Thursday, May 2, 2019

Ed Piskor Previews X-Men: Grand Design - X-Tinction


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17 comments:

Rahsaan said...

I like save for the omission of Colossus and Rogue wearing the wrong uniform.

May 2, 2019 at 9:23 PM
randybear said...

I really like the pink used here in Psylocke's costume it's vibrant and distinct in that image.

May 2, 2019 at 9:59 PM
Jaime Braz said...

The Psylocke Outback armor slays dragons! Magenta and purple belong to Betsy anyone who thinks otherwise is entitled to his/her/zir opinion but is deluded.

May 3, 2019 at 7:13 AM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan which uniform was Rogue wearing during the Outback era? Rogue has the most wardrobe variations out of all X-Men. Rogue outfits are uncountable but somehow Betsy who is the supermodel is left behind.

May 3, 2019 at 7:19 AM
FSaker said...

If I remember correctly, in the Outback era Rogue wore a green bathing suit, green gloves and green boots over a full black bodysuit.

Does anyone know if Grand Design has been faithful to the X-Men canon so far? Maybe Piskor is taking some artistic liberties here and there, and in that case one could understand Rogue wearing her 1990s uniform.

If that's not the case, then yeah, it's a glaring mistake. Maybe it can be fixed before it's printed? I remember one cover of the Second Coming crossover showed Cipher with the New Mutants instead of Cypher (similar names, completely different characters), but they were able to replace her with Doug in the cover before the issue was printed.

May 3, 2019 at 9:36 AM
Rahsaan said...

@Jaime, FSaker is correct. Here were Rogue's:

Two piece top/bottom with full body suit and top-cuffed, high-heeled boots when Roma first transported them to the Outback after resurrecting them

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-uncanny-x-men-225-false-dawn/4000-29158/

Shortly after (like the next issue after their arrival) that was changed for a one piece torse covering with full body suit underneath and high-heeled boots without a top cuff.

http://sequart.org/magazine/38081/a-merry-marvel-mutant-x-mas/uncanny-x-men-230-page-5/

Note: Rogue always looks her best in green and black and/or green and white to me (with brown accents like a leather jacket) and always with big voluminous hair. Sleeked hair doesn't fit her personality at all. The only two of her most recent updates that I've loved are these two both drawn by Coipel. Also, note that Betsy's Age of X uniform is one of her best looks as well. Specifically, when drawn by Coipel. Age of X had the some of the best looks ever as they less costumey and more like regal attire while still looking battle-ready:

http://soulkiller-rebel-rogue.blogspot.com/2012/08/avx-11-preview-pix-rogue.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_X#/media/File:Age_of_x.jpg

May 3, 2019 at 12:19 PM
Jaime Braz said...

@FSaker now I remember her green corset on black unitard. I'd swear Louise Ciccone was Rogue's personal stylist in the 80's. Thankfully she didn't wear a cone or firecracker bra.

Maybe the artist does it on purpose to see if Marvel editors deserve their salaries and are alert. There was a coloring mistake in Maggott's skin tone that was white on the cover for Next Gen #3 on the solicits which Marvel fixed before its release.

Cipher is a character created to belong in the background but I find her more interesting than Kitty Pryde and even more powerful. This from a Kitty Pryde fan.

May 3, 2019 at 12:41 PM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan wow thanks I've never had a connection to the X-Men fashion sense except for a few characters that stand out positively. All the X-Gals during the mutant massacre and Outback era wore great outfits and costumes. The artists back then had tons of creativity and imagination giving them different hairstyles and costumes.

If I'd make a top five list of the best Psylocke costumes Mahmud Asrar's would be #1, Alan Davis' #2, Knight Armor #3, Earth-11326 #4 and Age of X-Man #5.

May 3, 2019 at 12:52 PM
Rahsaan said...

@Jaime, can you provide links to choices 3 and 4? I don't recall those and couldn't find via Google.

Also, I want to see Alan Davis draw Betsy in Mahmud Asrar's design!!!

May 3, 2019 at 5:01 PM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan I'm sorry I wrote Knight Armor instead of Outback Armor. It is the same costume Psylocke wears on this preview.

The other Psylocke costume ranked 4th is from the Age of X reality. I could tie it 3rd with the Outback Armor. Psylocke was part of the Force Warriors a psionic elite squad made of Legion, herself, Rachel, Hellion and Unuscione.

https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/33913/1790512-xml247005.jpg

The opera gloves, choker, long stockings, corset with cleavage and the tippet ending in two daggers she manipulates telekinetically looks epic. She gives off Angewomon and Assassin's Creed vibes.

I'd love an art commission of Alan Davis on Asrar's design or Pepe Larraz and Mike del Mundo.

May 4, 2019 at 8:55 AM
Rahsaan said...

@Jaime, thanks for clarifying. I loved the Age of X look. I didn’t realize that Age of X had an assigned Earth number in that multiverse. My bad. I loved all the Age of Looks, but specifically as drawn by Coipel. I felt the other artist(s) during that arc made everyone look bad, which was a shame as the outfits were so great and spot-on for every character.

May 4, 2019 at 10:03 AM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan the Age of X was very compelling both as spin-off and sequel to the Age of Apocalypse. Age of X-Man is the third act and it always involves Legion in some shape or form. Doctor Nemesis had achieved to cure a part of Legion's mental illness to get him side with the X-Men and fight against Nate this time. Marvel uses these codes for archiving purposes to keep tabs on different reality concepts and be its spice rack. It is effective.

You mentioned Coipel's art and I remembered why I love Psylocke's Age of X costume so much. He is a very talented artist and I want to see his take on Asrar's design too. I might have to place Coipel's Psylocke costume 2nd with Alan Davis' design and keep 4th place empty. You know an artist is that good when he pairs up magenta, purple, yellow and gray to make something awesome.

How did you find the pairing of Psylocke with Iceman in Age of X? I think it was weird because friendship works better between them in Age of X-Man. Also it seems odd a pairing knowing that Betsy is Warren's other half.

May 4, 2019 at 1:45 PM
Rahsaan said...

@Jaime, I found the Elizabeth/Robert (Icelocke) pairing to be odd, specifically, because Bobby in my opinion has zero romantic chemistry with any woman save for Opal (and he did have some potential with Cecilia during Operation: Zero Tolerance when he teammed up with her and Sarah/Maggot to take on Bastion, which is why the revelation of him being homosexual never annoyed me and actually seemed like a fitting evolution rather than a retcon.

May 6, 2019 at 1:39 PM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan Iceman and Opal were the Original Sin couple with their romance and fights. I'm sad they're not a thing any more. There was sexual tension between Cecilia and Bobby but I thought Cecilia was drawn to Beast more because they shared passion for genetics and biology. Icelocke was nice to see and explore something that will never be.

I won't dare to ask how you feel about Psyblob in Age of X-Man. The contrast between beauty and non beauty is fresh and funny. After this story wraps up the only memory Psylocke will have of Blob is fighting against him and Freedom Force in Dallas and once more as horseman of salvation.

May 7, 2019 at 2:30 PM
Rahsaan said...

@Jaime, to be honest, Elizabeth and Fred exude more chemistry in their one conversation in X-Tremist No. 3 than Elizabeth and Warren ever have since Adjectiveless No. 30-something when they first started dating until now. The same for her and Fantomex. Truth be told, I'd take Neal Sharra over her and Angel or her and Fantomex. A lot of people hated him, but he was okay and her and the others seem so forced to me.

May 8, 2019 at 11:58 AM
Jaime Braz said...

@Rahsaan Leah Williams has built a strong foundation around Psyblob. Their relationship is more platonic with tea and long existential discussions than carnal lust. Been a long time since I read a good platonic ship in indie comics and was positively surprised to read one by a mainstream company like Marvel.

Warren and Elizabeth are the ultimate posh match. Both come from wealthy families with ties to the Hellfire Club, wanted to come out of their families shadows and become heroes, carve a legacy of their own. Have suffered brainwashing countless times - Warren by his uncle Burt the Dazzler, Apocalypse, Cameron Hodge and Psylocke by Doctor Synne, Vixen, Mojo and the Hand. Both have lost control over their bodies and their integrity. Warren by being turned into a death weapon for Apocalypse and a vessel for his essence while Betsy was lured by S.T.R.I.K.E., conditioned by Mojo to be his mutant trafficker and personal camcorder and then she was experimented by the Hand to switch to a Japanese assassin's body and become Lady Mandarin. They feel sexual attraction for each other but it goes deeper down to their shared pain and nightmares.

Neal Shaara is an underused character who came late to the party after Operation Zero Tolerance. To me Cecilia, Neal, Marrow and Maggott are the four new X-Men out of that event who are treated badly as if they don't matter. Cecilia and Neal don't have personal codenames. In my opinion that was the era when Claremont's inspiration started to fizzle out. The romance of Elizabeth and Neal was a Beverly Hills rebellion the way it was written and could be much better but we can't turn back time.

Betsy fooling around with Fantomex, his female alter Cluster and E.V.A. was a weird pansexual orgy I'm glad is over never to be mentioned again.

May 8, 2019 at 2:04 PM
FSaker said...

Neal Sharra, the guy who was flirting with Lifeguard one or two issues after Betsy was buried (and who was flirting with Betsy shortly after joining the X-Men, while his girlfriend/fianceé Karima was turned into an Omega Sentinel)? No, thanks.

Shipping couples is complicated anyway, because a good writer can make any couple work. My personal preferences would be to see her dating Nightcrawler or Bishop, for instance (maybe Doug if he's drawn to look like an actual adult man), but that would only work if the relationship was written well. Warren and Fantomex both had runs where their romance with Betsy worked - Fantomex's because Remender did a superb job with him, Warren's because both him and Psylocke were in similar spots in the 1990s.

May 8, 2019 at 2:49 PM

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