tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post716222782895856855..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining X-Men Unlimited #5Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-38188272523097930592018-09-26T14:03:06.150-05:002018-09-26T14:03:06.150-05:00I also got the TNG vibe while reading this...thank...I also got the TNG vibe while reading this...thanks for calling it out, Blam!Pascalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02063755332373858640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42663809776475348872018-08-22T13:28:40.129-05:002018-08-22T13:28:40.129-05:00I didn’t know (or recall, perhaps) that Forge and ...<i>I didn’t know (or recall, perhaps) that Forge and Ororo were trying to make a go of it as a couple again.</i><br /><br />It was never really announced as a big deal, so easy to miss, but it kind of, sort of happened in UNCANNY #306 (when they went on a date, and in your defense, it was never clear if they were restarting things, or just reconnecting after their awkward breakup). <br /><br /><i> It’s very much a Star Trek episode, TNG in particular</i><br /><br />Huh. You know, I'd never really read it with that in mind, but now that you point it out, it kind of makes me appreciate the issue a little more. I may have to re-read it again (someday...), from that perspective. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-85755221230091976102018-08-22T13:24:52.492-05:002018-08-22T13:24:52.492-05:00This was about the point where I began to view X-M...<i>This was about the point where I began to view X-MEN UNLIMITED as extremely nonessential reading</i><br /><br />There's a couple more issues early in the run (I like the next one, and there's one JRjr draws, and the one that introduces the kid who ends up starring in Maverick's solo series isn't bad), and of course, the few that tie in to crossovers, but yeah, this is more or less the last "essential" issue of this series, in that it ties in to something from the larger narrative or sets up a new story for other books to continue. After this, UNLIMITED pretty much just becomes a recurring source for the kind of standalone-ish stories that would appear in the annuals, of varying quality but rarely impacting the overall narrative. <br /><br /><i>I know Richard Starkings has lettered X-FACTOR for a while now, but is this the first time we've seen Comicraft credited in an X-comic?</i><br /><br />It might be - it struck me as well, and I wondered if it was the first such credited, but worried I'd maybe missed one (and too busy to do the research to confirm), I let it go unremarked upon. <br /><br />That Harras anecdote is hilarious, btw. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-74326382718912926102018-08-22T13:20:37.646-05:002018-08-22T13:20:37.646-05:00I thought that image looked familiar, but couldn&#...I thought that image looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it. Thanks!<br /><br />I'd assume there's probably others, too. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-56373332038640636092018-08-22T13:20:02.837-05:002018-08-22T13:20:02.837-05:00It could either be an intentional bit on the part ...It could either be an intentional bit on the part of the artist, to have the alien girl mirror Jubilee physically to further draw attention to their similarities and differences. Or, it could just be artistic laziness. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-56309472024513822622018-08-22T13:19:16.819-05:002018-08-22T13:19:16.819-05:00Good point, I'd forgotten about Cerise. Seems ...Good point, I'd forgotten about Cerise. Seems like the way out for Lilandra here is to publicly hand him over to Deathbird, then give him some kind of "Kree Liaison" position as "punishment" on the sly. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-48804467159651312682018-08-17T17:20:22.641-05:002018-08-17T17:20:22.641-05:00I didn’t know (or recall, perhaps) that Forge and ...<br>I didn’t know (or recall, perhaps) that Forge and Ororo were trying to make a go of it as a couple again.<br /><br />Especially since Xavier’s narration <i>does</i> suddenly pop up rather omnisciently when Jubilee uses her powers on the Kree girl, I really wanted to hear from him as she was sneaking out in the first place — mentioning how risky and undisciplined it was, be it to chastise himself over letting her be separated knowing her impetuousness or as a point of pride knowing that she could take care of herself and that the experience would do her good.<br /><br />That aside I have to say that this issue, while certainly predictable, is easily among my favorite reads here in some time. My guesses as to why: <i>(1)</i> It could have taken place during “my” X-Men era with few changes. <i>(2)</i> It’s very much a <i>Star Trek</i> episode, <i>TNG</i> in particular, with the contact team saving the locals shortly after they arrive, one of the crew roaming out of bounds only to stumble across a would-be resistance cell preparing to break the fragile peace with the city’s/world’s new rulers, a surreptitious meeting between leaders of both sides as a leap of faith, <i>etc.</i> Not to mention that Xavier’s captions get consciously read in my head in Patrick Stewart’s voice. <i>(3)</i> It’s solidly written considering all the familiar story beats, with Xavier’s narration mostly right on pitch. <br /><br />Which doesn’t mean the issue isn’t negligible or even that I would have cared about it given the opportunity to read it when it came out.<br /><br />This is one of those weird cases where the art is, while definitely uneven, quite accomplished in much of the figure work, layout, and background detail, but the faces have a flat, knockoff Jim Lee style that really doesn’t appeal to me. More so than the overdone musculature and iffy proportions in spots, that’s what breaks my heart a little when I see all the potential there. Of course, Liam Sharp in fairly short order became known for that overdone musculature on <i>Hulk</i> (paired with one of this issue’s inkers, Robin Riggs).<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-78391797374028493482018-08-14T17:40:12.764-05:002018-08-14T17:40:12.764-05:00I've never read this issue, and I really have ...I've never read this issue, and I really have never had any desire to read it. This was about the point where I began to view X-MEN UNLIMITED as extremely nonessential reading (though I would still pick up the odd issue here or there if it felt important enough).<br /><br />I've always associated John Francis Moore with quality reads, but his work can occasionally become a slog. I guess this is such an issue. Liam Sharp certainly has some very evident flaws here, and I recall that even at the time, I thought his work was kind of ugly. He drew a Spider-Man annual within a year or two of this issue that looked totally wrong. Nowadays, though, I think he's a pretty good artist.<br /><br />I know Richard Starkings has lettered X-FACTOR for a while now, but is this the first time we've seen Comicraft credited in an X-comic? I may have missed it, but I had been keeping my eye out and this is the first of your posts I can recall using the name.<br /><br />In any case, the Comicraft Age is nearly upon us. I'm not necessarily a hardcore lettering aficionado like our friend Blam, but I do have some fascination with the art, and for my money, no one has ever done computer lettering better than Comicraft circa 1997-2000 or so. We're entering the period where they were still figuring it out, and there's some rough stuff to come, but eventually they nailed it, just in time to start lettering pretty much every series in the Marvel line -- and as a result, Marvel comics had prettier and more exciting letters than anything else on the stands. Just look at THUNDERBOLTS and AVENGERS during the years I mentioned above. The letters are absolutely beautiful.<br /><br />Fun anecdote: I once read an interview with Starkings where he said that on one occasion, he used a computer-created sound effect in an issue of X-FACTOR. Bob Harras called him up and told him to never, ever, <b>ever</b> do that again. Then, within a year, Harras had Comicraft computer lettering all the X-books.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-87810678255725360902018-08-14T16:58:48.665-05:002018-08-14T16:58:48.665-05:00The painel of Xavier talking to Storm is a swap of...The painel of Xavier talking to Storm is a swap of Magneto by Jim Lee in X-Men #1. I presume we could find others.Licínio Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12545823888354348526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-55776262896972981872018-08-14T14:19:33.303-05:002018-08-14T14:19:33.303-05:00Why is the Kree girl Jubilee befriends a mirror im...Why is the Kree girl Jubilee befriends a mirror image of her, just with blue skin. I remember that ruining the art as a whole for me. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-46373595920259115762018-08-14T13:46:40.597-05:002018-08-14T13:46:40.597-05:00There is obviously the option that as the punishme...There is obviously the option that as the punishment Lilandra will make Malakii do community service as her special advisor in the Kree matters, like what she did with Nightcrawler's girlfriend. <br /><br />But yeah. The execution is very <i>The Bold and The Beautiful</i> in how Lilandra, Charles and Deathbird repetitively keep doing the same lines from episode to episode over the same old thing. Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-18114556681852768312018-08-14T11:38:49.830-05:002018-08-14T11:38:49.830-05:00Nothing to say about this issue, but I also read a...Nothing to say about this issue, but I also read all of Testament and remember enjoying it a decent amount. And I haven't read his Brave & the Bold, but it looks amazing.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456294378930184798noreply@blogger.com