"I don't know. I don't care. The more I observed him, the more my skin crawled, so I gave up and went home to re-gene some psychedelics and eat expensive chocolate. Sometimes a [REDACTED] is just a [REDACTED]."
X-Men Comics Geek
Reviews on the most notable classics as well as the current run for the MARVEL NOW!
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Way of X issue #4 by Simon Spurrier
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Way of X issue #3 by Simon Spurrier
I mean, it's probably best to assume the worst about your gay dads. They had let you down before.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Way of X issue #2 by Simon Spurrier
"Did you know a Nightcrawler is a type of worm? It's blue, and it's disgusting. Not a clever insult, but one I heard many times as a child. So I took it, and I made it mine. You are not your flaws, David Haller. And if destroying a lump of empty meat will you start afresh? To rule yourself? Perhaps there are sins worth sinning."
Sunday, August 29, 2021
Way of X issue #1 by Simon Spurrier
I knew, of course, that it was only a matter of time before Chuck comes back from one of his many not-so-permanent deaths, so when I opened the pages of this first issue, it didn't shock me to find him up and about in the very first panels. He's also walking. He's got this badass new costume design. I'm not questioning the logistics of these characters anymore. I just accept that they're there or they're not. It's how the X-Men roll.
From what I can glean so far, the new haven all mutants are living on is Krakoa...and that it's no longer the same sentient island from before, or at least not nearly as destructive? Also, they mentioned the Scarlet Witch's Decimation in which she willed he mutant gene into non-existence during House of M. That plays a considerably crucial role with whatever is up with the new generation of mutants who are able to die in content because resurrection, apparently, is at hand within Krakoa. So...all mutants are immediately life-sustaining, but they do have to undergo this Crucible thing. Essentially, mutants whose genes had been eradicated because of Wanda's curse would come to Krakoa, seeking rebirth, but they have to die through gladitorial combat.
Yeah, if you're me, and you haven't read a single X-Men issue in the last five years, all of this is just confusing yet somehow very intriguing, as most X-Men premises start. Luckily, there werebreaks in the pages which include the notes of Doctor Nemesis and maybe a diary entry or two from whom I assume was Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) himself. According to the page that explained how the Crucible works: "Petitioners (who must select their own slayers) are generally victims of the so-called Decimation event...in death, these individuals earn the right to resurrection and hence, a restoration of their mutant powers.Crucible is thefore billed as offering a measure of dignity to one who seeks death and reincarnation."
(It's worth mentioning that trusting the judgment of the science guy who admittedly and visibly grows 'conscious-altering psychedelics out of his own cerebellum' may not be the best choice, but next to Kurt, he seems to have a more practical insight than the rest.)
This is how I understand it so far: all dead mutants can come back to life for this continuity, but to die in the Crucible held in Krakoa with a mutant slayer of your choice would expedite the resurrection. There's also this part in the notes: "We are seeing a new evolutionary mechanism at work. Selection by means of prejudicial resurrection." And that's because 'a swift return is a just reward for a courageous death'.
So if you're a mutant who died out of the Crucible, your return to life may be delayed since there's a 'backlog'. But if you take your chances with the Crucible and die there, you can come back, oh, I don't know, within 24 hours? I don't know who decided, how and why, but everyone has just come to accept it. Conveniently. Worryingly. Huh.
The existential dread and paranoia that this type of premise awakens in the back of mind cannot be ignored as I kept reading. This new status quo in new Krakoa where the youthful generation of mutants do not see death as an ending or traumatic game-changer will definitely open doors to something more dangerous. This is some messed up shit, even when you take into account the X-Men standards and levels of fuckery. No wonder Nightcrawler is highly disturbed. Speaking of characters we all know and love...
There was an interesting page in which Doctor Nemesis and Nightcrawler had a brief yet frank discussion about the weird circumstances at hand. Doctor Nemesis mocked the fact that Nightcrawler was still a steadfast Catholic in spite of what he is and all the miracles he'd seen that should have extinguished such an outdated religious belief in the context of mutant evolution. He said, "I mean, really, you leotard-wearing types have locked horns with more actual gods than I've endured suboptimal lattes. Why is it that the only one whom we've seen no trace is the very one you continue to honor." To which Kurt answered, "Have you considered that that may be why I continue to honor Him?"
Dr. N was still unconvinced so imparted this rationale: "Alien life, metaphysical entities and the overthrow of mortality itself. What does a credulous little believer do when all the big questions have been answered?" Once more, Kurt astutely offered:
To me, this was first layer that has already captivated me, and based on the first issue alone, I could already tell that Way of X has the makings of a very multi-dimensional story. I'm invested to learn more about Kurt Wagner's position and the nuances of his struggle where his faith is concerned. While characters like Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr seemed almost static and resigned, adapting to new circumstances in the same mold they've always done things (Magneto who's always ruling with his fist and relying on forceful tactics, then Professor X who will provide sound counsel yet still just as detached from the more complicated workings of the heart, including his own), Nightcrawler was more willing to admit he was on shaky ground and didn't want to cling to the same methods since he recognized that this new status quo eludes and can possibly unleash consequences more damaging than what they endured during Decimation.
It's also interesting to note that these new X-Men kids acted and spoke more carefree than the jaded, wise-cracking batches that I've encountered across previous titles--young fighters who disguised their trauma through humor and kinship with one another. And why wouldn't they be so carefree? This mutant generation has conquered death. They have nothing to fear, not even the prejudice of humankind. During the second scene of the issue, these kids didn't seem to see their human enemies nearly as the threat they used to be decades ago. They may even pity these humans because the odds have now tilted in their favor, which was how Pixie, Loa, DJ, and others could waltz into a museum cataloguing works of the so-called mutant menace and afford only a wry smile. It's touching they could live in a world in which they no longer have to feel powerless and unloved, but neither can they recognize the important sacrifices of the last few generations who had suffered for the rights they now enjoy. I suppose we can say that about Generation Z, and Nightcrawler is the eldest millennial caught in the middle.
In relation, there was also this creepy mention of 'The Patchwork Man', whom I believe was a bogeyman the mutant kids had created as they allow their imaginations to run wild regarding monsters because--le's face it--they have no real monsters to fight nowadays. The fact that the youth brought it up as one of the older mutants was in the middle of teaching them about the impact of Wanda Maximoff's Decimation was illuminating. For this mutant generation, they don't find the Scarlet Witch nearly as threatening as the fictitious Patchwork Man they created and passed around as a lively urban legend. It's eerie, and only Kurt--and to a lesser extent, Doctor Nemesis--has concerns as what new horrors may come upon this Brave New World where peace and harmony have been achieved but only perhaps on the surface. Meanwhile, Professor X admitted he had been an abysmal father for so long and so encouraged Kurt to take the mantle instead and pursue where his suspicions lie if it meant protecting this new world they forged. He explained why he and not Jean or Scott was the right person for the job: "For all that I can dissect minds, for all that I can interrogate dreams at will, nonetheless you understand people in the way I never could."
I hope that my insights so far would suffice even if I still might be missing a few more important contexts. I'm sure I'd be able to compensate as I read the next issues. And if I can manage my time better before this year ends, I may be able to pick up another X-Men title from the ongoing 2021 run. For now I'm satisfied that I can even write this review. See you all for issue #2!
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
Monday, May 23, 2016
Professor X and Magneto: A Personal Shipping Manifesto: PART II [THE COMICS AND THE EVENTS THEREIN THAT DEFINED THEM]
MEMORABLE QUOTES: Magneto to Charles: "I want him BROKEN. I want his heart to crack. I want him to choke with grief--as I did when I learned how my old and dear 'friend' betrayed me!"
Rogue on Cherik: "You may use the same words but you don't speak the same language. I wonder if you ever did."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT: A love letter to Cherik relationship. Claremont is the writer who defined the X-Men canon and two of his contributions are characterizing Magneto as a Holocaust survivor, and Professor X and Magneto being old friends before they became enemies divided by their ideals. In Excalibur III, the former mutant haven Genosha has been decimated horrendously, it's presently in utter shambles while its mutant citizenry is clamoring for survival, searching for a leader to govern them. Charles Xavier made a decision to leave the X-Men behind so he can go to Genosha, knowing they will survive without him.
Now Charles runs away to Genosha and takes the corpse of the poser-Magneto with him so he can meet up with the real Erik who apparently faked his own death and has been hiding from the world since. I suppose they're both in Genosha to make amends with its people because they are considered the leaders of the mutant revolution no matter how much their views and methods clash. It's therefore a personal failure and injury to see such a civilization like Genosha become a wasteland because they were unable to save it. Now they feel obliged to fix that mistake together. So--if you think about it--they're keeping this all in clandestine mode, so neither the X-Men nor the Brotherhood know their whereabouts. BECAUSE THEY FUCKING ELOPED, OKAY?
Erik to Charles: "Forgive me, Charles. Perhaps this is not the age of dreams or dreamers"; "Even after all that's happened, he remains my friend"; "Old patterns. Automatic responses. This is the way it's always been between us."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT: This issue touched upon on some finer points concerning Magneto's character that I enjoyed being examined and analyzed. Claremont is not only credited for giving Erik Lehnsherr (Magnus, Max Eisenhardt) the personal backstory of being a Holocaust survivor, he is also responsible for fleshing out this former cookie-cutter villain of the sixties into a full-pledged riveting character readers care about and often even root for, whose internal moral struggle to lead or destroy has always been the driving force both for the noble and atrocious actions he has committed throughout his years in the active role and service of being a mutant avenger to some and an uncompromising terrorist to many. Magneto is not merely some comic book villain to hate; he's somebody you can understand and sympathize with especially for this specific timeline of Claremont's run where we get to see him acknowledge the error of his ways.
I really love this issue. It was stirring, powerful and well-paced. There are great moments of dialogue and confrontations in the pages that kept me turning one after the next, all the while being thoroughly excited and dreadful for all the situations overlapping and connecting with each other especially once we reached the climax of the story.
In the middle of an explosion underground, the only person Erik cared to save was Charles and he pulls him out to safety and into a garden of all places where the two estranged friends have an honest and moving conversation about second chances. What Charles and Erik have is a cycle of screw-ups and hurt feelings (NOT AN EXAGGERATION; no one fights and tries to destroy each other's love and faith in one another like Cherik) but ultimately theirs is a relationship about growth and forgiveness, of dreams and principles. It's a strong connection formed ages ago that could never be severed which is why Erik always come back to Charles like this (to the tune of Sara Bareilles' Gravity), and why Charles unquestionably gives him another fair chance because the truth is that even after all that ocean of death and violence between them, Charles still believes that Erik's inherent goodness will prevail.
Beast quotes Prometheus Unbound that contextualizes Charles' tumultuous relationship with Erik: "Why is it that you do not hate a god, whom the gods hate most of all? Why is it that you do not betray him, since it was your honor he betrayed to men?"
To which Storm responds with a continuation from the same play: "Our kinship has a strange power, that and our life together."
It was SPOT-ON in capturing Xavier's long-running justification as to why he still thinks Magneto could change; why he hasn't given up on the idea that his best friend will come back to him and they can work together; why he can forgive Magneto even when he least deserves it. That 'kinship' drives him to always find a better, humane way to communicate with Magneto, that and their history and dream together. Well, Magneto is now a super-mega douche who claims that their dream together is dead, and he's going around preaching absolute genetic cleansing of humans because he's unironically the new Hitler, so Professor X most certainly ain't gonna put up no more with his shit. AND THAT IS WHY THE STORY ARC HURTS SO MUCH.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT: Charles' bastard son borne from his old girlfriend Gabrielle Haller named David (otherwise known as the mutant Legion) decided to travel back to time in Israel where Charles and Erik first met. David blames Magneto for what happened to Charles' dreams after the Fatal Attractions storyline, and decides to kill Erik, thinking that by doing so, Charles will never have founded the X-Men and would instead settle down and get married with his mom. The four issues were filled with amazing dialogue and narrative concerning the depths of Charles and Erik's relationship even from the very start.
Charles to Erik: "I'm glad we met, my friend" ; "Any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT: These two books of the collection featured an alternate universe where Erik Lehnsherr bemoaned the loss of Charles Xavier. There are many, MANY panels in which he kept pining over his dead friend, leading me to believe that he had unrequited feelings for Charles, and now regretted not being able to tell him. The quotes are pretty sad because Erik can't seem to move on, and always reminisces of the dream and past he shared with Charles. He and Rogue were even married, but they named their son 'Charles' because that just goes to show that Erik's heart belongs to no one else but his old friend.
After the death of Charles Xavier by the hands of Cyclops, I just don't understand why we never got to see Magneto grieve in some Claremont-esque manner where he'll be drinking scotch as he morosely looks at pictures of Charles back in the good old days, monologue-ing about how they could have had it all, etc. This issue doesn't touch upon that, but it does show us Charles' perspective during the events in Fatal Attractions.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT: Magneto comes to terms with the death of Xavier in issue #16 of this collected volume of Bendis' recently concluded run in the series The Uncanny X-Men. After the crap Scott and co. pulled when they were possessed by the Phoenix Force during the Avengers vs X-Men story, Magneto has lost control over his powers. He became weak and distracted. Mystique, however, pointed out that losing Xavier has made it impossible for him to gain back his powers to its fullest potential because the death of his truest friend is a loss that is so woefully meaningful that his own superior mutation died along with Xavier.
Charles Xavier and Erik (Magnus) Lehnsherr never had what any of us might call a 'conventional' relationship. Their mutual understanding from the beginning becomes a rather complicated rivalry in the next decades to follow where they constantly find themselves fighting on the opposite sides of a war neither of them would compromise for--not even for the sake of salvaging their friendship. It seemed at first--from the moment they realized they were both mutants--that their first meeting was destined to happen; only to ultimately lose each other in the long run once it became clear that their ideologies would keep on clashing when it came to establishing and fighting for mutant rights.
I personally love the origin of their first meeting that was established in X-Men: First Class where Charles jumps from a ship without a second thought just so he can rescue this complete stranger, Erik, who was basically drowning himself while magnetically holding onto a submarine. Charles man-handles him and gets them to the surface of the ocean by communicating telepathically with Erik to just chill the fuck out and let go. Erik, frightened by the sudden mental link between them, was wary of him but Charles assures him that he's a fellow mutant and that they should totes become BFFs. Still shaken, Erik voices out that he thought he was alone and Charles disagrees and says otherwise. Henceforth, a beautiful relationship flourished between these two, a relationship steeped in unintentional subtext and tons of bromantic tear-jerker scenes for the rest of the film. IT WAS BREATHTAKING.
The comics, however, had a different story which is less shippy but nonetheless just as tragic. Ths is how it originally went down:
When Charles Xavier decided to work for a clinic for traumatized Holocaust victims in Haifa, Israel, he meets a man there going by the name of Magnus who was also a Holocaust survivor and a volunteer in the clinic. They became fast friends, but both are unaware at that point that they both secretly have mutations. In a memorable scene, it was depicted that they would have lengthy debates hypothesizing 'what will happen if humanity is faced with a new super-powered race of humans'. HYPOTHETICALLY is the key word here, as each one tries to gauge the ideology of the other. Charles was optimistic about the humans in general being able to accept this new race, but Magnus fervently disagreed. He had awful experiences in the Holocaust himself which was why he was so firm in the belief that "humanity will ultimately oppress the new race of humans as they have done with other minorities". There was nothing hypothetical about that testament.
The two friends eventually reveal their powers to one another when a bunch of Nazis kidnapped a catatonic patient (and Charles' girlfriend) named Gabrielle whatserface. Magnus attempts to kill the leader of that group but Charles stops him. That was when the friends realized that that their views on mutant-human relations are fundamentally incompatible, so Magnus leaves, taking some Nazi gold while he was at it. Charles, meanwhile stays in Israel for some time. He does break up with Gabrielle later on, but neither of them knew that he got her knocked up. That child will grow up to become the mutant Legion.
That said, Charles is also someone of a trusted equal to Magnus, who willingly opens up about his views concerning their own kind and who wants to do something for the betterment of other mutants, much like Magnus. However, as the story progresses, they also quickly learn that they ultimately differ in their methods and ideologies, and a barricade has once again forced Magnus away from intimacy. There had been no direct rejection coming from Charles and there didn't have to be. The mere knowledge that Charles disagrees with his socio-political views is enough declaration for Magnus that they could never form a closer bond but rather would have to grow apart. But, surprisingly enough, this doesn't discouraged either of them to try meeting halfway throughout the decades since; which was why, in the most ironic sense, every wedge and obstacle between them only serves to drive them closer together. Charles' admittance that "Any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for" resonates even in the later decades when they have become embittered enemies on the opposing sides of a war that has destroyed the very things they admired and respected in each other. But neither of them has forgotten that they once shared a dream and that has kept them hoping that, someday, one will agree with the other's course of action and join him.
Eventually, we readers will witness for ourselves that this inherent stubbornness in their dynamics will only deepen the chasm in their relationship, but it also paradoxically held them together. Basically, their desire to accomplish their respective crusades, even when they are in direct opposition against one another, is their only means to maintain a powerful connection as "frenemies". It's like a masochistic covenant where their trust and faith in each other has to tested over and over again.
In my next and final post for the manifesto entitled "Part III: The Fandom", I'll be making a list of some of the best fanfiction written out there about Cherik. They shall be known as my TOP 40 Picks. I would also include some fanmade music videos I myself made, as well as other fans; fan music mixes, and links to fan sites that are also devoted to the Charles/Erik pairing.