As a hardcore fan of the Scarlet Witch, I've been brushing up a bit on her early Avengers days and one of the things I noticed was that when it came to fights she would always gesture from the sidelines till she was knocked out or fainted from exhaustion. This was something I noticed with Jean Grey and Wasp too, they were always placed outside of the battlefield where they attack either in an aerial way (like Wasp) or from a distance (like Jean). Not that I don't understand this when it comes to tactics because they're almost like snipers but being that they never get a perch or anywhere to place themselves where they aren't susceptible they're always among the first to be taken down. Being that more women had psionic powers back in the day, a lot of this can be copped up to sexism and this was really before kung-fu or anything of the sort became popular so complex action wasn't exactly a huge fixture in comics anyways. But I see it even now and I really wonder why.
There was an issue of New X-men where Jean managed to clobber a bunch of Shi-Ar assassins with just her fists and it was downright awesome but it's one of the only instances she ever has done anything of the sort. Yet, in her early days she was able to telekinetically disassemble and reassemble a rifle and we've seen Psylocke use her powers to put more impact in her melee (a rarity with psionics). Wasp could make herself gigantic if she wanted to and that doesn't necessarily mean she has be 20 feet tall, she could morph herself to 6 feet tall and pack quite a punch. Scarlet Witch was trained by Magneto on Asteroid M and no krav maga or martial arts ever came into play?
Gwen Stacy is a fascinating specimen when it comes to comic book characters. She's a civilian, she's been dead for ages, and she wasn't ever a centric character but people still can't get enough of her. One thing that initially attracted me personally to Gwen was that she was almost like a time-capsule in that she's forever stuck in 60's mod fashion. Gwen Stacy has such an iconic look to her that stripes, blond hair, bangs, a headband, go-go boots, and skirt equal Gwen Stacy to me. Now, you could argue that's a superficial affection I have for her and that Gwen Stacy the character fails to be anything more than a Mary-Sue figure in the Spider-man franchise. After-all, Gwen's more recent appearances are usually splash pages of sweet nothings with Gwen and Peter frolicking through New York all ending with Gwen lying limp in his arms as he cries out in agony. This is something I can't abide, I don't like any characters because they're "hot" or "have cool powers", I need substance and so I deduced the only way I could get a firm grasp on Gwen was to read every issue she'd ever been in before she died. Now that I have, I find Gwen to actually be infinitely more fascinating, complex, and conflicted than she's ever been given credit for, rather than ogling her death or relating everything back to Peter I realize she underwent a rather unlikely and surprising transition throughout her run on Amazing Spider-man. Beneath is what I found in pursuit of Ms. Stacy.....
MY FINDINGS
-The Signature Gwen Stacy Look- That iconic hair I was speaking of? It wasn't a fixture at all in Gwen's initial appearance. Though she's usually depicted as angelic and saintly, Gwen actually had a more devil-like, vixen finesse early on. She had no bangs, and her hair was parted with clips on either side above her forehead that almost looked
like devil horns and though Mary-Jane's always been the one to wear more bold colors in contrast to Gwen, Gwen initially wore mostly red and black.
- Petey and Gwen: Where Sparks Flew - Along with her devilish appearance, Gwen was also quite a force of nature back in the day. We're accustomed to seeing Gwen vulnerable and mostly agreeable but initially she was sassy and brazen even in her pursuit of Peter. Being that she hung around Flash and Harry, Gwen was rather used to attention from men and is depicted as having crowds of suitors fawning over her only to be rejected by the persnickety Gwen. The only man who didn't appear to proposition or ogle her was Peter Parker which immediately won her respect. Unfortunately, Peter barely notices Gwen initially and all her attempts at catching his attention are met with unintentionally chilly reception. She asks for pen during lab class and Peter barely turned his head to give it to her which Gwen found rude and disrespectful. The test tube he's working with explodes thanks to a prank Harry and Flash play on him which results in Peter getting into trouble with their professor. Gwen, in an effort to make amends, influences Harry to take Peter out for a soda to make up for it. Awh, so sweet but when Gwen tries to catch Peter's attention later on in the lab and he seemingly ignored her and ran off, Gwen then becomes deeply resentful. "The unmitigated nerve of him! Nobody gives Gwen Stacy the brush off that way! You, young man, are going to regret that, I promise!" says Gwen as he left. Emma Frost, eat your heart out! For the next few issues Gwen sweeps in only to snipe at Peter Parker for being a "snob" while having thought bubbles where her admissions of attraction to him become more and more frequent. As tension builds and builds, they finally reach an explosive confrontation....
Peter: Hi Gwen, we're both heading for the same class. Mind if I join you? Gwen: What are you doing, Mr. Parker? Slumming? Usually you're too stuck up to say hello to anyone! Peter: Well, at least I'm not a temperamental female who drools over a fella one day then acts like an icicle to him the next! Gangsta Stacy Gwen: Even if you are E.S.U's newest science scholarship whiz-kid, nobody talks to me that way.... Peter: C'mon, Gwen, simmer down! Let's bury the hatchet, huh? Gwen: You think you can say what you want to me and then --- THWAK
Oh yes. Gwen tried to slap Peter right across the face. Can ya believe it?
Flash sees Peter and Gwen in the heat of the moment and breaks it up, thinking Peter was manhandling Gwen. He challenges Peter to a fist fight but Gwen intervenes and then Flash backs down. Frankly, though I don't know I would've slapped him, referring to Gwen simply as a "temperamental female" whom he refers to as "drooling over" him does kind of make Peter out to be a bit of a douche. He follows it up also by telling Gwen that if she damaged his profile all the girls at E.S.U will be disappointed. I don't blame Petey though because with Stan Lee running things and it being the 60's and all, a little sexism is par for the course.
I do however enjoy Gwen Stacy's inner conflict about the whole situation. She's witty, sharp, assertive, and charismatic which wins many people over instantly yet secretly she longs to find something more substantial which she sees in Peter Parker. The only condition, however, is that she forfeit her overwhelming pride and win him over with genuineness and vulnerability which forces her to constantly be outside of her comfort zone around him. It's refreshingly un-damsel like of Gwen to have to leap this hurdle though, as a matter in fact, most of their interaction earlier doesn't involve Spidey saving her or anything of the sort, she's more a fixture in Peter's life. Why this side of her has never be explored again eludes me.
- Gwendy's Shows Some Heart - You know, I liked "Blue" when I read it, of course I'm partial to anything Tim Sale, but if you recall there was a scene where Gwen rides on a motorcycle with Peter. He comes roaring in the parking lot, she's totally turned on by him, wind blowing through her hair as they drive off. Well guess what? Never happened. Unimpressed At least not that wayand I'm very disappointed it was depicted this way as I am very disappointed Gwen sleeps with Peter later on in that series on the basis that he "protected" her. It's a poor characterization of Gwen, she was always far more attracted to the fact that he was unlike the men around her who frequently resorted to overcompensating through things like fast cars to get attention. She's the daughter of a cop, Gwen's seen machismo left and right all her life and though she could occasionally be slightly vain, I can't imagine Gwen being so superficial. Peter did in fact buy a motorcycle though and he did in fact drive it right up to Gwen, Flash, and Harry in a parking lot on campus and while Harry and Flash were impressed, Gwen was disappointed. She was disappointed because she knew it was just Peter's attempt at a gaining the acceptance of other people, she was disappointed because it seem disingenuous to her and believed Peter was wonderful as is. That's so much more profound and un-cliche than what "Blue" would depict later on.
- Relationship with Mary Jane - Gwen and Mary Jane were frequently depicted as friends with a playful rivalry between the two of them and while that's somewhat true, it didn't come until far later on. As a matter in fact, as soon as Mary Jane came into the picture Gwen skedaddled for a while only to find that she began to miss the man, awkward misunderstandings and all. How does Gwen resolve this? Peeved by Peter's sudden disinterest in her as well as his running around with notorious "party girl" Mary Jane, she decides to invite both him and Mary Jane to Flash's party as he is military-bound. As Peter considers, he invites Gwen out for a soda & some English lit review but without a second thought she rejects him, telling him Mary Jane should suffice as a lit tutor seeing as how she'll be too busy setting up the party for Flash. Oh Gwen, you minx! Gotta love her approach though, where most women simply sit on the sidelines and get catty, Gwen practically invites confrontation but with the polished nature of a chick who just doesn't care. Later that night, as she's being picked up, Gwen's a part of one of my favorite exchanges ever in any comic....
Gwen: Ah, my two gallant knight on their speeding steed. Harry: Gwen!! If...If I'd known you'd look like that I'd have gotten here sooner! Gwen: What did you expect me to look like? Yogi Bear? Peter: If you think it's too chilly we can put the top up? Gwen: Bite your tongue, impetuous one! We night night people thrive on moon burns!
Whoa! Gotta love the theatricality of 60's Marvel, better diction and such gusto! As Peter says in the next panel, Gwen sends him "into orbit" whenever he looks at her at this point. Pretty spectacular, I say, though she's looking to be attention grabbing I rather enjoy Gwen Stacy's confidence here especially since it's so beautifully layered over the vulnerability we've seen earlier. This is Gwen's overcompensation, her pride beaming, it's fantastic because she truly has a fighting spirit about her, a real sass. Where ever did that go in later depictions?
Though she's likely hurt and offended by Peter's bond to MJ, Gwen very casually eludes to the possibility she may interested in Flash or Harry the next few times she sees Peter. Though it would come off a little trampy on any other girl, Gwen plays it quite cleverly and sardonically. I especially like an exchange between Gwen and Peter where she accepts a ride on his motorcycle where Peter asks if Gwen finds Flash attractive to which she responds "How many blushing blondes would find a hip, handsome footballl hero totally repulsive?" it's hilarious because Gwen is far from blushing and the fact that she disingenuously and almost jokingly pigeonholes herself into a stereotype shows a level of self-awareness a superhero girlfriend wouldn't have shown at that time.
Funnily enough, her rivalry with Mary Jane caused Gwen to change her hairstyle as well to the one we know and love now.....
Of course this spawns a friendship between Mary Jane and Gwen that involves the occasional catty remark here and there. Still, the camaraderie between the two is another thing I find particularly endearing about Gwen and her arc, to be magnanimous enough to forge a friendship between herself and MJ after so much rivalry was a far better resolution than simply going down the generic catfight route. Of course, this usually is the source of much fanfiction involving threeways but what can ya do? I suspect Gwendy would never go for it myself, far too territorial.
- Daddy's Girl - Gwen's mother died a long time ago apparently and as such she has only her father. Police Captain George Stacy, the classic over-protective father who's intertwined with many of Gwen and Peter's storylines for a time. He's initially stern and hard to win over, he also smacks himself and blames it on Peter which causes Gwen to kick him out of the household, suffice to say, he has the kind of personality only a daughter could appreciate. But in a way, it explains a lot about Gwen's initial demeanor as a tough-as-nails heartbreaker with an abundance of pride, she is inevitably closest to her father which causes her to embody some of his more prominent character traits. It also explains why Gwen keeps such douchey company with Flash and Harry, she's comfortable around men who've always got something to prove which makes them easy for her to sympathize with. Though, perhaps, the fact that her father is such an overbearing presence in her life is the reason why Gwen is attracted to Peter seeing as how he's not like George at all. Gentle, introverted, and mostly passive, Petey has the appearance of genuinely confident man to Gwen.
- He's Just Not That Into You - One of the most tragic things about Gwen Stacy was that she never knew Peter was Spider-man which left her constantly thinking he was ignoring her. Naturally when one is reading a Spider-man comic, it's only natural you sympathize with the title character but in a way and get frustrated with Gwen's lack of empathy. Though with my pursuit of more knowledge of Gwen, I began to feel an immense amount of sympathy for her character especially knowing how gregarious she started off. Here she is, all her defenses down after much effort and the person she's done it all for is always disappearing. Even more tragic is that Gwen never knew Peter was Spider-man, something I imagine Peter likely agonizes over given it caused so much pain and distress for Gwen causing her to be more and more neurotic. Gwen never used to break into tears but towards the end she appeared to burst into tears any given moment, Peter definitely sent her through the motions.
- She Hate Me - When George Stacy died he just so happened to die in Spider-man's arms, it all so very tragic as he tells Peter he knows he is Spider-man and that Gwen loves him. It would be such a majestic and sweet moment had it not been preceded by Spider-man and Doc Oc fighting in a battle which indirectly caused George Stacy's death as a result of falling debris. From then on, Gwen spirals into absolute, full on grieving-mode where she swears revenge on Spider-man in a tear-addled soliloquy right in front of Peter. Oh boy. Yup, imagine how mortifying that must've been. Even more mortifying? Gwen offers to help Sam Bullit in his campaign for DA solely because he's completely opposed to Spider-man. This caused a rift between Gwen and Peter that Gwen, naturally, could not understand at all and with the death of her father she was left orphaned and grieving. Poor, poor girl. Poor Petey too, some of the last months of Gwen's life were spent totally resenting his alter-ego. It's an interesting struggle but since then has there ever been any exploration into this? Hardly at all, it always just goes back to that night Gwen died which is a shame because there was so much to Gwen's story that that really was tragic beforehand. Including, the fact that she abruptly left for England afterward after and under such horrific circumstances too....
The Verdict
Gwen Stacy is amazing. So much more than I ever expected. She's a Queen Bee, totally composed and polished being at the center of attention and with the wit and sass to match it, far more feisty and assertive than I'd ever imagined. She's complex, struggling constantly to reconcile the odd relationship she has with Peter wherein she's frequently abandoned and/or misunderstood, made peripheral or excluded. The fact that a woman who started so strong and self-assured goes through such intense feelings of inadequacy is interesting to me. I see an unintentionally profound and interesting transition from start to finish here, a characterization that was perhaps never conceptualized but came to be and still remains (unfortunately) undiscovered yet no less compelling. Gwen is more than just Spider-man's dead girlfriend, she's a whirlwind of conviction, intense emotions, passion, unyielding finesse, brazenness, and beauty! She's neurotic, emotional, occasionally impulsive but all endearingly so!
After brushing up, I came to discover that though she doesn't get a bad wrap, she gets the wrong wrap. In the 3rd Spider-man movie, the animated series, the Mary-Jane series, and her most recent appearances in comics she's elevated to this level of sweetness that's just doesn't encompass the other dimensions of her character. We're so consumed by the fact that her death is the root of this angst, the end of the Silver Age, the first girlfriend of a superhero to perish and frankly if you look into who she was, I almost find that to be among the least interesting things. She had a real life and vitality to her, a certain character and presence that has more or less been completely forgotten or glossed over. I love that she was a mess, I love that she was arrogant, I love that she could take it too far sometimes and I'm really glad to have read about Gwen because now I feel there is genuine reason to like her that doesn't just pigeonhole her as an accessory to Peter Parker and strangely though, at the same time, it makes it easier to understand why Peter loved her so damn much....
I noticed that there's an increasingly large level of interest in putting superheroes on the small screen and there are absolutely no objections here. TV is better than film right now. That's right, you heard me, instead of remakes, romcoms, endless 3D explorations, and action films with the generic choral queue during a slow-mo, there's a whole bevy of creative minds putting together infinitely stronger stories on television. They're killin' it. Now, I know where comic book characters are concerned, people are still hung up on Birds of Prey or Smallville or Heroes, I understand how you may be jaded but there's a real lush opportunity here that Marvel and DC and any other comic book title MUST capitalize on.
I, however, am totally opposed to this happening on the major networks. The CW is so incredibly anal about appearance that they place Bolshevik-caliber attention on keeping things softcore and glossed over, watch La Femme Nikita (as in, the original movie) and then see Nikita- all the grit is gone and replaced with a 17 magazine veneer. I know it
Save the cheerleader...ironic seeing as how she's invulnerable anyways has it's fans and I respect that but I just know a team of writers and the right actors could have had this show supernova by now. With Smallville, it's the same deal, it's not bad Meh. Broad daylight too? per se but it could be better, who in the hell would make Black Canary a conservative radio-show host, really? Then there was Heroes which just became too big, too fast and didn't have the pzazz it needed to survive. There weren't enough females, too many good characters were killed too soon, they spent too much time on Sylar, and it never had the emotional drama it needed to really take flight. Birds of Prey? Gag. I liked it when it came out but I was a pre-teen, I see it now and I'm disenchanted. The major networks clearly just have issues taking the right risks, it's not character-driven any more on a majority of the shows you see and comicbooks are more than just "BAM" and "POW", we need to see awesome characters. Buffy and Angel? Fanastic shows with really grand plots but most recently when Joss Whedon released Dollhouse it was completely ravaged by the network.
Speaking of characters, I imagine a lot of people are afraid that without the budget and CGI effects, our heroes won't be as vibrant as they are on screen. Well, look what excessive CGI-centric actions sequences did to Spiderman 3 or Iron Man 2 or Wolverine: Origins- wouldn't you forfeit those long, arduous action sequences for a better story? One that didn't flee from continuity for fear it wouldn't be "accessible" enough? Superhero shows don't need a 3 million dollar budget per episode at all, this intense CGI nonsense is for the masses who buy a ticket for a few hours of their life and may never bother to see the movie ever again. But if you want a loyal cult of fans backing a series, it has be more of an investment in character than anything else. That's why the Batman franchise is so spectacular on film, granted Bats does pull off some major stunts but do we remember that as much as we do the dynamic between himself and the Joker? No, you don't see people out on the street gushing over the truck turning over in that one scene, we're all saying "Why so serious?!" and wearing Joker t-shirts. The expensive action is fun but it doesn't reside in many people's consciousness the way the characters do- that is what is really everlasting, that is what keeps us coming back.
Glenn Close on Damages I see shows like Mad Men, True Blood, The Walking Dead, Damages, Nurse Jackie, The Closer and I think to myself "Cable television is where it's at!", it's the perfect conduit Just imagine these two as Bruce and Selina. for superheroes. Aside from Glee (which I love), the major networks don't get my attention because they have a million other shows to be distracted by, you don't see anywhere near the level of attention paid to detail or originality and if you do, it's bound to get canceled (Pushing Daisies, anyone?). With a cable show you have all the elements for good television because those networks have a few awesome shows (as opposed to a million mediocre ones) that are beloved and well-protected as well as being beautifully maintained with casts of actors who are engaged in the material they're working with because it's substantial. These cable actors are not looking to be overpaid and instead eager to portray excellent characters. And to prove it, these shows are going gangbusters at the Emmys!
Here's what I have in mind for Superhero-centric television shows....
Batman- I imagine a cross between Damages and Mad Men with just a bit more choreographed violence. The metropolitan grandeur and conspiracy/legal drama of Damages with the journeyer's spirit and stylistic accents of Mad Men. Bruce Wayne's chilly, eccentric existence at Wayne Manor as he plays the part of a playboy by day and vigilante by night. We'd see his relationship with Selina or Talia, Black Mask, Joker, Harley- characters who are street-level types with only the shadow of Superman or Wonder Woman every now and then.
X-Factor- Sure, nobody knows Rictor, Multiple Man, Monet, or Siryn as well as they do say Wolverine or Cyclops but that would actually create more freedom for the writers because a team of lawyers won't spring up saying "Oops, sorry, you can't use them in a television series because FOX owns them and they don't like the portrayal", there aren't anywhere near the same stipulations for newer characters. Also, the effects are manageable, people love crime shows, it's character-driven, and it doesn't have to include the rest of the Marvel Universe to tell stories.
X-men- Just Jean, Angel, Cyke, Beast, and Iceman versus Magneto, Toad, Mastermind, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. Why not? Marvel is terrified of the continuity responsible for their success oddly but being that comics were written in a more blunt fashion in those days, a lot of the old plots can be replenished and made more mature. I mean, Wanda and Pietro's story alone deserves a really poignant re-telling, I think. Gradually, guest appearances will have this show poppin! Every week, we'll get to see a classic revived.
Birds of Prey- Now, now, I'm talking the real thing. Helena BERTINELLI, Babs, and a Dinah that screams. If you think it's too softcore, just look at some of Gail Simone's stories, I personally would love to see Black Canary's laborious training to become Shiva's apprentice. That scene where she had the bag over her head and her hands tied behind her back with 6 men attacking her at once- that'd be awesome!
10 Comments
I've never in my life subscribed to a comic, I've had many but I've never subscribed. Now, I'm barely in my 20's so there's always still time but I more or less just buy what I please and lately the main X-men have really fallen off the map for me. I love the fringe groups like X-factor and New Mutants because there's no A-listers, the characters slip under the radar and they don't quite act on queue like some of the higher up X-men- they're unpredictable. Not that I don't love my main X-men but especially after Second Coming, I am just so worn out when it comes to these kids and I think it's mainly because I'm sick, dead, stupid tired of these Jean Grey misleads and the general nonsense that has followed for years and years. In a strange way, her prolonged death has really pointed out one of the most aggravating flaws of the X-men titles for the past few years. Gimmicks, poor continuity, and wavering believability.
NOT TO SAY, I still don't think the X-men have incredibly strong arcs and characters in general but all this cockamamie higher purpose "Messiah Complex", "Messiah War, "Second Coming", "5 Lights", "Generation Hope" all seems to just point to mediocre capitalism, a way of getting us all to buy more comics of different titles. Good, great, business, wonderful but am I seeing any of the profit Marvel is making? Nope. Do I get a share? Nope. I want quality stories and while I like Hope, if this keeps up she's just going to become a big gaping hole in the Marvel continuity if the editors keep treating us like dogs with Pavlov's bells. As a Jean fan, assuming you are one (but you don't have to be to be outraged), think of how many times they've decieved us in really aggravating, stupid ways....
- Rachel loses the Phoenix Force with all her "Please mom, not now" nonsense, of course neither Rachel nor the loss of the Phoenix Force fragment has been addressed. - The Stepford Cuckoos loose their Phoenix Force fragments which were actually supposed to be bound to them because of their diamond hearts and still...nothing. - Issue 511 of Uncanny X-men shows Jean rising from her grave, of course it isn't her. But they claimed a major X-woman was coming back....it was Psylocke, great character, STILL, they knew what we were thinking. - "The Initiative" title shamelessly lead on the possibility Mutant Zero might be Jean...of course it was Typhoid Mary (who's great, don't get me wrong) and then they don't even really use her as much when it's revealed. - Issue 522 of Uncanny X-men initially was released in the solicits with Kitty's face blacked out and the description read... She’s been gone for a long time, but she’s coming back. This isn’t a hoax. This isn’t a joke. CLASSIFIED is back in this over-sized special issue of UNCANNY X-MEN. Actually, that is a joke, a hoax, and though I love Kitty like I love Psylocke or Typhoid Mary or Psylocke, she wasn't actually gone all that long...especially not in COMIC continuity, she was never officially dead. And then, to add insult to injury she's hardly even in any comics for the next like 9 months herself! - In the Messiah War and Hope's title (one of 3 might I add- still no definite origin), you the Phoenix emblem in her eye, she uses telekinesis, she calls Cable Nathan, ambiguous this, ambiguous that. Blah! Still, years afterward- nothing. - Matt Fraction told the audience "There's a little girl with red hair and green eyes in the future that you should keep your eyes on" with regards to Jean Grey at the San Fransisco Wondercon. Yup, way ahead of you, been thinking that since the redheaded baby touched Scott's locket with Jean's picture in it 3 years ago. But then should I buy all of the Messiah Complex, every Hope issue, every Generation Hope issue, every 5 Lights Issue, every Messiah War issue, and every Second Coming Issue? Not if I want any explanation because there is none, just a half-handful of really basic clues. - We were promised something big would happen with Second Coming and you know what? It wasn't that bad, I was in suspense. But, of course, by the end for all those lives lost and mayhem we get 5 more mutants who are kids (as if there aren't enough running around) and 2 more arcs about them. I'm not paying for that.
And you know something? Not one character has stopped and scratched their head to think - "Hrrrmmm, she has green eyes, red hair, strange origins, she's capable of psychic link with Rogue similar to Scott's with that woman he was married to, she's of divine power, mutant messiah, and Phoenix force fragments seem to have disappeared right around her birth...could she possibly, maybe, almost be Jean?"
I swear, I've never seen a title exploit the death of a character for such a prolonged period of time in such a flimsy way with so many lead-ins to endless series and complications. Jean's been gone since 2004 and this endless, relentless nonsense has been going on for 6 years now. So for a while now, I've just stopped picking up X-men comics because I'm tired of being tricked into buying things, I'm tired of how cavalier they are with one of the most popular superheroes of all time, I'm tired of being mislead, and I' tired of the strain it places on continuity. Uncanny, Uncanny X-force, X-men, any titles that could possibly taunt me like this- I am so done with them.
3 Comments
Teenage runaway, former klepto, abused child, total misfit, sassy sidekick, armed at all times with explosives. How on earth was this not a recipe for success? One of my absolute, all time favorite mutants ever Tabitha Smith has been virtually forgotten by Marvel which is not only a crying shame, it's a cry, sobbing, agonizing shame. Were it not for X-men: Evolution and my penchant for reading comicbook character bios, I would not know nearly enough about Tabitha because for the last 10 years her character has been drastically watered down and near-forgotten give or take a few horrible characterizations in recent storylines. When I first saw Tabby in X-men: Evolution, her juvenile nature and sass was more than endearing, it was downright entertaining! For a kid's show to have a character who crosses the line from aspiring superhero to spitfire villain then back to aspiring hero was awesomer than awesome, she was a rich character in a franchise meant to be inoffensive and totally PC yet still she was a total rebel if I ever knew one.
Now that I've gotten my hands on almost every issue she's ever been in, I am absolutely baffled as to why Marvel dismissed her character. She initially started off as being a Tabitha attempting suicide as a troubled kid runaway who catches the attention of the Beyonder during the Secret Wars arc. Beaten and bruised from her abusive father, Tabby was on the lam and crossed paths with the Beyonder who at the time was fresh off the heels of an unrequited love for the Dazzler. As the two reminisce, Tabitha explains that she was a complete and total misfit back in her hometown where most of her friends were junkies and juveniles and especially for that time where the teenaged sidekicks in almost any comic were polished and squeaky clean, Tabby had a cynicism paired with an unlikely charm and optimism that felt so much more well-realized than most portrayals of teenage girls in comics at the time. From there she's taken in by the founding X-men who, at the time, called themselves "X-Factor" just after she (along with a bevy of other criminal, superpowered misfits) joined a crew of thieves led by Vanisher. She betrayed Vanisher and sold him out to X-factor then is again whisked away by Ariel (a friend of Tabby's and former cohort of Vanisher's) for another adventure under the "Fallen Angels" title. From then on, she was paired up with some fairly high-profile mutants ranging from Jaimie Madrox to Rictor and eventually Cable where she found a chance at redemption serving him in X-force.
Yes, once upon a time there was an X-force without Scott or Wolverine and it was awesome. Tabby's close-knit bond with Rictor and Shatterstar as well her romance with Sam Manipulated and betrayed by Sabertooth Gurthie built a great dynamic for the team. Where Cable and Domino were doom & gloom with packs of ammo & loaded holsters, Tabby was deadly in her own right and had even developed her explosive powers to a point where she could channel them through a sword thanks to the tutelage of Pete Wisdom. Still maintaining her trademark sass and general unpredictability, Tabby went from Boom-Boom to Boomer to Timebomb in a whole series of escapades involving her troubled past as a junkie on the streets, an unhealthy relationship with an almost brain-dead Victor Creed (who secretly manipulated her), and a dissent into absolute recklessness in panicked response to uninterrupted trauma. You thought X-force now had wild cards? Well Tabby could go toe-to-toe with any of them- at one point she sits on Blob's head, loads him up with explosives, and almost allows him to combust! Something we discover she had done before on the streets to a pimp who cornered her with a knife.
Tabitha was like a wild hybrid of Harley Quinn and Gambit with an edge and a style all her own, though she had childlike tendencies similar to Jubilee there was a vulnerability to her that so beautifully complimented it all- she wasn't ever portrayed as being stupid at that point but more impulsive and mercurial at that point. Where little girl sidekicks were once well-meaning and mostly defined by the head-honcho they were following, Tabitha had an assertiveness that lit up so many possibilities for her character. Of course, I wouldn't be writing this were that still the case.
A series called "Nextwave" came out in 2006 after the original X-fore had been canceled. This series featured Tabitha, along with a bevy of C-list heroes ranging from Monica Rambeau to the Machine Man where absolutely all of Tabitha's pathos was nixed and she was reduced to being a valley girl of absolutely zero intellect. Now I'm not saying valley girls in general are of low-intelligence seeing as how I consider Clueless one of the best movies of all time but it was actually incorporated into the plot that she was mindless at one point. She also speaks of partying with Paris Hilton while shopping which, though her fondness for retail indulgences had been explored before, was largely exaggerated. I don't blame writer Warren Ellis for this transition as it was all meant to be non-canonical but since the series received critical acclaim, Joe Quesada in all his editorial glory arbitrarily shifted it all within continuity and all the characters featured (including Tabby) have been largely affected as a result.
Since then Tabitha Smith has been almost completely converted to what was intended to be a caricature of her character. She now dons a leather teddy with choker (which, NOBODY wears anymore) and has been swiftly demoted to D-list status, appearing only a handful of times in recent years. Once in a short Manifest Destiny storyline where the artist simply can't resist giving an upskirt perspective multiple times as she walks out in San Fransisco on a ridiculously breezy day only to be pummeled multiple times by a mutant named Nuwa whom she later defeats by contrasting Nuwa's sleep-inducing mutant abilities with a highly caffeinated latte. The art is atrocious and it's very odd and almost creepy how often we see her panties simultaneous to her humiliation. She's seen again as a captive of the Leper Queen who kidnapped her while she was shopping and just after yet another upskirt panel, is promptly shot through the head only to be saved by X-23 later on via a time machine. Of course, when Laura goes to save Tabitha she's subsequently almost raped and then depicted as being brazen and disagreeable when questioned about Leper Queen by X-force later on. Tabitha could also be seen later on in the Nation-X/X-factor crossover where she cavalierly refers to Shatterstar's last costume as being "totally gay" much to Rictor's dismay...now, Tabitha was one of the prime examples of people who knew Rictor & Shatterstar were an item in the X-force days, she's always maintained a close friendship with Rictor as well, and is known misfit...is it really likely that she'd say something like that? She can shoot her mouth off sometimes but she's never been offensive in a verging-on-homophobic way at all, she's always been really accepting of Rictor & Shatterstar.
So, now, colored me confused. Because it's almost as though now Tabitha is unfavorably portrayed and robbed of all her pathos and character development, strengths and One of many upskirt appearances. *Eye roll* survival instincts for no apparent reason other than editorial ignorance or complete disregard. Where she once was a rich, interesting, and much beloved character she now can be seen once or twice fighting in a cocktail dress with one or two lines here and there. I've never seen a character reach such high highs and have the carpet ripped out from underneath them in such a horrible way. Is the staff at Marvel just resentful of Tabby for never having been a sidekick of Wolverine's? I know it's protocol for mutant teenage girls but can't there be an exception?
Anyways if anyone needs a comeback, aside from Jean Grey who's relentless dangled in our faces, it's my dear, dear, dear TABITHA SMITH. BOOM BOOM. BOOMER. TIMEBOMB.
67 Comments
Log in to comment