Hey guys!

It’s Marc again, and now that we’ve been reacquainted let’s get down to business shall we?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve had a passionate and sometimes fleeting romance with the X-Men. Once upon a time, this was the only Marvel title I would read. Anything involving the X-Men would captivate me because of the depth and meaning to the X-Men’s problems. They’re outcasts who deal with racism, homophobia and various other higher social messages that made them a captivating team. That being said, they were always one of the more topsy turvy titles that went all over the place and got kinda confusing for me personally.

But recently, with the releases of Uncanny X-Men #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men #1, I’ve decided to dip my toes back into the material, something I haven’t done since the Messiah Complex book. So let’s get up to speed together. From what I’ve been able to understand, there was a Schism between Wolverine and Cyclops(Wolverine kept leaving the toilet seat up and Cyclops just couldn’t take it anymore). This split isn’t entirely unexpected considering the tense relationship they’ve always shared. They decided to separate into two teams that can do as they choose (and Marvel gets to make two new #1s, very shrewd).

Wolverine and the X-Men #1 was released first and I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It was fantastical and interesting, especially since our resident bad-a** Wolverine is now the headmaster of an institute similar to Xavier’s. The way in which we are introduced to the school and its students is sweeping and very well done. I may not know who any of these characters are, other than those formerly of the Original X-Men, but I felt that the roster at the back of the book and the fairly simple introductions are good for a start. It also ends on a good note, throwing in some general chaos to start the series off. All in all it’s a great intro book and I’m very excited to see what direction this takes. Verdict: Definitely worth picking up.

Uncanny X-Men #1 is recently released and this follows Cyclops and those who decided to stay with him. This includes such dubious characters as Magneto, Namor and the nearly naked Emma Frost (seriously, she’s always rocking like 3 pieces of fabric?). I was pretty confused by the whole situation, and especially this “other self” that apparently occupies Colossus, which turned out to be Juggernaut which is pretty damn cool. A quick wikipedia search cleared that up for me, so in the end it’s not all that confusing. It just requires a little extra research if you weren’t already privy to the little details. On the whole, this book was definitely interesting, and Cyclops’ new attitude is interesting. He adresses the fact that the X-Men’s original goal of mutant acceptance by society has been on the back-burner for too long and they need to do something about it. This serious tone is what will have me returning next issue. This book is also much more in the nitty gritty than Wolverine and the X-Men, so if you want to se the team gets elbow thick in fighting and a familiar enemy then this is what you should buy. Verdict: As with Wolverine and the X-Men, you should definitely pick this up.

Ultimately, I think you should check out both books. If you’re a bigger fan of Wolverine, it still might be worth checking out Uncanny X-Men and vice versa if you’re a bigger fan of Cyclops. Both books have their merits and in my opinion, they both seem like they’re going to lead to interesting things. And of course, there’s always the possibility that the two teams are gonna duke it out, which would be awesome.

Well that’s it for this post, come on down to your nearest 4th Wall (they’re both pretty dang awesome) and pick up one or both of these books! If you’re a fan of the X-Men, you won’t be disappointed.

-Marc