Product Description

Today, the whole world knows him as Magneto, the most radical champion of mutant rights that mankind has ever seen. But in 1935, he was just another schoolboy - who happened to be Jewish in Nazi Germany. The definitive origin story of one of Marvel's greatest icons begins with a silver chain and a crush on a girl - and quickly turns into a harrowing struggle for survival against the inexorable machinery of Hitler's Final Solution From X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong writer Greg Pak and award-winning artist Carmine Di Giandomenico. Collects X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #231210 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 152 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780785138235
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
It takes a lot of nerve to use the Holocaust as setting for a superhero story, but villain/antihero Magneto's background requires it, and the story by Pak and DiGiandomenico carries out the idea with respect. The boy who would become Magneto is Max Eisenhardt, smart and athletic, living with his family in Germany in 1935. He watches in horror as the Germans invade Poland, prompting his family to flee; he sees them killed, like thousands of others; he takes his place as a worker in a concentration camp. But all the while, it nags at him that he should be fighting back, and his father's admonition to wait for the moment, a time when everything lines up, when anything is possible, when suddenly you can make things happen rings in his head, as does the face of the girl he has always loved, a girl who has ended up in a Gypsy camp, fated for extermination. This is an inherently powerful story, handled with grace and care, delivered in a haunting, painterly style—and filled with historical information and context. Extensive back pages include a teacher's guide to using this series in the classroom. (June)
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Customer Reviews

A storry full of emotion
remember all those Marvel comics fill of 20 pages of fighting and 6 pages of conversation... well Magneto: Testament is nothing like that. Marvel has done a great job creating its best origin story ever. Fill with emotions this story tells the life story of young Magneto starting from the 1937, and gets us through to the World War II through the eyes of Max (Magneto). By reading this historic story based on facts you can understand the hatred of Magneto towards humanity. But what is more important u will see the caring person he was before.
The HC edition its a must have. When u done reading the story you can read the facts behind it, the history, and the choices about the character of Magneto. The red cover with imprinted black letters will b the best thing in ur collection even compared to books.
This may be consider a spoiler by some: The best thing about this story for me was the fact there arent any usage of -supper-powers.

Brilliant Origin Story of a Great Marvel Character
A subperb example of expanding a super hero character's origin story. Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico have done an epic job. They manage to tell Magneto's story, remain true to most of the existing continuity, and maintain historical accuracy. This is a moving and important account of a Jewish boy's coming of age during the Nazi era in Germany, and the story of survival in Auschwitz. But more, this story shows us how the young Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) survived in Auschwitz, working in the Sonderkommando, which reveals much about the character's later history as Magneto. The writing and art are first rate. The coloring is excellent as well. The book contains a true Holocaust story -- that of Dina Babbitt, called "The Last Outrage" and a teacher's guide for Holocaust studies in the classroom.

Magneto is one of Marvel's most important and sophisticated characters. Despite repeated depictions in the comics (in recent years) that are flat, one-dimensional, and uninspired, (usually due to the writer not wanting to address the full complexity of Magneto's psychology and history), Magneto remains one of the best adversaries in comic book history precisely because of his Holocaust and World War II backstory. This character was a good man who became a costumed "villain" to protect his mutant people. Magneto spent most of his life trying to play by the rules, trying to forget his past. He started out as a heroic and well-intentioned boy, growing up in a loving family -- but a family increasingly beset and attacked by Nazi-inspired hatred and violence. MAGNETO TESTAMENT depicts a part of this journey of the character, from the years 1935 to 1944, with a coda from 1948 at the end.

I highly recommend this book, for fans of the comic book character, fans of the movie version of Magneto, and for anyone interested in a graphic novel about the Holocaust, for either reading or teaching others.

A Masterpiece Origin for the Master if Magnetism
Words never suffice to describe the pain of the victims of WWII, but this collaboration by Pak and Di Giandomenico truly reaches your heart. As you share in young Max's (Magneto) anguish and hate for the Nazis, and truly understand what drives the infamous villain on his quest against humanity. The art is superb and beffiting of this dark story, the characters nothing short of martyrs and demons, testament of the quality of the Marvel Knights brand. A story for the ages and that I hope makes it's way to the X men Origins: Magneto film.