Spirituality & the Power of Myth in X-Books

[Ricochet Rita]

This thread is a big challenge… There are favorite characters, and there are characters you connect with –and may not be the same ones. Plus, the passing of time brings changes. Nevertheless, I will try to post a brief approach to the subject.

I went first into X-Multiverse through The New Mutants, and Wolfsbane was my election because of her low self-steem and her paradoxical strength: this combination seemed great to me. I think David did a good job with her later, in X-Factor: her development was maybe sad, but likely.

Then I started to read more UXM and my preference went quickly to both Nightcrawler and Rogue. But, funny thing, now I think my connection was always stronger with Shadowcat (another of my very favs). The reason is very common, I guess: Kitty is a character many people can identify with, since (apart from her IQ) she’s an average girl. I love her because she’s not good-looking, because she needs to wear glasses, because her parents divorced but she still had a home, because she’s terribly insecure but she keeps on fighting her embarrassment, because she’s got so much strong and kind pushes inside her –and such a bad humor XD ! Because she’s become not just a heroine, but a woman, and I’ve been watching her while she was growing up: her first romances, her fears, her hard learning of life. Readers like me grew through her, and I suppose that was Claremont’s open intention (it’s an old and excellent literary device).



So Kitty is in some way my spiritual companion. Kurt & Rogue is another thing: they are the way I would like to be, for different reasons. Kurt is kinda the whole person I admire, the one I tend to be: honest, trusted, aware, sensitive, brave, but funny and cheerful at the same time. I revere his spirit of joy, perseverance and no resentment…specially because he occasionally lose them, which means that he’s human.



As for Rogue (I’m referring to old Rogue, before she went through the Siege Perilous), she was simply so funny! I loved her madness, her lack of inhibition, her manners, her way of make light of all that X-drama…in spite of that her own drama was tremendous! She was refreshing and insane, something I will never be able to be, but I very much fantasize with.

[From The Shadows]

This thread is adorable.

I guess "spiritually" I could relate to most X-Men at some point - Kurt, Rogue, Logan, Ororo, Scott, Kitty and Bobby.

To narrow it down...

Like Rita I really identify with Kitty for similar reasons ... like Kitty I had to grow up quickly and be more responsible and reasonable than most kids but still could have a temper. I also look similar to her.

Kurt's "human journey" is more of a message that I admire but I'm not really much like in life.

[Cold Water]

Like, Chia Head, I admire a lot of characters, but I'm not sure I COMPLETELY relate to any one single X-character.
I relate to pieces of them.

[Ricochet Rita]

I left the best for last.

As someone said before, this thread is becoming kinda “Who X-character do you identify with the most?”, and that’s great, but Sungila entitled it “Spirituality & the power of myth in X-books”. Well, I’ve already explained why I like characters as Shadowcat, Nightcrawler or Rogue. But there is one more I love not only because he’s handsome, or because I sympathize him, or because I learned about me and the world through him. There’s something more, something spiritual, something mythical that touches a nerve in me. It’s hard to explain, specially to those who haven’t read his former miniseries, but I will try by posting the reflection I made in his own Appreciation Thread.

BTW, I would very much appreciate any contribution to this odd idea of mine.

I've got a theory about Longshot and I'd like to summarize it here. I call it "The Pure Heart Terrorist", and I hope it will not seem too academicist nor confusing due to my poor English :P .

I believe there is a fictional stock character, an stereotype typical from The West (although it could be found too in eastern figures as the "sacred fool"), who is defined by its very raw traits: full-kindness in a not-trained-at-all spirit. It spans from the "noble savage" of the Age of Enlightenment and Rousseau to the dumb-and-sincere (but finally winner) brother in many tales of Grimm. They are born without original sin, and therefore without science...and they are always males (when they're females, this stereotype changes significantly to a more mystical and wiser figure, e.g.: Momo).

But I think that in USA this stock character has been developed to his extreme, probably because of the more closeness to naivety and optimism of this young and enterprising country (and I hope I'm not offending anyone). There are plenty of examples in fiction of this "honest man", this "John Doe" if you wish: Edward Scissorhands, Forrest Gump, Harpo Marx, the keatonian Sam of 'Benny & Joon', Midnight Cowboy...and Longshot.

All of them are characterized more by their ingenuosness than by their innocence, but they turn out to be deadly: they're embarrasing as children because of their inconvenient questions and actions, always on the right track to truth, which finally makes the fragile surface of civilization blow to pieces. That's what's great about them, and why I call them "terrorists" in some way (or anarchists, if you wish).

It’s funny, by the way, that most of them has got a strong sexual charm.

To be continued...
(For more info, you could read the brief essay by Julio Cortazar "How to reach Lezama Lima", in "Around the day in eighty worlds")

[sungila]

77634a5cf5f59a116207904bd75b4113.jpg

Oh thank [B]RR[/B], from your all-direction, interdimensional allness to this never-evering now – I am so glad that you have come and shared.

Thank you Chia for kindly putting up with such a sungila-ishy sentimental sort of thread and sharing how the x-men cast has changed its perspective with you as you’ve changed over the years.

Thank you Cold Water for posting what you’ve shared with me before. Alas, if Violet was an X-Man maybe there could be a one and only. The Rat Queens should do an Excalibur crossover…then we could have a singular Cold Water in the E 616!

I am a bit clumsy…more of a regular fool than a graceful fool like Longshot, yet never-the-less, your posts are thoughtful and inspiring so please forgive me as stumble through with my gratitude and accept my apologies if I misstep through these responses.

I’m attempting to weave all the responses together but it’ll take more time and thought to speak to RR’s detailed and very very interesting Longshot as the Sacred Fool discussion…but I totally dig the idea and I find it fascinating! Considering the X-Men as mythological archetypes is very much part of what I was hoping to discuss here and something the X-creators (especially CC) have very much endeavored to accomplish.

From RR, Chia and CW, I take it that X-charcters can work sorta like a soundtrack for our lives. Different songs for different moods…different albums for different years…some to dance to, some to drive with, some to share and some to sing along to…but what about the song that sings from within and reverberates in near echo on the panel? I have a soundtrack of many songs…but just one song inside…a blue fuzzy hum with a prehensile tail.

It was Cold Water (hope it’s okay I mention this) who first described the New Mutants as a team of characters that felt like every member could be a representation of the many aspects of our unrealized youthful selves. So the team embodied the many extremes of emotion, the many different skins and seasonal wardrobes we wore out and wore into our growing spirit.

Truly, I was young to be reading the X-Men and when the NM came along a whole deeper intimate connection was made. But the idea of the team being the embodiment of the singular self and that these characters importance can change with us as we change over time may hold true for most – and isn’t just true with the NM but perhaps with any well-developed team in X-books.

It hasn’t been my experience…but I do get it. I have been drawn to different characters over time – but never altered from feeling ‘my’ experience with these characters has been from any other perspective then the one where I found myself, and my fit…without ever planning it or thinking it…the ‘I’ that anchors me in X-books has always been Kurt (and Illyana)…but really, deep down, just Kurt. Sure I grow and change…but always with that connection intact. So I witness and share in the story of the rest of the cast, I learn from them, I feel for them, but not from within do I experience their story…not like I do with Kurt.

@RR - The progression of Rahne to Kurt to Rogue to Kitty and how your preference for these characters changed over the years makes me wonder – is it the you that you were that changed or your perception of the you that you were who has changed? What I mean is…could it be that Kitty was the one all along that was resonating with you most intimately but perhaps you were unaware or even resisting it? I am thinking there may be a difference between the hero that we’d want or need – and the hero/ine that we ARE…ja? Or maybe that’s a misstep…

@Chia I actually think it's important that the connection you share with Kitty is in part the fact that you two look similar. There are soooo many heroines out there...so many throughout time and mediums...but we're all X-fans and - call me a fool, but I feel like there's something special about finding ourselves...or that connection with our inner selves in x-books... I also really appreciate that you are able to see the difference between how a charcter like Kurt can embody a way of being that you admire and find attractive but may not be one that truly 'fits' who you yourself are. So Kitty and Kurt being best friends makes sense...(Kurt is a friend and maybe even an elder role model to the Kitty in you)...yes, I have already accepted that I may be a fool...but it's still a pretty neat idea, right?


@Cold Water I know that there is more to this post than you may have time to share right now...and I appreciate you posting. You have written to me in a very profound way about the New Mutants and how the 'team' resonates with you...and you inspired me to re-read those books in a way that was like medicine to the inner child...(plus it really made me 'deal' with Illyana's importance to me and solidify that bond). Thank you

For me, as a kid, I had no idea I was reading books through Nightcrawler…I had no idea he was where I was…I liked ‘em all! And when I actually read the books it's never intentional that I end up right back there with Kurt. I do know that without him...I'm just reading stories...with him...I experience them.

And the intimacy that I felt for Illyana actually made me uncomfortable…but it seems that the more I fought it, the more Illyana penetrated my consciousness…and now, her story is a powerful knowing pathway for me, an inward spiraling river that courses with crosscurrents.

(oh, see how I just go on and on…out of respect to everybody I will try breaking up these scrolling posts)

[sungila]

I left the best for last.

As someone said before, this thread is becoming kinda “Who X-character do you identify with the most?”, and that’s great, but Sungila entitled it “Spirituality & the power of myth in X-books”. Well, I’ve already explained why I like characters as Shadowcat, Nightcrawler or Rogue. But there is one more I love not only because he’s handsome, or because I sympathize him, or because I learned about me and the world through him. There’s something more, something spiritual, something mythical that touches a nerve in me. It’s hard to explain, specially to those who haven’t read his former miniseries, but I will try by posting the reflection I made in his own Appreciation Thread.

BTW, I would very much appreciate any contribution to this odd idea of mine.

I've got a theory about Longshot and I'd like to summarize it here. I call it "The Pure Heart Terrorist", and I hope it will not seem too academicist nor confusing due to my poor English :P .

I believe there is a fictional stock character, an stereotype typical from The West (although it could be found too in eastern figures as the "sacred fool"), who is defined by its very raw traits: full-kindness in a not-trained-at-all spirit. It spans from the "noble savage" of the Age of Enlightenment and Rousseau to the dumb-and-sincere (but finally winner) brother in many tales of Grimm. They are born without original sin, and therefore without science...and they are always males (when they're females, this stereotype changes significantly to a more mystical and wiser figure, e.g.: Momo).

But I think that in USA this stock character has been developed to his extreme, probably because of the more closeness to naivety and optimism of this young and enterprising country (and I hope I'm not offending anyone). There are plenty of examples in fiction of this "honest man", this "John Doe" if you wish: Edward Scissorhands, Forrest Gump, Harpo Marx, Midnight Cowboy...and Longshot.

All of them are characterized more by their ingenuousness than by their innocence, but they turn out to be deadly: they're embarrassing as children because of their inconvenient questions and actions, always on the right track to truth, which finally makes the fragile surface of civilization blow to pieces. That's what's great about them, and why I call them "terrorists" in some way (or anarchists, if you wish).

It’s funny, by the way, that most of them has got a strong sexual charm.

To be continued...
(For more info, you could read the brief essay by Julio Cortazar "How to reach Lezama Lima", in "Around the day in eighty worlds")

I'd say there is definitely a strong sexual charm to the tempered innocence and humble courage of the Pure Heart Terroist. That's sooo much who Longshot is to me. That's why his Ultimate alternate self was the best thing about Ultimate X-Men...I don't know if the creators even knew what they had stumbled upon - or if they just got lucky but to portray Longshot as a darker-edged freedom mercenary (who in action exudes the same sort of crazy benevolence that is fated to catalyze growth) was genius!

The original Longshot, he was a blonde and dashing handsome Zen Master Fool..(in Zen they say the wisest are those who retain the beginner's mind...who to sit...means, just sitting...and who never retain knowledge...never attain anything...who are but the hollow bone of the song moving through them). How often the true story of these fools is laden with sadness and isolation...for I fear the fate of any Longshot is to be a person 'without' what all others have...and that 'without' is a sanctuary for all those in need.

The hero we got to know prior to his inner conflict which began with the demon possession in Inferno and worsened to him leaving the team, questing into Gateway's dreamtime after the missing 'pieces of himself' was the true sense of the sacred fool. Oh it breaks my heart(s) to think of his loss and sensing that shadowy despair of self-doubt and fear that manifested into his obsession 'to know' all the memory that he had not had. That memory, that knowing doesn't even exist...it never was...and the search for it became the poisoning of his 'spirit' - that hero becomes a ghost...a vapor..and it was his lack of faith in himself (which in a way was the first 'faith' he ever had) that 'ghosted' him into a haunting desire to 'know' when the 'not knowing' was the essence of his strength and the quest a fall without a bottom.

Love could have been that bottom...Dazzler could have been that net...but we never got that Longshot back...not really...for no matter how many times he becomes an amnesiac - the only way through this conundrum now is to let it go...and to do the hardest thing - to do what Whitman says...to hit the open road..."henceforth I ask not good fortune...I myself am good fortune" - To start the long walk of forgetting...of getting lost...and going and going until you are no longer lost because there is no lost...there is no place, no now, nothing to know...but here, this, the moment.

I am really looking forward to reading more from you about this RR.

Do you think that LOVE was the thing - the first blow - that feeling of wanting to be what both Rogue and Dazzler wished him to be - and being it meant hurting somebody...living in the world means hurting somebody...
Is that why so many sacred fools take to the mountain mists and spend so much time alone?

Here is a modern day sacred fool favorite of mine...he died about five years ago but he was a remarkable Longshot poet and man...Nanao Sakaki

Break the Mirror

In the morning
After taking cold shower
---what a mistake---
I look at the mirror.

There, a funny guy,
Grey hair, white beard, wrinkled skin,
---what a pity---
Poor, dirty, old man,
He is not me, absolutely not.

Land and life
Fishing in the ocean
Sleeping in the desert with stars
Building a shelter in the mountains
Farming the ancient way
Singing with coyotes
Singing against nuclear war--
I'll never be tired of life.
Now I'm seventeen years old,
Very charming young man.

I sit quietly in lotus position,
Meditating, meditating for nothing.
Suddenly a voice comes to me:
"To stay young,
To save the world,
Break the mirror."

nanao.jpg

When Nanao was diagnosed with the Alzheimer's Disease that would eventually carry him through to the star path he was told that his condition would lead to memory loss he smiled and said "good"

[sungila]

This thread is adorable.

i believe this thread thinks you're adorable too Chia

[TheMutantJinx]

I've got a few X-Characters that I connect with spiritually. There's the somewhat more obvious ones--Kurt, Rogue, and Jean, among others--but the one I'd like to talk about now is actually Laura Kinney.

I don't really know what it is about Laura that first drew me to her. Perhaps part of it was the fact that, even though she was Logan's clone, she never really was just a gender-flipped version of him. I think it mostly stems from the struggles she faces.

Laura has a strong sense of duty within her, something that tells her she has to have a mission at all times or she's nothing. I know some of that feeling, as I often struggle with not knowing what to do. Much like Laura, when I don't know what to do, I tend to turn to authority figures for instruction. This isn't necessarily an admirable quality, but it is one that I possess (alongside my independence and love of being a leader, oddly enough).

She also struggles to find her place in the world. She's not sure where she belongs at any point. Does she belong with her friends in New York? Does she belong with the X-Men? Does she belong in Logan's care? Does she belong with the Avengers Academy? Sometimes she isn't even sure if she has a soul that could belong somewhere in the afterlife. I know what it's like to be a perpetual outsider. People welcome you, do their best to make you feel secure, but something just doesn't quite fit, no matter how much you want it to. You may not really know what it is.

I've felt like Laura at several points in my life. Not knowing where to turn, not knowing who wants me, sometimes not feeling truly welcome in my own home. But I think that through her, I've always been able to find a way out. If she always has someone who's willing to stick up for her and care for her, even if she thinks she doesn't deserve it, then so do I.

[sungila]

I’ve hardly read any of her story, and yet, Laura has such a captivating panel presence that I’ve read her character bios, issue summaries and looked through her surprisingly huge appearance credits contemplating where to begin.
Amazingly I was nearly about to order NYX and her solo TPB collections before reading your post (I think Avenger’s Academy is what made me yet again second guess myself). Without knowing her story first hand it’s hard to look past the violence and make that leap of faith that I ‘feel’ is there. (I had this same problem before really getting to know Kurt Darkholme).
Maybe you could suggest a good place to begin Jinx. Your post reveals the Laura that has always been so captivating to me.
You describe the contradictions of the artist/outsider really well and it hits close to home with me. All the mixed messages of wanting a mission and direction but fiercely rebelling against any control…longing for somebody to trust and invest faith in – but guarding that possibility with claws out…searching and searching for a place to call home but never feeling like anything more than a guest – every intimacy feels like a prison cell and every touch feels both like a rescue and a threat.
No, that elusive ‘it’ that could break down the shield and unlock those prison walls isn’t something easily ‘grasped’ , ‘explained’ or accepted. The release becomes the mission, the knife’s edge path that quiets all the frightening unknowns that haunt the calm when there’s no immediate threat…that calm, becomes the most threatening place to be…that wide open freedom, ironically feels like the most isolating place in the world.
So when the ‘enemy’ and the ‘evil’ is real – there’s no fear and no indecision only action and the expression of all the anger, frustration and desperation that Laura (or the poet) must feel.
I knew there was a reason Laura holds such a draw for me – even in the few instances I have ‘known’ her. Here’s is the reason why in such a short time so many creator’s have taken to her…here is the reason her fans are so dedicated and loyal.
Again, it’s not the powerset that makes these relationships between the character in the book and the person experiencing the living story beyond the pages…it’s something far more intimate and nearly unexplainable.
I truly think the connection is almost immediate…there’s just this natural fit…and even if it’s not immediately known – sometimes it’s these sort of connections that are most easily overlooked or taken for granted…they happen underneath our awareness and sort of creep around our thoughts – permeating and getting into our emotional selves without direct choosing. It can mean a lot to come out and ‘choose’.
With so few words that’s essentially what you’ve done here Jinx (which is really why this thread has become so rewarding). Like the poet you are, you’ve given voice to something not easily put into words…you’ve made that choice.
I don’t know if all that makes sense…but that’s how I take it and now I feel like I know Laura a lot better…that I can let down my own guards when I read her story and trust the initial pull of her presence.
Thank you Jinx.

I've got a few X-Characters that I connect with spiritually. There's the somewhat more obvious ones--Kurt, Rogue, and Jean, among others--but the one I'd like to talk about now is actually Laura Kinney.

I don't really know what it is about Laura that first drew me to her. Perhaps part of it was the fact that, even though she was Logan's clone, she never really was just a gender-flipped version of him. I think it mostly stems from the struggles she faces.

Laura has a strong sense of duty within her, something that tells her she has to have a mission at all times or she's nothing. I know some of that feeling, as I often struggle with not knowing what to do. Much like Laura, when I don't know what to do, I tend to turn to authority figures for instruction. This isn't necessarily an admirable quality, but it is one that I possess (alongside my independence and love of being a leader, oddly enough).

She also struggles to find her place in the world. She's not sure where she belongs at any point. Does she belong with her friends in New York? Does she belong with the X-Men? Does she belong in Logan's care? Does she belong with the Avengers Academy? Sometimes she isn't even sure if she has a soul that could belong somewhere in the afterlife. I know what it's like to be a perpetual outsider. People welcome you, do their best to make you feel secure, but something just doesn't quite fit, no matter how much you want it to. You may not really know what it is.

I've felt like Laura at several points in my life. Not knowing where to turn, not knowing who wants me, sometimes not feeling truly welcome in my own home. But I think that through her, I've always been able to find a way out. If she always has someone who's willing to stick up for her and care for her, even if she thinks she doesn't deserve it, then so do I.

X-23ContractionsInstances1.jpg

[Ambaryerno]

I’ve hardly read any of her story, and yet, Laura has such a captivating panel presence that I’ve read her character bios, issue summaries and looked through her surprisingly huge appearance credits contemplating where to begin.
Amazingly I was nearly about to order NYX and her solo TPB collections before reading your post (I think Avenger’s Academy is what made me yet again second guess myself). Without knowing her story first hand it’s hard to look past the violence and make that leap of faith that I ‘feel’ is there. (I had this same problem before really getting to know Kurt Darkholme).
Maybe you could suggest a good place to begin Jinx. Your post reveals the Laura that has always been so captivating to me.
You describe the contradictions of the artist/outsider really well and it hits close to home with me. All the mixed messages of wanting a mission and direction but fiercely rebelling against any control…longing for somebody to trust and invest faith in – but guarding that possibility with claws out…searching and searching for a place to call home but never feeling like anything more than a guest – every intimacy feels like a prison cell and every touch feels both like a rescue and a threat.
No, that elusive ‘it’ that could break down the shield and unlock those prison walls isn’t something easily ‘grasped’ , ‘explained’ or accepted. The release becomes the mission, the knife’s edge path that quiets all the frightening unknowns that haunt the calm when there’s no immediate threat…that calm, becomes the most threatening place to be…that wide open freedom, ironically feels like the most isolating place in the world.
So when the ‘enemy’ and the ‘evil’ is real – there’s no fear and no indecision only action and the expression of all the anger, frustration and desperation that Laura (or the poet) must feel.
I knew there was a reason Laura holds such a draw for me – even in the few instances I have ‘known’ her. Here’s is the reason why in such a short time so many creator’s have taken to her…here is the reason her fans are so dedicated and loyal.
Again, it’s not the powerset that makes these relationships between the character in the book and the person experiencing the living story beyond the pages…it’s something far more intimate and nearly unexplainable.
I truly think the connection is almost immediate…there’s just this natural fit…and even if it’s not immediately known – sometimes it’s these sort of connections that are most easily overlooked or taken for granted…they happen underneath our awareness and sort of creep around our thoughts – permeating and getting into our emotional selves without direct choosing. It can mean a lot to come out and ‘choose’.
With so few words that’s essentially what you’ve done here Jinx (which is really why this thread has become so rewarding). Like the poet you are, you’ve given voice to something not easily put into words…you’ve made that choice.
I don’t know if all that makes sense…but that’s how I take it and now I feel like I know Laura a lot better…that I can let down my own guards when I read her story and trust the initial pull of her presence.
Thank you Jinx.



X-23ContractionsInstances1.jpg

I would without question start with Innocence Lost. It's an interesting twist on the genre because the story is less Laura's than it is Sarah's, but still has a tremendous impact on just who Laura is as a person. It's at times painful to read because you're realizing that all these horrific things are being done to girl who has no means of understanding why she's being hurt this way, and that just makes it more heartbreaking at the end.

[TheMutantJinx]

I would without question start with Innocence Lost. It's an interesting twist on the genre because the story is less Laura's than it is Sarah's, but still has a tremendous impact on just who Laura is as a person. It's at times painful to read because you're realizing that all these horrific things are being done to girl who has no means of understanding why she's being hurt this way, and that just makes it more heartbreaking at the end.

Yes, I would absolutely start with "Innocence Lost." That's where I started when I first got interested in the character. It's definitely a crucial part of her story and really helps readers understand her, I think.

[sungila]

I would without question start with Innocence Lost. It's an interesting twist on the genre because the story is less Laura's than it is Sarah's, but still has a tremendous impact on just who Laura is as a person. It's at times painful to read because you're realizing that all these horrific things are being done to girl who has no means of understanding why she's being hurt this way, and that just makes it more heartbreaking at the end.

Yes, I would absolutely start with "Innocence Lost." That's where I started when I first got interested in the character. It's definitely a crucial part of her story and really helps readers understand her, I think.

I will have to leave my unhealthy grudge against KyYost for what they've done with 'Amazing' - behind me -
If i'm ever truly going to get to know Laura perhaps I should quit reading that title and focus on the good stuff KyYost did with her. It's not so hard to do. I've enjoyed their work before - and my expectations were perhaps too high.
Innocence Lost looks like a great place to start.
Thank you for the suggestion.

[sungila]

WOW! X-23 trades are super expensive and it looks like the back issues aren't easily tracked down
I will have to put Laura's story on the back burner and keep an eye out for deals...

[Ambaryerno]

WOW! X-23 trades are super expensive and it looks like the back issues aren't easily tracked down
I will have to put Laura's story on the back burner and keep an eye out for deals...

Yeah, it took me about two months to find a TPB of Childhood's End vol. 2 that was less than $50.

[TheMutantJinx]

Yeah, it took me about two months to find a TPB of Childhood's End vol. 2 that was less than $50.

Really? Wow. I got "Innocence Lost" for about $15 when I bought it. But that was a few years ago, so perhaps things have changed since then.