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And so, with one issue, Grant Morrison completely changes
my opinion of his work on New X-Men. Admittedly, it had
been wavering for a few months, and the bad far outweighed the
good. Really, it’s more of a solidification of an opinion based
around growing concerns for the direction Grant is taking the
book in.
Now, overall, I rather like the direction Morrison is taking
the book. After all these years, Xavier is finally revealed to the
world, and taking the X-Men in what could be new and exciting
directions. Instead, we get another public response team. Part
of the charm of the X-Men were that they were outlaws.
They’re still hated, but they’re also becoming more accepted.
This really leads to a good summation of why Morrison’s run
just isn’t working. This isn’t the X-Men.
Morrison has been hailed as doing new and innovative
things, when almost every single plot he’s done is just a retread,
mostly from the Claremont/Byrne era. I somehow suspect this is
where he stopped reading, since any advancement the
characters have made since then is gone.
Let’s see: An evil incarnation of Xavier? Check. Jean
exhibiting new and mysterious powers that are off the charts?
Check. Imperial Guard under control of a bad person to stomp
on the mutant populace? Check. Mutants going public? Well,
happened in X-Factor, but check. Dead Magneto? Check.
Heck, that happened just two months previous. Increased
emphasis on the school and new students? Check. I can’t find
one single idea here that’s new or innovative, as folks are saying.
I mean, isn’t this supposed to be NEW X-Men?
Wolverine is back to acting like a psycho bad-ass moron,
and ditching the whole honourable samurai. He’s back to being
more animal than man, with less personality. Beast is about the
only character that is spot on, aside from declaring he’s gay out
of the blue. This may be a joke, but we don’t know, it was just
suddenly tossed out there for no reason other than shock value.
Which is another problem of Morrison’s writing. He tosses out
something, then doesn’t follow up on it for a long time, if ever.
Cyclops is confiding in Emma Frost, someone who was an
enemy for much of her existence, over the problems he’s having
with Jean. Not someone like, oh I don’t know, a friend, such as
Beast, Warren, Logan, the Professor. Almost anyone around
besides Emma.
Jean is back to being a strong female character again, at least.
Although, there are other problems with Jean. Well, not with
Jean, but with the Phoenix. Note for future X-Writers: don’t
mess with the Phoenix. In the latest issue, Morrison has Jean
and Charles discuss her growing powers and occasional
manifestations of a big ol’ firebird. Charles then proceeds to
explain what’s up, and destroys around 20 or so years of
continuity that’s been built up.
"Telekinetic sensitivity this extreme is known as "The
Manifestation of the Phoenix" by neuro-mystical surgeons of the
Shi’ar Empire. The X-Men underwent great trials and loss
during a previous rogue phoenix manifestation on this planet."
So, the Phoenix Force is now gone as a concept, even
though it’s been well established, and any telekinetic can come
along and start showing off big firebirds. And reducing the Dark
Phoenix, an apocalyptic being of myth and legend, a dark god
and harbinger of destruction for the Shi’ar Empire is now just a
rogue manifestation?
Nope, I’m sorry. You lose. This screws over quite a bit of
stuff, including some whole characters. I’ve heard folks say that
it fits fine with everything, until the dumb retcon that brought
about the Phoenix Force in the first place. Yeah, maybe so, but
that retcon is already there, and ignoring it completely just makes
the entire situation worse, especially for something this big.
If a writer can’t be bothered to know what he’s writing
about, from characterisation through to the history of the
characters, and just writes whatever he wants to with them,
fitting them haphazardly into whatever characterisation and plots
suit his purposes, irregardless if they suit the character, then it’s a
clear sign that the writer is on the wrong book. Or, maybe I am.
Yes, that’s right. Morrison has done that which only one
other writer has been able to do, make me seriously consider
dropping a core X-Title. He may yet cause me to drop it, in
fact, I’m quite close as it is. I’m just a glutton for punishment.
And where would everyone out there be if I dropped it and
couldn’t rant about it?
Who’s that one other writer? Scott Lobdell. Yes, Morrison
and Scott Lobdell, exhibit similar quality writing on the X-
Books. In fact, I’d rather be reading Lobdell’s X-Men. At
least they were recognisable, for the most part.
Don’t get me wrong, normally, I like Morrison’s work, but
almost nothing is clicking here, and he’s not writing the X-Men.
His big funky ideas are too big to work in an already established
universe, it could be said. Leave him to his creator-owned
projects for that stuff, it’s less offensive.
For now, I’m sticking with the comic, see if things clear up.
If he continues the way he’s going though, I won’t be keeping an
eye on my old friends for long. I’d wish for a consistent artist,
but we know that will never happen.
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