In UXM 183 Claremont takes the seemingly superficial concept of a teenager getting dumped and lends it a weight and interiority beyond all expectation. As Piotr breaks Kitty’s heart, she is run through a complex gamut of emotional responses to devastating effect. #xmen 1/10
The backdrop for the scene (cliffs at sunset) is both dramatic and (ironically) romantic. This is enhanced by JRJR’s use of hot pink colour shade panels as well as Piotr’s tendency to stare out across the endless water, while struggling to make eye contact with Kitty. 2/10
While his actions in Secret Wars (not written by Claremont) were indeed callous, Claremont’s Piotr is arguably noble in this scene, laying out the truth as he sees it out of respect for Kitty’s feelings. The damage, however, is already done. 3/10
The most poignant aspect of the scene is the juxtaposition between what Kitty says and what Kitty thinks, a divide that is often accentuated and/or mediated by her expression and posture in the highly capable hands of John Romita Jr, doing some stellar expressionist work. 4/10
In conversation, Kitty commits, as best she can, to casual rationality, but her inner monologue is neither casual nor rational. She is spiraling hard through devastation, insecurity, and despondency. 5/10
Even the tone of the conversation is wildly inconsistent. Kitty acts almost indifferent at times in her responses to Piotr, but flashes quickly to anger when triggered, thus reflecting the interior turmoil she is undergoing. 6/10
Kitty’s attempt to hold it together isn’t just for the benefit of spiting Piotr, but also for herself. We see her lash out just a bit at Storm (in her mind, anyway), then strive to hold on in front of Illyana, before falling apart in her bedroom. 7/10
The combined effect of the scene is a rather intense blend of awkwardness and anxiety that captures the raw edge of emotions that one might expect from any teenager in a similar situation. Of course, Kitty isn’t “any teenager,” so the scene is humanizing of the superhero. 8/10
A later scene explores the complex ambivalence that the end of the relationship creates for Kitty. “I hate him, Ororo, with all my heart. I love him.” The tightening of the world around Kitty, as she says this, is elegantly exhibited in Romita’s collapsing vertical panels. 9/10
In all of this, Claremont’s love for Kitty as a character shines through, as does the respect that he has for his own character creation. He strives to give life to Kitty’s anguish and sorrow through a deeply method approach to her voice in the scene. Arguably, he finds it. 10/10
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While the circumstances of Rogue’s absorption of the Carol Danvers persona are surreal and supernatural, they nonetheless provide an intriguing example of the concept of “restorative justice” in a manner that makes a compelling story at the same time. #xmen #rogue 1/9
Restorative justice is a system that focuses on “providing an opportunity for the parties directly affected by the crime – victims, offenders and communities – to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime” instead of simple punishment. 2/9
Though more recently popularized, RJ was commonly practiced by First Nations communities in North America, forming the basis of entire judicial infrastructures (where most Western justice systems, up until recently, focused on the familiar penal structure). 3/9
As a collaborative medium, comics are sometimes denigrated for their committee approach to character-building, but a closer look at the 'committee' behind Wolverine shows how a character like Logan offers a multifaceted connection to creative genius. #xmen #wolverine 1/10
As noted by Marvel historian Sean Howe, Wolverine was first “named and conceived by Roy Thomas, who detected a need to exploit the Canadian market” before being “developed further by Len Wein and John Romita” ahead of Logan’s debut in “The Incredible Hulk.” 2/10
Throw in Claremont, and the pedigree is quite impressive already. Thomas is perhaps best known as the greatest writer of Conan comics, a character that later artists would draw from quite directly in their interpretations of Wolverine. 3/10
In UXM #220, Claremont takes a moment away from a chaotic era to touch back upon the longstanding, well-evolved relationship between Storm and Wolverine, giving readers another character-revealing scene between this iconic X-Men duo. #xmen #wolverine #storm 1/9
The scene initiates a journey of self-discovery for Ororo, one of many throughout the series but this one will specifically create the rising action for the “Fall of the Mutants’’ event. She has to go alone, but someone has to lead the X-Men in her absence. She recruits Logan 2/9
The power dynamic is foreshadowed in the simple fact that Wolverine (an archetypal hunter) has literally scaled the highest mountain to be alone, but it doesn’t matter. Even without her powers, Ororo has tracked him down. 3/9
In an introductory essay penned in 1980, John Byrne recounts his personal perspective on Jean Grey and her transformation to Phoenix. His candid account paints a less grandiose view on the cultivation of the character within the series than we normally hear. #xmen #JeanGrey 1/7
“I’ve never liked Phoenix. There, I said it...It’s not that I don’t like Jean Grey. I have an abiding fondness for readheads, and have been in love with Jean since we first ‘met,’ about a millions years ago when I was 13.” 2/7
“Granted that her power were not nearly as spectacular as Cyclops’, or Angel’s, or even Iceman’s, but she looked real good in a tight uniform and could – and did – serve to get the X-Men out of tight places.” 3/7
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
Despite having all manner of characters (good and evil) express romantic interest in her, Storm’s first canonical love is Forge, a possibly counter-intuitive choice. But this might be the point, as Forge can better connect Ororo to her humanity. #xmen 1/10
Storm is routinely courted (or abducted – or both) by the wealthiest, most powerful beings on the planet/cosmos. She could be a queen, a goddess, a vampire, you name it, but she rejects all of these suitors out of concern for her own independence. 2/10
When asked in interview why it took so long for Storm to receive a relationship partner, Claremont would often reply “because nobody was good enough for her.” 3/10