Last edited by Reigna; 07-23-2022 at 04:50 AM.
Agree Exodus is the only one I'm interested, as well.
I mean, to ach their own. But it is so disheartening to me that we get glimpse of these great characters and then the same few people do the same thing over and over and over again. Are there any other pre-cogs besides Destiny who just might have their heads out of their asses to see this coming and warn everyone? Does anyone know karate besides the Wolverine clan they push down our throats in practically every single line? Can any of the other psychics get off their couches to face a threat besides jean? (Give the poor woman a well-deserved break already! They've been riding her like a donkey for the last 60 years. lol)
But when you create a world of over a thousand characters and the only use you make of 975 of them is 'Krakoa- population 200k', in my opinion you've failed as the author of what you yourself claim is an ensemble piece.
I'm not totally useless. I can always be used as a bad example...
Sometimes being the focus can also mean something major happening to them and they're taken off the board temporarily. The thing about characters like Exodus and Destiny is that they're more likely to have a heel turn or be taken out than say Kurt or Jean. I kinda like that unknown factor with them, and I too am looking forward to more exploration of Exodus.
"Danielle... I intend to do something rash and violent." - Betsy Braddock
Krakoa, Arakko, and Otherworld forever!
Jean was out of commission for a combined twenty years—fifteen years if you count her time-displacement years—due to being dead. Later, Hickman regressed and sidelined her, save for a few impactful moments, and his treatment of her echoed throughout the rest of the franchise except for maybe Percy’s X-Force and Duggan’s Cable, both of which used her sparsely. It wasn't until Duggan began writing her in X-Men that she once again became more prominent, as she should be. However, he has been fair and measured in his use and development of her, which some fans feel is not enough.
Frankly, based solely on the above, not to mention Jean’s status as Xavier's first student, one of the founding members of the X-Men, and the central figure of arguably the most iconic and well-known storyline of the franchise, she merits and has recently paid her dues to receive the attention that an esteemed and accomplished writer like Gillen is willing to give her. It's also refreshing to hear that he is genuinely intrigued and creatively inspired by her rather using her because he is required to for whatever reason.
Lastly, I doubt Gillen has chosen to make Jean one of the main characters of this event solely because she's a psychic, though I'm sure he will highlight her abilities. Instead, It seems to me he wants to explore and perhaps develop her current thoughts, feelings, and motives, especially since, aside from a handful of key moments by Percy and Duggan, we've gotten very little insight into these facets of her charactet since the start of the Krakoan era.
Last edited by Mercury; 07-23-2022 at 02:19 PM.
Jean Grey in the words of Walt Whitman, from his masterpiece Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself" (51 and 52):
"Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
"Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, Missing me one place search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you."
Chris Hassan just tweeted that there's still time to submit questions for the coming X-Men Monday.
X-Men Monday Call for Questions: Kieron Gillen for ‘A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1’
https://aiptcomics.com/2022/07/20/x-...-judgment-day/
"Danielle... I intend to do something rash and violent." - Betsy Braddock
Krakoa, Arakko, and Otherworld forever!
This wasn't meant to denigrate Jean, but rather to criticize what I consider lazy (and sometimes outright bad) writing, though I do believe that over the course of the X-Men run Jean has gotten a ton more attention than even most other O5 characters. IMO she is the most powerful and has had more of the best character arcs than just about anyone. I personally want to see more characters used, even if not my favorite little used characters use SOMEBODY's favorite little used characters for more than background penciling. There is a lot of psychic stuff to be done that doesn't require the best psychic on the planet. Right?
But my criticism was about the present, where I'm not opposed to her being a major part of any story, but I just don't find it compelling anymore to watch this cosmic level goddess-power beat up random mooks who couldn't survive a snap of her fingers. I just think there has to be a suspension of disbelief that she is being challenged by these scenarios anymore. Maybe that will change with this AXE, but probably not because you have to let Cyclops shoot something and Wolverine do his martial arts, and that means nerfing Jean to near uselessness.
I also respectfully disagree that they've been 'fair and measured in his use and development of her'. To the contrary, I don't think they've done very much to develop her at all. I would have loved to see her in Immortal as a counterweight to not just Mystique/Destiny and Frost, but also Chucky, rather than in the field doing the same old thing. I feel she is being portrayed more as Cyclops +1 than the singular power player she really should be.
I'm not totally useless. I can always be used as a bad example...
This is right on point. I think her lack of development is aggravating, and seeing scenes where instead of giving her viewpoint they instead have her defer to the nearest character makes it worse. And yes, Omega level TK and TP makes almost any conflict Jean gets into automatic Plot Induced Stupidity if she doesn't just render the opponent unconscious and bind them. And if they're not a living thing, just rip them apart at the subatomic level like she did to the transformed Terra Verde residents. I'd trade her omega status and TP/TK power levels for excellent character development and growth from here on out.