Generation Hope #1-2 - "The Future Is a Four-Letter Word," Parts 1-2

[laughing_tree]

I did things I thought would be obvious and realised that people are just going to miss 95% of the stuff. I mean, Generation Hope’s first arc featured someone basically turning into Tetsuo from Akira – it was a whole art/inspiration/derivative story, etc. I had the whole first page him going on about I AM BECOMING ART and all that jazz, and figured that was fine. No, it wasn’t. I don’t think anyone got it, and I had to leverage some stuff in later in the story to make what I thought was obvious clear. If I were to rewrite it, I’d have plastered an Akira poster in his room, at the very least. -- Kieron Gillen

Comments

[chalicother]

Man I wished Kenji had stayed a good guy.

Like a good "creepy hero". Maybe he will be on Kraoka and given chance to have a protagonist position.

[onsokumaru]

I would have been fine with him coming back either way.
Now that Gillen is writing X-books again, maybe he can do something about it.

[numeronone]

"Generation HXPE"?

[cainofdreaming]

Can't wait for the next generation -- Generation HYPE.

[numeronone]

I feel like someone (Kirkman?) created a team called the "Y-Men" 10 or so years ago, which immediately got people thinking they were called "THEY MEN".

[icon_uk]

It's always nice to see correct pronouns respected.

[cainofdreaming]

I always read that as Why-Men(?).

[thezmage]

It's a valid question

[lbd_nytetrayn]

"I'll do you one better: WHY-Men?!"

[lego_joker]

Do you one better - one of those Goosebumps Choose Your Own Adventure Books from the Oughts had their parody called "Y's Guys".

[thezmage]

Solely to set up a “wise guy” pun that wasn’t worth the effort

[scorntx]

Finding it very dubious that no-one caught the extended Akira homage.
Very dubious indeed.

Like, a sequence of a teenager turning into a horrible tumorous blob monster, not exactly thinking it's a Cardcaptors reference or something...


Laurie's parents want her to be on Alpha Flight?
What? Do they want her dead or something?
Or is this an "aim low so that if you do better than you expected, great, and if not, no big" sort of deal?

[thediiem]

I also got a bit of Tetsuo the Iron Man from his transformations way Kenji talks.

[mastermahan]

I assume Gillan means no one pointed out to him that Kenji is an Akira tribute. Probably because it's like pointing out the Squadron Supreme kinda look like the Justice League.

It's not like Akira is unknown. Look at how many times the bike slide has been recreated.

[shakalooloo]

No-one caught that it was an homage - they assumed it was a rip-off instead. There's a subtle difference, the latter not so flattering to the author.

[mindsweeper]

I don’t know when that quote is from, but pretty much right away so many people saw the similarities that Gillen had to address questions about them, so I think he’s not remembering it correctly. To your point, he had to reassure folks that it was intentional and not a ripoff, but that’s not the same as people not getting it.

[onsokumaru]

That was the last group of X-kids I cared about.
Initially didn't want to, but Gillen's writing and characterization were pretty good.

[beyondthefringe]

The issue where Teon's powers let him testify in court as to his own level of happiness and competence was hilarious.
Shame he's been shoved into obscurity since. He was a fun character.

[blues32]

Aaaand now I remember why Hope freaks me out. The "Lights" are all compelled to obey her.

Kenji was never going to be a hero. It was pretty clear that this is who he is. The only reason he acted heroic was because Hope forced him.

Wait, when is this occurring? Idie looks like her current appearance...but isn't she in the pit?

[scorntx]

This is from waaaaaaaay back in the mists of 2011.
Just after Second Coming, when new Mutants were appearing again for the first time since M-Day and it was a Bold New Era for Mutantkind, no longer facing the fear of extinction and such forth.