X-Men Epic Collection: The Fate Of The Phoenix [New Printing] Paperback – July 25, 2023

Along with the previous volume, Proteus, this collection represents the bulk of Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on the X-Men. They also had an issue or so in X-Men Epic Collection volume 5, Second Genesis (don't make me look it up!). Anyway, both books are fantastic and while THIS volume features some of their most memorable storylines, that doesn't really mean that it exceeds the previous volume. Your mileage will vary on that but I just tend to think both and great books by an excellent creative team the likes wouldn't grace the book again for... for a long time, if ever. Claremont and Byrne worked so well together that you don't even notice that the two were suffering from some creative disagreements behind the scenes.This volume features the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past storyline. These are some of the stories that have defined the X-Men for the rest of their history. They're the stories that keep getting retold in other media and that's because they are that good. Some of the best comics you can read.They even have the originally intended ending to the Phoenix Saga. This story is NOT AS GOOD! It doesn't land nearly as well and it makes you appreciate the way the story eventually played out in the actual comics. But that little bit of history is fascinating and makes you wonder where the X-Men would have headed if the story had been allowed to end in their unsatisfying manner. It is a nice extra inclusion with a round table conversation with the original creators and editors added in.And with that, the Claremont/ Byrne run comes to a satisfying conclusion! While John Byrne would go on to work on a variety of different projects (Fantastic Four was the big one but Alpha Flight and others would also happen), Chris Claremont would remain on the X-Men for about another decade. Claremont would keep moving the series forward, pairing with some seriously quality artists over that time. John Byrne would usually handle both art and writing on his later work (sometimes just one or the other). While both are excellent talents, I don't think either would achieve separately the level of quality they got together. This was an excellent comic run and I can't recommend it enough.The Epic opens up with a Hulk Annual, however and it bears mentioning because it is a follow up on a lot of mutant threads. The main characters, Angel and Iceman, were appearing after their run in the Champions. Master Mold/ Stephen Lang was showing up after his defeat in X-Men #100. Besides all that, it fits into Hulk's continuity. So a lot is going on! John Byrne is on art and the book looks great. Roger Stern is the writer and while it is more than competently written it doesn't match the rest of this collection in quality. Claremont was just on a whole 'nother level at this point in his career.Reading some other reviews, I see a lot of criticism about the paper quality and the book quality in general. I am NOT discounting those but I didn't notice any issues while reading through my copy of the book. It's boxed up at the moment while we move but when I unbox, I'll give it another look and see how the book build quality holds up. I may edit this up or down based on what I find. BUT on first reading, there wasn't anything I noticed about the experience that turned me off. I guess just be aware that there might be some quality issues... or there might not.But the quality of the stories isn't really a question. This book is loaded with some of the best X-Men comics ever produced. For that, this is highly recommended. It's rare that you see both the Dark Phoenix Saga AND Days of Future Past collected together and it's worth getting for that.

Grandson gift for Christmas. Reading for enjoyment

The book arrived surprisingly in perfect condition. Excellent deal for $27 considering it has a $45 cover price. This is a great way to collect the dark Phoenix saga and days of future past.

Awesome stories most have for any X-Men fan. I absolutely love this book. Chris Claremont at his best. Must read Classic...

The epic tpb xmen phoenix saga. Great art and story

I wasn't much of an X-Men fan growing up, but recently I've been turning around on that and begun engaging more and more with Marvel's merry band of mutants. I bought this collection because, even with as little engagement as I'd had with the series as a whole, I still knew about the importance of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" as well as that this collection also contained the iconic "Days of Future Past" story too.All told, I am glad that I finally read this for myself. While some aspects of the original Dark Phoenix story don't have quite the impact on me that I'm sure they had for readers back in the early 80s when this tale first unfolded, the overall story of Jean Grey's descent into madness and redemptive sacrifice still offered some pretty effective moments. The introduction of new characters like Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club, were woven pretty effectively into the overarching story, and even despite knowing how it all ended - reading this forty-some years after the original release of the comics - I still confess that the ultimate conclusion of Jean Grey and Scott Summers' story was a solidly emotional moment.(Just as worth reading, frankly, is this collection's backup features: the original pages drawn up for the end of the Dark Phoenix story, before editorial intervention caused a rewrite of the ending; as well as transcripts of a round table among various Marvel writers and editorial staff about the Phoenix Saga, why it was changed, and what might have been. Quite interesting stuff!)Aside from the famous cover story, is the rest of the collection worth reading? I would certainly answer with a resounding "yes!" to that question! I particularly enjoyed some of the more one-off issues, particularly one issue with Kitty Pryde facing her trial by fire as an X-Man; as well as seeing further character growth for the character of Wolverine - I'd read a previous Epic Collection from earlier in Chris Claremont's run, where the now-famous scrapper really was much more of a one-note jerk, so it was nice to see the famous clawed mutant get some more rounded moments as a character here as the story unfolded.I mentioned the "Days of Future Past" story earlier. That was probably my personal favorite of the tales in this collection. It made for an excellent superhero / time-travel story (the scenes of a dystopian New York ruled over by Sentinels hit very hard in particular), as well as a great introduction to Mystique and the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.All told, very glad to have read this collection, and would definitely recommend, whether to new arrivals to the X-Men like me or to veteran fans of the mutant superheroes.

I'd seen the version of this story in the 90s X Men cartoon, but even that falls short of the long arc that eventually led to 1980 when Jean looses control of the Phoenix. This is just the finale, I need to go back and pick up the books that led up to this event.

My kids absolutely LOVED this!!Good quality!!!