Lemire's run on X-men, what do you think so far? Replace him?

[xhx23x]

I don't think Lemire is purposely trying to belittle mutants or the X-Men. It seems to me more of a problem of unnecessary repetition in his writing. He's attempting to establish just how bad things are for mutants right now, (which is not really anything new honestly) but he has already done this in the first arc, so further repeating the status quo feels like overkill. It's similar to the What Cyclops Did scenario. He's mentioning it without out further developing or revealing any new information, which is just redundant.

Yeah. That's a big problem that his story faces really. I feel for the most part, there's a lot more telling than showing and a lot of the telling is things we either can infer or already know do to the constant reminder. Every issue feels like we get less story in it. We get more character commentary on the story but very little in terms of progression.

Maybe this style will read better in trade?

[DDM]

Lemire's biggest issue is an obvious lack of knowledge regarding the franchise. Character response and motivation generally feels off to the point where it's jarring, nothing seems to gel well with established history and it becomes frustrating to long time fans. Just contrasting it to Bunn (an admitted X-Men superfan) and it's like night and day. One seems effortless and sincere, the other jumbled and confused.

Basically Lemire needs to read more trades and back issues. Presumably this would also be where a knowledgable editor should step in to help guide and inform the (struggling) writer but who knows what they really do these days.

[Tazpocalapse]

Which is why the book should be focused on them saving lives, and being heroes to the public, in spite of the hate. This should be Astonishing X-Men 2.0, with some X-Men Legacy mixed in. However it's random Amazing X-Men, which makes no sense narrative wise.

Also, it's hardly addressing the T-Mist, M-Pox, and Cyclops issues, or at least doing so in ways that progress nothing. It should just be Astonishing 2.0, being the antithesis to Magneto's UXM, and then we maybe could get a Cyke solo prequel that delves into the T-Mist, M-Pox, and what he did, and then eventually cross into current time, and what he's doing now in the shadows; maybe it could be the new X-Force, but with a 3-man roster, including Cyke, or something.

I'd have Lemire do that Cyke title, while someone like David/Carey/Whedon/Bunn/Wood does EXM.

The book is saddled with having to present the various crisis without giving to much away. That is why i believe the book really has just touched on some of the elements of those stories and has not addressed them in a way that moves the narrative forward.This book is basically assembling the pieces that will be necessary for those future stories right now. We also have to remember we are still early in the series and are getting things set up for bigger things.

[TooFlyToFail]

The book is saddled with having to present the various crisis without giving to much away. That is why i believe the book really has just touched on some of the elements of those stories and has not addressed them in a way that moves the narrative forward.This book is basically assembling the pieces that will be necessary for those future stories right now. We also have to remember we are still early in the series and are getting things set up for bigger things.

If that is the case, then it proves my case even more. Astonishing X-Men followed D-day, right? Just do that. Stick to simply saving mutants, and being heroes. Have it that they're trying to move past Cyke, and what he did, and focus on the future. Have it be optimistic, and perhaps idealistic, to be the light to UXM's darkness.

Would've been perfect to have Whedon/Wood/David/Carey do that book. With a name like "Extraordinary", you'd expect Astonishing 2.0, I think.

Lemire would've been much better suited doing a Cyke solo, or a Cyke centric book that happened to also be a small X-Force team book (like Cyke, Frenzy, and Bishop). He'd do amazing with it.

[xhx23x]

Basically Lemire needs to read more trades and back issues. Presumably this would also be where a knowledgable editor should step in to help guide and inform the (struggling) writer but who knows what they really do these days.

hahahahahahaha, Editors doing their job.

[AJpyro]

hahahahahahaha, Editors doing their job.

[Slicknickshady]

Chris Claremont for US President.

I voted for Hillary. But i would have voted for Claremont over her.

[Jean Grey]

I am... bored. I don't think its necessarily his fault though. Marvel/Bendis seemed to have placed the X-Men with a point A to Point Z kind of structure, and the person writing is literally just filling the colour inside the canvas. Like it can be seen nothing the current writers do is going to be big or massively interesting as they are literally just carrying from After Battleworld to Apocalypse Wars to Civil War 2 to Death of X. So like, there current writers are not creating anything new and Marvel/Bendis seem to still be calling the shots on anything of significance actually happening. Not to mention that this whole "what cyclops did" thing got boring after the 3rd issue.

[DDD]

But some writers can waste time and be entertaining. Claremont was saddled with some dumb mandates back in the days and did great, mostly. The Dire Wraith issues and SWII were still good.

[DDM]

Chris Claremont for US President.

Claremont's a libertarian. I love the man but no thanks.

[nnelg]

Fire him and bring on Chris Claremont.

Him as Chief Creative Officer over the X-men would be great.

[heiro5]

This week I finally got to read this run. I don't know... I like this team (Nightcrawler's been a bit of a bait and switch, so far), I would love to be digging this... But I didn't really care too much and had a lot of the experiences being reported in this thread -- repetition without enough movement on the Cyclops "mystery", meh adventures, and big problems we're being told about more than we are seeing dramatized.

The last issue I read was the first of the Apocalypse War arc. I actually found the cliffhanger the most compelling of the lot. I would like to know how this story resolves. I guess. But enough to pay for it when my pull list is already overburdened? I don't know that I do... It's a shame. Will I regret it if I drop this title? I imagine that I won't.

Lemire is even picking up the Magick and Dr Stange thread Bendis left hanging. I love that hook and would love to see stories about that relationship. But when I finally get some movement on tha front, it's ANAD Dr Strange and... I'm probably out.

Oh, well.

[AbnormallyNormal]

I actually do like his created character Sapna, she seems kind of interesting

Like people said she is kind of similar to Doug Ramsey but not quite since her power is more to communicate with like , well, just demons pretty much. And kind of not even communicate necessarily but just "relate to" them or have them obey her. Sort of just have an empathic bond with demons. Cool power in a way.

I still dont like Storm/Old Man Logan romance. That bugs me to be honest, since Old Man Logan isn't even the Wolverine Storm was attracted to. Besides... Forge exists.... so rude to him.

Overall just really hard to focus on anything about EXM other than the constant anti-mutant propaganda as voiced by Mr Sinister, those weird dimensional beings in the last issue, and others. That's just so blatantly offensive and over the top it blocks out the ability to care about almost anything else in this book

[akiresu_]

Replace. Dear god please.

I'd like to believe it's all building up to something better, but, damn, that doesn't excuse writing boring and irritating (Cyke's noodles) stories. If you'd have asked me a few months ago, I'd have said this was a problem with editorial. ANXM suffers from the same problems. I wasn't as blown away by the concept and first issue of UXM as everyone else seemed to be. Yet as Bunn has continued, he's managed to prove to me that, unless editors are being much more lenient with his book, the fault is with the writers.

In terms of EXM as the flagship, I think a part of my issue does come from Ramos' art. I don't have much of an issue with the art itself, but a flagship needs to build the sandbox for every other title to play with. The more cartoonish style doesn't build enough of a tangible world, for me it doesn't at least. Regardless, that is less of an issue when compared to Lemire's reluctance to show us anything of consequence. Bendis may have spent nearly 100 issues doing nothing, but at least his run pretended it was going to shake things up. Always promising to change the X-Men, to tear them apart or whatever to push comics. What's the strategy now? "Hey comic book fans never really liked meaningful arcs and character growth"? "Bendis sold well so 20 so issues of filler until Death of X should be a success"? I don't buy it. (no seriously editorial i'm stopping buying EXM).

[akiresu_]

I just realised I'm doing a lot of complaining with very little in way of providing a solution, so how's this:


We all get together and send Lemire a copy of the Morrisson Manifesto.

Heck, send a copy to everyone in the X-Office if they haven't already read it. That should be a part of required reading for anyone who wants to work on contemporary X-Comics. Not saying we need another Morrisson-like run, but the Manifesto shows a real understanding of the X-Men brand in a way that I don't think has been effectively utilised in quite some time.