Uncanny X-Men: First Class, Volume 2: Knights of Hykon

   The First Class adventures of the Uncanny X-Men come to a close in this digest volume. The mystery of the people on the surface of the sun is solved when the self-proclaimed Knights of Hykon arrive on the planet earth seeking to make it their personal war games arena. The X-Men are caught in the middle of two warring factions that have a tendency of destroying the venues they play in. Once the Knights are finally disposed of, secrets about Jean Grey's new Phoenix powers will be revealed and the team will be left in tatters.

    The following story is a sequel to a two-part story first published in two issues of Uncanny X-Men from 1978 (and it's reprinted in this volume as well.) In the new tale, Banshee returns to his native Ireland and his ancestral castle after a dear friend is found dead in the family library. The deceased, which happens to be a leprechaun, is believed to have committed suicide. But former Interpol agent Banshee thinks foul play is involved. Along with Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, the Irish X-Man will conduct an investigation that will explore the vast annals of Irish folklore and magic.

  UXM: First Class finished quite strongly in my mind. But like I mentioned in my review of volume 1, I think the series focus on Banshee, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, as opposed to more popular characters such as Storm and Wolverine, was the nail in this comic's coffin. The stories were extremely well written and the art was fantastic. The Chris Claremont/ Dave Cockrum classic tale was also excellently well done. And why wouldn't it?! Those guys are masters of their craft. I just hate that that story ended with a darn cliffhanger.

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.