First things first: I love Chris Claremont's writing. He's been responsible for some of the best X-men stories I've ever read. From the Dark Phoenix saga to Days of Future Past... The encounters with the Brood, or the demonic infestation of Inferno and The Fall of the Mutants... Along with some of the best artists, he defined Marvel's mutants for more than a decade.But he's only human. I have been following Claremont's writing for a few years now and I've noted some remarkable, well, lets call 'em... recurring plotdevices, shall we?
You just know you're reading a Chris Claremont comic when someone:
a) is subjected to mind control, any type will do.
b) ... starts wearing black leather outfits afterwards for no apparent reason.
c) is being mindcontrolled and suddenly develop an eery master/slave loverelationship with the person who's controlling them.
Don't believe me? Well, read on true believers as we take a look at Chris Claremont's writings for Marvel Comics for the past few decades. As always, images and text are copyright their respective owners... please don't sue me, I'm just a fan boy with way too much time on my hands.
Jef, found your blog after catching up on the Marvel Comics of the 1980's. Re this blog, I too am a huge fan of Claremont having started reading comic books in the late 1970's-early 80's and having read a lot of his stuff in the X-books of the 80's. That said, until you astutely pointed it out I didn't realize his crutch(es). Can't wait to catch up on your blog and read all the example. Great idea for a blog!
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ReplyDeleteI have been reading Chris Claremont's run on the X-Men from the beginning and have decided to get ambitious and read other comics, too, that tie in, so I have been reading a whole lot of Claremont. He has amusing quirks, like describing things as "nigh-invulnerable" or repeating phrases like "body and soul" or, weirdly, "no quarter asked for or given," but the thing that strikes me the most is his fixation with mind control and master/slave relationships. "It's got to be a sex thing," I thought. Recently, I read the Illyana and Belasco story along with the Magik miniseries hot on the heels of the Storm and Dracula story, and I became exasperated enough by the mind control stuff to see if anyone has commented on it. To my relief, I found this hilarious blog! Thank you!
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