@deaditegonzo: The Book focuses on the relationship between Cyke and his 'generals' so to speak (emma and mags)... it doesn't intensely focus on Cyke, but it definitely builds itself around Cyclops. He's awesome and was right (bound to stir some shit up =D)

@deaditegonzo: The Book focuses on the relationship between Cyke and his 'generals' so to speak (emma and mags)... it doesn't intensely focus on Cyke, but it definitely builds itself around Cyclops. He's awesome and was right (bound to stir some shit up =D)

@knighthood: To each their own i guess man ^_^. I agree, his Gen X work is definitely better than his current works (WatXM and Uncanny), and i think the reason for that is the colouring. It use to be bright and edgy, now it seems so dull and bland...

@knighthood: the backups are from the first 44 issues of Classic X-Men (before it became X-men Classic). The stories mostly revolve around what the X-men were doing between the missions of the reprinted stories; for example, the backup for the first issue takes place the night that the old and new X-men return from Krakoa, and examines the tensions between the two groups that leads to the original members leaving in the next issue.

If you're already familiar with the X-men of the late 70's, you probably have realized just how little down-time the team had in those days (when the team was still mostly a fairly traditional superhero group), at times being away for several missions at a time before eventually even getting to go home. These backups really help flesh out the characters and the relationships between them that may have only been loosely implied in the original stories.

In my mind, the backup stories are as good, if not better, than the feature stories being reprinted. The art in them is rarely anything special, but the characterization that Claremont would become famous for in the 80's (when Classic X-men also started) is in full force here, giving us a reason to really identify with the characters beyond their colorful adventures. Though they weren't printed until the mid 80's, these are probably my favorite X-men stories of the 70's.

So, basically, yeah, if you can find them for not too much, I'd definitely recommend picking them up, even above getting the originals or trade reprints of that era.

One of my personal favorites is the Big Dare!, from Classic X-Men #4 - Night of the Demon!, which shows, chronologically, the beginnings of Nightcrawler and Wolverine's legendary friendship. Just amazing stuff.