The X-Men have been dominating Marvel Comics since they first debuted in 1963. In the decades since, they have been engaged in countless awe-inspiring adventures that became quick classics and foundational works. For the 60th anniversary of the X-Men, Marvel is releasing Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design omnibus as a means of honoring the incredible history of the team.
X-Men: Grand Design is functionally a summary of the franchise’s history. Every major story is compressed into a few short pages. The first arc of the book centers around Professor X, Magneto, and the Original Five X-Men. The second arc focuses on the Second Genesis team. The third, meanwhile, revolves around the Outback team.
When it does not provide a perfect summary, it is because it crafts slight revisions to aspects of the mythos that have been heavily retconned over the years. The book’s first few issues, for instance, heavily involve the Phoenix, where historically it would not have played much of a role in the narrative — if any.
Marvel Comics
Despite originally being released in 2017, however, these issues do entirely disregard more modern retcons. The Deadly Genesis arc, for instance, is completely ignored. It can be jarring for modern readers because of that, but those less familiar with the history won’t be missing much. Deadly Genesis is largely remembered for Vulcan alone, and he has rarely been the most relevant character.
Many other more charming elements of the era have been wiped away, however. Excalibur, X-Factor, and New Mutants are relegated to mere mentions or minor appearances. Even when these teams play massive roles in the narrative, they are thrust aside in favor of more focus on the selected X-Men teams. That makes sense for X-Men: Grand Design, considering its focus on the X-Men themselves, but that can disappoint those looking for a glimpse at some of the other teams of the era.
Still, looking at X-Men: Grand Design for what it is, the book is extremely successful. In just 250 pages, it summarizes decades of history. Anyone looking for a quick primer on Marvel’s not-so-merry mutants can catch up on years of materials in just a few hours.
There are also elements sewn in for classic fans, including the presence of Archangel and the original Champions. It helps to keep the book just as sweet for hardcore and casual fans alike.
Marvel Comics
The art is a standout element of X-Men: Grand Design. The faded coloring makes it look just like a classic comic’s pages, and even the lettering looks like it was lifted directly out of X-Men #1. There is some clear inspiration from each era, which even leads to hilarious moments like Nick Fury running around with 70,000 pouches all over him.
The characters somehow also wear their appropriate costumes with designs sometimes changing by the page. It’s a great way to keep appraised of which eras the book takes place in, as the constantly updating costumes are always a key indicator. The attention to detail shows just how much Piskor really cared about honoring the franchise’s past.
While this could easily have appeared to be a book for children, it is genuinely horrifying at times. Jean’s evolution into the Phoenix is much slower than it would otherwise be, and the page is as harrowing as it is stunning.
Skulls and melting faces constantly appear splattered through the pages. They emphasize the struggle that the X-Men face and clarify just how high the stakes are, despite appearing to be an otherwise light-hearted story.
Marvel Comics
What no reader should expect is for X-Men: Grand Design to go too far into the details of a storyline. The twist at the end means that one arc is explained completely, but it otherwise only has the chance to gloss over storylines. Some, like Magneto’s Headmaster era, are excluded entirely, despite being fairly definitive for the X-Men and Magneto himself.
The book also occasionally finds itself clinging too tightly to some elements. The Phoenix, for instance, feels like too much of a driving force. Its influence on the narrative takes away the agency of the team and makes their ignorance of the Phoenix’s power feel more like stupidity than ignorance.
X-Men: Grand Design accomplishes everything that it hopes to. It serves as a quick summary that is a perfect tool to introduce new readers to the X-Men franchise. The art is classic and brilliant, the story weaves in personal conflict with overarching threats, and every character gets a chance to shine. There are few flaws with this omnibus, and it is absolutely worth buying.
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