Thoughts

One aspect of Claremont’s writing on the X-title at the moment that I rate is the way he is subtly and slowly setting up Kitty to break up with Colossus. She is a bit older now, has more friends her own age and is, I think, beginning to realise that what she feels is just a crush.

My admiration for this writing goes up even further because here in this issue we get the other side of that equation. We see Colossus fall out of love with Kitty.

In basically a single panel.

After several panels were Colossus tells himself (and the reader) that he is pining for Kitty and would do anything to be with here – suddenly it all vanishes.

Because Colossus sees a pretty alien lady.

Don’t get me wrong – i’m glad that the writers are breaking this couple up. It feels right that this teenage crush is broken up. It’s also weird how subsequent writers still sometimes insist on reframing their feelings as one of the Great Romances of the title.

But to have Colossus’ feelings for Kitty end this way is just so disappointing. We don’t have him growing up. We don’t have an older teenage realisation that the relationship can’t last. We don’t have any interesting insight into Colossus.

Just “See new pretty lady. Colossus in love now”

Also the Xmen get spanked on the battlefield again, Magneto regresses even further into lazy cliche and Xavier insists on maintaining a third force in this battle for no good reason that I can see or that the issue deigns to give.

As I’ve said before – there’s some fun to be had in the freewheeling madness here, the kid plkaying with action figures making it all up as they go along. But while that works well for the title, it really is short changing the X-men and, especially, Claremont’s take on the X-men.