Jean-Paul Beaubier: Northstar Appreciation 2020

[From The Shadows]

Northstar from the Kia Asamiya years, except I don't remember this design in the actual comics at the time. It may have been one of a couple and they settled on what was in the comic. I don't remember. I know this may bring up bad memories because it was also the chuck Austen years but...



Reminiscing.

[SJNeal]

^ ^ ^

I really liked that uniform, minus the cowl. I wanna see his luscious silver locks! I'm guessing they were going for an Olympian/speed skater look.

For all the sins committed by Austen on his Uncanny X-Men run, his Northstar wasn't one of them (imho). He actually seemed to respect the character and gave him a healthy amount of screen time.

[From The Shadows]

^ ^ ^

I really liked that uniform, minus the cowl. I wanna see his luscious silver locks! I'm guessing they were going for an Olympian/speed skater look.

For all the sins committed by Austen on his Uncanny X-Men run, his Northstar wasn't one of them (imho). He actually seemed to respect the character and gave him a healthy amount of screen time.

I can't deny that really, he is probably the only character of that era that doesn't want to make you crawl into a hole.

[Thirteen]

Northstar's look during the Austen/Asimaya era (cripes!) benefitted both from being pared down a bit and under the pencils of Sean Phillips for its debut. Phillips made a lot of troublesome visuals work in his issues and is really an unsung hero of that period of X-lore.




In reviewing the issues back then, I was reminded that Austen wrote Jean-Paul has being in love with Iceman but "he's straight" so he never pursued him. Was that ever followed up post-coming out of the Bobby Drakes?

[Dermie]

In reviewing the issues back then, I was reminded that Austen wrote Jean-Paul has being in love with Iceman but "he's straight" so he never pursued him. Was that ever followed up post-coming out of the Bobby Drakes?

It was touched on in the ICEMAN solo book, with Northstar saying that he thinks part of him knew but lied to himself about it because he didn't want to project. It was also mentioned that Jean-Paul and Kyle had a talk about it after Bobby came out, to resolve any fears Kyle might have that JP is still carrying a crush on Bobby.

[Exodus]

I really wished they would put Northstar more central in the books. He's X-Men's original queer! (besides Kitty Pryde of course)

His new costume is just perfection!

tumblr_4570ab6d4f7767899d301ddff5074051_b93ee5df_1280.jpg

[Thirteen]

One last look at the Kia Asimaya look on Jean-Paul


Whatever became of the Twins origins?
Human dad/Faerie mom? Garden variety mutants that happened to mimic the appearance of fairy folk?
We’re they re-confirmed as mutants?

[From The Shadows]

Northstar's look during the Austen/Asimaya era (cripes!) benefitted both from being pared down a bit and under the pencils of Sean Phillips for its debut. Phillips made a lot of troublesome visuals work in his issues and is really an unsung hero of that period of X-lore.




In reviewing the issues back then, I was reminded that Austen wrote Jean-Paul has being in love with Iceman but "he's straight" so he never pursued him. Was that ever followed up post-coming out of the Bobby Drakes?

I never remembered Northstar and Iceman interacting at all because he was an 05 member. And he never seemed like his type. But whatever this is still a rather good moment for both.

[Fokken]

Back in the day of Austen, I fancied Bobby to be the handsome idiot clown that was the only person Jean Paul would soften for. Like, JP had that Emma Frost energy you know, and most people didn't like them, but I very much enjoyed the idea that for some reason JP found this unambitious "hey look at me!" guy attractive. Ah well. That time is long passed.

[Anduinel]

For all the sins committed by Austen on his Uncanny X-Men run, his Northstar wasn't one of them (imho). He actually seemed to respect the character and gave him a healthy amount of screen time.

Mixed bag, though I agree that Jean-Paul got off very easy compared to the number Austen did on Nightcrawler, Angel, Husk, Havok, or Polaris. Unlike 90% of the writers who got their hands on the character, Austen never jobbed Northstar when it came to his powers. His intro to the team was idiotic, but not noticeably more than other Austen stories of the time (and less than others eg: The Draco), and the characterization wasn't terrible. I really didn't care for the Iceman stuff because the "Northstar pines for a straight guy" bit had already been done in Alpha Flight, and because Austen, whatever his intentions, had Bobby coming across as a no-homo jackass, and Northstar deserved better than that. But obvs. those bits read differently these days. Did not care for more of Northstar crying in the middle of fights, being the bff to the stand-in for Austen's wife, being relegated to Lorna's hen party, or for Austen obviously not having bothered to read Northstar's origin just to make him another character with an abusive dad, or his being unable to resist reminding the reader every five pages that Northstar was gay. Like, thanks, we know, appreciate it, do you have anything else to say about this character at all?

So, could have been better in a lot of ways, but also could have been so much worse.

In reviewing the issues back then, I was reminded that Austen wrote Jean-Paul has being in love with Iceman but "he's straight" so he never pursued him. Was that ever followed up post-coming out of the Bobby Drakes?

It was touched on in the ICEMAN solo book, with Northstar saying that he thinks part of him knew but lied to himself about it because he didn't want to project. It was also mentioned that Jean-Paul and Kyle had a talk about it after Bobby came out, to resolve any fears Kyle might have that JP is still carrying a crush on Bobby.

Also, in The X-Tremists, Northstar mentions that he had brief crush on Iceman, but was over it before he met Kyle.

Whatever became of the Twins origins?
Human dad/Faerie mom? Garden variety mutants that happened to mimic the appearance of fairy folk?
We’re they re-confirmed as mutants?

Yeah, that got waved away around issue #80 as Loki being a lying liar who lies. The twins were always mutants.