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Northstar rejoins the X-Men: Should we get our hopes up?
A bit of gay news from the land of comics: In the latest issue of Uncanny X-Men, gay mutant Northstar is recruited to re-join the team. (Thanks to Cosmiclad, Dane Hill and DigitalLux for the tip!) I've got a few reasons to feel wary about seeing Northstar again, the first of which being that the last time he appeared in an X-Men book he was stuck nursing a crush on Iceman (an unavailable straight guy) and he hasn't really had any really great moments since then. However, there are promising signs for this run. For one thing, in talking about his approach to the series writer Matt Fraction revealed that he has a fairly well-rounded view of Northstar.
He’s extremely confident in who he is and what he can do. Having someone positive and assertive is kind of nice in a team full of people wracked with angst and self-doubt... It’s seems like he’d be an adrenalin junkie and (extreme sports) would be the kind of thing he’d be into. I also want to exploit that and have that, in, of being famous. And I like that he’s an unapologetic, out-of-the-closet gay man. That’s great to write too.
It's a definite plus that Fraction doesn't see Northstar as merely "the gay mutant" though I don't want that part of him ignored, either. That's the challenge with Northstar and, most likely, why so many writers avoid using him. However, I also found the scene where Wolverine recruits Northstar for the team promising.
So. At the moment, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. Only time will tell if Fraction will be the one to finally figure out how to handle Northstar post-coming out. In the meantime, since Greg Land is working on the art, anyone want to guess who's the inspiration for Northstar's appearance? And while I'm on the topic of Marvel comics, I'm curious what people think of Marvel Divas, the upcoming mini-series from out writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The series focuses on four gay-fave Marvel heroines (Hellcat, Photon, Firestar and Black Cat) in a story that was pitched as "Sex and the City in the Marvel Universe." Marvel Divas Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the Wiccan issue of Young Avengers Presents, so I could see the story meeting the potential of the concept. Still, that image has me feeling a bit cynical about the series. At best, I suspect that kind of art will undercut any examination of what it's like to be a woman in the male-dominated Marvel Universe. What do you think? Do you hold hope that this run as part of the X-Men will be better than Northstar's last gig? Does Marvel Divas sound at all interesting, or are Sex and the City homages so 2004? Submitted by on Fri, 2009-04-17 12:43. |
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Matt Fraction is really good.
I love his "Uncanny X-Men" run. His dialog for the characters is well done. The plot is really creative. He's moved the X-Men base of operations to San Francisco. And now we finally have a cool Northstar and his sister Aurora (I forgot her real name).
Finally, I think Marvel is going to do right by us.
Gay issues aside. Warren Ellis' Astonishing X-Men is Amazing. It's really Science Fiction focused this time and I find it really interesting. I just hope he stays with the title for the 24 issues he has explicitly promised us. Quesada really fumbled when he didn't stay on top of Bianchi to get ahead on the art ONE FULL YEAR BEFORE THE BOOK'S LAUNCH. This is why the book is so damned late all the time.
Anyone else notice that their...
...that each of the gals' breasts is the same size as their heads? Or that the spandex is cut so as to perfectly lift them and make them extra-perky, as opposed to pushing them down?
Meanwhile, all the male heroes in tights have major cases of Ballerina Crotch. It's very unfair.
I hope they do better with Northstar this time around. As noted he has not been well-used in the past.
Northstar
I have not read this latest issue of uncanny x-men but seeing as it is about a proposition X banning the right to breed between mutants,a pretty obvious parallel if you ask me,Northstar rejoining the team was to be expected.Very exited about this though i can not wait to see what Fraction does with him.
Northstar & Marvel Divas
First, thanks for the thanks Lyle! 8)
Anyway, so far this issue has been better for Northstar than most of the past decade I think (Aside from his friendship with Anole). And I've been very pleasantly surprised by Fractions' writing. And while some people dont seem to like Lands artwork, I think it looks gorgeous. So, I guess I'm in the very hopeful side on this one. (And it doesnt hurt that this issue brought back Psylocke, so Ill have 2 of my favorite muties together for the first time!)
I hadnt heard of the Marvel Divas before. The artworks a little...scary...to me, but I do love Hellcat, Firestar, Monica, and sometimes Black Cat. Sooo, maybe itll be good. I guess Ill check it out at the shop at least. I think I may really enjoy it if it focuses primarily on their real lives, with some focus on them as super-heroes... We'll have to see how finances are that week!
8)
Maintaining their balance
Ahh this chestnut again..
Well I hope it sticks this time, putting him on the team only to shortly kill him off...
Especially since they never really fully explored that whole Iceman thing, was depressing.
I am also...
...On the "cautiously optimistic" team. So far, I'm really enjoying Fraction's X-Men, and I think he has the writing chops to use Northstar properly (pleasepleaseplease show him kissing his boyfriend). I LOVED this latest issue of Uncanny, and can't WAIT to see the Dodson's depiction of Jean Paul and his man.
BUt Marvel has really let us gay fans down over the years, so I don't want to get my hopes up too much.
"I walk with dignity. I step with pride."
It's a stunt.
It may sound cynical but don't think for a minute they didn't decide from a marketing stand point which characters to include. The character will be gone within a year. I'm sure there will be some flirtations and possible a kiss - for publicity and sales but unless some radical changes are planned nothing major will happen. They always pull out reserves when they start a new storyline and they know bringing Northstar in will pull gay fans back. Northstar has the advantage of being a "minority", foriegn, a character with historical Marvel roots, and actually very few problems or adversries to work in.
I'd love to see a team with Northstar, Karma, Shatterstar, Rictor, and new gay characters but it would never happen.
Kiss? Yeah right. Also, Northstar x Chad 4Ever
It's actually against Joe Quesada's policy to allow a samesex kiss in Marvel for any reason at all.
On the bright side, I noticed something:
Apparently Northstar is back on the team, but I noticed something:
Northstar is apparently doing Corbin Bleau from High School Musical!
Damn, way to go, Jean-Paul.
Northstar's Return
I've really enjoyed Matt Fraction's run, although I feel it still needs a little "something" to help it gel into a truly great run. I'm looking forward to this. I don't know that it's fair to say that writers "avoid" using him, though. He's never been primarily an X-Man. He's primarily associated with Alpha Flight, and he's actually probably one of the more used members of that team. His only previous stint as an X-Man was under Chuck Austen, and really, nothing Chuck Austen did stuck, and mostly for good reason.
As for an "all non-straight" team made up of Northstar, Karma, Shatterstar, Rictor, et al... yeah, you're right, that would never happen. Thank goodness.
I dunno, I think if it were done a little camp