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The Claremont Run is a SSHRC-funded academic initiative micro-publishing data-based analysis of Chris Claremont's 16 year run on Uncanny X-Men and spinoffs.
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Nov 22 8 tweets 3 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Oct 10 8 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Oct 3 7 tweets 3 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Sep 26 10 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Sep 5 10 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Aug 29 8 tweets 3 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Jul 25 8 tweets 3 min read
The Forge/Storm reunion in Fall of the Mutants story hit a lot of emotional notes and thus offers a great object lesson on the importance of the illustration team to capture and project the emotional nuance of character melodramas through expression. #xmen 1/8 Image The spectacle of working in the superhero genre has the potential to distract from an artist’s skill with rendering emotion, and Silvestri in particular has been badly undervalued in this aspect of his work. The quality and diversity of Storm’s expressions make that clear. 2/8 Image
May 30 10 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
May 9 11 tweets 5 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Apr 11 9 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Mar 21 7 tweets 3 min read
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 Image “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 Image
Feb 1 10 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Jan 25 10 tweets 4 min read
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 Image 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 Image
Jan 18 10 tweets 4 min read
Sharon Kelly is introduced to the readers in UXM #246 and is all-but killed in that same issue. She’s a character whose entire life and especially death exist in service to the plot, but, in spite of that, Claremont gives her story complexity, contradiction, and pathos. #xmen 1/9 Image We are first introduced to Sharon as she arrives at the Hellfire Club during a meeting between her husband (Senator Robert Kelly) and Sebastian Shaw. It’s revealed that Sharon was a Hellfire Club servant before marrying the senator. 2/9 Image
Dec 14, 2023 14 tweets 6 min read
In UXM #251, Wolverine is crucified by the Reavers and falls into a pair of fever dreams as a result. Claremont being Claremont, the dream sequences that unfold are not random, instead illuminating Logan’s character. Today we’ll talk about the first dream. #xmen #wolverine 1/14 Image Silvestri’s now iconic cover sets the tone with an homage to Buscema’s work from the 1970s Savage Sword of Conan, presumably, in illustration of a very famous scene from the Conan mythology, first published in 1934 in “A Witch Shall Be Born.” 2/14
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Oct 5, 2023 11 tweets 4 min read
UXM 139-140 features an impressive confluence of symbols in the service of exploring Wolverine’s ongoing character arc and evolution, all orbiting around an epic and reflective conflict with the cannibalistic monster “The Wendigo.” #xmen #wolverine 1/11 Image The Wendigo is based on a real Algonquin myth about acts of cannibalism leading to a horrific transformation into an insatiable monster. It was most famously popularized (or arguably appropriated) in Algernon Blackwood’s 1910 horror story “The Wendigo.” 2/11 Image
Jul 20, 2023 8 tweets 4 min read
Though separated by a galaxy far far away, Wolverine as we know him and the wildly popular Mandalorian TV series share a common ancestor in the form of a legendary 1970 manga series: “Lone Wolf & Cub” by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. #wolverine #xmen #Mandalorian 1/8
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The incorporation of samurai mythology into Wolverine’s character is frequently attributed to Frank Miller’s work with Claremont on the first Wolverine Mini-Series, and Miller has openly acknowledged that his touchstone for Samurai mythology is “Lone Wolf & Cub.” 2/8 Image
Jun 29, 2023 9 tweets 4 min read
Though innately dysfunctional, the Mystique/Rogue relationship combines profound affection, bad choices, and poor communication. Despite the extremes of the fictional world they occupy, the pair reflect a lot of how real-world parent/kid dynamics work. 1/9 #xmen #Rogue Image Mystique and Destiny took Rogue in after she was rejected by her birth family, but at the same time they also radicalized Rogue as a minor and placed her in very dangerous situations in service to Mystique’s mission. 2/9 Image
Feb 23, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
In a 1982 interview Claremont describes his unique portrayal of women in comics as a conscious decision, made under epiphany. The result of this is one of mainstream comics most important and influential experiments in representation. #xmen 1/6 "There was a moment I think when I made a conscious decision by looking around seeing how few people were portraying heroic rational sensible women in books and comics. I thought, "I'll fill that vacuum - since no one else is doing it, I'll give it a try." 2/6
Nov 17, 2022 5 tweets 3 min read
Hank McCoy’s presence in the Dark Phoenix Saga provides a nice continuation of that character’s development, ultimately accelerating his difficult transition to the Avengers, in part, by having him here witness the true end of the original X-Men. #xmen #darkphoenix 1/5 Image Hank reflects on his isolation within the Avengers and his longing for the found-family of the X-Men, just as the call for help comes in. Torn between allegiances, he ponders his obligation and chooses the X-Men. 2/5 Image
Aug 18, 2022 10 tweets 4 min read
In UXM #168, Nightcrawler is presented (and presents himself) as an object of sexual display to be consumed by both his on-panel girlfriend and by the reader, all in an homage to a landmark photographic spread with a deep impact on the sexual revolution. #xmen 1/10 The image references Burt Reynolds’ famous 1972 Cosmopolitan nude centrefold, an historic image that is credited with, among other things, inspiring Doug Lambert to create Playgirl Magazine the following year. Reynolds recounts the development as such: 2/10