Uncanny X-Men Omnibus 5
Uncanny X-Men 194-205, New Mutants Special Edition 1 and Uncanny X-Men Annual 9
Absurd as it sounds, this was published 2019. The first omnibus was 2006. 13 years to get these five omnibuses!
Unfortunately, while this set of issues was overall good, it’s the first time where I felt some weaknesses crept in. At the same time Claremont had to weave in Secret Wars II. Storm is perhaps the best example of this, she’d left to find where she should be without her powers, found it then was back with the X-Men. Similarly the stories with BWS on art aimed high but I don’t think they realised their ambition. Nor did the Asgard crossover work that well for me.
What did work very well was the centrepiece of the collection, Uncanny X-Men 200. Magneto on trial, while mysterious attacks, later shown to be Fenris’ work, Strucker’s vile spawn, frame the X-men. Up to this point there has been a steadily increasing tide of anti-mutant hatred, embodied by Nimrod and demonstrated by Xavier slowly dying from injuries sustained in the assault on him. It’s in Paris the X-men witness a massive demonstration… backing them. Magneto’s trial is inconclusive, but Xavier is taken by the Starjammers to save him and he asks Magneto to look after the X-men.
In the issues that follow there is a good deal of justified suspicion of this by the X-men, and doubt in the idea from Magneto. But they have to work together to deal with the Beyonder.
Like with Uncanny X-Men 150, what the 200th issue does is not without precedent. There were careful bricks laid down paving the way to it. Even so, Claremont still had to pull the trigger on it and he did. It’s going to be interesting seeing how this plays out.
