tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post300613014140721300..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Uncanny X-Men #155Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49678077815987873982023-08-04T10:14:27.451-05:002023-08-04T10:14:27.451-05:00Re: Tigra: No one mentioned this yet, but Claremon...Re: Tigra: No one mentioned this yet, but Claremont wrote some of her early stories (during the Marvel Chillers/Marvel Team Up days) and might have had an affinity for the character. (of course, if that were so, you'd think he'd remember her feminist leanings as the Cat and turn her into a Strong Claremont Woman (tm) by making her capable and competent again, instead of the ditzy feral loose-canon lacking in the way of self-esteem or brains as she's been perpetually written in the Avengers books.)<br /><br />Speaking of which, that might factor into why Tigra was left alone at the mansion. Her characterization arc during The Avengers at the time, was that she was very overwhelmed by the kinds of threats the Avengers face and was rather cowardly. Maybe she chose to opt out against their big fight against Galactus, or whoever.<br /><br />Also, Storm's dress doesn't get an "I love the 80's" spotlight?Jon Dubyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783906806644566810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-30122230194975286522012-06-04T11:13:16.871-05:002012-06-04T11:13:16.871-05:00@Matt: By the way, are they still hyphenating Deat...@Matt: <i>By the way, are they still hyphenating Deathbird's name at this point?</i><br /><br />Nope, she's "Deathbird" at this point. <br /><br />@Blam:<i>...almost as much as all that crap with Norman Osborn makes me glad I missed it</i><br /><br />The crap with Norman Osborn actually wasn't that bad, simply because we the readers as well as the vast majority of heroic characters knew he was evil, that his position of power was ill-gained, that it was only a matter of time before he snapped, etc. <br /><br />Whereas the stuff which preceded it, with Tony Stark as America's top cop, was a lot crappier because it was unclear if we were supposed to be rooting for him or against him. When Norman Osborn abuses his power, you KNEW it was a bad thing, but when Tony Stark did it, it was less clear if Marvel thought that was bad, if we were supposed to think it was bad, if the characters were, etc, and that made reading it a lot less fun.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-57428383521607542642012-05-30T17:21:10.356-05:002012-05-30T17:21:10.356-05:00@Matt: If only some coordination between editorial...<br>@Matt: <i>If only some coordination between editorial and whoever ran ads could have given us a footnote on the page where the X-Men are at Avengers Mansion, stating that we should see the Hostess ad on page #whatever to find out why Tigra was the only team member home at the time.</i><br /><br />Ha! I meant <i>Avengers</i> stars in reference to the movie, however; it's Captain America with Nick Fury, who isn't himself officially an Avenger even in the film.<br /><br />@Matt: <i>Marvel also used [the full-figure action shots] previously.</i><br /><br />I worded that poorly, yeah, because it sounded like Marvel switched to figures in the corner box for the first time. That Spider-Man figure who just stood there, arms at his side with clenched fists, always struck me as intriguingly boring (for lack of a better phrase).<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>For me, the Bronze Age is about taking the Silver Age sensibilities and applying, as you mentioned, a bit of social relevance as well as a greater concern for continuity (character and storywise) born of the presence of writers who grew up as comic book fans and the knowledge that the audience isn't turning over as quickly as it was once was (meaning writers were more comfortable with longer stories and developing the characters over time).</i><br /><br />I think that's a spot-on assessment.<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>I'll grant it's a largely academic (and personal) position.</i><br /><br />Perhaps... I suspect we're in agreement there, though, and I refer to the dystopic "grim 'n' gritty" stuff that largely took all the wrong lessons from Moore, <i>et al.</i> as the Dark Age too. I just don't quite think of the Bronze Age as <i>light</i>, overall, although certainly there were parts of it that were and it was indeed lighter than the Dark Age. Mostly it's that you equated "Bronze Age" with "very traditional superheroics" of the sort that appeared on Saturday-morning cartoons, which was a disconnect to me — even given that we grew up with some different Saturday-morning cartoons. 8^)<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>[Henry Pym's] more recent "Scientist Supreme" role</i><br /><br />I heard about that and it makes me want to catch up on <i>Avengers</i> / Marvel in general (which is largely impossible: 10 years!) almost as much as all that crap with Norman Osborn makes me glad I missed it.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-61446136924857180412012-05-30T16:47:32.123-05:002012-05-30T16:47:32.123-05:00@Matt: The original Yellowjacket storyline has a t...@Matt: <i>The original Yellowjacket storyline has a trade paperback release coming up, called "The Trial of Yellowjacket".</i><br /><br />Good to know. I might have to pick that up, just to have the story handily in one place. <br /><br />@Michael: <i>This definitely feels like X-Men to, after meandering through the Doom trilogy and the Hellfire Club comeback.</i><br /><br />Agreed. <br /><br /><i>The Brood are some of my favorite villains. </i><br /><br />I've always enjoyed them too, in part because they've been used relatively sparingly. <br /><br />Blam: <i>Claremont must have planned it all along, her being Shi'ar at least, but I don't think it was revealed until here. </i><br /><br />I haven't read anything confirming it, but I feel like he had to have introduced Deathbird at least knowing she was Shi'ar. And yeah, the sister reveal doesn't occur until now (well, next issue, technically). <br /><br /><i>...but the premise certainly felt out of left field.</i><br /><br />I think there's a panel in <i>Avengers</i> Annual #10 that pretty much serves as Carol's resume, and it's hilarious for how matter-of-factly it lists all the varied occupations of her short life. <br /><br /><i>Even with his trademark tics, in those days especially Claremont's flag-waving for strong heroines was admirable.</i><br /><br />Agreed. <br /><br /><i>There's also what's probably another Marvel Girl in-joke there with a Phoenix / Mary Marvel mash-up costume worthy of Alex Ross.</i><br /><br />Indeed; I meant to point that out. <br /><br /><i>Hey, Teebore — Did anyone at SpringCon ask Bill Willingham to autograph a D&D ad?</i><br /><br />Ha! Not to my knowledge, but now that you mention it, I should have. Maybe next year. <br /><br /><i>For me the Bronze Age is all about superhero sagas getting darker, more complex (both within and among various series in the same continuity), and more socially relevant</i><br /><br />I agree, though I tend to move the significant darkening of comics into a new age (the Dark Age) beginning around 1986 (with <i>Watchmen</i>, <i>DKR</i>, etc.)<br /><br />For me, the Bronze Age is about taking the Silver Age sensibilities and applying, as you mentioned, a bit of social relevance as well as a greater concern for continuity (character and storywise) born of the presence of writers who grew up as comic book fans and the knowledge that the audience isn't turning over as quickly as it was once was (meaning writers were more comfortable with longer stories and developing the characters over time). <br /><br />Of course, as a result of that, the stories <i>were</i> darker than their Silver Age inspirations, but I like to separate the real significant "darkening" of comics, in terms of both tone, storytelling style and the foolish excess of the 90s from the Bronze Age. <br /><br />But I'll grant it's a largely academic (and personal) position. <br /><br /><i>I was glad to read that last part, because I see a lot of joking around here about the admittedly infamous backhand slap Hank gave Jan.</i><br /><br />While I do love to crack jokes about Hank Pym and that infamous slap (perhaps more than I should) I am a huge fan of the character (if I ever get around to doing a post about my ideal Avengers lineup, he'll be front and center) and have long enjoyed his ongoing development, from his first post-Ultron, Yellowjacket breakdown to his "Dr. Pym" days with the WCA to his more recent "Scientist Supreme" role. <br /><br />He's definitely a character I feel deserves more respect, even as I undermine that by cracking jokes about him. I guess I kid cuz I love!Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-7779389041123865582012-05-29T14:29:28.784-05:002012-05-29T14:29:28.784-05:00Jason -- "WHY DO YOU HATE THE BROOD SO MUCH? ...Jason -- "<b>WHY DO YOU HATE THE BROOD SO MUCH? WHY???</b>"<br /><br />Well if you <i>must</i> know, it's because they once implanted an egg in my belly! Are you happy now?! I thought I'd moved past that, but you just brought it all back to the surface!!<br /><br />But really, I have nothing against them... they don't do much for me either way. I was just observing that no writers other than Claremont seemed to want anything to do with them. However, I have since been corrected by you and Teebore.<br /><br />Blam -- "<b>Claremont thought it was too unbelievable for none of the FF or Avengers to be on hand to help the X-Men, and, not having her own series, Tigra was the most available editorially?</b>"<br /><br />In this scenario, I actually find it more unbelievable that <i>only</i> Tigra would be there. If the Avengers were out on a mission, I'd expect her to be with them. If she was on monitor duty, you would think at least one or two other Avengers would be available. Personally, I would've liked to have seen Hawkeye involved, since he'd fought Deathbird before.<br /><br />(By the way, are they still hyphenating Deathbird's name at this point? I believe in <i>Ms. Marvel</i>, she was always called Death-Bird.)<br /><br />Blam -- "<b>Colossus looks in way worse shape, impossibly bad shape in fact, at the end of the story than he does on the cover, which is an odd switch from the cover suggesting far more dire straits (through symbolism, misdirection, or just a disingenuous attention grab) than the interior reveals.</b>"<br /><br />COuld it be a Comics Code thing? Maybe they didn't want to be too gruesome on the cover since the issue would be displayed on newstands everywhere. There was a time when such a thing was actually a concern!<br /><br />"<b>A pair of Avengers stars appear in this issue's Hostess strip.</b>"<br /><br />If only some coordination between editorial and whoever ran ads could have given us a footnote on the page where the X-Men are at Avengers Mansion, stating that we should see the Hostess ad on page #whatever to find out why Tigra was the only team member home at the time.<br /><br />Blam -- "<b>I'd prefer some consistency here. Spell it out or use numerals, but pick one! 8^)</b>"<br /><br />I would love to, but I'm just following the precedent set by Marvel in the 80's...! Though I admit I just now noticed I'm doing it backwards... to write it correctly in the Mighty Marvel Manner, it should read: "PART 1 IN A TWO-PART COMMENT". I'll have to watch that going forward.<br /><br />Blam -- "<b>I also really enjoyed the full-figure action shots that came next (at Marvel; DC used them earlier in the '70s and then again briefly in the '90s).</b>"<br /><br />Marvel also used them previously. For part of the 60's and practically all of the 70's, <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> featured a John Romita Sr. Spider-Man figure standing motionless in the corner box/circle. I think the Hulk had a full figure in the 70's, too... so other characters probably did as well.<br /><br />And I agree with you about different boxes for the same character in multiple titles. Spidey is of course the first example to come to mind for that, also.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-61647923171042127972012-05-27T16:09:53.057-05:002012-05-27T16:09:53.057-05:00@Matt: PART ONE OF A 2-PART COMMENT
I'd prefe...<br>@Matt: <i>PART ONE OF A 2-PART COMMENT</i><br /><br />I'd prefer some consistency here. Spell it out or use numerals, but pick one! 8^)<br /><br />@Matt: <i>And we get the first use of one of my all-time favorite corner box designs ever!</i><br /><br />At the risk of raining on your and Byron's corner-box parade — I like it too, actually — it strikes me as weird that the characters in front are charging at us while Nightcrawler is literally just hanging there. Of course it's only meant to be a pose, but somehow that makes me chuckle. <br /><br />@Teebore: <i> I've just always been fascinated by the "roll call" nature of the head shots (and always used to get SO MAD when someone would leave the team and the corner box would fail to reflect that).</i><br /><br />Me too. Yet as much as I did like the head shots — and I remember scanning them on <i>Avengers</i>, especially, for changes to the official roster — I also really enjoyed the full-figure action shots that came next (at Marvel; DC used them earlier in the '70s and then again briefly in the '90s). Bonus points went to different poses on corner boxes of different series devoted to the same character and irritation sometimes resulted when the art style of the corner-box shot was too different from the main cover art.<br /><br />@Teebore: <i>This run, especially at this point, is very traditional superheroics, very classically Bronze Age stuff, and I think that shares a lot with the feel of Saturday morning cartoons.</i><br /><br />I associate "very traditional superheroics" much more with the Silver Age, actually. For me the Bronze Age is all about superhero sagas getting darker, more complex (both within and among various series in the same continuity), and more socially relevant, taking its cue from end-of-Silver-Age stuff like the O'Neil & Adams <i>Green Lantern / Green Arrow</i>, with both that material and a resurgence in supernatural / occult / horror stuff pushing back against the Comics Code. Among folks who put a gap between the Silver and Bronze Ages rather than beginning the latter in 1970 I've often seen its start date pegged to <i>Giant-Size X-Men</i> #1 in 1975 for the very reason that the "All-New, All-Different" team exemplifies Bronze Age superheroics.<br /><br />Which is not to say that I disagree with the "very traditional superheroics" assessment of this story, but rather that I disagree with the association of it with "very classically Bronze Age stuff"; in this instance, Claremont & Cockrum are putting out some very straightforward action plots that are almost Silver Age in style but inflected with bits of the Bronze Age <i>X-Men</i> angst. <br /><br />@Teebore @Falen: <i>This was during the infamous "Hank Pym: Wifebeater" storyline, ... It's actually a pretty good story stretched out over a nice chunk of issues.</i><br /><br />I was glad to read that last part, because I see a lot of joking around here about the admittedly infamous backhand slap Hank gave Jan. Hank's mental issues date back to his appearance / revelation as the initially enigmatic Yellowjacket, an example of what's now called dissociative-identity disorder. I'm not saying this to advocate for PC awareness of mental health, just to point out that all of this is merely one facet of Hank Pym's character that apparently came to define him in fandom as a bit of a dark joke since I last read Marvel regularly (or really at all) about a decade ago — which is particularly strange given that what <i>used</i> to define him as a joke to many readers was that the guy was <i>Ant-Man</i>; he didn't even have The Wasp's bio-sting powers until he became Yellowjacket after first gaining more credibility as Giant-Man / Goliath. He's actually been a rich character and one of my favorites up through Busiek & Pérez's <i>Avengers</i> run.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-39737669962457424602012-05-27T15:52:42.087-05:002012-05-27T15:52:42.087-05:00Cyclops: "I daren't use any more power. M...<br>Cyclops: "I daren't use any more power. My optic blasts at anywhere near full power would likely kill her."<br /><br />Um... But if they're not doing enough to subdue her now, wouldn't a slight increase be appropriate? You're bound to get to "knock her for a loop" before "kill her" if you keep turning it up a notch. <br /><br />Skür'kll, Warrior-Prime of the Brood: "The crippled mammal is a telepath!"<br /><br />Wasn't that the name of an LP from the Ruthless Dicks?<br /><br />Colossus looks in way worse shape, <i>impossibly</i> bad shape in fact, at the end of the story than he does on the cover, which is an odd switch from the cover suggesting far more dire straits (through symbolism, misdirection, or just a disingenuous attention grab) than the interior reveals. <br /><br />A pair of <i>Avengers</i> stars appear in this issue's Hostess strip.<br /><br />Hey, Teebore — Did anyone at SpringCon ask Bill Willingham to autograph a <i>D&D</i> ad?<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-44974397026400820292012-05-27T15:51:16.766-05:002012-05-27T15:51:16.766-05:00I fondly remember the days of "black blood&qu...<br>I fondly remember the days of "black blood". You weren't allowed to show red. Colossus has so little of it on the cover, too; these days he'd probably be shown with his costume torn to shreds, sliced cuts all over his body, and thick red gobs of goo everywhere.<br /><br /><i>Deathbird, after debuting in Ms. Marvel's solo title, makes her first appearance in X-Men. She will also become a significant part of the X-Men universe.</i><br /><br />I got that issue off the racks back in the day. <i>Ms. Marvel</i> was pretty good, and I'd been a fan of Marvel's first Captain Marvel since I picked up <i>Giant-Size Captain Marvel</i> #1, although while track records of creators (read: art I liked) and characters counted I was still at the age where I just picked up stuff that seemed cool at any given visit to the 5-&-10, drug store, or whatever. <br /><br />As I recall, I was surprised when Deathbird turned out to be Lilandra's sister in <i>X-Men</i>. Claremont must have planned it all along, her being Shi'ar at least, but I don't think it was revealed until here. <br /><br />Carol Danvers, by the way, went from being a member of the US Air Force in her debut — the Captain Marvel feature in <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i>, some of the first back issues I made a conscious effort to collect — to editor of <i>The Daily Bugle</i>'s <i>Woman</i> Magazine as of <i>Ms. Marvel</i>. It's not impossible, of course, and it's not as all-over-the-map as some of the positions held by Carol's possible namesake Linda Danvers in pre-<i>Crisis</i> continuity alone, but the premise certainly felt out of left field.<br /><br />Where was I?<br /><br /><i>[Tigra's] appearance in this issue is largely superfluous, as she's simply the only Avenger who's home when the X-Men come calling. She helps out in the fight with Deathbird and the Brood and that's about it. I have no idea how her appearance came about.</i><br /><br />So which is more likely:<br /><br />Claremont thought it was too unbelievable for <i>none</i> of the FF or Avengers to be on hand to help the X-Men, and, not having her own series, Tigra was the most available editorially?<br /><br />or<br /><br />Claremont just can't help but write as many female characters as he can get his hands on? (Not a complaint, mind you... Even with his trademark tics, in those days especially Claremont's flag-waving for strong heroines was admirable.)<br /><br /><i>It cracks me up that in order to get in some exposition for first time readers, the admiral of the Shi'ar fleet has no idea who the X-Men are, despite their integral role in recent Shi'ar history and the fact that one of them is the consort of the Empress.</i><br /><br />Really. Lilandra's exile? M'Krann Crystal? Phoenix? <br /><br /><i>Kitty uses a Shi'ar machine to replicate a series of costumes, including Darth Vader's</i><br /><br />There's also what's probably another Marvel Girl in-joke there with a Phoenix / Mary Marvel mash-up costume worthy of Alex Ross.<br /><br /><i>Professor X knows Lilandra is still alive, because he would have felt her death.</i><br /><br />Which sort-of begs the question of how strong these rapports are. I guess they can literally cover light-years of space, which is impressive. At the same time, I can't help but think what an inhibition they must be for Xavier and Lilandra given the pair have opted to live apart; it can be hard enough to get an ex out of your thoughts when you meet someone new <i>without</i> psychic bonds factoring into the equation.<br /><br />VW: <i>sublam</i> — Me at my most sublime.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-31770669464610094862012-05-27T10:58:08.978-05:002012-05-27T10:58:08.978-05:00Oh, and Matt, the Brood were also the villains in ...Oh, and Matt, the Brood were also the villains in the second issue of X-Men/WildCATs, back circa 1996.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-3595140209636609342012-05-25T18:07:09.573-05:002012-05-25T18:07:09.573-05:00Love this cover. Love this issue. Love this saga.
...Love this cover. Love this issue. Love this saga.<br /><br />This definitely feels like X-Men to, after meandering through the Doom trilogy and the Hellfire Club comeback.<br /><br />The Brood are some of my favorite villains. My comments on forthcoming issues are going to be very boring as I gush over everything that's set to come for a good long time. (Except the Dark Phoenix returns issue...)Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-85518953498912301052012-05-24T23:15:39.169-05:002012-05-24T23:15:39.169-05:00"Teebore -- "They were the villains of t..."Teebore -- "They were the villains of the Jim Lee-drawn crossover with Ghost Rider in X-Men vol. 2 #8-9."<br /><br />Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that! So other than that story, plus the John Ostrander/Bryan Hitch mini, it sounds like the Brood were basically exclusively written by Claremont up until a few years ago."<br /><br />You seem so driven to diminish the Brood's importance in X-Men mythology, Matt.<br /><br />WHY DO YOU HATE THE BROOD SO MUCH? WHY???Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49168857017225232302012-05-24T12:40:40.804-05:002012-05-24T12:40:40.804-05:00Teebore -- "They were the villains of the Jim...Teebore -- "<b>They were the villains of the Jim Lee-drawn crossover with Ghost Rider in X-Men vol. 2 #8-9</b>."<br /><br />Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that! So other than that story, plus the John Ostrander/Bryan Hitch mini, it sounds like the Brood were basically exclusively written by Claremont up until a few years ago.<br /><br />Teebore & Sarah -- The original Yellowjacket storyline has a trade paperback release coming up, called "The Trial of Yellowjacket".<br /><br />Also, this will surprise no one, but Jim Shooter claimed on his blog that Pym was never supposed to hit Jan. Shooter says that the plot as he wrote it had Pym shoving her or something, and the artist (Bob Hall?) drew it as a full on backhanded slap.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-82212189548788382732012-05-23T16:03:29.032-05:002012-05-23T16:03:29.032-05:00@Rob: This was the first X-Men comic I ever read.
...@Rob: <i>This was the first X-Men comic I ever read.</i><br /><br />Very cool. Everyone's first is always special. :) <br /><br /><i>Now, 30 years later I have a straight run of Uncanny X-Men running from #13-400, and working on getting a nice copy of #1</i><br /><br />Impressive. My continuous run starts with #102 and runs to present, but I have several dozen of the issues before that (#12 being the oldest). <br /><br />@JD: <i> I think the Brood showed up in one of Warren Ellis's Astonishing arcs (or were those genetically-modified offshoots ?)</i><br /><br />Yeah, those were genetically-modified offshoots, technically. <br /><br /><i>There was also another Brood story last year in Astonishing when Chris Gage wrote some fill-in issues...</i><br /><br />Good to know. I'm so far behind in my current reading, that's right about where I leave off. <br /><br />@Sarah: <i>i think i need to know more about these yellowjacket shenanigans over in the Avengers</i><br /><br />This was during the infamous "Hank Pym: Wifebeater" storyline, in which Yellowjacket is brought up on charges by the Avengers after he shoots (in the back) a foe that Captain America had talked down (YJ was feeling insecure about his place on the team, so he wanted to look good by taking down the villain). <br /><br />In order to prevent himself from being kicked off the Avengers, YJ decided to build a robot so strong it would defeat the Avengers, but put in a kill switch only he knew about so he could "save" the day and look good. While he was working on it, Wasp came in and figured out what he was doing, and he gave her a taste of the back of his hand. <br /><br />The next day, at his court martial, the robot barges in, but YJ can't defeat it, so Wasp has to. YJ confesses everything and leaves the Avengers in disgrace. <br /><br />Eventually, he gets duped into stealing some adamantium for Egghead, goes to jail, and ultimately redeems himself. It's actually a pretty good story stretched out over a nice chunk of issues.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-7403454662045669182012-05-23T14:41:12.014-05:002012-05-23T14:41:12.014-05:00... i think i need to know more about these yellow...... i think i need to know more about these yellowjacket shenanigans over in the AvengersSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-3232212959628004852012-05-23T14:10:19.395-05:002012-05-23T14:10:19.395-05:00I think the Brood showed up in one of Warren Ellis...I <i>think</i> the Brood showed up in one of Warren Ellis's <i>Astonishing</i> arcs (or were those genetically-modified offshoots ?). <br /><br />There was also another Brood story last year in <i>Astonishing</i> when Chris Gage wrote some fill-in issues... which is mostly notable for giving us Broo, the tame Brood youngling, with whom Jason Aaron is currently having fun over in <i>Wolverine & The</i>.JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09639296536339134165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-1585428136064884782012-05-23T12:52:49.767-05:002012-05-23T12:52:49.767-05:00This was the first X-Men comic I ever read. I was ...This was the first X-Men comic I ever read. I was 10 and in the hospital with a concussion. My mom bought me a stack of comics to read and this one was one of them. I remember not really realizing before that comic books were actually ongoing stories and I HAD to find out if that acid was going to eat through the metal guy. Then of course I had to find out about that guy with the claws, and the rest of them, which led me to my local comic shop. Now, 30 years later I have a straight run of Uncanny X-Men running from #13-400, and working on getting a nice copy of #1. Wish I could still read them, but the storylines became entirely too convoluted and bloated long ago...(sigh)Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-73442811892179286452012-05-23T12:50:30.338-05:002012-05-23T12:50:30.338-05:00@Byron: Don't forget, the corner box changed!
...@Byron: <i>Don't forget, the corner box changed!</i><br /><br />D'oh! I totally forgot about that. Thanks for pointing it out. <br /><br /><i>And a fight in a construction site is always a winning formula.</i><br /><br />Agreed. Construction site fights are comic book gold. <br /><br /><i>I might go so far as to put this on a "Greatest X-Men Covers" list, if for some reason I was ever to compile one.</i><br /><br />Whereas I have never been a big fan of it. It seems to lack energy, with everyone just standing around, and the focus of the cover, which should be the mortally-wounded Colossus, is way down at the bottom. <br /><br /><i>t's so much more dynamic and exciting than the typical static heads you usually see up there.</i><br /><br />And just to prove how contradictory I can be, I actually much prefer the head shots despite the dynamic action of this corner box. I've just always been fascinated by the "roll call" nature of the head shots (and always used to get SO MAD when someone would leave the team and the corner box would fail to reflect that). <br /><br />Which isn't to say I dislike this one, just that I prefer the head shots. <br /><br /><i>Has anyone ever than Chris Claremont ever done anything with them?</i><br /><br />Not too much. They were the villains of the Jim Lee-drawn crossover with Ghost Rider in <i>X-Men</i> vol. 2 #8-9, shortly after Claremont left, and then the two part Bryan Hitch series you mentioned that ties up some of the loose ends from Claremont's second Brood story in issues #232-234. <br /><br />After that, they've pretty much been fringe players, showing up in <i>Contest of Champions II</i>, Ms. Marvel's most recent series, some of Marvel's outerspace stuff like <i>Planet Hulk</i> and <i>Annihilation</i>, as well as one arc of Cable's most recent series (when he was jumping through time raising/protecting Hope). <br /><br /><i>Anyway, I guess maybe he does have a soft spot for her.</i><br /><br />I'm not surprised; he definitely likes his strong female characters. <br /><br /><i>And Corsair is walking around the streets of Manhattan in full space pirate regalia. </i><br /><br />Ha! Good point. I totally overlooked that, even though Storm took the time to change into street clothes. <br /><br /><i>I don't believe it's called out, but I think they walk past Marvel's (then) address. And I thought they were seen by a real-world person (maybe Cockrum himself?)</i><br /><br />Huh. I just checked the issue and I think you're right. In the bottom left panel of page 9 they walk past a building with an address of "575", which I believe is Marvel's street address. And, judging by his past appearances, I'm pretty sure that's Dave Cockrum walking by them in that panel. <br /><br />Shoot - something else I'm bummed I missed! Thanks for catching it. <br /><br /><i>But it just seems very "Saturday morning cartoon"-ish. Nobody will die, and we'll all learn a valuable lesson in the end.</i><br /><br />That's a good way to put it. This run, especially at this point, is very traditional superheroics, very classically Bronze Age stuff, and I think that shares a lot with the feel of Saturday morning cartoons. <br /><br />Even the very end of this story, when the X-Men believe they're going to die, works as well as it does because by then Smith has come aboard, and the whole thing has a gravitas it maybe wouldn't have had with Cockrum (ironically, since Smith came from animation). <br /><br />@Joan: <i>YEARGH! I love these posts. </i><br /><br />And I love that you love them. <br /><br /><i>Deathbird: Your reference to the idea that cats have nine lives is all sorts of wrong.</i><br /><br />Humorously enough, Tigra makes a nine lives joke later in the episode...Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-64486810483766310742012-05-23T12:21:09.345-05:002012-05-23T12:21:09.345-05:00YEARGH! I love these posts.
Deathbird: If it'...<b>YEARGH!</b> I love these posts. <br /><br /><b>Deathbird</b>: If it's a threat it's a <b>hollow</b> one! Get it? Hollow, like a bird's bones? See what I did there? Oh, never mind; you're an idiot and I am trying hard to work in obscure bird jokes in the heat of battle.<br /><b>Tigra</b>: And idiot in time kills nine!<br /><b>Deathbird</b>: Your reference to the idea that cats have nine lives is all sorts of wrong.<br /><b>Tigra</b>: Ack - Ack - Yeargh! *engages hairball attack*Joan Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04513335615114222374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-30521838140020353592012-05-23T12:15:18.095-05:002012-05-23T12:15:18.095-05:00PART TWO OF A 2-PART COMMENT
"Deathbird, aft...<b>PART TWO OF A 2-PART COMMENT</b><br /><br />"<b>Deathbird, after debuting in Ms. Marvel's solo title, makes her first appearance in <i>X-Men</i>.</b>"<br /><br />She also previously appeared in the much-beloved <i>Avengers</i> #189, where Hawkeye battles her one-on-one. (Art by John Byrne!)<br /><br />"<b>[The Brood] remain a relatively minor but still significant part of the X-Men's rogues gallery</b>."<br /><br />The Brood are one of those things that never really caught on. Has <i>anyone</i> ever than Chris Claremont ever done anything with them? Outside of that two-issue mini-series from the 90's, that is. (Art by Bryan Hitch! When he was still good!)<br /><br />"<b>I can't imagine she was expected to generate a spike in sales; maybe Claremont just liked the character?</b>"<br /><br />I know he wrote an issue of <i>Marvel Team-Up</i> that teamed Spider-Man with Tigra. (Art by John Byrne!) I just Googled "Chris Claremont Tigra" and learned that he also wrote a Tigra solo story in <i>Marvel Chillers</i>... both those stories featured Kraven the Hunter as the villain. Anyway, I guess maybe he does have a soft spot for her.<br /><br />"<b>Storm is mildly resentful of Professor X turning to Cyclops before her.</b>"<br /><br />I love how Xavier tosses in that, "Oh, you too, Storm" afterthought. I might be a little miffed by that, too! But that said, I'm glad to see Xavier going straight to Cyclops, and not accepting any substitutions or imitations.<br /><br />"...<b>Storm and Corsair split off from the rest of the X-Men in order to, essentially, go sight seeing</b>..."<br /><br />And Corsair is walking around the streets of Manhattan in full space pirate regalia. That's awesome.<br /><br />Don't they pass the Marvel Comics offices in that scene? I don't believe it's called out, but I think they walk past Marvel's (then) address. And I thought they were seen by a real-world person (maybe Cockrum himself?)... I'm not sure, though. I'll have to look at the issue when I get home tonight.<br /><br />"<b>Professor X knows Lilandra is still alive, because he would have felt her death.</b>"<br /><br />And for once in a work of fiction, that's not melodramatic hyperbole!<br /><br />"<b>Given thirty years of additional stories featuring Colossus, it's easy to disregard the end of this issue; but in 1982, it's entirely possible this generated more than the usual amount of angst in readers.</b>..."<br /><br />I wasn't there so I can't speak to this exactly, but for me -- and this could be colored by knowing Colossus survives too -- I seriously have trouble buying that any permanent harm will come to the characters during this run. In Cockrum's first run, if someone had died, I would've believed it. I certainly believed it during Byrne's run. I would believe it also from Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. and Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee. But there's just <i>something</i> about this second Cockrum run that reads like everything will always be all right in the end.<br /><br />I don't know why exactly... I can't put my finger on it. Claremont tries to sell it in the narration, but it doesn't come across in the art, which seems... tame, I guess. And just like last week, this is not meant as a slight against Cockrum. I love his artwork here. But it just seems very "Saturday morning cartoon"-ish. Nobody will die, and we'll all learn a valuable lesson in the end. Maybe it's the influcence of Joe Rubenstein and now Bob Wiacek?<br /><br />But again, I wasn't there when these issues came out. My opinion could certainly be colored by my knowledge that no one actually does come to any permanent harm here. But even taking that into consideration, I think my point is valid. I feel the same way looking at this issue as I did looking at the "Rogue Storm" cover from #147 -- "There's no way the readers of the time bought this, right?"Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-87526229475176360832012-05-23T12:10:43.467-05:002012-05-23T12:10:43.467-05:00PART ONE OF A 2-PART COMMENT
Fun issue! I like w...<b>PART ONE OF A 2-PART COMMENT</b><br /><br />Fun issue! I like when the X-Men get into battles in public, because it really doesn't seem to happen all that often. So a big fight with the Brood and Deathbird in Manhattan is nice to see. And a fight in a construction site is always a winning formula.<br /><br />Also, I love the cover to this issue. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but the composition, coloring, and pretty much everything about it really impresses me. I might go so far as to put this on a "Greatest X-Men Covers" list, if for some reason I was ever to compile one. And we get the first use of one of my all-time favorite corner box designs ever! It's so much more dynamic and exciting than the typical static heads you usually see up there. It's too bad it doesn't last very long.<br /><br />And let me add that I love the way Joe Rosen writes credits. His lettering in general doesn't really jump out at me either way, but his credits are almost always done in this really clean, bold style, with nifty asterisks separating all the individual creators. I'm not sure off the top of my head if he did that for this issue, but I know he did it a lot during his time lettering Roger Stern's run on <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i>.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-51720587747553793162012-05-23T12:05:17.855-05:002012-05-23T12:05:17.855-05:00Don't forget, the corner box changed! I think ...Don't forget, the corner box changed! I think that my first X-Men comic I ever read was two issues from this one, so that was the "real" corner box to me. Not the floating heads.Byronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11721691969551258310noreply@blogger.com