The Hellfire Gala

[rcaguy]

So the Guide includes Banshee, Polaris, Cannonball and Sunspot, but not Armor, Tempo, Strong Guy, Forge, Callisto and Boom Boom, despite the fan vote result comics showing that they have individual outfits too?

I guess they were left out because they have no role to play in the gala issues (or their outfits aren't weird enough) and Forge, Armor and Callisto aren't official part of main teams in their respective books, just regular supporting characters.

Boom Boom is passed out drunk somewhere......

[Raz]

I mean the Beast designed this for his bestie and has spent half his own adult life wearing nothing but trunks and hawaiian shirts, but sure he's too grown up for a costume party (and X-Force are all dressed like waiters anyway if the look book is anything to go by so it's not even like Hank's a particularly good example of someone wildin out anyway) wonderman-costume02.jpg

[Rev9]

I saw the costume of Exodus and it hurt me that oversize his boots to that level,does he have feet like the Hulk? Compare the boot of Sinister next to him ,and you see how huge the boot is.Like I know he already has the Cape and ornate epaulettes but the boots are just a sorry sight made worse by showing the trousers being tucked into them.Like couldn't they have made a classier design? Sad

[Gray Lensman]

I saw the costume of Exodus and it hurt me that oversize his boots to that level,does he have feet like the Hulk? Compare the boot of Sinister next to him ,and you see how huge the boot is.Like I know he already has the Cape and ornate epaulettes but the boots are just a sorry sight made worse by showing the trousers being tucked into them.Like couldn't they have made a classier design? Sad

Like any real red carpet gala, there are going to be some serious WTF outfits. Not having any would break suspension of disbelief.

But then, with those WTF and excellent costumes, there are going to be people critiquing them as well, with the most memorable being the most savage.

[Killerbee911]

I just don’t get why this one single event is causing so much anguish with “old school” fans.

It is maybe the first "event" not aimed at male comic fans as the primary audience. This one of the first events I would say that Women and the LGBTQ community are primary targets for this "event". Obviously, some of the straight male community that has everything cater to them in the comic world does not know how to react to the event. When you are use to all of the toys being yours you have problems sharing them. The funny thing is we have had stuff like this before in the past the Marvel swimsuit issues but unlike in the past but this isn't completely catered to straight Male view, some people can't see the purpose for it because it is not aimed directly at pleasing them.

It is just FUN party that is going to take over the books for a month. If you like action there is going to be that in some books, If you like stuff being announced they are going to be stuff that changes the status quo BUT it mostly a FUN event where X-men get to dress up and party, If you like high fashion and seeing X-men doing non-combat stuff this is for you. Anyways women make up 46% of comic book buyers, I believe I saw a number where women are primary buyers of sci-fi and video games now. Only Catering to males alone not trying to capitalize on your female audience is committing suicide in the market.

-In thinking about the have been a couple of wedding issues in the past might qualify for my main point but this might first non-wedding big event not aimed at dudes. If I was trying to get my wife to read X-men this would be the type of thing I would use to ease her into reading it.

[Confuzzled]

Folks, I gotta tell you... I am a very old X Men fan, in every sense of that phrase. I have followed the group thru some grim, some pointless, and dreadfully dull times. Now I get the Mutant Fashion show is not for me. There seems to be lots of ty fans who support this. But it seems to me Hickman has lost his way. Can’t imagine anyone getting wolverine to get dressed up for a party ( undercover work, maybe...). It’s ridiculous as the idea Wolverine would share his woman. Or that poor repressed Scott Summers would the same. I guess Jean is no longer a member of the Young Republicans

Umm... I don't think she's been a member since 'Nam. Also, when was she ever? As far as I know, it was just a joke made by Claremont based on how Lee and Kirby depicted her in their run.

[Devaishwarya]

Folks, I gotta tell you... I am a very old X Men fan, in every sense of that phrase. I have followed the group thru some grim, some pointless, and dreadfully dull times. Now I get the Mutant Fashion show is not for me. There seems to be lots of ty fans who support this. But it seems to me Hickman has lost his way. Can’t imagine anyone getting wolverine to get dressed up for a party ( undercover work, maybe...). It’s ridiculous as the idea Wolverine would share his woman. Or that poor repressed Scott Summers would the same. I guess Jean is no longer a member of the Young Republicans
And has embraces alternate lifestyles.
Can’t imagine Beast, Banshee, Bishop or forge enjoying dress up. They are adults, and their proms are long behind them. I really think that, in universe, they would be embarrassed .

There are very readers who lack such decisive self awareness that this era, these writers, this story is just not for them. I applaud and commend you.

[Odd Rödney]

I guess Jean is no longer a member of the Young Republicans

I get that this was based on an observation back in the day but god, can you imagine trying to write her that way today? It'd be such a hard sell. The party is just completely out of good ideas, morally corrupt and profoundly unpopular. The X-Men audience is so much more diverse and progressive. It would be a disaster.

[FluffyCyclopsRLZ]

Gotta say, apart from a few meh-but-not-actually-bad outfits, the last few batches of costumes have been significantly superior to the early ones.

[Lady Midnight]

I mean the Beast designed this for his bestie and has spent half his own adult life wearing nothing but trunks and hawaiian shirts, but sure he's too grown up for a costume party (and X-Force are all dressed like waiters anyway if the look book is anything to go by so it's not even like Hank's a particularly good example of someone wildin out anyway) wonderman-costume02.jpg

Aiieessh!!!

[ExodusCloak]

All the big power brokers will be here. I don't get the complaints. Emma needs to have the Cabal seated at the table next to the Illuminati

[Big Joe]

It is maybe the first "event" not aimed at male comic fans as the primary audience. This one of the first events I would say that Women and the LGBTQ community are primary targets for this "event". Obviously, some of the straight male community that has everything cater to them in the comic world does not know how to react to the event. When you are use to all of the toys being yours you have problems sharing them. The funny thing is we have had stuff like this before in the past the Marvel swimsuit issues but unlike in the past but this isn't completely catered to straight Male view, some people can't see the purpose for it because it is not aimed directly at pleasing them.

It is just FUN party that is going to take over the books for a month. If you like action there is going to be that in some books, If you like stuff being announced they are going to be stuff that changes the status quo BUT it mostly a FUN event where X-men get to dress up and party, If you like high fashion and seeing X-men doing non-combat stuff this is for you. Anyways women make up 46% of comic book buyers, I believe I saw a number where women are primary buyers of sci-fi and video games now. Only Catering to males alone not trying to capitalize on your female audience is committing suicide in the market.

-In thinking about the have been a couple of wedding issues in the past might qualify for my main point but this might first non-wedding big event not aimed at dudes. If I was trying to get my wife to read X-men this would be the type of thing I would use to ease her into reading it.

Man, I really agree with this.

[Rang10]

There are very readers who lack such decisive self awareness that this era, these writers, this story is just not for them. I applaud and commend you.

Well no wonder sales are so bad. Writers doing it for twitter are destroying this era, that could be good but it is a endless fanservice

Umm... I don't think she's been a member since 'Nam. Also, when was she ever? As far as I know, it was just a joke made by Claremont based on how Lee and Kirby depicted her in their run.

I don't think she ever was. But people have to remember that democrats and republicans were very close on the past

[Grunty]

It is maybe the first "event" not aimed at male comic fans as the primary audience. This one of the first events I would say that Women and the LGBTQ community are primary targets for this "event". Obviously, some of the straight male community that has everything cater to them in the comic world does not know how to react to the event. When you are use to all of the toys being yours you have problems sharing them. The funny thing is we have had stuff like this before in the past the Marvel swimsuit issues but unlike in the past but this isn't completely catered to straight Male view, some people can't see the purpose for it because it is not aimed directly at pleasing them.

It is just FUN party that is going to take over the books for a month. If you like action there is going to be that in some books, If you like stuff being announced they are going to be stuff that changes the status quo BUT it mostly a FUN event where X-men get to dress up and party, If you like high fashion and seeing X-men doing non-combat stuff this is for you. Anyways women make up 46% of comic book buyers, I believe I saw a number where women are primary buyers of sci-fi and video games now. Only Catering to males alone not trying to capitalize on your female audience is committing suicide in the market.

-In thinking about the have been a couple of wedding issues in the past might qualify for my main point but this might first non-wedding big event not aimed at dudes. If I was trying to get my wife to read X-men this would be the type of thing I would use to ease her into reading it.

I think one issue with this assessment is that for all we know the actual buying readership of X-men comics might still be 80% straight male and 15% straight woman. Which would reflect the accounts given by various comicbook shop owners around the US and their experience with actualy selling these comics to people (most sales data is about comics sold to the shops not to the customer).

Of course these are only anecdotal informations and not hard emperic data, so i can't with good conscious say that this is fact or back this claim up with said data. But i would like to use it as basis for an argument.

Because while 46% of all comic readers these days might be woman, it doesn't mean that 46% of all X-men comic buyers are in this percentage aswell. Because one sad fact that has been confirmed over and over, is that the entry level for getting into the actual super hero comics like X-men, Spiderman, Avengers, etc. is quite high.
Resulting in a static to dwindeling readership of the "old guard", while most newcommers, especialy the growing number of female comic readers are gathering around books and genres with much lower entry level. Especialy manga who have a straight and easy to follow continuity (buy book #1 and read it till the newest volume and you get the whole overall story), or indie-comics which are often short self contained works, with the occasional sequel.

There is for example the problem of finding comic shops at all, because they are becomming a rarity and often live from an established habitual buyership (again traditionaly straight male), with only the occasional newcommer either finding them by accident or via impulses from the established buyers "You gotta give this store a chance, you can find all kinds of cool stuff there, not just comics.".
However these shops are important for the classic super hero comics, because the owners can often give a basic guidance on what the newcommer might want to try out for their first entry book.
Because long continuity and in recent decades the notorious number 1 relaunches are making it near impossible to get into them without a certain mindset or long pre-research on the internet.

There is a reason why some are refering to number 1 relaunch issues as "Perfect jumping OFF points" . Because they ruin the chance of actualy attracting readers with an easy to follow straight 1->100 coninuity.

Something not as easily provided by digital shops which are often just as difficult to find or identitfy as reliable and since there are no (as far as i know) "streaming" type sites either, where someone pays a monthly fee and can get access to 60+ years of Marvel comics. So digital is often still very unattractive because of the high prices for the books, which you can lose at any time if the site goes bankrupt and no clue where to start.

And even buying physical copies online like on Amazon has the old problem of people having no clue what to buy because all these books have become notoriously complicated to track. Making self contained short works the much easier to follow books to try out, the more desired item than classic super hero comics.

There is also the known culture which has formed itself around the traditional super hero comics of the big two, which can greatly vary in supporting or rejecting "newcommers". With rejection being often the result of a protective attitude born from feeling "their thing" being invaded by the kind of people who in the past have ridiculed them for liking these books "before they became cool".
While there are of course also those who try to get people into these works with great enthusiam, they are often overshadowed by the louder group rejecting them. Giving the whole genre a bad rap and once again pushing new readers to genres and works not "tained" by bad rep.

And let's not kid around, the current status quo of the X-men comics is seriously difficult to get into, both because of how continuity heavy it is and how much it differs from the traditional depictions of the X-men in cartoons, comics and video games.

Which brings us to the problem of suddently trying to make an established comic book series/franchise, that was traditional read primarily by male readers, more attractive for woman and LGBTQ readers, without actualy making these work more accessible, affordable or welcoming to them.
Which i would argue is still the case here, because all the buzz created around the Hellfire Gala (good or bad) might very likely not attract more new people to buy the books, as much is makes "outsider" talk ABOUT them more or comment on the drama currenly created by "love it" vs. "hate it" arguments on the internet because of these outfits.

And that's before we consider the whole subject of woman or people of LGBTQ nature potentialy being repulsed by attempts at trying to court them like this, feeling like someone is trying to pander to them, while they might actualy prefer the tradtional way X-men comics have operated.
Meaning they could actualy push not just the "straight white male" reader away but even those they had allready gained of the other groups, with this sudden focus.

Basicly while officialy catering to a new different audience with these things they might shoot entirely in the dark, because they aren't doing the work that might actualy be necessary to attract them correctly and instead just repulse the tradtional audience which is actualy maintaining these works of fictions.

Though on the opposite end. If my rough numbers mentioned above are correct. We still wouldn't actualy know what these readers might like.

Because for all we know half of these (asumed) 80% straight male readers might actualy enjoy an occasional dress up party with outlandish outfits once in a while, while the 15% of female readers might be mostly annoyed by it, because they don't want to be pandered to in works where they don't want them. Which would ironicaly mean that this whole thing could still end up in a positive increase in sales, but from the completly unintendet audience.

My personal opinion btw. Let the wallets decide what ever this has an audience or not.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

https://nerdist.com/article/x-men-he...est-worst/?amp

I thought it was a fun writeup.