From: vh00+@andrew.cmu.edu (Vernon H Harmon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.xbooks
Subject: Re: Dumb post- can't help it...
Date: 4 Jan 93 10:32:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.sfG9v9u00WDKM36W4u
Organization: Senior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.rec.arts.comics.xbooks: 4-Jan-93 Dumb post- can't
help it... Gary L. Newell@cs.arizon (2046)


>  Ok -please forgive me for this. I promised myself years ago that I would
> never post to a group until and unless I knew most of what was going on
> - well  I don't... I have tried however - over and over again to figure
> out exactly what and who the X-men are and why my two sons insist that I
> buy every damn thing with their logo on it. Anyway - my kids insisit
> that I try and find out some things for them so at the risk of looking
> like an idiot
> I thought I would at least try...

well, Gary, I'll take a shot at clearing things up for you--that is, if
you don't mind getting useful info from one of those "CMU kiddies"
(rec.sport.hockey inside joke ;D)

> 1) Assuming that the "X_MEN" label  now adays includes anyone and
> everyone who is under the direct or indirect guidance of Professor X,
> exactly what are the active X-men (good guy-mutant) groups in action
> currently? That is who are the members of the "X-MEN", "X-FACTOR"< and
> other groups...

it changes day to day. :)
current groups in X-action: X-Men,X-Factor,X-Force and Excalibur.
	The X-Men appear in "X-Men" and "Uncanny X-Men" and are Cyclops, Beast,
Iceman, Marvel Girl, Storm, Colossus, Rogue, Wolverine, Gambit,
Psylocke, Jubilee, Archangel, Prof. X, and Bishop.
	X-Factor is now government sanctioned and includes Havok, Polaris,
Quicksilver, Strong Guy, Madrox and Wolfsbane.
	X-Force includes Boom Boom, Cannonball, Feral, Rictor, Shatterstar,
Siryn, Sunspot and Warpath.
	Excalibur includes Captain Britain, Cerise, Feron, Kylun, Meggan,
Nightcrawler, Rachel Summers and Shadowcat.

> 2) Is the cartoon intended to be an up-to-date representation of the
> X-MEN with respect to the comic books? That is, should say an X-Man "go
> bad" would this be reflected in the cartoon? (I'm still trying to
> explain to my kids why Wolverine has an Ausie accent in some stupid
> spiderman video we picked up but now talks like a yank by the way...)

no way. There's no way they could do this, even if they wanted to (which
they don't). However, I understand that the newest series (the one
currently being shown sporadically on Fox) is a fairly good attempt at
being up-to-date with recent character developments.

> 3) Can I expect another dozen "action figures" released every time I
> manage to pick up the "last one" of the previous release? Never mind, I
> know the answer to that one...

> 4) Can Rougue really be built like that? (OK OK that's my question and
> not their's...)

> 5) What happened to Night Crawler? I'm afraid we "met" him as an X-man
> and now he is gone from the kid's comic books...

Kurt was hurt in the "Mutant Massacre" a few years back and ended up on
Moira MacTaggart's island for treatment. While there, he and Kitty
hooked up with Captain Britain, Meggan and Rachel Summers to create
Excalibur, where he appears now.

> 6) Is there any sort of source book or history of the X-men available that
> I could pick up to help me look like I know what I am talking about? IF not,
> why not? Seems to me that such a book is ripe for the market now...

the market has ALWAYS been there for such a book since Claremont
starting writing, however, once Claremont's plotting got convoluted
enough to confuse the fans, it was enough to confuse the editors (and
writers) too, hence there's no "definitive" answers to many questions
(see "the Twelve" for a good example) :D

> 7) Why is it that when I was a kid I knew Spider-man, The Hulk, Iron Man,
> even the Silver Surfer, but I had never even heard of the friggin X-men
> when they've been around for 30 years??!!?? Christ, I feel like I lived
> in  a hole every time my kids ask me how "The Angel" became "Arch-Angel"....

well, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man and the Silver Surfer (through the
FF) had exposure "outside" the comic book marketplace. The X-Men just
always seemed to end up left out, probably because they were such a
bunch of misfits... ;D

			thanks,
> 						gln

no problem.

--Vernon.