Do the X-books have too many characters?

[InSovietRussia]

It seems that between the 500-something X-titles that come out every month, it's sorta hard to keep track of everyone, let alone give people character development. What would you say to a tighter focus on certain protagonists? (not Cyclops, he's awful :mad: )

[Pixie_Solanas]

rotflol. sure. I want a core group of Emma, Beast and Scott. Everyone else, piss off.

[InSovietRussia]

rotflol. sure. I want a core group of Emma, Beast and Scott. Everyone else, piss off.

I'd kill Scott and Emma, ship Beast off to head a science-based book with stuff like alternate universe/time travel, kill 90% of the new X-characters in a train accident, then keep the New Mutants team around as the main X-team. Oh, and X-Factor? I'd just sorta pretend that never existed. Especially Strong Guy.

[ZNOP]

It seems that between the 500-something X-titles that come out every month, it's sorta hard to keep track of everyone, let alone give people character development. What would you say to a tighter focus on certain protagonists? (not Cyclops, he's awful :mad: )

Wasn't that what "House of M/Decimation" was all about? Streamlining the mutant population as to make writing the "X-Men" more manageable?

[InSovietRussia]

Wasn't that what "House of M/Decimation" was all about? Streamlining the mutant population as to make writing the "X-Men" more manageable?

You'd think so, but given that the majority of the depowered mutants weren't X-book regulars but more bit players, my guess is that it's more about returning the X-Men to the status quo, where mutants are once again the persecuted minority, instead of having to come up with new stories in a world were mutants were a growing demographic.

[Personamanx]

Not really. There are enough X-Books out there to have almost all of them on one team or another. Yes not all X-Characters are being used consistently in an X-Book, but I think they very well could if no Character appeared in more than one book (Wolverine).

[Monty_Cristo]

no but they need some character. i suggest Shortpack.

[Prodigy55]

Not enough characters, frankly. How am I supposed to invent personalities for 1-panel superstars when there are no 1-panel superstars?

I miss Flat Stella.

[Pixie_Solanas]

Not enough characters, frankly. How am I supposed to invent personalities for 1-panel superstars when there are no 1-panel superstars?

I miss Flat Stella.

Flat Stella would have made a great pair of trousers.

[Monty_Cristo]

Flat Stella would have made a great pair of trousers.

she could join the Morlocks. they need pants.

[Prodigy55]

Flat Stella could buy and sell the X-Men three times over.

[Grunty]

It certainly feels like there is a oversaturation of X-men characters currently, especialy since now every small fly who kept his/her power is now supposed to be "important".

Let's just hope that an oversaturation of characters is not as bad as an oversaturation of products in an economy .

[The Black Guardian]

No. There aren't enough characters. The books are stagnant.

[ProfeZZor X]

They need to cut out all the ridiculous characters that have no worth, offering little to the books with an occasional line or two and back ground filler... Oh wait, that's Bobby.

[BrightestDay]

No. There aren't too many characters so much as there's not enough use being made of the ensemble. Currently, we have a few characters dominating the landscape and starring in more than one title. Meanwhile, other characters that can be just as fun/interesting and service the story just as well are left as wallpaper. I'd prefer an approach like what we had in the Lobdell/Nicieza era, where each title focuses on one squad. The books had a fantastic cohesion back then and a lot of different characters got panel time.

[Vincent America]

What they do need to do is stop overusing the overused characters (the core group), and start using the underused characters more (New X-men). That was it'll be a little more balanced.

[DeadXMan]

one team per book ( exluding X-force)
uncanny
Scott, Emma, pixie, James, bobby, Logan

AstoningX-men:
Beast, Clossus, Strom, Betsy, nightcwarler, X-23

adjectless
Rouge, gambit, Hellion, Rockslide, mercury, Loa

new mutants
add Armor and Anloe to the mix.

[podmark]

I'm ok with the current cast setup.

New Mutants and X-Force are running a standard cast situation, Legacy is a quasi-solo book and it works well in the current environment. Uncanny is the tricky one. I've only read bits and pieces but Fraction seems to struggle getting core characters like Iceman and Nightcrawler proper screen time while Cyclops and Emma flourish to the point that it's basically their solo Legacy style book. Oh yeah Astonishing kinda exists too - but really for the purposes of the core X-Men U it's irrelevant.

I like having lots of characters around and I've always felt it allows for the most story potential. But you need to have characters placed properly and strong sense of how everyone works within the whole. I'm not sure Fraction gets that. Mike Carey has a decent grasp of it I think. Still I wouldn't significantly change the current status quo. Plus if you change it you start running into logic errors like back when the X-Men 'quit' after Messiah Complex. You can't have defenseless mutants running around these days. You can't send Trance home because someone will come and try and kill her. Maybe after we knock off Bastion and the Purifiers.

[XaviersMisprint]

she could join the Morlocks. they need pants.

LOL CBR continuity reference. "The Morlocks didn't wear pants, that was just a mutant whos power was to look like pants. He got passed around a lot.

[witness]

Two things spring to mind on this. A few weeks ago I asked (in the X-questions thread) for a definitive list of the various teams and their rosters. No one could actually answer the question which I think says a lot.

The second thing that came to mind was the irony of the "Decimation" plotline. There are supposedly less mutants than ever (the fabled 198) but the sheer amount of different X-men has never actually been higher (and yet despite all these different characters, the focus has never been on so few).

Whether this is a good or bad thing is a matter of taste, personally I think we could do with a bit less Cyclops/Emma Frost/Rogue/Wolverine/X-23 and a bit more of the others but thats just my opinion.

[Kasper Cole]

The X-Books do not have too many characters. They just aren't being used properly. Avengers The Initiative has a MUCH larger cast of characters and everyone gets a little spotlight time every now and then.

[Jess C.H.]

I think the 616 in general has become so convoluted. I really wouldnt mind seeing some sort of reboot or reimagining of the MU with the cast of characters trimmed down significantly. And before anyone else says it. Yes, I know that is what the Ultimate line is exactly. I just think it could be done a little better. I know that is not realistic though, I am just induldging one of my own flights of fancy. So YES the X-books do have too many characters!

[Harold Sotomayor]

I think the 616 in general has become so convoluted. I really wouldnt mind seeing some sort of reboot or reimagining of the MU with the cast of characters trimmed down significantly. And before anyone else says it. Yes, I know that is what the Ultimate line is exactly. I just think it could be done a little better. I know that is not realistic though, I am just induldging one of my own flights of fancy. So YES the X-books do have too many characters!

If you have read Claremont's massive original run, or at least have a fairly good knowledge of it, I recommend giving X-Men Forever a try. Given its limited universe (just X-Men Forever, with rumors of New Mutants Forever) it is much easier to keep track of characters. Given that it takes place before (or rather, to replace) the Marvel Dark Ages (the *shudder* 90s), it is much less convoluted.

[rwsmith]

Well, I get the feeling that Second Coming will result in Jean coming back, but at the same time both Bishop and Cable will die. And probably a few other minor characters as well. Which would leave the core group pretty much intact.

So...here's how I would organize the titles to ensure diversity amongst the cast:

Astonishing X-men (Ellis and Jiminez/Finch)
Jean Grey
Beast
Storm
Wolverine
Armor
Magneto

Uncanny X-men (Kyle/Yost and Choi/Dodson)
Cyclops
Emma Frost
Nightcrawer
Colossus
Dazzler
Northstar
X-23
Angel (guest-spot)
Namor (guest-spot)
Xavier (guest-spot)

X-men Legacy (Carey and Bachalo/Ramos)
Rogue
Iceman
All of the New/Young X-men kids (Surge, Hellion, Anole, Pixie, etc.)

X-Force (Jason Aaron or Duane Swiercynski and Crain/Adam Kubert)
Wolverine
Domino
Warpath
Psylocke
Archangel
Elixir
Deadpool
Vanisher (transport)

New Mutants (Wells and ?)
Current cast plus Rahne

X-Factor (PAD and ?)
Current cast

That's my stab at making it work with so many characters. I couldn't find a place for Cloak and Dagger, so they'd have to go in my vision unfortunately.

[Monty_Cristo]

LOL CBR continuity reference. "The Morlocks didn't wear pants, that was just a mutant whos power was to look like pants. He got passed around a lot.

they should hire you as an X-Editor. :biggrin:

[TJKernan]

not too many characters, I just don't think they are properly utilizing what they have, especially in uncanny where there are so many faces and yet only scott, emma, and the science crew get sufficient face time.

there are fixes to this...

leave new mutants and X-factor alone, they have their own subset.

leave legacy to rogue and the younger cast.

I can't see all this dark Xmen lasting, so soon enough change them back to Freedom Force, giving home to Mystique, Dark Beast, Mimic, and add to them people like Avalanche and Dragoness, who constantly flop around Uncanny spouting one-liners. Hellion, Random, and Tempo can join also.

Uncanny can be Scott, Emma, Charles and the Science squad. This series can be the mutant politics and science stuff.

Make Astonishing X-Men at work. Magneto, Peter, Bobby, Northstar, Aurora, Armor. Off the island, fighting the mutant cause.

Keep X-Force team as is, mabye add Psylocke and Arclight, and send Wolfsbane back to
New Mutants. They are mutant wetworks.

Add new title, X-Caliber, adventurers off the island. International and based in old Australia haunt. Spotlight wasted Xmembers. Nightcrawler, Dazzler, Indian Thunderbird, Storm, Fixx, etc, etc...

Kill Cable. He is tired and dull.
Kill Bishop. I think a dramatic death would serve his convoluted mess of a life better now.
Leave Deadpool and Daken in their titles, they are good solo...

[Havok83]

Yes, but only in UXM. 100+ characters is WAY too much for one title. It ends up being the Scott/Emma show with random cameos

[Talisman]

LOL CBR continuity reference. "The Morlocks didn't wear pants, that was just a mutant whos power was to look like pants. He got passed around a lot.
I bet she hated it when one of them were perioding.