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Why Are Marvel’s X-Men Comics So Terrible Right Now?

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Dalek

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Why Are Marvel’s X-Men Comics So Terrible Right Now?

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I’ve given them time to ship out multiple story arcs, find their footing and sketch out whatever themes and big ideas they’re aiming for. But there’s no denying it any more: The X-Men line just isn’t exciting nowadays.

For years, the X-Men books burned as the molten, superheated core of the Marvel Universe. Co-created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the original X-Men series took the nerve-wracking chrysalis of adolescence and shot it through with superhero energy and angst. Even as new characters were introduced and founding members got older, the X-titles operated on a premise that made them ripe to be read as metaphor. If you felt like society pushed you aside or said that your kind of people was worthless, then an X-Men comic spoke to you in a special way. Moreover, the various series in the X-family continually boiled with simmering sexual tension, starcrossed romance and existential hand-wringing. Characters drank, smoked, hooked up and moped in X-Men comics. They were cool, sexy and dangerous and often acted like they knew it.

It’s no coincidence that the first X-Men movies from the early 2000s leaned heavily on that combination of elements. But lately the heat from the X-Men comics has died down to imperceptible levels. Since the All-New, All-Different Initiative that relaunched a new iteration of the Marvel Universe, there’s been a new status quo for mutantkind.

A wandering cloud of Terrigen mist—which unlocks genetic volatility seeded by long-ago extraterrestrial experimentation—is killing mutants, while growing the ranks of the superpowered offshoot species called Inhumans. This phenomenon is also sterilizing those mutants who are still alive. The three main X-titles on offer from Marvel all deal with this bleak reality. Extraordinary X-Men features a Storm-led contingent of heroes based out of Limbo who are trying to nurture and protect what’s left of the mutant race. All-New X-Men is built around the younger, time-displaced original five X-Men and others road-tripping across the world and trying to write their own futures in a future they never made. Uncanny X-Men has Magneto leading a team of rogues and killers who are taking extreme, sometimes lethal measures to stop the enemies of mutant-kind.

The thematic set-up is the same and the current Homo Superior status quo—mutants stand at the brink of extinction and the X-Men constantly battle for the whole future of their whole species—is an oft-used framework for latter-day X-narratives. The familiarity isn’t the problem, though. It feels like some special ingredient is missing from the current X-recipe. The X-Men are present in the Marvel Universe. We see them in big crowd scenes in Civil War II and they’ve got tie-in series and pivotal roles connected to Marvel’s latest blockbuster crossover.

As seductive as the Hollywood-centric conspiracy theories are, it’s counter-intuitive to think that Marvel wants the X-Men concept to fail in its publishing division. No matter who has the film rights to Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, and the rest, the X-Men are still owned by Marvel. A weak X-line does them no favors and intentionally torpedoing the performance of that corner of their universe because Hollywood media rights would cost them more money than it would Fox. Besides, Marvel’s got great talent on the books—but by and large, but the cylinders don’t seem to be firing.

Every so often, there are individual character moments that land well in a particular issue but by and large, the thrill of reading Marvel’s mutant-centric comics has faded. I’m still enjoying the odd moment or line of dialogue but the aggregate offering doesn’t feel like must-read material anymore. Inside the fiction, the X-Men apparatus feels dysfunctional. The most fetching iterations of the franchise always had a base level of competency that made them seem formidable. All those Danger Room training sequences and coded maneuvers were a secondhand language designed to communicate that Chuck’s crew would kick your ass in the name of peaceful coexistence. And yeah, there’d be challenges that would take the X-teams to their limits but that made it all the more satisfying when they won in surprising ways. Nowadays, the X-collective feels so ragtag and up against the wall, it’s hard for a reader to pinpoint what they’re good at anymore.

One aspect of it might be that the philosophical allure of the X-books has dulled. Cyclops wound up becoming the central personality of mutant-kind, pulling together their remnants into a small, defiant nation about a decade back. Even after his personality was written towards harsh extremism and he killed Professor X, he was still the irresistible vector that made mutants feel unpredictably dangerous. But Scott Summers died in an as-yet-undisclosed encounter with the Inhumans and the new X-Men status quo doesn’t really have a figure like that anymore. The younger version of Cyclops doesn’t want that failed martyrdom to become his future and the integration-vs-separatism debate has frittered away.

So, the older version of the man who succeeded, diverged from, and then killed Professor X is off the stage and no one’s really filling the void. Magneto’s leading a ruthless team of killers in Uncanny X-Men but doesn’t embody the grandiose messianic tendencies that made him feel so seductive and frightening in the X-franchise’s glory days. Charles Xavier remains dead, with the telepathic parts of his brain transplanted into the Red Skull to give the Nazi supervillain control over peoples’ minds. Once Magneto became an ally of Cyclops’ single-minded caretaking of the surviving mutants, the ideological dialectic that generated intensity for the classic X-Men status quo died out. You could call that successful franchise evolution in that it’s an actual instance of meaningful change; however, there’s been nothing else as compelling to replace it. The years of feuding between different factions and schools led by Cyclops and Wolverine had some great moments but that eventually ended. The interconnectedness that was once so essential to the X-franchise has withered to practically nothing and there’s no good X-argument roiling through all the books in the franchise.

Right now, the X-Men don’t feel like they have hope or a future, inside the fiction and in the real world. There’s almost certainly a narrative turnaround being planned in the X-Men stories yet to come because there always is. The challenge moving forward will be if Marvel can reignite the fire for the franchise that was once so pivotal for their success.

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Really great article-tons more to read at the link, and I agree completely. The only good x-Books right now are Old Man Logan and All New Wolverine has had it's moments.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
They peaked with Gillen's work. That guy wanted to do more even, and they gave the ball to Bendis, denying us fugitive Scott hunting down Sinister.
 

SpaceWolf

Banned
Still not quite sure why Old Man Logan was carried into the main Marvel universe.

Just strikes me as a really strange creative choice.
 

Slayven

Member
Seems like no one talented wants to work on them right now. This kind of shit ebbs and flows in comics. 10 years from now we will be talking about how X-men are the hottest book.
 

Dalek

Member
Seems like no one talented wants to work on them right now. This kind of shit ebbs and flows in comics. 10 years from now we will be talking about how X-men are the hottest book.

They need someone like Hickman to take on the X-Men and make them interesting again.
 

HarryKS

Member
In a state of decrepitude since the 2000s. That, plus they don't know who their customers really are and have been driving them away for a while.

The inking also looks quite artificial nowadays. It lacks that warmth and vibrancy that we had until the late 90s.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
X-Men in particular is still dealing with the fall out from the initial run that catapulted the Ultimate Universe to the for front.

Put me in the camp that it needs another few years, and then it'll come back around again.
 
I rather like Uncanny right now, but Marvel keeps putting them in the same situation over and over again where mutants are like dying again or almost extinct although they faced the same situation like 7 years ago.
 
Because it's difficult to write great stories in a series with so many moving parts and such a complex history, and a lot of the best writers in mainstream American comics right now are busy doing other things. Not exactly a mystery.
 
Because it's difficult to write great stories in a series with so many moving parts and such a complex history, and a lot of the best writers in mainstream American comics right now are busy doing other things. Not exactly a mystery.

*Points to the Avengers or Spider-books*
 
I've tried so many damn times to get back on board with X-Men since the early 2000s and every damn time I end up stuck with half a run's worth of trades and very few memories of actual good stories and moments.

Whatever the reasons for Marvel apparently just letting them coast along for years now, I think a lot of people just stopped caring at this point. Bendis' run kinda just broke me and I won't bother anymore.
 
we've talked about this in the comics GAF thread. The X-line is the least interesting its been since that late 90s period before Grant Morrison/Peter Milligan/Joe Casey came on board to revamp the line-up. They have no character. They have no relevance. There isn't any artistic excellence, compelling direction, or even one remotely exciting comic. They are circling the drain; the books are being published because Marvel makes more money that way, not because there is any creative need to. They're in terrible shape, and Im not sure when they're gonna get better.
 
I actually don't hate Astonishing right now. I like Ramos on this better than Spider Man. I like his look for Storm, I love that she's the leader again, and I dig how Colossus looks. In general I've always preferred "fucked up status quo" X-Men. It kind of reminds me of the Australia era or some time like that. Like, you don't know WHAT'S going to happen. When they're all safe and secure living in the mansion and Xavier is alive and sending them on missions, it gets a little bland. Right now they're so ripped apart and chaotic, I kind of dig it.
 
Spiderman has many moving parts?

Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2009, Silk, Spider-Gwen.

That Marvel has built an entire (successful) goddamn line off of Spider-Man is amazing, no pun intended. There is a thrust and point to each book, while also fitting within a larger line-wide context.

The X-Books don't have that. They have no hopeful drive, no clear direction, no compelling leads, and for the most part, no unique character.
 

Nesotenso

Member
Seems like no one talented wants to work on them right now. This kind of shit ebbs and flows in comics. 10 years from now we will be talking about how X-men are the hottest book.

They have been shit since Bendis got his hands on them and brought the original 5 into the present.
 
Heh, I skimmed through this and it seemed to echo my feelings from when I stopped reading X-Men...back in the late 80s. In the issues around the mid 220s, I think it was.

I eventually jumped back in for the Grant Morrison & Joss Whedon runs, but then dropped off again.

Everything runs in cycles!
 

Kinyou

Member
I know people disliked Bendis handling all the xmen books, but honestly I'd love to have that back compared to whatever the hell they're doing right now.
 
I mean they're all at least enjoyable or readable. The X-Books are just dead. In Marvel's entire line, you get to the X-Book and it feels like everything just falls off a cliff.
I'd say Old Man Logan and All-New Wolverine are the only enjoyable X-books right now. It's funny cuz Wolverine solo books used to be the most garbage or average X-books compared to the others.
 

PsychBat!

Banned
Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2009, Silk, Spider-Gwen.

That Marvel has built an entire (successful) goddamn line off of Spider-Man is amazing, no pun intended. There is a thrust and point to each book, while also fitting within a larger line-wide context.

The X-Books don't have that. They have no hopeful drive, no clear direction, no compelling leads, and for the most part, no unique character.
.
The problem is that Hickman sucks the fun out of everything he touches.

Problem is you're wrong
 
It's really sad. X-Men was the property that got me into american comics but every time I look at the line-up of books, nothing looks remotely appealing. I think they peaked with Grant Morrison and X-Statix and started dying a slow death with House of M.

And while I don't see Marvel completely cancel the line ever because of the backlash that would ensue, I don't know that they will put that much effort into these comics ever again because of the movie rights. It's a really bad situation for the fans.
 

SpaceWolf

Banned
Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2009, Silk, Spider-Gwen.

That Marvel has built an entire (successful) goddamn line off of Spider-Man is amazing, no pun intended. There is a thrust and point to each book, while also fitting within a larger line-wide context.

The X-Books don't have that. They have no hopeful drive, no clear direction, no compelling leads, and for the most part, no unique character.

Ah, I gotcha. I assumed you were talking about the main Spiderman book. Thanks for the clarification!
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Bendis crushed the heart and now you watch the body crumple.

Most Marvel comics are terrible right now anyway.
 
I can't believe they have gone as long as they without having a X-Men book that has a team resembling the "classic" X-Men lineup.

You would think they would do that if they want to sell comics.
 

amanset

Member
.
Problem is you're wrong

He turned the most out-there silly team, the Fantastic Four, into an utterly dry affair, utterly lacking any of the wonder and *fun* that made them who they are. Yes, he may have had good ideas but he clearly didn't understand what the team was.

And the Avengers run bored the shit out of me. So damn serious ALL THE TIME.

The guy needs to lighten up.
 

PsychBat!

Banned
He turned the most out-there silly team, the Fantastic Four, into an utterly dry affair, utterly lacking any of the wonder and *fun* that made them who they are. Yes, he may have had good ideas but he clearly didn't understand what the team was.

And the Avengers run bored the shit out of me. So damn serious ALL THE TIME.

The guy needs to lighten up.

2d7.jpg
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
And the Avengers run bored the shit out of me. So damn serious ALL THE TIME.

The guy needs to lighten up.

I must have missed Hickman's Avengers run. I know he did some book with cosmic fan character inserts of some big yellow guy and androids and shit happening. Oh and he also wrote a Fantastic Four book but just with Reed and T'challa. Oh right, those were his Avengers books.
 
He turned the most out-there silly team, the Fantastic Four, into an utterly dry affair, utterly lacking any of the wonder and *fun* that made them who they are. Yes, he may have had good ideas but he clearly didn't understand what the team was.

And the Avengers run bored the shit out of me. So damn serious ALL THE TIME.

The guy needs to lighten up.

his books have zero character. Only the broadest of personality differences for his huge interchangeable cast, only a modicum of narrative momentum in his huge, decompressed 60+ issue "epics". He's Brian Michael Bendis if he picked up a science book.
 

Sandfox

Member
Bendis crushed the heart and now you watch the body crumple.

Most Marvel comics are terrible right now anyway.
I'm honestly happy with what we're getting for the most part, especially the new books and talent they seem to be bringing in.
I can't believe they have gone as long as they without having a X-Men book that has a team resembling the "classic" X-Men lineup.

You would think they would do that if they want to sell comics.

 

LordRaptor

Member
Theoretically, the X-books should be killing it;
We have contemporary real life news stories every day of authoritarian abuse of minorities where you can draw those parallels that have always been there since their inception and the civil rights movement.
You've got the actual stakes involved that, you know, mutants are almost at a point where they have nothing left to lose, which Endangered Species played with but in the end didn't really go anywhere with.
There's a sufficiently good plot reason to have a pared down cast, so you can keep focus on the characters interesting enough to carry the books.

Saving people who hate and fear them, trying to change minds one saved life at a time, considered traitors by their own species... these are good story hooks, and always have been.
 
*Points to the Avengers or Spider-books*
The only way you can say anything positive about the Avengers line is if you're comparing the relative quality of Avengers and X-Men. But the more important truth is that they're not publishing a single great team book under any of their lines. Every must-read Marvel book right now is a solo book. And there aren't even a lot of those.
 
Yeah, I'm still buying these but they're not very good.
It's a shame because I think 2007-2012 was one of my favorite X-Era. I enjoyed Messiah Complex a lot, and everything afterwards was for me a great throwback to mid-late eighties.
Then Marvel Now and post AvX happened and the books took a plunge (ANX was okay though), and right now, I wonder every month why I'm still buying that stuff.

There's Old Man Logan, I guess. At least it looks great.
 

Squire

Banned
Seems like no one talented wants to work on them right now. This kind of shit ebbs and flows in comics. 10 years from now we will be talking about how X-men are the hottest book.

They need someone like Hickman to take on the X-Men and make them interesting again.

It seems like they pissed off a lot of the super stars that ran over to Inage. That's on a general level too, not just the X-Men.

There's been a serious exodus of talent as of late. I don't really agree with the point made in one of the excerpts in the OP - that they have great talent on the X-books that just isn't putting things together. They have D-C list writers on these. I don't want to be mean, but when the best one is a book by Bendis, what does that tell you?
 
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