-Men have considered parallel worlds? I don't know. Kind of a decent Elseworlds story?
It feels like Ellis expects us to believe this is the first time the X-Men have considered parallel worlds? I don't know. Kind of a decent Elseworlds story?
September 9, 2025
Nate Grey is a garbage X-Man character. Created as a sort of Cable during the Age Of Apocalypse series, he was brought into the Marvel proper universe, where he did absolutely nothing interesting for over sixty issues. One Cable in the universe was more than enough. And making him be a younger Cableish figure with massive power and no direction made him super superfluous.
Ellis's decision to turn him into the Marvel Universe's Hellblazer was inspired. And if it had been done much earlier in the series, maybe it could have saved it. Alas, the four devoted X-Man fans were probably taken aback by a new art style, and a coherent plot.
Despite the new direction, and despite Olivetti's highly stylized art, it was far too late to make most Marvel fans care about Nate Grey. I gave it a shot, but after the second issue, I found myself just skimming the pages rather than devouring the story.
Ellis's decision to turn him into the Marvel Universe's Hellblazer was inspired. And if it had been done much earlier in the series, maybe it could have saved it. Alas, the four devoted X-Man fans were probably taken aback by a new art style, and a coherent plot.
Despite the new direction, and despite Olivetti's highly stylized art, it was far too late to make most Marvel fans care about Nate Grey. I gave it a shot, but after the second issue, I found myself just skimming the pages rather than devouring the story.
September 23, 2012
I haven’t traditionally had a lot of interest in Nate Gray, but this is quite a good take. I don’t know about the whole “shaman” thing, by Ellis’ version of Marvel’s infinite earths is quite enjoyable, as is his take on the Madelyn Pryor which had been inhabiting X-Man for some time. The moral ambiguities of the first of the two stories are also very enjoyable. Overall, a strong concept and strong stories.
February 1, 2024
Warren Ellis doing his Counter-X magic. I think X-Man is the most successful--although all his attempts in this initiative we precursors to his Authority run.
Nate Grey basically becomes mutant-kinds shaman. He kind of becomes the Doctor (Authority) meets Hellblazer. He's a little morally amibigous in his dealings but examines the Infinite Earths to see what methods work best over preservation of the series (Xavier's integration vs. Magneto's domination).
Nate Grey basically becomes mutant-kinds shaman. He kind of becomes the Doctor (Authority) meets Hellblazer. He's a little morally amibigous in his dealings but examines the Infinite Earths to see what methods work best over preservation of the series (Xavier's integration vs. Magneto's domination).
August 1, 2011
This is how you revamp a character! Nate Grey, whiny teenage refugee from the Age of Apocalypse, gets made over into a self-described "shaman to the mutant tribe." Traversing parallel dimensions, averting cataclysms, and tapping into his ultimate potential, this is the Nate Grey fans waited 62 issues to rediscover.
April 21, 2017
Continuing my X-men catchup project - a slightly ridiculous (and ridiculously expensive) project wherein I collect and read the X-books from roughly the point at which I quit reading in my younger days. I have been slowly amassing these books over the last few years and am now at a point where I can begin reading without major gaps...
Wow. Now that is how you revamp a character, reboot a book, and tell a fine story all in one.
First of all, let me say that I'm not usually a fan of the big cosmic tales in Marvel. And this one delves heavily into that line - parallel universes, magic... The whole kit and caboodle.
But... This one just tells such a captivating story that I loved it anyway. The plotting is tight, the surprises are insanely cool, the character growth and changes make sense and serve to make a much more interesting character.
Honestly, this one read more like Vertigo titles from the 90s than X-men from the same era.
It is just really well done and well worth the read.
(If I had one complaint, it was that the art left quite a bit to be desired...)
Wow. Now that is how you revamp a character, reboot a book, and tell a fine story all in one.
First of all, let me say that I'm not usually a fan of the big cosmic tales in Marvel. And this one delves heavily into that line - parallel universes, magic... The whole kit and caboodle.
But... This one just tells such a captivating story that I loved it anyway. The plotting is tight, the surprises are insanely cool, the character growth and changes make sense and serve to make a much more interesting character.
Honestly, this one read more like Vertigo titles from the 90s than X-men from the same era.
It is just really well done and well worth the read.
(If I had one complaint, it was that the art left quite a bit to be desired...)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews