Sometimes however, that very same quality can prove to be an irritation, especially for the casual reader that doesn’t make it out to the shops religiously. For those readers there are collected editions of various storylines, but really the only thing better than a collection of a five or six issue run is an Omnibus. Published by Dark Horse, Omnibus’ are sold in volumes and they collect massive amounts of content for a reasonable price. The ‘X’ Omnibus was the first one I plowed through, and I’m really glad I did.

The ‘X’ Omnibus contains fifteen issues of dark and gritty revenge with a dash of twisted justice. I had never read an ‘X’ title before the Omnibus which made the experience all the more special. Trust me the Omnibus is the perfect gift for the casual reader. The book is roughly the size of a standard novel, with about 300 pages of comic goodness, and a great cover image by Frank Miller.

As far as the character goes, ‘X’ leaves a lot to be desired. The idea of an ‘evil’ Batman is kind of cool, but despite 15 issues packed into one I still don’t really know much about him as a character. Usually this would be a big issue for me, but the supporting characters and events that take place in the book make up for the overly mysterious hero.

While the book is violent and bloody, all the action works and rarely seems over the top. Instead the book has a cinematic quality that makes ‘X’ seem more accessible. The writing also takes advantage of the fact that you don’t know much about ‘X’ to pull off a number of surprises throughout the story. The artwork is consistent throughout, which is no guarantee when multiple artists are involved. ‘X’ came across as larger than life and scary as all get out just like the writers intended.

In the end this review is about giving - give this Omnibus to a friend who likes comics but isn’t really reading with any regularity. They can read it like a novel, a bit at a time. Not only is the ‘X’ Omnibus available, but be on the lookout for Star Wars Omnibus as well as Alien and Predator Omnibus.