Wednesday, December 22, 2004

X-citing Holiday Cheer: X-Men #165

When most people think of the holidays, they think of family, food, charity, and mutants. Well, maybe only folks who live in the Marvel Universe, or near nuclear power plants, think of mutants. But really, who doesn't love mutants?

X-Men #165 , by Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca, is a great holiday treat for comics fans who don't feel like watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for the 1000th time. It is a stand-alone issue that takes a look at how the members of the X-tended X-Men family celebrate the most festive season of the year.

The best X-Men stories are always the ones that keep things small. Just stories about life around the X-mansion. In this issue, the X-People come to the rescue at the scene of a traffic accident, help out at a hospice, have a holiday party, and even X-change a few gifts. All in the spirit of good holiday fun. (Especially the snowball fight!)

Writer Chris Claremont does a great job of building up the relationships between characters in this issue. Some new members of the X-Family are fleshed out, and relationships between the old guys are developed. And Larroca is a heck of a mutant artist.

If you are in the mood for some holiday fun with everyone's favorite oppressed muties, you can't go wrong with X-Men #165. The hilarious holiday-themed cover alone is worth the price of admission. (Though Emma Frost's snow-gear seems sadly lacking in the warmth department.) Try out a taste of mutant holiday cheer and pick up Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week: X-Men #165. It's X-citing!

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