New X-Men Omnibus
I'll use this qotd as an excuse to start reviewing the latest books I've bought. Comics and games are the only non-essentials I really spend money on, so here goes. I'll start with the most expensive book I've ever bought.
New X-Men Omnibus
Writer: Grant Morrison
Various artists.
This collects Grant Morrison's X-Men run, from the destruction of Genosha to [SPOILER]. At the end of the book, along with a few scripts, is Morrison's submission/manifesto where he states his ambition to revitalise and simplify the series. He succeeds.
The dialogue is great, and the stories are well paced. Almost nothing is extraneous, and once you've finished it you start noticing things you missed the first time. Morrison understands the characters well, and those he invents are strong and endearing. The only exception is the first villian he introduces, Cassandra Nova, whose motives are dull and unambiguous.
The artists vary in quality, although none are bad. My main complaint is that no-one except Ethan van Sciver seems capable of making Emma Frost look like a human. The final chunk of the book is set in an alternate future, which seems like an entirely different story, but does explain a lot of the preceding events.
I would seriously recommend this book, huge as it is.
Sad Note: Just as the Dark Phoenix story was later ruined by bringing Jean back to life, a similar thing is done to this run. It doesn't happen within the book, but is just another example of the danger of editors being driven by the desire to feature popular characters with no regard for the story or the fans.
