The X-Men are meant to be that next step in human evolution but this announcement, ‘X-MEN FROM THE ASHES’ is a step backwards.
It’s been a couple of weeks now, and the news we knew was coming has officially settled on many ears but going back to the panel at SXSW festival, I have to say I really cannot comment that I’m excited about what is to come.
That’s not to say I won’t give the new runs a shot, I absolutely will do, there are some incredible creative teams working on them, I just feel as a consumer of comics, as an X-Men fan, part of me feels like my favourite co-worker has handed in their notice at job I hate and I’m left counting down the days till they leave.
Let’s dial this back to March 14th March. On the panel we have Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and VP, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort joined by writer Jed Mackay ( AVENGERS, MOON KNIGHT, SPIDER-MAN, MAGIC..) and the absolutely ace Gail Simone (Clean Room, BATGIRL, WONDER WOMAN, BIRDS OF PREY, SUICIDE SQUAD, THE VARIANTS…) to introduce three new titles ‘X-MEN’ by Jed McKay & Ryan Stegman (VEMON, SPIDER-MAN,CARNAGE), ‘UNCANNY X-MEN’ by Gail Simone and David Marquez (STAR WARS, IRON HEART, DAREDEVIL, DOCTOR STRANGE, MILES MORALES) and ‘EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN’ by Eve Ewing (BLACK PANTHER, IRON HEART, MS MARVEL) and Carmen Carnero (SPIDER-MAN, MILES MORALES, CAPTAIN AMERICA, SUPERMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS). These are the books scheduled to usher in the post-Krakoa saga which is important because it marks a significant devolution in the X-Men narrative. It explores the mutants’ reintegration into society and the conclusion of the mutant dream offering readers new storylines in old perspectives. I can’t call it a development because I don’t really think it is, and here’s why.
It is safe to say Krakoa was a positive trip. Krakoa was supposed to be forever. Krakoa was an endless summer. Krakoa is, and was one of the dopest developments Marvel’s Merry Mutants have had since the 2000’s Ultimate X-Men days. Gifting X-Men readers with Krakoa, a living island and mutant being used as a sanctuary, allowing the mutants to have their own sovereign nation. This nation was overseen and governed by a roundtable council of mutants like Professor X, Magneto, Emma Frost, Storm, Apocalypse and other X-Men and their former villains. Mutants cohabitating. No longer surviving but living, thriving and looking f’ing good whilst doing it.
Starting in 2019 with “House of X” and “Powers of X” it was a series of interconnected series put together by one of the few comic book writers in the game right now who could handle something like this, Jonathan Hickman. Joining him were the likes of Vita Ayala (New Mutants), Al Ewing (X-Men Red), Kieron Gillen (Immortal X-Men) Benjamin Percy (Wolverine), Leah Williams (X-Factor), Tini Howard (Excalibur) and Gerry Duggan (X-Men). Some notable artists who worked on the series include Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, Leinil Francis Yu, Mahmud Asrar, and Russell Dauterman, among others. See what I’m talking about, one hell of a run. When it first dropped, I can say it felt like a lot of people were onboard and could get behind it. Excited to get front row seats at a first time viewing, all access premier to witness the X-Men on top of the world. Now I gas this up, massively, maybe more than what I should, but I can’t let the nostalgia get in the way of telling a good tale now can I? Seeing such scrupulous plans in motion you’d think this was cause for celebration however was a cause of strife for a certain amount of fans. You see, when people get used to seeing minorities or disenfranchised groups struggling to survive, fighting for their lives they get used to this. It becomes familiar. It allows people to retain a level of status or privilege that might not exist if the status quo has been flipped because as soon as you do their whole world shakes and their entire existence can be called into question. When you pop online and see the vitriol that the Krakoa era receives it is clear to me that people simply do not want minorities to thrive. Surviving is what they deserve at best. Minorities flipping the script and providing for the world without being exploited? Insert inauspicious thoughts here.
Now, I don’t think that this is a question of how good the storytelling was (it’s been superb) or if the X-Men were unable to have decent levels of conflict to make their stories seem interesting because fam if I was to say they found them, DUDE, THEY FOUND THEM! They found themselves in a position of power with the keys to immortality, in a pick up truck carrying cures to the world’s major diseases and illness (cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and more all readily available for the world for free) and still challenges came from racists, bigots and douchebags, backed by pharmaceutical companies and various world governments. Imagine being the people who have caused and perpetuated many of the global social, health, environmental and financial issues of the modern day, losing your shit and getting mad at a group of people who actually not only solutions but the good and ingredients to clean up your entire mess. IMAGINE!
It’s hard not to ignore the signs that this type of thinking and mentality indicate to how people can oppose the progression of minority groups because of physiological, economical, cultural, social reasons, I could go listing the reasons for ignorance and bigotry but stroll with me through some of the big, obvious ones:
Fear of Loss: Some individuals or groups may fear that the progress of minority groups will lead to a loss of their own power, status, or resources.
Prejudice and Stereotypes: Deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes against minority groups can lead to discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. These biases may be based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.
Political Exploitation: Some political leaders or groups may exploit fears and prejudices against minority groups for their own gain, using divisive rhetoric to rally support or deflect attention from other issues.
Zero-Sum Thinking: Some people may view societal progress as a zero-sum game, believing that the gains made by minority groups come at their own expense rather than recognising the potential for mutual benefit through greater inclusion and diversity.
Lack of Empathy and Understanding: Some individuals may simply lack empathy or understanding towards the experiences and challenges faced by minority groups. This can lead to apathy or hostility towards efforts to promote their progress.
If the X-Men are to be the “minority metaphor”, then seeing the mutants winning at life is a little too uncomfortable for them to deal with. I myself can only speak as a black person who knows prejudice all too well in its many forms and shapes. A lived experience of witnessing people unwilling to acknowledge or relinquish their privileges, squirming the thought of losing them or having to share. This greed forms around people’s opinions of the current X-Men run, calling back for the “good old days” of solid mutant oppression.
So, how is this going to look then? Well, the first book “X-Men” is written by Jed Mackay, art by Ryan Stegman and coloured by Michael Garcia. It sets a new course for the X-Men like Scott Summers returning to his home of Alaska. The team’s base is there and their role is to act as a global strike team using the last Cerebro unit for mutant affairs. As Jed Mackay says: “They’re looking to deal with problems that are arising around the world protecting those who can’t protect themselves. Diffuse situations that are difficult and ultimately dealing with a certain group who are perhaps challenging them on that, taking control of that legacy.”
The addition of Oya who’s gone through a name change to ‘Temper’. Honestly, stripping away her Nigerian heritage and giving her one which pushes her closer to the angry black woman stereotype is not the one here but we move, I guess. A little more thought could be put into the one of the few mutants of colour that have been selected on these new teams. The team’s guidance under Magneto, now dubbed ‘The Professor’ chilling on floating throne with others members of the squad including Kid Omega, Beast, Magik, Psylocke and The Juggernaut who seems to be down with ‘X’ as he has a huge one scratched onto his helmet which is pretty dope.
Next up, ’UNCANNY X-MEN’ by Gail Simone and David Marquez. Gene crossed lovers Rogue & Gambit in a southern gothic style set up, occupying a beat up, run down Louisianan house. Nightcrawler, Jubilee and Wolverine join the party giving a misfit, keep your distance atmosphere to the book, characters who have struggled with their identity, belonging and being an outsider, avenues that have been explored with these characters before but I faith that Simone is going to inject some terror into this, showing us a new path with a fiery team of roughnecks and bright sparks so it’ll be nice to see the contrasts in their personal philosophies and how that affects their approach to X-Mening (if that isn’t a verb then let’s make it one).
The big question is can their leaders get out of each other’s eyes, or out of each other’s way to manage the team? Should they actually get themselves organised they’ll do some good. Rogue is no stranger to leadership so if you want a taste of this before it drops peep the Mike Carey and Chris Bachelo run X-Men Volume One starting at issue 188. An insane run. Seriously good. Traumatic. Dramatic. Fantastic!
CB Cebulski says “I really feel like after five or six years of the X men all kind of being segregated on an island together and dealing mostly with other mutants, I want to see them back in the world interacting with real people good and bad, positive and negative”. I’m not seeing much new in this approach for the book apart from the “all new, never before seen psychological horror villain” and if you’ve read the Clean Room, if Gail Simone is bringing any of that energy to the book then me, an adult will be investing in a new nightlight (that shit was terrifying and so well written. The artwork was drawn with a bone pen dipped in nightmares fam, no joke. Read it if you can). And I will add if you flip the rock on the symbol upside down and you got your mutant symbol they’re introducing into the book. Seems to be a way of mutants communicating on the sly. Not gonna lie I’ve been throwing this up a lot since I saw this mentioned, it’s pretty cool- I like this.
Let’s whip over the Windy City for the third book. We have Eve. L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero playing with Kitty Pryde who we’re told has apparently “gone off war and done some things that in the light of day she is uncomfortable with and a bit scarred by” so she goes home and bunkers down with her PTSD. Along her road to recovery she finds herself mentoring some young, emerging mutants in a back room with minimal to no equipment. It’s a proper grassroots, back to basics danger room that feels pretty grounded and wholesome… until the woman in white turns up. Yes that’s right Emma Frost, she just can’t keep away and not be Kitty’s favourite headache. After some great moments together in the Marauders books (Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Stefano Caselli, Phil Noto) this odd couple are thrown together once again, this time Emma with her full bank account, resources and an old habit she just can’t seem to quit: turning into kids into soldiers. We’re also told that Uncanny X-Men #700, marks the official end of the Krakoa era and in that issue Jed and Gail’s epilogue spotlight Rogue and Gambit, setting up the characters’ futures, closing one X chapter and opening another. Worth noting more books are to come featuring solo stories from Storm, Phoenix, Wolverine and the return of teams X-Factor, X-Force and also the return on NYX.
So there you have it, a picture of things to come which I’m sure has sunk into the brains of the fans. I don’t want to come across as a hater, I’m not, I feel like we can criticise and discuss what we do and don’t like about changes coming to our favourite characters, we’re all grown ups here we can discuss art without fighting and getting catty but I want to cast your attention to something Tom Brevoort said “The dream of a mutation is finished. And like it or not, all of mutant kind now needs to reintegrate back into the world, a world that they’ve spent the last four or five years, telling that they were the new inheritors of the world and that humanity has new gods now, and, some people are not terribly on board with this.”
I think this is interesting for good and bad reasons.
The good, I’m curious to see how humans respond to the mutants as they have fallen from grace. We’ve seen them kick them when they’re up aint no chance they’ll miss an opportunity to elbow drop them when they’re down. Once again humans and mutant haters are in a cocky position of advantage, drop in a few eggs of resentment, a sprinkle of bitterness and you got yourself some good old fashioned vengeance pie to dice up and serve.
The bad, we’ve been here before. So much media exists where humans have the upper hand and mutants are constantly on the back-foot. I mean we have an X-Men 97 comic and TV show right? Both amazing! Both give us this status quo which a lot of people love and are familiar with as to the bounty of material and resources that can show us this perspective. The Krakoa era was something that was so different, daring and one of a kind. Why crush it, why wade so far into new and fresh territories and cut the trip short because part of you wishes for the familiar and beaten path. What happened to being explorers and continuing on the road not taken? I can’t help but think that maybe with the X-Men back in the Marvel Studios fold, there is a push to reset the comics back to the stage where new readers can have an entry point and old readers return to what they know. If so then Marvel’s need for consistency and uniformity may kill its ability for it to be daring and creative. Villains returning as villains, heroes returning as heroes, it was great seeing heroes and and their former punching bags and tormentors work side by side and negotiate and compromise. Most of the fun was seeing who was going to screw over whom first, quite often some of the so called heroes making some of the shittier choices over the villains, was really exciting and made for more character building. Now we’re back to a simple old line in the sand, everything looking black or white and not that grey pool we all seem to dip into everyday of our lives.
I will be checking out the new books for sure! There’s a new bunch of brilliant minds that have got together, worked hard to bring us something new and I want to give this a chance. I’ve been surprised many times in the past when presented with something I haven’t necessarily been keen for but gone along for the ride. Hey I can hold my hands up and say I may not have necessarily loved the destination but the journey provided entertainment. In the meantime the Krakoa age will still be there, it will still and always exists and so will the X-Men. In the meantime I’ll stick around and see what’s going on and what’s in store for these not so merry mutants.
