First you must transport yourself to the time when the X-Men were created. Hard as it is to believe, here in the Age of Enlightenment that is the 21st Century, people used to be so ignorant as to fear that a White woman might pop out a Black baby if there was so much as one drop of Black blood in her background, or her husband's. (There was even an Urban Legend when I was in College that this had happened to Doris Day!)

Mutants are the Marvel Universe version of this fear, only "over there" the fear is justified. Two "normal" parents can, indeed, produce a mutant. This was the basis of Senator Kelly's campaign for President, remember, in "Days of Future Past". His slogan was "It's 1984! Do you know WHAT your children are?"

------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------

I know, and I understand it the X-men were used first as a metaphor (or is it allegory) for first race and then supposdely homosexuals.

But in the MU, I dont see people having mutant babies as soemthing they would fear.

Every parent wants thier children to have advantages they didn't, and aren't mutant powers the ulitmate advantage?

I mean I know that writers have to strike a balance between a "recognisable world", and a "internally logical world" I just think  that part made little sense. I agree with (alex I think) when he said that Mutants would be able to make a fortune from donating sperm, except for the few more deformed ones like say Toad, I can't imagine anyone not wanting thier kids to have powers in the MU.

QUOTE: I can't imagine anyone not wanting thier kids to have powers in the MU.

Not even if the baby can turn into plutonium or explode?

JB, that line from the Beast is the essence of what's wrong with comic book writing in much of the industry. It reflects:

• a profound misunderstanding of the environment in which the characters operate
• a lack of respect for said environment (okay, it's outright contempt), and
• an insufferable superiority complex to "stupid comic books" (which by itself ought to disqualify anyone from working in comics, ever)

sheesh--is it any wonder we have trouble getting respect from the outside world when the people creating the entertainment hate it so much?

Nuh uhhhh! Neal and Denny made Batman serious again, but the grim and gritty was yet to come.

I'll bet Stan Lee would disagree. He wanted to reinvent superhero comics as something more than pablum, but he never kidded himself (or the readers) that they were haute cuisine.

Unfortunately, Morrison and his ilk are now stirring the tepid bathwater while the baby lies broken on the pavement outside the window.

Why is it every time someone defends Grant Morrison they bring up ALL-STAR SUPERMAN? Is that the crucifix against criticism of a guy who can barely write about Wolverine's hair with a straight face, or am I missing something? Morrison can be a good writer and I don't mind some of the comics, like MARVEL BOY and ANIMAL MAN, but when people speak of Morrison as one of the premier writers of comics it sounds like justification. It sounds like someone who'd rather be able to quote some pretty poetry than to actually get excited that the mystery super-villain MIGHT be "fill in the blank".

Here's the thing, Morrison has a schtick, and he has run with it for a couple decades. I don't feel that Morrison has gotten any better or any worse since ANIMAL MAN. His stories are criticisms, and he's critical of the idea that comics are for kids, comics are adventure stories, comics are just comics. Now one could argue he's like Edgar Allan Poe, and he can never escape his own grotesque leanings; which is fine, but I wish people would stop telling me that his ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is the balls because it's "retro". Nobody has ever said the man was unable to write "straight" comics...hell, that DOOM PATROL issue where he and Richard Case ape Lee/Kirby's FF was really fun. I just wish every quote from the man didn't make me think he's superior to the great characters and great creators, since he knows how to do them better. It's an implicit conceit with him, and everyone justifies it with "Look at ALL-STAR SUPERMAN." And all I hear is, "Yeah, we're getting rid of Superman's little red panties. You know we all know he'd look better without them."

Whatever.