A few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking to my all-time favorite writer, who was kind enough to do a phone interview for the blog. The book was loosely adapted into the 2003 film X2: X-Men United. The book masterfully encapsulated the premise of the X-Men as a metaphor, critiquing the dangers of fundamentalism while beautifully respecting religion as a whole. In 1982, Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson created the original graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, in which the X-Men are publicly attacked by a fundamentalist preacher, William Stryker. Quite a powerful message for anyone who feels different, whether it be because of age, race, religion, orientation, status, etc. As Stan Lee once said, “It’s almost a Jesus Christ metaphor.” The X-Men have no “origin story” per se- no radioactive spiders, no rocket ships from Krypton, no magic power ring- they are simply different (“mutants,” in comic book terms), by no decision of their own.
What has always made X-Men one of my personal favorites is the concept itself- people who are different from the rest of humanity fighting to protect those who hate them. His landmark run from 1975-1991 catapulted the title to the top of the industry and is the basis for the seven X-Men movies released thus far, including last year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. The X-Men have been a cornerstone of the industry for the better part of four decades now, and although created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, their rise to prominence came in 1975 when a young writer named Chris Claremont took the reins for nearly two decades. If you watched cartoons, read comic books, or ever stepped into an arcade in the 90s (or all of the above, in the case of yours truly), chances are you knew who the Uncanny X-Men were long before Hugh Jackman became a household name or the line for the latest X-Men movie wrapped around the block.
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