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Marvel X-Men The Ultimate Guide
Gorgeous, oversize, and well designed, Ultimate X-Men is also perfectly titled. It's a comprehensive overview of four decades of Marvel Comics's monstrously popular mutant superheroes--from their debut, in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men #1 (1963), to the terrific X-Men movie (2000). Ultimate X-Men includes the many major mutants who have appeared in The Uncanny X-Men and its spinoffs (Alpha Flight, New Generation, Wolverine, X-Factor, and numerous other series and miniseries). Two-page spreads detail the most important characters' origins, powers, costumes, and relationships. In addition, every superhero and supervillain appearing in the movie receives a sidebar, with stills, that describes the onscreen incarnation. Also receiving detailed coverage are nonmutants important to the X-Men, including Ka-Zar, Longshot, and Dr. Moira MacTaggert; major alien groups and races, like the Starjammers and the Shi'ar; and important locations and technology, such as the Danger Room, Dr. Xavier's estate, and the Blackbird jets. The book also covers the best Uncanny X-Men story lines, the Dark Phoenix Saga, and Days of Future Past. A Summers family tree lays out clearly a tangle of relationships (between clonal and alternate-timeline versions of Cyclops/Scott Summers and Marvel Girl/Phoenix/Jean Grey) that could drive even an experienced genealogist crazy. Ultimate X-Men opens with an entertaining foreword by X-Men creator-editor Stan Lee and concludes with a two-page overview of the X-Men animated series (1992-1997); a four-page "Making the X-Men Movie" section with many great shots; and an insightful afterword by the series' best writer, Chris Claremont.
Ultimate X-Men is a book every X-Men fan will want. It's practically a necessity for the newcomer drawn to the comics by the movie, because Marvel's mutants multiplied like superpowered rabbits in the 1990s. Art-oriented fans, however, may be disappointed by Ultimate X-Men. While it contains a hefty amount of art, the original artwork (the preliminary character sketches, a lovely Dave Cockrum sketch of Nightcrawler and Ororo, etc.) is outnumbered by panel and cover reproductions. And if you're less than enamored with the nature of endless comic-book series, Ultimate X-Men will prove that the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Cynthia Ward
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 19, 2024
It feels amazing to re-read, re-scan and re-skim this ultimate guide while X-Men '97 is on-going.
* * *
Done reading X-MEN: The Ultimate Guide Vol. 3. I feel overjoyed for I am a big fan of The Animated Series when I was young.
I have even binge-watched it twice. Yet, my expectation exceeded after reading this book. This is a must-collect graphic encyclopedia for all fans worldwide - adults and young.
Visual Content: 5 stars.
Yay: First off, let me talk about the book cover. Not a fan of Wolverine, but this is a stupendous design.
Just the first look, its blue light effect gravitates your attention. It tempts you to buy it no matter how expensive it is.
Inside, all pictures and illustrations are colored. There are drawings done in pencil that show you how the look of each superhero has evolved since 1960s until X3: The Movie.
My favorite picture is found on pages 126 to 127. It is a group picture of the past and present members of the X-MEN.
Goosebumps all over me when I saw it for the first time. I got no proper vocabulary to describe it!
Nay: I can't believe my eyes. I double-check it, and it is confirmed. He is not here. Where is Morph?
Story: 5 stars.
Yay: Note: This is not a story book. It is more of a fictional fact book that focuses on characters, magic system and world-building.
Before reading, I thought I knew a lot of things already. I completed the animated series twice. I thought that is enough, but I am wrong!
This Ultimate Guide surprises me with an array of information that I am unprepared for.
The world-building is presented in such a way that it becomes real in your imagination.
Each hero and villain are given a spotlight. They have their alias name at the top left. Then, there is an introduction on how they become a mutant.
After the brief intro, there are extended 'fictional' facts about them accompanied by an illustration.
Nay: The font sizes are inconsistent. The extended facts are italicized and are smaller than the introduction.
Sometimes, all pictures and its fonts are published vertically. I have to rotate the book to read the profile of Iceman on pages 20 to 21.
* * *
Done reading X-MEN: The Ultimate Guide Vol. 3. I feel overjoyed for I am a big fan of The Animated Series when I was young.
I have even binge-watched it twice. Yet, my expectation exceeded after reading this book. This is a must-collect graphic encyclopedia for all fans worldwide - adults and young.
Visual Content: 5 stars.
Yay: First off, let me talk about the book cover. Not a fan of Wolverine, but this is a stupendous design.
Just the first look, its blue light effect gravitates your attention. It tempts you to buy it no matter how expensive it is.
Inside, all pictures and illustrations are colored. There are drawings done in pencil that show you how the look of each superhero has evolved since 1960s until X3: The Movie.
My favorite picture is found on pages 126 to 127. It is a group picture of the past and present members of the X-MEN.
Goosebumps all over me when I saw it for the first time. I got no proper vocabulary to describe it!
Nay: I can't believe my eyes. I double-check it, and it is confirmed. He is not here. Where is Morph?
Story: 5 stars.
Yay: Note: This is not a story book. It is more of a fictional fact book that focuses on characters, magic system and world-building.
Before reading, I thought I knew a lot of things already. I completed the animated series twice. I thought that is enough, but I am wrong!
This Ultimate Guide surprises me with an array of information that I am unprepared for.
The world-building is presented in such a way that it becomes real in your imagination.
Each hero and villain are given a spotlight. They have their alias name at the top left. Then, there is an introduction on how they become a mutant.
After the brief intro, there are extended 'fictional' facts about them accompanied by an illustration.
Nay: The font sizes are inconsistent. The extended facts are italicized and are smaller than the introduction.
Sometimes, all pictures and its fonts are published vertically. I have to rotate the book to read the profile of Iceman on pages 20 to 21.
March 15, 2019
The X-Men are arguably the most popularly enduring group of superhero team in comics book's myth history. The group also has a complex history that spans more than four decades. The convoluted continuity of this storied group of strange mutants can be difficult for new readers to understand or interpret fullyas a regular reader of this eoic fantasy series.But it still is and was designed for the mainstream market, targeting readers who need, to understand the rich history of the X-Men without having to read through several hundred comic books. The Ultimate Guide offers an overview of the entire timeline of X-Men comic books through till the end of 2005.Fantastic big pictures perfect layout simple to read and understand. I have been a follower for many years of this book and, to tell you the truth it did not disappoint me,in the end as a as a fan of the series because it was and still is a great thorough book to read in its in depth information about a strange bunch of mutants who have been persecuted for there disfgured body appearance and superpowers that are against mankind instead of not being against us as species of homo superior.
September 17, 2007
I am an X-Men nerd. I have an older edition of this book and I loved it. I know this will sound cheesy, but the X-Men really is a story about acceptance of all people, regardless of our differences. Plus they kick ass, so that's cool.
Love, love, love the Mutants! Go Stan Lee! *lol*
Love, love, love the Mutants! Go Stan Lee! *lol*
December 22, 2020
Ultimate X-Men
PLOT: This reads like an encyclopedia. It gives brief summaries/stories of all the major X-Men. Some you're well familiar with from the movies and other media (tv shows, animated media). Some you've never heard of. There are also significant places in the X-universe. As well as some of the villains. The book even gives comparisons to the characters from the comics to the similarities to the non in the first X-men movie.
MY THOUGHTS: Firstly the illustrations are beautifully done! To this day, I've seen books that have the illustrations going from one page of the book to the other, but never long ways. I was proud that I was familiar with at least 75% of the characters and their stories, And this is mainly from just the movies. Although it still made me want to know more about them, as the summaries themselves just gave you a taste of the character and didn't go into much depth. It basically feeds you what was necessary to know and didn't linger. I was also happy to see a reference to FENRIS (the Stoker twins) And happily related that back to the new show based on the X-Men (The Gifted). I also tried to take special note of (The New Mutants) seeing as there's a new upcoming movie coming out with this name. And moviemakers and tv show directors are clever importing source characters and material. Some of the information repeated. As in if there wasn't enough it went into it again on the next page. After a while, it felt like brain overload, because how many times can you read about mutants that have similar powers and it all starts to blur together in your head and not stick what you read about the previous one when you get to the next one up. There's a lot of time spent on their different travels backward and forwards in time. I think the movies did a great job of hitting on some of the events like (Days of Future Past). But wished they would have spent a little time on others like (The Dark Phoenix Saga). But you never know. It was extremely hard to keep all the different timelines straight and all the rebellions different one's lead against people that wanted to enslave them and take away their rights and thus giving them viruses to turn them into half machines. I recommend reading this in small bits. It's a bit much to digest otherwise and it wasn't a quick read for me. But it's an excellent resource source if you want to go back and refresh your memory about one you just happen to see in the media and you want to know more about.
RATING 10
PLOT: This reads like an encyclopedia. It gives brief summaries/stories of all the major X-Men. Some you're well familiar with from the movies and other media (tv shows, animated media). Some you've never heard of. There are also significant places in the X-universe. As well as some of the villains. The book even gives comparisons to the characters from the comics to the similarities to the non in the first X-men movie.
MY THOUGHTS: Firstly the illustrations are beautifully done! To this day, I've seen books that have the illustrations going from one page of the book to the other, but never long ways. I was proud that I was familiar with at least 75% of the characters and their stories, And this is mainly from just the movies. Although it still made me want to know more about them, as the summaries themselves just gave you a taste of the character and didn't go into much depth. It basically feeds you what was necessary to know and didn't linger. I was also happy to see a reference to FENRIS (the Stoker twins) And happily related that back to the new show based on the X-Men (The Gifted). I also tried to take special note of (The New Mutants) seeing as there's a new upcoming movie coming out with this name. And moviemakers and tv show directors are clever importing source characters and material. Some of the information repeated. As in if there wasn't enough it went into it again on the next page. After a while, it felt like brain overload, because how many times can you read about mutants that have similar powers and it all starts to blur together in your head and not stick what you read about the previous one when you get to the next one up. There's a lot of time spent on their different travels backward and forwards in time. I think the movies did a great job of hitting on some of the events like (Days of Future Past). But wished they would have spent a little time on others like (The Dark Phoenix Saga). But you never know. It was extremely hard to keep all the different timelines straight and all the rebellions different one's lead against people that wanted to enslave them and take away their rights and thus giving them viruses to turn them into half machines. I recommend reading this in small bits. It's a bit much to digest otherwise and it wasn't a quick read for me. But it's an excellent resource source if you want to go back and refresh your memory about one you just happen to see in the media and you want to know more about.
RATING 10
April 5, 2017
Really, I read the updated version of this. But it wasn't on good reads, so I just picked this one.
June 5, 2009
I loved it! Yes, this is a reference book all about the origins of the x-men comics to the animated shows and then to the making of the movies. Being a HUGE X-men fan I loved it. Trapper says I am the biggest nerd he knows now because I read this book like a novel front cover to back and because I now know all about not only the famous characters but all the others as well... it was fun for me to let out my inner nerd.
February 25, 2019
So many cool things to read about. Endless inspiration for drawings.
July 29, 2020
The X-Men (and all it's variant iterations) have always been my favorite comic, and this history of the X-Men is exceptional! A look at the X-Men from it's inception in the 60s, the reader is taken on a decode by decade journey through the changing faces, timelines and stories of the X-Men and it's off-shoots. Full of fascinating facts and the amazing visuals of the original illustrators, this is a compendium worth treasuring for any X-Men fan!
January 14, 2024
This is an encyclopedia, and very typical of a DK publication. Really nice overview with excellent graphics. Gives a pretty good description of every major character, (and lots of minor ones too).
A good introduction, but not essential if you are already a fan.
A good introduction, but not essential if you are already a fan.
November 5, 2018
Back when I was into drawing, I remember this one. And tried drawing some of the characters like Storm, Rogue and Wolverine. Really good read.
January 26, 2020
As a life long comic reader who never really got into the X-Men, this was a nice primer and backstory book. Kind of a really long Wikipedia entry with good art.
June 28, 2020
A nice primer on the X-Men. Good summaries of all the most important characters and stories to the point of publication with a mix of X-Men art throughout the years.
July 17, 2020
Reliving my youth! Was a lil dated but thorough in revisiting the universe in this awesome series. Reading this made my inner Marvel nerd all giddy.
Read
December 13, 2020Great book! It includes X-Men 3: The Last Stand and a few extra pages to read. It is a must-have for all Marvel fans around the world.
February 27, 2022
Un libro brillante para todo fan de X Men. Una guía sumamente sencilla y hermosa sobre este universo de mutantes!!
Mis mutantes favoritos son: Legion, Gambito, Rogue, Psylocke y Blink.
Mis mutantes favoritos son: Legion, Gambito, Rogue, Psylocke y Blink.
November 7, 2021
🤯 Ever given yourself an aneurysm trying to imagine the Summers family tree? Ever been confused why Prof X is quadriplegic except for all the times he's not? Ever wondered where the bloody hell Kitty's dragon came from? Ever just wanted a full A3 spread of Psylocke to drool over (who hasn't)? Then this is the book for you!
This is a great overview of classic x-men storylines and writers, and the histories of the core older members of the team. What this book won't tell you however, is where the confusing character arcs is rushes over are actually the result of retconning (see also: Jean Grey). Although I read the updated 2014 edition, everything that happened post 2003 is crammed into about 5 pages or less. Hopefully the newer editions will have a full page dedicated to X23 considering how big she is now. Another factor showing the age of this book, and which it get minus points for, is describing all the female characters as 'beautiful' 'young' 'attractive' etc when the men barely have their physical appearances mentioned at all. I want a feminist rewrite where an entire 2 page spread is dedicated to objectifying Gambit. Also, queerphobic retcon of Kurt's parentage FULLY rejected. 📣📣 Let 👏 Mystique 👏 have 👏 a 👏 dick👏 she 👏 is 👏 a 👏 shapeshifter! 📣📣
This is a great overview of classic x-men storylines and writers, and the histories of the core older members of the team. What this book won't tell you however, is where the confusing character arcs is rushes over are actually the result of retconning (see also: Jean Grey). Although I read the updated 2014 edition, everything that happened post 2003 is crammed into about 5 pages or less. Hopefully the newer editions will have a full page dedicated to X23 considering how big she is now. Another factor showing the age of this book, and which it get minus points for, is describing all the female characters as 'beautiful' 'young' 'attractive' etc when the men barely have their physical appearances mentioned at all. I want a feminist rewrite where an entire 2 page spread is dedicated to objectifying Gambit. Also, queerphobic retcon of Kurt's parentage FULLY rejected. 📣📣 Let 👏 Mystique 👏 have 👏 a 👏 dick👏 she 👏 is 👏 a 👏 shapeshifter! 📣📣
February 11, 2017
This book has a lot of information about the x-men and I like reading x-men books.
May 30, 2012
I have absolutely no idea when, where, or why I got this book, but it was enjoyable to reread it. Having recently dived into the X-Men comics, getting a sense of who the characters and villains are from what is a huge universe is certainly handy. The pictures are nice and attempt to cover some of the big plotlines each character was involved in. While I don't think this book is needed to understand something like Uncanny X-Men, it doesn't hurt either. The biggest complaint that both myself and other reviewers have made is a very valid one. This book is out of date now because a lot of new X-Men characters have been created since then. Some of my favorites like Armor are not present in this book and that is a shame. Hopefully in more recent revised versions, there is even more info on the exploits of the X-Men in the 2000's.
August 14, 2012
This was a good introduction to X-Men. I remember growing up with the children's show way back when, and wanting some entry point into the X-Men comics. This book provided that, with detailed character introductions and plot-arc summaries. I was able to look through this and figure out which branch-off series I wanted to start reading based on what characters I was most interested in. (Of course, this was before I had reliable access to the internet, so make of that what you will.) I really enjoyed this book as a kid. However, I will warn that the latest series and characters are not featured in the version I have-- I don't know about later versions-- and because of that it doesn't feature very many characters of color.
February 26, 2013
Brian Michael Bendis is somehow eternally a teenager. He simply must be because he has such a way with the dialogue for teens and in particular teen superheroes that you'd think he was one himself. I've loved his Ultimate Peter Parker and nothing has changed. Throw in half a dozen other teens and you an amazing ensemble cast that might be the best in comics. The art by David LaFunete is something I don't think I would normally gravitate towards but it really works with these characters. I can't wait to read the next trade.
July 26, 2011
The best X-Men guide ever made. Slightly outdated by a few years, and mentions a few characters that aren't described in the guide (slightly annoying because then you have to go hunting through the Avengers or Fantastic Four guides if you want to know more about that character). But it has very good plot details, along with in-depth character descriptions and pictures. A must-read for any Marvel freak like me!
July 6, 2010
I used to spend hours flipping through the picture-filled pages of this book. It's a must have for any comic book lover. I've since lost the book, but I plan to buy it again! Also, does anyone know where (online) I could find the picture featured on the "X-Men: First Class" page, showing the original 5 struggling with their powers?
November 12, 2012
I love everything Marvel. The storylines are incredible! They have everything you could want: action, adventure, comedy, romance, political intrigue, allegories, metaphors, etc. Some stories drag, some end too soon. This is an interesting look at all things Marvel.
September 21, 2019
X-Men are my favorite superheroes, so I tend to devour any kind of guide concerning them and their world. This one discusses not just the different mutants and their powers, but other elements of their world including the Xavier mansion, villains and more.
September 17, 2007
If you love me, you will buy me this book as a present. *LOL*
May 19, 2008
One of my favourite childhood books. Read and read again. The diagram of the mansion is awesome.
October 10, 2008
This is a big, picture-filled encylopedia on Marvel's Merry Mutants organized in two-page spreads on heroes, villains, places, and events, all in chronological order of appearance. It was funtastic.
July 28, 2009
I learned almost everything about the x-men from this book
August 7, 2011
It is very interesting.
August 7, 2011
Awsome book! I use it to touch up on the X-Men. I own it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews