A bit off topic for this blog, but I took a pause between working on asks and school work because tl;dr Marvel decided to personally break my whole heart by cancelling my favourite comic ever, Generation X, which you should absolutely go buy & read if you can!!
I just wanted to do a nice piece of art as a sappy love letter to this series, but yeah it’s gonna come along with an actual sappy love letter as well cause daaaang it deserves it.
Modern X-Comics have been losing sight of the meaningful and politically relevant themes that cemented their most iconic stories in Marvel history. The most iconic X-Men stories have always used the classic mutant metaphor in emotional, character driven ways, so as to resonate with members of all kinds of minority groups. It’s what sets them apart from the rest of the genre, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen this done effectively. Sure, you can write stories about the X-Men punching their oppressors all you like, and they comics’ll sell, but they won’t leave the kind of mark the Dark Phoenix Saga or God Loves, Man Kills did. It’s the stories with realistic, relatable depictions of the interpersonal and intrapersonal struggles of being “different” that really make history, that stick with fans through the years. Stories that a lonely outsider can find comfort, belonging, and guidance in. In a comic book industry that seems to constantly demand hero-on-hero fight porn or bigger, badder, world-ending villains to destroy, the X-Men books have been losing sight of their core values. But there’s no place like mutant school to bring the heart back to X-Men books, and no class like Generation X to really drive the ball home. And boy oh boy was it a home run.
Christina Strain has done some truly masterful work with on this series, managing to make it both refreshing and nostalgic. It goes back to the X-Men’s roots but in a modern context, breathing new life into the mutant metaphor with far greater inclusion of the groups it is meant to represent. It’s quite simply X-Men stories as they were meant to be told; inspiring, heart-warming, and deeply personal adventures, centered around a funny little group of kids just trying to make it in the world. Despite the lovable wackiness of these stories, they are some of the most realistic and relatable Marvel has yet to publish. Christina dives deep into each character’s history and how it has shaped them, and then allows them to grow in very believable ways. A lonely kid on a playground bench can look at this girl with diamond skin or this boy with 52 eyes and see their own profoundly human struggles, and even how to overcome them. Needless to say, Generation X has seriously renewed my love for the X-Men universe.
On a more personal note, I want to say thank you. I first fell in love with the X-Men as a closeted bi kid who had only ever heard “lesbian” used as an insult on the schoolyard. I watched X-Men First Class on TV one day, and found a home in this story about “closeted” mutants finding a family in each other. Several years later, this feeling came back strong for me. I empathized with Roxy and Ben’s struggles against mental health, and even found a poignant metaphor for my insecurities about being asexual in Nate’s story. I’ve had a rough year starting college and feeling like that lonely kid on the playground all over again, but this comic has consistently gotten me out of bed early on Wednesday mornings, and kept me smiling and inspired throughout my classes. It absolutely broke my heart to hear that Marvel is cutting this series short (before it even gets a chance to see the limelight it deserves), but I want to thank @christinastrain and @milkar for creating this absolute god-send of a series. It’s been a seriously outstanding run, and I look forward to supporting you both in whatever comes next!
Lots of love from a big ol’ superfan :)