Make Mine Marvel

[selenak]

You know, with this month, Joss Whedon's run of Astonishing X-Men will end which makes me very sad, trust in Warren Ellis (who's the next writer) notwithstanding. I really think AXM is the best thing Joss did since Firefly got cancelled and BTVS ended, including the Buffy comic. Which I neither hate nor love; I quite like it, and don't feel compelled to go either in passionate rants nor passionate defenses. But that's it, really; AXM, all four arcs, evokes great passion in me. I love the interpretation of the X-Men regulars, I love the new characters Joss invented for his run (from Dr. Rao via Hisako to Agent Abigail Brand), it made me write meta and some fanfic, and I already have a lump in my throat at the prospect of reading the last chapter. (Of this particular story told by this particular writer.)

Someone at Marvel seems to feel a bit wistful, too, and has put up the first issue of AXM, the opening chapter of Gifted, up
as a vid. With the exception of Emma (whom I hear as Tricia Helfer if I connect her voice to a specific actress at all), the voices are like I imagined them, and it doesn't help my pre-emptive lump in the throat one bit.

Meanwhile, as expected the Iron Man movie has started to cause movieverse fanfiction. I remember, back when X1 came out, there being some disgruntlement between movieverse and comicverse fans. Now speaking as someone who came to the X-men via the films, this seemed to me a bit silly. Either films based on a comic book will make people curious about the comic in question (this certainly happened to me back then, and I've been catching up ever since), or they won't, but in either case, the fanfiction based on the movies is simply one more variation in a medium which in itself offers several possible continuities and multiple authors. So I hope that there won't be similar ire this time, though now I'm in the opposite position, coming from the comics.

Two examples of how there is no need for either/or when you can have both/and: in several movie reviews, or comments on same, I saw jokes that it was just a question of time until Tony/ AI Jarvis slash would be written, and now it has. (An excellent vignette, too.) But if you think it needed internet fandom to slash Mr. Stark with his robotic creation, you're not nearly aware enough of how crazy creative the Marvelverse can be in the comics. Joe Quesada, these days much hated for certain editorial decisions in connection to Spider-man and liked by no one but Paul Cornell anymore, wrote canonical Tony/his armor slash around 2000 already. Check it out.

Speaking of Paul Cornell, I hadn't planned on reading Captain Britain and MI-13, but I certainly will now!

Comments

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I was sad that this was the way I heard about Cornell's new series, but also pleased that I've heard about it - it sounds really cool.

AXM was, briefly, my favourite series. But 24 issues in over 4 years, plus the huge delays on Runaways, means that I no longer buy anything by Joss until it's in trade paperback. It's not professional, and it's not worth the wait.

[genarti]

Agreed, sadly.

I love Joss still, and there are aspects of AXM I adore, but certain recurring flaws of his have become a lot clearer to me over the course of this run.

[aralias.livejournal.com]

i haven't heard of astonishing x-men but you saying 'joss whedon' makes me want to. what is it? i'm assuming... some sort of comic from what you've written, but that's not a lot to go on.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's a comic that's about to end. You can get the first three volumes as trade collections.

Vol.1 Gifted:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Astonishing-X-Men-Gifted-TPB/dp/0785115315/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210270492&sr=8-4

Vol.2 Dangerous:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Astonishing-X-Men-Dangerous-v/dp/078511677X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1210270492&sr=8-4

Vol.3 Torn (my favourite, but read the other two first):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Astonishing-X-Men-v-Graphic-Novel/dp/0785117598/ref=pd_sim_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1210270492&sr=8-4

[caras-galadhon.livejournal.com]

Linked here by st_aurafina.

An excellent vignette, too.
Thank you very much for saying so. I'm pleased you liked my little story, and thanks for linking to it. *G*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome, and I loved what you wrote!

[fangirljen.livejournal.com]

Aww, but Warren Ellis is Warren Ellis! He's friggin' amazing! That man's work has helped shaped me into the fangirl I am today. When I told him this last year at Comic Con, he appologised to me. *L* Seeing Ellis on a run of X-Men again will be fun. And to follow after Whedon? Wow. So much love in that.

Hehe, Paul Cornell. I love that man. :D

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree that Warren Ellis is amazing in the best sense of the word, and I look forward to finding out what he'll make of the team. But you know - every writer has their own unique voices (as it should be). So I'll miss Joss writing AXM anyway.

(Meanwhile, I've just reread Ellis' Iron Man: Extremis, which is awesome. So yes, definitely pro-Warren E. here.)

Paul Cornell hasn't written or said a single thing that made me feel let down as an admiring viewer/watcher, which is quite a feat. *fangirls him*

[misachan.livejournal.com]

Warren Ellis is taking over Astonishing?! If I wasn't at work I would be dancing around the room right now. I loved his Exaclibur run (and this almost guarantees a Wisdom appearnce!).

[meret.livejournal.com]

Tricia Helfer

TH would be *perfect* to play Emma in a movie! Heck, get her cylon dress in white instead of red, shorten it, and add some thigh high boots, and she's all set! :)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

She is indeed. Of course, that would have to be a movie that retcons X3 out of existence.*g*