X-Men Forever; The Secret History of the Sentinels, Chris Claremont

"Comics legends Paul Smith and Terry Austin join the X-Men Forever team! As the X-Men attempt to recoup from brutal recent events, they're tested by an unlikely obstacle. Meanwhile, something big has surfaced in South America - an enemy the battered X-Men will have to face head-on! Collects X-Men Forever #6-10."














X-Men Forever, even by the standards of any series that has been running for 40 years, is probably the most continuity-snarled and least accessible book I have ever read. It's part continuation of the original Uncanny run of Claremont, designed to show 'what would have happened' if he had stuck around, but exists in its own continuity (where death is permanent, Sabretooth IS Wolverine's Dad, and Storm is evil).

So If you can keep up with it being a book designed exclusively for X-Men fans who want to see the 'real' Claremontian story completed that has no actual continuity or canon reality, then here is a book for you.

And boy, is it weird. This is volume 2 of the book, and considering that I've not read the first I was pretty lost. Storm has been cloned as a child and her holder version has gone evil. That's the easiest twist to explain in a series that also features a blind Sabretooth living in the X-Mens house so that he can more easily hunt Kitty who now has Wolverine's claws. It's just totally nuts.

The story itself is pretty run of the mill stuff - Nick Fury shows up when Sentinels attack his men in South America. The X-Men head off to fight them alongside Nick and Daisy Dugan (daughter of 'Dum Dum'). We then get a secret origin of Nick Fury and Wolverine, where they meet to fight Sentinels in World War Two. Don't question it.

The arts pretty, the story is characteristically bombastic, and even if it doesn't add anything new it's fun in its own slightly nuts way. But ultimately this is a tale that didn't need telling, that has no consequences at all for the X-Men, and serves as a slightly worse Elseworld or What If? tale.

Pick up Ultimate X-Men instead. Unless you really, really miss Chris Claremont.

Also Try:
What If?
Mark Millar, Ultimate X-Men
Chris Claremont, New Exiles
Chris Claremont, Uncanny X-Men

The Cyberiad, Stanislaw Lem

"Trurl and Klapaucius are the archrival constructor robots, who, ransacking myth, technology and the secrets of cybernetic generation, race to create an invention even more improbable than the last."

















The Cyberiad is a collection of translated short stories from Russian Sci-Fi master Stanislaw Lem, who's probably most famous for Solaris. It follows the tales (and tales within tales) of the inventor Trurl and his misadventures within the application of his craft.

Featuring everything from the invention of a beast that can defy death for a hunting party, to a storytelling machine telling stories of Trurl and the stories he knows. There's a sense of playful inventiveness on display which is wonderfully enjoyable. None of the stories outstay their welcome, at around 20 pages each they're very short indeed. Even the longest of them involves the sleight of hand trick of building stories into further stories, a trick that Lem adores.

There's a sheer joyfulness to the world building on display, a love of language and wordplay that means that every story features intricate puns and the vocal equivalent of sight gags. To say these are great stories undermines them, they show more regard for the subtleties and depth of English than most writers manage. That this is a translated work speaks to the power of the writing; I don't know quite how much of the original text survived here, but there are enough rhymes, half rhymes and flights of surreal connections to impress.

The person who lent this to me described it as a Polish Douglas Adams. That's a perfect comparison, and frankly, when that's the person that springs to mind, you're in a good place.

Also Try:
Sergei Lukyanko, Night Watch
Douglas Adams, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
Terry Pratchett, The Bromelliad Trilogy

The Progressive Patriot, Billy Bragg

"What does it mean to be English? What does it mean to be British? Is the cross of St George a proud symbol of a great tradition, or the badge of a neo-Nazi? In a world where British citizens can lay bombs to kill their countrymen, where religious fundamentalism is on the increase and where the BNP are somehow part of the democratic process, what does patriotism actually mean?

Our identity can change depending on what company we are in. For example, someone could describe themselves British to one person, Scottish to another and, say, a Londoner to another, and be right every time. But problems arise when someone tries to tell you what you are, based on your skin tone, religion, accent, surname, or whatever.

This book is Billy Bragg's urgent, eloquent and passionate response to the events of 7 July 2005, when four bombs tore through a busy morning in London, killing 52 innocent people and injuring many more.

A firm believer in toleration and diversity, he felt himself hemmed in by fascists on one side and religious fanatics on the other. The suicide bombers were all British-born and well integrated into our multicultural society. Yet they felt no compunction in murdering and maiming their fellow citizens. Inclusivity is important, but without a sense of belonging to accompany it, what chance social cohesion...

But where does a sense of belonging come from? Can it be conferred by a legal document? Is it a matter of blood and soil? Can it be taught? Is it nature or nurture? The Progressive Patriot is a book we all need to read. It pulls no punches in its insights and its radical vision offers a positive hope for a country teetering on the brink of catastrophe."

It's been a bit of a struggle for me to get through this book, not because it's not interesting but because it can't quite decide what it wants to be, and tends to get a bit exhausting as it zips between a history of the country, an autobiography and a discussion of 70s folk music and the London pub scene.

It's an eclectic mix, and whilst Bragg certainly knows his stuff it never really coheres into a single narrative beyond "racism is bad, but I like music". It's at its most interesting when it talks about his passions; Simon and Garfunkel, the colonisation and appropriation of English history, and what it means to be English. But having read Watching the English so recently there's nothing here that seems deep enough - certainly his assetion that class has been eliminated is painfully untrue, and his optimism for the future free of race baiting and distrust isn't exactly holding up too well post-economic crash.

It's intended to be a manifesto for left wing patriotism, showing how multiculuralism is part of what it means to be English, and reclaiming British history from the Imperial white washers and conservative reformists who attempt to take a back to basics approach to education that emphasises English achievements abroard. Unfortunately it takes too long, and is far too anecdotal to engage with a broad and difficult topic, and never comes close to providing answers.

Also Try:
Kate Fox; Watching the English,
Jeremy Paxman, The English
Bill Bryson, Neither Here Nor There

Wolverine and the X-Men Vol. 1, Jason Aaron

"Wolverine has taken half the X-Men back to Westchester to start over with a new school and a new mission. Schism tore them apart, but can Wolverine lead the new Children of the Atom into the future? Only if they survive the new Hellfire Club and the return of another classic villain! Collecting: Wolverine & The X-Men 1-4"

This is the one of the two that I least expected to like. Despite it having an artist I really enjoy I don’t really have any idea about Jason Aaron before this – I'm aware of some of his previous work but he’s someone like Dennis Hopeless who I know exists, but who just hasn't written anything I’ve been interested in reading (although unlike Dennis Hopeless I'm not viscerally appalled by the output of his I have seen).

The very concept of this is not something I was particularly fussed about – I love the X-Men and I love X-School books, but Wolverine is a character so overplayed in the past ten years that I instinctively try to avoid books he’s appearing in.

Working in the youth sector I quite often get exposed to some truly bizarre slang. My personal favourite is DBI, or ‘Don’t Beg It’ a phrase used in conjunction with a withering look to let the recipient know that their enthusiasm is offputting, and that they risk looking desperate if they continue with whatever they’re doing – they’re begging for attention, and should stop. Since the success of X-Men: The Movie, Marvel have pushed Wolverine as THE X-Man of note. It’s a common joke that Wolverine’s real mutant power is that he can be in multiple places at once, due to his presence on a few X-teams, the Avengers, his solo titles and whichever monthly book needs a boost.

So the idea that, post-schism, Wolverine has split from the majority of the established X-Men to go and set up a school (The Jean Grey School, just to rub it in Cyclops’ face that little bit further) doesn’t just stretch credulity on the basis that this is a man who moonlights on a black-ops team that seeks out potential threats to mutantkind and murders them. Quite how he can be headmaster of a school (presumably on a normal teaching schedule) whilst also enforcing world peace with an Avengers team that he’s still nominally part of and teaming up with whichever character has seen drooping sales is beyond me.

So, Marvel, from the start; DBI. Wolverine is overplayed. Unless it’s a relaunch of the incredible ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ cartoon that was cancelled a few years back I am not interested in anything that has Wolverine in the title.

Except.

This comic is brilliant.

I really never expected this but somehow of the two X-titles I picked up (Gillen’s Uncanny X-Men was the other) this is the one I loved.

It’s not hard to put my finger on what I loved about it, but it’s definitely a surprise to me. It’s not the art – whilst I like Chris Bachalo a lot, and think that some of his X-Men art is superb, his style isn’t a good fit for this book. His messy, living characters need more room to breathe and it’s noticeable that he’s at his best when dealing with more established, monstrous characters; his Wendigo, Krakoa and Ice Men are excellent, but his Wolverine frequently looks too bestial to fit with the school look that is being pushed, and there’s on panel in the second issue where he’s either twist his entire head round or the arms have been drawn on the wrong way. Either way, it’s not his finest. Things pick up a lot once Bradshaw steps in, and his art is wonderful.

But by this point, despite some sub-par artwork, I was already hooked because this is excellent, classic X-Men standard storytelling. There’s a refreshingly wide cast, from Kitty Pryde and Iceman, to the students, as well as a strong debut from the new Hellfire Club.

Normally Wolverine doesn’t work especially well alone because he requires something to rail against. It’s one of the reasons why the classic Cyclops/Wolverine argument works so well; Scott is all about control and Logan is barely suppressed rage. They’re the classic straight-man-fall-guy of superhero dynamics. Without someone to rail against Wolverine doesn’t especially work. He’s not interesting enough on his own, in part because he’s not especially unusual compared to the majority of the Marvel Universe, where nearly everyone is conflicted, and most heroes are happy to kill whenever it’s necessary.

But Aaron makes the great connection that the straight man he’s raging against is himself. Wolverine’s most difficult battle is to try and turn his back on that life and create a stable home for a bunch of superpowered pre-teens.

At one point, there’s a cover of Quire (code name: Kid Omega) with a graffiti sign behind him remarking ‘Do You Remember When Wolverine Was Interesting? Me Neither’. It’s a pithy put down, but it’s not quite right. Because this is where Wolverine is showing that he’s not begging it. And he’s not been this interesting in years.

Also Try:

Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men

Grant Morrison, New X-Men

Brian Michael Bendis, All New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men

Christos Gage, Avengers Academy

Uncanny X-Men Volume 1, Kieron Gillen

"In the wake of Schism, Cyclops leads a team of X-Men whose express purpose is to deal with extinction-level events. Meet the X-Men's ""Extinction Team"": Storm, Emma Frost, Magneto, Namor, Colossus, Danger, Magik and Hope. And the team's formation hasn't come a moment too soon, for Mr. Sinister has brazenly taken possession of the massive alien Dreaming Celestial - an act of open hostility designed to put the X-Men in their place, but also an offensive that will draw the attention of the godlike Celestials themselves. Collecting: Uncanny X-Men 1-4"










I got two X-Men graphic novels in a bid to catch up on the post Schism story lines as I'm loving the current run of X titles from Marvel. For those who are unaware, Schism was the sundering of the united mutant front into two separate sides, led by Cyclops and Wolverine. After years of simmering romantic competition over Jean Grey, a mutual distrust of one another's methods and the fact that they're just a ridiculous buddy cop duo (uptight control freak mutant leader meet psychotic berserker Samurai super soldier) their relationship utterly broke down and leads to the creation of two separate teams of X-Men.

With Wolverine off teaching school in Wolverine and the X-Men, Scott is left in Utopia leadin the cool mutants, like Magneto, Colossus and Doctor Nemesis. So, we have the best, and most powerful characters, characters bunched into a single 'Apocalypse Team' and it's written by fan-favourite writer Kieron Gillen! So, I was pretty excited about this one, certainly more than Wolverine's title.

Sadly, this isn't living up to expectations. Gillen can be bait hit or miss, and for a writer who is known for his ability to create 'the feels' he's created an exceptionally sterile narrative. Part of this is down to the large cast; with a focus on Scott and Emma Frost, mutant messiah Hope, Storm, Danger and side characters galore there's very little here to allow anything like emotive resonance.

But a bigger problem is the villain; Mr Sinister is probably one of the most underwhelming enemies the X-Men have. I don't really know what his deal is. He's an immortal Victorian geneticist obsessed with mutants, and the Summers bloodline especially, who wants to create a master race and was the lieutenant for Apocalypse? And he can shoot energy and has psychic powers? Or something.

Whatever, the point is that he's a rubbish villain, which make an introductory book that features him creating an entire city of Sinister's to fight the X-Men slightly boring. It doesn't help that the back up story is all about a mechanical parasitic alien that turns people into robot duplicates. That's two stories about impersonal replicants in one book! So if you're into that kind of thing, go for it.

Also Try:

Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men

Age of Apocalypse

Judd Winick, Exiles

Victor Gischler, X-Men: Curse of the Mutants
Jason Aaron, Wolverine and the X-Men