These Jim Lee xbooks were so important to me while at SVA. The books were current and so lit! I would hunt down his alpha flights and war journal to see where he came from. It was a Meteoric rise for him. Years later, I met and worked with Carl Potts and he gave me the 411 on Lee’s early years. Real inspiring stuff.
It's just now hitting me how much psylocke actually reminds me of aeon flux, along with the art style of that show feeling a bit reminiscent of jim lee's art style... I wonder if there was some crossover inspiration there from peter chung.
I hated this multi crossover events in comics, the X-titles never seems to flow very well from book to book.. My most hated was when a big Batman storyline would have events tie in with Nightwing, Robin , and Catwoman comics that I didn’t give a crap about. They should have a mini series event that is self contained not this confusing inconsistent crap.
This crossover was the point where I went from getting random US comics and regular UK-based ones to primarily getting the X-books. I remember not being able to get the first issues of New Mutants and X-Factor and wound up getting the second printings with the gold backgrounds.
Also, when interviewed on the Sidebar podcast, Whilce Portacio said that Homage Studios at the time got their hands on VHS tapes of Appleseed, Macross Mospeada, Dominion Tank Police, Patlabor etc and used it for inspiration when designing the Magistrate battle outfits. Coincidentally enough, Rob Liefeld had also stated that he discovered 'Japanimation' at the same time and the character Briareos was a big inspiration in designing Cable. Now that I think of it, I think I heard that on the Tell Us Something We Don't Know podcast :)
Jason Hervey, who played Wayne from Wonder Years, went to help produce WCW alongside Eric Bischoff. I always remember seeing him pop up during back stage brawls on Nitro.
35:00 I read this event in essential X-factor vol 5 (black and white) so it was even harder for me to differentiate between those two characters. I was like “why does she look so much older?”
I had started reading X-Men a few issues before this after only reading G.I. Joe for years. It's not great, but the insanity of this story had my 10-year-old brain so incredibly hyped. I started devouring every X-book I could get my hands on after this. For all of its many flaws, this story will always have a special place in my heart.
This series got me into comics as a teenager again after “inheriting” a heap load as a child. The X-men issues at least were legendary. The story and art that isn’t seen today or for ages for that matter. The Wolverine Archangel fight was EPIC. Genosha was awesome and should have continued as an antagonist nation and location.
55:28 A trope. The scene where the x-men break free has been seen a lot of times in the Claremont run. In " magneto triumphant ", for example, it is practically the same situation except that instead of Gambit there is Ororo to force the lock of the handcuffs. As with the savage land, how many times have x-men been there? You could set the clock on it. All this crossover is actually nothing more than an expansion of the same concept and this particular scene is just another part of the whole matryoshka. I think proteus was the worst threat ever faced by the x-men. At least potentially. Also I think all the madelyne pryor related stuff was a mistake due to Byrne's decision to bring Jean Grey back. The nation of Genosha was a good idea but poorly exploited. I apologize for my bad English.
Interesting to note that the first edition TPB of X-Tinction Agenda omits the Strong Guy story altogether and adds in a new Cable/Boom Boom panel above Storm and Jean talking in the bar to fill the gap. Are the later printings the same?
The only one of these crossovers I didn't hate was the Muir Island Saga, because it had some genuinely cool stuff going on with Legion and the Shadow King, and because it had actual ongoing consequences for the X books going forward. But mostly because it was very short.
I was 16 and had been collecting comics for 4 years when these came out. All X-men related books were my thing at the time and I was neck deep in this crossover. I was also very lucky to have a great comic book store close by where I grew up that had been in business since the early 80s called the Book Exchange in Bellefontaine Ohio. Like Ed, I would skip school lunches and save my money to be able to buy comics! Hilarious fucking commentary BTW! :)
Absolutely right... Jim Lee hit his stride and we couldn't get enough of it. Lol, notice the first intro of x-force and Jim draws a FOOT on Cable. Rob, you paying attention? Lol.
I had the opportunity to read this in the first TPB from my public library. By the time I found out about Lee and Liefeld I was playing catch-up. I have come to appreciate Jon Bogdanove in my maturity, but I sure did hate his art at the time! I think part of that was how incredibly sexual his rendering is. That Logan and Jean scene lives rent free in my head.
I freaking remember seeing EVERY ONE of these issues in the comic shop. I’m all about the bins now as they mostly have stuff like this for .50/issue. I love the old stuff. Takes me back to when ‘super boy came on PHL-17 at 6pm on Saturdays.
Rob Liefeld on his podcast said that it was actually Karl Alstaetter who designed the Genoshan mech suits. A young Karl was working at Homage Studios at the time assisting Jim and Whilce Portacio.
Thank you for this! I bought pretty much all of these off the spinner racks (I had been an UXM reader since #256) and this got me into New Mutants for sure. This is OUR generation!
I'll be honest with you, I had no idea in all these years why Rictor was called Rictor until this video where I saw those panels of him using his powers.
With the talent involved this should have been the best X crossover ever, but I found it disappointing. Cyborg Hodge was ridiculously overpowered from what I remember.
I was like 13 or 14 when I got this series. I was only interested by the art of Jim Lee and I bought it for the completist in me. The Spanish version, where I am, was slightly better printed so many of the mishaps in the colors are toned better. The story was a little meh, but the worst of it was the quality jumps from Jim to Jon to a poor Rob and so on.
I myself have re=read the "Siege" stuff a few times and I have yet to get it to make much sense so I wouldn't worry overmuch. I read it as it was published and I put it down since it seemed convoluted at best. I always like Strong Guy but felt he was a Ranxerox rip off a tad. At least design wise. I wanted you guys to know I can adding to my text as I watch and I enjoyed this sooooo much. Thanks.
Cable used to be a bad@$$. He was marvels John Wayne to Wolverine’s Clint Eastwood. Today he is a shadow of his former self. They neutered him sometime around the 2000’s I think.
No disrespect, but when I read this as a kid I had such a hard time with Bogdanove’s issues, which just pale in comparison to Lee and Liefeld. It almost seemed a little cruel to pair him with those two, who were firing on all cylinders.
the artist on X-Factor was so weak compared to Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld on this cross-over. Whilce Portacio should've started his X-Factor gig 3 issues earlier.
My biggest issue with this whole thing (and the era really) was the inconsistent art. It left the overall arc tonally brain dead. You have one issue with some great Jim Lee art, but most of the rest of it felt phoned in. I was a much bigger fan of X-Cutioner's Song. The tone was more consistent, and although it played into all the worst tropes in X-Men comics, I was like 15 and my entire mind was a cacophony of big boobs, boners, and explosions.
Hodge was a genocidal racist/supremacist that had made a deal with a demon for immortality and got a liquid-Skorponok-looking robot body. Maybe better than credited.
An hour breakdown of Xtinction Agenda is what we needed today
These Jim Lee xbooks were so important to me while at SVA. The books were current and so lit! I would hunt down his alpha flights and war journal to see where he came from. It was a Meteoric rise for him. Years later, I met and worked with Carl Potts and he gave me the 411 on Lee’s early years. Real inspiring stuff.
What did Carl Potts share with you regarding Jim Lee's early years?
It's just now hitting me how much psylocke actually reminds me of aeon flux, along with the art style of that show feeling a bit reminiscent of jim lee's art style... I wonder if there was some crossover inspiration there from peter chung.
I hated this multi crossover events in comics, the X-titles never seems to flow very well from book to book.. My most hated was when a big Batman storyline would have events tie in with Nightwing, Robin , and Catwoman comics that I didn’t give a crap about. They should have a mini series event that is self contained not this confusing inconsistent crap.
I thought Storm was de-aged by Nanny not the Siege Perilous.
Yeah, that incident was briefly recapped by the issues before X-Tinction agenda that introduced Gambit.
This crossover was the point where I went from getting random US comics and regular UK-based ones to primarily getting the X-books. I remember not being able to get the first issues of New Mutants and X-Factor and wound up getting the second printings with the gold backgrounds.
Jim Lee said he sold the COVER art to Uncanny # 268 for $650 back in the day.....and it just sold at auction recently for $650,000.
I grew up with New Mutants, and I remember the issue of this crossover when Warlock gets unceremoniously killed off - brought a tear to my eye.
Also, when interviewed on the Sidebar podcast, Whilce Portacio said that Homage Studios at the time got their hands on VHS tapes of Appleseed, Macross Mospeada, Dominion Tank Police, Patlabor etc and used it for inspiration when designing the Magistrate battle outfits.
Coincidentally enough, Rob Liefeld had also stated that he discovered 'Japanimation' at the same time and the character Briareos was a big inspiration in designing Cable. Now that I think of it, I think I heard that on the Tell Us Something We Don't Know podcast :)
I think Hodge was 100% played straight and they were going for a ‘The Thing’ vibe.
Loved these issues.
Jason Hervey, who played Wayne from Wonder Years, went to help produce WCW alongside Eric Bischoff. I always remember seeing him pop up during back stage brawls on Nitro.
35:00 I read this event in essential X-factor vol 5 (black and white) so it was even harder for me to differentiate between those two characters. I was like “why does she look so much older?”
I had started reading X-Men a few issues before this after only reading G.I. Joe for years. It's not great, but the insanity of this story had my 10-year-old brain so incredibly hyped. I started devouring every X-book I could get my hands on after this. For all of its many flaws, this story will always have a special place in my heart.
BATMAN & DRACULA trilogy by Doug Moench And Kelley Jones
we need Kelley jones under the microscope please
This series got me into comics as a teenager again after “inheriting” a heap load as a child. The X-men issues at least were legendary. The story and art that isn’t seen today or for ages for that matter. The Wolverine Archangel fight was EPIC. Genosha was awesome and should have continued as an antagonist nation and location.
55:28 A trope. The scene where the x-men break free has been seen a lot of times in the Claremont run. In " magneto triumphant ", for example, it is practically the same situation except that instead of Gambit there is Ororo to force the lock of the handcuffs. As with the savage land, how many times have x-men been there? You could set the clock on it.
All this crossover is actually nothing more than an expansion of the same concept and this particular scene is just another part of the whole matryoshka.
I think proteus was the worst threat ever faced by the x-men. At least potentially. Also I think all the madelyne pryor related stuff was a mistake due to Byrne's decision to bring Jean Grey back.
The nation of Genosha was a good idea but poorly exploited.
I apologize for my bad English.
Interesting to note that the first edition TPB of X-Tinction Agenda omits the Strong Guy story altogether and adds in a new Cable/Boom Boom panel above Storm and Jean talking in the bar to fill the gap. Are the later printings the same?
The only one of these crossovers I didn't hate was the Muir Island Saga, because it had some genuinely cool stuff going on with Legion and the Shadow King, and because it had actual ongoing consequences for the X books going forward. But mostly because it was very short.
I was 16 and had been collecting comics for 4 years when these came out. All X-men related books were my thing at the time and I was neck deep in this crossover. I was also very lucky to have a great comic book store close by where I grew up that had been in business since the early 80s called the Book Exchange in Bellefontaine Ohio. Like Ed, I would skip school lunches and save my money to be able to buy comics! Hilarious fucking commentary BTW! :)
Never read this in full, but that Havok cover blew me away.
Absolutely right... Jim Lee hit his stride and we couldn't get enough of it. Lol, notice the first intro of x-force and Jim draws a FOOT on Cable. Rob, you paying attention? Lol.
Yes I'm a diehard X-Men fan and i still have my Extension Agenda comics.
RIP Eddie
I had the opportunity to read this in the first TPB from my public library. By the time I found out about Lee and Liefeld I was playing catch-up. I have come to appreciate Jon Bogdanove in my maturity, but I sure did hate his art at the time! I think part of that was how incredibly sexual his rendering is. That Logan and Jean scene lives rent free in my head.
For me the Big Books for X-Men growing up was XTinction Agenda, X-Cutioner Song and Fatal Attractions... got me to start buying Essential trade books
Wow, seeing these issues again after all those years ... I remember them as so exciting and intense, and now it's just ridicolous
I freaking remember seeing EVERY ONE of these issues in the comic shop. I’m all about the bins now as they mostly have stuff like this for .50/issue. I love the old stuff. Takes me back to when ‘super boy came on PHL-17 at 6pm on Saturdays.
Rob Liefeld on his podcast said that it was actually Karl Alstaetter who designed the Genoshan mech suits. A young Karl was working at Homage Studios at the time assisting Jim and Whilce Portacio.
Hahaha we all called him "Guide-o" and guile was "goolie" 😂😂
Thank you for this! I bought pretty much all of these off the spinner racks (I had been an UXM reader since #256) and this got me into New Mutants for sure. This is OUR generation!
Great song by Organized Konfusion also
29:52-Lol, that dude. This guy would definitely be one of those creepy aliens if you put on those glasses from the movie They Live.
Ed, Jim - you dudes are great. This is by far my favourite comics-related channel now!
Those three pages of wolverine and psylock infiltrating the base and meeting/fighting havok are call backs to neal adams x-men drawing havok!
the siege perilous thing was kind of house of m before house of m
"Disdain for the readers". That's never been more revelant.
When I watched this video, I felt like crying. It's too cool and epic!
Thanks so much guys. Have you done X men Executioners song yet?
I'm only now realizing that certain pages from the monthlies weren't included in the trade.
Jim Lee is in full fucking GOAT status in issue #4
Someday, somewhere, I am going to steal the line, "That's good arm hair!"
I'm pretty certain that the Splatterhouse ad featured pencils from Carmine Infantino
I'll be honest with you, I had no idea in all these years why Rictor was called Rictor until this video where I saw those panels of him using his powers.
With the talent involved this should have been the best X crossover ever, but I found it disappointing. Cyborg Hodge was ridiculously overpowered from what I remember.
Prison wallet. LOL!
Haha Ed in the intro, “wtf, Jim” 😂 true
I like the idea of you both spending valentines day together just looking at comics and eating chocolate strawberries
Edward and Jimm
I was like 13 or 14 when I got this series. I was only interested by the art of Jim Lee and I bought it for the completist in me. The Spanish version, where I am, was slightly better printed so many of the mishaps in the colors are toned better. The story was a little meh, but the worst of it was the quality jumps from Jim to Jon to a poor Rob and so on.
Some of the greatest commentary you guys have done.
My first x-crossover was The Mutant Massacre.
"Look at his mug!"
Great video. Did not enjoy this when it came out and it seems to not have aged well at all, lol.
I myself have re=read the "Siege" stuff a few times and I have yet to get it to make much sense so I wouldn't worry overmuch. I read it as it was published and I put it down since it seemed convoluted at best. I always like Strong Guy but felt he was a Ranxerox rip off a tad. At least design wise. I wanted you guys to know I can adding to my text as I watch and I enjoyed this sooooo much. Thanks.
Such a keystone memory as a collector for me
What a boon-doggle of a story-arc, it went on forever. Thankfully Jim Lee made his presence felt with the exceptional work.
In a nutshell: Claremont/Lee issues are amazing, the rest is mediocre.
This hooked me on comics.
that was a new story for xmen and all X dudes confronting each other. its a masterpiece of the 90's
My favorite channel on youtube.
30:30 - Hol' up. Why is Sunspot saying "Madonna"? Did Louise Simonson think Brazilians speak Italian instead of Portuguese?
I think it was more a comment on his Catholicism.
Cable used to be a bad@$$. He was marvels John Wayne to Wolverine’s Clint Eastwood. Today he is a shadow of his former self. They neutered him sometime around the 2000’s I think.
Geez, Jim... we were both 13.
Guy- Doh! Hell yeah!
Casually Misogynist Cable.
No disrespect, but when I read this as a kid I had such a hard time with Bogdanove’s issues, which just pale in comparison to Lee and Liefeld. It almost seemed a little cruel to pair him with those two, who were firing on all cylinders.
Sayonara Ed😥
the artist on X-Factor was so weak compared to Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld on this cross-over. Whilce Portacio should've started his X-Factor gig 3 issues earlier.
And this is what were all going throu! And they will force there cure opun us my X-Men!
I love this saga
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This was good, but not as good as the Mutant Massacre
My biggest issue with this whole thing (and the era really) was the inconsistent art. It left the overall arc tonally brain dead. You have one issue with some great Jim Lee art, but most of the rest of it felt phoned in. I was a much bigger fan of X-Cutioner's Song. The tone was more consistent, and although it played into all the worst tropes in X-Men comics, I was like 15 and my entire mind was a cacophony of big boobs, boners, and explosions.
Hodge was a genocidal racist/supremacist that had made a deal with a demon for immortality and got a liquid-Skorponok-looking robot body. Maybe better than credited.
One of my favorite crossovers
You are doing great. When's the next video coming out? Thumbs Up 👍
Definitely not Wayne.
!!!