PREVIEW: X-Men: The Exterminated #1

[BishopsJuice91]

I think they at least addressed the elephant in the room, and kind of allowed the reader to move on past it. It's in the past and was kind of explained away. With all of the timeline craziness that occurred after that Swiercynski Cable series, including Secret Wars resetting all of the multiverse, I think we can safely say it didn't really happen now. Apparently in some forgotten timeline Bishop went crazy and murdered a bunch of folks trying to kill Hope. He remembers it and feels bad, but it's all good. Moving on...nothing to see here...

That's how I see it anyway. Mainly because I like Bishop and Hope both, and don't want them at odds any longer. Maybe she'll never really warm up to the guy, but at least we can all move past it. My preference for Hope would be for her to try and go live a normal life now somewhere.

As for this issue, it was fine. Just made me miss the real Cable more, with all the cool safehouses and the friendship with Deadpool and whatnot. Kid Cable ain't gonna have any of that. Maybe in time...

Didn’t feel that way to me at all, everybody still remembers and Bishop coming to Hope waddling while she dismissed him made him look pathetic. Very sad showing for the character and after their interaction in UXF it wasn’t really needed, like they threw him in to just get crapped on again. If Jean hadn’t stepped in and told him to basically f off maybe there could’ve been a decent resolution but there really wasn’t, I hope this isn’t an ongoing theme with him going out of their way to make him look like a pathetic mess up...

[Jackraow21]

Didn’t feel that way to me at all...

Definitely felt that way to me. If anyone really still thought he was a genocidal maniac, I doubt Jean would’ve simply said, “Give her some space.” At this point it has basically been swept under the rug.

IMO Bishop actually looked good for coming forward and addressing it, and paying his respects to Nathan as a fellow soldier. So I guess we as readers just took away very different things from that whole encounter.

[SpiderClops]

Most of us (Scott fans) have permanently lost our ability to gave Claremont any benefit of the doubt. We expect the worst from him when it comes to writing Cyclops and our expectations are often met.

Which is sad, since he used to the character's best writer. I wish he could admit that the fault for his problems lies with real life editors and not some fictional person. And then write like he used to.

And he also needs to realize that a lot of fault lies with himself. Why did he make Maddie to look and sound exactly like Jean? Why did he put all those suspicious plot threads about her life? I can't believe he still doesn't understand how mentally unhealthy he made Scott look.

[Snoop Dogg]

Maddie's existence and Jean similarities are just Chris being a classic dramatist and trying to pull off an extreme contrivance for a story. Just like Corsair. While on its own it's a dodgy move, you can't knock him for what happened later.

And as for the future of the character, the reason they've been using Secret Wars Goblin Queen is specifically because the original character's history and even existence is an absolute mess. You'd have to do an entire story revolving around her, and those pages could be spent on a million other things.

[Grey]

Cute issue.

Was hope around previously when adult jean was alive?

[yogaflame]

Even though the back-up story was basically a recap it was still easily my favorite X-book this week. Suddenly the extremist Claremont-only stan is me

Lord Claremont wove a marvelous tale, he did!

[Disciple of Redd]

This was really good! Haven't read anything of Nadlerson's comics before, but I am definitely looking forward to Marvelous X-Men now. They hit all of the character notes here very well. Can't wait to see what they do with other characters.

The art is nice too. I am pro-hexagon.

[True Believer Tony]

Cute issue.

Was hope around previously when adult jean was alive?

No. This is the first time they've met. Jean died years before Messiah Complex.

This was a weird issue for a few reasons and it's an epilogue to an event that hasn't ended yet and Hope is sadly irrelevant and doesn't quite warrant an entire issue of mourning. I was hoping the issue would end with her taking the mantle of Cable in some way and steer her in a new direction but nope, she's just gonna go back to not being seen for another year or two.

I did like the Bishop scene. It's really strange how the X-Men were able to forgive all that. He tried to kill a damn baby...

[Ambaryerno]

No. This is the first time they've met. Jean died years before Messiah Complex.

Remember, adjust for Marvel Time. It's really more like a couple days before. MAYBE a week.

[MarvelMaster616]

Madeylnes spiral into crazy came out of nowhere. Her having her identity erased and turned into a puppet in that dream was chilling. Claremont is obviously trying to rectify someone Gail, Louise and him see as a mistake

I've seen Claremont try to justify Maddie time and again, but he never addresses the key flaw that doomed her before any retcon.

No matter what Claremont says or what excuses he makes, Madelyn Pryor will never be the character he wants. She'll always be a Jean Grey place-holder and he has only himself to blame.

He didn't have to make Maddie look EXACTLY like Jean. He didn't have to make it so Scott encountered her just after Jean had died. But he did and, as a result, there's no way their relationship and their love can ever be feel genuine. The idea of Scott (or anyone, for that matter) marrying someone who looks just like his dead girlfriend will never come off as a serious love story. That's why this particular story felt so empty. When he's with Maddie, it's impossible to say he truly loves her. How can he say that with 100 percent conviction when she looks like his dead girlfriend? Does he love her or does he love that she reminds him of Jean? That can never be resolved.

It's probably Claremont's biggest mistake in an otherwise astonishing run. If Maddie looked different, then his points would be spot on. I don't think even Cyclops' most ardent fans would overlook that. But the fact remains she looked exactly like Jean Grey and she didn't have to. As a result, any story that tries to claim Scott actually loved Madelyne can never be taken at face value. When I see the final panel in this story, I could easily see someone mistaking her for Jean, absent any context. No matter how hard Claremont tries, Maddie will never replace Jean. And the more he tries, the worst he makes it.

If that weren't bad enough, this whole Maddie plot is his primary reason for favoring Jean and Logan. Never mind chemistry, compatibility, or personality. That's the sole basis of his reason for why they should be together and it has done way too much damage to both characters over the years.

Chris Claremont's legacy with X-men is beyond dispute. He helped make X-men what it is. But his petty grievances surrounding Madelyne are so egregious that I don't think he should ever write another major X-book.

[JamJams]

I've seen Claremont try to justify Maddie time and again, but he never addresses the key flaw that doomed her before any retcon.

No matter what Claremont says or what excuses he makes, Madelyn Pryor will never be the character he wants. She'll always be a Jean Grey place-holder and he has only himself to blame.

He didn't have to make Maddie look EXACTLY like Jean. He didn't have to make it so Scott encountered her just after Jean had died. But he did and, as a result, there's no way their relationship and their love can ever be feel genuine. The idea of Scott (or anyone, for that matter) marrying someone who looks just like his dead girlfriend will never come off as a serious love story. That's why this particular story felt so empty. When he's with Maddie, it's impossible to say he truly loves her. How can he say that with 100 percent conviction when she looks like his dead girlfriend? Does he love her or does he love that she reminds him of Jean? That can never be resolved.

The concept worked fine in Bram Stoker's Dracula so I don't see why it can't work in a comic book. Also this was a comic book story written in a time where characters didn't just come back to life and readers weren't so jaded by the fact that characters come back to life so frequently they automatically (and correctly) assume that any dead character will come back to life eventually.

As for this comic why were they writing Jean like Emma Frost? Her calling people dear is odd considering her interactions with Hope have been so limited. So her addressing her like that just came off as incredibly weird.

[Havok83]

Remember, adjust for Marvel Time. It's really more like a couple days before. MAYBE a week.

You being sarcastic?

[AHRNIHAL]

You being sarcastic?

What immediately comes in my mind that at the start of the second coming cyclops telling kurt "For years no mutants were born.................."

[pandafarmer]

You being sarcastic?

I'm sure yes, but recently Jordan commented on Twitter something interesting. Said that Giant Sized X-Men took place approximately 8 or 9 years ago in Marvel time. So perhaps that snark isn't too far off from the truth?

[Ambaryerno]

You being sarcastic?

I'm sure yes, but recently Jordan commented on Twitter something interesting. Said that Giant Sized X-Men took place approximately 8 or 9 years ago in Marvel time. So perhaps that snark isn't too far off from the truth?

Pretty much this. Sarcasm that's soberingly serious.