Long response... ::: deep breath :::veraklonDecember 1 2005, 14:53:39 UTC
I want someone explain comic books to me. I was really into X-men comics in preteen years, but one of the reasons I kind of dropped it was because I got confused (also, I got too tall to be comfortable sexing up with Wolverine and realized I would never have boobs like Rogue's. When you're 11, you still want boobs like Rogue's, even though you figure out by 12 NO ONE has boobs like Rogue's. Or even wants boobs like Rogue's, because ugh, back pain). There seemed to be so many different series all going on at once; I couldn't keep them straight. I didn't get the difference between Uncanny, Astonishing, and Amazing. Isn't there like . . . a diagram for these things?
Okay... time to channel the inner geek in me... X-Men got so popular that several writers and artists wanted to work on the book. Since there were hundreds of possible mutant characters already created, plus the new ones being created, left plenty of room for several titles. Astonishing (by Joss. Excellent read) was about the core group at the mansion. Uncanny currently was Storm and her crew off in the world. The only constant is that Wolverine stars in almost all of them. The only title that stands alone is Ultimate X-Men, which lives in its own universe.
Each time a new writer picks up the book, they change the direction. They stopped wearing costumes, they're back in costumes, they're dying, they're alive. All of it constantly changes.
In my opinion, the real reason for all of the titles is they often run a single storyline through ALL of the titles, so if you start with Uncanny, you then have to move to New to read the next part, which then goes to Astonishing, then back to the original title. Otherwise, you're missing the larger story.
If you wanna start reading again, now might be the best time. A major storyline just finished where the Scarlet Witch, daughter of Magneto, altered reality and caused 99% of the mutants on Earth to become human. All of the titels are about to change again, with some even being canceled,like Astonishing (no where to go since Joss isn't writing it anymore), and a new storyline is about to begin through all of the books.
I guess I could draw a diagram for you if you want.
Re: Long response... ::: deep breath :::letteredDecember 1 2005, 18:45:50 UTC
Thank you! This has been bothering me for a decade. Then again, I couldn't even keep up with the X-men cartoon (the old school one) back in the day (missed an ep and got lost . . .). That show was kick-ass. And it had a good song.
In my opinion, the real reason for all of the titles is they often run a single storyline through ALL of the titles, so if you start with Uncanny, you then have to move to New to read the next part, which then goes to Astonishing, then back to the original title. Otherwise, you're missing the larger story.
But aren't they numbered within the title? So like if you read Uncanny straight through consecutively, you're missing the large chunks of the story that were continued in New and Astonishing? Or are they all treated as one big set, with Ultimate a completely separate sub-set?
If you wanna start reading again, now might be the best time.
I'd like to, but I doubt I have the time or money. I'm really interested in the ones Whedon wrote though. I'm fascinated to see what he would do with those characters.
I guess I could draw a diagram for you if you want.
Re: Long response... ::: deep breath :::veraklonDecember 8 2005, 21:02:36 UTC
As for the Astonishing X-Men that joss Whedon wrote, you can get the whole thing in either one or two collections, called trade paperbacks. Excellent story.
Basically, Joss put them back into costumes and turned them into heroes again, rather than the misunderstood corporate leaders that the previous writers had done.
To get a lot of the shock value, you'd have to understand several things before you read it though. First, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix is dead. Died. Buried. Again. So is Colossus/Peter Rasputin. Jean Grey has died and come back several times before. Colossus has stayed dead for several years now.
Uhhmm... Professor X is gone. Cyclops/Scott Summers and the White Queen/Emma Frost are now in charge of the school... and they're a couple now, though not everyone knows that at the beginning of the Joss book.
What else... ?
And as for numbering X-Men comics... each comic has its own numbering. Joss's Astonishing X-Men is 1 - 12. Yeah. All of the others are in their own system... However, a single storyline would be numbered with it. For example, The death of TKP might start in Uncanny #589. Part two would be in Astonishing #44. Part three in the next one and so on. There IS a way to keep up with it, but after a while, you wonder why you even bothered.
And speaking of comics... I have heard rumors of an Angel comic that came out recently that comes after Not Fade Away, written by Joss. You heard anything?
Re: Long response... ::: deep breath :::letteredDecember 9 2005, 00:45:42 UTC
Jean Grey has died and come back several times before. Colossus has stayed dead for several years now.
They could never keep Jean dead, even if they tried. I remember Peter sacrificing himself to stop the Legacy virus in some thread or other, but everything is very vague in my head, and I might be mixing that up with something else.
Uhhmm... Professor X is gone.
Whoa, sadness. Thanks for the update. I'm definitely going to try to make time to read the JW-written ones.
The death of TKP might start in Uncanny #589.
Dude! Have to get that one ;o)
I have heard rumors of an Angel comic that came out recently that comes after Not Fade Away, written by Joss. You heard anything?
No, but that's not saying much. All I know about is Tales of the Vampires, Tales of the Slayers, and Fray, and I've never read any of them. Whedon did recently alude to a comic series he might write about Buffy and the Immortal, and that's the latest I've heard.
Okay... time to channel the inner geek in me... X-Men got so popular that several writers and artists wanted to work on the book. Since there were hundreds of possible mutant characters already created, plus the new ones being created, left plenty of room for several titles. Astonishing (by Joss. Excellent read) was about the core group at the mansion. Uncanny currently was Storm and her crew off in the world. The only constant is that Wolverine stars in almost all of them. The only title that stands alone is Ultimate X-Men, which lives in its own universe.
Each time a new writer picks up the book, they change the direction. They stopped wearing costumes, they're back in costumes, they're dying, they're alive. All of it constantly changes.
In my opinion, the real reason for all of the titles is they often run a single storyline through ALL of the titles, so if you start with Uncanny, you then have to move to New to read the next part, which then goes to Astonishing, then back to the original title. Otherwise, you're missing the larger story.
If you wanna start reading again, now might be the best time. A major storyline just finished where the Scarlet Witch, daughter of Magneto, altered reality and caused 99% of the mutants on Earth to become human. All of the titels are about to change again, with some even being canceled,like Astonishing (no where to go since Joss isn't writing it anymore), and a new storyline is about to begin through all of the books.
I guess I could draw a diagram for you if you want.
Reply
In my opinion, the real reason for all of the titles is they often run a single storyline through ALL of the titles, so if you start with Uncanny, you then have to move to New to read the next part, which then goes to Astonishing, then back to the original title. Otherwise, you're missing the larger story.
But aren't they numbered within the title? So like if you read Uncanny straight through consecutively, you're missing the large chunks of the story that were continued in New and Astonishing? Or are they all treated as one big set, with Ultimate a completely separate sub-set?
If you wanna start reading again, now might be the best time.
I'd like to, but I doubt I have the time or money. I'm really interested in the ones Whedon wrote though. I'm fascinated to see what he would do with those characters.
I guess I could draw a diagram for you if you want.
Omg I would love you forever.
Reply
Basically, Joss put them back into costumes and turned them into heroes again, rather than the misunderstood corporate leaders that the previous writers had done.
To get a lot of the shock value, you'd have to understand several things before you read it though. First, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix is dead. Died. Buried. Again. So is Colossus/Peter Rasputin. Jean Grey has died and come back several times before. Colossus has stayed dead for several years now.
Uhhmm... Professor X is gone. Cyclops/Scott Summers and the White Queen/Emma Frost are now in charge of the school... and they're a couple now, though not everyone knows that at the beginning of the Joss book.
What else... ?
And as for numbering X-Men comics... each comic has its own numbering. Joss's Astonishing X-Men is 1 - 12. Yeah. All of the others are in their own system... However, a single storyline would be numbered with it. For example, The death of TKP might start in Uncanny #589. Part two would be in Astonishing #44. Part three in the next one and so on. There IS a way to keep up with it, but after a while, you wonder why you even bothered.
And speaking of comics... I have heard rumors of an Angel comic that came out recently that comes after Not Fade Away, written by Joss. You heard anything?
Reply
They could never keep Jean dead, even if they tried. I remember Peter sacrificing himself to stop the Legacy virus in some thread or other, but everything is very vague in my head, and I might be mixing that up with something else.
Uhhmm... Professor X is gone.
Whoa, sadness. Thanks for the update. I'm definitely going to try to make time to read the JW-written ones.
The death of TKP might start in Uncanny #589.
Dude! Have to get that one ;o)
I have heard rumors of an Angel comic that came out recently that comes after Not Fade Away, written by Joss. You heard anything?
No, but that's not saying much. All I know about is Tales of the Vampires, Tales of the Slayers, and Fray, and I've never read any of them. Whedon did recently alude to a comic series he might write about Buffy and the Immortal, and that's the latest I've heard.
Reply
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