The X-Books Canon #8: Quinnhop

[Seresecros]

For too long CBR has stood still and refused to catalogue the brightest and bestest of X-Men comics. FOR TOO LONG THEY HAVE REFUSED TO CONGRATULATE! Well, now it's time for us to stand together and decide upon the very best of the best, when it comes to comic books featuring comic-book characters THE X-MEN.

Each month we're going to see our noble & empowered X-POSTER OF THE MONTH decide upon a single issue of any X-Men series, miniseries, one-shot or tie-in which they think is worthy of inclusion into The X-Books Canon. These books will be the most enjoyable; the most brilliant; a kick in the imagination for anyone who reads them. There will be no greater accolade for a comic book than inclusion into The Canon.

While the XPOTM gets to choose the issue, ultimately it will be your vote which decides if the issue is Canon-Worthy or not. After I post their submission, it will be your job to discuss the issue and ultimately vote Yes or No to adding it to our Canon. If the Yes vote wins, the comic will be entered into our Canon. Simple as that.

**The voting period is only open for 10 days**

2011 saw Quinnhop win X-Poster of the Month, which means he gets the honour of sitting before the The X-Books Canon cannon, as Agent_Torpor and Aguja, The Big G, fortyseven, Valeria Kementari, Deus Ex Chris and Prodigy55 before him. So far everybody has been successful. Will that continue? Let's see which book he chose!

[Seresecros]

X-Statix #22

Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Mike Allred

Media: What do you say to the Avengers’ latest criticism of X-Statix? In an interview with the Herald Tribune, Captain America suggested you were irresponsible.

Mister Sensitive: Captain America is entitled to his own opinion.

Media: He went on to say that Doop could be a possible terrorist target… And maybe we should ask ourselves whether we’re happy having such a potentially dangerous creature in the hands of a bunch of celebrity mutants.

Mister Sensitive: X-Statix are very aware of the potential dangers should Doop fall into the wrong hands. I assure you…we have no intention of letting that happen. Next question.

- X-Statix #21: The Good and the Famous, Part I

AKA X-Statix vs Avengers!

I’ve spent the last few weeks reading the X-Statix Omnibus. I quickly came to appreciate X-Statix for its simultaneous belonging to and criticism of the super-hero genre, particularly in regards to the “X” brand itself. Assuming the postmodern holography of Morrison’s New X-Men and anchored in the mod-revivalist aesthetic of Allred and Cooke’s art, X-Statix ran the gamut from Lee/Kirby pop to Claremontian pomp without ever sacrificing cultural relevance. Reality television, histrionic youth, racial identity and prejudice, international affairs and foreign policy, X-Statix followed the expansion of iSelf (commodified identity) consumerism and its implications across the globe. Eventually, and coincidently toward the very end of the series, this self-conscious revolution would have to confront the guardians of orthodoxy—of TPTB.

Enter: The Avengers

In a layered commentary on sexuality, politics, and the general division between the way things are and the way things could be, Vivisector is reminded of the cold hard truth that, at the end of the day, progress is dependent upon consensus. And consensus is public. Consensus is allotted. Consensus is assertion. Progress, though, is the seed of receptivity—of possibility—and not of establishment. The way things are is a 1; the way things could be is a 0. And 1 is always considered more real than 0. Peace—agreement—shared purpose is dependent upon two 0s. The second one of those 0s is better off as a 1, the possibilities of the 00 are negated by the prioritization of the 1.

Hawkeye: I’ve got it! Hawkeye accomplishes his mission!

Vivisector: You mean…we… Vivisector and Hawkeye…

Hawkeye: Ah, right. Thanks for your help, Myles. I’d have never got Doop’s brain without you. And I’m real sorry we can’t be a team after all. Guess I still got stuff to do with The Avengers! No hard feelings?

Vivisector: No hard feelings, Hawkeye. It would never have worked out with us anyhow… You’re way too smart for me.

- X-Statix #23: The Good and the Famous, Part III

Gay is until it isn’t. Teams are until they aren’t. Peace is until it isn’t. So you’re either the one hoping for is, or the one ensuring it isn’t. At the end of the day, you’re either progressive or conservative. You’re either selfishly eager for or selfishly closed of from the possible. One’s just a hell of a lot easier in a world that favors status quo.

I’ve quoted from issues #21 and #23 but my entry for X-Canon is ultimately #22. I would’ve picked the entire arc if I could’ve, but since I’m not sure that’s an option, I had to pick the issue that best embodies it. And that is, without a doubt, the issue featuring The Anarchist vs Captain America. Compare the following to the scene of Captain America and Cyclops from AvX #1:

The parallels between X-Statix vs Avengers and Avengers vs X-Men are staggering (one issue in), but with the former seeming like more of a parody/commentary on the latter, Milligan’s foresight is to be commended. On the surface it’s just another instance of two teams doing battle for big bucks, but thematically the climate of AvX feels like the tragic equivalent of XSvA’s critical comedy. Nothing has changed—no lessons have been learned. The X-Men, in spite of their decimation, are still commodities, only tolerated in as much as they’re fun to look at. They have Hope and Hope is a WMD, which means that, despite the Avengers having one of their own (Wanda), the Avengers must intervene. The status quo must mediate possibility, denouncing it a danger—an evil.

Also, Dead Girl proves Wanda has always been psychologically vulnerable. I think X-Statix #22 might be the real reason for “No More Mutants.”

[tl;dr] X-Statix #22 is worthy of X-Canon

[Deus ex Chris]

Love it. The X-Canon should be filled with Milligan's X-Force and Morrison's X-Men.

[Meehl]

I'm going no. I like how Dead girl punked Wanda, but I can't vote yes when Captain America wins.

[Regino]

I never read it, but I voted for it based on the page posted in this thread. It held my attention.

[Washout]

It's kind of alarming how similar this is to AvX.

[Seresecros]

It looks like Quinnhop is going to ROMP to victory

[passer-by]

It's kind of alarming how similar this is to AvX.

Appearances can be deceiving. It's in a different league quality-wise.

[Washout]

Appearances can be deceiving. It's in a different league quality-wise.

Well obviously it's going to be better. It's Milligan, but the idea of the Avengers being jerks trying to control a powerful but seemingly weak character is the exact same concept.

[Dr. Sonic]

I loved X-Force/X-Statix at first, but it got old quite quickly. The Wolverine/Doop two-issue series with art by Darwyn Cooke was the best part of it.
It was an excellent book for the most part. But when held up against tales like Riot at Xavier's or the issue where Mesmero transformed the X-Men into a bunch of canries, I just don't think this issue stacks up as canon-worthy. Just my opinion.

[passer-by]

I loved X-Force/X-Statix at first, but it got old quite quickly. The Wolverine/Doop two-issue series with art by Darwyn Cooke was the best part of it.
It was an excellent book for the most part. But when held up against tales like Riot at Xavier's or the issue where Mesmero transformed the X-Men into a bunch of canries, I just don't think this issue stacks up as canon-worthy. Just my opinion.

Well, if this got in the canon, an X-Statix issue shouldn't have any problems.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com...on-3-The-Big-G

I'll reiterate my suggestion from there:

P.S. I propose that issues be accepted in the X-books canon only if they manage to gather a two-thirds majority support.

[MartinRedmond]

X-Statix was a stronger book than NXM imo. Though much like NXM it felt very close to how I felt reading CC's first UXM run♥