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Topic: Et tu, Moira!? Or...what makes a mutant - SPOILERS Post Reply | Post New Topic
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Dale E Ingram
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 01 July 2015
Location: United States
Posts: 75
Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:34pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

And we seemed no worse off for this lack of knowledge.

__ 

Valid point.

Normally, I would hate this kind of story, but I'm really digging what Hickman is doing here. 
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132129
Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:36pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

This graphic* from the book…

••

Comicbook Writing 101: if you need a GRAPH to explain what you want to do, DON'T DO IT!!

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Dale E Ingram
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Joined: 01 July 2015
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:36pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

 I still think this timeline is an alternate one but he doesn't want to say so because the readers will think it doesn't count or something.

__

I think that's a possibility too. There's some reason why we haven't been shown her "sixth" life, or how lives 8 or 9 ended. There's gotta be a twist.
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John Byrne

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Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132129
Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

So you DON'T know what Hickman is doing here.....
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Shane Matlock
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Joined: 12 August 2012
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:39pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

That graph was completely unnecessary. It's all in the comic itself prior to the graph. I think Hickman just really loves doing graphs. Also triptychs.
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Vinny Valenti
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Joined: 17 April 2004
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:39pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

That graph looks like I would use it to help get around the London Tube.
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Dale E Ingram
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Joined: 01 July 2015
Location: United States
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:41pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Oh, I definitely don't know what Hickman is doing here. Not at all. But, enjoying the ride nonetheless.

And yeah, he loves doing graphs and triptychs and charts. I'm told he did an entire issue of East of West that was nothing but statistics. :)
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Adam Schulman
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Joined: 22 July 2017
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:42pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

The weird part about what Hickman is doing, weirder than what's specifically been done to Moira, is reinventing the X-Men -- and Magneto and at least some of what used to be the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants -- as mutant separatists all living together. With happy mutant teenagers.

Not mutant integrationists (Charles Xavier as we knew him), or mutant terrorists (Magneto as we once knew him), but nationalists. "You don't want to live with us? Fine. We won't live with you. We're reinventing Krakoa as Mutant Nation. Play nice with us, we'll play nice with you. Otherwise, face our wrath."

This might be a bit like Genosha but I wasn't reading the X-Men titles during those years so I'm not sure. 

It's an interesting idea but it's very, very far away from what Stan and Jack intended. Or Roy Thomas. Or even Claremont. 
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Shane Matlock
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Joined: 12 August 2012
Location: United States
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 1:52pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

My main complaint about the book is that the art, while definitely serviceable and fine, doesn't look half as good as Elsewhen. I'd never even heard of the two artists they are using on House of X and Powers of X. It is very much writer driven and comics are at their absolute best with a combination of both, like, well, Elsewhen. Or the Claremont and Cockrum or Claremont and Byrne or Claremont and Paul Smith teams. I initially lost interest in the book when the artists kept getting of inferior quality after JR Jr's run ended, which was around 200. With the exception of the Alan Davis fill ins.

Edited by Shane Matlock on 09 August 2019 at 1:53pm
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Mark McKay
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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Posted: 09 August 2019 at 6:11pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Ha, I thought the art was the best part! Feels very influenced by Alan Davis.
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Juan Gomez
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Joined: 08 August 2019
Posts: 25
Posted: 10 August 2019 at 6:59pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

I suppose any evaluation can only be subjective and absolutely preliminary, because this particular run of comics has barely started, but I'll be honest...I am liking this idea in practice, despite acknowledging there can be a few valid criticisms on paper.

In my opinion...outside of the whole reincarnation angle and the memories of her past lives, the fact is that Moira still remains a regular human being in every other known sense.

Sure, she gets to try multiple approaches and influence certain events in a way that nobody else could, but Moira hasn't been able to magically defeat everyone, nor end any of the overarching human vs. mutant conflicts as of yet. Things aren't looking quite as easy to solve as she might think and this should be her last (or penultimate) life. That's where the challenge, so to speak, can be found.

For context...I had not been regularly reading the modern X-Men comics. In fact, it's been multiple years since Marvel last got me to buy anything on a monthly basis. However, this current run has started in a very interesting way that is keeping my attention thus far. I think it's an improvement. Anecdotally, it does seem like Marvel and Hickman are getting many people to come back and try to care about the mutants again. How long will that last? I won't speculate, but I am willing to give this a chance.

Regarding the graphs/info pages, I can see why there might be all sorts of formal artistic or stylistic arguments against them, in theory, but....I think they're also a valid storytelling technique. Hickman has used them in some of his own independent books fairly effectively. For now, they've enhanced rather than hurt my reading experience of the new X-Men titles.

I don't think every single story needs such things, mind you, but in this concrete instance they are useful in terms of communicating a lot of background information rather succinctly.

One last thing: I love that this concept does seem to reflect the original Greek meaning of "Moira", which had to do with three mythical beings who watched over the threads of life/fate for all living things.


Edited by Juan Gomez on 10 August 2019 at 7:14pm
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Phil Frances
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Joined: 08 August 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 338
Posted: 10 August 2019 at 7:30pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

"My" Moira MacTaggert is the machine-gun toting housekeeper from X-Men #96. All of this other .... stuff ..... is just ridiculous.

If you want to restart the X-Men, make a list of the stuff that works, keep all of that, and just don't mention the rest. Take it back to basics.

Just tell good stories, fgs*. Is it that difficult ?

*Which does not include 'hot claws Wolverine' - jeez !
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