tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post9218505635490932992..comments2024-03-19T03:17:15.936-04:00Comments on Remarkable: Uncanny X-Men #241Geoff Klockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-81356275451704229482009-10-16T13:08:05.364-04:002009-10-16T13:08:05.364-04:00I agree, Nathan. I have argued much the same thing...I agree, Nathan. I have argued much the same thing in earlier blog posts.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-79203900084951125812009-10-16T01:06:37.875-04:002009-10-16T01:06:37.875-04:00Enjoyed your latest Inferno post, but just a few c...Enjoyed your latest Inferno post, but just a few comments with regard to Madelyne!<br /><br />While it did seem a little coincidental that Madelyne is involved in a massive plane crash taking place at the exact same time Dark Phoenix suicided on the moon, and is a dead ringer for Jean who just happened to become a pilot for the airline owned by Scott’s grandparents, I always considered it in the following way:<br /><br />Chris was upset that Jean had to pay for her crimes as Dark Phoenix with death, and secretly still wanted to provide her and Scott with a happy ending.<br /><br />He therefore introduced Madelyne and drew the close parallels for readers to know that she was really Jean reincarnated.<br /><br />The other big hint for me comes when Madelyne is granted powers in Asgard by Loki. This to me was Chris suggesting that although Jean had previously shown the ability for destruction on a grand-scale, when once again being granted powers by another supervillian this time her goodness wins out and her powers for healing remanifest.<br /><br />This time however instead of healing the universe as she had through the M’Kraan Crystal, she comes down to the human level of individual healing, and in so doing, redeems herself for the mass genocide perpetrated by her Dark Phoenix aspect.<br /><br />So I suspect the whole plot with Madelyne was Chris’s effort to redeem Jean and provide her and Scott with the happy ending they never got the first time around. And they ride off into the sunset.<br /><br />But once the mandate for Jean's return comes, editorial enforce the annihilation of Chris's human story.Nathan Adlerhttp://fanfix.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-46484804652312310982009-10-16T00:19:34.875-04:002009-10-16T00:19:34.875-04:00I do love that second one, Ba, particularly becau...I do love that second one, Ba, particularly because it is built up as a more ominous moment. (You probably recall, when the demon says "Worry about yourself," he is morphing from the smiley-face look to something more hideous and menacing (and Colossus is actually looking away).<br /><br />Then Colossus turns back, not impressed at all by the transformation, and punches the thing apart with his great deadpan reply, as you noted. <br /><br />I love the art in the "Inferno" issues. It sells the whole concept. <br /><br />The fact that some of the X-Men maintain their Claremontian humorlessness even in the face of the absurdity, that also tickles me. Wolverine threatens the mailbox with his typical tough-guy rhetoric, seemingly oblivious to how ridiculous it is that he is saying these lines to a cartoon mailbox. It's brilliant.<br /><br />Dave, the Madelyne argument will always rage, I think. Many people hate what was done to her in "Inferno" and they have sound reasoning. It still works for me. I continue to love her righteous anger at Cyclops (that is totally justified); the way her transformation parallels Jean Grey's seduction into the Black Queen (speaking of "Mastermind" villains!); and her overall bad-assery throughout "Inferno." It's great. Way back when, Geoff did a blog where we were asked to name our top-ten favorite comic-book characters, and Madelyne always is near the top of my list. She is fascinating to me, and "Inferno" is as much a part of the reason why as any of her other portrayals leading up to it.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-52714021272170666992009-10-15T19:36:16.454-04:002009-10-15T19:36:16.454-04:00I think Claremont was given to a bit of hyperbole ...I think Claremont was given to a bit of hyperbole due to being disgruntled every time he lost a bit of creative control. The idea that Pryor was just supposed to be a coincidence as far as looking like Jean Grey is terrible on its face, given all the hints you mentioned (e.g. the plane crash). I'm sure he had plans for her that were probably worse than what came out of Inferno, and now he's embarrassed.<br /><br />That said, you mentioned the little touches of whimsy in this issue, particularly the anthropomorphic mailboxes, etc (which there were a ton of in the even more whimsical Inferno issue of Excalibur). However, you missed two very funny lines - one, Colossus says to Storm "Mailboxes attacking people, police demons, maurauders we have slain, risen from the dead...this is MADNESS!"<br /><br />To which storm replies: "Of course, 'little brother," how else would you describe life in New York City?"<br /><br />The other line that tickled me was when Colossus is interrogating the robot demon from limbo (a former baddie from NM, correct?), and the demon says "Better maybe you should worry about yourself."<br /><br />Colossus promptly smashes the demon, quipping "Why?"bahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14892528094367274617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-49954569916086186802009-10-15T16:24:54.324-04:002009-10-15T16:24:54.324-04:00I think when this came out I'd bought The Dark...I think when this came out I'd bought The Dark Peonix Saga as a Trade and possibly around this time the sequel which collected Maddies introduction, so I was more or less upto speed on the continuity apsect. As I've noted before this was a good time for comics fans as reprint material was fairly accesable and cheapish so while this issue was probobly too heavy with it the continuity dump here isn't totally unfathomable.... only if you're a serious X-Men reader though!<br /><br />I always felt some anxiety about this issue and It really comes down to the treatment of Maddie. Even back then to me as someone who'd only known her since #215 and followed Cyclops searching for her in X-Factor, this treatment felt very wrong and very very forced. <br />There seemed little logic to any of it really and it was plain it was being done to get rid of her in favor of Jean, what had existed before Inferno was a very likable sypathetic character who pulled her weight with the x-men and none of that seemed to matter one jot with the Goblin Queen twist - hell, even Terra's departure got more emotional exploration and fallout after the Judas Contract!<br />So no, I'm not a fan of this aspect of Inferno but accept there was likely some arms being twisted backstage on the creative front...<br /> <br />Seeing more of Sinister was interesting at this juncture, I still had barely a clue as to what his place was in the X-universe and this issue seemed to sell him as a generic super-Villain in the Arnim Zola/Doctor Doom mold, it didn't seem to fit the book at that point and here he was basically being presented as a plot device character shown to be manipulating events on a grand scale behind the scenes... not a good villain in hindsight and an omen as to where Marvel were heading in the 90s with OTT omniscient 'Masterminds' like Stryfe, Apocalypse & Onslaught methinks.Dave Mullennoreply@blogger.com