…And really, that matters! No, really, we promise!
I can’t help it; Marvel’s press release announcing a new 8-page story by Claremont in X-Men Forever Alpha #1, and trumpeted with the headline “Chris Claremont Returns to the X-Men!” just brings out the cynic in me. How many times has Claremont dramatically returned to the creation that made him a household name? I can think of at least three. And how many times has it been worth reading? I’ll let you judge that for yourselves, but I’ve got my own opinion on the matter and I’m sure you can read between the lines.
At any rate, according to Marvel, the new book (besides the new, 8-page story) is a reprint of Claremont and Jim Lee’s best-selling X-Men #1-3 from the early ’90s, and the 8-page story will “bridge the gap” between X-Men #3 and the upcoming X-Men Forever books by Claremont and Tom Grummett, an artist who surely deserves better than to be known as “not Jim Lee” on this project.
Anyway, try to contain your excitement for these eight new pages in a reprint digest, which will hit on April 30 and cost you five bucks. I’m sure that Claremont’s most recent return to the X-Men will be history making, genre-defining, thrill-packed comic books.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
“How many times has Claremont dramatically returned to the creation that made him a household name? I can think of at least three. And how many times has it been worth reading?”
A) 5
B) 0
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Dave, by saying 5, are you counting Genext and Exiles?
But really, I think this might do the trick. It’s kind of like how Singer probably couldn’t save the X-Men movie franchise now, unless they let him make a re-do of X-Men 3.
Cut the guy some slack. At least Claremont seems to love the characters, unlike a couple of guys whose last names start with M who seem to be embarassed by their earlier work and only want to ridicule those characters and the people who enjoy them.
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm
As an unabashed Claremont X-Men fan, I’m glad that Marvel is doing this. I’m lukewarm with Uncanny, dropped Legacy (in spite of the excellent Mike Carey) and dropped Astonishing. Regular Marvel 616 can have their “flawed” Charles Xavier, “Field General” Cyclops, and their army of mutants living in a San Francisco compound. I realize times change, just let those of us that grew up with Claremont writing and Cockrum/Byrne/occasional Brent Anderson/Paul Smith/JRjr on art have an X-Men book we can really enjoy.
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:41 am
All Claremont has been doing is writing the X-Men. Maybe not in the title book but offshoots of them. He has been writing Psylocke and Sage into everything since forever. I’m just glad he won’t be messing up current continuity. Leave him in that black 90′s hole. I’ll bet that Sage will show up (and remain) in the first year.
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:52 am
“Anyway, try to contain your excitement for these eight new pages in a reprint digest, which will hit on April 30 and cost you five bucks. I’m sure that Claremont’s most recent return to the X-Men will be history making, genre-defining, thrill-packed comic books.”
By the way, was this an attempt to get the Claremont haters to pile on and try to destroy the project before it even hits the stands?
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
hah! No, no such attempt, Shawn. Even if I don’t like a comic, I can’t think of what would make me attempt to “destroy” a project (as if I, or even Blog@ in general, really has that kinda juice). Just me showing a little bit of my cynical side, is all.
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
I apologize for jumping to conclusions. There tends to be a little vitriol for Claremont written projects by people who have no intention of reading the work but criticize it anyway. I didn’t mean to lump you in with them.
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hey, no harm, no foul. At least you asked instead of just jumping into flame-on.
I like a lot of Claremont’s work, and frankly have considered reading this. It’s just the notion that every time he writes an X-Men story it’s supposed to be an even that kind of makes me choke back the laughs. If they were doing a press release that Frank Miller was returning to Daredevil or David Michelenie (I probably botched that spelling) to Iron Man, it would be one thing–but Claremont’s been back to the X-Men with VERY limited success a NUMBER of times in the last ten years. I remember being very excited about his return around the time of the first X-Men movie (and actually interviewed Claremont about that for my college paper)…but fool me once…!
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Yeah I’ve been disappointed with his last few attempts but this project has me excited just because I gave the X-Men up not too long after he left and have always wondered how different it would be if he had stayed.