Anyone Heard about the Claremont panel in C2E2?

[Nicoclaws]

another version of events that aren’t a character-assassinating Twitter hit-job.

https://www.thepopverse.com/x-men-ch...s-at-c2e2-2022

it depresses me that he’s given the opportunity to write - but what he’s writing isn’t what he’s passionate about. he wants to play in the krakoa sandbox, but no one wants to share their toys.

i wish they’d take another chance on a wacky character-driven story like hellions. no one gave a good g-damn about those characters so let’s tell a fun story with them. kinda feels like what they’re doing with the gambit solo, but like cc, i’m struggling to be enthusiastic about it when it has zero consequence or relevance.

Yeah that looks more professional thanks.

[Technopriest]

Yeah, at first read about this from a fan of the X-Men on Instagram that had a complete meltdown over it and wanted Claremont canceled (while completely covering his Instagram with pictures from Claremont run xD), so I decided to read the transcript by myself and promptly unfollowed that Instagram user. And of course people are going to have a meltdown on Twitter, that's probably the most toxic of all social media outlets (Reddit is getting up there too). Another non-controversy over an old creator in an industry with actual pedophiles and sexual harrasers/abusers.

[Anthony W]

Today, we have untalented people who all agree on what they're doing and they're producing the worst content in the franchise's history.

I noticed that you used "content" instead of "stories". Harsh.

[Hulkout42]

The modern comics industry doesn't do "fun"

This basically, the modern audience is either to sensitive or too scared for "fun" ideas anymore.

[Hulkout42]

Here is a video i found in regards to this topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q1rNzV0wZw

Honestly, IMO, i think that while it could have been said better he raised very valid points in regards to the current state of affairs in regards to the X-men, and i feel that current writers just don't get the characters like he did, but that's just my opinion on the matter.

[Hulkout42]

Yeah that looks more professional thanks.

Marvel is paying to NOT write is what i am getting from them towards him.

[Daedra]

Weird that anyone would get offended. I completely agree with him about the current direction of X-Men books. But there is some irony in the pearl-clutching coming from the people who deified him in order to justify their sexual orientation changes of characters because he pandered in interviews. (Now he's makes statements they don't like in interviews and they get upset.) Completely ignoring that the stories and characters were a team effort. The best comic book creators are still human. And while I think Chris Claremont is a creative genius, he always needs people to reign him in and work with him to make some of the best characters and stories we had. He and Byrne and Shooter may have bumped heads a lot, but it was their cooperation and compromise that brought us amazing content. Today, we have untalented people who all agree on what they're doing and they're producing the worst content in the franchise's history.

Great post, your analysis really got me thinking and I believe you nailed the issue with contemporary comics perfectly.

[MechaJeanix]

I'm mixed on Claremont and his comments. Claremont has had wacky ideas for a long time. Even in his 80s/early 90s work he had some wacky ideas. His X-men Revolution run was not good (though I loved his Jean). X-treme X-men had some good moments (my fav issues being when he borrowed some of the New X-men cast like Jean, Beast, or Emma). His X-men Reload also had some good moments (but then there was Dino Rachel or the End of Greys). He can be uneven.

Claremont had some classic stories like DPS and we credit him for the success of the X-men. He also had strong editors and artists that help sort of contain him and his wilder ideas.

I am a fan of his OG X-men work and I like some of his other work. His style does feel a bit dated.

As for his comments I understand why some fans are upset. The idea of having Kitty become a black woman is bizarre and offensive. I said on another forum that I wouldn't cancel Claremont over it (we have known for years he has some wild ideas - and let's be honest he has playing with characters switching social races before - look no further than Betsy and Tom & Sharon. This appears to be a theme for him.

The folks going off on twitter (the so called twitter mob) can feel a little extreme at times (and appropriate at other times). Humans are problematic and often messy (that is mean as an empirical/factual statement and not to be confused with I'm saying it is ok to be problematic because it isn't - in our current climate making neutral statements are often misinterpreted as endorsing something sadly because we are so used to value laden statements especially on social media).

I tend to give people some grace and hope that when people do offend or are ignorant that they can learn and do and be better. Hopefully Claremont can understand why fans took offense to his idea for the Kitty Pryde storyline idea. And hopefully younger (and some older) fans can be more nuanced with how they view human behavior and try not to think in the binary of just good and bad (and once someone does or says something bad that means that person is and will always be bad forevermore).

Just my quick thoughts about this issue.

[Frobisher]

Best detail I saw was Claremont calling Professor X a “twat”. God help us if there’s a War though!

[Devaishwarya]

He himself acknowledged the absurdity of his ideas back then...and also why he would have gotten away with them at the time but knows and understands why, they would not work in today's Industry because of what Marvel (and DC) has become.

I still can't believe some are willing to praise him for his not so subtle SnM/Kink proclivities that actually made it to print but are offended and angered and hurt by ideas that never did and never will see the light of day at Marvel. Ideas that had he not revealed we would've had absolutely no clue.

And to be clear...all writers...ALL...have far more larger ****-stacks of reprehensibly bad ideas that they keep hidden and tucked away which they will never reveal, than they do good ones. It's just that at this point Claremont, bless his heart, just doesn't have any Fucks to give.

[Hulkout42]

He himself acknowledged the absurdity of his ideas back then...and also why he would have gotten away with them at the time but knows and understands why, they would not work in today's Industry because of what Marvel (and DC) has become.

I still can't believe some are willing to praise him for his not so subtle SnM/Kink proclivities that actually made it to print but are offended and angered and hurt by ideas that never did and never will see the light of day at Marvel. Ideas that had he not revealed we would've had absolutely no clue.

And to be clear...all writers...ALL...have far more larger ****-stacks of reprehensibly bad ideas that they keep hidden and tucked away which they will never reveal, than they do good ones. It's just that at this point Claremont, bless his heart, just doesn't have any Fucks to give.

Got give the man credit for going out there and telling the truth about the current state of affairs even if it pisses off the snowflakes.

[LukeCagefan]

Weird that anyone would get offended. I completely agree with him about the current direction of X-Men books. But there is some irony in the pearl-clutching coming from the people who deified him in order to justify their sexual orientation changes of characters because he pandered in interviews. (Now he's makes statements they don't like in interviews and they get upset.) Completely ignoring that the stories and characters were a team effort. The best comic book creators are still human. And while I think Chris Claremont is a creative genius, he always needs people to reign him in and work with him to make some of the best characters and stories we had. He and Byrne and Shooter may have bumped heads a lot, but it was their cooperation and compromise that brought us amazing content. Today, we have untalented people who all agree on what they're doing and they're producing the worst content in the franchise's history.

My man Kurt with another BAMF! HAHA

[Anthony W]

As for his comments I understand why some fans are upset. The idea of having Kitty become a black woman is bizarre and offensive.

I agree...Kitty isn't a redhead. ZING! Now that the obvious joke has been made. I didn't think anything of it. I just tossed it in the same basket as when Lois Lane became a black woman.

[Nicoclaws]

I agree...Kitty isn't a redhead. ZING! Now that the obvious joke has been made. I didn't think anything of it. I just tossed it in the same basket as when Lois Lane became a black woman.

Yeah that was already a bizarre and offensive idea at the time, but at LEAST it was a short one, not a big story, and it was meant as a kind of 'educational" comics.

[useridgoeshere]

Him saying Dazzler was intended to be Black until the higher ups interfered was interesting news to me.