A to Z Challenge - C is for...


...Chris Claremont.

Claremont plots the demise of your fave X-Men
 In the pantheon of comic book writers, Chris Claremont's name is often buried behind the likes of Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Alan Moore (Watchmen, The Killing Joke), Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One), Grant Morrison (All Star Superman), Warren Ellis (The Authority. Planetary) and Stan Lee (Everything Marvel created in the mid to late 60s), and yet Mr. Claremont has probably left as big an impact on the world of comics as any of them.

Chris Claremont's first X-Men

Chris Claremont wrote the comic book series "The Uncanny X-Men" for Marvel for an unprecedented sixteen year stretch. During that time, he worked with legendary artist John Byrne on two seminal comic book storylines: The Dark Phoenix saga and Days of Future Past, both of which have been borrowed heavily from in the X-Men movies.

Claremont got a cameo in the worst X-men movie - X3


Established characters, were more fully realized through Claremont's stories. Wolverine, who was initially overshadowed by other characters, developed his samurai code, his mentor relationships with younger X-Men, and other traits he is more recognized for today. Storm too was crafted into a complex and strong character, famously winning leadership of the X-Men in a battle with Cyclops while she was without her weather powers. Storm became less of a "goddess" as she'd been depicted earlier and more a kick-ass leader, sporting her white mohawk and leather outfit.


I got mine signed in Glasgow by Mr Claremont!

Claremont is well known for the powerful female characters in his work, creating some of the most well known and liked female characters in the Marvel catalogue like Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Psylocke, Mystique, Emma Frost, Moira MacTaggert and Jubilee. He also created other well known characters like William Stryker, Sabretooth, and Gambit.
Clockwise from top left: Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey, Rogue, Storm & Psylocke

On top of his creative ideas, he is also a master craftsman of storytelling. The original metaphor of mutants representing black people, with Professor X and Magneto representing the differing leadership styles of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, was more fully realized by Claremont. The broader impact now had the mutants representing any minority, and digging deep into those problems.

Claremont's straightforward style also belied his knack for crafting complex and intricate storylines that he would sometimes set up months in advance. And despite writing the best-selling comic book in history - X-Men #1 - Claremont eventually left Marvel for a time...and ended his tenure as writer of "The Uncanny X-Men."

One of the first comic books I ever read was a reprint of Uncanny X-Men #143 which introduced the eclectic band of mutants but was mainly a story about Kitty Pryde battling a monster in the X-Mansion...alone. Years later, when I started to collect comic books, the first comic book I picked up was Uncanny X-Men #216 where Storm and Wolverine are trying to survive in the forest after something has gone terribly wrong.
My first Marvel comic was a reprint of this issue
The comic that started me collecting

I was hooked on the characters and I loved the writing...and that is why Chris Claremont is my favorite comic book writer of all time.

 Who is your favorite?

 GSY

Comments

  1. dSavannahApril 4, 2016 at 11:19 PM

    Thanks for pointing out the strong women characters in the comic book world. ;)

    @dSavannahCreate from
    dSavannahRambles
    #AtoZChallenge2016 theme: dSavannah Defects

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GusApril 6, 2016 at 1:16 AM

      There are many of them, but the X-Men have definitely led the way. :)

      Delete
    2. GusApril 6, 2016 at 1:16 AM

      There are many of them, but the X-Men have definitely led the way. :)

      Delete
  2. bettyApril 5, 2016 at 10:54 AM

    Glad you shared about him; I have never heard of him before; but he does sound very talented with the characters he creates :)

    betty
    http://viewsfrombenches.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete

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