X-Men: The 10 Most Important Events in Dawn of X (So Far); Comic Book Resources, April 10, 2020

Brandon Zachary, Comic Book Resources; X-Men: The 10 Most Important Events in Dawn of X (So Far)

Take a look back at the most important things during the first phase of the current direction of the X-Men franchise, Dawn of X.

"9. Nightcrawler's Religious Ideas Become Pillars In X-Men

Discussing the ethics of the Crucible alongside Cyclops in X-Men #7, Nightcrawler reflects on the idea of the soul and what being a good mutant really means with resurrection available to them."

'Take that, Mr Hitler': the Jewish roots of superheroes; The Guardian, January 30, 2020

Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian; 'Take that, Mr Hitler': the Jewish roots of superheroes 

Exhibition at Jewish Museum of Belgium traces backgrounds of heroes including Superman, Batman and Captain America

"An exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels is tracing the Jewish backgrounds of the US’s best-known superheroes, including Superman, Batman and Captain America...

Persecution was also explored in popular culture by the duo who created Captain America and Hulk, in their later series X-Men, launched in 1963. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee were both sons of Jewish immigrants. In X-Men, mutants are victimised for their differences.

Superheroes Never Die, at the Jewish Museum of Belgium, until 26 April"

Watch: The Best Parts of the X-Men; Parade, April 5, 2018

Parade; Watch: The Best Parts of the X-Men 

"Co-created by Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby in 1963, the X-Men are a group of mutants born with superhuman powers ranging from telepathy, flight and superhuman strength and agility, to the ability to absorb physical characteristics of others. Young X-Men hone their skills with the guidance of Professor Charles Xavier (aka Professor X). Unfortunately, they’re persecuted for being different, even though they fight interstellar battles against evil on the regular. Still, what kid wouldn’t want to attend Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters?

Among the first X-Men were Cyclops, Beast, Ice Man, Angel, Marvel Girl and Magneto. Other legendary heroes include Storm, Wolverine and Rogue. With so many heroes—and villains—in the X-Men universe, each going through their own internal struggle, nearly everyone can find a character to relate to."

The Iceman Cometh Out; New York Times. February 19, 2018

Stephanie Burt, New York Times; The Iceman Cometh Out

"Superhero comics address, and empower, straight white nerdy boys. That’s been true of most comics, for most of their history. But is it the genre’s central truth? For some of us, it never was. As Ramzi Fawaz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has pointed out, superhero comics are the only popular genre in which anomalous bodies are not just tolerated but celebrated: The same thing that makes you look weird means you can save the world. Moreover, comics — because they involve stories of human (and superhuman) conflict and change; because they show hand-drawn pictures, with stylized faces; because they often appeal to us first in childhood — invite identification: We read them in search of ourselves, or our future selves.

These facts about comics explain — in part — why the X-Men became the most successful superhero franchise of the 1980s. Mutation, the source of X-powers, could stand, well or badly, for stigmatized real-world identities, as well as for the outsider status most kids, at some point, feel. The best X-books integrated real-world diversity too. Under Chris Claremont (who wrote many of them from 1975 to 1991) the core cast included a few women of color, one of them a virtual god, along with very strong hints of queer sexuality. More than almost any other gaudy bang-pow-pop cultural property, X-books offered — then and since — an imaginative space where L.G.B.T. readers could feel at home."

The Gifted’s Stephen Moyer Resolves a Mutants vs Vampires Debate; Comic Book Resources, August 3, 2017

Lauren Gallaway, Comic Book Resources; The Gifted’s Stephen Moyer Resolves a Mutants vs Vampires Debate

"Asked if The Gifted will address social issues — a direction X-Men films and comic books have long followed — like mutant registration, a mutant cure, or even mutant testing, Moyer replied in the affirmative. “I think it would be quite difficult to live in the 2017 that we’re living in and not comment on what’s going on in the world,” he said. “In the same way that True Blood dealt with disenfranchised, marginalized, otherness, one of the things that drew me to this was the idea that the kids in our story and the mutants who have become mutants have their genes activated by some kind of persecution, some kind of bullying or some moment of terror. There are certain aspects of the script that Matt [Nix] wrote over a year ago that have quite a prescient effect that will be quite interesting given the government that we’ve got.”"

Fox’s Gifted Stars Discuss the X-Men Show’s Social Relevancy; Comic Book Resources, August 1, 2017

Lauren Gallaway, Comic Book Resources; Fox’s Gifted Stars Discuss the X-Men Show’s Social Relevancy

"Speaking with the press, Teale, who plays Marco Ramirez (aka Eclipse), was asked about how the show will follow in its comic book inspiration’s footsteps and reflect modern society’s issues. “People keep asking why X-Men is still relevant and why it deals with social issues. I think the reason why is because of its conception. Magneto and Charles Xavier were made, that was Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. If that’s the way that this concept was conceived, then that’s going to emanate throughout the mythology later on.

“In this show, we have that same thing,” Teale continued. “These civil rights issues and these people who aren’t superheroes, who don’t don super suits or magic jets or save the world. They are human beings that are persecuted for doing nothing other than being themselves. They’ve been bestowed this X-gene that they did not ask for. We’re dealing with issues that exist on the planet already. That persecution of age, weight, gender, sexuality or disability is relevant on our show because they don’t have a choice. It’s human beings being persecuted for being nothing other than themselves and coming together and trying to fight for their rights as people. I think that’s quite relevant.”"

EXCLUSIVE: She Makes Comics Documentary Celebrates the Women of X-Men; Comic Book Resources, July 7, 2017

Albert Ching, Comic Book Resources; EXCLUSIVE: She Makes Comics Documentary Celebrates the Women of X-Men

"New documentary She Makes Comics aims to chronicle the vast contributions of women in the comic book industry, and in a CBR-exclusive clip from the film, the impact of women on the X-Men get the spotlight...

Speaking of the male-dominated climate in comics at the time, Claremont comments in the clip that Nocenti and Simonson “provided a perspective that was rarely available elsewhere.”

That perspective had a lasting effect, as not only are the X-Men known for featuring multiple female characters at a time — as opposed to one token woman on a super-team — the X-Men have also historically counted more women as fans than many other long-running superhero franchises...

Directed by Marisa Stotter and funded via Kickstarter in 2014, She Makes Comics will be available on VOD and iTunes on July 11 from XLrator Media, and also includes interviews with major comics names including Trina Robbins, Karen Berger, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Becky Cloonan and Jenette Kahn."

X-MEN GOLD IS LIKE ’80S CLAREMONT BINGO (AND THAT’S JUST FINE, BUB); Comic Book Resources, April 28, 2017

Kevin Melrose, Comic Book Resources; X-MEN GOLD IS LIKE ’80S CLAREMONT BINGO (AND THAT’S JUST FINE, BUB)

"The concept at the core of the X-Men, that they’re devoted to protecting a world that hates and fears them, is borderline brilliant...

In March’s “X-Men Prime” #1, Kitty Pryde moved the X-Mansion to Central Park, the very heart of Manhattan, where the newly minted Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach is literally surrounded by millions who hate and fear mutants, emotions fanned by the recent war with the Inhumans. Guggenheim gives voice to that sentiment with Lydia Nance, the media-savvy director of the Heritage Initiative think tank, who seems cut from the same cloth as William Stryker and Sen. Robert Kelly. However, he adds a new wrinkle with the added threat of mutant deportation, demonstrating that the themes of fear and prejudice in the X-Men titles are, sadly, once again as timely as ever."

Gay Mutant Iceman Gets His Own Marvel Comic Book; NewNowNext, 10/17/16

Dan Avery, NewNowNext; Gay Mutant Iceman Gets His Own Marvel Comic Book:

"Another LGBT superhero is getting his own comic book: Iceman, the mutant X-man who came out as gay last year, is getting a solo series from Marvel Comics...

The character (real name: Bobby Drake) was introduced more than 50 years ago in 1963’s The X-Men #1."

Flame Con 2016: PRIDE & The X-Men with CHRIS CLAREMONT Panel; Newsarama, 9/2/16

C.K. Stewart, Newsarama; Flame Con 2016: PRIDE & The X-Men with CHRIS CLAREMONT Panel:

"Geeks OUT’s second annual LGBTQ pop culture event Flame Con boasted an expansive line-up of guests this year, but perhaps none with as storied a career and comics legacy as Chris Claremont. Claremont joined Superwoman's Phil Jimenez, Silk’s Tana Ford, and Flame Con director Josh Siegel for an hour-long discussion of his life, influences, and his iconic X-Men runs, particularly on New Mutants - a series that has resonated deeply with LGBTQ fans throughout the years."

In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation; Washington Post, 5/27/16

Kristen Page-Kirby, Washington Post; In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation:

"Representation builds on representation; once the first person in a category proves that people aren’t going to lose their minds about a female/black/gay/trans/disabled/Asian/Latino superhero/president/romantic lead/Ghostbuster, then you get more and more of the same. In “Apocalypse,” it took seeing someone like Mystique being celebrated on TV to make Storm realize that she wasn’t the problem; the problem was those who kept on telling her that what made her special meant she was made wrong.

Too many people hear that too often, and the more diversity we see on screen and in comics and toys (WHERE IS MY KAMALA KHAN FIGURE, FUNKO?!), the more that people can see that they are visible. And being visible means they are valued — not in spite of their differences or their freaky powers, but because of them."

LISTEN: FANS CALL "X-MEN'S" SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS; Comic Book Resources, 5/29/16

Lauren Gallaway, Comic Book Resources; LISTEN: FANS CALL "X-MEN'S" SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS:

"Last week Fox released a viral video for "X-Men: Apocalypse" designed to look like a 1980s recruitment commercial for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Hosted by Jubilee (Lana Condor), the fake spot ended with a voiceover from Stan Lee encouraging viewers to call a 1-800 number.

And, boy, did they ever.

More than 75,000 responded, with some leaving rather creative messages. In a followup, the studio has unveiled a new video that offers a sampling of just some of those calls."

How the X-Men changed my life; Vox, 5/26/16

Alex Abad-Santos, Vox; How the X-Men changed my life:

"Every day, the X-Men show up to fight for a world that would rather they not exist.

Their story is about survival, not only as an act of living from one day to the next but also as a form of love or even defiance — a faith that there's something better than the world they've been given, and that they can achieve it by existing.

In the eyes of a kid who got in massive trouble for loving them in sixth grade and who's now a grown man still reading them today, they were (and still are) everything I needed them to be, even at times when I didn't know it."

Sophie Turner Grows Into Her Powers in Game of Thrones and X-Men; Time, 5/24/16

Eliana Dockterman, Time; Sophie Turner Grows Into Her Powers in Game of Thrones and X-Men:

"It’s a conversation that has since shaped her views on how women are portrayed on TV and in film. “I wasn’t thinking about these issues when I first started acting. But it’s made me think a lot more about it,” she says. “In my opinion, Game of Thrones is not sexist, and it’s accurate to medieval times. The show puts social boundaries on the women, and they break out of those boundaries. I think it’s quite a feminist show.”

In fact, she says the debate pushed her toward Jean Grey, who in this latest X-Men installment teams up with Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique and others to defeat an ancient and evil mutant named Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). Throughout the series, the mutants have faced discrimination, and the moral of every film–including, spoiler alert, this one–is that embracing diversity will save the world. “What we’re going through today with conversations around sexism and racism, I think the themes of X-Men will really resonate with everyone,” she says...

There will be two more seasons of Thrones, and X-Men director Bryan Singer has teased an Apocalypse sequel based on the Dark Phoenix plot from the comic books with Jean Grey at its center. Meanwhile, debates about empowerment and representation will continue. Under pressure, Turner, like Sansa and Jean, is slowly discovering her powers and will soon be ready to fully employ them."

FROM EASTENDERS TO X-MEN: BEN HARDY IS ATTITUDE’S NEW COVER GUY!; Attitude, April 2016

Attitude; FROM EASTENDERS TO X-MEN: BEN HARDY IS ATTITUDE’S NEW COVER GUY! :

"From the streets of Walford to Hollywood star, Ben Hardy has joined the X-Men universe as conflicted billionaire playboy Angel.

Returning to Attitude two years after the scorching cover shoot which helped propel his rising star into the spotlight, the 25-year-old discusses his burgeoning Stateside career and why he’s proud to star in a franchise which has for so long been associated with the gay community’s own struggle for acceptance.

“I remember [director Bryan Singer] saying that was one of the attractions of doing the first X-Men film,” Ben tells us across an exclusive 10-page spread.

“He felt it was something that could relate to those movement and to that kid at school who deosn’t feel like he belongs, doesn’t feel like a part of society, feels like an outcast, or feeling like they’re not a part of society.

“In terms of my character, Angel is quite angry and I put that down to him being an outsider. People who don’t get looked after enough can end up being very angry and I feel like this is where Angel’s anger comes from and maybe that gives him the potential to transform and become one of the villains.”"

Exclusive: X-Men's Chris Claremont talks through five key storylines; Empire, 4/6/16

Dorian Lynskey, Empire; Exclusive: X-Men's Chris Claremont talks through five key storylines:

"A major theme of your X-Men stories was using mutants as a metaphor for other persecuted groups. Where did that idea come from?

I went to Israel for two months in 1970 and worked on a kibbutz. It affected me on levels that I hadn’t anticipated, working on a daily basis with people who were actual survivors of the Holocaust. You’d see military patrols going by every day. We would have armed volunteers walking around the property all night. It brought home international conflicts on a very personal level.

With the X-Men, were you thinking only of antisemitism or racism and homophobia as well?

It was blended in. There’s a lot of talk online now that Magneto stands in for Malcolm X and Xavier stands in for Martin Luther King, which is totally valid but for me, being an immigrant white (Claremont was born in England), to make that analogy felt incredibly presumptuous. An equivalent analogy could be made to [Israeli prime minister] Menachem Begin as Magneto, evolving through his life from a terrorist in 1947 to a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years later. That evolution was something I wanted to apply to the relationship between Xavier and Magneto. It’s an evolving 150-issue arc: Magneto’s resurrection as an angry, anti-human, pro-mutant terrorist. In #150 he lashes out and the person that gets hit is Kitty Pryde, a 13-year-old kid. His shattering realisation is: "What kind of monster have I become? Has what the Nazis did to me in the Shoah made me a Nazi?" Ultimately, my goal for the character was that he would come full circle and become Xavier’s heir, as headmaster of the school and leader of team. For me he was a much more fascinating character because of his flaws and there was always a risk that he might fall from grace...

Of course, you took the idea of mutants facing genocidal hatred to extremes with Days of Future Past (X-Men #141-142), where mutants are outlawed and murdered by the Sentinels…

The idea was to show our heroes why their fight is so necessary. There is a tragic cost to failure. The line we always used to describe these characters was ‘feared and hated by the world they are sworn to protect’. Their struggle is not simply to defeat the bad guys; it is to establish themselves as credible, honourable fellow citizens of the planet. The idea with Days Of Future Past was this is what’s lying in wait if you falter. If you ever needed a reason to try and try again, this is it."

Marvel’s Iceman Cometh Out; New York Times, 11/5/15

George Gen Gustines, New York Times; Marvel’s Iceman Cometh Out:

"Mr. Alonso said the feedback has been largely positive. On one side are the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender readers “who are looking to see their reflection in our characters,” he said. But there are also critics. “Some readers see this as opportunism, but I can assure you it is not,” he added.

Comic books are no strangers to gay heroes. When the mutant hero Northstar came out in 1992, the news was praised in an editorial in The New York Times: “Comics have often explored new terrain, conferring hero status on groups that society in general had stereotyped in peripheral roles.” Since then, many more gay, lesbian and bisexual champions have been introduced.

With this turn of events, Iceman may be the most high-profile gay hero, though that can be like debating who is stronger, Thor or Superman?...

Iceman’s first appearance was in 1963. “He is a perennial character,” Mr. Alonso said. And one with significant exposure outside of comics, including an animated series with Spider-Man and portrayal in the popular X-Men films.

“This fulfilled our mandate to reflect the world outside the window,” Mr. Alonso said. “We wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t make sense.”"

Here's What "Uncanny X-Men's" Iceman Coming Out Scene Got Right; ComicBookResources.com, 11/4/15

Brett White, ComicBookResources.com; Here's What "Uncanny X-Men's" Iceman Coming Out Scene Got Right:

"I've been out out -- meaning to my family and online to all of my followers who are definitely sick of seeing pictures of my crushes -- for just over four years now. Turns out you kinda have to come all the way out if you're going to start writing about what gay representation means to you. And now here we are, with a gay Iceman. A teenage gay Iceman and an adult gay Iceman. Two different versions of the same character going through two different coming out experiences. They aren't perfect, they won't be for everyone, and that's all right. But I can't deny that this story, this issue, this week, means the whole gay world to me.

Thanks Bobby, Brian and Mahmud. And also, I guess, thanks Jean -- but like, really try to cool it on the invasive mind reading, okay?"

"X-Men" Star Shawn Ashmore Would "Absolutely" Be Interested in an Iceman Solo Film; ComicBookResources.com, 8/18/15

Meagan Damore, ComicBookResources.com; "X-Men" Star Shawn Ashmore Would "Absolutely" Be Interested in an Iceman Solo Film:

"However, due to the X-Men's nature as a team franchise, he doesn't think his odds at a solo film are good. "What I always loved about the X-Men is that it wasn’t about solo characters. I think that the characters really come to life when you put them in the context of the school with Xavier, with the team – that’s what I always loved about the X-Men. So I’m not sure if that would ever happen," he explained...

Ashmore has continued to follow his character Iceman for some time, even taking to Twitter to comment on the announcement that young Bobby Drake is gay. "Congrats Bobby!" the star Tweeted, adding, "Omg there is going to be an onslaught of fanfic!!""

Sexuality & Gender in Comics | First Person #9 | PBS Digital Studios; YouTube, 6/29/15

YouTube; Sexuality & Gender in Comics | First Person #9 | PBS Digital Studios:

"Why have queer people always identified with comic book characters and stories? How are queer artists changing the medium today by creating visibly queer characters and organizing queer comicons? In episode nine of PBS Digital Studios' First Person, host Kristin Russo talks with DC and Marvel Comics artist and writer, Phil Jimenez, about gender and sexuality and the world of comic books. From Wonder Woman and X-Men to Midnighter, they trace queerness in comics from subliminal subtext to today’s out LGBTQ characters."