tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post4847417483231512794..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining X-Men Annual #10Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-23887686322505076542019-01-03T14:08:35.931-06:002019-01-03T14:08:35.931-06:00Funnily enough considering the fuss the New Mutant...Funnily enough considering the fuss the New Mutants make over graduation costumes during this series ... after they graduate the New Mutants, only Sam and Roberto wear costumes for the rest of their superhero careers.<br /><br />Rahne wears her X-Factor uniform during the government sponsored iteration, then usually street clothes during the X-Factor Investigations iteration.<br /><br />Magick wears her usual demon-sorceress garb. <br /><br />The rest of the New Mutants end up wearing either standard X-Men uniforms or most recently, a black and yellow uniform that is sort of a cross between the original New Mutants uniforms and the O5 version of X-Factor unforms, with the yellow portion forming a full-body X over the black portion. Dani even wears this look during her time on the Defenders.Jeff Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-29161699348471542512014-01-19T03:48:02.308-06:002014-01-19T03:48:02.308-06:00For the 'Superheroes, not students' sectio...For the 'Superheroes, not students' section is should be noted that unlike the New Mutants back in the day, the X-Men, even de-aged, had no problems whatsoever in taking the school Rolls Royce to get where they needed to be.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-1284818814036137642013-11-07T11:37:55.369-06:002013-11-07T11:37:55.369-06:00To be fair, it's not just "Kitty defeatin...To be fair, it's not just "Kitty defeating Mojo"...don't quite a few characters take some shots at him, and Kitty just delivers the final hit? He then teleports away to avoid Nightcrawler trying to stab him with Illyana's sword...<br /><br />Trust me, it is so much cooler than I am making it sound lol<br /><br />As for the costumes, Magma and Magick do have the best ones, though I did like Karma's. Mirage and Cannonball's could work, with some tweaking. Didn't care for Sunspot's or Cypher's. Wolfsbane's, while plain, is similar to what she will get on Simonson's run, no? And I always found it funny how Warlock's costume was to look more human.<br /><br />One panel that sticks out is the final one of the NM. Interesting how they're all walking away, arm in arm or hands on each other's shoulders...but Magik is left out of the group hug. Not sure why, since she seems to be getting along with everyone else here...maybe really really early foreshadowing?wwk5dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-75509160285093407712013-10-31T19:26:29.356-05:002013-10-31T19:26:29.356-05:00My number-one takeaway after reading this issue fo...<br>My number-one takeaway after reading this issue for the first time in decades is <i>Claremontism overload</i>. Pretty much every single one of his precious tics in plot, character, and dialogue are on grand display here. I have a very low tolerance for it/them at this level, at my present age at least, and I've always hated Mojo stories.<br /><br />I like that stuff about the X-Men being chosen for their (potential for) heroism, but it also sounds very self-congratulatory here.<br /><br />Wolverine snaps out of Mojo's control <i>and</i> out of his pants, apparently. He appears to have some in the first panel of the X-Men's reappearance in the theater, anyway.<br /><br />Orzechowski knocks the letters out of the park in this and the <i>New Mutants</i> annual. I really like his work in general, but something about whatever Adams' and Davis's styles share in their clean, open-yet-detailed fashions really meshes well with Orz's stuff.<br /><br />The Creature's at the left of the panel on Pg. 26 that has Carrie Kelly saying "Rip City!" while Lois, Clark, and Joker are on Pg. 25. My suspicion is that most if not all of the faces in the crowd in these panels, the one with grown-up Charlie Brown (bald with zig-zag sweater) on Pg. 33, and other shots of the audience are based on friends, Bullpenners, and/or other characters.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-77417650777521793412013-10-31T19:25:05.390-05:002013-10-31T19:25:05.390-05:00I picked this up off the racks 'cause I was a ...<br>I picked this up off the racks 'cause I was a sucker for Art Adams and I loved the idea of the New Mutants actually getting their own costumes.<br /><br />My opinion of the outfits overall is a little higher than yours, Teebore. Magik's is great, yeah, but I'd put Magma's, Karma's, and Wolfsbane's just a short notch below, especially since there was presumably no real indication that the outfits would be more than a one-time deal. On the other hand, Sunspot's is a little ridiculous and Cypher's just makes no sense — Do all the pockets hold writing and carving utensils appropriate to communicating in various written languages? Cannonball's suggests his power more than it reflects his reality, it seems to me; the knee pads and helmet would be worn by stuntmen being fired from a cannon, but he doesn't need them while powered up and if they're for in case he stops blasting, well, <i>every</i> superhero's outfit should be padded.<br /><br />What <i>is</i> the deal with all the pink masks, though?<br /><br />Adams gives the female New Mutants a different, slightly-X-based training uniform than the boys have, by the way, leaving the necks black but taking the yellow onto the shoulders. We've seen artists vary the yellow on the regular costumes between the original X-Men's flat, sleeveless look (which the fellas keep in this issue) and their later more tapered design from the shoulders to the belt, bringing in blue-black on the sides of the torso, but if this variation has popped up in recent <i>NM</i> stories I don't recall it. I have seen something like it basically retconned into material like <i>X-Men: First Class</i> while skimming through covers.<br /><br />How that "Brat Pack" actually became a recurring thing is beyond me. You'd think that being a blatant not-even-parody of the <i>Our Gang / Little Rascals</i> characters would keep them from getting much panel time for reasons of both trademark infringement and general (lack of) usefulness. Seeing them and frogs pop up as a Greek chorus put me in mind of the Leprechauns at Cassidy Keep.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-80858901790043262932013-10-22T10:44:26.494-05:002013-10-22T10:44:26.494-05:00@FuryOfFirestorm: Looks like there was a huge sale...@FuryOfFirestorm: <i>Looks like there was a huge sale on pink masks at Party City, and Xavier couldn't pass up that deal. </i><br /><br />When you run a clearing house for mutant superheroes, you gotta buy this stuff in bulk!<br /><br />@Si: <i>Young Wolverine's costume here kinda reminds me of Windsor-Smiths Weapon X costume; had it appeared in flashbacks before?</i><br /><br />I don't think so - at least, I don't think it had appeared up to this point. Maybe it pops up sometime between now and "Weapon X", but I'm not sure. I'll keep an eye out for it. <br /><br /><i>Quick aside: did you review Bizarre Adventures 27? I saw a few mentions of it in old reviews, but couldn't find it using search.</i><br /><br />I didn't. It's one of a handful of issue (also: <i>Marvel Team-Up Annual</i> #1) that I missed, largely because I hadn't yet decided if I was going to cover ancillary stuff by publication date or chronological date. <br /><br />I may go back and cover it some day. Maybe for the collected edition. :) <br /><br />@angmc43: <i>Anyhoo, other cameos include Carrie Kelly, Clark Kent, the Joker, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, an adult Charlie Brown.</i><br /><br />I've heard Lois Lane is in there too (presumably with Clark) but unidentified. Where is the Creature? <br /><br /><i>Each of the X-Babies symbolize a persona the X-Man had rejected</i><br /><br />Good point - I never put that together before. <br /><br />@Matt: <i>though I've always thought it looks a lot like the helment worn by G.I. Joe member Sci-Fi</i><br /><br />You're right, it does. <br /><br /><i> You can kind of dance around the absence of Longshot in the next few issues, but the three injured X-Men are a bigger deal, to me.</i><br /><br />For me, it's the absence of Rachel. If she were in this story, we could, with some fudging, just assume it takes place between #206 and #207, or heck, even earlier. But having her gone but the three injured X-Men around forces into this really narrow window where it still doesn't quite fit (because of Nightcrawler's pre-massacre injury), even if you fudge out Longshot. <br /><br />Bottom line, I'm really curious when Claremont wrote it and why he featured the cast that he did, since, as you say, things like Rachel's departure, the injuries to the X-Men and even Longshot were all of his choosing and not editorial mandate, so he has no one to blame but himself that the timing is all mucked up. <br /><br />@Mike: <i>It's kind of like hearing the Clash and then realizing where Blink 182 had gotten their ideas. </i><br /><br />Heh. I know Adams was an influence on a lot of the Image guys (including, presumably, Liefeld), but I'd never noticed before how directly this issue may have influenced Liefeld, but now that you mention it, I can see it. <br /><br /><i>Is this the first time we see Sunspot use his powers but not have all his clothes turn black?</i><br /><br />I think it might have happened in Asgard during the last batch of annuals, but if this isn't the first time, it's certainly one of the earliest. <br /><br />@entzauberung: <i>It's odd that, while Claremont clearly continues Psylocke's character arc from the UK titles, he still decides to knock ten years off her age in the process.</i><br /><br />Indeed. As I've speculated before, I wonder if Claremont forgot she was A. Captain Britain's twin, in addition to his sister and B. Thus, older than late teens/early 20s. <br /><br />If so, it seems like he remembers (or is reminded) fairly quickly, as the Doug/Psylocke romance gets shuffled aside quickly (granted, the New Mutants disappearing and the X-Men going on the run helps in that regard) and he starts to write her older, as far more of a contemporary to older X-Men like Storm and Wolverine than the New Mutants. <br /><br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-65792630857342314352013-10-21T20:36:34.869-05:002013-10-21T20:36:34.869-05:00It's odd that, while Claremont clearly continu...It's odd that, while Claremont clearly continues Psylocke's character arc from the UK titles, he still decides to knock ten years off her age in the process.<br /><br />The old Psylocke was a grown woman with a SHIELD career and a balding boyfriend already in her past. This version flirts with boys in their mid-teens and considers joining the X-Men kid squad. Something strange is going on...<br />entzauberungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-82136390695231297832013-10-18T23:00:43.619-05:002013-10-18T23:00:43.619-05:00"Storm and Wolverine explain to Betsy that th..."Storm and Wolverine explain to Betsy that the X-Men were able to break free of Mojo's control because, ultimately, the X-Men are more than mutants, they're also heroes, and that trait is what led Professor X to choose them (and the original X-Men) over other mutants to be his X-Men."<br /><br />"...and because the first set of X-Men got captured, and the second set got horribly slaughtered, and this group managed to come back in one piece, so Chuck settled for that."FuryOfFirestormhttp://furyoffirestorm.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-21601081958909684962013-10-18T18:47:14.220-05:002013-10-18T18:47:14.220-05:00I've always thought this issue was a big influ...I've always thought this issue was a big influence on Rob Liefeld. The costumes, particularly Cannonball's, Magma's, and Cypher's would all be shamelessly ripped-off. Art Adams's characters' hair, smiles, and proportions would be aped poorly. It's kind of like hearing the Clash and then realizing where Blink 182 had gotten their ideas. <br /><br />Is this the first time we see Sunspot use his powers but not have all his clothes turn black?<br /><br />Fun issue, even if the continuity is suspect.<br /><br />- Mike LoughlinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-75416362283065581012013-10-18T14:36:28.767-05:002013-10-18T14:36:28.767-05:00I really don't have much to say about this one...I really don't have much to say about this one. Mojo stories usually fall flat for me, and this is no exception. I just don't find him or his universe interesting. I can't stand Longshot, either. So I really don't like this annual all that much.<br /><br />Your thoughts on the New Mutants' uniforms are very similar to mine. I don't mind Cannonball's helmet, though I've always thought it looks a lot like the helment worn by G.I. Joe member <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Sci-Fi1195.jpg" rel="nofollow">Sci-Fi</a>. and I love Magma's costume.<br /><br />The timing of this annual really bothers me. I'm very anal about that sort of thing, especially when creators should know better. Claremont clearly had long-term plans for Kitty, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. Flighty as he could sometimes be, I doubt he decided on a whim to write all three of them out of the series. So he should've known their inclusion here would create a big discrepancy. You can kind of dance around the absence of Longshot in the next few issues, but the three injured X-Men are a bigger deal, to me.<br /><br />Regarding Wolverine's age -- I know Len Wein intended him to be a teenager in his earliest appearance. But Claremont and Cockrum made him an adult. I don't believe his age was discussed on-page, but I know I've read quotes from both Byrne and Claremont to the effec that they always intended him to be somewhat older than he appeared. Not a hundred-plus or whatever he is now, but Byrne has said he and Roger Stern wanted to toss a scene into their 1980-81 <i>Captain America</i> run where Cap would recognize Wolverine from World War II as "Private Logan". Claremont later went that route anyway, but ultimately Wolverine was no fresh-faced private.<br /><br />My personal opinion is that Wolverine should be about twice as old as he looks. So if he perpetually appears to be in his forties, I figure he's actually in his eighties -- birth era adjusted for Marvel Time, of course.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-57200398832634887432013-10-18T04:53:17.156-05:002013-10-18T04:53:17.156-05:00Back in the early '00, I wrote a fanfic set in...Back in the early '00, I wrote a fanfic set in this era. The way I handled the continuity was that the NM/UXM Psylocke/Mojo Annuals occurred before UXM#207-210. From UXM#206, the X-Men head to Anchorage to see the Summers, see the house empty and abandoned. The X-Men, worried about Wolverine's absence and the growing noose the government/Freedom Force has on them, decide on other priorities, but Rachel remains behind to search for her father (getting the same results Scott will get in X-FACTOR). So the X-Men return to the School and see Wolverine seemingly okay (his healing factor is at its breaking point, requiring rest and relaxation for him to completely heal- ala Professor X- but he forsakes it, hiding his problem). Then the Annuals occur: when Spiral changed the X-Men she also removed Wolverine's UXM205 injuries. But when Spiral restores the team back to who they were, she restores Wolverine's hidden injuries as well. Longshot heads over to Muir Isle for further study (Psylocke accompanies him but returns sooner).<br />So Rachel returns (after NM#45), and Wolverine does a Danger Room session where he overdoes it, temporarily neutralizing his healing factor and turning into the state we would see him in UXM#207. Rachel tries to heal him psionically and gets injured as well, resulting in the trip to the Morlocks.<br /><br />Anyhoo, other cameos include Carrie Kelly, Clark Kent, the Joker, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, an adult Charlie Brown.<br /><br />Yes, the Frog Queen from THOR is present, with a child...I wonder if Thor had anything to do with that? If he did, I doubt this meant he cheated on Sif. Things were rather distant between the two. In the last pre-WS Thor issue, Sif's dislike of Midgard and Thor's connection for the world ends their relationship. Sif then enters a relationship with Beta Ray Bill, where they have some space adventures. Then, Thor takes a page out of Henry Pym's book and smacks Sif in the face (he was under Lorelei's influence rather then an emotional breakdown). Although Thor begged forgiveness on his knees, Sif at the time refused to give him any. However, her feelings for Thor won out, causing a bittersweet farewell to Bill and giving Lorelei a good smack.<br /><br />Each of the X-Babies symbolize a persona the X-Man had rejected:<br />Wolverine- Naked savage<br />Storm- Above-it-all goddess<br />Magneto- Nazi<br />Colossus- Cold, Metal man<br />Nightcrawler- The devil<br />Rogue- Liberated with her skin<br />Shadowcat- Child (Her X-Babies issues with the NM; Her growing up in KITTY PRYDE AND WOLVERINE)angmc43@hotmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379700547226493861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-43472112902556548082013-10-17T22:04:41.813-05:002013-10-17T22:04:41.813-05:00Young Wolverine's costume here kinda reminds m...Young Wolverine's costume here kinda reminds me of Windsor-Smiths Weapon X costume; had it appeared in flashbacks before? I honestly thought that look debuted in BWS's series.<br /><br />Quick aside: did you review Bizarre Adventures 27? I saw a few mentions of it in old reviews, but couldn't find it using search.Sinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-7772048685623791202013-10-17T16:11:49.367-05:002013-10-17T16:11:49.367-05:00Looks like there was a huge sale on pink masks at ...Looks like there was a huge sale on pink masks at Party City, and Xavier couldn't pass up that deal. FuryOfFirestormhttp://furyoffirestorm.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-90129460512361835762013-10-17T14:37:54.411-05:002013-10-17T14:37:54.411-05:00@Dr. Bitz: I would think that Kitty should be, lik...@Dr. Bitz: <i>I would think that Kitty should be, like, an infant and Wolverine should still look like a middle aged man, right?</i><br /><br />Kitty does indeed become an infant (well, a toddler, I suppose, technically. It's implied she has an accident, if you know what I mean, at least). Wolverine (and Magneto and Storm) regress to the point of childhood (pre-puberty), but are the first to regain their powers, as they are the oldest. <br /><br />The problem, I think, is that at this point no one was considering Wolverine to be abnormally old. Certainly the oldest of the X-Men (not counting Magneto), but even then, I think the Storm, Magneto and Wolverine were considered to be in their 30s (Magneto getting a mulligan thanks to Mutant Alpha and Erik the Red), while Nightcrawler, Colossus and Psylocke in their twenties and Kitty a teenager. <br /><br /><i>I'm shocked to hear Kitty Pryde saved the day...</i><br /><br />It's not quite the day saver my synopsis suggests (most of the X-Men are free by the time she does it, so its more of a finishing touch than an integral component of the battle), but yeah. <br /><br /><i>Break out the auger because this tree is full of sap!</i><br /><br />Again, it's a *little* less sappy in context than in my dry synopsis voice, but still, it's pretty sappy. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42857614208993082732013-10-17T14:22:41.475-05:002013-10-17T14:22:41.475-05:00Far be it from me to question how the de-aging pro...Far be it from me to question how the de-aging process caused by other-worldly ectoplasm works but I would think that Kitty should be, like, an infant and Wolverine should still look like a middle aged man, right?<br /><br />"After Shadowcat phases through Mojo's chair and disrupts his control, everyone is freed, and Mojo flees, leaving Spiral behind."<br /><br />I'm shocked to hear Kitty Pryde saved the day...<br /><br />"Storm regains then ultimately loses her powers, this time saying that regaining her powers through Mojo would taint them."<br /><br />Uh....no comment. Wait, was that a comment?<br /><br />"Storm and Wolverine explain to Betsy that the X-Men were able to break free of Mojo's control because, ultimately, the X-Men are more than mutants, they're also heroes, and that trait is what led Professor X to choose them (and the original X-Men) over other mutants to be his X-Men."<br /><br />Break out the auger because this tree is full of sap!Dr. Bitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568570859981368717noreply@blogger.com