A More Engaging Narrative

Visually, the experience of reading comics has changed and adapted to the introduction of multiple main characters, overlapping and simultaneous storylines, developing character backgrounds. The enemies are getting bigger and badder and more sophisticated; superheroes have to join forces to fight single enemies that seek destruction of entire worlds. Artists must be more creative in how to rely on other aspects of comic such as emenata, distinct speech bubbles and layouts in order to put together an exciting narrative. The use of emenata to display powers must now figure out how to communicate telekinetic power, lasers, mental power and other invisible concepts, as well as more abstract concepts like arms extending, beastly humans, humans with wings, and a man made of ice. Similarly, panels seem abstract, objects floating in order to translate a concept such as mental ability, clairvoyance to see other parts of the world, reading or speaking minds is told through and emphasized through think bubbles. Amount of in all variety with the way they consider panels, layouts, splash pages, speech bubbles and emenata is complex and makes the reader more engaged. Readers must actively search for icons, symbols, changes, and pay attention to detail. This makes readers more aware of what elements are changing, staying the same, who’s talking and what’s happening

Jean Grey as a female superhero is a badass character. I really appreciate that her power is basically the ability to do EVERYTHING herself. She doesn’t need the assistance of men. There’s also really no discrimination against women as they are all treated like teammates, equal and for a common purpose. Professor X even warns his pupils “We don’t use kid gloves here” when referring to their underestimation of Grey’s powers (25). They are mutants, not merely just men or women.

I also really like how X-Men is formulated around the solidarity when faced with discrimination, the survival of races coinciding with one another, as later X-Men reproductions have capitalized on. The idea of another race that humankind ‘is not ready for’ and lash against can be applied to real world applications. It’s like watching a race destroy itself, a dichotomy of good mutants and bad mutants. The increasing inclusion of machines and background objects become props with the mutants and allow them to interact with them in unique ways.