Comics What/Who was the lowest point in X-Men history?

[javi1024]

I've been reading through my back issues for about 3-4 years now, reliving the history of the X-Men through their ups and downs. In doing so I've realized my opinion on a lot of different stories and writers has changed (sometimes drastically) having seen where the characters had come from and seeing where they eventually end up. I'm wondering if anyone else has done something similar and had the same experience.

I have to vote for Peter Milligan's X-Men. There were plenty of lame stories during periods like Claremont's return(s) or Davis's or Austen's runs, and Austen's came at a very close second, but I couldn't believe how much I thought I liked Milligan's 'Reloaded' run at the time and how much I despise it now the second time through. His entire run pretty much boiled down to Iceman b****ing for 20 issues. So it perplexes me to hear how admired he is writing other books.

Anyway, I'm just curious to hear other people's thoughts.

 

[OutcryX]

Whoever brainstormed and concocted the whole completely inexplicable 'Let's turn Bishop evil' for kicks and giggles story.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

The entire 2000s were a mess. Constant revamps, constant new teams, new costumes, new writers changing everything that had gone before...stupid things like X-Treme X-Men with unnecesary complex storylines, killing off and bringing back characters constantly....it's was a huge mess.

The epitome of this was when Grant Morrison was bought in to completely streamline and update the X-Men for a new era and new readers - whilst alongside him, Chris Claremont, the very definiton of the old guard, was writing intricate, overly written stories for hardcore fans.

 

[Czar Colossus]

Wolverine looking like the Biker from the Village People. I bet he had assless chaps to go with this outfit.

 

[runawayboulder]

Bumping this thread. First off, I'd say that Chuck Austen was easily the worst IMO.

But the reason I bumped this thread is because I've been reading a lot of Steve Seagle and Joe Kelly's run lately and I'm really liking it more and more. I was so-so about it at the time but I now realize that they were never really able to see their vision and stories to fruition because of Bob Harras giving them a hard time. Too bad....

 

[BoredGuy]

I'd say right now is the worst, as a fan, it's the first time in my life I'm buying only 1 X-book:

Uncanny- Team I don't care about, weird student characters and Bendis's incessant quipping
All-New- still don't like the O5 concept, Kitty's strange turn from the Jean Grey School, more Bendis quippy-ness
W&TXM- Downward spiral since AvX, new direction is lackluster
Wolverine- Just all of it. Awful art, no Healing Factor, SHIELD plot, Stunt death on the way, etc...
X-Force- Ugly art, strange characterizations, weird team
X-Men- I just find it boring, idk, first arc was good but meh since then

The only team book I'm enjoying is Amazing, and Nightcrawler's return is almost solely responsible for that

I do like that Nightcrawler and Storm are getting their own titles, glad to see more X-men branch out
Teen Cyclops can go f*** himself tho, for all I care
lol

 

[runawayboulder]

The line needs to be scaled down massively with only 1 guy calling the shots (not named Bendis). Only 1 main book Uncanny or Amazing...it doesn't matter. 1 X-Factor book, 1 X-Force and perhaps a book of the younger muties.

 

[BoredGuy]

Agreed^

When you have 5 books with "X-Men" in the title, you're just gonna cannibalize your own sales.

 

[Mace Dolex]

They've been low since the start of the 2000's, honestly I even gave up and sole my Ultimate X-Men comics since that universe will never matter anyways.

 

[Lord]

They've been low since the start of the 2000's, honestly I even gave up and sole my Ultimate X-Men comics since that universe will never matter anyways.

Why should you actualy care for that? What matters is if they tell good stories, and a universe "mattering" only gets in the way of telling good stories, since you then have to put a load of crossovers.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Why should you actualy care for that? What matters is if they tell good stories, and a universe "mattering" only gets in the way of telling good stories, since you then have to put a load of crossovers.

Well don't you think its important to know what continuity is the "real" one when it comes to having conversations with other fanboys?

 

[Havok83]

I voted Fraction. He was the absolute worst

 

[Lord]

Well don't you think its important to know what continuity is the "real" one when it comes to having conversations with other fanboys?

Depends, Ultimate Marvel has its oun fanboys. Even the mainstream Marvel Universe is a mess right now, if you're trying to find the more "real" of the Marvel universes with the most mainstream atention, you'll have better luck with the movieverse.

 

[Lord]

Why are there so many votes for Grant Morrison? Wasn't his run acclaimed?

 

[javi1024]

By critics and general comic fans. Many longtime X-Men fans, however, didn't like how different and out-there he took characters and concepts. I, for one, hated the costumes, cat Beast, Scott and Emma's psychic affair, fake/real Magneto's destruction of Manhattan, half the kids he created, and pretty much every artist on the book that wasn't Jimenez.

 

[runawayboulder]

Why are there so many votes for Grant Morrison? Wasn't his run acclaimed?

I have no idea. His run revitalized the franchise that was running on steam after the 90's. I remember at the time people wanted Scott Lobdell to stay. He did a brief fill in stint/return to bridge the gap before Morrison and it was well received. If Marvel had not had already committed to Morrison they probably would have kept Lobdell.

 

[def28]

I really dug Morrisons run, and the alot of the characters he created. Quentin Quire, Stepford Cuckoos and Fantomex in particular. Overall I think his book had strong ideas/themes and was always an interesting read. It's very different so I think it was just too heavy of a switch for everyone to get into.

I don't know about my least favorite run. Every time I re read X-Men books my order of favorites always change. I think the strongest X-Men run (at least in the past 20 years) is easily Remenders Uncanny X-Force. Up there with the best.

 

[slicer4444]

I haven't read as much as a lot of the people on these boards, so maybe I can't make a completely informed decision (haven't read anything by Austen, Milligan, or Davis), but here's my two cents. Fraction's run was really hit or miss. There were a couple stories I liked, but for the most part it was kind of 'eh'.

I also just recently read Morrison's entire run and echo most of the sentiment here with a 'meh'. I do agree with def that I really like some of the characters he created that became mainstays like Fantomex, Quire, and the Cuckoos. However, just about all the other characters I couldn't care less about. I also agree with javi about the art: aside from Silvestri (who did like three issues) and I think one other guy I thought the art was all around atrocious. Could be that's what ruined it for me, but the story didn't really reel me in either.

As a side note, I realize Quire disappeared, then came back. I just put him under mainstays because he's around now.

 

[Dasher10]

I voted for Alan Davis since Chuck Austen never happened.

 

[psylockolussus]

I'd say right now is the worst, as a fan, it's the first time in my life I'm buying only 1 X-book:

Uncanny- Team I don't care about, weird student characters and Bendis's incessant quipping
All-New- still don't like the O5 concept, Kitty's strange turn from the Jean Grey School, more Bendis quippy-ness
W&TXM- Downward spiral since AvX, new direction is lackluster
Wolverine- Just all of it. Awful art, no Healing Factor, SHIELD plot, Stunt death on the way, etc...
X-Force- Ugly art, strange characterizations, weird team
X-Men- I just find it boring, idk, first arc was good but meh since then

The only team book I'm enjoying is Amazing, and Nightcrawler's return is almost solely responsible for that.

I stopped reading X-Men comics in summer 2011, because I was just not enjoying the storylines anymore and the constant change of the roster, a lot of characters popping out for like 1 issue then gone and the constant relaunching ughhh. I thought 4 core X-Men titles were too much but now its 5, not counting X-Force/XFactor.