Mike Carey's X-Men

[DDD]

It was great b4 AoX. Even the Dark Reign issues. After that, it felt like he wanted to do things but couldn't. Gage's run felt the same.

[Darkholder]

I hated the whole run. He never did anything of interest or exception and misused the book.

First by creating a team of X-men, half of whom were villains, that made Rogue look like an awful leader. Then when that failed experiment blew up in Rogue's face, and refocus the book into the retiled Legacy and squandered the potential of it being about the Professor or someone with an actual legacy.

In hindsight, I think the book would have been so much better if Carey had X-men Legacy revolve around the Professor and his X-students. It would have given the Professor some purpose in life, let him reconnect to his students, and given the New Mutants/Gen X-ers a chance to be seen as real X-men. I feel Carey did good in exploring some of the new X-men characters but Rogue was not the person to teach them. Cannonball, Mirage, Husk, Chamber and Jubilee all could have been given that spotlight and then when AoX happened it would have made so much more sense.

But instead we got Rogue back at the centre of Legacy, and in the middle of a bad love triangle that continued until it was cancelled. It was even more annoying that during the decade of Decimation, not only did that era get rid of so many good characters, but it also limited the spotlight to a chosen few favourites, that got oversaturated and overhyped. So it was disheartening that Legacy overused Rogue, like a tissue, while other female characters were struggling for a fraction of the attention she got in that book. She was a shadow of her former self and could care less about her relationship drama that further undermined her character by focusing on her as some kind of harlequin heroine rather than the super powerful heroine that most of us fall in love in her earlier years. It really is unfortunate that some people think that was good development for her. She may have been given the wheel to the car but it was a dud. (In my experience it's always better to get quality over quantity.)

It's really sad the Legacy is gone now. Legion had no chance of keeping that book afloat all by himself. It should always be a team book, not a sneaky solo series with supporting X-characters.

[jen]

Exactly, the haters of Rogue Legacy hated that it focused on Rogue. :-p

[Hellion]

Mike Carey gave me an issue in which Magneto quoted Tennyson. From that moment on, I was in love.

[TheRealWashout]

My biggest issue with the Rogue issues of Legacy (and I love Rogue, and I'm happy with her getting all the attention) was that most of the arcs were always about one issue too long because Carey was trying to slow down for a crossover. If Carey ever comes back to the X-books full time, I'd like to see him get a team that he can take away from the other characters and write a long, continuous story. His first issues through Messiah Complex were like this, and Xavier's Legacy was like this, but Rogue's Legacy was just new story arcs every time. There was nothing epic or story-driven about it.

[Mari]

Rogue and Magneto got brainwashed into being lovers by Legion so they were a couple afterwards. That was AoX. It could have been 2 issues.

Rogue and Magneto were nice as a couple, or not really?

[Darkholder]

Rogue and Magneto were nice as a couple, or not really?

It was creepy and gross. Just like Mike Carey's other convoluted unions. Like Mystique and Iceman, or Frenzy and Cyclops/Basilisk.

He can't write romantic relationship without it feeling forced and provocative. He had to create AOX just justify Rogue and Magneto being together. She deserved so much better. (And i'm not talking about Gambit.)

[TheRealWashout]

To be honest, only a select few believe that Rogue hooked up with Magneto because of AoX. There was always a connection there.

[Daymare]

One of the best runs of the title. I would place it second to Claremont's run for character development. Wish he would have stayed on much longer.

He had great character beats and they were not all overpowered or continuously falling into the same tropes of Claremont's heavy handed exposition (every move needing a detailed recount from the chacrater)."I am walking on the ground now with my boots and the earth feels solid.Oh what a grand day to be a mutant with the ability to take to the skies if needed but sometimes walking on the ground makes me feel a little closer to the human world we are striving to protect and blend into. I like to coffee."
Some of the stories were a little flatlined but you could tell he had care for the characters and took time to learn about their histories.

[Project Initiative Cascada]

To be honest, only a select few believe that Rogue hooked up with Magneto because of AoX. There was always a connection there.

I know right? Ever since Magneto chose her to save in the Savage Land and saved her from that Shadow King zombified Carol, I have always thought they were meant to be together.

[Project Initiative Cascada]

Mike Carey is one of the greatest comic book writers right up there with Claremont and Morrisson.

Supernovas, Blinded by the Light, and Messiah Complex were amazingly written by him, and X-Men Legacy had its great moments. Haven't read Age of X yet since it looks crowded.

He needs to come back immediately! No More Humans just showed how much the X-Men Universe needs him!

[Darkholder]

To be honest, only a select few believe that Rogue hooked up with Magneto because of AoX. There was always a connection there.

And that connection has always been creepy and confounding.

In the Savage Land Rogue had to be "depowered" and mentally disturbed to be saved by Magneto.

Then in the Magneto War, she became this weak willed damsel being stalked by Magneto, as if she was some prize to be won.

And then Mike Carey drew from that and made it into something even more gross. First, when they met up in that Necrosha crossover, Rogue was rightfully put off and unimpressed by Magneto, but then Carey withered her spirit away until she finally relented to his old man advances. It was as if he wrote Magneto as determined to win Rogue over, and claim his prize at last. And guess how that turned out.

[anyajenkins]

I know right? Ever since Magneto chose her to save in the Savage Land and saved her from that Shadow King zombified Carol, I have always thought they were meant to be together.

As long as one can ignore the he beats her and her friends when she gets in his way (I can't, obviously)

Therealwashout- both Carey and gage said the AoX memories were a factor, select people weren't imagining it.

As for the rest of Carey's run, I liked his xmen run. Though he did make a 'failed' leader in that she couldn't handle all the villains she let hang around and she got 'fired'. I adored the Xavier legacy run. Loved all the characterization and introspection. Was disappointed he did none of that when he switched to rogue and never really loved the 'teacher', especially since the students never stuck around. So she never really seemed like a 'real' teacher away.

[jen]

As long as one can ignore the he beats her and her friends when she gets in his way (I can't, obviously)

Therealwashout- both Carey and gage said the AoX memories were a factor, select people weren't imagining it.

As for the rest of Carey's run, I liked his xmen run. Though he did make a 'failed' leader in that she couldn't handle all the villains she let hang around and she got 'fired'. I adored the Xavier legacy run. Loved all the characterization and introspection. Was disappointed he did none of that when he switched to rogue and never really loved the 'teacher', especially since the students never stuck around. So she never really seemed like a 'real' teacher away.

Failed leader yes but being fired by Scott Summers who was wound so tight and not listening to our Rogue is not so bad IMHO. Further it is that Scott Summer that killed Xavier so even supposedly good leaders fail big. I think Carey was definitely showing the independent side of Rogue who stood by her decisions.

[TheRealWashout]

As long as one can ignore the he beats her and her friends when she gets in his way (I can't, obviously)

Because she never beat any of her friends before she joined the X-men?