Reasons I fucking LOVE weird 90s branches of comics.
In college, I found a cool looking X-men comic named X-Man in a dollar trades box. I bought it because it ammused me. I read it only to find that it was a comic in the midst of THE MOST soap-opera-y sounding X-Men plot involving a clone guy time traveling and proof that Scott and Jean are always in some weird familal drama.
It somehow endeered me and for like... the past 12 years I always take the time to try finding X-Man in the dollar trades if there is one.
This year, with some mental health changes, I finally begrudgingly got subscriptions to Marvel and DC's comic apps [because our librarys are limited, and fuck you I want to read Absolute Unit Batman and X-Men's Everyone Fucks Era].
So... of course after a gleeful week of catching up on some X-men new releases, my nostalgia for the most "just a lil guy" hero in my backlog hit.
So I found the catelog for him, starting at issue 1 in the 90s [the version I'm used to... not the newer more...normal one].
AND THIS... THIS is the shit I love about those days.
FIRST PAGE they basically nod at the fact that he's Terminator Plot Adjacent
But look at my blorbo! He's such a lovable idiot. No thoughts. Head empty. His half-brother has exclusive rights over the brain cell.
And the Anakin Skywalker level brooding over a bunch of silly shit. He's so silly. Such a dummy.
Now? That wouldnt fly. Then? When the concept was He-man Colored and comics werent about serious grounded scifi?
He is so silly and I love it. I love the weird "90s as shit grotesque warped Saturday Morning Cartoon" style looks at characters. That Big dude giving bad advice over his shoulder? An alt version of Mister Sinister.
Guy with gold claws a few images back? Thats Forge! Not the version youd recognize but the funky remix they did for this plotline.
Here's Domino and Caliban:
Like... these are fun because its not just "alternate timeline design". It's "what would a creepy version of the lil guy look like on a POG?"
But in the more serious side, I love the art combined with "shakespearian chorus style naration" combos. Like this:
And it reminds me why i babble about those so much. I miss the fun stylistic funky beats they played with.
And I need the universe to vibe with my blorbo about it.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Please check out X-Man [Nate Grey] as a blorbo with fun weird shit.