#X-Cutioner’s Song

[ungoliantschilde]

X-Factor, Vol. 1 # 86 Page 01 by Jae Lee, with Inks by Al Milgrom, Letters by Steve Dutro, Colors by Glynis Oliver, and a Script by Peter David.

My single favorite Jae Lee image ever, and one of the most iconic images in X-Men history.

GORGEOUS page.

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

Love the insinuation the team is gonna team up with Apocalypse here...

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[newwarriorstalk]

Released 30 years ago this week:

Adventures of Superman #498 by Jerry Ordway & Tom Grummett

Showcase ’93 #1 by Doug Moench & Ed Hannigan; Gary Cohn, Dan Mishkin & Pete Moriarty; and Len Wein & Phil Jimenez; cover by Art Adams

X-Force #18 by Fabian Nicieza & Greg Capullo

Amazing Spider-Man #373 by David Michelinie & Mark Bagley with Michelinie & Tod Smith, cover by Mark Bagley

[big-gay-apocalypse]

The X-Men, in a nutshell.

// X-Force Epic Collection: X-Cutioner's Song

[daisyachain]

I think this belief of mine comes from the fine comic tradition of Seeing Who Is Standing Next to Each Other in the Background. If you get 20 pages per month and there are 10 main characters in the team book and 10 secondary characters, you spend most of your time reading meaning into incidental shots of tiny sketchy figures shaded in pale blue.

I think I prefer that works pace themselves to imply background activity. Even when there are multiple simultaneous storylines, I like to have the feeling that something important is going down off-screen. With enough subplots going on, rather than increasing the tension you end up with Four Lines, All Waiting—it takes so long to rotate back around that the tension in each subplot is dead by the time you get back to it. I say: keep the ball rolling. When we get back to each subplot, don’t pick up where you left off. Don’t even pick up at the next development. Have some kind of minor event happen while you’re spending time on the other subplots so that the audience feels like they’re running out of time.

Sure, significant action off-screen can lead to a case of telling-not-showing, but I don’t care. I’m bored. Speed it up.

[thequiver]

Who is....James Proudstar | Warpath? - A Reading Guide

James "Jimmy" Proudstar, is an X-Men affiliated character from Marvel Comics first introduced in 1984. Jimmy is a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and was born in Camp Verde, Arizona. Jimmy grew up idolizing his older brother, John, who would die while on a mission with the X-Men, prompting Jimmy's own path into the world of mutant infighting. Jimmy's story includes topics around the mistreatment of indigenous people (including the medical experimentation that they've suffered), as well as dealing heavily with themes of grief and healing. However, given the nature of American comic books and the lack of diversity among writers, the comics do not always do a good job addressing themes and plots specifically related to Jimmy being Apache.

Many earlier comics do not accurately depict Jimmy's skin-tone or culture, so while in the graphic above I have adjusted some coloring, please be advised that in an unfortunately large number of the following issues...he will look white.

Reading list is under the cut!

From Hellions to X-Force

Jimmy's first appearances are with the Hellions, a villainous group of mutants under the direction of Emma Frost. Jimmy joined their ranks following the death of his brother, John, when he was determined to get revenge on the X-Men- he soon found that he didn't fit in with the Hellions and returned home. Cable approached him about joining the New Mutants but he declined until he discovered that the Hellfire Club (of which Emma was part) had murdered his entire tribe. Now fueled by a desire for revenge against Emma Frost, Jimmy agreed to join the New Mutants right before they turned into X-Force.

New Mutants (1983)#16-17 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #193 Firestar (1986) #2-3 New Mutants (1983) #39, 43, 53-54, 56, 62, 99-100, Annual 7A New Warriors (1992) #Annual 1A Uncanny X-Men (1981) #Annual 15A X-Factor (1986) # Annual 6A X-Force (1991) #1-3 Spider-Man (1990) #16 X-Force (1991) #4-5, Annual 1C Warheads (1992) #4-5 X-Force (1991) #6-7A, 9A-15 X-Cutioner's Song X-Men (1991) #17 New Warriors (1990) #31 X-Force (1991) #19, 21-26, Annual 2, 27-33 New Warriors (1990) #46 X-Force (1991) #34-38 Blaze (1994) #4-5 X-Force (1991) #39-41, 43 Cable (1993) #21 X-Force (1991) #44-53, 55-58 X-Force and Cable '96 (1996) #1A X-Force (1991) #59-61, 63-64 X-Force and Cable '97 (1997) #1 X-Force (1991) #65-66, -1, 68-71 Deadpool (1997) #12 X-Force (1991) #72-93, Annual 1999, 94-98 Cable (1993) #73-75 X-Force (1991) #99-117

X-Corporation

After the dissolution of X-Force, Jimmy would join the international mutant taskforce, X-Corporation.... it didn't last very long....

New X-Men (2001) #133 X-Force (2004) #2-3

X-Men

Jimmy keeps his powers after M-Day and returns to the Xavier Institute where he ends up "joining the X-Men". (It's complicated).

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #475-476, 478-479, 481-482, 484-491

X-Force: Take 2 (Now with Wolverine)

A new X-Force was formed, led by Wolverine (Logan) to do the more....extreme tasks the normal X-Men won't.

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #493 X-Factor (2006) #26 New X-Men (2004) #45 X-Men (1991) #206 X-Factor (2006) #27 (mostly here as set up for the next issue) New X-Men (2004) #46 X-Men (1991) #207 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #498-499 X-Force (2008) #1-6 X-Force: Ain't No Dog (2008) #1B Cable (2008) #6-7, 9-10 X-Force (2008) #7-11 X-Men: Legacy (2008) # Annual 1A, 230A X-Force (2008) #12-13 X-Force/Cable: Messiah War (2009) #1 Cable (2008) #13 X-Force (2008) #14 Cable (2008) #14 X-Force (2008) #15 Cable (2008) #15 X-Force (2008) #16-18, 20

Necrosha, etc.

After the events of Messiah War, Jimmy became embroiled in Necrosha (reanimated mutants were being controlled by Selene and the T-O virus). After fixing that scenario, Jimmy quit X-Force, stayed in Utopia after the schism, and would join the X-Men in a war against the Avengers. (This era technically includes Age of X, but Jimmy doesn't really...do much there so I didn't include those appearances).

X-Necrosha (2009) #1A,C X-Force (2008) #21, Annual 1A, 22A-25 Nation X (2010) #4C X-Men: Schism (2011) #5 (Jimmy's only in like 3 panels but they're important) X-Men: Legacy (2008) #260 X-Men (2010) #20-29

Weapon X

After all...that. Jimmy was captured by the restarted Weapon X Program, after being rescued the team Jimmy was on started by renaming themselves "Weapon X" as a way to reclaim the program that had hurt them. During this time, Jimmy started dating Domino...which was certainly a choice on the writer's part....

Weapon X (2017) #2, 4 Weapons of Mutant Destruction: Alpha (2017) #1 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #20 Weapon X (2017) #5 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #21 Weapon X (2017) #6 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #22 Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2017) #1-5 Weapon X (2017) #7-21 Astonishing X-Men (2017) #13A-17 Extermination (2018) #3-5 X-Force (2018) #1A-5, 7-10

Krakoa and Fall of X

Like many mutants, Jimmy moved to the mutant nation of Krakoa. While on Krakoa he joined the New Mutants, and would have a chance to reconnect with his beloved brother, John.

New Mutants (2019) #14-15, 18-24 Giant Size X-Men: Thunderbird (2022) #1 New Mutants (2019) #29 New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #1 X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #121-123, 138-142

[tepkunset]

Thoughts on X-Men 97 S01E02 – Mutant Liberation Begins

TL;DR: X-Men 97’s butchering of the Trial of Magneto is more than just a bad adaptation. It’s an offensive stripping of a core part of the original story and of Magneto’s character.

The Trail of Magneto story arc in the Uncanny X-Men comics is an iconic turn for the character and the team; it is a transformation of an enemy turned friend. But that is not all the story represents. Delving deeper into its layers, one can pull out a lot of messages. The biggest one I relate to is the effects of compound systemic oppression when one has multiple identities marking them as a minority. But that’s missing in X-Men 97’s adaptation… even worse, it actively counters this point.

Before we get into the cartoon’s adaptation, let’s take a look at the comics, first.

The story begins in Uncanny X-Men #199, where Magneto and Kitty Pryde both attend a special reception at the National Holocaust Memorial in Washington, DC. It is here that Kitty is able to reconnect with folks who knew her family, who were victims in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and Magneto reconnects with people he knew there as well. They praise him for helping them survive.

But Freedom Force breaks into the reception and tries to arrest Magneto in the name of the US government. Magneto initially resists: “My land—all the countries of the world—turned their backs on me and mine when we were condemned to Hitler's death camps. Therefore, in return, I have sworn to deny them!” However, when he sees how afraid everyone around him is, he accepts their arrest and agrees to stand trial.

The story continues in Uncanny X-Men #200. Magneto’s trial by the international court of justice begins with England’s Attorney-General claiming there is no such thing as mutant oppression, which we the readers know, is a blatant lie. Despite this, Magneto remains calm, and when it’s his turn to speak, he says the following:

“My dream, from the start, has been the protection and preservation of my own kind, mutants. To spare them the fate my family suffered in Auschwitz and do not tell me such a thing cannot happen again, because that is a lie! You humans slaughter each other because of the colour of your skin, or your faith or your politics—or for no reason at all—too many of you hate as easily as you draw breath, what's to prevent you adding us to that list?!”

But the trial attracts the attention of the Fenris twins; the Nazi offspring of Baron Von Strucker. They are there to kill Magneto, Xavier, and Gabrielle Haller (AKA David Haller’s mother), because she is Jewish and was an enemy of their father. Magneto risks his life to save everyone in the trial from them, but Xavier’s heart gives out and he nearly dies in Magneto’s arms, until he’s whisked away by his alien girlfriend who says she can save him. Xavier makes Magneto vow to stand with the X-Men and teach the New Mutants in his absence.

So, let’s keep in mind how intertwined Magneto’s Jewish and mutant identities are in this story; how they interact and shape his views and actions together. Because X-Men 97 is about to take all that away.

In X-Men 97 S01E02, when Val Cooper and the UN show up to arrest Magneto, he surrenders peacefully to try and gain the X-Men’s trust. And Magneto’s speech is very different from that of the comics:

“As a boy, my people's homes were burned to ash, because we dared to call God by another name. Then, my people hunted me with those who had once hunted them. I was a freak, born a mutant. An abomination to their misnamed gods. In history's sad song, there is a refrain. Believe differently, love differently, be of different sex or skin, and be punished. We sing this song to one another. The oppressed become oppressors.”

And it is not the Fenris twins who show up, but just generic Friends of Humanity baddies, led by X-Cutioner.

This adaptation may contain the surface-level story beats of the original, but it misses the heart of the matter; it misses the point!

Magneto’s cartoon speech separates him from his Jewish community. That is something the Magneto I know would never do. In the comics, his part about how humans are always killing each other speaks much more volumes, because he is speaking about his experience not just as a mutant, but as a Jewish person who has survived genocide. Magneto, or anyone with more than identity, does not have to choose between them. This show now says otherwise.

What I hate most of all about his cartoon speech though, is the line, “the oppressed become oppressors.” This is straight up cloaked white supremacist rhetoric; the fear that if racial/ethnic minorities are given equal rights, we will take over and start oppressing white settlers. And no, I’m not saying minorities are exempt from carrying prejudices against others, obviously. What I’m saying is, oppression is a systemic problem that largely stems from colonialism, and to paint oppressed people as a danger that needs to be oppressed or will oppress you, is a terrible idea used by colonizers to justify the system of colonialism. It is not based on fact.

The message of Magneto’s speech in the comics is that he has personally suffered from the hands of oppression before, and does not want others to suffer more. The message of magneto’s speech in the cartoon is that all people are bad, end of story. There is no nuance, there is no larger context at play, and there is no real grit to the words said! They have de-clawed Magneto’s character, and they have ripped away what he stands for… who he stands for.

[forgotn1]

Marvel will never get the X-Men 100% correct because their focus is on making big blockbuster movies. But that's not what the X-Men is at its core. You can get away with that for the big crossovers like X-Cutioner's Song or world shattering events like Legion Quest, which either start or end major storylines. But for the most part, the X-Men exist on a much smaller scale fighting internal conflicts that fit better in TV shows.

The best possible way to explore the X-Men on screen is through several different TV shows that follow a Villain of the Week format. They can build up to a major confrontation with a a villain team, but it very much needs to be about exploring each individual character and how they fit into the larger team. Start with an X-Men series that shows how the team formed and focuses on each characters' motivation for being on the team, then expand into a series for other teams. Excalibur, X-Force, New Mutants, X-Factor, whatever. Each show could be used to explore other facets of the universe as well as introducing new characters.

That's also the only way to successfully adapt the Dark Phoenix Saga. Let us see how the original X-Men team is formed and grows, then give us a movie where they go to space to fight the Shi'ar or something that leads to Jean connecting with the Phoenix Force. Follow that up with a season where Jean explores her powers while also dealing with complications from a newly introduced Logan. Maybe the final episode gives us the first glimpse of Mastermind and is immediately followed by a one-off season of the Hellfire Club that goes into the corruption of Jean Grey and eventual activation of the Dark Phoenix. Then, give us the finale of the Dark Phoenix, which is a true blockbuster film storyline.

[paperheartsbleedink]

panel from X-Force #19 (1993), "The Open Hand: The Closed Fist" new costumes, post X-Cutioner's Song

pencils by Greg Capullo

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

Kubert really likes him his sketchy faces...

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[iamonlyhereforthefood]

So, in the X-Men '97 series, we have so far seen adaptations of:

Magneto's trial from Uncanny 200

Inferno (in one episode, no less)

Storm's depowered era

E is for Extinction

Operation Zero Tolerance

and looks like we will get Fatal Attractions before the season ends.

This seems like a lot more direct adaptations than any season of the original series, despite them being longer.

I have seen people predicting that the next season we will get Onslaught and yeah, probably. But, like, what other 5 or so events will we see?

X-Cutioner's Song? the Outback era? formation of New Mutants/Generation X? Schism? God Loves, Man Kills (please, please, please)? House of M? and then Messiah Complex in one episode? will we get the Third Summers brother speculation (there will be something with Sinister definitely)? Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire/War of Kings (obscure, but I wouldn't mind more Gladiator)? probably something with Phoenix, but I hope not more of Morrison's era - or if they have to, please no Xorn at least (I am begging you, Marvel, don't do Xorn.)

Any ideas? Just to be clear, this is meant in good spirit. I love the show! We are getting the best of the stories and I am here for it!

[big-gay-apocalypse]

every time i re-read this arc i just want to post the same panels. it is taking me serious restraint. but since this is objectively hilarious, I have to allow it.

// X-Force Epic Collection: X-Cutioner's Song

[xmencovered]

X-CUTIONERS SONG COMPLETE CARD SET 01 - 12 (1992) / ARTISTS: GREG CAPULLO, ANDY KUBERT, BRANDON PETERSON, LARRY STROMAN

[thequiver]

Who is...Theresa Cassidy | Siryn? - A Reading Guide

Theresa "Terry" Cassidy is an X-Men affiliated mutant from Marvel Comics first introduced in 1980. Terry is the daughter of Sean Cassidy (Banshee) and was raised by Tom Cassidy (Black Tom Cassidy) and Cain Marko (Juggernaut). She possesses her father's super-sonic scream and a hypnotic voice. Terry is most known for her affiliation with teams like X-Force and X-Factor, and having taken on the mantle of the ancient goddess, the Morrigan, in the 2010s.

Terry's central story deals with topics that may be triggering such as alcoholism, infant death (X-Factor 2005), and suicide (X-Factor 2020). These are all central themes to her story across the years, if you struggle with triggers related to these topics please proceed with caution and make sure to take care of yourself.

Reading list under the cut!

Crime and Muir Island

Terry's appearances open with her as a criminal alongside Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut. Her heart, however, was not in it, and Tom helped her to reunite with her father, Sean, and Terry then split her time between her father's home and the Muir Island Mutant Research Facility.

Spider-Woman (1978) #37-38 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #148 Fallen Angels (1987) #1-8 Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #43D Uncanny X-Men Annual (1986) #15A X-Factor (1986) # Annual 6A Uncanny X-Men (1981) #278 X-Factor (1986) #69 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #280

X-Force

Terry initially joined X-Force to stop her former father-figures, Tom and Cain, from bombing the World Trade Center but stayed with the team for its entire duration. While on the team Terry would become deputy leader, and with the help of Warpath would recover from alcoholism. Towards the end of the team's tenure Terry lost her voice and subsequently her powers- and would regain her voice/powers (bad), lose them again, and then regain her voice/powers again (good) with the help of her recurring romantic mistake, Deadpool.

X-Force (1991) #3 Spider-Man (1990) #16 X-Force (1991) #4-7, 9, 11-15 X-Cutioner’s Song X-Force (1991) #19, 21-26, Annual 2, 27-28 Cable (1993) #5, 7-8 X-Force (1991) #29-33 New Warriors (1990) #46 X-Force (1991) #34, Annual 3B Cable (1993) #14 X-Force (1991) #35-36, 38-41 Deadpool (1994) #1-4 X-Force (1991) #42-44, 46-50 X-Force and Cable '95 (1995) #1A X-Force (1991) #51-58 X-Force and Cable '96 (1996) #1A X-Force (1991) #59-61 Deadpool (1997) #2-5 X-Force (1991) #63-71 Deadpool (1997) #12 X-Force (1991) #72-84 Generation X (1994) #44 X-Force/Champions Annual '98 (1998) #1 X-Force (1991) #85-91, 99-100 Wolverine (1988) #154-155 Deadpool (1997) #56, 61

X-Corps and X-Corporation

Despite what the name might suggest, these are in fact different things. Terry's father, Sean, formed the paramilitary X-Corps, which was frankly a disaster that had to be reigned in by the X-Men, leaving Sean wounded. Terry joined X-Corporation, a secret branch of the X-Men who operated internationally.

New X-Men (2001) #128, 130 Domino (2003) #3 (just at the beginning) Cable and Deadpool (2004) #15-18 X-Men: Deadly Genesis (2006) #6 (Sean is buried in this issue and Terry is present for the funeral in one panel at the end, important for her character)

X-Factor Investigations

Following the events of M-Day, Terry would join X-Factor Investigations and restart her relationship with Jamie Madrox that had first started back on Muir Island. During this period of time, Terry and Jamie lose their baby, and Terry will come to take on the mantle of the Morrigan.

X-Factor (2005) #1-19, 21A-39, 41-44, 46-50 Nation X: X-Factor (2010) #1 X-Factor (2005) #200, 205-209, 211-213, 217-219, 221-224-228, 230, 233-235, 237-239, 241, 243-244, 262

Krakoa

After disappearing from comics for around 6-7 years following becoming an ancient Irish sovereignty, war, and death deity- Terry, like many mutants, came back on the mutant island nation of Krakoa. Things were not quite paradise here for her courtesy of some things with her dad (not his fault this time)- and also Leah Williams' complete bastardization of the Morrigan arc (in X-Factor 2020) which was literally Terry's last appearances, how fucking hard is it to read like 5 issues of comics Leah? How fucking hard could it possibly be? Terry has less than 300 appearances, get it together.

House of X (2019) #6 Hellions (2020) #1 X of Swords: Creation (2020) #1 X-Factor (2020) #4-10 (THIS IS LEAH WILLIAMS' AWFUL MORRIGAN ARC, BUT IT HAS TERRYLORNA CRUMBS AND REMEMBERS THAT SHATTERSTAR AND TERRY ARE CLOSE WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON IT'S EVEN READABLE) X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #26 X-Men: Hellfire Gala Confessionals Infinity Comic (2022) #1 X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #50-55

After the Fall

Krakoa fell apart (as all things run by Charles Xavier do), and things are ROUGH for mutants now. We find Terry now imprisoned by the anti-mutant terrorist organization, Orchis, in the Greymalkin Prison.

Free Comic Book Day 2024 Blood Hunt/X-Men

EXTRA:

Wolverine: First Class (2008) #6, 16 (there's no clear place for these in continuity OR in Terry's established backstory, but it's cute and supposedly 616 so it's here)