Warren Worthington: (Arch)Angel Appreciation 2024

[Til]

I enjoyed it too. I'm glad that while it did examine his flaws, it also examined his strengths. TBH from the interviews, I was expecting it to go much harder on him. I was pleasantly surprised that wasn't the case. I was thinking about making a review thread for it, but I feel like I'd leave out important character details since I haven't read a lot of Warren's earlier stories.

[Hakka84]

I too was a bit worried. I jumped to say so to Ann Nocenti's X. Glad that we tortured ourselves and we got this.
It's definitely a good week to be Warren's fan!

Nocenti planted some references, so I understand you. She definitely knows canon (or does her research).
I think she got few things a bit wrong in
spoilers:

the flashbacks but, as Maze says, "We're all unreliable narrators when it comes to our childhoods" so wrong details might even be wanted, or you can easily explain them away with "Warren recalls wrong/changed his memories" (like Betsy herself did in her Hellfire Gala memory so there's precedents)

end of spoilers

I also re-read with pleasure the second story. Warren was portrayed as the right amount of competent when in costume and the right kind of (bored) billionaire when out of the costume. And loved that Ben showed to respect him (with the kind of "abrasive" treatment Ben gives to people, he's not one to sugarcoat or drown someone with compliments).

[Til]

I love your new avatar, Hakka!

[Hakka84]

Thank you. I always loved this pic.
Not sure, but it might come from the box of the comiquette statue. Which I have (I was so crazy when I spent 280€ on that thing!), so I should know...
Or is an art from some card series. IDK.
But it's amazing. Lemme see if I can find the full pic.
Edit: here. I fixed the colors, as you might notice. Not sure why they made the suit so dark and greyish.

From the Beast's thread:

!!!!!!!!

This is from X-Men Unlimited, from after Krakoa. Hank is just interacting with his friends and no-one's mentioning any warcrimes or anything of the sort:







I couldn't get any larger versions, sorry.

Agh!!! He's wearing those damn glasses again! I'm going to associate them forever with bad-Beast.

[mattsarchamp]

The Giant Size story is very decent for me, especially if you're a true Warren fan. Highly appreciated and recommended.

[Havok83]

I thought it was boring

[berserkerclaw]

Nothing happened in it leading to X-factor so wont buy it personally

[Hakka84]

The Giant Size story is very decent for me, especially if you're a true Warren fan. Highly appreciated and recommended.

Definitely! It's a good story that balances "action" and psychological journey.

Adding my unpolished wall of text/review that I was holding back if any kind soul made the thread, as I don't feel like doing one myself. Sorry for that.
Under spoilers of course.

spoilers:

Nocenti knows her canon. I like the art. Not my favourite style, but it does its job, anatomy is very good and Warren is lean and yet muscular, the suit fits like a glow. In the pics when he's seen all stretched up the work on the muscles is perfection. I adore the artist/colourist for the flashback scenes. The Warren saving people from the fire is one of the most handsome that Marvel ever gave us, on par with the timedisplaced in the scene where he's in a bedroom with Laura Kinney. Returning to the story. Nocenti treated with so much respect Warren IMHO, and I felt his voice through the story. I loved how Nocenti dug into what could be Warren's deep fears, that he might be loved because of his money, something that took root in him so much that he puts this (skewed) view in the mouth of his closest chosen family (=Jean and Scott, arguely the two non-romances people in the world that he loved and loves the most). And not only Nocenti dug into it but expanded, rubbing salt on the wound while at it, but also giving us a reason to believe why Warren would ever have this fear when in-canon the X-Men never did something to warrant for such a fear to exist. It was also nice to see a slice of his life could've been with Cameron and Candy. But, speaking of Cameron and Candy... I have some issues with some wrong tidbits in the flashbacks that either directly conflict with canon or twist it a bit. But it might be Warren's memory to give these wrong details so it's not so much worth it to fixate on this. Still: 1) Candy (and I guess the other boy is Cameron?) is rich, so I don't get the mention of the snowsuit (as if they couldn't afford it) and the "we'll warm up walking", or why Warren couldn't be seen with them. (the whole lines gave me the feeling Warren is hanging out with children of a poor family, not children of a lower class but still rich) 2) Warren was wearing tunic and wig when he saved his peers from the fire (that could be a mistake of the artist, though) 3) The Worthingtons being into pharmaceutics is something from the movies, never this has been mentioned in the comics. The Worthington industries are a "conglomerate" and could be big pharma too, so it doesn't directly conflict with canon, though. 4) Warren's wings sprouted when he was in the boarding/prep school, and neither Cameron or Candy would've been present. Cameron was retroactively placed in Warren's pre-X-Men life, so we can ignore the conflict with canon. Also, canon never clarified when Cameron entered Warren's life (in X-Factor there are two different stories about this, one is Warren saying they met at college, the other version is Cameron mentioning the boarding school) Candy is a whole lot thing. She's introduced as an old flame/friend of his, which means pre-X-Men. Yet, she doesn't know Warren is the Angel until at least Warren Jr.'s death by Dazzler's hands. ATM I don't remember if Candy discovered the Angel's identity in that story, of she discovered it off panel sometime between one appearance and the next. It goes without saying that, should she know about her wings since before the Avenging Angel adventures, she would know that the Angel of the X-Men is Warren the very same day the X-Men make it to the newspapers. Ok, rambles of a canon sticker are finished. Speaking of flashbacks, I liked that - while enjoying his life as rich kid pre-mutation - he still showed that he wanted to do more with his privilege. So, we got some nice introspection, Warren being called out for his inability to choose (and accept) Archangel, and Warren owning it up. Also, despite what Nocenti said in the interview, she showed us that Warren does have a good heart and he had it since before nature gave him the curve ball of the mutation.

end of spoilers

I can understand those who didn't find the story interesting. It doesn't have action so to speak, and it's mostly a journey into Warren's psyche, his fears and someone forcing him to focus within and face some of those fears and truths he did his best to flee from in the last years.
Nocenti takes Warren from a place and leaves him in a better place, IMHO. If future authors would pick from here, Warren would benefit. Else... this will remain just a very good (IMHO) story about not Angel-the-hero, Archangel-the-killing-machine or Warren Worthington III-the-billionaire, but the whole person, which is all of them.

[mattsarchamp]

Definitely! It's a good story that balances "action" and psychological journey.

Adding my unpolished wall of text/review that I was holding back if any kind soul made the thread, as I don't feel like doing one myself. Sorry for that.
Under spoilers of course.

spoilers:

Nocenti knows her canon. I like the art. Not my favourite style, but it does its job, anatomy is very good and Warren is lean and yet muscular, the suit fits like a glow. In the pics when he's seen all stretched up the work on the muscles is perfection. I adore the artist/colourist for the flashback scenes. The Warren saving people from the fire is one of the most handsome that Marvel ever gave us, on par with the timedisplaced in the scene where he's in a bedroom with Laura Kinney. Returning to the story. Nocenti treated with so much respect Warren IMHO, and I felt his voice through the story. I loved how Nocenti dug into what could be Warren's deep fears, that he might be loved because of his money, something that took root in him so much that he puts this (skewed) view in the mouth of his closest chosen family (=Jean and Scott, arguely the two non-romances people in the world that he loved and loves the most). And not only Nocenti dug into it but expanded, rubbing salt on the wound while at it, but also giving us a reason to believe why Warren would ever have this fear when in-canon the X-Men never did something to warrant for such a fear to exist. It was also nice to see a slice of his life could've been with Cameron and Candy. But, speaking of Cameron and Candy... I have some issues with some wrong tidbits in the flashbacks that either directly conflict with canon or twist it a bit. But it might be Warren's memory to give these wrong details so it's not so much worth it to fixate on this. Still: 1) Candy (and I guess the other boy is Cameron?) is rich, so I don't get the mention of the snowsuit (as if they couldn't afford it) and the "we'll warm up walking", or why Warren couldn't be seen with them. (the whole lines gave me the feeling Warren is hanging out with children of a poor family, not children of a lower class but still rich) 2) Warren was wearing tunic and wig when he saved his peers from the fire (that could be a mistake of the artist, though) 3) The Worthingtons being into pharmaceutics is something from the movies, never this has been mentioned in the comics. The Worthington industries are a "conglomerate" and could be big pharma too, so it doesn't directly conflict with canon, though. 4) Warren's wings sprouted when he was in the boarding/prep school, and neither Cameron or Candy would've been present. Cameron was retroactively placed in Warren's pre-X-Men life, so we can ignore the conflict with canon. Also, canon never clarified when Cameron entered Warren's life (in X-Factor there are two different stories about this, one is Warren saying they met at college, the other version is Cameron mentioning the boarding school) Candy is a whole lot thing. She's introduced as an old flame/friend of his, which means pre-X-Men. Yet, she doesn't know Warren is the Angel until at least Warren Jr.'s death by Dazzler's hands. ATM I don't remember if Candy discovered the Angel's identity in that story, of she discovered it off panel sometime between one appearance and the next. It goes without saying that, should she know about her wings since before the Avenging Angel adventures, she would know that the Angel of the X-Men is Warren the very same day the X-Men make it to the newspapers. Ok, rambles of a canon sticker are finished. Speaking of flashbacks, I liked that - while enjoying his life as rich kid pre-mutation - he still showed that he wanted to do more with his privilege. So, we got some nice introspection, Warren being called out for his inability to choose (and accept) Archangel, and Warren owning it up. Also, despite what Nocenti said in the interview, she showed us that Warren does have a good heart and he had it since before nature gave him the curve ball of the mutation.

end of spoilers

I can understand those who didn't find the story interesting. It doesn't have action so to speak, and it's mostly a journey into Warren's psyche, his fears and someone forcing him to focus within and face some of those fears and truths he did his best to flee from in the last years.
Nocenti takes Warren from a place and leaves him in a better place, IMHO. If future authors would pick from here, Warren would benefit. Else... this will remain just a very good (IMHO) story about not Angel-the-hero, Archangel-the-killing-machine or Warren Worthington III-the-billionaire, but the whole person, which is all of them.

Nicely done, mate! I thought this is how a character is being fleshed out regardless of the lack of action. This kind of storytelling is sorely missed these days and I remember back in the days when Claremont used to do this with some of his favorites like Logan. It's like an anthology of Warren's past experiences.

Now we can all look forward to the upcoming X-Factor to witness the actions we are looking for.