This is an emblematic story for the X-Men. It set a new level of sophistication for all other comics to follow if they wanted to play in the big leagues. I’m sure this story arc not only built the careers of Claremont and Byrne, it also influenced countless other writers and artists in the field. This story made the X-Men one of the most read comics in history. It surely impacted me as I read this series in my late teens.
The X-men characters where being developed consistently in previous issues of the X-Men (Vol 1) culminating in the dramatic conclusion of one of the main characters, Jean Grey, in what can only be described as the most romantic interlude that I had encountered in comics at that time. Reading this TPB again brought some of that teen age nostalgia and validated my purchase of this book since I no longer had the comics of my youth.
Many critics have had their take on this story arc, mine is simply remembering the good that these two artists brought to a youthful audience in the early eighties and has withstood time so well; making this one a classic comic for all time.