X-Men In General

I'm pretty sure the examples mentioned in that song aren't even examples of irony...

Which still allows the song to be an example of irony I suppose.

Mind you, dumb Crisis Crossovers have been with us for a while longer than that. One famous example would be Armageddon 2001 a DC story infamous for the fact that its ending was changed mid-arc to a new one that made no sense... because the intended ending was accidentally spoiled by a news leak.

edited 24th Jul '16 1:20:58 PM by HamburgerTime

Of course, this was back when such things actually mattered. If that sort of thing happened these days, (the news leak I mean,) nobody would bat an eye, including DC, and they'd go ahead with what they already had planned anyways. (Even when in some cases, they probably should have scrapped it all and tried again anyways.)

and nowadays the shocking outcomes of events are spoiled months in advance due to solicits

When was the last time something really shocking happened in comics that wasn't spoiled? I mean, even the death of Captain America was spoiled since, you know, the next storyline in his book was called "The Death of Captain America."

Was in the Thunderbolts' true identities? Because I know that was kept a tight secret and really did shock a lot of readers.

X-Men 92, why can't you be better?

Issue 5 was fun as a Cyclops/Jean one shot and the cameo at the end of X-Men 2099 were hilarious, but it felt like a really meandering issue.

I think that's the biggest problem with this series. It's trying to juggle so much, between being a "fun" book, telling its own stories, homaging the cartoon without aping it, doing new stuff and forming its own identity.

edited 28th Jul '16 6:04:43 AM by Mr.Badguy

io9: Why Are Marvel's X-Men Comics So Terrible Right Now?

terrible? A stretch...but yeah the X-Line has been really blah. For me it's All-New > Uncanny >>>> Extraordinary. All-New Wolverine is probably the best and it's telling that my favorites out of the current X-Lin are good because they ignore the terrigen.

I support that listing.

It doesn't help that some of the better comics using X-characters aren't X-comics. Uncanny Avengers and New Avengers are better than nearly every other X-comic, with possible exception for All-New X-Men.

It also doesn't help that the X-Men feel kinda aimless now. Like, now that the Avengers Unity Squad is a thing that exists and is trying to integrate humans, mutants, and Inhumans, what even are the X-Men anymore? The M-Pox plotline is a Band-Aid desperately trying to cover up the fact that the X-Men don't really have a reason to exist as an independent entity now that they can just be Avengers.

It's kinda the inevitable result of making such a big fuss over the Avengers/X-Men schism before.

• X-Men: You never cared about us! You don't help us!
• Avengers: You've got your own brand that doesn't gel well with the reset of the Marvel U. We've just been trying to let you do your thing.
• X-Men: We're enemies now because you NEVER support us!
• Avengers: Fine, if it means that much to you, congratulations. You can all be Avengers now.
• X-Men: Wait, what?
• Avengers: We'll work side by side with you on everything and you'll integrate into our organization.
• X-Men: But we don't want to be Avengers. We want to have our own plots and do our own stuff.
• Avengers: Too late, I'm already fighting mutant prejudice and searching for Charles Xavier's psychic brain.
• X-Men: But that's X-stuff....
• Avengers: It's Avenger stuff now. You got your wish, we're fixing your problems.
• X-Men: ...then what are we supposed to do....
• Avengers: And we're taking some of your best characters, while we're at it. They're Avengers now.
• X-Men: ...I want my brand back.

edited 1st Aug '16 1:46:36 PM by TobiasDrake

I've said this before but I feel like the root of this may be the fact that 90% of the villains were either killed off or turned good by the Decimation/Messiah Myth Arc. We're so desperate for antagonists at this point that the freaking Dark Riders (an XTREEM NINETEEEZ minor villain team that were killed off in the space of a single issue) were revived.

. . . I liked the Dark Riders. Sorta. To an extent. I also want the Nasty Boys back. and the MLF. I desperately want Thumbelina to make a comeback.

In terms of the current titles, I wouldn't say they're terrible. ANXM is really good. It doesn't have much of an overarching plot, but it's doing some really good character exploration, and the premise of a group of mutants just traveling around doing good is a good one. UXM is mostly pretty good, though Greg Land sucks, and there are some aspects of the book that are a bit bland. But there is still some good stuff in it, and some potential.

EXM is the real problem. That book is just bland and meandering, and it's moved too far into hopelessness. And Storm is written really poorly there. EXM does have the Illyana/Sapna subplot, which has been excellent. But other than that, it's just a really weak comic. Not terrible, necessarily, but far from great.

There are a few solutions. First off, end this fucking Terrigen poisoning plot. It's a rehash of stories we've already had. Get to the big conflict between mutants and Inhumans, end the crossover with a cure for M-Pox being found, and call it a day.

Next, I would argue they need at least four titles. ANXM can keep going, doing what it's doing. Make it sort of a social awareness title. Then, have a school-based book focusing on the students. Make it a mix of New X-Men, Aaron's kids and Bendis' kids. Actually, scratch that. Having the trainers be from the New X-Men, with the students being some of the younger kids. Look at the Defillippis/Weir Academy X days as a model. Make it a book about creating a better future. Have another title that's classic X-Men from different generations - including Generation X - doing big superhero things, dealing with major threat, while also working to improve the public perception of mutants. So part superhero team, part PR effort. And finally, an X-Force-type title, all about black ops stuff. Whether it's a team run by Cable, Magneto or someone else.

Plus, of course, Wolverine (with Laura remaining in the role), possibly Old Man Logan (if the sales justify it), and preferably, an Iceman solo. Not because I like the character, but because, given how high-profile his coming-out was, it just makes sense to capitalize on that by giving him his own book.

So, that's my path for fixing the X-Men.

Ooh, I like the idea of the Academy X generation becoming the trainers! If they can't be field members, they can at least be not-wallpaper.

Oh, one more fix: Do a Generation X reunion mini. Come on, Marvel! We deserve this!

They should all also just get along. Enough with the Schism & Cyclops being an outcast. They should just forgive him, welcome him back & just be a large family/community again.

IIRC, Cyclops is currently dead, so it's a bit hard to welcome him back with open arms even if they wanted to. Wasn't he killed during the ambiguous The Thing Scott Did And Now Everyone Hates Him?

edited 1st Aug '16 8:13:01 PM by TobiasDrake

> Classic '60s character

> Dead

Pull the other one.

edited 1st Aug '16 8:13:21 PM by HamburgerTime

Jean Grey.

Really, death?

That's fucking hilarious if you think that's a problem.

edited 1st Aug '16 8:15:36 PM by slimcoder

Sure, bad writing happens from time to time. And it would take a whopper of bad writing to turn around tomorrow and go, "SUDDENLY Cyclops is back alive. And nobody cares about any of the problems anymore, because he came back right on Forgiveness Day so all of his MANY CRIMES are forgiven! Even the Red Skull has graciously returned Charles Xavier's brain so he's alive too. There are no longer problems among the X-Men!"

Besides, it's best for stories to move forwards, not backwards.

edited 1st Aug '16 8:19:20 PM by TobiasDrake

So you'd leave him dead permanently?

I'd probably keep him dead for a few years. At least three years, probably. Give the X-Men time to get over the anger they felt towards him when he was alive, and be more legitimately relieved to see him again. Though I'd probably only bring him back if mutants were in a bit better a position. If mutants are still on the edge, battling for their very existence, then Scott can stay dead.

I wouldn't say completely forget all the shit he's done but a more forgive but never forget. I mean Scott has not objectively done anything too horrible that they can't at the very least try to patch things up. I mean everyone loves & misses Logan & we all know he's done shit worse than what Scott did or at least more shit.

Seriously at least try to arrange a truce, all this pointless antagonism is counter effective & pointless. Were all in this together as they a say.

They forgave Emma, who's done stuff like forced people to commit suicide. I wonder how those people's families feel about the likes of her acting like a "hero."

If anything the X-Men are too forgiving. It's part of why they're so low on villains now - during the Decimation period they offered sanctuary to many of their former foes because mutants have to stick together, I guess.

To be fair, Emma did earn forgiveness. Her students were slaughtered and she was left in a coma, and she was very clearly heartbroken when she woke up, so the X-Men took pity on her. Very soon after, the Phalanx Covenant happened, with Emma helping to rescue the young mutants who would become a part of Generation X, and she did earn a degree of respect from Banshee in the process. And then over the course of Generation X, she proved herself reformed. After that, she was on Genosha when Sentinels wiped it out, getting her more pity, and she joined the X-Men, where she still wasn't fully trusted, but she did fight alongside them, and earned their trust.

So, yeah, Emma's acceptance took a while. It felt deserved.