<p><i>X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe</i> tells the story of this unique band of comic book heroes from their creation in 1963 by the dream team of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, through their late 1970s re-emergence as a platform for socially and politically relevant storytelling, and up to the present as one of the globe's hottest franchises. </p><p>This colorful, lavishly illustrated volume also traces how the characters have been adapted into the media of television and film, including the ground-breaking 1992 animated series and the blockbuster feature films, including <i>X-Men III: The Final Stand</i>, released in May of 2006. </p><p>For fans of the comic books, this volume also provides a unique one-source catalogue of every major character that appeared from 1963 to the present, including all the various teamings of characters, the significant comic book series, the various character relationships and evolutions, and the classic storylines that have all woven together over the decades to create the dazzlingly complex and fascinating tapestry of the world of mutants.</p><p><i>X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe</i> is a book that no fan of Marvel Comics, of super heroics, of animation and action adventure filmmaking, even of popular culture of the late 20th century itself, will want to be without.</p>