Stephen's Reviews > Essential X-Men, Vol. 2

I read comics for YEARS after these issues came out, just on the off chance I could find art matching Byrne's wonderful masterwork as represented herein. It was rare that I found something by any artist as professionally polished as the work Byrne did here.

Today Byrne's work looks like he doesn't bother to pencil anything, just grabs the bevel-edged marker and goes to town, and some fans still like his new stuff. But the art is this book was the good stuff -- thin dip-pen lines, great expressive anatomy, attention to detail by an artist who was hungry to make his mark in comics...and did.

Since pretty much everyone has seen an X-Men movie by now, this book is a great launching point because you can pick one of these up and figure out who's who in no time flat. If you aren't crazy about the story or the art, comics probably aren't for you.