I’m not sure most people appreciate just how big X-Men got and how influential the book was, especially if they’ve gotten into comics over the past 15-20 years. By the end of this collection, you get the sense that Claremont and Byrne are on the cusp of greatness (which they were). This collection doesn’t reach the glorious and dizzying heights to come in later issues (Dark Phoenix, Days of Future Past, God Loves, Man Kills, etc.), but it’s fun watching the book grow and evolve, and you especially get a sense of just how novel the book’s approach was when you read the letters pages at the end of each issue (I’m delighted that Marvel included them in this collection-they’re great, as are the responses from Claremont and the editors). But, in terms of the book’s evolution, this marks the transition from punch-out-the-bad-guy kiddie entertainment to a more mature, soap opera-esque serial where the stories are grander and more epic, the interpersonal drama is more (melo)dramatic, and not everyone makes it out alive.Ĭlaremont is still finding his footing early on, and it’s bumpy at times, like the 15-year-old kid who’s too cool to say goodbye to his parents when they drop him off at the mall but still has a favorite stuffed animal tucked away in his bed (or was that just me?).

Not that the characters are teenagers, mind you-this is actually an older, more diverse international team than the squeaky clean (and exceedingly white) teens who made up the original X-Men. This is like the teenage years of the X-Men. Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman. Chris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.Ĭlaremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics.

The uncanny x men chris claremont