Way of X #3 - "The Joy of X"

[laughing_tree]

Anyway, I'm halfway through writing the “Make more mutants” issue. The working title is “The Joy of X.” I don't know if I'll get away with that. It’s a lot of fun, mixed with some crazy repercussions. It's the sort of lateral-thinking stuff that you can examine when you have a world that's been built so cleverly. You can start to dial into the granular stuff and see how it would all work if you were there on the ground. In other words, this isn’t just a heady book about religion and philosophy. It's also a hoot. -- Si Spurrier

Comments

[lordultimus]

Seriously? This is how new mutant babies are being treated? Do we need to add a new law that says "Parenting isn't a sometimes job"?

[deh_tommy]

The law says “make more Mutants”, that’s not like the Council’s ever shown to give a crap about how they’re raised so long as they end up good little soldiers. Jubilee took Shogo with her to the Hellfire Gala and that was apparently a-okay with everyone.

Say what you will about the Xavier schools, but at least they were, y’know, *schools*. Where kids can develop and grow and bond in a safe enough environment. Krakoa’s meant to be the cultural cornerstone for all mutantkind (and eventually all things everywhere), but there’s basically nothing outside of partying, gladiator pits and wanking each other off over how superior they are to humans.

[silverhammerman]

Huh, I just realized that a couple of the babies in the... communal baby house already have visible mutations, which isn't uncommon for second generation mutants as we've seen them, but I wonder if that means these kids have all active X-genes already. Seems like it'd be glossing over some story potential if that were the case, since most mutants look like baseline humans until their powers manifest.

That said, it's nice to finally see some follow through on one of the supposed big tenants of Krakoa, and a glimpse of Krakoa finally actually showing us new social structures which don't resemble normative nuclear families. It is, however coming in the form of a bunch of people just abandoning their infant children, which isn't a great look.

Don't love David having to facilitate a hookup between two ambiguously younger women and using it as psychic bait for a monster, traumatizing both of them.

[shadowseeking]

Sex Cult Island just keeps getting worse. This whole Krakoa mess can't end and be retconned away fast enough.

Since when does Loa 'shred' anything? She makes things crumble and break apart. And when did Mercury get turned to an edgelord like that?

Just about the only thing I'm even slightly curious about is why Onslaught is bothering with the weird Patchwork Man look if he's behind it all.

[janegray]

Gotta say, I'm not really buying the idea that a significant number of horny hot people who don't fear STDs would just ditch their kids so casually.

Sounds... fear-mongery. Reminds me too much of Conservative "if we don't ban sex-ed and shut down Planned Parenthood, everybody will have abortions all the time!" talking points.

Especially considering that pregnancies are almost a year's worth of extremely intensive and exhausting physical and mental labor. You telling me that a whole bunch of people (not just a couple of outliers, but a significant percentage of the populace) would go through all that and then just abandon the kids with a smile? In an environment where they don't have to worry about money and all their needs are readily met?

[thezmage]

Wait, has Krakoa really been there for 9-10 in universe months? I'd thought it was a shorter time period than that

[tinygaylaura]

People being able to have abortions "All the time" sounds like a good thing to me personally

If they don't want kids it's a sensible way to deal with the situation

Abortion is one of the greatest gifts the word of medical science has given humanity. And I firmly believe anyone and everyone should be able to have access to one whenever they want and for whatever reason they want

[mastermahan]

Well, Krakoa does have an (alleged) population of 200,000. Abandoning a baby a week sounds pretty low by that number.

But yes, I assume most of babies are being raised by parents or relatives. They're just engaged in the national Krakoan pastime of hiding off-panel.

EDIT: Especially since Krakoans don't face the economic and social pressures that usually come with having a baby. Good point on that.

SECOND EDIT: No, the more I think about it, the more casual child abandonment makes no sense, alleged population size or not. Mutants just faced two potential extinctions where every mutant life was precious. There's no economic pressure. Family situations are open and free from traditional judgements. A society that sees reproduction as its first duty should treat mutant babies as sacred. There should be no shortage of people of take care of babies.

Plus, this is a case where birth parentage shouldn't make much difference. The vast majority of mutants had to have come from human parents, but that's clearly not considered significant.

[laughing_tree]

You telling me that a whole bunch of people (not just a couple of outliers, but a significant percentage of the populace) would go through all that and then just abandon the kids with a smile?

These are people in a nation that has "make more mutants" as its first sacred law. The issue itself is about exploring the different ways that can be interpreted, and to at least some of the people it means there's a patriotic duty to have kids.

[leahandillyana]

That's what's already happening when people have access to neither birth control nor abortion. Even with the best environment, babies are a huge responsibility many young people do not want or cannot do. Doesn't stop them from being horny, especially since teenagers have poor impulse control. Communist Poland, Soviet Union, and ESPECIALLY Romania were much worse that this comic.

[dcbanacek]

I am getting some serious Dr. Moreau vibes here:

“Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to eat Fish or Flesh; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to claw the Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not Men? “Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”

[tinygaylaura]

I love Stacy X in this issue so much. Honestly I'd rather we got an ongoing about her

I already loved the character before this but her calling out Kurt on what a judgemental and deluded asshole he was being just made me love her more

It's not included in these scans but I especially loved the moment where she just full on slapped him for acting like a pathetic sex negative moron

It's always refreshing to me to see mainstream media take a firmly sex positive stance. And to see it firmly take a stand in support of sex work and birth control as well is also very welcome.

[lordultimus]

The problem is, since when the hell has NIGHTCRAWLER of all people ever been portrayed as sex-negative?

[deh_tommy]

I’m one of those weirdos who likes Stacy X (or X-Stacy or whatever she calls herself) so I’m glad to see her here (though I am a little concerned by the unwritten implications of how she got her powers back). But I am so, so, so gosh darned sick of just about stuff these days devolving into/revolving around sex (especially on the topic of relationships and growing up and the idea that “duh, everyone does it, teens be horny lol”). And seriously? Nightcrawler’s part of the ruling committee but he (and I’m guessing everyone else on the Quiet Council) somehow failed to notice this friggin’ exhibitionists’ love hotel/foster centre? And sows that bug anyone else that she’s the one to point out the oddities of “make more mutants” when their last significant interaction with each other was her trying way too hard to come on to him?

[deh_tommy]

There’s something about this issue that really rubbed me the wrong way that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I think this article (and the comments below) gets close.

[tinygaylaura]

The writer of this article raises some good points

[mastermahan]

That does make some good arguments.

[shakalooloo]

Nightcrawler in this series may be the most passive protagonist I've ever seen. He's always reacting to stuff in a baffled way, half-heartedly trying to think of a solution to a problem before someone more pro-active steps in for him and asks far more questions than he answers.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Sounds like the old Archie Knuckles the Echidna comics.

[iamrman]

I'm just happy to see my favourite Fuzzy Elf be something other than a background character. Of course, we're never allowed to enjoy things and every slightest thing that somebody disagrees with is presented as being problematic. It's times like these that make me hate the internet.

[lordultimus]

I'd probably enjoy it more if Kurt actually got to be the one to move the plot forward.

[shadowseeking]

No one said you can't enjoy Kurt. But the comic is more than just him.

And some of his fans (myself included) would be more happy if he got a better book and a writer who uses him better than this one.

From what I can tell though...and I may be wrong...what people are finding problematic is stuff like the abandoned babies, not Kurt getting spotlight.

[deh_tommy]

Hold up, I just realised something: that has not been a month since this issue came out, has that? Are we allowed to post this much from the book here?

[lordultimus]

Issue 4 has already come out.

[donnblake]

Thoughts...

I get that Krakoa only has the three laws, but "Remember as you go into this party... make more mutants," is an interesting note to strike. Then again, I've seen some of the Hellfire Gala outfits...

Also, Krakoa definitely doesn't seem like the kind of place where anyone's getting memory holed for abstinence or nonreproductive sex, but it is kind of odd that of the Three Laws of Krakoa, the first is more of an aspirational guideline while breaking the second has intense and horrific consequences.

I can't decide whether Nanny getting to visit the Bower (under close supervision) would be sweet or just an incredibly bad idea. Maybe as long as someone counts the babies again before she leaves.

[tinygaylaura]

I mean there's a pretty big difference between being asexual or really into anal and murdering someone in cold blood

[angelophile]

Well, this is worse than even I imagined.