Extraordinary X-Men #1

[Fokken]

Storm's eyes are ultra-gorg in that last panel.

Jean looks like she's got some mad chompers.

[protege]

A cure would avoid the needs to get ride of the T-mist ^.*

Well then, i guess I need clarification on whether the Tmists are still around.

[TakoM]

Well then, i guess I need clarification on whether the Tmists are still around.

The mist is killing mutants so it is still around in some way.

[Bl00dwerK]

Finally got my copy, yesterday, and LOVED it! Now THAT'S how you write the X-Men! Bendis just doesn't get them, imo. Seems this Lemire chap does and don't get me started on the art! GORGEOUS!

[Mia]

Finally got my copy, yesterday, and LOVED it! Now THAT'S how you write the X-Men! Bendis just doesn't get them, imo. Seems this Lemire chap does and don't get me started on the art! GORGEOUS!

****! you took the words right out of my mouth! I completely agree, it's probably the best X-Men issue I've read since Whedon. But for those of you who don't know Lemire is a great storyteller and he takes this stuff seriously. Everything he writes isn't a compelling page turner, but nothing I've read from him comes across as if he's just going through the motions to fullfill his contractual monthly obligations. You can actually see that the guy thinks through what he writes and there's depth. I might just start collecting X-Men again after all! Bravo!

[Agent 37]

Finally got my copy, yesterday, and LOVED it! Now THAT'S how you write the X-Men! Bendis just doesn't get them, imo. Seems this Lemire chap does and don't get me started on the art! GORGEOUS!

I tried this title on a whim, while looking for a new team book to get into. I was looking for a team of teens or young adults to fill the void left by the train wreck of the Teen Titans franchise. (Any other suggestions?) That being said, I really enjoyed this book actually!

I have never exclusively read an X-title, although I have a really basic knowledge on the premise of the X-Men and some of the characters. I don't have any of the hang-ups or pre-conceived notions on how the title should play out, or how the characters should act, so from a somewhat newbie stand point, it was an interesting start. Piqued enough interest, that I'll see it through the first arc. Lemire has definitely delivered before, so Extraordinary X-Men has that going for it.

[Bl00dwerK]

It just felt like the X-Men to me, like most everything else hasn't. Were those Sinister's new cronies who were after Kurt? Seems like I read he was gonna be involved soon, and they did say "experiments" or whatever...

[Prisoner 6655321]

I dug this book and I'm kinda digging the whole Inhuman / X-Men thing. I guess time will tell if this is all the beginning of the end for the X-Men but I get the feeling that it's not.

As for what “sterilized” means, based on Jean's vision dialogue while in Storms mind I 100% interpret this as “no new mutants manifesting” and not “mutants can't make babies”. It also works as a metaphor, with the t-mists making mutants sick, the global attitude regarding mutants (and presumably some kinda conspiracy behind setting up Cyclops for doing something nasty against Inhumans which also pisses off lots of humans, which admittedly, isn't that hard for mutants to do.. ) degenerating severely. All against the fairly positive backdrop that was the end of #600, it must have been a pretty dramatic several months for all of the X-Men. Where, not too long ago, the future must have seemed pregnant with possibility at the moment of that gathering, where we are in Extraordinary #1 mutant kind must feel a kinda sterility…. But even without any of that symbolism I think they were just talking about no new mutants manifesting.

I think it's really important to remember that 16 months or so (we still don't really know how SW pans out, if it takes place in an instant or if it's a bigger gap in time ) but we know there were 8 months between 600 and SW and 8 months between SW and Extraordinary #1 so it's reasonable to assume there's a lot to catch up on. Maybe too much, it's hard to tell at this point. As has been noted, it's a first issue, there should be loads of hooks and reasons to pick up number two and there was. My concern is that there is so much left to fill in that the next year or more is going to continually feel more or less the same way.

Like many others have speculated I think Cyclops is probably being set up and that Beast may “always be an X-Man” but is working with the Inhumans as part of his redemption after the “trial” in 600.

I think most of the “inconsistencies” with Colossus and Magik are kinda blown out of proportion.

It seems to me that Magik was mostly saying “hey, it kinda sucked here too”. They lived on a soviet collective farm… they were poor… Even if they were happy, the level of poverty experienced by people on these farms is pretty notable, they had suffered. Even if dad eventually came around it's not like it's unthinkable that he had a bad initial reaction. If he came around this initial reaction reflects a closed minded environment more than his dad being rotten to the core. That he came around is testament to his character and the closeness of this family unit but that he did it in the first place points out that it wasn't some ultra enlightened place either. In short I don't think Magik was saying “this place was hell” (no pun intended) so much as “this place wasn't paradise”. When she said he was “no humanitarian” I think she was just kinda egging him on.

As for Colossus's whole brute complex I kinda took it this way; he's been through a lot, in the end he was alone on an abandoned (?) Russian farm for god knows how long, probably brooding about Kitty and any number of crummy things he's been through over the past several years. Yeah, he's a gentle artistic soul but he's also been hurt and through a lot. He's probably feeling like he's great at turning into a metal behemoth and bringing the ruckus but not so much else in life this point in the story.

I'm kinda excited about Old Man Logan for a number of reasons and I think the series will ultimately really add to this one if it does or doesn't directly cross over a whole lot. Based on this teams work on Green Arrow and knowing the character Old Man Logan I think they'll do a bang up job there and it will have some kinda bleed over even if it's just Jeff really getting in to OML's head.

Anyway, I'll admit this could all end very badly. To be fair if it couldn't end badly for the X-Men they wouldn't be X-Men… With the speculation regarding Marvels plans involving licenses and marketing this time could be different I suppose but honestly, it seems short sighted if that were the case.

[superhsalf]

I dug this book and I'm kinda digging the whole Inhuman / X-Men thing. I guess time will tell if this is all the beginning of the end for the X-Men but I get the feeling that it's not.

As for what “sterilized” means, based on Jean's vision dialogue while in Storms mind I 100% interpret this as “no new mutants manifesting” and not “mutants can't make babies”. It also works as a metaphor, with the t-mists making mutants sick, the global attitude regarding mutants (and presumably some kinda conspiracy behind setting up Cyclops for doing something nasty against Inhumans which also pisses off lots of humans, which admittedly, isn't that hard for mutants to do.. ) degenerating severely. All against the fairly positive backdrop that was the end of #600, it must have been a pretty dramatic several months for all of the X-Men. Where, not too long ago, the future must have seemed pregnant with possibility at the moment of that gathering, where we are in Extraordinary #1 mutant kind must feel a kinda sterility…. But even without any of that symbolism I think they were just talking about no new mutants manifesting.

I think it's really important to remember that 16 months or so (we still don't really know how SW pans out, if it takes place in an instant or if it's a bigger gap in time ) but we know there were 8 months between 600 and SW and 8 months between SW and Extraordinary #1 so it's reasonable to assume there's a lot to catch up on. Maybe too much, it's hard to tell at this point. As has been noted, it's a first issue, there should be loads of hooks and reasons to pick up number two and there was. My concern is that there is so much left to fill in that the next year or more is going to continually feel more or less the same way.

Like many others have speculated I think Cyclops is probably being set up and that Beast may “always be an X-Man” but is working with the Inhumans as part of his redemption after the “trial” in 600.

I think most of the “inconsistencies” with Colossus and Magik are kinda blown out of proportion.

It seems to me that Magik was mostly saying “hey, it kinda sucked here too”. They lived on a soviet collective farm… they were poor… Even if they were happy, the level of poverty experienced by people on these farms is pretty notable, they had suffered. Even if dad eventually came around it's not like it's unthinkable that he had a bad initial reaction. If he came around this initial reaction reflects a closed minded environment more than his dad being rotten to the core. That he came around is testament to his character and the closeness of this family unit but that he did it in the first place points out that it wasn't some ultra enlightened place either. In short I don't think Magik was saying “this place was hell” (no pun intended) so much as “this place wasn't paradise”. When she said he was “no humanitarian” I think she was just kinda egging him on.

As for Colossus's whole brute complex I kinda took it this way; he's been through a lot, in the end he was alone on an abandoned (?) Russian farm for god knows how long, probably brooding about Kitty and any number of crummy things he's been through over the past several years. Yeah, he's a gentle artistic soul but he's also been hurt and through a lot. He's probably feeling like he's great at turning into a metal behemoth and bringing the ruckus but not so much else in life this point in the story.

I'm kinda excited about Old Man Logan for a number of reasons and I think the series will ultimately really add to this one if it does or doesn't directly cross over a whole lot. Based on this teams work on Green Arrow and knowing the character Old Man Logan I think they'll do a bang up job there and it will have some kinda bleed over even if it's just Jeff really getting in to OML's head.

Anyway, I'll admit this could all end very badly. To be fair if it couldn't end badly for the X-Men they wouldn't be X-Men… With the speculation regarding Marvels plans involving licenses and marketing this time could be different I suppose but honestly, it seems short sighted if that were the case.

Great post! I'm excited to see where this all goes, too.