Friday, July 20, 2012

The X-23 Comic Marvel Won't Make

Bleeding Cool last week had a brief snippet up about a book that Marjorie Liu tried to pitch to Marvel last year.  A book that would have had X-23, Black Widow, Elektra, and Mystique. 

Marvel turned down the proposal as they naively felt it wouldn't sell.

Instead, they've brought back Ms. Marvel's comic under the deceptive title Captain Marvel with her taking a demotion in rank, and are about to change one of the Hulk books to Red She-Hulk.

Okay, I'll admit I'm outright a fan of Red She-Hulk and look forward to that book.  I also love how Captain Marvel was handled so far with the first issue and the focus on her pilot and air force nature.  That being said, I would have eaten up beyond all others the comic mentioned above.

It'd have done wonders on the dynamics X-23 presents.  Sold like no other with Black Widow and Mystique associated, especially right now as those two in particular are booming thanks to each of their associated movie franchises.  With a new Daredevil film in the works, Elektra is due for a surge in popularity too.  All of this could have helped contribute to expose X-23 to wider audience appeal as well.

Whoever handles these decisions at Marvel should really reconsider this idea.  It'd help strengthen their lineup, grant wider exposure for some, and give others a comic for just the characters they want to read about after the get hooked from going to theaters and seeing the Avengers, or even X-Men First Class on dvd and its future sequel in theaters.

One question does come to mind though.  Why does a female author trying to pitch a comic that could attract both male readers and female readers that also has a precedent in decent sales from a competitor having done the same thing years ago(Birds of Prey) get told it wouldn't sell, but a male author or editor who pitches and pushes for a female lead book get the go ahead?  Not that I disagree with the reasoning behind the two titles that are going forward, but the above mentioned book fits right into much of the same reasoning they use except has wider exposure thanks to the Avengers film. It also has more mainstays with various attributes that cover more bases, tons of potential for stories, and still allows for the same escapist power fantasies.

Sometimes Marvel really makes me scratch my head.

2 comments:

  1. The idea is interesting but she should have had different team members.

    Mystique is just so cartoonishly treacherous now that no one would trust her.

    X-23 just left an assassination squad not that long ago and she's trying to learn about life beyond killing so why put her on another assassination squad? Liu also doesn't understand the character that well. She always forgets how analytical and methodical X-23 is and makes her too impulsive and unprepared.

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    1. Depends on the story. Her stories vary on both sides of the aisle from high situational awareness and adaptability to impulsive and reacting on instinct.

      The shark in issue 7 for example compared to the slave trade incident in issue 20.

      That's the interesting aspect to this lineup though. The potential is there to see how they use their various skills to complete missions and think outside the box. Like X-23 on a team like this brings much to the table with infiltration, tracking, subterfuge, and much much more. Black Widow brings a calmness and also stronger foresight from her own similar yet different past. Mystique acts as a wild card, and Elektra presents potential in all manner of areas. All 4 are trying to live above their pasts, and could prove to be interesting. Personally I'd say toss Jubilee in there too because the team needs a soul, and her wayward vampire aspect gives them that with a polar opposite. The most human among them is undead.

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