Amy Reads the Week (of June 22nd, 2008)
Still playing catch-up, Gentle Reader, and this time, I have gone Way Way Back. Over the past few days, I have worked through over 50 issues of New X-Men, Academy X, and the New Mutants.
I think what these titles really drive home is the awful face of Hatred in the X-Men universe. That is to say, it is one thing when someone expresses Hate against Emma Frost, or Wolverine, or another Grown-Up who can Fight and Protect Him-or-Her-Self, but to see that same racism, that same hatred against children, against teenagers, to see that hatred bring forth death and destruction of children, well, that is to see the True Face Of Hatred, Indeed.
Some parts of the run handle this better than others, of course, but I think what they all reveal is the immediate danger for those Mutants, particularly the young ones post House of M. For the Younger Members of the 198, the world has become a Very Dangerous Place Indeed. What Marvel does as an Imprint, and what it has always Done Well, is to use the comic book universe as a marker for "real-world" problems. The Hatred directed against the Mutants, purely because They Are Different, and that Hatred directed against Young Children, solely out of Fear, is analogous for racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, anything in which there is blind hatred and fear against someone different.
DC does archetypes well; Marvel handles analogies with perfect aplomb.
I have never been a very big fan of the X-Men until reading Morrison and Whedon. I grew up a DC Girl, and in my heart, a DC Girl I will stay. But when written well, the X-Men are written Very, Very Well, and I am about to embark on Mr. Brubaker's and Mr. Carey's run on the Mutants, as they are two writers whom I Absolutely Adore. Then, Friends Who Adore Those Of A Greenish Hue, I embark on a Quest of Brightest Day and Blackest Night.
7 comments:
I used to really like the X-Men (and Wolverine of course).
And then I realized one day that I wasn't really enjoying the X-Men anymore. It seemed like they were going through the motions on the titles. Just kind of the same old stuff as always.
So I dropped them. And didn't exactly miss them.
Even when they came out with the Joss Whedon written Astonishing X-Men ... it didn't hold my attention. I read at least the first four issues (might have read the entire first arc which I believe was 6 issues) --- but it obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me since I can't remember if I finished the entire arc.
I definitely read X-Factor when they relaunched that under Peter David. No way I was missing that.
And I did continue reading Wolverine even though I found myself losing a bit of interest there. I did absolutely love the relaunch with Greg Rucka and Darick Robertson. That was outstanding. But once Greg left ... it didn't hold me. I tried checking out Wolverine Origins but didn't really care for that either. So I ended up dropping Wolverine too (my second favorite Marvel character). I will admit I did pick up the Mark Millar arc (Enemy of the State) and was very very happy with that. But once it ended, I left again.
Never checked out Mike Carey or Ed Brubaker's turns at the helm. I would be extremely interested in checking it out now that Matt Fraction is joining Ed Brubaker (as I REALLY enjoy Fraction's work) ... but since I have an on-going ban against Marvel, that is out of the question.
Anyway, I hope they've righted the ship and are worth your time.
Hi Skullduggery,
Never checked out Mike Carey or Ed Brubaker's turns at the helm. I would be extremely interested in checking it out now that Matt Fraction is joining Ed Brubaker (as I REALLY enjoy Fraction's work) ... but since I have an on-going ban against Marvel, that is out of the question.
What is the ban and why, if you do not mind me asking?
Anyway, I hope they've righted the ship and are worth your time.
I will keep you updated! I adore Mr. Carey (have you read the Felix Castor novels?), and trust him very much. I just need to sink my teeth into these issues!
Ciao,
Amy
Amy,
The ban is about a lot of things really. A lot of little things that culminated into a big thing and just made me realize that I'm not on the same page with the current regime at Marvel. I'd almost like to say they don't really respect their fans, but that probably isn't entirely true.
The first notable little thing was Avengers Disassembled. I didn't like the way that whole thing went down (Bendis coming in and knocking off characters left and right -- especially Hawkeye). I like Bendis' work --- I think his Powers is OUTSTANDING and I've really enjoyed Ultimate Spider-Man a lot. But his schtick doesn't work for me on Avengers because he writes those characters the same way he does the Ultimate Spider-Man characters --- and they are so completely different. You've got a cast of kids trying to find their way in one title --- and a cast of adult, veteran superheroes who've just about been through it all in another. Yet the dialogue reads about the same and it shouldn't.
The next notable little thing was the Sins Past story arc in Amazing Spider-Man. It was just a horrible idea from concept to execution. It wouldn't have been as objectionable if JMS' intial plan to make them Peter's children had been accepted, but once that got quashed by Quesada, he should have just thrown the idea away and not reworked it the way he did.
The next notable little thing was Peter's unmasking in Civil War (and I should add that I wasn't overly enamored by the whole of Civil War to begin with). That was another bad idea, made more so by the fact that I had a gut feeling they were doing it specifically to give them another reason to end Peter and MJ's marriage.
The final straw shouldn't come as any surprise. One More Day. Worst comic story arc ever. Horrible idea. Horrible execution. Horrible leadership.
When I want to say that Marvel doesn't respect their fans, I'm speaking of One More Day. I admit I wasn't going to be happy with any outcome that ended Peter and MJ's marriage, but the way Joe Quesada made it happen was the absolute worst way possible. Not only did he bring in Mephisto and have Peter (and MJ) end their marraige (and clearly Joe Quesada wanted to make MJ more of the scapegoat by having her be the first one to really be accepting of the idea), but they completely wiped it off the books. Never happened. Everything from 1987 (when the marriage began) through 2007 didn't really happen the same way. Except Marvel wants to claim that it all did ... just the part where Peter and MJ were living in wedded bliss did not.
The worst part is Joe Quesada claims having Peter and MJ divorce would have been worse. Which just absolutely confounds me. Having a character choose to end a relationship (Marvel characters date and break up ALL the time) is worse than having those characters make a deal with the Marvel equivalent of the devil. Really makes me wonder what Joe is trying to sell to those younger readers he claims to be so concerned about (consider this --- Spider-Man is Marvel's biggest character - and with the possible exception of Captain America, he is the guy who probably has the strongest ethics among Marvel's heroes --- he is somewhat Marvel's version of Superman in that particular regard -- the hero who won't kill and always tries to do the right thing regardless of the consequences to himself). As I mentioned, I wasn't going to be happy with the decision to have Peter and MJ no longer be married, but it would have at least been more reasonable had they just chosen to end the relationship because it just wasn't going to work anymore. I mean --- would it really be worse to have MJ tell Peter that she just can't live that life anymore -- can no longer deal with the emotional trauma of seeing the after effects of his confrontations (bruises, scars, broken bones) and the worry about that day when he doesn't make it out of one of those confrontations. Sure, she'll still be worried about him even if they are not together, but at least she doesn't have to look at it every single day. Would having Peter be divorced really be a dark cloud hanging over his head as far as how young readers see him? Why would it even have to be an issue? Peter and MJ divorce. You spend the next couple of months following Peter as he is dealing with the effects of the divorce. And then you jump (which they did ANYWAY at the end of One More Day) several months into the future (3? 6?) to the point where Peter has moved on with his life just like any other human being. MJ is out of his life (and the titles) and they never have to really mention the fact they were married again (unless they decide to write MJ back into the title at some point in the future --- but otherwise there is no need to mention anything regarding the marriage and divorce). Is that really so difficult? Is that really worse than One More Day? Apparently it is in Joe Quesada's eyes.
So that is why the ban is in effect. Until they fix One More Day and admit what an entire f##k up that was, I'm not buying any Marvel titles. Not happening. I'm disappointed I can't support the Marvel work of creators I like (Matt Fraction and Peter David for example), but that is just the way it is. At least I can support the work they do through other publishers.
[sorry for the lengthy post --- but you did ask]
Hi Skullduggery,
[sorry for the lengthy post --- but you did ask]
I did :) Thank you for answering.
I, too, am Very Disappointed in the dissolution of MJ and Peter's marriage, particularly because it seemed to be solely a way to make Peter date again. Because what is more attractive to a woman than a guy in his mid-twenties living in his childhood bedroom with his aunt, working part time as a photographer? Peter and MJ were *good* together. I wrote a post about it when it happened, calling forward Jim Butcher's Darkest Hours novel as a fantastic example of how well their marriage works. I adore Mr. Butcher's writing, and found his approach to Spider-Man to be unparalleled.
But I do not read much Marvel, never have. What I do read is referential, mostly Avengers, and now X-Men. Mr. Reads is the Marvel fan of the two of us (Mr. Reads is to Spider-Man as Amy Reads is to Wonder Woman), and he was actually quite upset about the recent editorial mandates. So much so that I think he has dropped Spider-man, a title he has read since the 80s, from his pull list.
But I did not nor ever did read Spider-Man, not really. Now Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, I adored (no wonder, that).
Ciao,
Amy
Hi Skullduggery,
Just a clarification:
I said, Because what is more attractive to a woman than a guy in his mid-twenties living in his childhood bedroom with his aunt, working part time as a photographer?
That is not to say that I fault Peter for living with Aunt May. What I mean is, what is more attractive to a random pick-up at a bar. How is he to bring her back home to his place?
Ciao,
Amy
Amy.
That is not to say that I fault Peter for living with Aunt May. What I mean is, what is more attractive to a random pick-up at a bar. How is he to bring her back home to his place?
I understood exactly where you were going with that.
I too was a big fan of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (because it was a title that was a lot of fun and I didn't have to worry about things like creepy Norman/Gwen trysts). That is one of the titles I'm sad to have given up. But it is what it is.
To answer a question you asked in a previous post (that I neglected to include), no I have not read the Felix Castor novels. I'll have to keep those in mind one of these days when I knock out all the stuff on my shelf that is currently waiting to be read.
Thanks.
Hi Skullduggery,
I understood exactly where you were going with that.
I too was a big fan of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (because it was a title that was a lot of fun and I didn't have to worry about things like creepy Norman/Gwen trysts). That is one of the titles I'm sad to have given up. But it is what it is.
Indeed.
To answer a question you asked in a previous post (that I neglected to include), no I have not read the Felix Castor novels. I'll have to keep those in mind one of these days when I knock out all the stuff on my shelf that is currently waiting to be read.
Thanks.
They are really good! The first is a bit slow to get off, but necessary. The rest are wonderful. Very on par with the Harry Dresden series, but not a knock-off or anything.
Ciao,
Amy
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