Knights of X # 4 - Impassable - Review/Spoilers

[justanotherclassic]

While I'm happy that Rachel is finally, canonically, confirmed as queer, I'm a little bit overall "meh" about this development. Neither Rachel nor Betsy feel totally like themselves, or rather the characters I've read for years, so it's hard to get excited about this ship. But that's my general issue with Tini's writing -- the character don't really feel totally like themselves.

[Til]

I find that different given that Bobby was written as closeted in the 80s and 90s. Rachel never was.

Maybe I was too young to pick up on it in the 90's when I was reading x-books, but I never thought of him as closeted. Plus, not for nothing, but bisexual men can be closeted, too. I'm bi and I kept it secret until my late teens.

[Saithor]

As a bi man who was bugged that Bobby was written as gay instead of bi not because compulsory heteronormativity isn't a thing, but because Bendis' execution of the story had another character outright SHUT DOWN Bobby's OWN musing that maybe he's bi by being like 'nope, you're not bi, just full gay and in denial' which is so ridiculously biphobic and unaware I can't even.....

I'm absolutely fine with either the take that Rachel is a lesbian and recently came to this realization or Rachel is bi and has just never acted on a same gender attraction before. BOTH are valid, and EITHER is fine.....just have Rachel herself SAY something about that, instead of making it all about other characters' and readers' perceptions of her past relationships or attractions.

Like seriously. That's all I'm asking. Don't just dodge the fact that there is ambiguity here, have the character simply take the time and opportunity to narrate her OWN self-exploration and understanding, and make a stance one way or the other.

Literally my only want, in this regard.

Do not give Howard additional ideas for what she can make a five part miniseries about and stretch it across.

[JB]

Honestly I was just hopping Rictor called Apocalypse daddy as he was pulled out of the swamp. Would have made my day

For what it's worth, I did.

[scouse mouse]

While I'm happy that Rachel is finally, canonically, confirmed as queer, I'm a little bit overall "meh" about this development. Neither Rachel nor Betsy feel totally like themselves, or rather the characters I've read for years, so it's hard to get excited about this ship. But that's my general issue with Tini's writing -- the character don't really feel totally like themselves.

Totally agree. This whole relationship feels incredibly forced and false. Rachel has showed 0 interest in Betsy except under Tini's lacklustre writing. She comes across as almost pathetically obsessed with her.

[Drexelhand]

Maybe I was too young to pick up on it in the 90's when I was reading x-books, but I never thought of him as closeted. Plus, not for nothing, but bisexual men can be closeted, too. I'm bi and I kept it secret until my late teens.

Lobdell has straight up said that he was writing Bobby as a closeted gay man. Bobby's interactions with Emma Frost are the biggest hints at that plus his infamous talk with Rogue about his parents.

[remydat]

Howard's writing is like if you gave a kid an adult vocabulary but they still wrote everything with a kid's superficial understanding of the world. There are good ideas and concepts here but Howard only ever explores them at the most basic and superficial level. I get that there is only so much dialogue in a comic but she has had these characters for enough issues overall to have hit on some of these ideas and concepts on a deeper level. Instead I am left feeling like I am reading Fisher-Price My First Comic Book Writing Workshop

[Rift]

For me, I wouldn't like Rachel to be a lesbian at the moment. I don't like hard turns on set characterization. I know real people can come out later in life, but you aren't privvy to the inner thoughts and desires of fictional characters, and real life people aren't being directed by a narrative that should take consistency and past characterization into account. I would prefer Bobby (Iceman) to be bi because it felt like he jostled back and forth between being straight and being closeted, so making him bi would be the best way to acknowledge and respect both sides of them. I grew to accept him being gay because they began to develop it, though as Bobby(sWorld) said, his coming out issue was just a mess. It put me off the idea for a long while, before better writers actually made it work.

So yeah, I want Rachel to be bi. It would align with her past depictions more. But if they decide to make her a lesbian, I'd need them to develop it and see her examining inward for a good while, and making this discovery on her own, instead of just going "Well, I'm gay now lmao." I know when I came out (first as gay, then as bi), it took a lot of exploration.

But that would require giving Rachel meaningful focus. And she's a character who tends to get screwed over at a moment's notice.

For what it's worth, I did.

Once again, iconic.

[Saithor]

Howard's writing is like if you gave a kid an adult vocabulary but they still wrote everything with a kid's superficial understanding of the world. There are good ideas and concepts here but Howard only ever explores them at the most basic and superficial level. I get that there is only so much dialogue in a comic but she has had these characters for enough issues overall to have hit on some of these ideas and concepts on a deeper level. Instead I am left feeling like I am reading Fisher-Price My First Comic Book Writing Workshop

As an aspiring writer myself, the main thing is the Howard feels like she has a lot of different idea but never seems to settle down and focus on one of them. Which is especially bad when you have a very large cast of characters as well, where it feels like half of them don't even need to be there.

[blanchett]

Hate it. Does not make any sense. Annoyed me when Claremont did it too. Rachel has been a key character in some of the best What ifs.

Like everyone else (I think) I have no issue with Rachel and Psylocke being involved with women I just don't think they work together. Someone already pointed out that Psylocke pursued Rachel's father. There's an ick factor like when people want Rachel with Kitty or Kurt.

[CGAR]

Yeah I don't find the kiss convincing. And to me it came out of nowhere. But it is what it is. I didn't hate it but I'm kind of like meh I wish another writer was handling this.

The one perk for this is that there is only one more issue of KoX.

And Tini may only have Betsy for one more 5 issue mini series.

Hopefully editorial just drops that altogether and give Betsy to Al Ewing to hang with Storm and Magneto.

[Romy134]

Yeah I don't find the kiss convincing. And to me it came out of nowhere. But it is what it is. I didn't hate it but I'm kind of like meh I wish another writer was handling this.

The one perk for this is that there is only one more issue of KoX.

And Tini may only have Betsy for one more 5 issue mini series.

Hopefully editorial just drops that altogether and give Betsy to Al Ewing to hang with Storm and Magneto.

Crazy how they keep rebooting this. But hey..

[The BaRoN]

The kiss coming after Gambit just died is utterly hilarious, such a forced romance to grab headlines.

Only meggan gave a damn, this is just really poor all round.

[sunofdarkchild]

The kiss coming after Gambit just died is utterly hilarious, such a forced romance to grab headlines.

Only meggan gave a damn, this is just really poor all round.

Compared to what DC has done with making characters queer recently this is Shakespeare.

[Kingdom X]

As a bi man who was bugged that Bobby was written as gay instead of bi not because compulsory heteronormativity isn't a thing, but because Bendis' execution of the story had another character outright SHUT DOWN Bobby's OWN musing that maybe he's bi by being like 'nope, you're not bi, just full gay and in denial' which is so ridiculously biphobic and unaware I can't even.....

I'm absolutely fine with either the take that Rachel is a lesbian and recently came to this realization or Rachel is bi and has just never acted on a same gender attraction before. BOTH are valid, and EITHER is fine.....just have Rachel herself SAY something about that, instead of making it all about other characters' and readers' perceptions of her past relationships or attractions.

Like seriously. That's all I'm asking. Don't just dodge the fact that there is ambiguity here, have the character simply take the time and opportunity to narrate her OWN self-exploration and understanding, and make a stance one way or the other.

Literally my only want, in this regard.

Yuuuuup this 100%. I think this was before you joined the boards but I went on a RANT about how the Bendis reveal was literally a bisexual and/ or questioning persons NIGHTMARE. The whole thing was so biphobic and tone deaf. I’m all about the characters themselves defining their sexuality instead of their straight best friend doing it. The other option here is that Rachel comes out as queer or states that she likes girls. Then folks can’t really get mad about a specific label.