X-men: Hellfire Gala

good.

Great book at a good price.

The X-Men are my favorite comic book property. The characters involved are also some of my favorite in fiction. Some of the runs on the various X-Titles have been ones I have enjoyed reading the most. I try to keep an open mind on the franchise because there have been times in the past where I have absolutely HATED the direction the books have taken only to later grow to love what has been done. Or attempted. Or what a terrible book leads to.The point is that a book about a gala is quite possibly as far from what I love about the X-franchise as it is possible to be but, if I'm lucky, it might lead to something interesting?One things I have always loved about the main X-Characters is no matter how fantastical their powers, their personalities were always grounded in reality. In depth. Their world was strange and unusual but it involved real people dealing with the strange and unusual. As time has marched forward, the books and the characters within have strayed from that groundedness. They aren't alone. Most super-hero comics struggle to remain attached to some recognizable version of reality as the stories of their fantastic adventures continue to pile on. It's kind of the nature of the beast. Sometimes, a new creative team can bring things back to more familiar territory but we all have the memories of what has come before.Which is where we are in this book. The mutants of the Marvel Universe have their own thriving nation and this is them showing off to an audience of their new peers. Everyone is dressed in crazy, elaborate costumes. The night will end with the mutants pushing their powers to new heights and accomplishing an insanely fantastic feat. And also pissing off pretty much every one of their peers. And maybe the rest of the galaxy. Basically, the stakes are raised ever higher.So, in many ways, the question is asked: Have the X-Men gone too far? As a franchise? In universe? Creatively?And my answer to all of that is: probably?Things are galactic. The mutants are mostly immortal. The comics are more about nation building and less about interpersonal relationships. Everything is macro and the micro is unimportant. It's as far from what I love about the X-Men as possible. It's fascinating. It's annoying. It's VERY weird to read while also reading X-Men Epic Collection: I, Magneto, which just released a month ago and features an earlier, more grounded take on the classic team line-up.Mostly, it's sad that the earlier version of the X-Men team seems so far removed from what I'm currently reading.The book is beautifully illustrated. The concepts are gigantic. The costumes are eye-catchers. The consequences are planet-sized.I enjoyed the read. I had fun imagining what comes next. Unfortunately, I'm not really enjoying the characters as much as I used to. I don't like WHAT they're doing. They're pissing off the world and don't really seem to care or realize how that affects everyone. I'm not a big fan of Krakoa. The island nation seems like a gross place to live for me.I realize saying I enjoyed the read and then saying I don't like what I'm reading seems hypocritical. Basically, it's complicated. If this were about characters I cared about less and I could tolerate them doing monumentally stupid things more, it would be an easier read. It would be me reading about a bunch of super-powered characters wrapped up in their own hubris doing things with terrible consequences and knowing that there is no way this ends well for them but not being emotionally invested enough in those characters where I feel bad for them. Because the only reason I'm emotionally invested is because of those previous adventures and not because of anything that's happened recently.The story is built on the backs of giants, trying to do even more gigantic things but without the heart that got us this far. It gets three stars because I'm hoping that how I feel about it RIGHT NOW is me over-reacting and that a few years from now I realize just where this story brings the franchise. We will see. Maybe.

If you are a fan of the greatest changes in status quo and also reject the idea of extra issues that does not give it nothing to the real deal: This is your book (Marks a couple of events that are HISTORICAL and EPICS!!!)The design is so... simple (as all this era books but... you know, new times for new readers...)But the real value in the book is collects the really important issues for the history of this run and the X-Men status. If you do not have the money or just do not love hardcover format, the book is the perfect choice.My copy arrived with humidity damage, but i received a refund, i hope your copy arrives in great condition, because the book deserve it.

This is a great jump in point for the new X-men series