Yes. There is, indeed, a perfectly good reason, Rabid, why there's not a lot of X-Men on the Street. It's because I don't like the X-Men. Not even Neal Adams' X-Men. Can't stand them. It's true, I was a great fan of the Claremont / Byrne run, back in the day, but, then, so was everybody. I didn't mind the films ( well, two of 'em, anyway ). And I thought the last animated series they did was pretty entertaining. But, for the most part, I cannot abide the comics. I gave the Ultimate X-Men a fair old crack of the whip, when they released it as a monthly over here ( two US issues in each UK issue ), and, yeah, got quite into it, but that didn't last, and I ended up dropping it. I think Wolverine is probably the single-most over-rated, over-used, and over-written character in comics, and I wish Jean Grey would just fuck off and stay dead.
As to the whole giving the public what the public wants idea: no. I don't feel the need to. If anyone wants the X-Men, they've got plenty of places other than the Street to visit.
That said, I'm nothing if not a decent sort of chap, and here's a wee collection of X-Men images just for your good self, Rabid. Probably worth noting, too, that there's one more ( pretty big ) X-Men jobbie in the offing, to tie in with the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe series of posts, so you might wanna keep 'em peeled for that.
Cheers, then.
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12 comments:
Yeah, I'm with you Joe. I know you've a couple of years on me, but when I was a kid, X-MEN was the state-of-the-art comic, but that ended pretty much as soon as Byrne split up the band, and Claremont got stuck in a loop repeating his greatest hits. Even whenever I've been tempted back, to try Grant Morrison or Joss Whedon's stints, all they've really been are commentary or tribute acts to the work done decades ago.
And what? "Giving the public what the public wants"? It's a blog, not the fucking BBC, mate. Joe, you owe us nothing.
What is this "give the public what the public wants" BS?
You're a blogger posting stuff you enjoy, and want to share with like-minded others.
Who is anybody to dictate to you what to post?
Of course, if they want to pay you to post specific stuff... ;-)
I actually like (liked) the X-Men, but the concept badly suffers from the publisher failing to grasp the concept of "less is more" and the characters are/have been seriously over-saturated in the marketplace for decades.
Plus since every post-Claremont/Byrne creator desperately wants to make their own unique "mark" on the X-franchise, we've been treated to a lineup that has swollen beyond anyones ability to keep up with over a variety of monthly offerings that keeps the incoherence at a sustained level.
Give me the original team, or the bronze age reboot or a single series with an "official" grouping to focus on and then I might try it again. Sadly, in the era of branding this is simply not going to happen.
I love the X-MEN probably more than any other comic book characters, but there have only really been two great runs in their history: Claremont/Byrne and Grant Morrison.
I liked the original X-Men, but after that I lost interest. The two Omnibus volumes have the first 66 issues - that's all anyone needs.
I have great love for the X-men but they can be a slog to keep up with these days. I just know these characters and their personalities so well that it's hard to make them fresh anymore. I feel that way about a lot of comics. I have probably read too many of them in my life.
I also agree that you post what you want to post. It's the only way to keep yourself from going crazy as a blogger. I too have been feeling some critique of my style and topics but we should never let anyone judge what we choose to share. There are a lot of other places to go if you are not happy with what you find on my site. I love your stuff. No one does the variety of full comic stories that you do. I learned from you never to 'dial it back'. That is not the way I do things.
Not even the Adams issues? Wow. Those issues were formative experiences for me, right up there with the Steranko Nick Fury. (And unlike the issues from the Claremont/Byrne era, I'm not embarrassed today at having liked them so much.)
I agree that Wolverine is the most over-used & over-rated hero in the Marvel stable and that the draw of the X-Men just ain't the same these days! I loved the Byrne issues and thoroughly enjoyed the Morrison run, still love that "Xorn" issue - outstanding stuff. But I left the X-Men a long time back and havn't missed them a bit so I must have done something right! This is an awesome blog dude and I'm glad I found it - keep posting all this incredible stuff, you're a legend!
cheers, Richard!
I apologise for my unpardonable lapse in manners in an earlier comment. Ive removed it. now. Sorry 'bout that.
I love the John Byrne piece of Wolverine. He is one awesome artist.
Any specific reason why you don't like the X-Men Joe? I'm genuinely curious.
there's no one thing, really, Eric. I just got tired of it, very quickly. there's just no joy in X-Men comics, it's constant alienation and treadmill character deaths/rebirths/alternate future/universe versions wore me down. & then, there's the associations with the worst excesses of the Homage/Image generation of artists: Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, J. Scott Campbell, et al. the X-Men, now, remind me of all that drove me away from comics for a long time: the endless crossovers, the splash-page/pin-up artists, the fans getting to run the show, variants, poly-bagging, incomprehensible overly-elaborate continuity, all the stuff that they're still cracking out today.
thank God for Aquaman, if it wasn't for Aquaman I wouldn't be buying any comics, at all.
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