Bendis Weighs In On "Uncanny X-Men" Relaunch

[Omega Alpha]

Do you think it will be renumbered with #600?

It will CERTAINLY be renumbered with #600.

[Menshevik]

Both Cyclops and Emma benefited greatly from this relationship in terms of character development.

I can't understand why an Emma fan would have been against it.

My reasons:

- Recognition: Like I said in a past post, I barely knew this character before this relationship. She was just another B/C hero/villain

- Character Growthh: When Emma and Scott did their thing in Morrison's Run, I hated it. It made no sense to me. After all the sacrifices Jean and Scott went through with each other, something like this felt so random. (The Japanime's Version made so much more sense. We had a emotionally disturbed Scott who went through an unhealthy isolation that lasted a year after Jean's Death. Emma was introduced, proven she was on their side, and at the end, you see a connection with these two.)

When Whedon took over, thats when Emma really took a shine to me. I was used to reading Jean and Xavier limiting the use of their telepathy out of the respect for the privacy of other people. Emma on the other hand didn't give a shit. For example, she found out these two country club owners kicked her out of the club because they found out she was a mutant. She threatened to mind control them into having sex with each other if they didn't have a change of heart. I was thinking, "Damn, this chic is pretty cool." Whedon took the good boy and bad girl thing and really made their chemistry work. Emma also gave Scott the gift of Clarity, this was something Xavier nor even Jean could do. A few reasons why Whedon (not including Claremont) is my favorite X-Scribe

- Solidified her as a Hero: Everybody and including myself thought it was only going to be a matter of time before Emma betrayed everybody, however, the opposite happens. It turns out she was the most loyal to Scott. Many of the X-Men left when the situation got too difficult. Emma was one of the extreme few that stuck with her guns when things got hot and her determination paid off. Nobody no longer doubts Emma's Credibility.

And this is coming from a person that was a strong supporter of the Scott/Jean Relationship that barely knew Emma until Whedon's Run. I like both Jean and Emma. Who helped Scott grow more as a character? Emma

I can understand why people think a break up is needed. Even I'm alright with it. But this relationship did good for both Cyclops and Emma.

*Sorry for the long post*

Speaking as someone who was an Emma fan before she got involved with Cyclops (especially when she was written by Lobdell), I have to say the relationship with Scott did nothing for me. I could live with (tolerate) it if I avoided the question "why are these two people together?". But once that question is posed I have to feel sorry that there wasn't a writer with the guts to write an Avengers Annual #10 to the Avengers #200-like resolution to Morrison's Jean/Scott/Emma triangle.

Since I knew and liked Emma before NXM, the recognition thing does not apply to me. Neither did the "solidified her as a hero" thing. In fact it is stuff like the Country Club scene that makes her appear as more "villainous" than during her time with Generation X, and when the story touches upon ethical matters she all too often comes over as a self-righteous hypocrite. I began to suspect that in her heart of hearts her ethic is "might makes right" now.

I also don't see Emma really helping Scott to grow as a character except in the sense that Morrison regressed/retconned Scott in a way that made it necessary to grow back to where he had been before.

And on the whole I think Emma profited less from her relationship with Scott (which became pretty bland after a while) as from being given a central role - at the expense of other characters who were killed off (Jean), sidelined (Storm) or systematically destroyed (Xavier).

In the interests of full disclosure: Read the X-Men since the 1970s, became a big fan in the 1980s, Scott used to by my favourite of the original five for a long time, but after he left Madelyne and his son he lost that status and never managed to regain it. The time I cared for Jean/Scott most was during the Dark Phoenix Saga, apart from that I found the relationship a bit too bland.

[Godlike13]

And on the whole I think Emma profited less from her relationship with Scott (which became pretty bland after a while) as from being given a central role - at the expense of other characters who were killed off (Jean), sidelined (Storm) or systematically destroyed (Xavier).

Honestly, im not sure Emma would be around much if not for her relationship with Scott. Like it or not her relationship with Scott is what kept her in the forefront of this decade of X-Men. It was her way into the in crowd so to speak, and at this point now she's become a regular rather than one the many fringe X-characters. From a character standpoint i think she profited greatly from her relationship with Scott.

And i don't think its fair to blame Emma or Scott for the things that were done to Jean, Storm, and Xavier. While im not sure why Morrison killed Jean, Storm wasn't sidelined but moved to try and elevate Black Panther, and Xavier just lost relevancy as his students grew up. Making him a martyr was probably the best thing they could have done with him at this point. Its even redeemed all his misdeeds apparently, with them now treating him like he was a saint.

[Omega Alpha]

Honestly, im not sure Emma would be around much if not for her relationship with Scott.

You're not sure? I am 100% sure of it. Without it, Emma wouldn't have gotten so much spotlight that one gets being in a leadership position, because no one would trust her with it, and there's of course the stories about their relationship.

And i don't think its fair to blame Emma or Scott for the things that were done to Jean, Storm, and Xavier. While im not sure why Morrison killed Jean, Storm wasn't sidelined but moved to try and elevate Black Panther, and Xavier just lost relevancy as his students grew up. Making him a martyr was probably the best thing they could have done with him at this point. Its even redeemed all his misdeeds apparently, with them now treating him like he was a saint.

Killing Jean was inevitable once Morrison tied-up her connection with the Phoenix, removing the "she was on a coccoon all along" crap.

Morrison wanted Storm on the team, but editorial made her stick with Claremont.

Xavier was becoming irrelevant long before Morrison. Even since the 60's you have stories about the X-men outgrowing him, as well as early as DPS in CC's run.

[Kieran_Frost]

Honestly, im not sure Emma would be around much if not for her relationship with Scott. Like it or not her relationship with Scott is what kept her in the forefront of this decade of X-Men. It was her way into the in crowd so to speak, and at this point now she's become a regular rather than one the many fringe X-characters. From a character standpoint i think she profited greatly from her relationship with Scott.

Agreed. Thanks to her relationship with Scott, I'd say Emma is in Rogue or Kitty territory (i.e. she will never again be off all the X-comics for that long, without returning). She's made it into the movies, in the computer games... Emma can NOW be without Scott and still survive; but she needed that original anchor.

Deodato's gross with brokenback wymin. I say give me John Paul Leon after max 3 Bachalo issues (he can't keep up doing consecutive issues more than that).

In his defence, he is about equality; his male asses are just as scandelous!

[okpanic]

I guess fans seem to forget that Bachalo has done plenty of dark runs and arcs in his career, especially in the X-Men comics.

I don't think I've forgotten anything, actually. I'm talking aesthetics here. He's pencilled "dark" storylines but that doesn't mean his artistic style has gone dark itself. I love his work mind you, but it's been exaggerated and semi-toony since his work back on Generation X. Thankfully he reigned in how angular and uber confusing it had all become circa Steampunk (still can be a bit confusing mind you) but his earlier work on Shade The Changing Man was a much better fit for darker themes than the caricature style and robot fish of Supernovas.

Really depends on how Bendis writes this new series to see whether Bachalo fits in with the themes artistically or not.

[Fluffyblade]

I don't think I've forgotten anything, actually. I'm talking aesthetics here. He's pencilled "dark" storylines but that doesn't mean his artistic style has gone dark itself. I love his work mind you, but it's been exaggerated and semi-toony since his work back on Generation X. Thankfully he reigned in how angular and uber confusing it had all become circa Steampunk (still can be a bit confusing mind you) but his earlier work on Shade The Changing Man was a much better fit for darker themes than the caricature style and robot fish of Supernovas.

Really depends on how Bendis writes this new series to see whether Bachalo fits in with the themes artistically or not.

I have to agree with this, even with the release of his cover I am cautiously pessimistic about his work on this book.

[BLACKWINGS]

I don't think I've forgotten anything, actually. I'm talking aesthetics here. He's pencilled "dark" storylines but that doesn't mean his artistic style has gone dark itself. I love his work mind you, but it's been exaggerated and semi-toony since his work back on Generation X. Thankfully he reigned in how angular and uber confusing it had all become circa Steampunk (still can be a bit confusing mind you) but his earlier work on Shade The Changing Man was a much better fit for darker themes than the caricature style and robot fish of Supernovas.

Really depends on how Bendis writes this new series to see whether Bachalo fits in with the themes artistically or not.

I'm obviously a little biased because Supernovas is probably my favorite X-Men run of all time, and Bachalo and Ramos are my favorite artists of all time - but Supernovas was a rather dark run with some very melancholic themes (and I doubt Uncanny will be much darker), and both Bachalo and Ramos handled that run with near perfection. Much of Bachalo's "light" and "dark" aesthetic is determined by the guy who colors his work. As much as I love Bachalo, I usually don't like it when the guy colors his own work. I loved his work on the Lizard arc in adjectiveless X-Men, but the gravity of the arc, which by all means should have been dark and gritty, was definitely loosened a little due to Bachalo's own washed-out color palette.

[Whirlwind Dinamo]

Magneto is at least in his eighties....

Maybe his daughter causes another mutant holocaust and she goes into meltdown again and by proxy Magento goes into another 'Crisis on Infinite Mutant Soap Operas'

[Dragonage2ftw]

God, Bendis on another X-Book, and the core one at that. So many capable writers and we're forced to endure this guy on not just one title, but now two.

I mean, what's the point of ANXM anyways? Just for the O5? THem together resulted in a series cancellation.

The "point" of ANXM is to establish GOTG and cause tears in time and space. A lot of people like what he's done with the X-men so far. Calm down.

[chakal]

Who cares? Everyone will buy it. Everyone. Every freaking one. Quality doesn't matter. You'll all buy it, and you all will be thankful for it. You all will beg for more

[Kaiolino]

And you'll continue to be pressed about it.

[chakal]

All I care is death metal. Screw comic books!