tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1126897668865448493..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Uncanny X-Men #337Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-80010939313862888282021-06-01T11:44:23.816-05:002021-06-01T11:44:23.816-05:00It would be beyond stupid if any of the X-Men sudd...It would be beyond stupid if any of the X-Men suddenly started going around calling himself James.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-61765930239604581892021-05-31T06:35:22.186-05:002021-05-31T06:35:22.186-05:00I’m a sucker for these personal check-ins with tea...<br>I’m a sucker for these personal check-ins with teammates sitting around a table, <i>etc.</i>, as I’ve probably said before, and I recognize this as quite a standout example despite not being invested in the larger plot. The Gambit stuff is indeed particularly good. <br /><br /><i>// Jean's robe and pose in this panel has always struck me as too sexy for someone making breakfast in the company of a house guest //</i> <br /><br />Yep.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-50573813985388393552021-05-24T14:49:18.985-05:002021-05-24T14:49:18.985-05:00Yeah, that makes sense. It's almost the 90s Co...Yeah, that makes sense. It's almost the 90s Comics Code approved equivalent of all the gratuitous nude and sex scenes you get in pay cable and streaming series nowadays. There's rarely and reason for them; they're just there.<br /><br />That said, I do tend to stop and admire out-of-place cheesecake in a comic book story, even when I'm well aware it's gratuitous. It's like my brain goes, "For shame, Mr. Artist! There was no need for that. Oh well -- great job drawing it!" (Same applies for those pay cable scenes, too.)Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-11916589477044165532021-05-24T13:28:34.637-05:002021-05-24T13:28:34.637-05:00Scott Lobdell claimed early on that Bastion was cr...Scott Lobdell claimed early on that Bastion was created to be a third point of view to break up the Xavier/Magneto dichotomy though that was obviously out the window very quickly. I don't know if that was misdirection on his part or if he just changed his mind at some point. Knowing Lobdell's style, it's probably the latter.<br /><br />As for Quicksilver, I didn't even know he had his own solo series until last year when I started creating a checklist of X-Men spin-offs to add to my collection.Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10082589040664926667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-33531288364550338022021-05-24T13:26:09.996-05:002021-05-24T13:26:09.996-05:00I still really love Joe Madyreira's art style....I still really love Joe Madyreira's art style. I have all of his X-Men and Battle Chasers stuff and I still like to read through it. I think my objection is that both women look like they're trying to be sexy in a scene where that really shouldn't be what's going on. Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10082589040664926667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-90660559683225205502021-05-24T13:09:52.508-05:002021-05-24T13:09:52.508-05:00"I am positive I loved every panel of art whe..."<b>I am positive I loved every panel of art when I first read this. I was a young, single male. Now those images of Jean and Betsy are more distracting than engaging. I'd like to think that means I've grown into a better person but it probably just means I outgrew titillation.</b>"<br /><br />I wish I could be as strong as you, Drew. I was a young, single male too, and I liked it all then. And, while I agree with Austin's note above, that Jean's attire is too overtly sexy to be making and serving breakfast to her friends and a houseguest, today as a 42-year-old married father, I still really like Madureira's depictions of her and Psylocke.<br /><br />On a personal note -- a friend of mine, who had been an X-Men fan during the "Outback" and "Mutant Genesis" eras, but had stopped reading around the time Jim Lee left, was at my house one day way back when, and saw this issue lying around -- so he flipped through it. He didn't like Madureira's work at all, feeling it was too cartoony for the X-Men. I remember he specifically didn't like the picture of Psylocke coming into the boathouse for whatever reason.<br /><br />Meanwhile, there I was, wishing every Marvel comic could've been drawn by Madureira! Nowadays, I still absolutely adore his work, and I love his X-Men, but I'm also more varied in my tastes. He's phenomenal, but guys like the Kuberts and John Romita, Jr. are just as valid in my mind, and what style I like more depends on what day of the week, and even what hour of the day, it is.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-52137756538800178682021-05-24T13:06:13.559-05:002021-05-24T13:06:13.559-05:00"Bastion pops up in this issue (with the setu..."<b>Bastion pops up in this issue (with the setup for the next big X-Men crossover, "Operation: Zero Tolerance", having already begun before the launch of "Onslaught")</b>..."<br /><br />I've commented on this in the past, but I'll mention again that I loved how they used to do this in the 90s. "Age of Apocalypse" ends, and boom -- we're setting up "Onslaught" straight out of the gate. "Onslaught" ends, and we're immediately seeding "Operation: Zero Tolerance" (though really, O:ZT was being set up prior to "Onslaught" even started, with Bastion's few appearances in the immediate lead-up.<br /><br />Of course, I think the real reason for this O:ZT setup is because, as was discussed in some prior comments, Lobdell's original intention was for Bastion to attack the X-Men <b>immediately</b> after "Onslaught" ended, but Marvel decided to hold off for a while and build next year's crossover around that idea instead.<br /><br />"...<b>it doesn't quite fit with the later reveal that Bastion is a combo of Master Mold & Nimrod merged by the Siege Perilous (it's also a vague enough hint that it's not directly contradicted, either).</b>"<br /><br />I was wondering about this as I read it. Unlike Onslaught, I always thought Lobdell had a pretty good idea of what Bastion was when he created the character (though I could be wrong, and in any case, it was a lataer writer who actually depicted his origin). But Bastion could have fragmented memories of both his halves. The reference here could be of Master Mold remembering the first time it saw Bolivar Trask, or Nimrod remembering the first time he saw, uhh... well, I don't actually know who built Nimrod.<br /><br />Also, I like the subtlety of Bastion's anti-rain force field. It's there, but not commented upon at all. Nice touch to suggest he's more than he appears (even if he already is clearly not quite human).<br /><br />"...<b>he has caught the attention of J. Jonah Jameson, who decides to launch an investigation into Creed.</b>"<br /><br />This is around the time when you start to get the idea Scott Lobdell really wants to write Spider-Man. We have Peter, Jonah, and Robbie here, followed by the sub-plot where Jonah investigates Creed -- and that includes a Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) guest appearance coming up, and then there's the (in?)famous UNCANNY issue which is entirely about Spidey (Peter) during O:ZT!<br /><br />"<b>Quicksilver is staying with Scott & Jean at their boat house home in the wake of Crystal and Scarlet Witch disappearing into Onslaught</b>..."<br /><br />I'm not sure if I knew yet that Quicksilver was getting his own series when I read this issue, because I'm pretty sure I remember wondering how long he'd stick around, and if he might become an X-Man. I still think that could've been interesting, having him and his de-aged father running around on the same team.<br /><br />"<b>There's a funny bit at the end of the issue where Gambit is admonished for calling Joseph "Magneto", only to learn that Cannonball skipped breakfast because he thought Magneto would be there.</b>"<br /><br />I love the Bishop/Gambit "hostile bromance". I wish it had gotten more traction.<br /><br />Gambit joking that he's going to start calling himself "James" cracks me up, too, and it feels a little bit like Lobdell poking fun at himself for naming Magneto Joseph in the first place. But I actually thought the funniest bit in this scene was when Gambit came in out of the rain and said, "I knew if I wore this trench coat long enough, it'd come in handy!" That was a genuine laugh-out-loud moment.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-47205155127500709792021-05-24T13:06:06.117-05:002021-05-24T13:06:06.117-05:00I know Scott Lobdell isn't terribly beloved th...I know Scott Lobdell isn't terribly beloved these days for personal reasons, but I will never understand why he had (and still seems to have) such a bum rap as a writer in the 90s. While not all equal, every one of his "quiet" issues is, in my opinion, on par with anything Chris Claremont ever wrote in a similar vein. This is a really good issue on several levels, and it's exactly the sort of thing readers need after a massive event like "Onslaught".<br /><br />One of my favorite touches was the interaction between Cyclops, Beast, and Iceman. Unfortunate Archangel wasn't able to join in, but as we'll see next issue (and hinted by Psylocke here), he has his own problems to deal with right now. But it was nice to see three of the original four "boys" goofing off for a couple pages.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-73820424331885953572021-05-22T08:12:19.501-05:002021-05-22T08:12:19.501-05:00This was the first issue I read after my forced hi...This was the first issue I read after my forced hiatus that saw me skipping Onslaught. I thought I came back later than this for some reason. Memory is a funny thing.<br /><br />The bit with Gambit questioning "Magneto's" new name has always stuck with me, even when the other beats of this story faded. <br /><br />I am positive I loved every panel of art when I first read this. I was a young, single male. Now those images of Jean and Betsy are more distracting than engaging. I'd like to think that means I've grown into a better person but it probably just means I outgrew titillation. <br /><br />Otherwise, this is a typically strong Lobdell post-crossover issue. There's just the right amount of lampshade and foreshadow to round out the interpersonal drama. It also means were now counting down to Lobdell's departure from the X-Men.Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10082589040664926667noreply@blogger.com