tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post2089269276622910578..comments2024-03-28T03:13:15.831-04:00Comments on Remarkable: Jason Powell on Uncanny X-Men #161Geoff Klockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-32153893870406293752010-04-11T16:04:50.477-04:002010-04-11T16:04:50.477-04:00I loved the scene with Storm and Cyclops. And I to...I loved the scene with Storm and Cyclops. And I too wish they had done more with it...<br /><br />I know it's not hip or cool to admit this, but I like Storm as a leader as much as I do Cyclops, and consider her to be his equal.wwk5dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-19090977579628175192010-01-27T11:43:00.724-05:002010-01-27T11:43:00.724-05:00Fascinating stuff as always. That Xavier's pow...Fascinating stuff as always. That Xavier's power grants him empathy with warm humanity while Magneto's power only connects him to cold metal is an observation fiendishly clever in its simplicity. It's the kind of thing I've never thought of before, but once it's pointed out, it seems like such a strong comparison I wonder how I ever missed it?Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-36884893140891215082009-11-23T09:21:35.033-05:002009-11-23T09:21:35.033-05:00THIS is why I keep clicking on the comments as wel...THIS is why I keep clicking on the comments as well as the analysis.<br />Considering Geoff's (oddly-misspelled but utterly intriguing and rigorous)comparison of gnostic pessimism and this decade's X-Men brought me to this thread (which I glimpsed days earlier with great eagerness but lost), this expression of Charles and his empathy defines the difference in why I easily identified with the post-human heroes, and why Millar chose a more aloof Xavier. Just yesterday on IMWAN forum the question arose: "which character has been most changed beyond your recognition?" Dr. Klock's analysis of Ultimate Xavier via Millar would've made an excellent contrast to the Claremont Xavier, in whom I always invested idealism ---and who's to say, Claremont's X-Men didn't invest a great deal of idealism in me? I'm wrestling with post-human transformation in my own character and its implications for myself. Your discussions have unearthed serious consideration of stories that shaped me before I had developed an apparatus for such critique---yet didn't we all analyze the philosophies at work in such character-driven entertainment?Ceasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16852602817305513997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-73007845934422122752008-08-31T22:37:00.000-04:002008-08-31T22:37:00.000-04:00You're right, I shouldn't assume that the Scott/Or...You're right, I shouldn't assume that the Scott/Ororo parallel with Xavier/Magneto is unintentional. Although deliberate or not, I think it's really brilliant in how it plays out.<BR/><BR/>Can't wait for your part two -- your cliffhanger does intrigue, indeed.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-49465959921565676932008-08-31T20:19:00.000-04:002008-08-31T20:19:00.000-04:00I'll try to keep this shorter than my novelette on...I'll try to keep this shorter than my novelette on #160. ;)<BR/><BR/>I really don't buy the "oh no, Charles is dying!" melodrama. Claremont's decision to interlude the Brood Saga was probably more benificial to the series overall, producing three stellar issues, but to the Saga itself, the momentum that had already taken a hit in #156-157 had completely dissipated after Rogue/Dracula/Belasco. To restart the Saga and then interrupt it AGAIN with the Israel flashback is narrative suicide, made even worse because the flashback is so much more compelling. CC didn't always have the best instincts on arc pacing, and this is one of the most egregious examples. It's a testament to the energy that Dave Cockrum put into the Saga that it succeeds to the extent that it does, and #161 is an especially potent effort on his part.<BR/><BR/>But one place where CC home-runs in the Saga is the interplay between Ororo and Scott. #161 is in that regard a sequel to #155. In "Reunion," we see Scott and Ororo as equals, co-completing, wedded in their symbiotic leadership of the team -- harmonious. But since returning from space, Ororo has had to command an act of terrorism, been violated by the Lord of Vampires, and allowed the most innocent person she knows be corrupted beyond her understanding. Suddenly, Ororo's capacity for pragmatism and cynicism rears its head, and we begin to see the gulf that will develop between them. In contrast to #155, #161 shows Scott and Ororo as equalizers, co-competing, divided in their balancing guidance of the team -- contraposing. <BR/><BR/>I think it was Morrison who referred to Scott as the greatest superhero in the world, and I'm inclined to agree -- Scott, even more than Captain America and Spidey, has the traditional superheroic traits exemplified by Superman; it's Scott's personal adversities that darken him, not his "professional" judgements. Pragmatic or not, Scott would have been predisposed to seem the villain rather than BE the villain. But Ororo isn't an idealist, she's a protector. Before now, her roles as goddess and "big sister" only seemed pacifist because she had the power to impose her peaceful will; but threaten her worshippers -- her Little Brother or Kitten or Snowflake -- in a way that avoids or supercedes her power, and she'll just find some other way to impose her will. Ororo has no qualms about actually being a villain so long as peace is the goal.<BR/><BR/>Hmm... Reminds me of someone else in this issue...<BR/><BR/>That CC inserted the Scott/Ororo contrast in an otherwise Charles/Magnus issue seems to me that the comparisons are intentional. But unlike the younger generation, Xavier and Magneto have an additional layer to their characters that set them apart: their philosophical ideologies. And because of that layer, what appears to be a Scott/Charles vs. Ororo/Magnus dichotomy is the reverse: Scott/Magnus vs. Ororo/Charles. Heroic personalities vs. villainous personalities.<BR/><BR/>And on that tantalizing blasphemy, I'm going to have my own intermission. Part 2 (and as Belasco as my witness, let it only be one more part!) in a bit...Cove Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12733253995914422377noreply@blogger.com