2 posts tagged “dave cockrum”

Uncanny X-Men Omnibus

Chris Claremont

    XMen was my favorite superhero series, so I was very interested in getting this uber volume containing the first adventures of the "new" X-Men.

These are classic stories written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne. Ever since the first issue, Claremont's style of long term plotting was evident. One off stories that seem to go nowhere, are revealed many issues later. A story thread started in an issue is not paid off until years later.

It is still possible to divide this run in story arcs, although the end of a story is tightly linked to the beginning of the next one. The only difference is that they're not labeled as story arcs like today.

These stories bring the X-Men all over the world, and outside. There is so much going on that it feels like they go out and do not return home for years. They're also often divided, so we follow multiple threads at the same time.

The art is excellent, first by Cockrum, who created the new X-Men and updated the original X-Men. Granted the style is clearly not a modern one, but it was excellent for that time. But it's not until John Byrne comes on board, that this feels almost like a modern book. The dialog is still less realistic, but the art is gorgeous to look at, and it stands the test of time.

The high point of this collection is the Proteus arc, at the end of which it really feels like the X-Men (and the readers) have a breather. The last three issues are part of the famous Phoenix Saga, but I wish they were moved to vol 2 instead. Can't wait to read that saga again though!

A great collection of one of the most important superhero series.

Dave Cockrum passed away, and I am very sad. I wasn't really reading comics while he was actively drawing them, but I have read his X-Men run, which will always be in my heart. In fact, I just recently re-read that unforgettable run in the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus vol1.

I wish he could have been able to complete his long running Shi-Ar subplot, he just missed the last issue of that storyline, which was drawn by John Byrne. His style was very inventive, and we owe some memorable characters to him: Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus...

RIP Mr. Cockrum.