In a brief self-insert scene from UXM Annual #12, Claremont uses the 4th-wall-breaking character Mojo to shine the satirical lens onto Claremont himself and onto his own creative team for a bizarre bit of autocriticism. #xmen 1/9
The narrative problem presented is that the X-Men have recently died in “Fall of the Mutants” and thus the demand for X-Men stories on Mojoworld has no supply. Mojo goes off on his team of sycophants, but this time, among them, is the X-team of creators themselves. 2/9
In a single panel, we see Bob Harras, Glynnis Oliver, Ann Nocenti, Art Adams, a blustering Chris Claremont and Tom Orzechowski. Notably absent is inker Bob Wiacek, though perhaps this is reflective of the fact that Wiacek was not the main x-inker at the time. 3/9
They really only appear on a single page, and most get just a single line of dialogue. Even so, the results are charmingly satiric of behind-the-scenes dynamics and relationships. 4/9
Harras is portrayed as a smooth-talker, immediately declaring that “Well, I’ve given this a lot of thought…” even though Mojo has just posed the problem to the team. Oliver acquiesces, while Art Adams becomes anxious about whether or not he can draw. 5/9
Tom Orzechowski simply requests “How about less words?” an incisive comment from the letterer who is burdened with Claremont’s enormous reams of dialogue. Nocenti is simply dismissive, “Blah blah blah,” though we might argue it’s unclear whether that’s to Mojo or Claremont. 6/9
Claremont is portrayed in a state of righteous fury. “It’s all your fault! I warned you - I said, go for quality, not quantity – but nnnnooo, you just had to keep exploit-ingck!” at which point Mojo turns his head into that of a baby. 7/9
The level of self-awareness and self-mockery is clear. Claremont knows that he’s wordy (poor Tom), and that he’s at odds with an editorial direction that is seeking to expand the franchise beyond what Claremont sees as its natural capacity. 8/9
That Mojo makes him a baby, of course, suggests C’s awareness that he’s perceived as a whiner for the artistic stance he articulates. Given what we know about how his run ended, however, this silly bit of satire is actually quite pointed. 9/9
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In the Classic X-Men #2 backup story "First Friends" Claremont finally fills in one of the most notorious gaps in his own X-Men continuity: the initial cultivation of Ororo’s friendship with Jean. #xmen 1/8
In the story that unfolds, Jean has invited Ororo alone to a social gathering at her Manhattan loft. Her logic is “There are so many guys in the X-Men, we gals have to stick together” thus establishing an intentional construction of a sororal community. 2/8
From there Claremont falls into some of his familiar interpretations of feminine bonding: being naked in front of each other, wearing each other’s clothes, and going shopping together. This isn’t to say these things can’t work, of course, just that he does this a lot. 3/8
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
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
Though Jim Lee gets most of the credit for the 1990s X-Men aesthetic, Scott Williams’ inks played an immeasurable role in taking Lee’s line art from house style to the forefront of comics illustration thanks to harmonious collaboration. #xmen 1/10
In a recent interview with Syfywire, legendary inker Scott Williams talks about some of the misconceptions surrounding what inkers actually do and about how his 30 year partnership with Jim Lee in particular has thrived on mutual influence. 2/10
Williams immediately dispels the tragic misconception that inkers are tracers, describing a much stronger artistic contribution: "There are a lot of times where deadline strikes and the penciler is not able to give all the information within a given page that is required.” 3/10
UXM 261 feels more or less like a backdoor pilot for “Hardcase and the Harriers” but it also features some strong initial character development of Jubilee, defining the complex dualities and opposing extremes that readers identify with in Jubilation. #xmen #Jubilee 1/10
The issue opens with Jubilee expressing her frustration at the Southeast-Asian cuisine she’s exposed to in contrast to her abiding love for American junk food (something Wolverine provides, thus showcasing his bond with her). 2/10
Though a small and simple bit, the scene dramatizes Jubilee’s representational complexity as an Asian-American. This is actually important for a series that, since GSXM #1, was built around characters embodying essentialist national types. 3/10
At the time of Colossus’s 1975 debut, America was embroiled in “The Cold War” with the USSR, a war that was often fought through media propaganda. Though Piotr was built around familiar US symbols of Soviet people, Claremont developed him away from type. #xmen 1/8
Steel and agriculture were dominant symbols of the USSR at the time (seen on their flag), so a farm-boy who turns to living steel is right in-line with type from the get-go. His costume also features the colours of the Soviet flag and he espouses communist philosophy. 2/8
In “Asymmetric Warfare: The Vision of the Enemy in American and Soviet Cold War Cinemas,” Andrey Shcherbenok establishes US mass culture’s tendency to portray Soviet persons in media as homogenized, generic enemies, overdetermined by their hate of America. 3/8