X-men #4 Preview

[JB]

this was a great issue but would apocalypse really wear a suit and tie for this? that part's really hard to believe.

He's all about the fittest, including his tailoring.

[Michael Watkins]

Much appreciated friend, and all the very best to you and yours. Krakoa, forever!



Agreed. He wanted to be sure they saw his eyes when he said what he said.

i just assumed that he used telepathy to make everyone see his smiling face instead of some kind of Sinister zombie.

[phoenixzero23]

This issue was orgasmic.

Yes, I need more mutants on suits
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[Tunasammiches]

okay, so I'm totally new to Gorgon. who is he what's his deal and which storylines have I missed because I have no idea who this guy is...

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Reading your posts it feels like your argument against data pages is just that you do not like them. They're messing around with this new concept to convey information which most of the time is extra info that would have taken a lot of page space (we didn't need to have 10 page of Xavier explaining how Resurrections work, with data pages it looked succinct and it avoided unnecessary expository dialogue which is a bore most of the time and it also sounds a bit dumb sometimes to have characters explain stuff to each other). Plus it's nice experimentation for the media which doesn't necessarily need to explain everything through pictures but can also play around with design and crossing with other medias (the graphic design aspect of it all is also very interesting imo).

If it were simply information, then that would be fine; but it's turning out that important plot points are being relegated to and treated as such. A human changing his views on mutant kind shouldn't be considered 'extra info'--it's directly relevant to the plot at hand and even the world-building that Hickman loves so much. It's important and especially relevant to see how the world outside is impacted on panel as this is a pretty major development in terms of plot.

Now if it were just medical notes of patients who've received said drugs then, yes, I agree we don't need to see that on panel. That's extra information. Even Magneto mentioning about the continued dosage could have been relegated to a data page!

A journal page is literally the most personal thing ever and it's just hinting at a future plot that we're going to see on page
It's such a nice touch that from issue 1 he slowly started changing his views and it's a narrative choice to build this thing up with every issue instead of giving it 5 pages each issue (we'd be complaining that it was taking too much space in that case). It's not crucial, it's a nice touch and it's not like Duggan wrote it in its blog, it's still a part of the comic (and it's subjective if you enjoy reading it or not).

And if they were all journal pages then, yes, I'd agree; but that's not truly the case. They're summarised events, direct reactions and interactions from/between characters at times.

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

They are text box in comics that tell you things that happened and not show, Pretty pictures that have nothing to with those words being said. It happens quite a lot in comics. Not every text box is that but they are plenty case where writers you large speech bubbles or text box to exposition away instead of show you the thing.

I am not trying to convince anyone to like them that a personal choice thing and that is fine. What I am fine with is them not pretending that the page is part of story by sticking art on page and do the exact same thing as a data page. I am fine with two extra text pages because Marvel books are 20 pages of art that is their standard. I am fine with these page being exposition and free up the book to focus on story. I am fine with these pages even having some story beats on them because the nature of genre means that some get left on cutting room floor.

Data page tool that free up the X-men comics to dump explanations for things that could clutter up a story. And they are extra pages and as I mentioned the writer has to a script out a page,the artist to draw the page, The inker has to ink the page, The colorist and to color the page, Someone has to letter the page, An editor has review the page etc. Like I said DC gives you 22 pages so you can make an argument for hey these could be real pages. But in terms creation of content these pages are way cheaper and quicker to do and in terms of Marvel they are extra. In world with 22 pages I would be fine with 2 extra pages that expand the story, explain concepts or free the story from having to explain concepts.

The one thing I am not going to do is pretend, We don't get pages as "useless" as this these ones, Art on them doesn't make any better for purpose you guys are talking about and you wouldn't even complain about them simple because have art. We are comic fans you don't complain about big ridiculous splash page used to take up space to reach a number count, We generally don't complain about speech bubble heavy pages or text box heavy aka data pages that are around to explain thing instead of show them in story. You can dislike the data page that fine personal taste, I just think it more streamline and better than what normal happens and in this case it is two "extra" pages.

And yet, as I've said, it isn't just exposition that's being relegated here. If anything, most of the exposition is coming from the dialogue while actual plot-relevant developments/reactions are being shoved off there. A prejudiced human has a change of heart and has been directly impacted by Krakoan influence vs Magneto mentioning the drug dosage. How is the latter more deserving of panel time than the former, when the former is no doubt more plot-relevant and in need of being explored and expanded upon?

Again, text boxes are not data pages: they are part of a quieter narration, not just 'extra information' and work in tandem with the artwork which, as such, plays out a complete story. The data pages are and should just be that; data pages. At least if there's artwork there then we'd have things such as:

Atmosphere,

Emotion,

Narrative tension,

to name a few. The impersonal nature of these pages prevent that. They are clinical, impersonal and interrupt the overall story that splash-pages and text-boxes are far more efficient at communicating.

[BroHomo]

And yet, as I've said, it isn't just exposition that's being relegated here. If anything, most of the exposition is coming from the dialogue while actual plot-relevant developments/reactions are being shoved off there. A prejudiced human has a change of heart and has been directly impacted by Krakoan influence vs Magneto mentioning the drug dosage. How is the latter more deserving of panel time than the former, when the former is no doubt more plot-relevant and in need of being explored and expanded upon?

Again, text boxes are not data pages: they are part of a quieter narration, not just 'extra information' and work in tandem with the artwork which, as such, plays out a complete story. The data pages are and should just be that; data pages. At least if there's artwork there then we'd have things such as:

Atmosphere,

Emotion,

Narrative tension,

to name a few. The impersonal nature of these pages prevent that. They are clinical, impersonal and interrupt the overall story that splash-pages and text-boxes are far more efficient at communicating.

No one wants to see an old bigot enjoy the recovery of another old bigot.

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

No one wants to see an old bigot enjoy the recovery of another old bigot.

Way to oversimplify and miss the point there. Good for you.

[loke13]

]And yet, as I've said, it isn't just exposition that's being relegated here. If anything, most of the exposition is coming from the dialogue while actual plot-relevant developments/reactions are being shoved off there. A prejudiced human has a change of heart and has been directly impacted by Krakoan influence vs Magneto mentioning the drug dosage. How is the latter more deserving of panel time than the former, when the former is no doubt more plot-relevant and in need of being explored and expanded upon? [/B]

Again, text boxes are not data pages: they are part of a quieter narration, not just 'extra information' and work in tandem with the artwork which, as such, plays out a complete story. The data pages are and should just be that; data pages. At least if there's artwork there then we'd have things such as:

Atmosphere,

Emotion,

Narrative tension,

to name a few. The impersonal nature of these pages prevent that. They are clinical, impersonal and interrupt the overall story that splash-pages and text-boxes are far more efficient at communicating.

Let's not leave out the part about the how that plot development was in the background cooking for the past five issues in the data pages. That's five issues worth of illustrations your asking for compared to Magneto's one page expository writing. With the narrative device of the data Pages they allowed this unknown character who had been a staunch critic of Krakoa to actually start questioning his previous convictions there's something as simple as slight change in diction. I'd say those journal entries in Marauders is probably one of the best uses of the data pages as a complimentary narrative device.

[Vegan Daddy]

I’m a little disappointed Scott didn’t show up to the meeting looking like this.

[Basilisk]

Only disappointment was when Scott needed assistance taking out his squad of guards. If he is suppose to be the Captain Commander then I think he should have been able to incapacitate the soldiers himself and not need Magneto's assistance. After all Gorgon had no such problem and all he used was a sword somehow managing to defeat them all and not get a drop of blood on his suit.

[Killerbee911]

Again, text boxes are not data pages: they are part of a quieter narration, not just 'extra information' and work in tandem with the artwork which, as such, plays out a complete story. The data pages are and should just be that; data pages. At least if there's artwork there then we'd have things such as:

Atmosphere,

Emotion,

Narrative tension,

to name a few. The impersonal nature of these pages prevent that. They are clinical, impersonal and interrupt the overall story that splash-pages and text-boxes are far more efficient at communicating.

Once again some text box ARE the equivalent of data pages. The only difference is meaningless art with nothing do to greater story vs some type of illustration to reenforce the data page content. This is not a wrong or right thing topic both things are true. But thing people are complaining about the dumping information without really showing what is happening just telling you happens in comics books. You think all art gives some deeper connection some times does BUT sometimes doesn't. I am going just move on this, it is okay if people don't like the data pages. But I have read far to much comics to let be said these page are inherently bad without challenging that opinion when I see page crammed with exposition speech with people talking unnaturally just to give information or text box use to tell of chunk of the story. Data page are much better than those things I just mention.

I like the writers have a tool that they can dump information exposition,longer story narration and story set up and let stories to be told cleanly without having to force those thing in it unnatural way. And the more time they have to play around with it the better it will become for them. I understand why people don't like the data pages but I feel differently and since they are technically extra pages it makes it easier to deal with. The only problem with Data pages imo are they force thing right now and imo they are best thing when a writer can use as much OR as few need in a book.

[HeartofTheStoriesWeTell]

Only disappointment was when Scott needed assistance taking out his squad of guards. If he is suppose to be the Captain Commander then I think he should have been able to incapacitate the soldiers himself and not need Magneto's assistance. After all Gorgon had no such problem and all he used was a sword somehow managing to defeat them all and not get a drop of blood on his suit.

I thought that was a cool use of his resources however i understand what you mean.

[jpmst17]

Loved the issue. The Cyclops and Gorgon stuff was great, and I loved Magneto sticking it to the other countries. It's about time the mutants fight back

[loke13]

Only disappointment was when Scott needed assistance taking out his squad of guards. If he is suppose to be the Captain Commander then I think he should have been able to incapacitate the soldiers himself and not need Magneto's assistance. After all Gorgon had no such problem and all he used was a sword somehow managing to defeat them all and not get a drop of blood on his suit.

Eh I like the team work between Mag, Xavier, and Scott is the perfect Showcase of mutants using their powers in unison overcome threats. That being said Cyclops still took down almost every soldier their and he isn't some super sword wielding maniac. So that's a plus.