I wrote a thing! www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Chri...

Though presented as the saner option within Excalibur’s love triangle, Kurt’s infatuation with Meggan – and vice versa – presents a number of symbolic complications that undermine the simplistic nice guy/trophy girl dynamic that we often see in the era. #xmen #nightcrawler #excalibur 1/7

Claremont’s work had a notable influence on the comics industry of his era, including a very direct and immediate impact on another 1980s comics phenomenon: Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” #xmen #newmutants #TMNT 1/5

While “Ladies Night” is firmly entrenched as a treasured gem, the story also has a less-heralded direct continuation in UXM Annual 13 that showcases Jubilee’s first encounter with the Outback base whilst cultivating her backstory and establishing more of her voice. #xmen 1/11

The first stage of representation is simple existence/presence, and at a time when female characters were seen as highly disposable, Claremont went out of his way to salvage a wide number of female characters who had been decommissioned by Marvel. #xmen 1/7

If anyone's looking to order my forthcoming book, UMP has their summer sale on now, so it's 50% off (like $10 plus shipping). I'm not sure how to get rich off this, but I know step 3 is profit, so witness me. #xmen www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Chri...

Your value is not in your bank account or how much sex you have or how famous or popular you are. Your value is in how many X-men comics you have read.

In its simplest form, the relationship between humans and mutants (hate and fear) doesn’t always reflect historical realities surrounding the connection between power and exploitation, and this is where the Hellfire Club’s perspective adds a lot of value. #xmen 1/7

In the pages of UXM #188, Illyana Rasputin finally comes out as a sorceress to her brother, the person that she most immediately admires and fears to disappoint. His reaction is both loving and condescending, setting the tone for their relationship for years to come. #xmen 1/10

According to Claremont’s notebooks, the original plan for bringing Guido into the X-Men universe involved the Skrull/Shi’ar conflict featured in and around UXM #275, including a character-defining battle with Deathbird in an alien arena. #xmen 1/6

Jamie Braddock might have been one of Claremont’s most symbolically rich and compelling villains. Set up to be a symbol of monstrous privilege, C’s vision for Jamie never came to fruition (or resolution) however, due to Claremont’s abrupt departure. #xmen 1/7

My forthcoming book is listed in the Diamond Previews catalogue. That's kinda neat as a comics-nerd milestone! #xmen

When approached through postcolonial criticism, Gateway’s relationship to his ancestral land may participate in a colonialist fantasy based around the concept of 'the noble savage' and their capacity to validate different forms of occupation as benevolent vs malignant. #xmen 1/7

For anyone who is interested, my new side project is a podcast on Sexuality and Gender in Manga. Each ep, we pick a prominent manga title and break it down in terms of Sexuality and Gender. You can download it from any podcast app or here directly: sgm.transistor.fm #manga

The scale, scope and ambition of Inferno is unparalleled in Claremont’s run. In many ways, it should be too big to work, yet one of the things that might help create cohesion, ironically, is the incohesion of the antagonists, a disunified group with competing interests #xmen 1/11

According to André M. Carrington in Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction, Claremont enhanced Storm’s representation of blackness by individualizing her origin, transitioning it from generic and stereotypical to grounded and specific. #xmen 1/7

Though perhaps overshadowed in his collaboration with Alan Davis, Paul Neary’s work on Excalibur plays a pivotal role in drawing out Davis’s legendary strengths as a penciler, while also providing important connective tissue to the Captain Britain mythos. #xmen #excalibur 1/7

The very concept of the superhero (and the power fantasy they project) is built around heroic, unflappable, and sometimes irrational bravery, yet Claremont routinely populates his world with characters who are quite capable of genuinely debilitating fear. #xmen 1/8

Speaking to character consistency and distinctive voices, Claremont’s Colossus is repeatedly presented as someone who struggles with big emotions to match his big physique, but routinely stifles and represses said emotions beneath a veneer of stoicism. #xmen 1/10

The Demon Bear Saga is widely regarded as the best New Mutants story arc, but it’s all about a big extradimensional bear, so why doesn’t it read as silly? One possible answer is the concept of “cognitive dissonance” and its role in creating narrative tension #xmen #newmutants 1/9

Nearing the climax of Inferno, when all others are defeated, it’s Longshot who stands alone against Sinister and Malice. Though seemingly counterintuitive, this actually reflects a consistent character-development strategy Claremont uses: drawing from the background. #xmen 1/9

**CONTENT WARNING**: today’s post discusses suicidal ideation. If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the appropriate number for your region listed here: opencounseling.com/suicide-hotl.... Help is genuinely available. #xmen 1/12

One of the ways that Claremont defines Jean as a 2nd wave feminist superhero is through her simple, consistent reluctance to fall into a domestic relationship against her wishes and to assert, instead, her independence and superheroism. #xmen 1/13

The visual dynamism of any given comic is usually ascribed to the talent of the immediate visual team, but having something dynamic to draw is sort of step 1 and, in that light, Bob McLeod’s designs for the New Mutants are genuinely remarkable. #xmen #newmutants 1/7

Webinar open to the public! #xmen #comicsstudies

Rather than simply framing “The New Mutants” entirely from the students’ perspective, Claremont places a great deal of emphasis on the challenges faced by their educators, tasked with nurturing the young mutants through their individual challenges. #xmen #newmutants 1/10

The second book from this project is now available for pre-order from @upmississippi.bsky.social. This one covers the author's overall writing career (X-Men, Excalibur, NM, etc) and how his life informed his work. Comes out in Oct. Hope it doesn't suck! #xmen www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Chri...

In his introduction to the 2001 X-Men Vignettes collection, Claremont describes, in depth, his rationale for writing the Classic X-Men backup stories and reflects upon their power and personal significance to him as writer. #xmen 1/5

Cannonball is more or less the opposite of his author. Claremont is a worldly, liberal-arts educated, Manhattan artist, Sam is the son of a Kentucky coal-miner. Despite this distance, Claremont portrays Sam Guthrie’s Southern roots with an earnest reverence. #xmen 1/8

Before Dark Phoenix, Proteus (aka Mutant X) showcased an out of control, angry mutant with world-altering powers and little in the way of conscience. The name here is significant, connecting the character to a rich backstory that enhances the symbolism in the story arc. #xmen 1/7

In Rahne Sinclair (AKA Wolfsbane) Claremont offers us what is perhaps his most poignantly queer-coded character – one with a robust capacity to speak to common challenges faced in adolescence by members of the queer community. #xmen #newmutants #wolfsbane 1/8

Wolverine’s somewhat maligned alter ego, “Patch,” is first named in Wolverine #2, prompting some confusion with fans, but Patch serves a number of integral narrative purposes, and the confused effect is actually an important part of that. #xmen #wolverine 1/6

Though sometimes read as a superficial rivalry on the surface (trading on stereotypes of sororal competition), the Rogue/Dazzler relationship has a number of compelling and enigmatic elements in play that reveal a dynamic depth to their interactions. #xmen #rogue #dazzler 1/10

From an IP-building standpoint, a team book with a rotating cast of character is counter-productive and (presumably) alienating to the audience’s character attachments, but it might focus the reader’s attention and empathy upon the broader ideology of the group. #xmen 1/9

Though supernatural in nature, the story of Forge’s invocation of black magic in the midst of the Vietnam War can be seen to form a resonant vehicle by which Claremont was able to explore the concept of PTSD and the spiritual suffering of veterans of the era. #xmen 1/7

In the Classic X-Men #2 backup story "First Friends" Claremont finally fills in one of the most notorious gaps in his own X-Men continuity: the initial cultivation of Ororo’s friendship with Jean. #xmen 1/8

In New Mutants #14, Claremont finally pairs Illyana with the X-Men’s junior team, establishing their relationship dynamic by juxtaposing Illyana’s dark interior reality (through her narration) with the outward adolescent group dynamics of her young teammates. #xmen #magik 1/11

One of Claremont’s most interesting bits of Science Fiction inventiveness is the transmode virus – later referred to as the “TO” or “techno-organic virus” – then later retconned into various competing subdivisions. #xmen 1/6

As UXM grew ever darker and deeper, Kurt Wagner stood out as a rare joyous character in an often bleak series, someone who relished the role of showman, and though Claremont at times punished him for this, he also found spaces to let Kurt thrive. 1/8 #xmen @goshgollywow.bsky.social

Arguably the most poignant costume transformation in UXM is that of Storm’s embrace of a costume that signifies the punk subculture (or counterculture) and digging a bit deeper into what it represents can illuminate the full significance of that shift on her character. 1/8 #xmen

The Cross-Time Caper is easily the most famous story arc from Claremont’s Excalibur, but it’s also a misnomer. Rather than ‘time’ (or even dimensions) the caper is actually built around a tour of famous fictional settings. 1/7 #xmen #excalibur

I took a break from Claremont-ing to write a little public-facing piece on iyashikei (healing) manga. Fun subject if anyone is interested: theconversation.com/iyashikei-he... #manga #iyashikei

Though Jim Lee gets most of the credit for the 1990s X-Men aesthetic, Scott Williams’ inks played an immeasurable role in taking Lee’s line art from house style to the forefront of comics illustration thanks to harmonious collaboration. #xmen 1/10

Did you want to buy the Eisner-winning "The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X-Men," but you were waiting for the paperback edition? Well, I have the best possible news: utpress.utexas.edu/9781477325452/ #xmen

Going from high to low, Logan provides protection from the violent impulses of the Lowtown characters (which, again, are problematic). This creates access to an entirely new world traditionally blocked off from the kind of side characters who accompany Logan. 5/7

The X-Men universe isn't ideally situated to engage with discussions on class warfare - seeing as they live in a mansion and fly a jet around - but isolating Wolverine in Madripoor's class system provides Claremont with the opportunity to explore the concept. #xmen #wolverine 1/7

UXM 261 feels more or less like a backdoor pilot for “Hardcase and the Harriers” but it also features some strong initial character development of Jubilee, defining the complex dualities and opposing extremes that readers identify with in Jubilation. #xmen #Jubilee 1/10

At the time of Colossus’s 1975 debut, America was embroiled in “The Cold War” with the USSR, a war that was often fought through media propaganda. Though Piotr was built around familiar US symbols of Soviet people, Claremont developed him away from type. #xmen 1/8

With “New Mutants,” Claremont expands his approach to character vulnerability. While still threatening personal safety and well-being (a lot, in fact), he also leans into the student cast by threatening their future development as virtuous beings/heroes #xmen #newmutants 1/8

In a 2018 interview with Substream Magazine, Claremont discusses his approach of writing his characters from a perspective of perpetual adolescence in order to achieve the high level of drama that UXM thrives on. #xmen 1/9