History ComicBook / XStatix

Picking up several weeks after the death of [[TeleportersAndTransporters U-Go Girl]], the series follows the team's attempt to rebuild itself under the leadership of [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Spike Freeman]], now calling themselves [[CaptainErsatz X-Statix]] after [[ScrewedByTheLawyers refusing to pay royalties to the founding members of X-Force]] to use their name. Later arcs dealt with [[SuperSenses Mister Sensitive]]'s increasing disillusionment with being a super-celebrity, [[OurWerewolvesAredifferent Vivisector]]'s ill-advised efforts to bring his feral powers under control, and [[EnergyBeings Venus Dee Milo]]'s search for her long-lost family, among other stories.

** The first issue killed off [[SacrificialLamb the entire team except for]] Tike and U-Go Girl. Then new recruits Bloke and Saint Anna, then the Spike, then U-Go Girl, then the Mysterious Fanboy, then Phat, then El Guapo, until the surviving members were all killed in the last issue of X-Statix.
** The first arc both subverts then plays it straight twice over. Edie intends to go rescue Guy from his daily russian roulette game (which had been rigged so that all chambers had a bullet in them. ), only to be paralyized by the Coach. Guy then arrives to save her from the Coach, revealing he felt the gun was heavier. Finally, after The Coach's two personal goons jump guy, Wolverine shows up on a favor from Doop to rescue him.

* DecoyProtagonist: Zeitgeist; later issues would posthumously reveal him to be a ''huge'' {{Jerkass}} who had deliberately set up several of his teammates to die.

* DrunkenMaster: Gin Genie's seismic powers were fueled by her alcoholic consumption.
* EastwardEndeavor: Guy Smith traveled to the East in pursuit of ways to control his severely-heightened sense of touch.

* FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: Edie's daughter Katie was originally established as being her sister, until the revelation in ''Giant-Size X-Men''.

* NotNowKiddo: In the first issue Zeitgeist repeatedly brushes off Battering Ram's attempts to talk to him about his role in the group. And no, he doesn't get heard out before everybody dies.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted as ''X-Force'', when the team featured the Spike and Spike Freeman. That said, Freeman didn't get half as much screentime as he would later back then.

* PowerIncontinence: Zeitgeist's powers first manifested during an underaged drunken beach make-out session; his acid vomit maimed the girl. (He wonders whether "the doctors ever managed to give her back her pretty face.")
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Before he was rescued by X-Statix, Paco Perez's body was being harvested of its various fluids in order to turn his native Bastrona into a pharmaceutical-based economic powerhouse.

* RockBeatsLaser: The first stage of the Orphan/Iron Man fight showed the peak of modern technology falling to the peak of smithing equipment, as seen in the page picture.

* SacrificialLamb: The entire team barring The Anarchist and U-Go-Girl in the first issue.

* WolverinePublicity: Parodied with one issue where Wolverine appears on the cover and openly admits that he's only there to boost sales.

''X-Statix'' was a Creator/MarvelComics series spinning off from Creator/PeterMilligan and Creator/MikeAllred's run on ''ComicBook/XForce'', which reimagined the violent mutant squad as RealityTV stars performing superhero missions for ratings.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/X-statix_003_2220.gif]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/X-statix_003_2220.gif]]

''X-Statix'' was a Creator/MarvelComics series spinning off from Creator/PeterMilligan and Creator/MikeAllred's popular run on ''ComicBook/XForce'', which reimagined the violent mutant squad as RealityTV stars performing superhero missions for ratings.

The series became known for its large cast and [[AnyoneCanDie famously rapid turnover of characters]], being a satiric superhero saga on the level of Creator/GarthEnnis where most (if not all) of them are second-tier celebrity wannabes only in it for fame, fortune, and kicks. ''X-Statix'' was eventually canceled after twenty-six issues, ending with [[KillEmAll the entire team getting killed off]]. (Many of them would later [[FirstLawOfResurrection come back anyway]].) After its cancelation, a {{spinoff}} mini-series starring team member [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Dead Girl]] was published, satirizing the cyclical nature of superhero resurrections with ComicBook/DoctorStrange in tow.

* KillEmAll:
** The way Milligan ended the title, [[spoiler:killing off the ''entire'' team]].
** It's worth noting that Doop has since returned, and that Edie has a way by which she might some day (she was in the casino in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'').

* SuperOCD: Ironically (given his moniker), the Anarchist has obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is probably not helped by the fact that his powers require him to sweat constantly. It gets exacerbated after he's made the leader of the team.

In 2019, the team (as well as original creators Milligan & Allred) returned for a one-shot —''Giant-Size X-Statix''— wherein U-Go Girl's daughter inherits her late mother's mutation, inadvertently leading to the reunion of the team. The issue also served as a {{backdoor pilot}} for an all-new series titled ''ComicBook/XCellent'', planned for a 2020 launch.

The series became known for its [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters large cast]] and [[AnyoneCanDie famously rapid turnover of characters]], being a satiric superhero saga on the level of Creator/GarthEnnis where most (if not all) of them are second-tier celebrity wannabes only in it for fame, fortune, and kicks. ''X-Statix'' was eventually canceled after twenty-six issues, ending with [[KillEmAll the entire team getting killed off]]. (Many of them would later [[FirstLawOfResurrection come back anyway]].) After its cancelation, a {{spinoff}} mini-series starring team member [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Dead Girl]] was published, satirizing the cyclical nature of superhero resurrections with ComicBook/DoctorStrange in tow.

In 2019, the team (as well as original creators Milligan & Allred) returned for a one-shot —''Giant-Size X-Statix''— wherein U-Go Girl's daughter inherits her late mother's mutation, inadvertently leading to the reunion of the team. The issue also served as a {{backdoor pilot}} for an all-new series titled ''The X-Cellent'', planned for a 2020 launch.

* EthnicityObscuringMutation: Venus Dee Milo is black, but her mutation has turned her into a cloud of energy, forcing her to wear a suit which obscures her ethnicity.

* BadassGay: Phat and Vivisector.

* SixthRanger: Quite a few given the team's high turnover rate, though Venus Dee Milo and Dead Girl are the streightst examples.

%%* TeethClenchedTeamwork

The series became known for its [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters large cast]] and [[AnyoneCanDie famously rapid turnover of characters]], being a satiric superhero saga where most (if not all) of them are second-tier celebrity wannabes only in it for fame, fortune and kicks. ''X-Statix'' was eventually canceled after twenty-six issues, ending with [[KillEmAll the entire team getting killed off]]. (Many of them would later [[FirstLawOfResurrection come back anyway]].) After its cancelation, a {{spinoff}} mini-series starring team member [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Dead Girl]] was published, satirizing the cyclical nature of superhero resurrections with ComicBook/DoctorStrange in tow.

* GenerationXerox: Edie's daughter Katie becomes this in ''Giant-Size X-Statix'', inheriting both her late mother's powers as well as her blue skin.

** The way Milligan ended the title, [[spoiler: killing off the ''entire'' team]].
** It's worth noting that Doop has since returned, and that Edie has a way by which she might some day (she was in the casino in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'').*
* LampshadeHanging: The source of much of the humour.

%%* PoweredByAForsakenChild: The Paco Perez arc.

* RomanticFakeRealTurn: Zig-zagged by [[spoiler: Phat and Vivisector]], initially faking a relationship to [[spoiler: raise their popularity and discourage their publicity-hungry bosses from killing one of them for drama]], then they try a genuine relationship, but decide it is not working.

* TimeStandsStill: Lacuna's powers
%%* ToHellAndBack: The ''Dead Girl'' mini-series.

* TheUnreveal: Twice. When both Mister Code and the Pitiful One are unmasked, the characters see them and recognise them as someone they know, but the knowledge is never passed on to the reader.

%%* WolverinePublicity: Parodied.

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:By the end of the series, Phat and Vivisector are both killed off.]]

''X-Statix'' was a Creator/MarvelComics series spinning off from Creator/PeterMilligan and Creator/MikeAllred's popular run on ''ComicBook/XForce''. Beginning several weeks after the death of Edie Sawyer, the series follows the team's attempt to rebuild itself. Later arcs dealt with Guy Smith's increasing disillusionment with being a super-celebrity, Myles' ill-advised efforts to bring his feral powers under control, and Venus Dee Milo's search for her long-lost family, among other stories. The series is known for a [[AnyoneCanDie famously rapid turnover of characters]] a its satire of superheroes based around the idea of second-division superheroes as vapid and self-centered celebrities out for fame, fortune and kicks. The series explained the change-over with the notion of a millionaire software king creating his own team of super-heroes, with the X-Force name being taken from the previous team without permission.

Around a third of the way through the run, the title was changed to ''ComicBook/XStatix'' when team owner Spike Freeman decided to change it since he had to pay royalties on it to the founding members of the original X-Force to use the name. (In truth however, the revamp was a huge hit and Marvel wanted to cash in on it via a relaunch.)

Afterwards, there was also a ''Dead Girl'' SpinOff mini-series.

* TheLostLenore: Guy spends the early issues still mourning over Edie.

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: In the first arc, Venus has to rally the team back together after they split up.

** The first arc of X-Statix has Venus Dee Milo gathering the team to pull this towards the end of it, and then pulling it off pages later. * ArtistDisillusionment: A frequent theme of this series in-universe .

** Repeatedly averted -- Anarchist and Venus never get together,
despite both being black, and Phat and Vivisector realize that despite the fact that they're both gay, they are not attracted to each other.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: This series introduces the concept of "code-x", a factor in the X-gene that makes a mutant dangerously unstable and psychopathic. The protocol is for Doop to out them down in a secluded area.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_x_statix_003_2220.png]]

''X-Statix'' was a Creator/MarvelComics series spinning off from Creator/PeterMilligan and Creator/MikeAllred's popular run on ''ComicBook/XForce''. Beginning several weeks after the death of Edie Sawyer, the series follows the team's attempt to rebuild itself. Later arcs dealt with Guy Smith's increasing disillusionment with being a super-celebrity, Myles' ill-advised efforts to bring his feral powers under control, and Venus Dee Milo's search for her long-lost family, among other stories.

* AnyoneCanDie: A major selling point for this series.
* ArtistDisillusionment: A frequent theme of this series in-universe .

* BrokenPedestal: In "Back from the Dead", as the public sours on X-Statix in the wake of their failure to take out the Random Killer, Guy learns that [[spoiler:Edie helped sell WMD's to Saddam Hussein.]]

* {{Doorstopper}}: The 2011 omnibus clocks in at over 1200 pages (the longest book Marvel has ever printed) and weighs almost eight pounds.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:All of the surviving team members die in the final issue.]]
* LostLenore: Guy spends the early issues still mourning over Edie.

* TokenMinorityCouple: Repeatedly averted - Anarchist and Venus never get together, despite both being black, and Phat and Vivisector realize that despite the fact that they're both gay, they are not attracted to each other.

%%* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:By the end of the series, Phat and Vivisector are both killed off.]]