The recent cancellation of Marvel's X-Men: The Hidden Years is seen as the first of many cancellations in the X-Office; I'd say, offhand, this is generally a very good idea. I've mentioned before my thoughts on the irrelevancy of such third-tier titles as Cable, Bishop and others. Despite claims from some of the creators and readers of those books, having sampled recent issues, I see no compelling reason why they should go on.
This week's release of the X-Men movie on DVD and VHS points up part of the problem.
The film is an amazing translation of the best aspects of the X-Men comics over the years, heavily inspired by the classic Chris Claremont/John Byrne era (issues #108-143 of Uncanny X-Men), and I recommend it highly, especially if you didn't see it when it was in theaters.
Now, if someone rents or buys the movie this week, then decides to sample the comics, two of the X-Men releases new in stores are X-Men Forever #1 and another issue of the astonishingly wrongheaded X-Men Universe series. There's your problem.
X-Men Forever is modelled on Avengers Forever, with numerous references to ancient continuity and a time-travelling assemblage of various heroes and villains. The difference between the two is that Avengers Forever was created with a manic joy by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco (and others). X-Men Forever brings with it none of the goodwill readers of the Avengers title had; I got a good laugh out of the page of footnotes at the end. Who the hell cares? Avengers Forever attempted to explain comics that were contradictory, but were produced by professional creators doing their best to tell good stories. X-Men Forever is built on a morass of ludicrous characters and plot twists that made no sense even in their original publication, and were likely created to continue to fuel the X-Men financial engine that has brought the majority of the X-titles to their current level of arrogant incomphrensibility. The artwork of Kevin Maguire here is most kindly described as professional. Sadly, though, it has none of the energy or quirkiness of his earlier work.
X-Men Universe gives you reprints of three confused, insipid recent issues of the X-Men titles by Chris Claremont for the price of two, with a hideous painted cover as an added bonus. Keep an eye out for this series in your local quarter bin. It'll still be overpriced then.
Of course, what comics are coming out this week was probably decided before Joe Quesada took over as Editor-in-Chief at Marvel, and he certainly can't tell Fox when they should release their DVDs and videotapes. So I'll hold him blameless.
But the fact of the matter is, this would have been a perfect week to release (or re-release) comics that would have appealed to fans of the movie. Offhand, I'd say an affordable reprint of the Days of Future Past storyline from Uncanny #141-142 or a reissue of the Dark Phoenix storyline would have been good moves. It would have been nice if Ultimate X-Men could have been out now...but hopefully that will be in stores within a few weeks, and hopefully it will be a quality comic with a cohesive storyline and mass appeal.
Now, X-Man. Earlier this year, Warren Ellis turned over to Marvel plots for some of their lower-tiered X-Titles, which were released under the umbrella title "Counter X." Titles in this line-within-a-line included X-Man, Generation X and X-Force.
Of the three, X-Man is the highest quality title, and the only one that deserves to be spared in this upcoming wave of cancellations.
Ellis laid a foundation in this title that has allowed writer Steven Grant and artist Ariel Olivetti to create the most coherent X-title currently being published, with a cutting edge sensibility that most closely recalls Ellis's DC/Wildstorm title The Authority.
Both titles deal with alternate realities, broken universes, and (most notably) super-heroic shamanism. Nate Grey, an alternate version of a character from an alternate future (could there be a more irrelevant, insipid origin for a character?), has been reborn as Marvel's mutant shaman, exiled from mutantkind and humanity both, dedicating the rest of his life to addressing threats so large and mindbending that the X-Men themselves seem powerless to address them.
Reading between the lines, despite the occasional nod to hardcore X-readers (Madelyne Pryor, or some version of her, was an important part of the second four-issue story arc of X-Man's Counter X issues), Ellis and Grant have divorced the title from the X-Universe. The book, and the readers, are all the better for it.
What essentially has happened (which is especially obvious in the current, third story arc) is that Marvel has been given a venue in which to tell widescreen, compelling stories similar to those in The Authority, which is one of the best superhero series ever published.
Grant has proved himself equal to the task of maintaining the atmosphere of dread and threat that the initial story arc set up. X-Man is Marvel's best single-character superhero title, and its second best title overall, beaten only by the excellent Avengers, written by Kurt Busiek. Busiek has been ably aided by artist George Perez, and is getting an equally talented partner in new penciler Alan Davis. Grant, on the other hand, has had a bit more of a challenge in creating a quality book, given both the poor track record of X-Man and a much less experienced artist such as Olivetti.
Despite the challenges, X-Man is a real feather in Marvel's cap, a quality book that challenges its readers and stretches the limitations of the superhero genre with each passing issue. Perhaps the divorce should truly be finalized, as at least one reader has suggested, and the X should come out of the title. One Usenet reader suggested renaming the title Shaman and making it part of the Marvel Knights line.
Whatever has to be done, there can be no doubt that cancelling this book would be a major misstep if Marvel is to retain credibility in this time of reorganization and re-creation. X-Man is providing quality stories and art, in easily digestible, coherent (and easily collected in TPB form) story arcs. Whatever has to be done, however it has to be accomplished, X-Man should survive, Steven Grant should continue to write it, and an artist should be found that can complement and build on the unique, intriguing work created by Ariel Olivetti.
The past nine months have seen X-Man quietly become one of Marvel's best titles, while the rest of the X-Titles have all continued chugging along in varying degrees of obnoxious, irrelevant unreadability. If anyone at Marvel is listening, please take a look at X-Man #63-70, and hear my plea:
This is a book that should be saved.