Editorial dictating/imposing the characters to authors is what leads to teams in which characters misused and neglected, or character who have to be written OOC to fit the plot. We have authors who had to use character they didn't want nor were interested in, and not all authors have reached a maturity to use any characters with due respect.
If Author X doesn't care for - say - Gen X, if they always hated Gen X and any character from that team, or they never read any issue of the Gen X series, what would be of the Gen X character they'd be forced to pick for the team? Say they pick Monet, out of the Gen X line. Would they write a good Monet (with qualities and flaws in the right place)? I think not.
Also, maybe they already picked a character that fits a Gen X character as attitude and/or powers, or there's no place in the plot for any of the Gen X characters powers.
A suggestion to try to not stick to a generation and be inclusive and strive to use more than the usual 10 characters should be mandatory, but then it should be up to the author to act on it. IMHO.
First Warren in Dark X-Men #1, and then Genis-Vell in Captain Marvel #1. Seriously, Marvel?!
Avatar reflecting my mood. I couldn't stand the sunny high-flying Angel one anymore.
I think the most prominent example of that was in the late 90s when Kelly and Siegle had to abandon their cast and cut it down to 4 in order to bring in the 3 Excalibur refugees. It killed those runs and the quality went down. They tried to do the best with the editorial mandate but their hearts werent in it anymore and they ended up quitting soon after
Pretty much
https://uncannyxmen.net/secrets-behi...men-directionsWhy Kelly and Seagle left
X-Men writer Joe Kelly commented on the change of direction and why he left the book in Wizard #90: "If somebody told me from Day One, "We're going to work out the story and hand it to you, and you just plot it and dialogue it," I'd have no problem with that, because it's very up-front. When that evolves over time, it becomes frustrating."
"Joe (Kelly) and I, along with (editor) Mark Powers, proceeded to produce two detailed, yearlong plans for the two X-books which were filled with interesting stories, sweeping long-range character arcs, shorter stories, one summer "big event" crossover, and enough marketing spikes to make any retailer happy without irritating the fans," Uncanny X-Men writer Steve Seagle added in Wizard #90. "I was led to believe this plan had been accepted, and proceeded to start laying in the threads of these stories in the issues I was writing. Then all four tires blew out from under our wagonload of good stuff."
"You never know what it is, but (Editor-In Chief) Bob (Harras) was answering to other people and this was a chaotic time at Marvel," Seagle continued. "Certainly the redirected lineup which neither Joe nor I were too happy about I don't think that came directly from editorial. I think that came from outside forces, whatever they may be marketing or people above Bob, or who knows what."
"Steve and I had a cool, magic thing going, but it wasn't the kind of magic they were looking for, so what you get is something that falls in between their vision and our vision," Joe Kelly added. "One of the things we definitely were going to do was split the books up and give each one a definite agenda. My team was going to include Beast running the school with the younger team members Cannonball, the new guys, and maybe Kitty Pryde. Steve would take the 70s X-Men, which would be more active, with a more focused agenda. Cyclops was going to lead that team, with a very clear dream that was different from Xavier's."
"It really started to get troubling when the one character Joe and I both wanted in the book, which was Phoenix, (was something) we really fought for and we were basically told, "No,"" Seagle revealed.
"Phoenix had started expanding her powers," Kelly added, "and there were going to be characters who had been watching since the Phoenix saga to see if the Phoenix force would return."
For anyone wondering what the "chaotic times at marvel" involved, there is a book named "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story" which details a lot of the events going on behind the scenes at the time.
Apparently it was a corporate nightmare of mismanagement and leadership whac a mole, which is perhaps not particular suprising but does explain a lot of what was going on.
Last edited by Grunty; 03-26-2024 at 07:07 PM.
Any word on Xavier? Do people think he will live Fall of X and if he does, will he still be walking or back in a wheelchair?
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From gail simone's spotlight panel at wondercon.
Gail and Scott got one page to show from David Marquez's art, which shows Wolverine sulking by a motorcycle while Rogue and Gambit swoop in with a smile.
https://www.thepopverse.com/x-men-xm...tch-livestream
Relevant to X-Men comments so far
- Each X-Men book will be taking place in a different part of the world, and will have a different tone from each other, which Gail finds very attractive.
- Gail finds the X-Men very relatable because of them having something inside that makes them feel different and alienated from other people, which is relatable to us as non-mutant humans existing in the world.
- Gail and Scott's son describes the X-Men as "a little bit like Pokemon." There's a ton of characters, many of whom may be obscure. Gail jokingly notes that she picked the "most kissable ones" for her team.
- Gail says that her Uncanny X-Men is a creepy Southern Gothic tale set in Louisiana, in a house where Gambit spent a lot of time in. There will be FOUR new young mutants who show up to the door.
- Gail's "new mutants" are based on "hidden disabilities" represented through mutation. Their powers aren't obvious, like "popping claws."
- "Everyone is my favorite while I'm writing them, this is why it's been so fun to write this" -Gail
- Each X-Men book will stand on its own, you don't need to understand continuity in order to jump in to this story, Gail says.
- Gail has watched a little bit of the new X-Men '97 show.
This was interesting. Expecting a lot of double shipping:
"What made Gail return to writing comics was the invitation to write Uncanny X-Men. She is incredibly honored, and the series will consist of 18 issues for the first year."