Clarice Ferguson - Blink Appreciation

[Star_Jammer]

She's pink! She's tattooed! She's alive again! She's also being featured in a new mutant-centric TV show, X-Men: Gifted!

Introducing the Blink Appreciation thread!

Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, Clarice Ferguson's first appearance was in X-Men #317 during the "Phalanx Covenant" X-Over. Shy, timid, and untrained in the use of her amazing powers, Clarice was a prisoner of the techno-organic alien race known as the Phalanx, who were attempting to assimilate mutant powers. A brave and powerful display of her abilities saved the lives of the future members of Generation X but, despite Banshee's equally brave effort, Clarice's own powers "killed her". Emma Frost coined Clarice's codename (Blink) in a short farewell after the ordeal.

Since then, Blink has been featured in a "What If...?" issue, the alternate reality of the Age of Apocalypse (which displayed the great potential the character has), her own 4-issue mini-series (AoA version), the Exiles (in which the AoA version of Blink led a team of alternate reality fixer-uppers), and has been revived by Selene in the 616 universe (resulting in a small bit of villainy)! Her short stint on New Mutants, however, left much to be desired.

AoA Blink will be returning in a new Exiles comic, written by Saladin Ahmed and initially drawn by Javier Rodríguez. We've been promised that (AoA) Blink's background will be explored.

Outside of comics, Blink featured in the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past, played by Chinese actor Fan Bingbing. Blink's reception was overall a positive, which likely led to her also being featured in the upcoming X-Men: Gifted TV show, played by Jamie Chung. Please note that Blink's real name is changed to "Clarice Fong" for the TV show.

Are you a Blink fan? Do you hope her popularity beyond X-Men: DoFP and X-Men: Gifted continues to rise? What sorts of things would you like to happen to Clarice, or see her do? Discuss them here!

[MrMcMuffin]

I've not read a lot of Blink but is her ethnicity ever adressed? It's just that Fan Bingbing looks GORGEOUS in DOFP and despite the fact they usually ignore the Fox marvel films I really want that look to make the transition to comics.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I'm not sure, I don't remember it coming up before, maybe that's why they gave her the pink skin...so that it wouldn't matter.

[Baby_Hater666]

Damn, you beat me to it. I was just about to make this thread.

AOA Blink needs to get in the 616 like, yesterday.

[MrMcMuffin]

Damn, you beat me to it. I was just about to make this thread.

AOA Blink needs to get in the 616 like, yesterday.

Yeah, you'd think that with The Dark Angel Saga, X-Treme X-Men and the Age of Apocalypse series that she'd at least make an appearance...

[Project Initiative Cascada]

I've not read a lot of Blink but is her ethnicity ever adressed? It's just that Fan Bingbing looks GORGEOUS in DOFP and despite the fact they usually ignore the Fox marvel films I really want that look to make the transition to comics.

Isn't she from the Bahamas? I know that is for Exiles/AoA Blink. (One of my favorite characters. Don't know much about the 616 Blink outside of Phalanx Covenant)

[Tomppa]

I was also thinking about starting a Blink appreciation thread since no one else seemed to care but great that someone does!

Regarding Blink's ethnicity I'm not sure. Her great great grandparents(?) were British I think. I assume that Clan Akkaba's destruction story where her teleporting great great grandfather(?) was the last surviving descendant of Big A took place in UK but wouldn't bet on it. AoA version I think was mentioned as having lived with her parents in Bahamas before moving to Miami but her ethnicity has never been commented on and her appearance makes it hard to tell. I'd be fine with them making her look like her DofP movie counterpart, it's a cool look.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Though there are people of all races under the British title so...not really a help per se...just wish that they'd give her an updated outfit...

[Tomppa]

Though there are people of all races under the British title so...not really a help per se...just wish that they'd give her an updated outfit...

You're right, I meant to say white British.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Ah, yeah the whole pink skin kind of keeps you guessing unless it was outright stated somewhere...has she shown a romantic interest in anyone...I can't remember.

[KurtW95]

I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I really liked 616 Blink in New Mutants.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

To me they changed her completely in that book, she was a complete 180 from the Blink that many here fell in love with in the first place imho.

[Star_Jammer]

To me they changed her completely in that book, she was a complete 180 from the Blink that many here fell in love with in the first place imho.

Eh. I fell in love with the general character during AoA. Which is to say, *not* the 616 Blink (as I really couldn't).

So, her personality after resurrection was really up in the air. However, she started off villainous (Selene), then semi-depressed (immediately after Necrosha), then semi-baddass-ish (early in her New Mutants stint), then she was...pill-poppin' happy-go-lucky?!

The latter is fine, as there are characters like that that I enjoy, but I would've liked to seen the growth. I can't expect her to be just like AoA/Exiles Blink, and I don't fully want her to be like that (just in power usage). She was literally gone for 2 or 3 issues, and then came back totally different.

What I'd also like to see if the transition in the use of her powers. She blinked herself out of existence in Phalanx Covenant mainly because she didn't fully understand her powers. She comes back under Selene, showing a finer control...but how? Her control seemed even more fine-tuned in New Mutants. I'm not saying regress her all the way back to "newborn mutant", but some scenes of a teleportation slip-up, or her discovering some new aspect would be nice...instead of her going from 0 to 60 in 6 seconds.

All that really totally depends on her being used, first and foremost, and then the general purpose of whatever book it is that may use her.

[MrMcMuffin]

All that really totally depends on her being used, first and foremost, and then the general purpose of whatever book it is that may use her.

The worst part about watching the DOFP trailers is that half the characters I'm excited to see (Blink, Warpath, Bishop and to an extent Rogue) are nowhere to be seen currently in the comics. And Blink is probably the least likely to turn up any time soon

[Star_Jammer]

The worst part about watching the DOFP trailers is that half the characters I'm excited to see (Blink, Warpath, Bishop and to an extent Rogue) are nowhere to be seen currently in the comics. And Blink is probably the least likely to turn up any time soon

Yeah. I'm happy *and* sad at the same time. LOL