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Ideal X-Men.
Oct. 8th, 2010 02:03 pmThe X-Men aren't my favorite superheroes (that'd be Red Robin & Batgirl), and they're not my favorite Marvel comics title (that'd be Runaways), but I am a fan, despite the numerous ways they violate all five tenets of my Comics Theses, and they are easily the most recognizable and iconic team of superheroes who also have depth and complexity to their characters. (The Justice League is more iconic and recognizable, thanks to the Superman-Batman-Wonder Woman trinity, and the characters in the JL, when appearing in their own titles, have certainly been written with depth and complexity, but tend to default to archetypes in JLA comics... except for the ensemble cast of less iconic and recognizable characters, who are handled well. Baffling. ANYWAY NOT THE POINT.)
In any case, as I am prone to do, I spent several hours last week imagining what I would do if I was put at the helm of an X-Men title right this moment. (Remind me at some point to also share my thoughts on a Bat-family title, because Ra's al-Ghul and Poison Ivy teaming up would be badass.) Imagining writing an X-Men title is a pretty basic thought exercise because long before you get to petty concerns like plot and theme, you have to decide what your team line-up is. Wikipedia lists 63 different characters on the team roster, while omitting all characters that are presently dead. The strength and variety of the ensemble cast -- the differences in their powers, their philosophies, the way they interact and argue, their multicultural background -- this is one of the things that makes the X-Men great, so it's vital to get your line-up fine-tuned. And you can't go over about ten or twelve characters, counting the primary supporting cast, without losing all control of the story (feel free to argue with me on this point), so any list you assemble will inevitably need pruning. Below the LJ-cut, I'm going to talk about who I want on my team and why, so two notes: a) there will be lots of spoilers, and lots of things I assume you know and don't explain. Sorry. b) I'd really like it if, before reading this, you would think of a list of 5-10 X-Men who you think would make an ideal team line-up.( Ideal X-Men would also be a good name for the comic itself... )
I don't have time to get into plot arc details right now, but I'd be interested in hearing what people think of the premise and the line-up. Next week: Namor, demons, immortal psychics, underwater leviathans, and a visit to Sealand!
In any case, as I am prone to do, I spent several hours last week imagining what I would do if I was put at the helm of an X-Men title right this moment. (Remind me at some point to also share my thoughts on a Bat-family title, because Ra's al-Ghul and Poison Ivy teaming up would be badass.) Imagining writing an X-Men title is a pretty basic thought exercise because long before you get to petty concerns like plot and theme, you have to decide what your team line-up is. Wikipedia lists 63 different characters on the team roster, while omitting all characters that are presently dead. The strength and variety of the ensemble cast -- the differences in their powers, their philosophies, the way they interact and argue, their multicultural background -- this is one of the things that makes the X-Men great, so it's vital to get your line-up fine-tuned. And you can't go over about ten or twelve characters, counting the primary supporting cast, without losing all control of the story (feel free to argue with me on this point), so any list you assemble will inevitably need pruning. Below the LJ-cut, I'm going to talk about who I want on my team and why, so two notes: a) there will be lots of spoilers, and lots of things I assume you know and don't explain. Sorry. b) I'd really like it if, before reading this, you would think of a list of 5-10 X-Men who you think would make an ideal team line-up.( Ideal X-Men would also be a good name for the comic itself... )
I don't have time to get into plot arc details right now, but I'd be interested in hearing what people think of the premise and the line-up. Next week: Namor, demons, immortal psychics, underwater leviathans, and a visit to Sealand!
