The visual dynamism of any given comic is usually ascribed to the talent of the immediate visual team, but having something dynamic to draw is sort of step 1 and, in that light, Bob McLeod’s designs for the New Mutants are genuinely remarkable. #xmen #newmutants 1/7
With Cannonball, McLeod made the decision to have his legs literally disappear when he’s blasting (by which I obviously mean blastin’). It’s a simple, but very surreal choice that establishes through visual metaphor the synergy between Sam’s body and his eruptions. 2/7
Dani’s power doesn’t always have a consistent visual language, but the concept of it is carte-blanche for nightmarish horror images in which someone’s worst fear can be sprawled across the panel to dramatic effect whenever needed. 3/7
Wolfsbane’s power is a sort of tried and true one (especially in the comics medium which has a rich werewolf history) thus allowing illustrators to tap into the infinite lexicon of werewolf imagery that’s out there in order to create dramatic and primal representations. 4/7
Sunspot is ingenius – a simple silhouette with visible eyes and (usually) surrounding Kirby crackle (aka Kirby dots). It’s elegantly simple, visually efficient, and conveys a sense of mystery, power, and a sort of visual absence that is deeply compelling. 5/7
This tradition in New Mutants would continue with other creations and other creators, including Warlock, Illyana’s Darkchylde iterations, Magma (co-created by McLeod and Sal Buscema) and, of course, Cable. 6/7
The point is just that McLeod’s character designs gave him and others a whole lot to work with on the visual level, setting the stage for future visual artists to make or enhance their fame while working on the title, whilst also making the stories themselves more interesting 7/7

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More from @ClaremontRun

29 Aug
One of the ways that Claremont defines Jean as a 2nd wave feminist superhero is through her simple, consistent reluctance to fall into a domestic relationship against her wishes and to assert, instead, her independence and superheroism. #xmen 1/13
Betty Friedan is a major catalyst of American 2nd wave feminism who speaks to the confining effect of women’s forced domesticity. “Why should women accept this picture of a half-life, instead of a share in the whole of human destiny?” 2/13
We see Jean challenge this half-life early on with her assertion of power and agency in sacrificing herself to save her peers. Though a civilian at this time, she refuses Scott’s attempt to shield her and claims the role of martyr for herself – quite authoritatively. 3/13
Read 13 tweets
27 Aug
In UXM #108, Corsair and Storm lend Jean Grey their essence to stand beside her as she attempts to stitch the very fabric of reality together. It’s a dramatic moment that scholar Ramzi Fawaz isolates for its importance in terms of progressive representation. #xmen 1/3 Image
“The double embrace unifies the previously rent identities depicted in the famous cover image to X-Men #101, joining categories of male and female, black and white, while bridging the gap between liberal and cultural feminist worldviews embodied by Storm and Jean.” 2/3 Image
“In light of the internal divisions over questions of race and class privilege that plagued women’s liberation in the mid-1970s, to see a black woman join hands with a white woman to save the universe was no minor representational achievement” 3/3 Image
Read 4 tweets
31 Jul
Arguably the most poignant costume transformation in UXM is that of Storm’s embrace of a costume that signifies the punk subculture (or counterculture) and digging a bit deeper into what it represents can illuminate the full significance of that shift on her character. 1/8 #xmen
The punk movement is often badly misunderstood in the popular zeitgeist. It isn’t about wrecking, it’s about resisting. Even the concept of anarchism contains a number of beautiful ideals at its core, including an enhanced commitment to community and love. 2/8
Claremont shows complete awareness of the significance of Ororo’s transformation in the form of Kitty’s reaction, which surfaces the same misconceptions about what punk fashion represents. Kitty comes around, though, and so too does the reader. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
30 Jul
The Cross-Time Caper is easily the most famous story arc from Claremont’s Excalibur, but it’s also a misnomer. Rather than ‘time’ (or even dimensions) the caper is actually built around a tour of famous fictional settings. 1/7 #xmen #excalibur @GoshGollyWow
The story begins with a dive into a world of Arthurian Romance in the spirit of Thomas Mallory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur” or T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King.” This initial foray sets the tone for juxtaposing Excalibur with a different fictional universe. 2/7
From there, the team lands into a metatextual alternate version of the Marvel Comics Universe itself; After that they find themselves in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars; after that: a Manga universe with direct connections to Dirty Pair and Speed Racer. 3/7
Read 7 tweets
30 May
Placing Kitty Pryde into the position of viewpoint character has to represent one of the most groundbreaking decisions within the entirety of the Claremont run – a move that ultimately impacted the series, comics as a whole, and even Western media in powerful ways. #xmen 1/10
The Claremont run begins with Cyclops as the main viewpoint character. Kitty joins the team right at his departure and soon enough takes over as a main viewpoint character for the rest of her tenure, as reflected in our data (noting that Kitty’s only on for 70ish issues). 2/10
At the time of her arrival, Claremont had already executed a turn toward more adult-oriented stories (something that becomes even more pronounced after the death of an X-Man in DPS). It’s therefore perhaps odd to bring on a teen protagonist. 3/10
Read 10 tweets
29 May
Issue #14 of Excalibur features a visual and narrative sequence that offers rich potential for a sexual interpretation (within a series that relishes sexual symbolism) when perceived through that particular interpretive lens. #xmen 1/10
The centrepiece of this reading is the single panel of Rachel, rippling with energy, reaching toward Widget who is placed at the exact location of her genitals with an almost orgiastic grin upon his face in an example of what's called “yonic imagery.” 2/10
The narrative of the story only enhances the symbolism through escalating tension building to climax. The entire planet is about to collapse and Excalibur needs to power up Widget in order to escape. The dialogue includes a double entendre in “jump-start that little sucker.” 3/10
Read 11 tweets

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