X-Men Red #5 - The Hate Machine *spoilers*

[Disciple of Redd]

Reread this while not under direct work stress.

Actually pretty damned good, much like the first 4 issues.

[Darkspellmaster]

Side note in regard to the sentinal issue. Marvel does not have giant robots, and clearly this is what this is supposed to be an homage to. Unless Leo da Vinci or Tony stark or reed richards or the xmen can build her a robot, sentinal x is what we're getting.

Also, looks to me, give her placement in panels, Storm and Namor are equals in regard to power structure here, and it's clear that Ro's skills as a tactician to read a battle field are at play in this one. I expect that Tom has plans for her but probably will take his time to implement them. Remember, she just joined last issues Gambit joining in this one, so it will more than likely focus on Gentle and her next issue as we move forward.

[Wolfsbane]

Ok, it’s official. Tom Taylor is my favorite X-Men writer in years......this team lineup is bad ass and one of the best in a very long time. Great job Tom Taylor!

[WhiteQueenEmmaFrost]

I wouldn’t mind jean needing some outside help. But I imagine any help she gets will come from her own team.

I’d love to see some jean and Emma interaction. Honestly curious to see Emma’s thoughts on jean returning in general.

Maybe a bottle of champagne sent to Atlantis with a "welcome back J. xoxo -E."

[Beaubier]

So per Tom Taylor, X-Men Red #5 is going to be Asrar’s last issue.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TomTaylor...68791248093184

Not very pleased with that news. I dug Asrar’s art.

[akiresu_]

A week later and I've forgotten almost all of this issue. I remember enjoying it and I remember Namor's big moment, but everything else has slipped away.

I think Taylor's slow burn storytelling is real point of self-injury and possibly one of the earliest signs that the team is just too big. All New Wolverine's opening arc had some fantastic momentum and, whilst we can go back and forth on how the series paid off said momentum, really worked to set the book up for great things. There doesn't feel like a great amount of hope for Red's future, if this is the amount of time it is taking to accomplish so little.

I'm also concerned that Taylor will spend so much time on set-up that when the time for pay-off comes he'll get caught up in a relaunch or just cancelled before everything can be satisfying. At this rate, it feels like the opening-introductory arc will take 10-12 issues (setting up the mutant nation and resolving Cassie Nova), but that end point is so far away that it is futile to even attempt to imagine the stories that follow. With recent publication patterns, despite its popularity, there may be no stories past #12.

Just felt like expressing some nerves. Red's a good book, but I think it's wrong to say that it's firing on all cylinders. It has yet to match the pacing and thrill of #1, which is a real shame.

(For clarity, my perfect opening to a book is Blue's opening 3 issues. A tight explanation of the new set-up/status quo, some character moments relating to that, the overcoming of one antagonist and the set-up of future antagonism)

So how would you guys reshuffle the cast in order to make things tighter, while still keeping the "Red" aspect?
I'm thinking Jean and Namor are musts. Mutant nation, as an ongoing plot point, needs them both. And this is very much a Jean book.
Trinary, reluctantly stays, alongside Gentle and Storm, Red wears its political quite boldly and these three characters have all been given some kind of interesting role in the book (even if I'm still unsold on Trinary).
Whilst I love Gambit, he is superfluous here.
Gabby seems to be taking away potential moments of character or interaction (that are so desperately needed) in exchange for quips and jokes that don't always land (the good comic relief could easily be given over to another lighter character).
I'm unsure on Kurt/Laura. I think Kurt could easily be the comic relief role in place of Gabby, he could easily make the abslantis quip, but he hasn't really served a purpose outside of teleporter yet, which really makes him feel inessential. Laura serves the Wolverine role (and is a favourite character of mine), but again seems to provide little to the overall team. So those are maybes.
I was considering adding characters, but it really is a case of trimming the fat, isn't it? It's not that there are particularly bad cast members, just that there are too many and so they don't get a chance to justify their inclusion in the book.

[Beaubier]

Eh. I think Kurt feels essential. Besides teleporter, he’s also played the role of confidant and emotional support to Jean.

I’m not sold on Gambit, but it’s too early to say what kind of role he’s going to play here. Not sold on Trinary either, but I also think she, Storm and Gentle have potential in this book. Especially the latter two.

You hit the nail on the head with Gabby, and that’s the exact same thing she did in ANW: rob other characters of important moments to deliver some dumb joke. And let’s be real here, the only reason Laura is in this book is to chaperone Gabby. If Laura was removed from the book from issue 1, literally nothing would have changed. And I say that as a Laura fan. I don’t really feel like Laura and Gabby need to be in this book, but Gabby is Taylor’s OC, so here we are.