Month: September 2015

Looking Forward to the 1970’s

Posted on by GenoshaGirl85

Hello, loves!!

So, I’ve read through The X-Men #8. That gets me through 1963 & 1964. I have to be honest, my main thought right now is that I can’t wait to get to the 70’s and Giant Size.

Don’t get me wrong, reading the origins of the original X-Men team and the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is fun. But also tedious. No offense to Stan Lee, but the ‘60’s style of having characters describe everything that’s happening by saying it out loud doesn’t age well. (And yes, I’m aware this was still happening in the ‘70’s. For some reason it bothers me less. I really can’t explain why.) The other reason this older stuff is so hard to read (and in this aspect, the 70’s may not be any better) is the way the book handles women. Specifically, Jean Grey. I mean, she’s basically there to be hit on outwardly or lusted after secretly by every member of the team, including Professor X. She’s also the weakest member of the team by A LOT and is constantly being carried by either Angel or Cyclops. As a modern woman and a feminist, it’s hard to read. I mean, I get that it was the normal treatment of female characters at the time. I also anticipate that seeing this treatment evolve somewhat will be fun as the project continues. But it doesn’t make it any less cringe-worthy to read.

But enough about the style of writing. Can we talk more about powers? Because currently, Magneto apparently has the power of astral-projection and the ability to sense Professor X and other mutants “mentally” just like the Prof. WTH?!? Is this like, an actual thing? Or is this just another example of powers not being fully defined yet? I’ll keep you guys appraised of the situation, because I’m sure you’re all as weirded out as I am about it! Lol. Also, I’d forgotten that originally Jean’s powers manifested only as telekinesis and that her (*spoiler alert*) telepathy didn’t manifest until later on. I don’t know when exactly that happens tbh, so it’ll be a surprise when I get there!

Now, some of you may be wondering how I’m collecting all of these issues to read them. I made myself a list. Basically, anything I can get in trade, I will. And the largest collection I can get, the better. What I mean by that is, if something is available in 6 paperback trades or 1 omnibus, I’ll get the omnibus. It’s actually almost always cheaper that way! But, it wasn’t until the late 90’s or early 00’s that Marvel started collecting everything in trade. Prior to that, it was mostly just major arcs or storylines that got made into trades. So, the random issues not available in trade from, I’ll get in issue form. Luckily for me, CNJ has a pretty big collection of back issues. And for the ones they don’t have, I have a Marvel Unlimited subscription. For now, that’s how I’m reading this 60’s stuff. There are two omnibuses that Marvel put out collecting the original run, but they’re SUPER expensive since they’re currently out of print. If they’re ever rereleased, or I ever have enough to buy them at their current prices, I will. Until then, Marvel Unlimited has what I need. However, once I get to a point that I’m using trades for my reading, I’ll be sure to post pictures and let you all know which trades!!

That’s all for now my loves! So, until next time…keep searching!!

Original Tumblr Post: here

And….Away We Go!!!

Posted on by GenoshaGirl85

Hello Loves!

So, I read the first two issues of The X-Men last night. Not what I was expecting! Seriously, I’m so glad C talked me into starting with the ’60’s stuff, because I didn’t realize how different it was from my ’80’s & ’90’s wheelhouse!

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Issue #1 is the X-Men’s first battle with Magneto! It’s over fairly quickly, (as battles with Mags go), but he does manage to escape. Issue #2 introduces us to The Vanisher. He proves to be a much more formidable foe then Magneto surprisingly. It takes the combined efforts of the 5 youngsters and Professor X’s telepathic powers to stop him! (The Prof actually causes The Vanisher to forget who he is, which is terrifying in the casual way it’s treated by the other characters! But more about that later!) But these entries aren’t going to be full recaps of the issues. There’s just WAY too many for me to do that. So, instead, lets talk about my impressions and observations.

First off, let’s talk about the team! I knew the original five, but Stan Lee doesn’t write them at all like Chris Claremont! (Or maybe I should say that Claremont didn’t write them like Stan Lee!) These guys seem like caricatures of the characters I grew up with. It’s funny how different the 60’s & 70’s style of writing is. Everyone talks so much, and is fairly one-dimensional. It’s not necessarily bad, just different then what I’m used to. It’s going to take some adjustment. For example, Beast and Iceman constantly fighting and bickering is something I haven’t experienced before. Remember, these characters are just teenagers in these early years. They will surely mature as they grow up, but right now they are written as bratty, high-energy teens. It’s fun for the most part, but can be slightly annoying, if only because it rings so true to real teenagers behavior!

The other major thing I’ve noticed already is how much of a dick Professor X was in these early comics! I mean, I know he’s always been fairly aloof and demanding, but Lee’s version of the Prof is downright scary! It’s kind of awesome! Definitely not the cuddly Patrick Stewart version of the movies!!! And, going back to his treatment of The Vanisher in issue #2, how scary is that? Dude just makes him forget who he is completely and then the 5 X-Men, who routinely let the Prof dig around in their heads, act like its NBD! It’s terrifying! Sometimes these older comics do things like this; instead of killing the villain, they either trap them for eternity or wipe their memories completely, or something like that, and then everyone acts like this isn’t almost worse then killing them. I mean, I know that with few exceptions, good guys didn’t kill people in the early days, so there needed to be another solution. But there’s something unsettling about wiping someone’s memory to the extent they don’t even know who they are and then acting like this is totally fine and the moral thing to do. It’ll be interesting to see how situations like this play out as we get into more modern stories!

Another thing I’m looking forward to seeing as I keep going is the evolution of everyone’s powers and how they’re defined. Right now, there seems to be no mentioned limits to anyone’s powers, but also no real definition of how the powers work or what they actually are. Like, Cyclops refers to his powers as his “power beam” and Iceman seems to have an ever-changing list of ice powers such as ice-breath, the ability to shoot ice missiles, and the ability to turn things into ice cubes (not just freeze them, but actually transform them into ice). I had also forgotten that early art of Bobby Drake had him as a fairly shapeless snow blob wearing only the X-Men boots! It’s pretty funny! So, stay tuned for discussion of how power sets are defined and limited as the series progresses and we meet more mutants.

So, until next time, loves…keep searching! ❤

Original Tumblr Post: here

A Little Background

Posted on by GenoshaGirl85

So…you’ve probably got questions about this insane project of mine. (Or maybe you don’t. I’m going to answer them anyway!) So let me start from the beginning.

I’ve been an X-man fan since I discovered the 90’s cartoon when I was younger. (Seriously, that intro alone made it my favorite!) From there, I started collecting the X-men Trading Cards. In fact, for awhile there, I had the entire 1994 Fleer Ultra set! I was obsessed! What I wasn’t, however, was a comic reader. I don’t think I even realized there were X-men comics at that age. Fast forward 10ish years:

I started dating my now husband, C. C is a HUGE comic nerd. Always has been. In  the beginning of our relationship, C and his friends would get together almost every Wednesday to read their new comics and discuss what was going on in them. So, every Wednesday, I was totally left out. I decided that just wasn’t going to fly, and started reading my way through C’s back-issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and a few Vertigo books (mainly Fables) I’d found my new love: Comics!

As an avid, some-what snobby reader, and an English major who spends most of her time reading English lit, I was surprised to find myself falling in love with Marvel comics. I was also shocked at how these comics, and X-Men in particular, seemed to really be tackling real-world issues and problems. I was hooked. I was reading more and more, and spending more and more time at our AMAZING local comic shop, Carol & John’s Comics, discussing continuity with everyone there. I’d found my tribe. But I’d also found a goal. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the X-Men. Naturally, to this reader, that meant I needed to read everything! And thus, my project was born!

I took me almost 2 years to compile my reading list. There was TON of research involved. My goal wasn’t just to read every issue of Uncanny and X-Men, but every comic related to the X-Men and the 616’s main mutants. This meant finding out which issues of Avengers featured a mutant on the team, reading all of Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) comics since she plays such a large roll in Rogue’s life, and is also a guest of Xavier’s for while, reading all of Namor’s solo books, and also the nearly impossible task of finding all of Wolverine & Deadpool’s 1000’s of solo adventures! It’s been really hard work. I’m still not convinced I found everything! But, I’ve come up with a fairly comprehensive list of every issue, in chronological order by publication month. So, now I’m ready to read!

When I first started the list, I figured I’d start with Giant Size #1. The new Uncanny team. I started my list there, and it grew quickly. Then, just as I was deciding to start this blog, C convinced me that I really should start with X-Men #1 from 1963. How, he pointed out, can I say I’ve read everything and know everything when this is all over if I didn’t even start with the team’s origins. He was right. So, I’m starting from the absolute beginning.

I’ve made a separate page to host my reading list for anyone that’s interested in it. It’s my baby. And it could have never happened without a few amazing sources:

And for all you fellow X-Men geeks out there, if you notice I’m missing something, please let me know! Like I said, I’m sure I’ve missed some issues. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Original Tumblr post: here

Here We Go!!

Posted on by GenoshaGirl85

Hello readers!!

So, a few years ago, I got this insane idea that I was going to read every X-men related comic ever, in chronological order. (I know, I’m totally cracked!) Anyway, it took me a year or two to get some traction, but I’m fully into the reading now, and have decided to blog about it as I go! So, that’s what serchingforgenosha is all about. My journey through 40+ years of crazy mutants! Stay tuned for more!

Original Tumblr Post: Here