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BRAND_X
June 13, 2006
"The author would also like to acknowledge
the makers of comic book villains and
superheroes, those who invented, or at
least popularized, the notion of the
normal, mild-mannered person transformed
into mutant by freak accident, with the
mutant thereafter driven by a strange
hybrid of the most rancid bitterness and
the most outrageous hope to do very, very
odd and silly things, many times in the
name of Good. The makers of comic books
seemed to be onto something there."
-- Dave Eggers,
"A Heartbreaking Work
of Staggering Genius" (2000)
p. xi - xii
STAGGERING
The original X-Men was
a Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Two years previously,
creation in 1963. Lee/Kirby had made a The Four -- like
breakthrough with the Spider-man -- are
"Fantastic Four", a ostensibly the
It fused together a reaction to the creations of freak
scenario from science popularity of DC's accidents involving
fiction novels with "Justice League", radiation.
the superhero genre: re-working some
genetic mutations elements of Doc Savage. The X-Men are a
producing a new race slightly
of super humans. DOC_SAVAGE different scenario:
products of freak
The X-Men were a Science Fiction: accidents from
collection of before they
teenagers gathered "Slan", "Children were born.
together by Xavier. of the Atom" ...
Doomed by a
Xavier's recruits were THE_SECRET_MASTERS_OF_DESTINY quirk of fate,
often literally or doomed from
outcasts, at risk of birth.
being lynched by
fearful mobs... But they
Because after all, they Not even have not
were a risk to anyone the Hulk. choosen
close to them, because their fate.
of their strange,
uncontrolled powers. MONSTERS
Xavier provides a
hiding place for them, The cover story is
a retreat where they that he's running an
can try to control exclusive private
their capabilities. school: "Xavier's Somewhat less plausibly,
School for Gifted he's also turning them
This is an extremely Children". into a combat unit,
powerful story, that complete with uniforms.
resonates deeply A "secret identity"
on a number of levels: for a group, rather Just givens of
than an individual. the super-hero
These children pass genre.
from a world of
bigotry and hostility But what does
into a civilized that explain?
realm; their strange It's asserted
natures go from that they are Why these genre
hated to valued "mutations", But a single conventions and
in a single step. a new species: mutation that not some other?
the Homo could generate
SEEKING Superior. all these
strange
(Yet another colorful
strange individual
dumbing variations is
down of a extremely
Nietzschean unlikely.
notion...)
A common Marvel
theme of the period:
The great power that
is bound together
with a weakness. A conviction that
nothing comes for
free?
A second, related theme:
The great power does not
solve any of the ordinary Also the theme of
human problems. the Philip Wylie novel Lee & Kirby
"Gladiator" (1930) put back
Lee/Kirby heroes are in some
typically vaguely unhappy, elements
mildly neurotic people: that Siegel
all-too-human supermen. Marvel often and Schuster
seems like the skipped.
There's the source of the
Cyclops with super-soap
his lack of sub-genre.
control over But you can make
his ray-beam a case for that
eyes, and the beginning with
need for his "The Scarlet
"quartz" visor Pimpernel"
to contain (play: 1903,
them. novel: 1905).
And his That visor can be
endless compared to "Iron-Man"
romantic and the high tech
mooning over proto-pacemaker built
Jean Grey... into his armor's chest The powerful
plate, forcing him to armor which
Aka "Marvel wear it constantly to *cannot* be
Girl": The survive. taken off... That's
token female a basic
of the group And both are Marvel
who seems reminiscent, of "The comics
like a very Thing", who would notion.
underpowered like to be able to
drip of a shut off his
character. thingness, but is Then there's the
stuck without a wheel-chair bound
(Much like secret identity. "Professor X":
the Fantastic a powerful
Four's Spider-Man "mentalist" in
"Invisible is an odd a damaged body
Girl") one in this
series, a (Note: Stephen
As time goes on subtle case Hawking became
and different where just a big hit
teams work having the much later.)
on the project, power is the
many of these drawback.
parameters change...
"With great power
The capabilities comes great
of "Marvel Girl" responsibility"
(later "Phoenix")
are ramped up, Presuming you *are*
and different themes responsible, then
are deployed in a power is an annoying
new more feminist imposition.
era.
Like: "Absolute
power corrupts
absolutely,
especially if
you're a woman."
Chris Claremont
used this same
theme later Interesting thing about
with Storm as "mutate"... it's an (I wonder
group leader. inherently passive verb. what jargon
they use
You don't go out in the
and mutate something. recombinant
DNA biz.
It just happens. Probably
the same
as in
gardening:
"hybridize".)
"Look at your children,
See their faces in golden rays...
Don't kid yourself they belong to you,
They're the start of a coming race
The earth is a bitch --
We've finished our news --
Homo Sapiens have outgrown their use...
All the strangers came today;
And it looks as though they're here to stay"
-- David Bowie, "Oh! You Pretty Things"
"Hunky Dory" (1971)
CULT_OF_BOWIE
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