So, after reading issue 9, I'm all but certain that this book is going to be re-titled as "The Insufferable Kitty Pryde." The Danger Room session was less of a training exercise and more of an opportunity for her to act superior to the O5 (though kudos to Beast for pointing that fact out in a roundabout fashion). Joking aside, her in the role as "Professor" to the O5 is enough to abandon the book except that there are some interesting ideas to mine, provided that Bendis doesn't botch it (and some serious cracks are showing). Personally, I'm hoping that Beast is going to break ranks and join up with Cyclops. Let's face it, once upon a time Henry McCoy wasn't a petty imbecile (truly, he was a great character that has been completely derailed, not unlike Wolverine) and perhaps the younger version has realized that his elder self has made a serious mistake in logic and reasoning and is going to see what the "other" side has to say about it.

I know that it sounds like I'm being negative just to be negative, but I'm still genuinely excited about what this title could do. Granted, the last two issues have exposed the extreme limitations of the writing (I mean, it is almost like Bendis has never read any issues featuring the O5, Jean Grey especially) and the endgame of convincing Cyclops to abandon his (somehow bad, I guess?) path has been completely ignored. However, I remain hopeful.

@zprime:

I'm no fan of Kitty Pryde at all, but she was great in ANXM #9. She checked Jean and pretty much told the team what they did wrong in the Danger Room session to the letter. It's also understandable that she's alarmed that Young Scott had a run-in w/ Mystique. So while I can't stand her, she did nothing wrong in this issue.

As for Bendis not writing the O5 correctly or as they were written in their day... that's kinda the point. He's writing them different b/c this is a different circumstance. We as readers as supposed to look at them as the O5 we all know and love who have been transported to the future they've been training to fight for. They realize things have been derailed far from what they hoped it would be and we're seeing how they all deal with it.

Cyclops was villainized by his own friends until his encounter w/ Mystique - now he's growing into his leadership role.

Iceman is completely freaked out, but trying his best.

Jean is clearly coming unhinged in dealing w/ her newfound telepathy.

Beast is kinda just there.

Angel isn't buying Beast's story - at least not fully. He's very skeptical.

My point is that Bendis would be doing this story a huge injustice if he wrote them as they were in those old books b/c everything has changed.

TBH man, if you find something wrong with Kitty, it really isn't her fault. She is just trying to work with what she has, and the kind of situation that she has been put into. At least she is doing a better job than Storm in ANXM.

Some decisions like instantly making Jean the team leader without assessing the situation are just ridiculous. Good thing that she is at least DOING her best to play professor, like how she handled the Danger Room session and attempted to knock Jean down from her pedestal.

I am still very dubious about this story being able to be sustained long term. What I am wondering why don't they employ another more experienced telepath to put Jean in her place and show her the ropes in terms of telepathy. And plese do not say she is the most powerful telepath so she would overpower everyone else because that is not true. You might make a case for adult Jean but not this younger version that is very green in using her powers. I know Rachel and Betsey are commited to other titles but there is no way the school would not use telepaths to teach another telepath how to use their powers. Rachel is on the teaching staff so there is no good reason she should not be employed to show Jean how to properly use her powers, asside from the who Rachel is Jeans daughter from an alternate dimension. As for the danger room training scession, I thought professor Kitty was fine and showed the O5 that they have quite a bit to learn.

So far the title has been a big strange thing that I can't decide if it's good for the X-Men or not.But I'm leaning towards that it's bad for the team.The idea wasn't really bad about bringing the O5 to our time but I can't see how exactly things are going to turn out and under Bendis' hands I'm really woried.The characterization of most characters was beyond stupid and not that up to date and with issue 9 I thought that Kitty has became some kind of a villain.

@CTG: Yes, I understand that those characters are under those circumstances. What I'm suggesting is that Bendis is writing those characters inconsistently with a)how the O5 were originally portrayed and b)how the O5 were portrayed in the beginning issues of ANXM. Putting characters is wildly different circumstances is not a license to change them immediately. Take AoA for example. Multiple characters were dramatically different because the global situation was entirely different and they had lived under that particular paradigm for decades. Here, Jean messes with the mind of one of her closest friends and I have the sneaking suspicion it was so we could have a dramatic panel of her walking way "being in charge" as Issue 8 drew to a close. To be frank, it seems like Bendis wants the O5 Jean to have more of the characterization of his Ultimate Jean; that's how she is acting.

@lorex: Well put, but the only issue with showing "the O5 that they have quite a bit to learn" is that these are kids that were ripped from their school were they were explicitly being taught how much they had to learn. None of them are operating under delusions that they don't have anything to learn, which is why I thought the training session was so poorly done and basically an excuse for Kitty to arbitrarily assert her "authority."

@CTG said:

@zprime:

I'm no fan of Kitty Pryde at all, but she was great in ANXM #9. She checked Jean and pretty much told the team what they did wrong in the Danger Room session to the letter. It's also understandable that she's alarmed that Young Scott had a run-in w/ Mystique. So while I can't stand her, she did nothing wrong in this issue.

As for Bendis not writing the O5 correctly or as they were written in their day... that's kinda the point. He's writing them different b/c this is a different circumstance. We as readers as supposed to look at them as the O5 we all know and love who have been transported to the future they've been training to fight for. They realize things have been derailed far from what they hoped it would be and we're seeing how they all deal with it.

My point is that Bendis would be doing this story a huge injustice if he wrote them as they were in those old books b/c everything has changed.

Also they're from an alternate universe, so there's no reason they should be exactly the same.

i thought it was a great issue and i didn't she her looming over the original 5 , just smacking them into reality : the world hates you and you will die if you slack off.

I thought Kitty did her job as instructor and a professor. The 05 have been tossed into a situation they know NOTHING about and she is teaching them the ropes and trying to get them more cohesive as a team because there is going to be inevitable battle involving them. She wants them safe, she wants them confident--so she's being the Drill Sergeant. Besides, if disliking her makes them a more unified team, she's done her job. Just like a Drill Sergeant.

Kitty learned from Logan. There are no kid gloves. She's strong and confident and is passing on things to them and making observations that may just save their lives.

In essence, again, she did her job.

X-Men: ReduX

@DarkxSeraph said:

I thought Kitty did her job as instructor and a professor. The 05 have been tossed into a situation they know NOTHING about and she is teaching them the ropes and trying to get them more cohesive as a team because there is going to be inevitable battle involving them. She wants them safe, she wants them confident--so she's being the Drill Sergeant. Besides, if disliking her makes them a more unified team, she's done her job. Just like a Drill Sergeant.

Kitty learned from Logan. There are no kid gloves. She's strong and confident and is passing on things to them and making observations that may just save their lives.

In essence, again, she did her job.

Absolutely.

And she's one of the few to be taught by Logan and Xavier, who, to my mind, was an even harsher task-master than Logan, which makes it a bit surprising that they aren't used to this. Maybe the Xavier from their timeline was a real softy.

@DarkxSeraph said:

I thought Kitty did her job as instructor and a professor. The 05 have been tossed into a situation they know NOTHING about and she is teaching them the ropes and trying to get them more cohesive as a team because there is going to be inevitable battle involving them. She wants them safe, she wants them confident--so she's being the Drill Sergeant. Besides, if disliking her makes them a more unified team, she's done her job. Just like a Drill Sergeant.

Kitty learned from Logan. There are no kid gloves. She's strong and confident and is passing on things to them and making observations that may just save their lives.

In essence, again, she did her job.

^this. I couldnt agree more.

And the other part I keep thinking is that the danger room thing was to show readers that the threats arent the same as they were in the time frame they are from. These kids are going to have to grow up super fast, and that is going to produce a different outcome than the current 5 we have today. Im digging each one finding out what happened to them though. I thought the best collaborating with himself was actually pretty clever.

@DarkxSeraph said:

I thought Kitty did her job as instructor and a professor. The 05 have been tossed into a situation they know NOTHING about and she is teaching them the ropes and trying to get them more cohesive as a team because there is going to be inevitable battle involving them. She wants them safe, she wants them confident--so she's being the Drill Sergeant. Besides, if disliking her makes them a more unified team, she's done her job. Just like a Drill Sergeant.

Kitty learned from Logan. There are no kid gloves. She's strong and confident and is passing on things to them and making observations that may just save their lives.

In essence, again, she did her job.

This is a pretty good summation. Don't quite get why Kitty is overstepping herself -- she is a true X-Men, she is an excellent instructor/teacher and if anyone doubts she doesn't deserve upper rank consideration, then I suspect their knowledge of X-Men history.

As for how the O5 are being portrayed...meh. Not too impressed with the inconsistency of Jean's portrayal -- one moment she has Logan on the ground sleeping and drooling (don't quite get that ability considering the stage she is at) and then the whole young Cyclops hypocrisy. I kinda think the kid should search out the older Scott and hang out with him a while.

Whatevs. The title is perfect for the book (imo). All New is right -- this is Bendis. He does what he wants.

*gets suspicious when Lyko agrees with him now...*

If you're not a fan of Kitty Pryde, then you're not a fan of the X-Men.

Hmm. Interesting point, Fodigg. She is an awesome character. Never really thought of it, but I really like Kitty.

@lykopis: Nice implied dig at a person's knowledge of X-history based on their distaste/subsequent disapproval of Kitty Pryde as a mentor to the O5. I mean, seriously, "if anyone doubts...." are you kidding me? Sure, she gets "upper rank consideration (whatever that means). Let's put it this way: I find her extremely annoying and it was a poor choice for this role, training by the Professor and Wolverine be damned.

But I guess the mere expression of this taste somehow renders my knowledge of the X-Universe and, Hell, my collection, entirely irrelevant. Weird...before your post I really thought I had been collecting since '91.....strange.

Lay off Lyko.

Second... seems you're in the minority here on your viewpoint on Kitty and her actions. She has her role for a reason and acted both solidly in-character in the issue, and as... well, as a teacher and instructor. And, you know what, that's fine--everyone is entitled to an opinion, but just realize when you post on a public forum, such an attack on a beloved character is bound to have responses.

Reaping and sewing and all that jazz.

Though, I do find it interesting that you spend an entire post just snapping back at Lyko and not addressing anything anyone brought up as counter-points in any way.

@fodigg said:

If you're not a fan of Kitty Pryde, then you're not a fan of the X-Men.

I don't agree. For most of the period of time when the X-Men were extremely popular, Kitty wasn't on the team. Most of the major stories that form the crux of the X-Men history don't even contain her and the team has proved that it will continue without her. In some ways, bringing Kitty back feels like a throwback to trying to recapture the old magic of a defunct lineup. She's a good character, but not necessary to be a fan of the team.

I love that Kitty was brought back. It's like watching a kid grow up and come back home as an adult. I remember when she wanted to be called "Sprite" and was utterly intimidated in her first danger room sequence. Now, she just stands in the middle of the chaos, fully confident and instructing a new batch of "students," aka, the O5.

Just... awesome progression. When she cam to the school in Astonishing, it was great.

While I appreciate your interest in what I responded to (or didn't), I'm afraid the reason is mundane. My wife and I had to take our pet to the vet and we were going to be late. That being the case, I decided to respond to the only thing that warranted a response, which was the post by Lyko. Quite frankly, there were no counter-points to respond to because they were merely competing opinions (nuh-uh vs uh-huh, if you will). You like Kitty Pryde in her drill instructor role and I don't like how Bendis writes her in that role. That's pretty much it. Yes she has a history, yes she was taught by Logan and Xavier, yes she has been written well at times and no to whether this means Bendis is writing her well or anything better than annoying. These characters don't exist in a vacuum, mind you. As for your heartfelt defense of Lyko ("Lay off Lyko"), that seems a bit misplaced. Lyko made an ad hominem argument based on mere difference in taste. This isn't "reaping what you sow" (not "sew"....I don't recall having needle and thread when I posted ) but rather calling someone out for clearly lowering the discussion. But, you know, good job coming to their aide.