What kind of X-Men reader are you?

[Devaishwarya]

Are you the type who needs it to be immersed and connected to the rest of the Marvel universe?
No...with the exception of DD, I don't currently read outside the XU. However, I do like when there is some acknowledgement that it is a shared Universe as with BP and F4. (I have absolutely sworn off of inter-office Crossover events, for decades...waste of time and money).

Is continuity a deal-breaker for you?
Continuity and/or Lack there-of is a non-issue. I've always been a here-in the-now reader. I like and appreciate when situations and characters change and develop beyond their points of origin. I do have my favourite "eras" but I expect my books to change with the times, not here for the nostalgia, that's what my back-issues are for.

Perhaps you're more of an emotional reader, here for the experience? Or are you strictly character based?
Both. I love certain characters and I like the X-Men as a whole very much...always have. But...I never get too emotionally invested in the story/characters in front of me as I fully understand they are subjected to the whims and fancies of the writers and artists. Either I like/love it or I don't...there is very little room for middling.

Does anything impact how you read?
I will always be interested in a book if I think the art/artist is excellent. I will probably continue to read even if the writer isn't that skilled but I will never pick up a book if the writer or artist is one whom I detest, even if it stars my favourite characters.

Your own experiences or situations, perhaps? ...Never. I separate my real life from my creative escapism. I don't need the product to be relatable in any way, shape or form. I just need it to be entertaining, literarily and visually.

Or, say, other fans' opinions or reactions? ...Never. I depend entirely on my own judgement and interests...it's my interest, my time, my money...no one else gets a say. I may consider someone else's pov but at the end of the day, it has very little direct, personal value.

[Astroman]

Your own experiences or situations, perhaps? ...Never. I separate my real life from my creative escapism. I don't need the product to be relatable in any way, shape or form.

Or, say, other fans' opinions or reactions? ...Never. I depend entirely on my own judgement and interests...it's my interest, my time, my money...no one else gets a say. I may consider someone else's pov but at the end of the day, it has very little direct, personal value.

Both of those approaches definitely apply to me as well.

[Vishop_]

So what would you say makes a 'quality' comic, for you? What are your standards? And, what you consider 'fanboyism', if I might ask? Do you mean, like, you don't just support things for the sake of it, or...?

I think fans should not ignore what Hickman is been doing since House of X and Powers of X and I mean those various worldbuliding concepts that he had introduced during FF/Avengers or X-Men. The same thing I can also say about Rick Remender but it's doesn't mean my favorites have to be on those books.

[Devaishwarya]

Both of those approaches definitely apply to me as well.

Reading your initial post...we are quite in sympatico with our approaches to comics.

[Astroman]

Reading your initial post...we are quite in sympatico with our approaches to comics.

I'll bring my stack of this week's comics down to the Krakoan shoreside and we can swap funny books while sipping on some Krakoan tea.

[Hybrid]

I read all of Marvel from X-Men, to Spider-Man and General MU. I’m far from exclusive to any branch.

[Silver Fang]

Ok, see, I feel this on a spiritual level. What do you find frustrates you most in this regard? Is it how the characters are handled, the situations they're in, the world...?

Usually handling. Every fav. character I have starts off great and turns into a joke later on. Then the case of pairings. All pairings I like for my favs. either don't take off, don't last long, or don't get as much focus. Then that pairing gets scrapped and they end up taking off in toxic or annoying relationships with characters I hate.

Usually I am pissed & vent, then after a while I drop said character & move to another fandom. Usually that character will fall of hard times (for me), so out I go and to something else.

X-Fandom wise, I really only had 3 favorites. Two of them (Sabretooth + Deadpool) them have turned into complete jokes with no reminiscence of the character I used to like (Jobbertooth + Deadfool), so I jumped ship on them. Deadpool went first -lost interest in him a while ago, and at this point even if the one I love comes back, I still won't care much because it's been too long, and now I simply don't / can't care anymore. I held on a tad longer with Creed, but Rosenberg & Hickman finally opened my eyes to being on a sinking ship that wasn't gonna be rescued. So had to jump & swim to shore.

Down to just one fav. now- Monet. And as little as she's around, it's not enough to keep up with the X-verse too closely. So I just pop in & out of the forum sporadically now.

[pandafarmer]

I'll bring my stack of this week's comics down to the Krakoan shoreside and we can swap funny books while sipping on some Krakoan tea.

Just DON'T hog the coffee!

Are you the type who needs it to be immersed and connected to the rest of the Marvel universe? Nope, born and raised mutant lover. If there is a crossover or big event that requires some dipping, I dip... but unless a favorite character has a large role in a non-X title I don't read it.

Is continuity a deal-breaker for you? ehhhhhh… I like things to matter. I get a little frustrated when you read older books and have a team out in space while suddenly a member of said team is having a conversation with Beast in the lab. But if it's not hurting anyone, I guess it's not a deal-breaker.

Perhaps you're more of an emotional reader, here for the experience? Or are you strictly character based? I adore the New Mutants. I care a lot about all of them and Kitty. So I read anything that those characters touch in, but in the end good writing and art is just as important to me and I'll drop I book if I don't like it even if it has a favorite.

Does anything impact how you read? Nope. Unless a book is wildly popular that might have not been on my radar then I read it. But honestly I know what I like and stick to those types of titles that drive the storylines I want to read more about.

[Devaishwarya]

I'll bring my stack of this week's comics down to the Krakoan shoreside and we can swap funny books while sipping on some Krakoan tea.

Most certainly!

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Among my creative outlets, I'm an oral storyteller, writer, and amateur voice actor who at one time worked in commercial film and video (back in the 90s). Being part of the creative process is something that helped me divorce myself emotionally from the artistic choices of others. Also, being creative myself fills the void of times when there is a lack of interesting fiction and even trumps the times when I feel there is a surplus of cool fiction.

Specifically with the superheroes of Marvel and DC, those characters being owned properties of major corporations also helped me make the choice to distance myself emotionally. I'll be damned if I'll let a mega-corp benefit from my emotional attachment to characters that ultimately serve them and their profits.

If they provide a product I wish to purchase, I will do so. But I'll definitely not continue to give someone money, or even my emotional energy, for creating something I don't like or even would actively hate.

For "High Concept" stuff, it's on a case-by-case basis. I'm finding something about Hickman's current approach fascinating and I'm loving it. It's not completely new and even the "high concept" could be argued to be old and stale but something in his particular 'recipe' is making me come back for more. When that changes, I'll drop off and read something else.

I personally love information design theory so I'm finding the Data Pages to be interesting uses of that and love exploring what the various authors chose to include on panel and in the data pages... even when I would have chosen a different approach and think that it will be fascinating to see where the artform is (with regard to things like Data Pages) in 5 or 10 years from now.

Sure, I can 'expect' characters to act a certain way but it doesn't bother me if it changes somewhat or even a lot between different authors' arcs. For example, I understand why people might consider Cyclops acting out of character currently and would mostly agree. For me, I'm more interested in how the creative teams are going to use his character to make their plot and thematic points.

I guess, at the end of the day, I don't approach these characters as living breathing people, but as elements of a narrative, ultimately owned by the Mouse.

I see, that's so fascinating! Because as a creative myself working to get into the business, I find that being part of the process draws me in closer to it? It further fuels my passion and gives me a great appreciation for the medium. But it is really interesting to hear how that's influenced you: so you'd say you don't really empathise with the characters as people? They're...part of a product, for you? Do you still feel concern for characters in the same manner, or hold the same level of investment because of it?

So what fascinates you about this approach? And what would it take for it to change, for you, do you think?


Additionally, here's a question: Do you find you engage differently with the data pages than you do with the on panel stuff? How do they enrich the story for you beyond just being extra information or goodies? What is is about them?

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Just DON'T hog the coffee!

Are you the type who needs it to be immersed and connected to the rest of the Marvel universe? Nope, born and raised mutant lover. If there is a crossover or big event that requires some dipping, I dip... but unless a favorite character has a large role in a non-X title I don't read it.

Is continuity a deal-breaker for you? ehhhhhh… I like things to matter. I get a little frustrated when you read older books and have a team out in space while suddenly a member of said team is having a conversation with Beast in the lab. But if it's not hurting anyone, I guess it's not a deal-breaker.

Perhaps you're more of an emotional reader, here for the experience? Or are you strictly character based? I adore the New Mutants. I care a lot about all of them and Kitty. So I read anything that those characters touch in, but in the end good writing and art is just as important to me and I'll drop I book if I don't like it even if it has a favorite.

Does anything impact how you read? Nope. Unless a book is wildly popular that might have not been on my radar then I read it. But honestly I know what I like and stick to those types of titles that drive the storylines I want to read more about.

So can I ask, what is it about New Mutants that draws you towards them? And, I'm especially intrigued at the idea of you just being able to drop a book; that's purely on how it's executed? Have you ever found that you can't stand how a character is at any time? Be it their execution or where there story seems to head, or...?

And you wouldn't say you're particularly swayed by reactions on her or, say, interviews or creator views or the like?

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Usually handling. Every fav. character I have starts off great and turns into a joke later on. Then the case of pairings. All pairings I like for my favs. either don't take off, don't last long, or don't get as much focus. Then that pairing gets scrapped and they end up taking off in toxic or annoying relationships with characters I hate.

Usually I am pissed & vent, then after a while I drop said character & move to another fandom. Usually that character will fall of hard times (for me), so out I go and to something else.

X-Fandom wise, I really only had 3 favorites. Two of them (Sabretooth + Deadpool) them have turned into complete jokes with no reminiscence of the character I used to like (Jobbertooth + Deadfool), so I jumped ship on them. Deadpool went first -lost interest in him a while ago, and at this point even if the one I love comes back, I still won't care much because it's been too long, and now I simply don't / can't care anymore. I held on a tad longer with Creed, but Rosenberg & Hickman finally opened my eyes to being on a sinking ship that wasn't gonna be rescued. So had to jump & swim to shore.

Down to just one fav. now- Monet. And as little as she's around, it's not enough to keep up with the X-verse too closely. So I just pop in & out of the forum sporadically now.

--Are...are you me?? That's my life story right there!!

But, see, that's just as fascinating: Do you find you mourn for those characters when you have to drop them? Do you feel betrayed at all...how do you move on to another character/fandom because, ya know...it's not them. They can't just be substituted? And what does it take for you to drop that character?

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

I think fans should not ignore what Hickman is been doing since House of X and Powers of X and I mean those various worldbuliding concepts that he had introduced during FF/Avengers or X-Men. The same thing I can also say about Rick Remender but it's doesn't mean my favorites have to be on those books.

Ok, that's a fair point! How do you feel that people are ignoring those elements? And why is it important not to ignore them?

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Character and Continuity are to me the most important factors.

Character drives story, as everything is dependent on the character's choices. If a writer has to force characters to behave OUT of character in order to make the plot work, then he has fundamentally failed as a writer. Continuity is important because it establishes consistent characterization, and defines the character's history.

Ah, yep, see; that's exactly how I feel.

But that in mind: how would you differentiate between a character acting out of character and the plot demanding as such? Do you have a certain expectation for a character to conduct themselves in a situation? Or a process they might follow? Would you say any of that applied to the current approach going on, or...?

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

I jumped back in with HoX/PoX and haven't let up, I'm loving it. While I definitely see the qualities I love what has been really interesting to me is how Hickman and company have shook things up so much. I haven't enjoyed a run this much since Morrison was on the book. So yeah, I'm loving it.

Ok, cool: can I ask what you find so exciting about it? How do you feel it's shaken things up; has it contradicted anything at all for you, or if not, how do you feel the concept has been 'evolved'? Do you see this as a hopeful approach or as the X-Men finally 'giving up' in a sense to follow something more along the lines of Magneto?