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It's funny how Scott and Prof X arent related.. Yet they act just like each other.
Well the RET-CONNED Prof X anyway. Like "Father" Like son.
Since when has Tab gone back to "Boom Boom", anyway?
I was thinking the same thing when I saw that...wasn't she "Meltdown"? I always liked "Boom Boom" better. Who's next to go? "Skids" and "Rusty" (y'all remember them?)?
good look!
Yeah, I do and they better not fucking die.I was thinking the same thing when I saw that...wasn't she "Meltdown"? I always liked "Boom Boom" better. Who's next to go? "Skids" and "Rusty" (y'all remember them?)?
I was thinking the same thing when I saw that...wasn't she "Meltdown"? I always liked "Boom Boom" better. Who's next to go? "Skids" and "Rusty" (y'all remember them?)?
I never liked Meltdown. She was always Boom-Boom in Cable's X-Force.
I don't think Rusty of Skids were ever officially on any X-Team
,but they always bring them out during these X-Events.
They get kidnapped or have to be "saved" by the X-Men in some way.
Last I heard Skids was working for SHIELD and Rusty was dead.
I was thinking the same thing when I saw that...wasn't she "Meltdown"? I always liked "Boom Boom" better. Who's next to go? "Skids" and "Rusty" (y'all remember them?)?
Rusty got taken out a good while back. Skids is running around with the Morlocks if I remember correctly.
You know I just finished reading X-force... And i'm starting to frakkin hate Marvel...
Only a few hundred Mutants Left.. and these fraks.. are KILLING them all off.
Seriously does Marvel just have a hard on for killing mutants?
Sheesh...
You know what they gonna do. In a few years, they are going to come out with a story saying that All Mutants Still have their powers. What they are going through is a RE-BOOT.
Most Mutants were born not knowing they had powers and didn't discover their powers until puberty. Right now these De-powered-Mutants are once again at a "Pre-Pubescent" stage of power... Next thing you know - During a big Marvel Event ( THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE FOREVER ) - BANG! All the Mutants who thought they lost their Powers will have them back again.
ITS THE MARVEL WAY.
Marvel Spotlight War Of Kings
Code:http://rapidshare.com/files/211395715/Marvel_Spotlight_-_War_of_Kings__2009___Minutemen-Dizzy_.cbr
Thank you sir.. Updating the thread.
Sadly it IS the Marvel Way...
Hey people calm down some...
you can tell when people really connect with the characters...anyway I can't hate on Marvel for what they did to Mutants I mean they had like what 2 million?? even though I did have a fondness for a few. I think that this was just a shock ending and that X-Force will return at the same time they left "Time Travel" and will save BoomBoom,Meltdaown, whateva. Then again she isn't on the New Mutants cover hmmm.....I'm more hurt they ended New X-men when that book was taking off and now they might kill two of em off
Hey people calm down some...
you can tell when people really connect with the characters...anyway I can't hate on Marvel for what they did to Mutants I mean they had like what 2 million?? even though I did have a fondness for a few. I think that this was just a shock ending and that X-Force will return at the same time they left "Time Travel" and will save BoomBoom,Meltdaown, whateva. Then again she isn't on the New Mutants cover hmmm.....I'm more hurt they ended New X-men when that book was taking off and now they might kill two of em off
Hell naw.. Shit waaaaay before M-day. The y killed off I think 16-18 million mutants.. Just on Genosha.
There was at least 100-250 Million Mutants worldwide..
The Funny thing is the X-books seem to have lost their way with all the grimness going on in them now. The remaining X-men really dont have a Villain to fight anymore persay. Sucks how marvel wants to change the focus OFF the Mutant books to the Avengers, to the point that a Avenger was the one that wiped out the Mutants...
Psylocke is my girl ^^
Hell naw.. Shit waaaaay before M-day. The y killed off I think 16-18 million mutants.. Just on Genosha.
There was at least 100-250 Million Mutants worldwide..
The Funny thing is the X-books seem to have lost their way with all the grimness going on in them now. The remaining X-men really dont have a Villain to fight anymore persay. Sucks how marvel wants to change the focus OFF the Mutant books to the Avengers, to the point that a Avenger was the one that wiped out the Mutants...
Psylocke is my girl ^^
Point taken, the Avengers sre kinda poppin..
But in all seriousness I think the X-books are in need of some kind of shaking up, they used to be the only thing I collected but now it seems like there magic is fading a little..not gone just fading. I mean every enemy became n X-man or died, Magneto is coming back again!!! Nightcrawler's gone because kitty Pryde number 3 can teleport, the real one is lost in space.
I hate to say it but it was getting dry. I think they should get rid of the clawed hore and act there are other mutants out there *cough *cough Dazzler to name a few...
damn everybody getting got. had no idea blob was a cannibal and what yellowjacket did to him, lol.
guess we're going to be seeing the creation of jocastanext issue
Yeah but they have been "shaking up" the X-Men since M-Day up until their last story arcs, and it's not over yet.
They stopped developing as characters. The X-Men's arch-enemies are all former members and friends. The Avengers ,on the other hand, have given all of their members new life with really good storytelling.
To tell you the truth I think The Star Jammers are closer to what an X-Team used to be, and they don't have a on going series.
I Agree that they need to use more of the mutants that made the move to San Fran. Dazzler, Karma, and Boom-Boom have been used recently in back-up/one shot stories but they never expanded on their roles.
I think they needed to end the Young X-Men series.
They will be better off as on again off again players for now. Unlike Generation X or the New Mutants they don't have the luxury to develop as a Jr Team when Cyclops are more concerned with this up coming war.
I think thats why their Cosmic books are doign so well. Fresh Takes on Old Characters and showing actual CHARACTERIZATION...
I'll say what I've always known to be true in my heart.
ONLY JOHN ROMITA JR TODD MCFARLANE AND MARK BAGLEY SHOULD DRAW SPIDER-MAN!!!
NOBODY ELSE EVEN COMES CLOSE!!!
Thats my point
there's a war brewing and they have all the Mutants in San Fran....so why do we only see the same 10 unless it's a cheesy side story?? there is way to much potential in the X-books
they need to focus on that instead of the Ultimate line that nobody cares about
For the first time the side books are actually capturing that X feeling of family better than the main titles..
( I'm talking about X-Factor and MI13 )
I think thats why their Cosmic books are doign so well. Fresh Takes on Old Characters and showing actual CHARACTERIZATION...
BINGO!
It seems like they should drop the weekly/bi-weekly series and just put out one-shots. Those are the books they are putting time and thought into.
Also don't forget, the X-Men had their run at the box office so now the Avengers books will be the main focus for the next few years.
Any of you guys hear or read about this? (could be interesting, or conversely more marvel BS)
Claremont's X-Men Return Forever
Chris Claremont discusses picking up his seminal X-Men run after an 18-year absence.
by Jesse Schedeen
US, February 7, 2009 - Few in the pantheon of X-Men writers are as revered as Chris Claremont. When the X-Men lay dormant in the mid-'70s, it was Claremont who dusted them off and began a classic creative run that would span several decades and hundreds of issues. All told, Claremont wrote an unbroken string of X-Men stories from 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1 all the way to 1991's X-Men #3.
While Claremont has since returned to pen various other X-Men projects like Xtreme X-Men and New Exiles, there are many who pine for the classic stories of the '80s and '90s. After all, X-Men #1 still holds the record for the best-selling single issue ever at over 8 million copies sold.
Nostalgia must be in the air at Marvel, because these fans are about to have their wishes granted in a major way. Claremont is returning to the classic X-Men team exactly where he left off. X-Men Forever is a new ongoing series that continues from X-Men #3, offering Claremont's personal vision on how the X-verse might have progressed from there. He'll be joined by artist Tom Grummet. Readers will get their first taste this summer with X-Men Forever Alpha, which reprints X-Men #1-3 and includes an 8-page epilogue that leads directly into X-Men Forever #1.
Nostalgia or not, don't go thinking that Claremont is playing this one safe. In our chat with the writer, he made it very clear he intends to break new ground with these characters. Because X-Men Forever takes place outside of standard Marvel continuity, there are very few limits on what can and can't be done. That's an exciting prospect for any new series.
IGN Comics: This is definitely a unique concept. Can you talk about how X-Forever came about? Was it something Marvel editorial pitched to you, or was it an idea you had been working on for a while?
Chris Claremont: It was an idea I had some years ago. Mark Paniccia had the thought of giving it a try in the context of modern publishing. I'd put it to bed a while ago, simply because the X-Men had moved on. The reality that I was playing with when I first came up with the idea has no relationship whatsoever to the X-Men world as it exists today. Mark found a way to marry the two elements together, to find a way to present the story in a context that makes it exciting and relevant to the modern reader. Once that happened it's just a matter of rolling the ball down hill and watching it gather speed and enthusiasm as it goes.
The most enticing and intriguing aspect of X-Men Forever from my point of view is that it gives me a chance to go back to a time when conceptually the characters were fresh. Bear in mind that in the world as it's being presented in Forever, Gambit has only been on the stage for maybe a half dozen issues. Certainly not more than ten. Rogue is a very young character. Relationships are very much up in the air. Nothing is anywhere near as defined as it has become in the run of comics in general and with the X-Men in specific. So to me as a writer, there is a tremendous amount of potential and flexibility and, in real terms, excitement tied in with the characters and the lives they're living. So I suppose, in a sense, you have the best of both worlds. You're dealing with an established world and established characters, but at the same time blazing new and exciting trails.
IGN Comics: When you say this is an idea you've had for years, are you basically working from the same plot outlines and ideas you would have used if you had continued beyond X-Men #3?
Claremont: As with any series - as with any group of characters, especially when you're working from a foundation that is as rich and varied as the X-Men – the minute you start kicking things back and forth and mixing things up, new inspirations pop out of nowhere. New directions visit themselves. Mark and I both think that the one significant advantage to all of this is that, unlike X-Men or Uncanny, we're not restricted by the need to keep the characters intact for the corporation. We are actually free to present a world where everyone is at risk.
The thing with X-Men, the thing with Uncanny, the thing with Superman, the thing with Batman, the thing with Spider-Man is that no matter what adversary they come up against, no matter what threat or challenge, deep down inside you know that nothing really is going to happen. Spidey will always survive. The devil will find a way to split him and Mary Jane up, and who knows, God will find a way to bring them back together again. Anything is possible. But the one truth is that no one is going to kill off Lois Lane, no one is going to kill off Superman, no one is going to kill Batman. The thing with Forever is we don't have that restriction. If a character is at risk and that character dies, that character is dead, now and forever. And we make that clear right off the bat, if for no other reason than that the preview begins with a memorial service for Magneto.
He is indeed dead. I killed him – he stays dead. If I want to bring him back, I just have to tell myself "Tough s—t. Find something better." And oddly enough, the search for something better could lead to something altogether different and quite exciting. As a matter of fact, the process of creating the first arc of stories led us to a situation with one of the major characters where a completely unexpected story direction presented itself. In conversation Mark and I batted the idea back and forth, and we found ourselves with a whole new presentation for that character and the story as a whole which, to our minds, feels extremely cool. We're both intrigued to see how it's going to turn out.
What very much differentiates this series from other series is that consequences are real and lasting, and possibilities are, for want of a better term, limited. We are not locked into the existing continuity of the last 40 years. We can play. We can come up with ideas that are totally different and yet, totally logical, and see where it turns out. Ideally the readers will enjoy the ride and keep it going for quite a while.
IGN Comics: One of the elements you introduced back in those three issues of X-Men was the concept of the Blue and Gold teams. That incarnation of the X-Men is still one of the most popular. Are you keeping the roster basically the same, or are you going to be making changes right off the bat?
Claremont: That was in a world where we had two separate and different books. We had X-Men and Uncanny. We don't have X-Men and Uncanny now, we just have Forever. Actually, in a very real sense, what we are in the process of doing is focusing in on those characters we think are fun and essential and readers might not be able to get along without. Others are left to the background for future reference, but our focus is on a specific team that is going to be different from anything we've seen before.
IGN Comics: In terms of villains and side characters, Omega Red is an example of a character who was introduced shortly after you left the series. Are you reserving the right to use characters like Omega Red that were created after your run, or are you sticking to your own original creations?
Claremont: Actually, our feeling is that we're taking it as completely fresh and original as possible. We're not going to use anyone who's been established, except maybe the Sentinels. If you want to read the X-Men from a totally new and different perspective with original adversaries and original circumstances, that's what Forever is for.
IGN Comics: I wanted to ask you a couple questions about the art. Particularly with the Alpha issue reprinting those three Jim Lee issues, are you and Tom trying to maintain a similar look and feel with Forever?
Claremont: Well, we're trying to create art from an extraordinarily talented penciler, you know? In 1991 it was Jim Lee, and in 2009 it's Tom Grummet. It's always a case of going with the best, and we're very fortunate that Tom is the best. He's a great storyteller and a superb draftsman, and the pencils thus far look absolutely great. It's not a matter of comparing A to B. It's a matter of presentation of the characters, of the eloquence of their expressions and physicality, and the quality of the stories that we're telling. In those regards, Tom is exceptional. I don't think anybody will be disappointed in what he's producing. We should have pencils on display at the convention this weekend.
IGN Comics: I'll be looking forward to those.
Claremont: Me too.
IGN Comics: What about in terms of costumes? Are you sticking with the Jim Lee designs, or are you moving away from those?
Claremont: The first issue picks up picks up right where X-Men #3 left off. It's very much the fourth issue, and the story is the search for Fabian Cortez. As we move through deeper into the saga, the benchmark phrase is "anything goes". You'll see change and evolution. This isn't a historical saga. It is not set in 1991. It's set in 2009. The characters themselves will reflect the reality we live in and the tastes that exist in terms of presentation today. And again, this isn't a matter of reproducing what Jim did, it's giving Tom a chance to really kick ass and take names. And he's doing a wonderful, wonderful job.
IGN Comics: Is it true the two of you have already been working on this book for a long time now?
Claremont: Yes. Probably about a year now that I think about it. But what matters is not necessarily how long you've been working on it but what emerges in the end. And what has been emerging so far is really choice.
IGN Comics: I assume there's going to be a very instant appeal with X-Men Forever to the readers who were enjoying the X-books back in the late '80s and early '90s. But what about those that came into he franchise with something like Grant Morrison's New X-Men or Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men? Will they be able to approach Forever as easily as the more long-term readers?
Claremont: I would hope so. That's our job isn't it? It's not simply a matter of appealing to so-called Claremont fans or so-called fans of the X-Men in 1991 or fans today. Hopefully people who have never read comics at all will show enthusiasm, take advantage of the commercial opportunity, and pick up the first issue and like it and want to see what happens next. The story of the X-Men is a very real thing.
The advantage of Forever is that it is presenting the X-Men at a specific point in their lives when they haven't been around as long as the characters have been in Uncanny or Astonishing. It's a younger, fresher sweep of characters. Bear in mind, the world of 1991 in those first three issues was not a world that had gone through Grant's "millions of mutants". This is a world where mutants are very few and far between, where the realities of their lives are very different from what we're used to seeing these days.
One of the surprise benefits that came out of rethinking the concept was a realization and an inspiration that, quite frankly, has revolutionized the way Mark and I are looking at it. It's taking an approach to these characters and their lives that is totally different – fundamentally different – from any that has been presented before at Marvel, and definitely in the X-Men. It pretty much changes the whole game as far as the X-Men are concerned. It freed us to take the events of the first three issues and apply real-world standards.
As an example, imagine what would happen if a private individual took control of two dozen thermonuclear missiles, removed them to a launching point in mid-Earth orbit, 100 miles up, and basically said, "Hi. I'm my own independent planetoid. Leave me alone." Okay, well, let's say the Navy SEALS took care of that. But imagine how the great powers below feel about that – the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, the Americans. Suddenly you had a guy who took control of nuclear weapons, who threatened to use them, and it was only through a miracle that we saved the day. But what could prevent the next guy from doing it? How do we deal with this threat? How do we face this group of people who have superpowers and have the capability to lay waste to Earth, but they're not under anybody's control? They're not the Avengers. They're not the Justice League. They're a school just outside of New York. Can we leave them alone any longer? Can we let them remain independent, unsupervised, uncontrolled? What happens if next time they decide they're not going to stop the bad guy and they take control of the weapons themselves?
Suddenly the real world has popped up and is now going to step into the X-Men's lives big time. They're going to have to deal with the consequences of who they are and what they are and what they do. The challenge of this title is that we do it from the perspective that there are no rules anymore, that we don't have to keep everybody necessarily intact 50 issues down the line. When I was doing the X-Men last time, as I said in an interview back in the day, my vision of the book was that if you came back for issue #100 the team would consist of one group of people. If you came back for issue #200, there would be an evolution. Some characters would have moved on. In my vision of the book, Cyclops had gotten married, had a kid, and was going to go off to Alaska and that was it. He would start living the rest of his life. If you came back 100 issues later, other characters would have moved on. Other characters would have come in to take their place. Some might have been better, some might have been worse. But the whole idea is that there is change and there is growth with these young people. As the readers grow and evolve, so too should the characters. Nothing should stay static.
When I started on the X-Men, Storm was about 26. She was born in 1950. I never imagined I would still be writing the book in 2009, but hey. By those those rules, Storm would be pushing 60, but there would be whole new generations of mutants who followed. The same might apply here. You're starting with a team, but the team doesn't have to be frozen in place. There is a risk. Things can happen to these characters – lasting things – some good, some horrifically bad. Being a hero and an X-Man has benefits, but it also has a price. And coming to terms with that price, discovering whether you have the guts to pay it is a very significant part of what the series is all about.
The hope is that we're creating this exciting and dynamic world – any other cliches I can come up with? - and that the readers will like what they see and come back for more. Hopefully we can offer something that very few other books do these days, which is – fingers crossed – something truly unexpected. And more importantly – consequences. That if something tragic happens, it doesn't get fixed six months later. This is something they're going to have to deal with – the characters and the creators. Hopefully the readers will like that. Nothing like a challenge.
IGN Comics: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. Thanks for taking the time to talk.
Claremont: It was good talking to you, Jesse.
(Original article link)
http://comics.ign.com/articles/952/952385p1.html
I'm not totally sure if claremont has still got it in him, but I can't forget how he was the dude writing when I first discover the X-men (and Jim Lee)
Claremont's X-Men Return Forever
Chris Claremont discusses picking up his seminal X-Men run after an 18-year absence.
by Jesse Schedeen
US, February 7, 2009 - Few in the pantheon of X-Men writers are as revered as Chris Claremont. When the X-Men lay dormant in the mid-'70s, it was Claremont who dusted them off and began a classic creative run that would span several decades and hundreds of issues. All told, Claremont wrote an unbroken string of X-Men stories from 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1 all the way to 1991's X-Men #3.
While Claremont has since returned to pen various other X-Men projects like Xtreme X-Men and New Exiles, there are many who pine for the classic stories of the '80s and '90s. After all, X-Men #1 still holds the record for the best-selling single issue ever at over 8 million copies sold.
Nostalgia must be in the air at Marvel, because these fans are about to have their wishes granted in a major way. Claremont is returning to the classic X-Men team exactly where he left off. X-Men Forever is a new ongoing series that continues from X-Men #3, offering Claremont's personal vision on how the X-verse might have progressed from there. He'll be joined by artist Tom Grummet. Readers will get their first taste this summer with X-Men Forever Alpha, which reprints X-Men #1-3 and includes an 8-page epilogue that leads directly into X-Men Forever #1.
Nostalgia or not, don't go thinking that Claremont is playing this one safe. In our chat with the writer, he made it very clear he intends to break new ground with these characters. Because X-Men Forever takes place outside of standard Marvel continuity, there are very few limits on what can and can't be done. That's an exciting prospect for any new series.
IGN Comics: This is definitely a unique concept. Can you talk about how X-Forever came about? Was it something Marvel editorial pitched to you, or was it an idea you had been working on for a while?
Chris Claremont: It was an idea I had some years ago. Mark Paniccia had the thought of giving it a try in the context of modern publishing. I'd put it to bed a while ago, simply because the X-Men had moved on. The reality that I was playing with when I first came up with the idea has no relationship whatsoever to the X-Men world as it exists today. Mark found a way to marry the two elements together, to find a way to present the story in a context that makes it exciting and relevant to the modern reader. Once that happened it's just a matter of rolling the ball down hill and watching it gather speed and enthusiasm as it goes.
The most enticing and intriguing aspect of X-Men Forever from my point of view is that it gives me a chance to go back to a time when conceptually the characters were fresh. Bear in mind that in the world as it's being presented in Forever, Gambit has only been on the stage for maybe a half dozen issues. Certainly not more than ten. Rogue is a very young character. Relationships are very much up in the air. Nothing is anywhere near as defined as it has become in the run of comics in general and with the X-Men in specific. So to me as a writer, there is a tremendous amount of potential and flexibility and, in real terms, excitement tied in with the characters and the lives they're living. So I suppose, in a sense, you have the best of both worlds. You're dealing with an established world and established characters, but at the same time blazing new and exciting trails.
IGN Comics: When you say this is an idea you've had for years, are you basically working from the same plot outlines and ideas you would have used if you had continued beyond X-Men #3?
Claremont: As with any series - as with any group of characters, especially when you're working from a foundation that is as rich and varied as the X-Men – the minute you start kicking things back and forth and mixing things up, new inspirations pop out of nowhere. New directions visit themselves. Mark and I both think that the one significant advantage to all of this is that, unlike X-Men or Uncanny, we're not restricted by the need to keep the characters intact for the corporation. We are actually free to present a world where everyone is at risk.
The thing with X-Men, the thing with Uncanny, the thing with Superman, the thing with Batman, the thing with Spider-Man is that no matter what adversary they come up against, no matter what threat or challenge, deep down inside you know that nothing really is going to happen. Spidey will always survive. The devil will find a way to split him and Mary Jane up, and who knows, God will find a way to bring them back together again. Anything is possible. But the one truth is that no one is going to kill off Lois Lane, no one is going to kill off Superman, no one is going to kill Batman. The thing with Forever is we don't have that restriction. If a character is at risk and that character dies, that character is dead, now and forever. And we make that clear right off the bat, if for no other reason than that the preview begins with a memorial service for Magneto.
He is indeed dead. I killed him – he stays dead. If I want to bring him back, I just have to tell myself "Tough s—t. Find something better." And oddly enough, the search for something better could lead to something altogether different and quite exciting. As a matter of fact, the process of creating the first arc of stories led us to a situation with one of the major characters where a completely unexpected story direction presented itself. In conversation Mark and I batted the idea back and forth, and we found ourselves with a whole new presentation for that character and the story as a whole which, to our minds, feels extremely cool. We're both intrigued to see how it's going to turn out.
What very much differentiates this series from other series is that consequences are real and lasting, and possibilities are, for want of a better term, limited. We are not locked into the existing continuity of the last 40 years. We can play. We can come up with ideas that are totally different and yet, totally logical, and see where it turns out. Ideally the readers will enjoy the ride and keep it going for quite a while.
IGN Comics: One of the elements you introduced back in those three issues of X-Men was the concept of the Blue and Gold teams. That incarnation of the X-Men is still one of the most popular. Are you keeping the roster basically the same, or are you going to be making changes right off the bat?
Claremont: That was in a world where we had two separate and different books. We had X-Men and Uncanny. We don't have X-Men and Uncanny now, we just have Forever. Actually, in a very real sense, what we are in the process of doing is focusing in on those characters we think are fun and essential and readers might not be able to get along without. Others are left to the background for future reference, but our focus is on a specific team that is going to be different from anything we've seen before.
IGN Comics: In terms of villains and side characters, Omega Red is an example of a character who was introduced shortly after you left the series. Are you reserving the right to use characters like Omega Red that were created after your run, or are you sticking to your own original creations?
Claremont: Actually, our feeling is that we're taking it as completely fresh and original as possible. We're not going to use anyone who's been established, except maybe the Sentinels. If you want to read the X-Men from a totally new and different perspective with original adversaries and original circumstances, that's what Forever is for.
IGN Comics: I wanted to ask you a couple questions about the art. Particularly with the Alpha issue reprinting those three Jim Lee issues, are you and Tom trying to maintain a similar look and feel with Forever?
Claremont: Well, we're trying to create art from an extraordinarily talented penciler, you know? In 1991 it was Jim Lee, and in 2009 it's Tom Grummet. It's always a case of going with the best, and we're very fortunate that Tom is the best. He's a great storyteller and a superb draftsman, and the pencils thus far look absolutely great. It's not a matter of comparing A to B. It's a matter of presentation of the characters, of the eloquence of their expressions and physicality, and the quality of the stories that we're telling. In those regards, Tom is exceptional. I don't think anybody will be disappointed in what he's producing. We should have pencils on display at the convention this weekend.
IGN Comics: I'll be looking forward to those.
Claremont: Me too.
IGN Comics: What about in terms of costumes? Are you sticking with the Jim Lee designs, or are you moving away from those?
Claremont: The first issue picks up picks up right where X-Men #3 left off. It's very much the fourth issue, and the story is the search for Fabian Cortez. As we move through deeper into the saga, the benchmark phrase is "anything goes". You'll see change and evolution. This isn't a historical saga. It is not set in 1991. It's set in 2009. The characters themselves will reflect the reality we live in and the tastes that exist in terms of presentation today. And again, this isn't a matter of reproducing what Jim did, it's giving Tom a chance to really kick ass and take names. And he's doing a wonderful, wonderful job.
IGN Comics: Is it true the two of you have already been working on this book for a long time now?
Claremont: Yes. Probably about a year now that I think about it. But what matters is not necessarily how long you've been working on it but what emerges in the end. And what has been emerging so far is really choice.
IGN Comics: I assume there's going to be a very instant appeal with X-Men Forever to the readers who were enjoying the X-books back in the late '80s and early '90s. But what about those that came into he franchise with something like Grant Morrison's New X-Men or Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men? Will they be able to approach Forever as easily as the more long-term readers?
Claremont: I would hope so. That's our job isn't it? It's not simply a matter of appealing to so-called Claremont fans or so-called fans of the X-Men in 1991 or fans today. Hopefully people who have never read comics at all will show enthusiasm, take advantage of the commercial opportunity, and pick up the first issue and like it and want to see what happens next. The story of the X-Men is a very real thing.
The advantage of Forever is that it is presenting the X-Men at a specific point in their lives when they haven't been around as long as the characters have been in Uncanny or Astonishing. It's a younger, fresher sweep of characters. Bear in mind, the world of 1991 in those first three issues was not a world that had gone through Grant's "millions of mutants". This is a world where mutants are very few and far between, where the realities of their lives are very different from what we're used to seeing these days.
One of the surprise benefits that came out of rethinking the concept was a realization and an inspiration that, quite frankly, has revolutionized the way Mark and I are looking at it. It's taking an approach to these characters and their lives that is totally different – fundamentally different – from any that has been presented before at Marvel, and definitely in the X-Men. It pretty much changes the whole game as far as the X-Men are concerned. It freed us to take the events of the first three issues and apply real-world standards.
As an example, imagine what would happen if a private individual took control of two dozen thermonuclear missiles, removed them to a launching point in mid-Earth orbit, 100 miles up, and basically said, "Hi. I'm my own independent planetoid. Leave me alone." Okay, well, let's say the Navy SEALS took care of that. But imagine how the great powers below feel about that – the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, the Americans. Suddenly you had a guy who took control of nuclear weapons, who threatened to use them, and it was only through a miracle that we saved the day. But what could prevent the next guy from doing it? How do we deal with this threat? How do we face this group of people who have superpowers and have the capability to lay waste to Earth, but they're not under anybody's control? They're not the Avengers. They're not the Justice League. They're a school just outside of New York. Can we leave them alone any longer? Can we let them remain independent, unsupervised, uncontrolled? What happens if next time they decide they're not going to stop the bad guy and they take control of the weapons themselves?
Suddenly the real world has popped up and is now going to step into the X-Men's lives big time. They're going to have to deal with the consequences of who they are and what they are and what they do. The challenge of this title is that we do it from the perspective that there are no rules anymore, that we don't have to keep everybody necessarily intact 50 issues down the line. When I was doing the X-Men last time, as I said in an interview back in the day, my vision of the book was that if you came back for issue #100 the team would consist of one group of people. If you came back for issue #200, there would be an evolution. Some characters would have moved on. In my vision of the book, Cyclops had gotten married, had a kid, and was going to go off to Alaska and that was it. He would start living the rest of his life. If you came back 100 issues later, other characters would have moved on. Other characters would have come in to take their place. Some might have been better, some might have been worse. But the whole idea is that there is change and there is growth with these young people. As the readers grow and evolve, so too should the characters. Nothing should stay static.
When I started on the X-Men, Storm was about 26. She was born in 1950. I never imagined I would still be writing the book in 2009, but hey. By those those rules, Storm would be pushing 60, but there would be whole new generations of mutants who followed. The same might apply here. You're starting with a team, but the team doesn't have to be frozen in place. There is a risk. Things can happen to these characters – lasting things – some good, some horrifically bad. Being a hero and an X-Man has benefits, but it also has a price. And coming to terms with that price, discovering whether you have the guts to pay it is a very significant part of what the series is all about.
The hope is that we're creating this exciting and dynamic world – any other cliches I can come up with? - and that the readers will like what they see and come back for more. Hopefully we can offer something that very few other books do these days, which is – fingers crossed – something truly unexpected. And more importantly – consequences. That if something tragic happens, it doesn't get fixed six months later. This is something they're going to have to deal with – the characters and the creators. Hopefully the readers will like that. Nothing like a challenge.
IGN Comics: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. Thanks for taking the time to talk.
Claremont: It was good talking to you, Jesse.
(Original article link)
http://comics.ign.com/articles/952/952385p1.html
I'm not totally sure if claremont has still got it in him, but I can't forget how he was the dude writing when I first discover the X-men (and Jim Lee)
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