I waited to write this until this piece went up, and now I can’t even particularly remember why.
Regular readers here may know that I’m not much of a superhero comics reader, but that I’ve been branching out lately. When I was asked if I wanted to talk to Kieron Gillen and Steven Sanders about their new series, I jumped at the chance even though it required me to binge on Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men so I had some clue of what I was talking about.
If you’ve read the comics, or are mildly aware of my love for Whedon’s work, you can probably guess what my reaction was to Whedon’s vision of the X-Men. Yep, I loved it. Intensely. Mostly, I loved Whedon’s Kitty Pryde.
As I’ve mentioned, I didn’t exactly grow up on comics, but I have a distinct memory of the X-Men cartoon and seeing this little brunette girl who looked kinda like me, who wasn’t all badass like the rest of the characters but could walk through walls (and didn’t I feel at times like I wanted to just sink through a floor and escape my life?). So Whedon, who likes to take those normal girls and make them extra-special, really did a great job with Kitty, contrasting her with the super-sexy and conniving Emma Frost and using her powers to save the world when all the offensive skills in the universe couldn’t have done so.
Of course the end made me sniffle a lot, but it also made me think about superheroes differently. I’ve always seen them as creations designed to allow people like me to transcend their normal lives; to become larger than life. I’ve never read books or comics simply because I identified with the characters (though I certainly have my share–Megan in Local being a prime example).
Yet the appeal of the X-Men has always been that they’re freaks; the world doesn’t understand them. As blogger Renegade Evolution noted:
The X-Men have the misfortune of being born different into a very intolerant world. They are mutants. Outcasts. Feared. Hated. Seen as dangerous…when for the most part, they just want to live and be left to it like everyone else. Hummm…imagine that? And it is odd, in my geekdome and time spent hanging out with other comic nerds, I have noted that a lot of people who are big into the X-Men are also somehow…well…different. Non-traditional.
Is it so weird, then, that of all the various reasons, and after all the explosions and action in Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men, that I love it because I see myself in Kitty?
August 10th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I haven’t bought a monthly Marvel title in years…until that book. I gave Ellis 2 issues before I dropped it. It just wasn’t the same. It was amazing. I just wish they hadn’t been in outer space for so long, it made me wonder if Joss was using plots he hadn’t gotten to use in Firefly. Fighting aliens always seemed like Fantastic Four’s territory.
“My God…you teach ethics?”
August 10th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
It’s not weird at all. Seeing yourself in these characters is exactly what made Marvel all those years ago and it’s what makes Whedon’s ASTONISHING today. And Kitty being the focal point of the whole series was icing on the cake.
The two Whedon hardcovers are two of my most loaned books because, when I try to turn people on to comics, male and female alike, this is one of those runs I turn to the most (right next to Y: THE LAST MAN and ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN).
August 10th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Kitty wasn’t in the animated series, maybe you saw Pryde of the X Men? I personally don’t like Kitty, she’s as dull as dishwater and should be on a CW show rather than in the X Men.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Loved Whedon’s Astonishing run… I wish it could’ve continued. I don’t own much X-Men, because the convoluted, high concept continuity is just more than I want to deal with, but the Whedon run, along with the classic God Loves, Man Kills are X-Men at its best. Glad you enjoyed it, Sarah.
If you liked that, I also recommend both the Kitty Pryde & Wolverine and Kitty Pryde: Shadows and Flame TPBs. You might enjoy the Wolverine: First Class monthly as well. It’s al about the Logan and Kitty relationship. Fun stuff.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
She was in X-Men Evolution.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
And she’s in “Wolverine and the X-Men”.
August 11th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Kitty Pryde has always been one of my favorite X-Men and I think she’s a relatable character for girls as well as boys. Whedon did a fantastic job with her, too, although I wish he hadn’t sent her away at the end of ASTONISHING. I didn’t feel it was necessary and I think there’s a lot that could have been done with her by other writers after the groundwork Whedon laid. She had just finally come out of a sort of X-obscurity, and now she was being taken from us again. It was a shame.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Whedon’s run was good—better I think if you’re someone like Sarah who doesn’t read the X-men regularly. I thought his stories were so-so; what his project ultimately felt like was an updated re-telling of Claremont’s “best hits” type stories. It’s a great entree for the uninitiated to the world of X, but I found it a bit too nostalgic for such a talented writer.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I absolutely LOVE this comic. The art, the humor, the action… it was one of the first i ever read, and it still packs a punch. It turned me on to Whedon’s TV work as well-just finished Buffy season 5!
August 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am
a while ago Whedon admitted Buffy was based on Kitty
and kudos to reading more super-hero comics. every genre has it’s goods and bads. Astonishing and some others are definitely the good