Why haven't any of the Black Male X-men caught on other than Bishop?

[Snoop Dogg]

Standard comic prices should've already jumped to $5, but like video games, they've kinda just stopped. Unlike video games, there aren't greasy alternative methods to covertly raise prices anyway.

What they shouldn't do with pricing, which for some reason only the X-Office is doing, is starting their runs with these mega Chungus-sized $8 issues like Uncanny #1 and Uncanny #11. That's just restricting retailers and asking them to take a plunge while making it more difficult for them to do the universally beneficial task of getting more metaphorical asses in the metaphorical seats. But nah bro, we needed them pages about Sugar Man and Dark Beast, bro. Cyclops, Wolverine, and Blindfold all need 20 pages each.

[Sundown]

Good question. In what category do we put Rob Liefeld's forthecoming Major X title? Guaranteed sale or maybe sale?

If they use Deadpool heavily, probably has a strong chance I guess. But that's not based on the character, it's based on Deadpool being there to help push it.

[skyvolt2000]

I have no clue why they keep publishing Iceman, tbh. I've read someone saying that it does well digitally -- I expect that can also be said for other series that have been cancelled, though, so I don't know why that book would be the exception.

Because a real company looks at sales from every venue not the bias comic book store.

A lot of books do BETTER outside of comic book stores. Especially books of POC, LGBTQ, women and some others.

Iceman is a top 200 seller for Amazon Kindle among LGBT lead books.
Black Panther WOW is JUST NOW below 400 for Marvel trades and 900 for all super heroes. Before that it was top 150 (even BEFORE the movie).

As for cartoons-as DC has shown us-it does not matter WHO you have in those cartoons if they are MIA in comics.

Take Young Justice (season 1-2)-how do you have a show where the majority of your cast is MIA in comics?
You know how many times Static was active in both comics & tv? TWICE. The last two issues of the New 52 run came out when new episodes aired.
Vixen is on 2 tv shows-where is SHE in comics?

Even if they do appear-what good is well written John Stewart or Cyborg or Storm on a show or movie and they are CRAP in comics?

Cyborg has been on more shows and is still a JOKE in Justice League comics.

[Star_Jammer]

One has to consider all the forms of entertainment that comics has to compete with nowadays, as well.

[CRaymond]

Some superheroes work better in forms other than comics.

An X-Force RPG where you cycle through Sunspot, Bedlam, Link, and Manifold powersets to defeat Sentinels, Brood, and the MLF might be cool.

[sungila]

Public Enemy and late 80's early 90's Hip Hop

[Rumble]

Wow, this is a great topic with a **** ton of deep insight! Thanks you guys (and gals)

From an outsiders perspective:

I look at someone like Hawkeye who isn't close to the most powerful, popular, or useful Avenger.. however writers/editorial will still keep him on the team with the popular characters (so he doesn't have to worry about sales/cancellation), will make him do cool stuff despite having an impractical weapon, and will make him this lowkey sex symbol guy whose slept with everyone from Black Widow, to Wasp, Mockingbird, Spider-Woman etc. In other words, even with the big 3 white guys, the throwaway 4th white guy sitll gets a lot of love in the fantasy wish-fulfillment department as well.

Then I look at some of the black male x-men (granted i really don't recognize most of the names the OP provided), and it just doesn't seem like the same multi-layered effort is put in. Wolverine and Cyclops may run the show, but you're still gonna have Gambit and Warren and Bobby and Colossus, and Havock, etc who are either uber powerful or uber attractive or just uber important with cool costumes, transformations, relationships, high profile love interests, etc.

I think that's squarely on the writers/editorial. Lack of effort in wanting to pick those characters to fill out the roster (in the hawkeye roles), lack of effort in cultivating those characters when they are on the roster, and lack of carry-over once writers change. Also lack of character protection, like what happened with Bishop during the Hope/Cable stuff.

[CRaymond]

I really think there's something to be said about important character introduction elements like 1. iconic costume and 2. adulthood. X-Men overwhelmingly introduce new characters as children in "team uniforms". These students are neither cool for their lack of control and confidence, nor distinctive enough amongst the increasingly vast cast of characters.

[Rumble]

I really think there's something to be said about important character introduction elements like 1. iconic costume and 2. adulthood. X-Men overwhelmingly introduce new characters as children in "team uniforms". These students are neither cool for their lack of control and confidence, nor distinctive enough amongst the increasingly vast cast of characters.

I was reading x-men during the morrison new x-men / claremont x-treme x-men days and i do remember what seemed like an abundance of new children in the morrison book; tho it's been a while and outside of the cuckoos (if they're still around?) and maybe the kid in west coast avengers (???) it's hard to remember the others. I do agree that character introduction is very important.

I was really impressed with that x-treme x-men story (remender?) that had psylocke, wolverine, warren, deadpool, deathstroke, and the french buddy who i'd never heard of, but as my first introduction to him I was engaged with him and the role he had to play with the psylocke love triangle and everything else plot-wise. Not sure what's happened to him since, but i felt that was a good introduction for me to a character i'd never heard/knew of.

[Triniking1234]

Remender was Uncanny X-Force. The french guy (FantomeX) was a Morrison era character too.

[JudicatorPrime]

So I just watched the first episode of Deadly Class. Granted, this is not a Marvel production or telling, but hear me out. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Deadly Class is like a school of mutants, only for assassins. Murderers, misanthropes, miscreants and psychopaths of all manner attend this school. I'm with it, cool concept so far. But then we get to the one token African American, Willie Lewis. He's obviously there to represent the urban criminal element. So why is it that he is the only pacifist in a den full of killers? How popular do you think that character is going to be? My best guess: not very.

That, in a nutshell, is the problem with African American male characters in most entertainment platforms. They are written to give the appearance of inclusivity, yet often shunted to subordinate roles. After just one episode, it's a safe bet that Willie won't become the next Master Lin, even though it would be awesome to have a pacifist teaching others when and how to deal death to those who deserve it. As it stands, Willie is just the poster boy for irony. He's incapable of dealing the very violence that has been visited upon him and those who look like him in one form or another since coming to this country. I only hope that his mother is a badass.

[dkrook]

So I just watched the first episode of Deadly Class. Granted, this is not a Marvel production or telling, but hear me out. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Deadly Class is like a school of mutants, only for assassins. Murderers, misanthropes, miscreants and psychopaths of all manner attend this school. I'm with it, cool concept so far. But then we get to the one token African American, Willie Lewis. He's obviously there to represent the urban criminal element. So why is it that he is the only pacifist in a den full of killers? How popular do you think that character is going to be? My best guess: not very.

That, in a nutshell, is the problem with African American male characters in most entertainment platforms. They are written to give the appearance of inclusivity, yet often shunted to subordinate roles. After just one episode, it's a safe bet that Willie won't become the next Master Lin, even though it would be awesome to have a pacifist teaching others when and how to deal death to those who deserve it. As it stands, Willie is just the poster boy for irony. He's incapable of dealing the very violence that has been visited upon him and those who look like him in one form or another since coming to this country. I only hope that his mother is a badass.

I could not have summed it up better. Its racist if we infer that white writers can't do strong, alpha black Male characters but left to their own devices THIS is the crap we are given in comics, TV series and most times movies ...lookin' at you again movie Darwin that couldn't adapt to one little energy ball and went out like a hoe!

[Rumble]

Remender was Uncanny X-Force. The french guy (FantomeX) was a Morrison era character too.

I'm all jumbled up with my xmen history/nomenclature, thanks.

I don't remember fantomex at all from morrison, unless he was towards the end which was when i tailored off. I remember the kids, and xorn, and later hearing that the book made an okie doke with who xorn was and a couple other reveals that ticked ppl off. /digress

[Havok83]

I'm all jumbled up with my xmen history/nomenclature, thanks.

I don't remember fantomex at all from morrison, unless he was towards the end which was when i tailored off. I remember the kids, and xorn, and later hearing that the book made an okie doke with who xorn was and a couple other reveals that ticked ppl off. /digress

He appeared before the midpoint of that run with #128 and would later return in Assault on Weapon Plus

[DragonsChi]

So I just watched the first episode of Deadly Class. Granted, this is not a Marvel production or telling, but hear me out. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Deadly Class is like a school of mutants, only for assassins. Murderers, misanthropes, miscreants and psychopaths of all manner attend this school. I'm with it, cool concept so far. But then we get to the one token African American, Willie Lewis. He's obviously there to represent the urban criminal element. So why is it that he is the only pacifist in a den full of killers? How popular do you think that character is going to be? My best guess: not very.

That, in a nutshell, is the problem with African American male characters in most entertainment platforms. They are written to give the appearance of inclusivity, yet often shunted to subordinate roles. After just one episode, it's a safe bet that Willie won't become the next Master Lin, even though it would be awesome to have a pacifist teaching others when and how to deal death to those who deserve it. As it stands, Willie is just the poster boy for irony. He's incapable of dealing the very violence that has been visited upon him and those who look like him in one form or another since coming to this country. I only hope that his mother is a badass.

You just described the Beta Male Trope given to Black Men. Along with some Gordon Good Brother thrown in.