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This is an interesting review for me to do. The reason it is interesting is because this is one trade where I actually have all the issues already in my comic book collection. So you may wonder, why would I buy this trade? Well, the answer is I didn’t. I got this for free from my LCS after buying a ton of comics and trades one week (it was a busy week). Anyway, this is the Origin of Generation X which should really be called The Phalanx Covenent with the first issue of Generation X thrown in, too.
Spoiler Warning
I am seperating this into a few sections, the first is the four issue arc called Generation Next which ran in Uncanny X-Men and X-Men and featured the debut of Generation X. After that is the 3-part Life Signs which ran in the B-team titles and then the two-part Final Sanctions which ran in the prominent solo characters titles. Finally, there’s the debut of Generation X.
-Generation Next- As mentioned, this ran in Uncanny X-Men #’s 316 and 317 and X-Men #’s 36-37. UXM was written by Scott Lobdell with fantastic art by Joe Madureira. X-Men was done by an equally great team of Fabian Nicieza and Andy Kubert. First off, there’s a lot of subplot going on here that many casual readers of the title may not understand, including Sabretooth’s role in the mix. The story is basic, the Phalanx come to Earth and they want to take it over via assimilating all life. However, they cannot assimilate mutants so they find five young mutants (the Next Generation if you will) to test on them. When Banshee gets wind of this and finds that the X-Men themselves have been captured he takes a rag tag group (with White Queen, Sabretooth and Jubilee) to free the mutants. The new mutants (Husk, Synch, M, Blink and Skin) eventually save the day, with Blink giving her life. The writing is top-notch, and the art is just fantastic. Joe Mad at this time was at the top of his game, as well as Andy Kubert. If you were to buy this, this would be the reason.
-Life Signs- This ran in the B-titles, X-Factor (#106), X-Force (#38), and Excalibur (#82). Lobdell wrote X-Factor and Excalibur, while Nicieza wrote X-Force. The artists are Jan Duursema/Roger Cruz, Tony Daniel, and Ken Lashley/Steve Epting respectively. Members of each team (Cannonball, Wolfspane, Forge and Douglock) deal with a Phalanx installation. They end up defeating the Phalanx, destroying their communications spire and a huge battle scene at the end with all the teams joining forces to fight the Phalanx. It was an okay tie-in that wasn’t connected to Generation X at all, but probably moved a ton of books at the time.
-Final Sanctions- This was in Wolverine #85 and Cable #16. Larry Hama wrote both stories, while Adam Kubert and Steve Skroce handled art chores. Having the same writer on both gave this a good continuity. This is called Final Sanctions because Cable, Wolverine, Jean Grey and Cyclops end the threat of the Phalanx and free their teammates. This was a lot better than the second tie-in, though the whole Jean Grey/Cable subplot (referencing the Askani’Son mini-series form the time) would definitely be a little bit jarring for readers unfamiliar with it.
-Generation X #1- Finally, Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo orchestrated this issue. We get a great introduction on all the characters, their first big threat (Empath) and the arrival of Penance. A great intro story, and I loved this title when it first debuted back in 1996.
-The Bottom Line- I really enjoyed re-reading this collection some 13 years after it originally dropped. I loved Generation X, especially its early run and reading the Uncanny X-Men titles reminds me of why I loved Joe Mad’s art. This is a really fun collection. There’s one minor gripe I have and that is all the references to other issues are blacked out, as well as who worked on each title. I don’t know why that is, but it is there. There aren’t much in the way of extras. You will get the covers to all the issues, as well as the Generation X preview with sketches of the characters that would now be called Generation X #0 if released today. What a fantastic collection and a great memory for me reading it. Recommended.
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