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If you are reading this book post 1995, It will be hard to appreciate the impact it has had on Science Fiction, and Story telling in general. One wouldnt stray very far from a similar analogy of reading Edgar Rice Burroughs "A Princess of Mars" story today and exclaiming out loud, "so whats the big deal about this story? Its just a rehash of stories which we have allready read". So many other stories have used the plot point which was first used here, that now this story would seem old, stale, and dated, even though claremont and Byrne were the first to do it.

Chris Claremont and John Byrne tell a story for the ages here. SOme of the story elements are corny, but hey, this is a 80s comic, what do you expect. Other than that, this book set the bar for telling time travel stories, and non linear story telling in particular. It was the first instance of a story in which a protagonist from the future travels back in time to avert a catastrophe in that future. (suddenly the terminator dosent look all that novel & innovative now, does it?)The way this story is told, is absolutely innovative for its time, incorporating non-linear story telling as a device.

Now that I have explained the important position this story holds in Sci-fi, lets answer the main question "But yea it may be the first, but does that necessarily translate into a good read?" Well in this case, its absolutely true. This is one of the best X Men stories ever told, and that goes a long long way in a franchise filled with fantastic stories.

The story begins with a Mature, aged Kitty Pryde in a dystopian future sending her consciousness back in time with a dying Jean Gray's help, to warn her past self about an impending disaster in the future. In the future Kitty Pryde's timeline, the world is ruled by the sentinals, mutants are hunted, most of them are dead, and now the sentinals have their eyes set on all of humanity, since humanity gave rise to mutants in the first place. Now that there are no mutants to eradicate, they are going after the next best thing: Humans.

Future Kitty Pryde wants her past self to avert the killing of Senator Robert Kelly in the past, which is the catalyst for the Government passing a resolution banning all Mutant rights and interning them in Mutant Camps, and activating the sentinals to hunt all mutants who refuse to be interned in the concentration camps. This results in all kinds of mayhems, and the XMen and the brotherhood of mutants uniting in the fight against the sentinels.

This comic book storyline has it all: OOdles of pathos, great action and fight scenes, and above all, It showcases the man behind the mask that is The Wolverine. It shows just how vulnerable he is, even though he is ultimately invincible. The story telling itself is quite novel and nuanced for a format like a comic book, and might surprise prudes who dont think of comic books as an art medium.

Overall, If you like intelligent story telling, coupled with great humour, heart, and all the ideals which form the basis of comic book superheroes, this is one of the finest story you will read. Do yourself a favour, and pick this story up immediately.