tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1688651724882724023..comments2024-03-22T04:20:11.870-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Uncanny X-Men #170Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-28405073843745510662023-06-20T11:32:25.034-05:002023-06-20T11:32:25.034-05:00It should be noted that Nightcrawler is making a &...It should be noted that Nightcrawler is making a "know them by their deeds" speech. Just...something to keep in mind when we get to X-Factor.Jon Dubyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783906806644566810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-22165794821067005792021-05-10T13:07:31.974-05:002021-05-10T13:07:31.974-05:00I know I'm about 100 years too late, but I jus...I know I'm about 100 years too late, but I just found this blog and now I'm obsessed. A couple of thoughts:<br /><br />I'm not that bothered by the lukewarm feelings the X-Men show for the Morlocks here. The Morlocks did just kidnap and threaten to maim/kill a few of them. Leaving the long-term care of the Morlocks ambiguous, though, was a mistake. Charles had enough money to offer them aid and the standing offer to relocate individuals who wanted to return to the surface. *If* that happened, we should have at least heard about it.<br /><br />As for Maddie, Claremont seems to want his cake and to eat it, too. I don't know how you get around Maddie being an actual, honest-to-goodness reincarnation of Jean (even if she gets pissed off when you ask her about it). There's "everyone has a doppelganger" and then there's "Jean has a doppelganger who has no past and who conspicuously didn't die at the same moment Jean did die and who coincidentally works for Scott's grandparents and..." I mean, come on.<br /><br />All of that extra baggage for Maddie effectively makes her Jean, especially since she's exactly the Jean Claremont wanted to write after the Dark Phoenix Saga -- simpler, human. In that way, Claremont gets to thumb his nose at Shooter while also playing by his rules. And those "coincidences" make it impossible for Scott to *not* pursue her. How could he not get to the bottom of that mystery? <br /><br />In the end, Maddie's only a blank stand-in for Jean (and therefore a screen for Scott's projections) if she's not Jean. But she is Jean and was always meant to be. Having her reincarnate in a regular, run-of-the-mill way (sort of) instead of the superhero-y way (as Phoenix) gives Claremont plausible deniability, but "coincidence" is not sufficient to explain what's going on.<br /><br />Maddie only fully becomes not-Jean when Jean comes back from the dead. Which, if I were Claremont, would just give me one more reason to be furious about the Jamaica Bay story. He had already written Jean's ending -- not just metaphorically, but literally. But the ambiguity that was necessary to get around Shooter's original decree ended up becoming a loop-hole for others to exploit.<br /><br />Now that I have that off my chest, I'm going to binge-read some more of this awesome content. Thanks for all this great work!<br /><br />-- Thom H.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01140899716464834219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-16096391907458020342018-12-14T13:59:26.186-06:002018-12-14T13:59:26.186-06:00Ahhh, "From the Ashes," issues 168-175 ....Ahhh, "From the Ashes," issues 168-175 .. these are "my X-Men..." I had read and fell in love with Dark Phoenix at age 9 but when I was 12 and could begin collecting comics of my own accord, these issues were being reprinted in X-Men Classic. I love these issues so much.<br /><br />I should note for frame of reference, that the other X-Men title I was reading when I first started was Uncanny, which was at that point running Lobdell's first solo-plotted issues, Bishop having just joined the gold squad. As much as I did enjoy those newer stories, I couldn't wait for THESE reprints each month at the time. So good.Jeff Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-8469222421388246012016-08-01T17:57:23.801-05:002016-08-01T17:57:23.801-05:00Also, Andrew: yeahbutwhat?
I don't remember t...Also, Andrew: yeahbutwhat?<br /><br />I don't remember that. I probably filed it away in the same non-head canon mind folder I do most later X-Men stories. I'll check out that X-Treme annual, though. (Still cringe at that title, by the way.)DBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04094596928780098392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-70094455846219953162016-08-01T17:53:42.816-05:002016-08-01T17:53:42.816-05:00I love Jason's stuff but I don't give too ...I love Jason's stuff but I don't give too much credit to the idea that the X-Men's knowledge of the existence of the Morlocks' plight makes them unethical assholes for a myriad of reasons. Suffice it to say, to me it ranks up there with the hollow hero's "kill or be killed" dilemma. If Storm didn't go for the kill here the X-Men would probably all be sexually assaulted and/or murdered or worse, including Kitty, and the Morlocks would also continue to terrorize other innocents. <br /><br />Except for Caliban, who despite his glimmers of humanity still has trouble realizing that kidnapping and forcing himself onto teenagers is a problem, none of the Morlocks fail to exhibit severely psychotic, antisocial behavior. We're not talking about averge people here, we're talking about violent psychopaths. Could the X-Men have done more? Of course. But taking them in? Suicidal and beyond stupid. Kindergarten ethics. <br /><br />"We want to be ethical so welcome your new roomies, New Mutants, hope you survive the experience!"<br /><br />The good of the many does not always outweigh the good of the few. (Sorry, Mr. Spock.) The mutants at the mansion living in domestic comfort but always thanklessly risking their lives to save the world is a better good. DBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04094596928780098392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-68562087664943308482016-06-20T08:28:08.147-05:002016-06-20T08:28:08.147-05:00In regards to the Phoenix Saga, the behind-the-sce...In regards to the Phoenix Saga, the behind-the-scenes incidents involving the Shadow King remain that way, with no outright mentioning of it in any of the stories themselves. But it's different with #169-175. The Shadow King manipulated Mastermind into invading Mystique's dreams as a part of his/their revenge against her for going against the Hellfire Club during the arms deal with Peter Coelho in (the later published) MS. MARVEL #25. The Shadow King manipulated Rogue into leaving her loved ones and joining the X-Men because he wanted her to be his sleeper agent. He wanted her to absorb and "record" as many powers of as many heroes and villains as she could so he would make the perfect host body. To be his Shadow Queen. The Shadow King also subtly influenced Professor X into accepting Rogue in his school. All this was revealed in X-TREME X-MEN ANNUAL 2001, many years after Claremont's original plans, but he finally wrote the story that was meant for UNCANNY X-MEN #300 in this annual, albeit in a condensed version. This annual also revealed that the Shadow King was manipulating Pierce during his appearances towards the end of Claremont's run, as well as revealing the Shadow King's plans for Gateway and Dreamtime.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-37317072920041005122016-06-20T08:20:25.743-05:002016-06-20T08:20:25.743-05:00Hi, guys! Been reading these reviews for a little ...Hi, guys! Been reading these reviews for a little while and thought I'd comment on something that puzzled you all about this issue. When Destiny speaks of an entity that is operating on fundamental levels of space and time, she is referring to the Shadow King. This is because the Shadow King was controlling Mastermind during this time, as well as during the Dark Phoenix Saga. This is why Mastermind is doing things in both stories that seem beyond both him and the "mind tap" device Emma had given him. The psychic shield that prevents Proteus from taking over Wyngarde's body during that story; Wyngarde somehow pulling Cyclops into the astral plane and nearly killing him; and now during UNCANNY X-MEN #169-175, we have other incidents.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-41934231483208160002012-09-19T13:31:32.384-05:002012-09-19T13:31:32.384-05:00@Nathan: That is, unless later tales of her operat...@Nathan: <i>That is, unless later tales of her operating earlier in time were hinting she was an agent of Landau, Luckman and Lake </i><br /><br />Yeah, if she spent some time traveling through...time, that could definitely explain the discrepancy in her birth year. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-61214497875235589532012-09-18T16:15:45.022-05:002012-09-18T16:15:45.022-05:00Even taking into account the "vagaries of Mar...Even taking into account the "vagaries of Marvel Time", if Claremont was claiming Mystique was born in 1953 this would scrap any suggestions she was Kurt's parent.<br /><br />That is, unless later tales of her operating earlier in time were hinting she was an agent of Landau, Luckman and Lake (such as 1936 in X-Men: True Friends where Logan is likewise shown with his adamantium claws before the Weapon X experiment).Nathan Adlerhttp://fanfix.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-13622832252871509952012-09-17T13:05:56.301-05:002012-09-17T13:05:56.301-05:00@Blam: I keep forgetting to share this, but I thou...@Blam: <i>I keep forgetting to share this, but I thought of you when I read it</i><br /><br />I like it! She really does cut to the core of the appeal of the character. Thanks. <br /><br />@Michael. <i>Honestly, these next few stories ... get me </i>this<i> close to being a Wolverine fanboy. </i><br /><br />Haha! I agree with you there; I've often thought the same thing. <br /><br /><i>The introduction of Punk Storm always gets the attention, but this is the real climax of that subplot </i><br /><br />Agreed there as well. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-69326092475526097172012-09-17T13:00:01.303-05:002012-09-17T13:00:01.303-05:00@Blam: Is she nervous because she's making the...@Blam: <i>Is she nervous because she's making the commitment to stay with him in the name of saving her friends or is she going against her nature and lying to Caliban in the name of saving her friends?</i><br /><br />I've always read the stutter as being brought on by her sick condition, as you suggested, but that could just be because I'm so indoctrinated to the idea of Kitty being perfect that I'm unable to believe Kitty capable of doing something so duplicitous to someone as trusting and naive as Caliban. :) <br /><br /><i>man, she'd be way too young to be Nightcrawler's mom or dad</i><br /><br />Good point. <br /><br /><i>The first time I saw it, I just thought it was slightly racy for the time in terms of the backlighting showing Madelyne's figure through her gown.</i><br /><br />I too noted the potential raciness of it for the era, even while its also a visual Phoenix reference. A lot of it definitely comes from Smith, but there's a certain sexiness to Maddie in these early appearances that shines through some of the more reserved/dated clothes she's wearing (like the dress in this issue). <br /><br /><i> but the bad news is that he often doesn't realize the impact of the seeds he's dropping at the time, and further that he gets easy distracted by other forests he's grown.</i><br /><br />That's a wonderful representation of one of Claremont's biggest flaws.<br /><br /><i> I believe that the idea behind Claremont setting up the Phoenix fakeout with her and resolving it so quickly was exactly so that everyone ... could get that out of the way, establishing a future for Madelyne & Scott without the whole Phoenix thing hanging over everything.</i> <br /><br />That's been my understanding as well. <br /><br /><i>Are you to young to remember that guy in Sha Na Na who looked just like Billy Crystal?</i><br /><br />I'll plead the fifth on that one, though I'll grant that I'm aware of the resemblance. :) <br /><br />There certainly ARE cases of one person bearing an uncanny resemblance to the other, but I question the idea that EVERYONE has a near-doppelganger floating around in the world.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-3055136618161741672012-09-17T12:59:52.455-05:002012-09-17T12:59:52.455-05:00@Dr. Bitz: But those teases needed to lead to some...@Dr. Bitz: <i>But those teases needed to lead to something, in my opinion.</i><br /><br />As we'll see, they *kind of* lead to something, even in Claremont's original intended story, but even then, not every tease can be explained, so your point still stands. <br /><br /><i>Should I be happy if some dude who looks like me wins the lottery?</i><br /><br />It's kind of hard to explain, but I don't think Claremont meant it to be taken that literally within the context of the story. I think he saw it on a more metatextual level, for us looking in. <br /><br />But maybe I'm just projecting, because yeah, the idea that when someone that happens to look like you does good makes you good is patently ridiculous, and I'd like to think Claremont realizes that. But maybe not...<br /><br />@Blam: <i>I really like the sense of place that Smith gives us in that chalet in "Reindeer Falls"</i><br /><br />Me too. Nicely said. <br /><br /><i>You gave us the "what" and it's so dry compared to the "how". It's such a nice scene.</i><br /><br />It really is. Both their scenes are. And if you think my summary was necessarily dry, you should read the one in the Marvel Index. ;) <br /><br /><i>While I love the domestic/romantic sequences, I'm aware that I love them </i>exactly because they're taking place in a superhero comic.<br /><br />Well said once more. <br /><br /><i>Even the latter-day, black-&-white run of Zot!, one of my favorite things in comics ever</i><br /><br />I have a really nice paperback compendium of those issues which came out a few years ago that I really need to get around to reading someday...<br /><br /><i>I think Mystique actually believes that Rogue has been kidnapped, by the way, and that the shot of Rogue simply on a bus out of town is meant to be a revelation to readers that belies that assumption.</i><br /><br />Huh. I don't think I've ever read it that way, but you're totally right, especially when you consider Mystique's next appearance involves her attacking the X-Men believing they are holding Rogue against her will (which I just always read as Mystique being unwilling to let her daughter go, but makes more sense now...). <br /><br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-1877069561996456312012-09-15T23:45:49.910-05:002012-09-15T23:45:49.910-05:00@Teebore - The next two-parter is brilliant. I am ...@Teebore - The next two-parter is brilliant. I am not a great Wolverine fan, but even I'm going to admit the Japan story is hands-down one of the book's top five all-time two-parters.<br /><br />Honestly, these next few stories -- the Wolverine mini, the Japan two-parter, and the immediate aftermath -- get me <i>this</i> close to being a Wolverine fanboy. This is the best the character ever was, as far as I'm concerned.<br /><br />But, despite the excellence of the Japan two-parter, I still enjoy the Morlock story much more. It is simply an excellent self-contained story that touches nicely on existing subplots while setting up new ones...<br /><br />Yes, yes -- The Japan story does all those things as well, and does them excellently. But neither the A plot nor the B plots there measure up the Morlocks story for me. The core group of Morlocks (Callisto, Caliban, Sunder, Masque) grow into some of my all-time favorite supporting characters and recurring villains. Mutant Massacre is wickedly enjoyable. And honestly, this story is the real climax to the evolution of Storm's character from pristine goddess to hardened warrior. The introduction of Punk Storm always gets the attention, but this is the <i>real</i> climax of that subplot -- and, frankly, it's one Claremont's best subplots. And it doesn't hurt that I could look at those Callisto-Storm duel panels all day long.<br /><br />I'll admit that I don't actually have a list of greatest two-parters written down -- but having thought about for a couple days now, I simply can't think of anything better than this one.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03665503542091489778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-68329686035019466952012-09-15T21:41:00.164-05:002012-09-15T21:41:00.164-05:00@Teebore, @Matt — I keep forgetting to share this,...<br>@Teebore, @Matt — I keep forgetting to share this, but I thought of you when I read it: "<a href="http://postcardsfromspace.tumblr.com/post/31075584737/the-cyclops-thing" rel="nofollow">The Cyclops Thing</a>", a blogpost from Scott Summers fan and Dark Horse editor Rachel Edidin. She mentioned in a follow-up post and/or on Twitter that of course the Cyclops she likes isn't always there on the page, as different writers handle him differently, but that's the case throughout comics (and shared-world serial fiction in general); we only stay sane and reasonably happy by discriminating what's in our personal canon.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-64391479256802830162012-09-15T08:15:16.514-05:002012-09-15T08:15:16.514-05:00@Matt: I guess it's just the hair
Ain't t...<br>@Matt: <i>I guess it's just the hair</i><br /><br />Ain't that how most comic-book characters of the standard heroic variety are told apart? If only Maddie had popped up with that kind of hairstyle, the whole lookalike thing would've made more sense from the start, but instead Smith gave her a fairly distinct hairstyle — longish bob, parted in the middle — that's a little more unusual, in comic books at least, and certainly not one that Jean ever had. Even the panel of Maddie looking at the photo of Jean in this issue has me going, "How can you tell that's 'you'?!? She has totally different hair!" <br /><br />@Matt: <i>If I recall correctly, he doesn't even have any dialogue in either part of this story</i><br /><br />He doesn't. But, y'know, good-looking people don't need to open their mouths. Which actually recalls the sort-of (okay, not even sort-of) contradiction in Callisto's designs on him — she, the leader of mutants shunned because they look different due to their mutations and/or, like in her case, are just ugly, feels that she deserves what she deems to be the most handsome man in the world, <i>and</i> she clips the wings that are his own mutant birthright to keep him there. I'm not saying that villains don't contradict themselves all the time, just that I'd have expected some dialogue exposing the hypocrisy.<br /><br />@Dan: <i>Was he going ANYWHERE with this, or was this a rare instance of a plot that was supposed to be taken at face value?</i><br /><br />I don't know if it helps the larger issue of it being hard to swallow that Madelyne was just a normal person identical to Jean with no, um, prior history to the day Jean died, and/or that she turned out to be the so-called Goblin Queen, but I believe that the idea behind Claremont setting up the Phoenix fakeout with her and resolving it so quickly was exactly so that everyone (readers and future storytellers both) could get that out of the way, establishing a future for Madelyne & Scott without the whole Phoenix thing hanging over everything. <br /><br />@Dan: <i>I think the more mature story would have had him, you know, meet someone else, not a creepy doppelganger.</i><br /><br />No argument there from me... I will add, though, that if you throw in the unspoken possibility that she really could've been Jean reincarnated in some way, it makes for a less creepy approach, in terms of the machinations of the universe (and the creative team) providing a modicum of, as Teebore says, a happy ending. I guess I'll also add that having him ride off into the sunset with Lee Forrester, the first ladyfriend he made after Jean's death, would've been too neat as well as likely uncool from a fan perspective, and Maddie's uncanny resemblance to Jean allowed everyone to face the whole spectre of Jean/Phoenix head-on, kind-of like how comic-book characters often literally have to fight their fears in Very Special Issues. <br /><br />@Teebore: <i>Claremont has this whacky idea - and I have no idea how seriously he believes it but I've seen him mention it in several places - that everyone has someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to them somewhere in the world</i><br /><br />Are you to young to remember that guy in Sha Na Na who looked just like Billy Crystal?<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-20314096706223959622012-09-15T08:10:17.236-05:002012-09-15T08:10:17.236-05:00A narrative caption suggests that Mystique was bor...<br><i>A narrative caption suggests that Mystique was born in 1953, and even without taking into account the vagaries of Marvel Time, later stories will suggest she's actually older than that.</i><br /><br />That was weird too. Her dream being set in 1783 and the caption advising us that she wouldn't be born for another 170 years, making her 30 in 1983 at the time this issue was published — man, she'd be way too young to be Nightcrawler's mom <i>or</i> dad, and really too young to be Rogue's adopted mother of more than, oh, 10 years at the outside too.<br /><br /><i>In addition to that bit, there's also some fire imagery dispersed throughout the scenes with Scott and Maddie that are clearly meant to get us thinking about Phoenix.</i><br /><br />I was hoping that you'd use that panel. The first time I saw it, I just thought it was slightly racy for the time in terms of the backlighting showing Madelyne's figure through her gown. Only as I lingered upon it did I get that it's a Phoenix reference. I really have to hand it to the creative team for making it work.<br /><br /><i>Nightcrawler teleports Callisto throughout the Alley in an effort to knock her out, the depiction of which is contained within the letters spelling out the "bamf" sound effect, a neat visual trick.</i><br /><br />I love that for both reasons you mention. Nightcrawler using his teleportation "passive-offensively" by wearing out Callisto without having to actually fight her is really neat.<br /><br /><i>The Morlocks have fled underground because they were all persecuted by humans for being mutants, as most of them were unable to pass as normal once their mutations kicked in.</i><br /><br />For some reason when I read this panel I flash to the "I'm a loner, Dottie" speech from <i>Pee-Wee's Big Adventure</i>, which is not exactly the mood the scene is setting.<br /><br /><i>the elevation of Storm to leadership over the Morlocks puts the X-Men in an awkward position, politically and thematically, one which Claremont likely didn't realize at the time </i><br /><br />He's no stranger to that kind of thing. Just the <i>existence</i> of the Morlocks is a game-changer, though, and would be even if they were limited to the half-dozen or so members I guess Claremont intended. The good news in this situation is that Claremont tends to grow whole forests out of seeds that drop in passing, so he will come back to it, but the bad news is that he often doesn't realize the impact of the seeds he's dropping at the time, and further that he gets easy distracted by other forests he's grown. I realize that saving Kitty's life makes time of the essence; this is a huge effin' deal, however, to introduce into the X-Men mythos (and larger Marvel Universe) simply to have the team head back to he mansion after a two-issue story. <br /><br />All of what you say — in your writeup and in the comments, likewise Matt — is spot-on. Leaving, say, John Proudstar or Sunfire alone to go his own way as a ranch hand or national superhero is one thing, but leaving the Morlocks alone this way is not reflective of Charles Xavier's mission at all. Plus, as we noted last week, if there are Morlocks here there are "Morlocks" everywhere — and we can't expect that they'll all head to New York, so Claremont & Smith have really implicitly exploded the mutant population.<br /><br /><i>Caliban speaks for them all and declines the offer.</i><br /><br />I really want one little Morlock to pop up in the back, saying, "Um, I wouldn't mind a hot meal now and then."<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-72905977268666897752012-09-15T08:04:12.007-05:002012-09-15T08:04:12.007-05:00Kitty promises she'll stay with Caliban in the...<br><i>Kitty promises she'll stay with Caliban in the tunnels if he helps the X-Men</i><br /><br />I haven't read this issue in a long time, and probably haven't read the follow-up that's coming in even longer, so I'm still wondering exactly what the hesitation meant in Kitty's line "Th- that's not true. I'll stay, I promise." It could just be faltering speech due to her illness, but I think that we're meant to take it as nerves over a split-second decision, the question being, Is she nervous because she's making the commitment to stay with him in the name of saving her friends or is she going against her nature and lying to Caliban in the name of saving her friends?<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-47360757233640468892012-09-15T08:01:36.698-05:002012-09-15T08:01:36.698-05:00I really like the sense of place that Smith gives ...<br>I really like the sense of place that Smith gives us in that chalet in "Reindeer Falls". He conveys a cozy little room in small-town Alaska, sure; more to the point, though, he shows us enough in the establishing shot on Pg. 1 that we have a good idea of where the characters are overall — in a spacious room, yet still confined, all the more so given a conversation like the one they end up having — <i>and</i> in relation to one another, in the close-ups.<br /><br /><i>Scott decides to come clean and tell Madelyne about Jean and the shared resemblance between the women. Maddie is initially thrown by the revelation, but decides she likes Scott enough to see where things go.</i><br /><br />I'm aware that you're simply writing a basic synopsis of the plot to set up your analysis, Teebore, so I don't want you to at all take this as me complaining that you're not doing the poetry of the material justice, but I have to point out that this description is exactly why summaries are no substitute for reading the stories themselves. You gave us the "what" and it's so dry compared to the "how". It's such a nice scene.<br /><br />The relationship stuff that bookends this issue's Morlocks plot (and the Mystique/Rogue interlude) is easily my favorite part of it, although Storm <i>does</i> get badass in that fight. It's a funny thing: While I love the domestic/romantic sequences, I'm aware that I love them <i>exactly because they're taking place in a superhero comic</i>. The subplots and grace notes of this sort in <i>X-Men</i> and <i>New Teen Titans</i>, other mainstream titles to a lesser extent as well, were a large part of what made those series so compelling — and yet I wouldn't have wanted all this, all the time; that always felt to me as a "waste" of an anything-goes medium, at least as far as traditional color comic books were concerned. Even the latter-day, black-&-white run of <i>Zot!</i>, one of my favorite things in comics ever, which was mostly relatable teen angst and social awareness, was made all the more thrilling by the fact that the flying, raygun-toting, happy-go-lucky title character came from an otherdimensional Earth where it was always a retro-future version of 1965.<br /><br /><i>Plague manages to infect Storm, forcing Nightcrawler and Colossus to stand down.</i><br /><br />Colossus: <i>"I... yield."</i><br /><br />"That means, sadly, that I cannot back SHIELD."<br /><br /><i>Mystique has a dream in which she is hunted by Jason Wyngarde and Phoenix, and when she awakens, she realizes it was a psychic intrusion. She also learns that Rogue has run away from home.<br /><br />No-one</i> expects a psychic... oh, wait, no, that's the Spanish Inquisition. In <i>X-Men</i> you should <i>totally</i> expect a psychic intrusion.<br /><br />I think Mystique actually believes that Rogue has been kidnapped, by the way, and that the shot of Rogue simply on a bus out of town is meant to be a revelation to readers that belies that assumption.<br /><br /><i>Scott twice refers to her as "Lynn/e" instead of "Madelyne" or "Maddie". </i><br /><br />That was weird. <br /><br />Given Claremont's penchant for nicknames, and the more "pet" sounding the better — "Lynn" seems more intimate than "Maddie" as a shortening of "Madelyne" somehow, as would, say, "Mads" — I'm not too surprised to find that Claremont went that route, although I am surprised that it wasn't spelled "<i>'Lyne</i>" with an apostrophe. But since he probably doesn't stick with it much longer, in favor of "Maddie", it did take me unawares.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-73261841204834564722012-09-14T12:14:05.673-05:002012-09-14T12:14:05.673-05:00All I know is if I was reading about a character l...All I know is if I was reading about a character like Maddie and there were all sorts of hints that she might be Jean (like the fire, the mind reading) and all those hints amounted to nothing? I'd be pretty pissed.<br /><br />I'm not saying she needed to be Jean reincarnated or a clone or anything. But those teases needed to lead to something, in my opinion.<br /><br />Also, I still think Lee would have been a better option for Scott (provided Maddie was to be nothing more than a look alike).<br /><br />First of all, the idea that Maddie gives Jean her happy ending strikes me as plain silly. Should I be happy if some dude who looks like me wins the lottery? Or should I get praise if some look alike of mine saves a bus full of school children? (The answer to both is no. Regardless of anything else, you should feel sorry for all who look like me.)<br /><br />Secondly, it makes Scott's growth feel stunted. At worst, I picture him staring at Maddie saying "You're going to be my NEW Jean!" while trying to force her to wear a Phoenix costume.<br /><br />At best, it just portrays Scott as psychologically broken and unable to move on from his past.<br /><br />Having Scott end up with Lee would have felt more like he had moved on and accepted Jean's death.Dr. Bitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568570859981368717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-41890396955280727182012-09-13T14:43:40.169-05:002012-09-13T14:43:40.169-05:00@Michael: And now that I think about it some more,...@Michael: And now that I think about it some more, I realize I completely forgot about the <i>next</i> two parter, with Wolverine in Japan, which I also love. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-74644828102247230502012-09-13T13:19:25.431-05:002012-09-13T13:19:25.431-05:00@Matt: I recall Morrison once saying that New X-Me...@Matt: <i>I recall Morrison once saying that New X-Men was his "love letter" to Chris Claremont. Though it may have been specifically to Claremont and Byrne</i><br /><br />I've read that too. Pretty sure it was an issue of <i>Wizard</i> (or one of their X-Men specials). And I do think it was specifically in reference to the Claremont/Byrne run, but the idea still stands. <br /><br /><i>In my opinion it was kind of a demented love letter from an unhinged, would-be lover who doesn't understand you the way he thinks he does, but that might just be me.</i><br /><br />I think I've made my position on the Morrison run pretty clear (in that I have hard time getting too worked about it either way), but that was damn hilarious no matter what you think of his run. :) Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-84995133373763339912012-09-13T12:03:16.827-05:002012-09-13T12:03:16.827-05:00Teebore -- "Other than time-wise, Morrison...Teebore -- "<b>Other than time-wise, Morrison's not as far removed from this stuff as it seems; whether writing in contrast to it or homage of it, much of his run can be read as a reaction to Claremont's.</b>"<br /><br />I searched but can't provide a source for this, so I probably read it in print -- maybe in an issue of <i>Wizard</i>, but I recall Morrison once saying that <i>New X-Men</i> was his "love letter" to Chris Claremont. Though it may have been specifically to Claremont and Byrne; I can't recall.<br /><br />In my opinion it was kind of a demented love letter from an unhinged, would-be lover who doesn't understand you the way he thinks he does, but that might just be me.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-699819703659326162012-09-13T11:15:11.286-05:002012-09-13T11:15:11.286-05:00Michael: And strangely seems to know Jean's li...Michael: <i>And strangely seems to know Jean's life story, despite having never interacted with her, and the X-Men having deleted all references to themselves from government computers</i><br /><br />Good point. Though I suppose it's possible she read the government's file on Jean before it was erased, considering she works for the Defense Department and all. <br /><br /><i>It's time to add a "...Jean?!?" topic to these things, much like "The Awesome and Terrible Power of Cyclops."</i><br /><br />The truly overt ones I usually tried to mention under "Claremontisms", but, as anyone looking at the stands these days can attest, it isn't like Claremont is the only X-writer to go back to that particular well, so I felt that was perhaps not the best place for such references. Maybe their own section is the way to go...<br /><br /><i>All in all, this is probably my all-time favorite two-part story -- continuity / morality problems with Morlocks be damned!</i><br /><br />I do still really like this story, morality problems be damned as you say. As Matt says, the second part isn't as tightly constructed as the first, but all in all, it's a fun, well executed little story, and one of the best two-parters (though for me, the honor of "best" still goes to the Kulan Gath two parter; I just love the sheer ambition and scope of it). <br /><br />@Dobson: <i>I feel like the Morlock Massacre was in part an indictment of the X-Men's handling of things here, so it's not like there won't be a pay-off for the X-Men tacitly supporting a mutant class system. </i><br /><br />I agree (and it's especially a damning commentary on the failure of Storm's leadership, something that doesn't go unnoticed by her), but it's only so effective as an indictment. The X-Men get saddled with some tremendous guilt, and Nightcrawler, Colossus and Kitty get taken out of action for awhile, but at the end of the day, it's still the vast majority of the Morlocks who get killed because the X-Men couldn't be bothered to try harder to help them. <br /><br /><i>I actually like Maddie Pryor and the storyline coming up. </i><br /><br />Oh, I do too. The whole run collected in the "From the Ashes" trade is one of my all time favorites, with issue #175 as arguably my favorite single issue of <i>X-Men</i>. I also really like Maddie; Claremont's whole "everyone has a coincidental duplicate out there" idea is pretty whack-a-doo, and I don't think his original idea of Maddie serving as stand in for Jean so Scott could have a happy ending was all that bright an idea, but I love Maddie. I find her evolution, both in-story (as she goes from wife to honorary X-Man to Goblin Queen) and from the outside (from her original intent to the clone retcon and the story/editorial forces affecting that evolution) to be fascinating and terrifically fun to read. <br /><br /><i>The whole point of her looking like Jean is important because there's a bunch of hints dropped that it is the Phoenix reborn somehow, which doesn't really work if Lee Forrester suddenly dyed her hair and moved to the opposite end of the globe.</i><br /><br />Right, but you could argue that Claremont could give Scott his happy ending story without also doing a "is Phoenix back?" tease, in which case Lee (or someone else) would work fine. He just wanted to give Scott a happy ending AND have him end up with someone who looks like Jean, so at that point, why not do a "is Phoenix back?" story. <br /><br /><i>I'm sure there's some hand-waving explanation of how Mastermind, now without Hellfire Club backing or powerful telepaths hanging around, can still psychically invade Mystique's dream for no reason, but I forget what it is now.</i><br /><br />Honestly, if there is, I don't remember what it is either. But I have a feeling that gets glossed over. Either way, it's something I'm specifically looking for as I re-read these issues. <br /><br /> Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-70765781694231148722012-09-13T09:19:49.873-05:002012-09-13T09:19:49.873-05:00I feel like the idea of Storm being named leader o...I feel like the idea of Storm being named leader of the Morlocks is supposed to be the whole action-adventure trope of becoming the leader in order to further the hero's goals (another good example would be Ms. Marvel/Warbird becoming Queen of the Deviants during the Kang War), but the issue here is that despite being jerks last issue, the Morlocks are not all that different from the X-Men, and actually could use some help. I feel like the Morlock Massacre was in part an indictment of the X-Men's handling of things here, so it's not like there won't be a pay-off for the X-Men tacitly supporting a mutant class system. Fortunately they'll get another bite at the apple in the form of Genosha, where I'm sure things will turn out fine!<br /><br />I actually like Maddie Pryor and the storyline coming up. The whole point of her looking like Jean is important because there's a bunch of hints dropped that it is the Phoenix reborn somehow, which doesn't really work if Lee Forrester suddenly dyed her hair and moved to the opposite end of the globe. I'm sure there's some hand-waving explanation of how Mastermind, now without Hellfire Club backing or powerful telepaths hanging around, can still psychically invade Mystique's dream for no reason, but I forget what it is now. And while I do feel like Smith's take on the characters is well-established by this point, his Mystique is way off-model in that second close-up.Dobsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08884152078310514684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-82566649505451590512012-09-12T20:48:55.178-05:002012-09-12T20:48:55.178-05:00Mystique experiences a weird dream in which she...<b>Mystique experiences a weird dream in which she's hunted like a stag by Jason Wyngarde and Lady Jean Grey...</b><br /><br />And strangely seems to know Jean's life story, despite having never interacted with her, and the X-Men having deleted all references to themselves from government computers.<br /><br /><b>It's made clear in this issue that Maddie is meant to bear an uncanny resemblance to Jean Grey.</b><br /><br />Dumb.<br /><br /><b>Maddie jokes that she knows Scott's favorite breakfast because she's a mindreader. OR IS SHE JOKING?!?</b><br /><br />It's time to add a "...Jean?!?" topic to these things, much like "The Awesome and Terrible Power of Cyclops." We can track every time Claremont sloppily writes in a reference to Jean Grey / Phoenix to beat us over the head with the epic story of her death. Let's start with this issue:<br /><br />1. Lookalike "mindreader" - Oh, right, Jean was a superpowerful telepath that once battled the Professor to a standstill.<br /><br />2. Fire in the background - Oh, right, Phoenix was all fiery and stuff, like that time he fought a Shi'ar warship and blew up a bunch of Asparagus People.<br /><br />3. "Hi" / "Hi Yourself" - Oh, right, Scott was once in love with someone who had to kill herself.<br /><br />Christ, these next few issues would have hundreds of entries. And we haven't even reached the Rachel Summers era...<br /><br /><b>Not surprisingly, the entire knife fight between Callisto and Storm is brilliantly depicted, but the opening panels, in which Callisto tosses Storm a knife and she catches it like a badass, prompting a comical reaction from Callisto, are especially good.</b><br /><br />I actually prefer the final scene, with her walking away. Stunning.<br /><br />All in all, this is probably my all-time favorite two-part story -- continuity / morality problems with Morlocks be damned!Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03665503542091489778noreply@blogger.com