X-MEN #4 Reviews/Spoilers Thread

[dkrook]

Laura claiming the memories for herself as hers by right doesn't help.The issue gives a not so elegant but simple solution. Synch wants the memories shared, if Laura wants them but doesn't want them given first hand, she just has to ask the 'telepath(Jean to) just give her what she seeks from the mind of Synch' .Problem solved? Not really by making Laura's baseline stance that she doesn't want to love him.The writers have created a situation in which if Laura changes her mind upon receiving these memories then Laura will only do so because she is trying to reciprocate(because he loves her) not because those feelings emanate from her naturally(she doesn't love him) Besides unless telepathy magically opens up her own memories that are completely absent by the way.The fact is those shared memories are Synch's perception of her or of their relationship NOT her own memories. So with her baseline stance of not wanting to love him ,seeing his memories only exacerbates the problem, to say she starts to falls in love with him because she sees herself happy with him in her playback of them comes across like some induced hypnosis,not natural affection.The writers didn't need to give her this sort of primer.

Sigh...you realize that an argument can easily be made that she upon viewing the depth and strength of the man based on his actions and could naturally serve as a precursor for attraction. I pray that we are not all so consumed with reading comics that we don't date, and have intimate relations. These things can very well work like this guys...in real life. Why is it when now of all times people are clueless as to how love and attraction can work in so many different ways? It makes one wonder if there's some other mitigating factor that people are so bent out of shape about seeing a possible relationship for Synch and Wolverine (Laura)

[Rev9]

Sigh...you realize that an argument can easily be made that she upon viewing the depth and strength of the man based on his actions and could naturally serve as a precursor for attraction. I pray that we are not all so consumed with reading comics that we don't date, and have intimate relations. These things can very well work like this guys...in real life. Why is it when now of all times people are clueless as to how love and attraction can work in so many different ways? It makes one wonder if there's some other mitigating factor that people are so bent out of shape about seeing a possible relationship for Synch and Wolverine (Laura)

No mitigating factor whatsoever, I'm a fan of Synch , but this is a comic with a hyperbolic circumstance and so we bring more than our mundane realism to these scenarios. In principle you are dead on the money, but I could say similar real world dynamics didn't help Joanna Cargill make any point to Scott Summers after they shared the bed in the age of X reality that was undone, did it?

[Triniking1234]

It was a nice little Death of Doctor Strange tie-in. I feel as if they advertised it as such a lot of people here would've skipped it.

I liked it as a Jean showcase but it easily could've been a Laura issue, as teased in the story itself, and do more with the new villain Duggan is setting up.

[Triniking1234]

Well Duggan has a point but we already established that Jean had the Phoenix's and Madelyne's memories after Inferno.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Fokken]

David and his ilk need to calm down. Honestly so many of these readers need lessons in etiquette.

[OmegaStorm87]

As soon as they announced X-23 and Synch in this book I knew every single review thread would be taken over by her fans complaining (like they have done in every single book she's ever been in aside from Kyost) and full of racist microaggressions towards Synch.

Shocker...I was right. When the reality Is that they're lucky she's even featured considering she's just another cheap Wolverine knock off. I feel like ungrateful character obsessors should not be rewarded and instead give actual deserving POC characters a chance instead.

I mean...does anyone even want her in this book? Not really. Boot her to limbo and then everyone is happy.

[CoCoBandz]

I honestly want to know just what do Laura fans want for her.

[OmegaStorm87]

I honestly want to know just what do Laura fans want for her.

A) To only have a sexual interest in Hellion, just like in that one comic from 12 years ago or
B) To be sexually pure.

[Triniking1234]

I honestly hope Duggan isn't taking story ideas from this forum. Hickman wrapped up that Vault story rather well and no other writer had to pick up some random romance/fling story because the only people who cared were some fans on the internet.

As soon as they announced X-23 and Synch in this book I knew every single review thread would be taken over by her fans complaining (like they have done in every single book she's ever been in aside from Kyost) and full of racist microaggressions towards Synch.

Shocker...I was right. When the reality Is that they're lucky she's even featured considering she's just another cheap Wolverine knock off. I feel like ungrateful character obsessors should not be rewarded and instead give actual deserving POC characters a chance instead.

I mean...does anyone even want her in this book? Not really. Boot her to limbo and then everyone is happy.

You're just as bad as them right now. Be more self-aware.

[niconico00]

I'm sorry to say it, but this was a bummer. Even X-Force this week was better. I don't know what Duggan intended with this Nightmare story, but it accomplished nothing for me. At this point, at issue 4, I'd rather read the X-men team talking during breakfast about their Halloween plans, showing how they are feeling about this new X-men incarnation and what not, than to just have this villain attack and Jean to stop him. Nothing against a Jean focused issue, but it was not even interesting enough. Feels like filler and I don't think it is time for this.

Duggan sometimes is very decompressed, a thing I hate in comics. That is a big problem he had in some parts of Marauders and mostly Cable, but he didn't do that in this book... Until now.

Great art though. Pina is very talented and created some cool scenes. The one with Cyclops in a coffin was great. Meh colors.

I totally agree. Great art, nothing more. Also, I don't like when characters are made too powerful.

[OmegaStorm87]

I'm not trying to claim that everyone should like what's happening, or the characters, setting story any of that. No one needs to justify why they like or dislike anything the thing is people are going way overboard in their criticisms.

Synch's characterization and actions have been above reproach, and the vitriol being thrown at both him and at the storyline are excessive. Its ok to dislike the pairing, its ok to dislike the storyline but so far the worst thing that actually happened is that a couple of relatively minor characters (Synch being significantly more minor than Laura) were involved in a romance that has mostly played out behind the scenes and one of them has lost their memories of it. Soap opera 101, Will they? Wont they? He has feelings for her, she doesn't, and since then Synch has unthinkably... respected Laura's boundaries. Largely been exactly what a good person should be. I fail to see what exactly people have to be up in arms about and I don't like the shade thrown at the character. Its wrong and unearned.

Its also important to note that so far the only place those characters have actually paired up was in the vault issues. Its far from a sure thing that resuming the romance is actually in the cards, and even if it does come back this romance is way less "creepy" than a hell of a lot of other comic book romances. In fact were you to list creepy or inappropriate comic book romances I'm not sure this would even crack the top 50. I don't think it ranks all that high in the category of creepy X-Men romances.

Also, I feel the need to point out that a fictional character being used to promote another fictional characters story isn't inappropriate, especially on a team book. That might be a valid argument if that's all the character was used for (its not) or if its was the main character in their own book being so misused to prop up someone else (Its not) or if it was a radically inappropriate pairing (its not again). That is the nature of fictional characters in a shared universe, the MU as a whole or even just within the X-Books. Even with major characters, sometimes they get the spotlight and other times they prop up the character in the spotlight.

Its super refreshing to see something so rational posted on here.

[JB]

David and his ilk need to calm down. Honestly so many of these readers need lessons in etiquette.

Agreed. If I were Duggan I would have ignored the question and dragged David in front of the class for being a dick.

[OmegaStorm87]

I honestly hope Duggan isn't taking story ideas from this forum. Hickman wrapped up that Vault story rather well and no other writer had to pick up some random romance/fling story because the only people who cared were some fans on the internet.



You're just as bad as them right now. Be more self-aware.

I'll cop to this. It's hard not to punch down when you read between the lines.

[Devaishwarya]

Sigh...you realize that an argument can easily be made that she upon viewing the depth and strength of the man based on his actions and could naturally serve as a precursor for attraction. I pray that we are not all so consumed with reading comics that we don't date, and have intimate relations. These things can very well work like this guys...in real life. Why is it when now of all times people are clueless as to how love and attraction can work in so many different ways? It makes one wonder if there's some other mitigating factor that people are so bent out of shape about seeing a possible relationship for Synch and Wolverine (Laura)

This is the internet and in CBR (as with Twatter) there are always other "mitigating factors" for the attitudes and opinions of some.
Luckily, if you really pay attention you can learn to spot those from a mile away and avoid them wherever, whenever possible.

[Devaishwarya]

David and his ilk need to calm down. Honestly so many of these readers need lessons in etiquette.

UGH! Yes eh. But...Twatters will twatt.

(Though I must say, Duggan's response is interesting in light of the current J/P/DP debate going on elsewhere.)