X-Men Gold #1 review

It's the X-Men's 50th anniversary year and Marvel have been celebrating by releasing umpteen new series ... oh, hang on, that's any old year for the X-Men.

Ah well, here's the most obvious marker I've come across, a double-sized comic featuring a gaggle of creators who made the X-Men great. Sadly, there's no Dave Cockrum, as he's no longer with us, and no John Byrne, as he's John Byrne.

There is, though, Chris Claremont, the team's longest-serving writer and the characters' most influential voice. And he knocks it out of the park, fastball special style, with a hugely satisfying 20-page tale which fits neatly between Uncanny X-Men #173 and #174.

Not that you need to have been reading back then, as Claremont does a terrific job of introducing characters and recapping situations as needed. The plotline is nothing earth-shattering, which is fair enough, given that X-Men #174 never referred to a sentinel factory in China. It is a splendid primer, though, on just why Marvel's not-always merry mutants were so big in the Eighties - the irresistible mix of characters. First and foremost here is Kitty Pryde, who narrates the tale, giving us insights into her friends and colleagues along the way. Kitty herself is right on model so far as the period is concerned, using her computer skills in a bid to learn why Mariko dumped Wolverine at the altar a few days previously. Logan is understandably annoyed at the invasion of privacy, but their spat is interrupted by an alert from China comprising panicked calls and explosions from a mysterious industrial unit.

Kitty, Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Lockheed the dragon and new member Rogue take the fast plane to China, pausing only to drop off 'civilians' Professor X and Madelyne Pryor with Shi'ar Empress Lilandra and the Starjammers - the alien pirate crew headed by Cyclops' father, Corsair. Then it's full-on battles with a super-giant Sentinel pumping out regular giant-Sentinels. Saving the day involves a plan from Kitty which provides more sharp teamwork than we normally see in a month of Marvel or DC books. It's fun, it's dramatic, it's the X-Men as I remember them and as I'd love them to be again (click on images to enlarge).

We see the beginning of the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine pairing; Scott Summers when he loved Madelyne Pryor and was a master strategist; Kitty's feelings towards former villain Rogue; Rogue dealing with physical and mental injuries; Kitty in an appalling outfit ... there's an awful lot in here, even without the action scenes, but the story doesn't feel crowded. Claremont's script is a deft delight, as if he's decided to show the middle-aged whippersnappers of today just how an X-Men comic should be written. And it ends on a bittersweet note.

And backing Claremont all the way is his New Mutants partner, Bob McLeod, an artist whose talent is far bigger than his reputation. His work isn't flashy, drawing attention to itself - it's strong, solid and services the story all the way. McLeod draws a mean fight scene, but it's the facial expressions that really sing. And the artist's thoughtfulness shows through in the pitch-perfect nightwear he chooses for the X-Men (the ever-so regal, entirely humourless Lilandra in a nightie gave me a fit of giggles).

And while McLeod doesn't get fan acclaim, look at his Rogue and tell me he hasn't influenced the likes of Alan Davis and, especially, Steve Dillon.

Claremont and McLeod's untitled story is a tight, great-looking treat; the issue's other offerings, not so much.

Louise Simonson plots, Stan Lee scripts, Walt Simonson draws and we get The Sorrow Beneath the Sport, a story set in the original X-Men's first months together. Marvel Girl offers a date to whichever classmate - Cyclops, Beast, Iceman or Angel - can get to the Danger Room first. And don't think of Jean as a teen temptress, these were innocent times in comics - she likely meant a trip to Coffee A-Go-Go. There's some good-natured tomfoolery between three of the boys, but Scott's a miserable git, and more than happy to ruin the fun when Professor X gets cranky (almost certainly not a subtle nod to his single-panel, bad taste crush on Jean Grey).

Lee's script is old school amusing, and Walt Simonson brings real exuberance to the page, alongside his usual draftsmanship. And how sweet it is to see the Danger Room when it was not holograms and horrors, but weights and wires.

Roy Thomas gives us the first meeting of All-New X-Men Banshee and Sunfire when they turn up in Memphis at the same time, on complementary pilgrimages to Sun Records. And of course, they fight for no reason. It's awfully disposable, and Thomas's dialogue is authentically Silver Age laughable, but it made me smile. Chris Sotomayor's digital inks and colours don't bring out the best in Pat Olliffe's usually decent linework, making the supposedly middle-aged Banshee look like a Partridge Family-era David Cassidy. With Botox. And since when did Sunfire have the ability to instantly grow sideburns? I do wish comic companies would remember there's more to inking than adding the odd bit of shade.

Options is by Len Wein, a writer whose work I've always enjoyed. Once a tyro, recently he's seemed charmingly old school. Here, though, he seems to be trying for an edgy vibe, in an ugly script that totally dumps on his classic Giant-Size X-Men #1. Set during that story, as the New X-Men gather at the X-Mansion for the first time, it sees Wolverine imagine the bloody ways in which he could kill these strangers if necessary. One of the members, he's not sure he could take, which makes for an interesting story beat - the only one - but it doesn't ring true. He just has to jump up and gut 'em, same as he does with everyone else. Jorge Molina draws and colours, and while the opening Cockrum homage is neat, the rest of the artwork is marred by an over-fondness for hazy rendering.

Finally we have - I have little idea. Charles Xavier gives Magneto a lovely vision of a shiny future ... as he kills him. I don't know if the story refers to some mutant saga I missed or forgot - a placard mid-vision, and the final panel, hint at Onslaught - and writer Fabian Nicieza doesn't make me care. Salvador Larocca's artwork is excellent, though, taking the mood from bright to sinister with aplomb.

I'm delighted to see longtime X-Men letterer Tom Orzechowski handling the whole book, in a variety of styles. The Sixties mode he adopts for the Lee/Simonsons strip is especially splendid.

Olivier Coipel's cover meshes X-Men from various incarnations of the team in a good-looking piece that could do with some colour 'pop' to match the elegance. And the rubbish, apologetic logo doesn't help matters.

I'm glad I bought this book, for Claremont, McLeod and Walt Simonson. A 50th anniversary bash, though, should be a lot better than this - I'm imagining an anniversary issue of the type DC did so well in the early Eighties, an 80-page extravaganza saluting the comic's history in one long 'novel'. As is, we get some curiosities, a fine 'lost issue' of Uncanny and a monstrosity that has no place at a party.