Say What? My Ex-X-Writer
Few people in our little circle don't know who Chris Claremont is, but just in case ...
Claremont was the writer of the X-Men and helped to craft their meteoric rise from canceled to industry flagship to Hollywood trend-setter. ALongside artists John Byrne and Terry Austin, the X-Men became a household name in comics and Claremont stayed with the team that made him famous for sixteen years. He remains the record holder for the longest consecutive run on an American comic book.
The problem is that once Claremont left his uncanny muses, his audience has become quite decisive about his output. He's written some novels for the Star Wars and Willow franchises, as well as some work for both DC and Image. Claremont returned to Marvel for two separate stints back on Uncanny X-Men and several spin off books. Most recently he's been writing eXiles and has yet another satellite x-book coming up with a New Mutants-type book called geneXt.
His books tend to sell enough to be profitable, but most reviews of his work now end up with, "His fans will love it and if you're not one yet, don't bother." Critics cite recurring themes becoming redundant after so many uses and complain about the same plot tropes. eXiles seems to be a perfect book for him since it deals with X-Men history - most of which he created anyway.
But is Chris Claremont still the writing juggernaut he once was? Has he lost that spark that gave Marve's mutants their longevity? If so, what can he do to get back to what he did best? Or should he just leave all things X behind and shake things up?
Goblin
Posted to Say What? on 5 May 2008
· Comments (6)
Other stuff like this: Chris Claremont, Marvel, Say What, X-Men
Frater Mine by Sean McGrath and Juan Romera
You forgot to mention how he's totally sexy and not married.
I want to say thank you to Chris Claremont to ruining my favorite comic exiles. Before he came along it was a pretty good comic. Now it's boring and convuleted. I gave up on the comic. I can't wait until he stops writing and someone else can fix all his mistakes.
Why does no one ever mention the original Excalibur for part of its run that was some good stuff there.
I started reading the X-Men a few years ago when Marvel released that DVD with like 40 years worth of Uncanny. While the writing is definitely spotty and a little over-wrought in places, his work from that 70s/80s era is mostly good like that one issue where Storm was in Africa by herself after losing her powers (I can't for the life of me remember the issue number).
I read a few issues of Xtreme X-Men and horrible name aside, the writing on that was just really bad. No one spoke; it was all monologues about how tortured they were.
Ditto to kermode's comment! :)
I learned all about comics from reading his xmen run, but I have to agree nothing since then has hit me the same way.
Maybe he just needs a good lover!
I hate this Vile Man. So he mad Dark Phoneix. Look where it got us. We have Xmen 3. GAWD I wish that stroke really did kill him. But nope he had to try to do a Stephen King and Write it in his book. Still tring to destroy Exiles one character at a time. He is not good at writing since MC hammer was popular. I went to many convention and as Artist that work with him. AM i being a whinny fan boy. They have enlighten me what a pompus ass Claremont truely is. And my alter to his destruction is truely justified. Fuck your Claremont although you may be mildly cute. I Say fuck you in the ear with a rusty nail file.