Cullen Bunn talks about what could've happened in Uncanny and Blue

[Snoop Dogg]

Blue was the **** until Paniccia let it be derailed in absurd ways for the Venom stuff and forced the end of the book to be rushed and depressing as his Editorial Cloud choked the goddamn life out of the cast. I think those last post-Venom issues are great and still can see Cullen sighing after scripting every page.

[MYCMTSC]

I think Bunn brought M Back.

Imo, Peter David ruined her in X-Factor and she wasn't likable there. But Bunn's Monet actually seemed like an adult continuation of the one from GenX. From what little I saw, Strain did well with her too,

I think PAD helped redeem Monet from Hama and the M-Twins fiasco. I didn't think she'd be a viable character anyone would want to use until XFI even if I thought her personality deviated a little too sharply from the Monet from Gen X.

However, I think PAD's biggest failing was being able to do much of anything compelling with M outside of her snark and banter, especially after the Paris arc very early on.

[Grey]

Well, on one hand making the 05 an exiles of sorts what have givennthe 05 an opportunity to pop up from time to time. That would have been awesome as I love teen jean. (They should also recruit Eva bell since she joined cyclops thensame time and she does time travel.

On the other hand, the ending with the 05 going back and the adults absorbing their memories was probably the cleanest outcome in terms of managing continuity. So I would be happy with either ending.

[NewMutant]

I liked Bunn's Magneto. His Uncanny felt really clustered, rushed, and interfered with. Blue was... not great. I wanted to give it a chance but I was VERY anti 05 in present. He even used Gen X and Emma and it still didn't click for me. The Exiles tidbit is interesting, and not surprising since his book basically was a bit of that. Its a fun continuation of a story I have no interest in.

[jalsrix]

X-Men Blue was boring as hell.

Which issues did he author Uncanny X-Men?

[Factor]

To be honest, the only one that sounds truly good would be Sabertooth's story. Maybe the new Brotherhood.
But the O5 as Exiles and more Jimmy and Fantomex? Hell no.

[Big Joe]

X-Men Blue was boring as hell.

Which issues did he author Uncanny X-Men?

He wrote that series with Magneto, Sabretooth, Psylocke, Archangel and M didn't he? It was actually pretty damned decent I thought.

[Frobisher]

Any signs that editorial have learned any lessons at all from this?

[akiresu_]

I really want to revisit Blue in trade, but there's so much baggage. I'd feel compelled to also collect the preceding Hopeless run, the Mojo crossover, the Venom crossover, the SECOND Venom crossover and Extermination (okay, I'm fine with this I quite liked Extermination for what it was). The Venom stuff is the real barrier for me. I just could not stand it. Which sucks bc I think Blue had some of the best single issues in recent memory (the first issue and the Gen X issue, but even Bunn's IvX tie-ins really show how well Bunn can utilise a small page count).

What's most unfortunate though is Bunn really came in as clean-up crew. He took so many messes and turned them around, not just by handwaving them away as often the tactic seems to be, but by actually weaving stories around them. Every good Emma or Havok story we get post-Blue is all bc of Bunn's groundwork and commitment to continuity. Of course, the "unfortunate" part of this is how his clean-up has been treated with so little respect. Characters like Sabretooth and Fantomex were taken so far away from the interesting things being done to them and that was a mercy compared to how characters like Archangel would be treated- regressed just so the same solution could be provided once over. He even momentarily freed us from the tyranny of Eye-Boy!

Bunn strikes me as such a "fan" writer in the best kind of way. In so far that you can tell he's really a fan of the form and the unique possibilities of superhero comic's long-form storytelling. Sadly it increasingly feels like there's no editorial room for someone with such passions and story ambitions.

Anyway, I loved Uncanny so much I bought the CW2 tie-in just to pretend that book had an extra arc. I own all of the Magneto trades. I'm sure I'll get around to grabbing Blue in trade eventually, it'll just feel weird reading it without the venom stuff. I long for a Bunn return, but if he ever does so, it should be on a low-key satellite title that can neatly avoid editorial influence whilst still skating to high numbers. Let me dream.

(alternatively, Bunn could pioneer my idea for a new release approach- sequentialised/seasonal minis. Minis seem to guarantee a full story and trade potential, making them seasonal can let creators functionally write ongoings only now they could plan out longer stories without fear of interference)

[CGAR]

I was really hoping he would talk more abot the Betsy focused OtherWorld arc. And who would be appearing in that.

[Dante Milton]

Every time I hear about Bunn's plans for his various X-Men books, it makes me thankful he is no longer writing them. None of the ideas in the OP sound good or interesting to me. His Monet was awful, wildly out of character and the in story reason for her behavior was super weak, and the romance with Rapetooth was gross. His Emma was terrible during the Secret Empire tie ins and just plain stupid during Mothervine (my boyfriend and countless mutants died from poisonous Inhuman T-mists so lets make the same thing but for mutants, sure). His Uncanny was already a Brotherhood book and it was boring. The O5 as exiles only works if they aren't from the past of the 616, and if they aren't then none of their story in the present of the 616 would have made any sense or mattered. No thank you.

[Rosebunse]

I like Bunn, I do. He tries and the characters he writes well, he writes real well.

But he always just sort of feels like the bride's maid and never the bride.

[Digifiend]

He wrote that series with Magneto, Sabretooth, Psylocke, Archangel and M didn't he? It was actually pretty damned decent I thought.

Yeah, ANAD Marvel, ending with IVX.

[CoCoBandz]

Any signs that editorial have learned any lessons at all from this?

Age of X-Man is a thing so nope.

[Weather]

Age of X-Man is a thing so nope.

Age of X-man is a sign of fresh air and very good so far...