tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post7492618936268107087..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining X-Factor #21Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-28358013943336363822014-02-18T13:36:44.750-06:002014-02-18T13:36:44.750-06:00@Teemu: Ah, Caliban... for such a minor-role chara...@Teemu: <i>Ah, Caliban... for such a minor-role character he sure knew when to be there for have himself be drawn by different X-artists.</i><br /><br />Good point. He did kinda hit the jackpot just out of coincidence. <br /><br /><i>was there ever one for Jamie Proudstar?</i><br /><br />No, I think Liefeld just bulked him up. <br /><br /><i>But, "the Right"... I know the funny books people often hail from the other end of the political spectrum, but isn't this driving it home a bit harshly?</i><br /><br />I've always wondered about that. As a kid, I just assumed it was the Right as in "humans are right, mutants are wrong". <br /><br />Now, obviously, you can see all kinds of political connotations, but with all due respect to her, I find it hard to believe that's what Simonson was going for with the name. <br /><br />@Blam: <i>I know that it's heightened melodrama but it still felt dumb for X-Factor to fire Hodge before they knew the extent of whatever surveillance 'n' stuff he might have in the headquarters and before they even verified that they could fire him.</i><br /><br />Didn't you hear Cyclops? They were too busy being awesome to read the fine print. :) <br /><br /><i>From what I recall of Beast's long stint in the Avengers, his true identity as Hank McCoy wasn't exactly secret if maybe not as widely known as, say, Angel's true identity</i><br /><br />Yeah, I can't quite tell if Beast, as an Avenger, was publicly known as "Hank McCoy" rather than just as Beast. As Teemu points out, the first issue suggested he was a known mutant, though of course, he was blue and hairy at that point, which kinda makes it obvious. <br /><br />Of course, the best defense for Trish's poor investigative skills comes from the fact that Beast in <i>X-Factor</i> doesn't look like Beast who was on the Avengers, so that, if the public doesn't associate that blue guy on the Avengers specifically with the name Hank McCoy, it's more believable that a human looking Hank could remain incognito. <br /><br /><i>I call bandersnatch on Scott firing his eyeblasts with his glasses off in two separate beams</i><br /><br />Yeah, I chalk that up to artistic license. I'm pretty sure Simonson draws it that wat fairly regularly, even though it's physically impossible. At least both the beams are ultimately going in the same direction...<br /><br /><i>It's the writer calling out that emphasis in his/her script</i><br /><br />Good to know. All the blame does lie with Simonson then (and, oddly enough, I noticed the technique suddenly pop up a lot in the issue of <i>New Mutants</i> we'll look at later this week). <br /><br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-71852838806337921532014-02-16T00:10:21.224-06:002014-02-16T00:10:21.224-06:00@Blam: From what I recall of Beast's long stin...@Blam: <i>From what I recall of Beast's long stint in the Avengers, his true identity as Hank McCoy wasn't exactly secret if maybe not as widely known as, say, Angel's true identity</i><br /><br />In the very first issue blue-furred Hank McCoy was been interviewed for a job in Harvard Medical School and got rejected for the "fifteenth time" on the basis of him being a known mutant.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-89280537293531708672014-02-16T00:01:12.784-06:002014-02-16T00:01:12.784-06:00@Blam: which by the way brings into question Jean ...@Blam: <i>which by the way brings into question Jean Grey's legal status of existence, period, since her return from apparent death.</i><br /><br />I'm pretty sure they have relaxed procedures for cancelling a death certificate in the Marvel Universe akin to there being superhero insurances available for Manhattan business owners. I guess in Jean's case they just pencil the text in by now. I don't know though if there was some legal argybargy in the case of Wonder Man Simon Williams as a corporate magnate that forced him to pursue a career in Hollywood for livelihood.<br /><br />Or then someone just goes and hacks the current status on government computers. Perhaps they have a terminal or something for example at the Avengers' place.<br /><br />Specifically in the case of the (first) death of Jean Grey/Phoenix, there was nothing left to be buried or more importantly for the coroner to do the paper work on so legally I guess they would legally have to seek for to have Jean declared dead as a missing person which procedure has a lengthy waiting period of seven or so years before it's official. She may have likely returned in time before that.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-16576604810698803712014-02-15T21:25:33.427-06:002014-02-15T21:25:33.427-06:00@Teebore: // I wonder who is responsible for boldi...<br>@Teebore: <i>// I wonder who is responsible for bolding the words in dialogue //</i><br /><br />It's the writer calling out that emphasis in his/her script, although in the old days — if you look at, say, Silver Age DCs, for sure — I think letterers had a blanket edict to embolden and italicize proper names regardless of cadence in speech.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-80298190440511518012014-02-15T21:22:16.608-06:002014-02-15T21:22:16.608-06:00That apparent smile on the Right's flying huma...<br>That apparent smile on the Right's flying human tanks is weird, especially because the dot-centered loops above them look like eyes making the whole thing a macabre funny face — at least until you realize that the nozzles above those loops could also be eyes and so the loops suddenly turn into boobs.<br /><br />I think my favorite part of the issue was, paraphrased, this:<br /><br />Scott: "You rigged my computer to show me holograms designed to manipulate my behavior!"<br />Hodge: "Did I?"<br />Scott: "You totally did! Look! I'll show you!" <i>[nothing happens]</i> "Whatever! You still suck!"<br /><br />Anyway, I know that it's heightened melodrama but it still felt dumb for X-Factor to fire Hodge before they knew the extent of whatever surveillance 'n' stuff he might have in the headquarters and before they even verified that they <i>could</i> fire him. Will or no will, Hodge was probably the executive officer legally in charge of the X-Factor corporation in Warren's absence, whereas the X-Factor members themselves may not even have officially been a part of the concern. At minimum, Hodge could've evicted them — <i>You shall know us by the deeds to our headquarters!</i> — and cut off the stipends that they well might've been getting under assumed names, which by the way brings into question Jean Grey's legal status of existence, period, since her return from apparent death.<br /><br />Trish Tilby is — sorry, <i>was</i> — hardly an investigative journalist, although I guess being the least clueless person in this series is akin to being the one-eyed king in the land of the blind. From what I recall of Beast's long stint in the Avengers, his true identity as Hank McCoy wasn't exactly secret if maybe not as widely known as, say, Angel's true identity just by virtue of Warren Worthington being a public figure in his everyday billionaire-playboy life.<br /><br />I call bandersnatch on Scott firing his eyeblasts with his glasses off in two separate beams. Can anyone even whatever-the-opposite-of-cross-is their eyes to the degree that they no longer have binocular, stereoscopic vision?<br /><br />Eyes or Boobs is my new band name.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-6605739091173897872014-02-14T20:47:48.085-06:002014-02-14T20:47:48.085-06:00Ah, Caliban... for such a minor-role character he ...Ah, Caliban... for such a minor-role character he sure knew when to be there for have himself be drawn by different X-artists. First Cockrum, then he hit the ten or so issue run by Paul Smith, JRjr... and Liefeld with an in-universe excuse to bulk him up (was there ever one for Jamie Proudstar?). And there are also the disturbing concept drawings of Caliban by certain John Byrne.<br /><br />But, "the Right"... I know the funny books people often hail from the other end of the political spectrum, but isn't this driving it home a bit harshly?Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-68231047806505131282014-02-14T16:24:38.484-06:002014-02-14T16:24:38.484-06:00@wwk5ddid he ever display any super strength after...@wwk5d<i>did he ever display any super strength after that during the Smith or JRjr runs?</i><br /><br />I don't think so. Even in #148, any super strength was more implicit (going to toe-to-toe with Spider-Woman) than explicit, and I don't think he actually becomes super-strong until after Apocalypse does stuff to him. <br /><br /><i>If only she had someone better doing the scripts (or she herself toned down the histrionics)</i><br /><br />The histrionics could definitely be toned down. I wonder who is responsible for bolding the words in dialogue: is that Simonson directing the letterer, or the letterer? Because it's <b>all</b> over <b>this</b> this series, <b>yet</b> doesn't show up much in <i>New Mutants</i>.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-54335324045605627532014-02-14T15:28:35.860-06:002014-02-14T15:28:35.860-06:00Then again, I think Caliban is supposed to absorb ...Then again, I think Caliban is supposed to absorb negative energy or fear or whatever to get that super-strength...which meant he should have been kicking ass during the Mutant Massacre...wwk5dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-44392852603232491842014-02-14T15:26:10.599-06:002014-02-14T15:26:10.599-06:00I like the small touch W Simonson gives Scott when...I like the small touch W Simonson gives Scott when the will is read out. His optic beams are more intense even with the glasses on lol<br /><br />"Caliban now adds his inability to help Beast during the fight against the Horsemen to his inability to fight back against the Marauders, and yearns for power in order to better protect his friends. Iceman promises to teach him some hand-to-hand combat moves."<br /><br />Wasn't Caliban supposed to have some super strength? In his first appearance, he went toe to toe with Spider-woman, and she had super strength...did he ever display any super strength after that during the Smith or JRjr runs?<br /><br />"Simonson, like Claremont, creates the sensation that each of these narrative pieces is part of a larger puzzle, all the more impressive considering she wasn't involved in the creation of the series' earliest issues."<br /><br />If only she had someone better doing the scripts (or she herself toned down the histrionics), this would be so much better. Its still good, it just could've been better, you know? For the most part, her plotting is pretty good.wwk5dnoreply@blogger.com