what I'm doing instead of my mounds and mounds of homework
Guys, I have come to the realization that my fuzzy blue baby is in Very. Real. Danger.
Of Second Coming? Maybe. (It would be a cliche appropriate time for a Christian to die -_-; Never mind that he's Catholic; MU has it's own delusions of Catholicism!) But although I'll be very pissed if he dies in Second Coming, that's now what I'm worried about.
It's the apathy of the fans. Which I can't actually blame them for. What has Kurt been allowed to do that's been in any way noteworthy in the last several years? He hasn't even had a steady girlfriend in, like, a decade. (Yet fans always think he's a.) a dashing womanizer, or b.) celibate.)
Usually he's cannon fodder, getting shot at moments that could be interesting and crucial to the plot, except they're not because there are so many mutants that the loss of one guy usually ain't gonna make much of a difference. If you're lucky, Wolvie will howl a bit. If you're Kitty, everyone will cry over you.
On the other hand, when Kurt does get handled well, he's usually used as a philosopher, or a conscience, and fans of action comics often aren't very big on verbal, didactic types.
What does he need to become more interesting? To be involved with the plot. Not a plot - not a Nightcrawler plot - the plot. Put him in their with Cyke and Emma and Wolvie, give him more interesting lines than "Shoot it down! Shoot it down!", let his personality shine. Nightcrawler led Excalibur for years, and the only bad leadership he was guilty of was horrendous fashion faux pas (red napkins will simply never be in style). Of course, once he officially became leader, he also became a victim of Alpha Male-syndrome, complete with better posture, authoritative/confrontational behavior, and consecutive boodilicious girlfriends. Yes, friends, for that dark period of Crawler's history, he was... CYCLOPS! Dun dun dun.
Now? Now we have Beast saying to Kurt: "I'll never understand why even the non-Alpha Males on the X-men like to play at getting themselves killed." I have no problem with Kurt not being an alpha type (the guy tried to become a priest, and is just generally too nice to boss people around [recently there was an article about how most CEOs got where they are not from being nice and smart, but from being tough and pushing others around]). But apparently that's what it takes to get noticed in the comic book world. Unless you're female, in which case you're lucky these days just to have a shred of personality. Rogue's doing great and Jubilee can't not have personality, and Whedon let Kitty shine, but it's not like back when Claremont was in his glory days and everyone had distinct personalities that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
If MU were less about explosions and the End of the World (Again [TM]), there might be room to develop non-alpha characters. Like Greg Rucka tried to do. Or like those various mini-series that sell so well among fans of the featured character, but not so well among the general masses, try to do. You know, we get cool insights sometimes. I don't dislike what's going on with the characters who are in the spotlight. But there's no reason, absolutely no reason, why Kurt's fallen into Wallpaper World like this.
On top of that? He's not even the only one! When's the last time Jean Grey, perpetual heroine of long-time X-men fans (*note sarcasm*) did anything remotely interesting? OK, usually she's dead - not such a great example. How about Iceman? He's had a few noteworthy moments over the past couple years, but before that I can't think of much. Havok? Even Shadowcat - what did she do that was interesting before Whedon got ahold of her, between Excalibur and Astonishing? Colossus?? Colossus has grown on me by leaps and bounds, to be sure, but back when he sacrificed himself to destroy the Legacy Virus (in a great, character-defining moment), he wasn't supposed to be outshining other characters. Then he stayed dead for a long, long time. Then coming back from the dead made him interesting (once again, Whedon strikes) and after that, what was he? The Strong Man. Ooooh so interesting.
So, wtf does a character have to do for fandom to say, "He's interesting"? I guess my point is, any fan could argue that some other character is not interesting, even when they do get self-centric plots. (Draco, for example, was not interesting.) Why does it mean that character deserves to die?
(Honestly, Nighty-hate? I have to wonder where it springs from. Anti-religious sentiments? Since when is one person[fictional character!!!] representative of an entire group? When we all start hating waspy lukewarm Methodists, Cyke'll top the list...)
But people who say things like "He doesn't know how to fight" are what really bugs me. He knows how to fight! He was fighting Wolverine way back before Kitty was even though of. He told Kitty once, "Just because you're a ninja doesn't mean you have a monopoly on martial arts." He can kick ass! He's agile, and can lift his weight with his tail, and teleports, and has been invaluable in many a fight. Yes, lately he's been cannon fodder. Why does getting shot equal being a loser?
I think the world of superhero comics has become desensitized to good characterization by all the healing factors, invulnerability, PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!!! of over-hyped, souped-up heroes who only continue to sell because the fans are gooey-minded sheep. Sheep I say! Sheep!
I just insulted sheep by calling them gooey-minded. Sorry, sheep. It was a metaphor.
You need characters with vulnerabilities. They're the humanity of the fantasy world. Even Homer knew the value of humanizing great and powerful characters: Achilles's story would have been far less interesting without his attachment to Patroclus! (We're looking at this on a platonic level, just to keep things simple.) None of the great stories in history feature characters who have nothing to lose because they're just so badass. That's bad writing. But fans look at a character and say, "Psh, he doesn't have a bazooka, what a wimp!"
Why can't we appreciate a colorful variety of characters? Diversity is about more than race, you know. And strength, heroics, is about more than invulnerability and being able to pull out the big guns.
For Kurt to become interesting to the mass readership, probably his personality would have to do a 180. He'd have to go insane or become a full-fledged demon. He'd have to become James Bond with a coat of blue fur, and a larger repertoire of expletives. That's not my Crawler, and that's why I'm afraid. Either he dies, or he's no longer the character I loved.
That sucks!
Of Second Coming? Maybe. (It would be a cliche appropriate time for a Christian to die -_-; Never mind that he's Catholic; MU has it's own delusions of Catholicism!) But although I'll be very pissed if he dies in Second Coming, that's now what I'm worried about.
It's the apathy of the fans. Which I can't actually blame them for. What has Kurt been allowed to do that's been in any way noteworthy in the last several years? He hasn't even had a steady girlfriend in, like, a decade. (Yet fans always think he's a.) a dashing womanizer, or b.) celibate.)
Usually he's cannon fodder, getting shot at moments that could be interesting and crucial to the plot, except they're not because there are so many mutants that the loss of one guy usually ain't gonna make much of a difference. If you're lucky, Wolvie will howl a bit. If you're Kitty, everyone will cry over you.
On the other hand, when Kurt does get handled well, he's usually used as a philosopher, or a conscience, and fans of action comics often aren't very big on verbal, didactic types.
What does he need to become more interesting? To be involved with the plot. Not a plot - not a Nightcrawler plot - the plot. Put him in their with Cyke and Emma and Wolvie, give him more interesting lines than "Shoot it down! Shoot it down!", let his personality shine. Nightcrawler led Excalibur for years, and the only bad leadership he was guilty of was horrendous fashion faux pas (red napkins will simply never be in style). Of course, once he officially became leader, he also became a victim of Alpha Male-syndrome, complete with better posture, authoritative/confrontational behavior, and consecutive boodilicious girlfriends. Yes, friends, for that dark period of Crawler's history, he was... CYCLOPS! Dun dun dun.
Now? Now we have Beast saying to Kurt: "I'll never understand why even the non-Alpha Males on the X-men like to play at getting themselves killed." I have no problem with Kurt not being an alpha type (the guy tried to become a priest, and is just generally too nice to boss people around [recently there was an article about how most CEOs got where they are not from being nice and smart, but from being tough and pushing others around]). But apparently that's what it takes to get noticed in the comic book world. Unless you're female, in which case you're lucky these days just to have a shred of personality. Rogue's doing great and Jubilee can't not have personality, and Whedon let Kitty shine, but it's not like back when Claremont was in his glory days and everyone had distinct personalities that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
If MU were less about explosions and the End of the World (Again [TM]), there might be room to develop non-alpha characters. Like Greg Rucka tried to do. Or like those various mini-series that sell so well among fans of the featured character, but not so well among the general masses, try to do. You know, we get cool insights sometimes. I don't dislike what's going on with the characters who are in the spotlight. But there's no reason, absolutely no reason, why Kurt's fallen into Wallpaper World like this.
On top of that? He's not even the only one! When's the last time Jean Grey, perpetual heroine of long-time X-men fans (*note sarcasm*) did anything remotely interesting? OK, usually she's dead - not such a great example. How about Iceman? He's had a few noteworthy moments over the past couple years, but before that I can't think of much. Havok? Even Shadowcat - what did she do that was interesting before Whedon got ahold of her, between Excalibur and Astonishing? Colossus?? Colossus has grown on me by leaps and bounds, to be sure, but back when he sacrificed himself to destroy the Legacy Virus (in a great, character-defining moment), he wasn't supposed to be outshining other characters. Then he stayed dead for a long, long time. Then coming back from the dead made him interesting (once again, Whedon strikes) and after that, what was he? The Strong Man. Ooooh so interesting.
So, wtf does a character have to do for fandom to say, "He's interesting"? I guess my point is, any fan could argue that some other character is not interesting, even when they do get self-centric plots. (Draco, for example, was not interesting.) Why does it mean that character deserves to die?
(Honestly, Nighty-hate? I have to wonder where it springs from. Anti-religious sentiments? Since when is one person[fictional character!!!] representative of an entire group? When we all start hating waspy lukewarm Methodists, Cyke'll top the list...)
But people who say things like "He doesn't know how to fight" are what really bugs me. He knows how to fight! He was fighting Wolverine way back before Kitty was even though of. He told Kitty once, "Just because you're a ninja doesn't mean you have a monopoly on martial arts." He can kick ass! He's agile, and can lift his weight with his tail, and teleports, and has been invaluable in many a fight. Yes, lately he's been cannon fodder. Why does getting shot equal being a loser?
I think the world of superhero comics has become desensitized to good characterization by all the healing factors, invulnerability, PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!!! of over-hyped, souped-up heroes who only continue to sell because the fans are gooey-minded sheep. Sheep I say! Sheep!
I just insulted sheep by calling them gooey-minded. Sorry, sheep. It was a metaphor.
You need characters with vulnerabilities. They're the humanity of the fantasy world. Even Homer knew the value of humanizing great and powerful characters: Achilles's story would have been far less interesting without his attachment to Patroclus! (We're looking at this on a platonic level, just to keep things simple.) None of the great stories in history feature characters who have nothing to lose because they're just so badass. That's bad writing. But fans look at a character and say, "Psh, he doesn't have a bazooka, what a wimp!"
Why can't we appreciate a colorful variety of characters? Diversity is about more than race, you know. And strength, heroics, is about more than invulnerability and being able to pull out the big guns.
For Kurt to become interesting to the mass readership, probably his personality would have to do a 180. He'd have to go insane or become a full-fledged demon. He'd have to become James Bond with a coat of blue fur, and a larger repertoire of expletives. That's not my Crawler, and that's why I'm afraid. Either he dies, or he's no longer the character I loved.
That sucks!