tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post145823948929816834..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Uncanny X-Men #294Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-21356786603508676072017-03-14T16:56:39.429-05:002017-03-14T16:56:39.429-05:00I utterly loathe the title and it has nothing to d...<br>I utterly loathe the title and it has nothing to do with any poetic or operatic pretensions. “X-Cutioner” just makes no sense. “X-Terminators” was a contextually stupid name but, that aside, it technically works as a pun: “terminators” is a word in and of itself; “X” is the acknowledged in-universe prefix for mutant stuff; “exterminators” is also a word. “X-Tinction Agenda” still bugs me from a grammatical and typographical perspective — I’d much, much, much rather see it written as “Extinction Agenda” with the X simply highlighted in the logo’s graphic design — and the same goes for, say, “X-Ternal”, but at least “extinction” and “external” are still words. “X-Cutioner” obviously plays off of “executioner” but it <i>has an entire syllable missing</i>.<br /><br /><i>// Terry Austin, returning to the series //</i><br /><br />And really laying on that era’s Image aesthetic with all the slashy lines. Whether they were there in the pencils or added by Austin (either on his own initiative or via editorial request for that style), I would not have pegged this as his work absent printed credits.<br /><br>Blam (Alternate)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13835504951936606019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-10713009347603995262017-03-11T23:57:31.263-06:002017-03-11T23:57:31.263-06:00// Brandon Petersen takes over as the new regular ...<br><i>// Brandon Petersen takes over as the new regular penciler of the series with this issue //</i><br /><br />I’m surprised he even did six in a row, whether he was supposed to be the official regular penciler or not — and Cerebro above suggests "not" — purely based on my recollection of an odd running joke in <i>Wizard</i> in the early-to-mid ’90s about Petersen never actually getting a regular gig.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-28316910623647628932017-03-11T19:34:39.869-06:002017-03-11T19:34:39.869-06:00Do we have an explanation for why Excalibur was (a...Do we have an explanation for why Excalibur was (again) ignored by a X-crossover?Licínio Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12545823888354348526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-29421768432287503552017-03-11T09:49:41.146-06:002017-03-11T09:49:41.146-06:00>> "Brandon Petersen takes over as the ...>> "Brandon Petersen takes over as the new regular penciler of the series with this issue, though he'll only last until issue #299, so I'm not sure if he was intended to be the new artist and just left early, or if he was always scheduled to just do six issues before John Romita Jr.'s return"<br /><br />It's my understanding that Brandon Peterson's run was, always, meant to be an interim one. I remember buying an issue of PREVIEWS (probably, from a couple months prior to the crossover) that had a promo article hyping all the new artists taking over the X-books in the wake of the Image Exodus. The article, specifically, mentioned that John Romita Jr. was lined up as the next, regular, artist in UNCANNY X-MEN following a CABLE mini-series (both true). Brandon Peterson was announced as only doing a brief run on UNCANNY before moving over to WOLVERINE. Obviously, Peterson never did WOLVERINE. I think, around that time, he might've been swiped up by Marc Silvestri's Image studio to draw a CYBERFORCE spin-off, if memory serves. The article, also, announced (to me, at least) new X-MEN artist Andy Kubert, new X-FORCE artist Greg Capullo, and new X-FACTOR artist Joe Quesada.Cerebronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-27155498288259105262017-03-09T18:16:41.817-06:002017-03-09T18:16:41.817-06:00And now I'm thinking that Archangel is a jerk,...And now I'm thinking that Archangel is a jerk, because he dumps Charlotte Jones off-scene and starts a relationship with Psylocke. <br /><br />About Rogue's outfit: unintentionally, is it ressonating her various outfits during the confront against Shadow King?Cesar R. Pontualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06375109987794647615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-37793294884067556852017-03-09T14:03:35.992-06:002017-03-09T14:03:35.992-06:00Teebore -- "Ha! Now that you mention it, I se...Teebore -- "<b>Ha! Now that you mention it, I see it too. Which is funny just because I've always had an affection for both, as the respective leaders of their organization who get a bad rap for being overly bland and authoritarian. :)</b>"<br /><br />I'm the same way. I have pretty boring tastes, I guess. My favorite X-Man is Cyclops, my favorite Avenger is Captain America, my favorite Joe is Duke, my favorite Autobot is Optimus Prime, etc. I tend to favor upstanding squares (though my favorite JLAer and DC character in general is Batman).Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-5245565102028666432017-03-09T14:01:48.734-06:002017-03-09T14:01:48.734-06:00Jason, I'm reading your words, but all I'm...Jason, I'm reading your words, but all I'm seeing is your latest plot to conquer Eternia.<br /><br />Kidding. I'm wondering if I'm more forgiving of "Song" because I never read X-FORCE (or, for that matter as noted above, <b>any</b> of the X-books up to this point), so I was coming in with no preconceptions or expectations. And from that point of view, by the story's end, I had gleaned from Stryfe's oblique rambling that he was Cyclops' son and that Cable was his clone. The Sinister stuff as well didn't bug me that much since all I knew of him thus far was what I'd read in my friend's "Inferno" issues. Again, based on Stryfe's monologues, I was able to glean that he had provided Sinister with his <b>own</b> DNA. The fact that Sinister wanted it even though he already had Cyclops just said to me that Stryfe had some different strain or something.<br /><br />At least, that's the best I can come up with based on twenty-plus year-old memories of reading the thing for the first time. I probably did fill in some blanks in my head later on as I learned more. Notably, as Teebore suggests (is it still acceptable to call you that, by the way?), I eventually figured that Sinister had long had access to Cyclops' DNA from the orphanage days, so he must want the Stryfe/Cable stuff to see how little Nathan had turned out. You're right, though, that nothing in the story supports that theory.<br /><br />I have to admit that I liked the bit with Apocalypse curing Xavier while Archangel stood by, which is odd because it's an example of one my most-hated tropes in TV writing -- one character could easily defuse a situation by speaking up but chooses not to for drama's sake. The part with the virus not consuming Xavier never bugged me that much. It's not like techno-viruses exist in real life, after all.<br /><br />I do feel there are some missed opportunities throughout "Song", but I maintain that it's superior to most of the other nineties X-events (though like Teebore I appreciate bits and pieces of the later ones and I love many of them for nostalgia's sake even if they're not great stories). I generally think "Song" is also better than "X-Tinction Agenda" and "Fall of the Mutants", and about equal to "Inferno" and "Mutant Massacre" in terms of quality and execution.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-91285489943111388262017-03-09T11:03:28.508-06:002017-03-09T11:03:28.508-06:00@Teemu: I'm fairly sure the "Summers Chil...@Teemu: I'm fairly sure the "Summers Child as Sinister's weapon against Apcaolypse" idea came about via "Age of Apocalypse", when that Sinister explicitly created Nate Grey as a weapon against Apocalypse. And then later that all got codified in THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS & PHOENIX, when it was shown how the "main" Sinister was connected to Apoclaypse. <br /><br />Around the same time (and possibly a little bit before) the idea of Cable having a destiny tied to Apocalypse (ie the two are meant to fight one another in some big final battle) was being floated around, and that then tied back in with Sinister's motivations for creating Cable. <br /><br />Of course, Stryfe's grudge against Apocalypse is tied directly to X-FACTOR #68; clone or not, he's got a grudge against the guy who infected him as a kid and got him tossed into the future, away from his family. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-11167184438440505652017-03-09T10:13:56.953-06:002017-03-09T10:13:56.953-06:00Sinister's whole deal is that he engineered th...<i>Sinister's whole deal is that he engineered the birth of Cyclops' son, and in this story he's palling around with Stryfe, who IS the guy he engineered (or that was the intent at this point).</i><br /><br />I don't know at which point the Summers/Grey child as a weapon against Apocalypse thing came to the forefront, but Stryfe sure is angsting against Poc at this point already. X-FACTOR #68 is enough for legit grievance though. Maybe the Sinister/Poc retcon came to answer this issue: Stryfe is kind of fulfilling his (retcon-)intended role.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-64867123781710592632017-03-09T09:54:22.552-06:002017-03-09T09:54:22.552-06:00I... always just took it like they had no shame i...I... always just took it like they had no shame in intentionally making it a big mutant opera and owning it up with a wink with the "Overture" and "Crescendo" and whatsthere. :D<br /><br />I could hardly complain after previously sucking up the Dantesque "Inferno"... the beauty of which title I only now realize, with Belasco, Illyana's sorcerous teacher having had an existing Dante backstory.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-76583152021515213252017-03-09T09:47:41.549-06:002017-03-09T09:47:41.549-06:00Oh and this is loads better than the Muir Island S...Oh and this is loads better than the Muir Island Saga.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-69352720050280637852017-03-09T09:46:28.713-06:002017-03-09T09:46:28.713-06:00Age of Apocalypse is the best Post-Claremont mater...Age of Apocalypse is the best Post-Claremont material until Morrison gets on the books. I think if we're comparing X-Cutioner's to Claremont era crossovers, it has better art than 2/3 of X-Tinction Agenda, which I feel like should count for something. X-Cutioner's also feels a little more personal to the characters whereas X-Tinction felt more like "Let's just get the band back together." But as always, YMMV.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-2301493565092965512017-03-09T09:30:42.914-06:002017-03-09T09:30:42.914-06:00" Basically, if he wanted Summers DNA all alo..." Basically, if he wanted Summers DNA all along so he could make Cable, well, he's done that, and now he wants to examine the fruits of his labor? So having Cyclops around is irrelevant; he's gotten what he needs from that. Now he wants the next gen stuff. "<br /><br />That's a good idea, but yeah, it's not in there. And it speaks to the fact that the creators didn't think this through very well. Maybe later stories exploited the connections more, but you're right ... Sinister's whole deal is that he engineered the birth of Cyclops' son, and in this story he's palling around with Stryfe, who IS the guy he engineered (or that was the intent at this point). Lots of potential for dramatic irony there, none of which is actually present.<br /><br />I should say as well, in reference to Matt's point about "X-Cutioner" being better than crossovers that came after ... I certainly would never argue with you on that, Matt. (Granted, it's because I have not read any of the crossovers post-Cutioner ... but still, I believe you.)<br /><br />As for crossovers that preceded it ... "Inferno" is sprawling but it does resolve a lot of mysteries and end a lot of long-standing plot threads in a very climactic way. X-Tinction is a solid payoff to the "X-Men disbanded" arc. "Fall" ... does Fall even count? :) <br /><br />"Massacre" is definitely not as tight as X-Cutioner's, but it has a lot of dramatic impact. What else is there? "Days of Future Present"? Well ... that one at least is short. :) Also I like that one because they let Claremont be the one to land the plane. (Most of the other crossovers from those days, it was Claremont who wrote the opening and then Louise wrote the ending.)<br /><br />Anyway, none of the above is meant to be argumentative ... Really it just got me thinking about how I (and y'all) would rank the X-crossovers that have been covered thus far ... <br /><br />Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-47209716797335863762017-03-09T09:18:46.647-06:002017-03-09T09:18:46.647-06:00@Jeff: I know reversing the Cable/Stryfe identity ...@Jeff: I know reversing the Cable/Stryfe identity thing was a last minute change, but I don't know when, exactly, that decision was made. Because you're right: this story is definitely written to make you think Stryfe is the original. I just have no idea if that's an intentional feint, or an accidental one that came about because the decision was made to reverse them after all (or most) of this was written. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-39638101809330108512017-03-09T09:12:17.934-06:002017-03-09T09:12:17.934-06:00I actually think the crossover works because of al...I actually think the crossover works because of all the character interactions. The X-Men finally confronting X-Force really is momentous and I like how Nicieza makes it kind of sad as well. Also, I still think the Wolverine, Cable and Bishop missions are a lot of fun even if it's in a 90s overload way. As a kid, the Stryfe non-reveal didn't bother me so badly, since it's basically stated outright, although it's kind of lame that the hints were for the reverse of the whole real/clone thing. <br /><br />The Summers DNA thing is really dumb though. Although as of Inferno it seems like Sinister should already have Grey and Summers DNA and he still couldn't make a baby Cable himself so who knows. This was my first exposure to Sinister and I loved his design enough to overlook that stuff. I also love how David has him break the 4th wall next issue.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-67083099031633134952017-03-09T08:48:55.528-06:002017-03-09T08:48:55.528-06:00Ha! Ha! Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-1247392589929811362017-03-09T08:48:47.868-06:002017-03-09T08:48:47.868-06:00Good catch on Caliban; I'd forgotten that deta...Good catch on Caliban; I'd forgotten that detail. <br /><br /><i>This might have been the result of questions about a Marvel Fanfare story where Archangel offers to make sure that a boy's cancer treatment is paid for.</i><br /><br />Or possibly Lobdell wanting to leave that door open, since having a rich guy on your team makes things easier for writers sometimes. Certainly, Warren will be back to being a full-fledged rich guy before too long. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-69642902470428130502017-03-09T08:46:57.286-06:002017-03-09T08:46:57.286-06:00Yeah, I'm just not sure how the music theme ti...Yeah, I'm just not sure how the music theme ties into the story. Like, if they came up with the title, then named the chapters accordingly, great, but why the music-themed title in the first place? <br /><br />Or if they looked at the chapter titles, then gave it a suitable title, fine, but why title the chapters like that then? <br /><br />I mean, it's not like Dazzler is the focus of this story. Is Stryfe a singer? Does he fancy himself a musician? Is it just because the first chapter has him shooting Xavier ("executioner") at a concert (song)? <br /><br />I mean, "X-Tinction Agenda" is pretty vague as a title, but at the end of the day, it's clear it's titled that because the story is about Hodge, who wants to destroy all mutants aka has an "extinction agenda" towards mutants, attacking the X-Men. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42258524291225884382017-03-09T08:34:50.648-06:002017-03-09T08:34:50.648-06:00I've always taken it that Jean's revelatio...I've always taken it that Jean's revelation made him happy, in that, he knows he's entirely free of Apocalypse's control. <br /><br />Though as Teemu points out, there's plenty of Archangel angst ahead, so this could just be him trying to have a nice night out and ignore his problems for a bit. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-81889144260448944932017-03-09T08:33:11.109-06:002017-03-09T08:33:11.109-06:00Oh, good catch on the Claremontism!
I don't ...Oh, good catch on the Claremontism! <br /><br />I don't dislike Petersen's art here, but it's definitely my least favorite of the four artists who work on this story. <br /><br />I think this is fairly early in his career (it's certainly the first time he's popped up on an X-book); his later work gets much sharper. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-77391726290278976102017-03-09T08:29:34.753-06:002017-03-09T08:29:34.753-06:00@Matt: Even in retrospect, looking back at it as ...@Matt: <i> Even in retrospect, looking back at it as objectively as I can, I think it's stronger than most of the ones that came after it and a few that preceded it as well.</i><br /><br />Yeah, me too. I mean "X-Tinction Agenda" is fun, and reading it as the culmination of the "Dissolution Era", it's nice to see the band back together. But roughly 2/3 of its issues are not...very good, in one way or another. <br /><br />I always have a hard time ranking "Onslaught", and I'd put AoA ahead of this, but I'll take this over "Zero Tolerance" any day, and pretty much all of "Phalanx Covenant" outside of the UNCANNY/X-MEN portion of the story. There's parts of "Fatal Attractions" I really like, others I don't, but that's not really a crossover in the true sense anyway. <br /><br /><i>Reminds me of the various G.I. JOE TV miniseries, where Duke would always get captured and have a parallel story running alongside the main plot.</i><br /><br />Ha! Now that you mention it, I see it too. Which is funny just because I've always had an affection for both, as the respective leaders of their organization who get a bad rap for being overly bland and authoritarian. :)<br /><br />@Jason: <i>So I would respectfully disagree with your "it accomplishes its mission" assessment. :)</i><br /><br />I don't want to step on the toes of my upcoming reviews too much, but I'll just say that while that may have been its main mission (which it did indeed fail to accomplish, spectacularly), it's not its only mission, and it accomplished the others better. <br /><br />I do think if you separate the story from its marketing, it works much better. In a vacuum, without that year build-up and promises of payoffs that never come, this still (mostly) holds together. I think anyone reading it today for the first time, without Marvel crowing in their ear all the time that it's going to ANSWER EVERYTHING and knowing that anything it was going to answer, has by now been answered elsewhere, would be able to enjoy it. They may not love it, but I think that specific criticism of it not fulfilling its promise (which it absolutely doesn't) is tied to a very specific time, and if you read it outside of that time (or, like me, were just a dumb kid who swallowed whatever marketing told you and then just assumed not answering anything was part of the plan all along) its sins are less egregious. <br /><br /><i>Mr. Sinister kidnaps Scott Summers in part 2 or whatever issue it is, then trades him away to Stryfe in exchange for ... revealed in part 9 ..."Summers genetic material." WHAT?</i><br /><br />That is without a doubt the biggest plot hole in this thing, and a bigger problem for me than the whole "not answering who Cable & Stryfe are" thing. I guess the idea is that Sinister wants future Summers DNA, or a wider sample of it (I think he says something at some point about it being, like, DNA from all the Summers or something). Basically, if he wanted Summers DNA all along so he could make Cable, well, he's done that, and now he wants to examine the fruits of his labor? So having Cyclops around is irrelevant; he's gotten what he needs from that. Now he wants the next gen stuff. <br /><br />But if any of that is the case, the story definitely needed to make it more clear, in-story. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-68234283638752906582017-03-09T07:56:34.030-06:002017-03-09T07:56:34.030-06:00If Bishop is supposed to be wearing camo pants in ...If Bishop is supposed to be wearing camo pants in the concert, then that's the biggest singular artistic failure of the X-Men of the 90's. Yes, including Liefeld.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-63530963995665306332017-03-09T06:51:45.225-06:002017-03-09T06:51:45.225-06:00"He also says that Caliban is the name Callis..."He also says that Caliban is the name Callisto gave him, and never during his time with X-Factor (during Louise Simonson's run) did anyone ask what his real name" Which contradicts X-Men 148, when he explains that his father named him for a monster.<br /> Note that Lobdell states that Warren only lost "most" of his fortune. This might have been the result of questions about a Marvel Fanfare story where Archangel offers to make sure that a boy's cancer treatment is paid for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-56854049617221388232017-03-09T01:23:32.606-06:002017-03-09T01:23:32.606-06:00finally *make me* give up, that final sentence sho...finally *make me* give up, that final sentence should say.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-66106979257603161582017-03-09T01:23:10.923-06:002017-03-09T01:23:10.923-06:00"I've never quite understood why. As X-cr..."I've never quite understood why. As X-crossovers go, I tend to think of "X-Cutioner's Song" as one of the stronger ones. Even in retrospect, looking back at it as objectively as I can, I think it's stronger than most of the ones that came after it and a few that preceded it as well. It has a mission and it accomplishes that mission very well. I suspect those who don't like it aren't on board with its very concept."<br /><br />Well, I can answer that. :)<br /><br />A year of build-up of teasing the identity reveal for Cable and Stryfe, and then this crossover gives us issue after issue of Stryfe teasing his identity to Scott and Jean ... and in the end? No payoff. No revelations, no explanations, nothing. There's not even a suitably satisfying conclusion to Cable vs. Stryfe. They both disappear? Seriously? So I would respectfully disagree with your "it accomplishes its mission" assessment. :) (This was happening in parallel to the increasingly manipulative material in Wolverine, stretching out and teasing revelations every month only to pull the rug out with "memory implant" garbage.)<br /><br />Mr. Sinister kidnaps Scott Summers in part 2 or whatever issue it is, then trades him away to Stryfe in exchange for ... revealed in part 9 ..."Summers genetic material." WHAT?<br /><br />I also remember being annoyed at the fake-drama/dorky-psuedo-science when Apocalypse cures Xavier. The whole fake out ("He's making the virus stronger!") with Archangel not letting the other X-Men interfere, is so transparent and forced, and the whole explanation ("he made the virus powerful so it would burn itself out!") is some of the lamest psuedoscience ever. Why didn't it consume Xavier while it was burning itself out?<br /><br />That said, my disappointment all happened at the end, in the final third or so. I remember liking this opening chapter a lot, and pretty much everything in the first six chapters had me fairly engaged. <br /><br />Only later did it start to wear me down, with the last issue being the one to finally give up.<br />Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.com