A Lack of Ladies: Creators, Characters, And Readers

“You have a generation of girls who have grown up with this stuff and view it as a natural part of culture. You’ve had three ‘Spider-Man’ movies and ‘X-Men’ movies since they’ve been growing up. You’ve had ‘Harry Potter’ books and movies. And this generation has gotten it in a more concentrated level than I had as a kid. I might have had a ‘Superman’ movie every few years. But it was still a bit of a learning process.”
-Jeff Katz, former Fox movie executive

And yet here we are, readership shrinking and no closer to expanding our niche market. Hollywood has been quicker to recognize the mass appeal of various "nerd culture" properties, but the comic book industry itself is taking its time creating products for the growing female market. There are many creators, fans, and retailers that don't treat female readers like an elusive / non-existant unicorn, but when it comes to the big two, the driving force behind production is short term sales. In an interview with Comics Alliance discussing recent cancellations at the House of Ideas (and the lack of female led titles as a result), Marvel editors didn't shy away from saying low sales were the main reasons behind the cuts. Interestingly they credit these low sales with a perceived lack of interest from fans in titles that are not part of the over-arching stories of the Marvel U. She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman; these are characters that have had roles in events from Civil War to Dark Reign, yet readers did not deem their solo titles "must-reads" and each have been canceled. Could it be there may be more reasons for the low sales? Readers only speak with what they buy, and I get that Marvel is a business and they are simply making more of what sells. What I have a problem with accepting is the fact that they are the ones that decide what to put on the shelves. This company, with a vast catalog of characters would rather give us the same "top tier characters" in triplicate than give an underused or new character a solo series. 

"The problem, I think, is that there are so few of our female characters have achieved the iconic status that translates into sure-fire sales. While Sue Storm and Ororo Monroe have high Q-ratings due to their roles in iconic monthlies -- Fantastic Four and Uncanny X-Men, respectively -- they function as parts of an ensemble cast."
-Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor-in-Chief

Here's an example of "self fulfilling prophecy". A company deems their own product irrelevant, stops making it, then wonders why these characters don't have wider recognition? And what does all of this have to do with the readership, you ask? Well female readers aren't an insignificant part of the audience, though there is no definitive data on the subject. A recent survey undertaken by Graphic Policy's Brett Schenker came to the conclusion that roughly 25% of the comic book reading population is female. He acquired these statistics by data mining various social networks and finding individuals that identified themselves as comic book fans, so it' certainly not the final say on the readership. However, it is refreshing to be able to quote a source, any source, that uses a statistic larger than 10% to describe the female readership. Anyone that reads comic books, works in a store, or attends comic conventions will tell you the number of female fans is certainly larger than 10%, an almost certainly outdated statistic. The real question is, why isn't it larger than 25%? Keep in mind as well, this survey does not take into account what these readers are buying, or how much they are spending. Anyone resistant to changing the landscape of mainstream comics will argue that the women that do read comics aren't interested in superhero titles, so why change them. We really don't have the numbers to quote one way or the other what women are buying because no one has invested in finding out. But as a female reader, I can say with certainty, some of us do enjoy books of the fights and tights variety, and no, we don't all have an interest in manga.

I don't base my purchasing decisions on whether or not female characters are featured in a book, but there are plenty of female characters that are not being used (or are being poorly written).  Characters like Mary Jane, Storm, Jessica Jones, and Jean Grey. Talk about not using what you've got! Was the loss of one of Marvel's few recognizable (and bankable) female characters worth the immediate sales in killing her? If I want to read a well-made superhero book featuring a female character I literally can't find one title in Marvel's entire line. I'm thankful that at least DC has given several of their female characters their own titles, and it helps that they are well made (I wouldn't read them if they weren't; see Batwoman, Wonder Woman, and Batgirl). I am certain of the fact that there are plenty of male and female fans alike  that would like to see more solo female led titles, and not because it would be more realistic. The current state of mainstream comics is already pretty realistic in representing the gender inequality of our society. Less than 1% of fortune 500 companies have female CEO's. 16.6% of our congress members are women. If comics serves as escapist fantasy, this aspect is depressingly close to reality. If the superhero genre reflects what we would hope to achieve with great abilities and gifts, you better be damn sure there would be just as many women putting on capes as men.

"I think we have to stop thinking of it as a quota thing and think of it as a common-sense thing."
-Dan Harmon, creator of NBC's Community, on hiring more female writers

That brings us to our final exploration of the lack of ladies, and that is in the creation of the comics themselves.  The percentages are dismal for female writers and artists working for the big two, though it is slightly more favorable when it comes to editorial staff. Neither company can boast anything close to a reasonable ratio. This without a doubt contributes to the lack of diversity amongst their comic book content as well. Imagine if for every "top selling" character with three titles, at least one had a female creator. Each character would be written or drawn by a creative team that had a uniquely different perspective from the other offerings on the shelf. I understand the challenges these publishers face as well. They have a product that has been predominantly enjoyed by male fans for the last 20 or 30 years. Those fans have grown up, and the few that decided to become comic book creators reflect the readership. When DC and Marvel say they simply hire the best of the talent that approaches them, to an extent I believe this to be true. In essence it reflects just how long the industry has failed to connect with a female audience. It is a vicious cycle that will continue without serious thought and intentional change. Independent comics, specifically creator owned works, do afford more opportunities for female writers and artists to break into the industry, especially if what they are doing does not resemble what DC and Marvel currently create (and the big two are only interested in creating more of the same at the moment). But comic books are dominated by these large companies. I believe the rise of independent titles will influence change within the genre of superhero titles and eventually a more diverse product will result in order to compete. But until that happens, the health of the direct market depends on how well these two publishers do. If they fail to engage their current fans and bring new ones into comic book stores, all of the movies, cartoons, and merchandising in the world won't keep brick and mortar stores in business. The well recognized brands of Marvel and DC are not nearly as inviting to a wider audience as they could be, and that isn't good for fans and retailers that want to see this industry grow.

Coming up in the next segment we will explore how the portrayal of female characters contributes to the uphill battle of attracting more readers, and keeping the ones we currently have. Enjoy more reading at the links below!

Comics Alliance - The Problem Of Women In Comics: Where They Are (and Aren't)

Comics Alliance - Marvel Editors Discuss Women in Comics and the Lack of Female-Led Titles

ComicBook.com - Erik Larsen on Women in Comics

The Guardian UK - Ker-pow! Women kick back against comic-book sexism

CNN's Geek Out Blog - Are women and comics risky business?

CNN's Geek Out Blog - Are women comic book fans as rare as unicorns?

Graphic Policy - Who Are Comic Book Fans On Facebook?

MSNBC.com - The emerging face of geek fandom is female

NYmag.com - Community’s Dan Harmon Talks About Women in the Writers’ Room

Bleeding Cool - Gendercrunching by Tim Hanley – DC and Marvel, October 2011

Changing Tides: Women In Comics

When one starts a conversation concerning women in comics, they are bound to be met with various reactions: "Yes, please!" "What now?" and "What women?" are just a few. The growing number of articles on the subject indicate the times may in fact be changing. Oh please comic book gods, say it is true! Could more and more comic book readers be seeing the giant female elephant in the room? It comes in a few shapes and sizes, but the main ones currently gaining visibility include the depictions of women in comics, the lack of female creators, and the lack of female readers. My blog does not focus on the various topics of women in comics (there are already plenty of wonderful ones out there like DC Women Kicking Ass, Girls Read Comics, The Mary Sue, and Comic Book Grrrl just to name a few) but as a female fan, my perspective is influenced by my experience. Being a woman informs my opinions as much as having worked in local comic shops, too. Even my time living abroad in Australia makes my reading experience different as I appreciate how lucky I am to have access to so many great local comic shops. But the issue of women in comics is too wide and varied to cover in one post, so we'll take it on one topic at a time and hopefully add to the growing number of fans taking notice and voicing their opinions.

Overcoming denial is the first step to recovery, and the comic book industry has a long history with learning things the hard way. The readership continues to shrink, and yet the subject of women in comics is met with outright hostility or derailed by tired arguments that defend continuing "business as usual". What other industry actively turns down opportunities to gain a larger audience and make more money in order to appear loyal to one fan base? Vocal members of the target audience don't keep mum when these discussions happen, either. When it comes to women, any concerns raised are met with responses so cliched, one can assume to hear at least a handful of the same arguments during a discussion:

“Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses toward growth.” - Unknown

Fans expressing the sentiments above certainly reveal the growing pains in our industry. Here's hoping their reactions indicate that those of us that inspire such fervor are on to something. May the bridges we burn light the way.

Comic Book Candy: A New Look

Since the beginning of 2012, I have been working on a new look of my rather young blog, and though it is a work in progress, I am pleased with the new direction. It may still be a pre-packaged template, but it does have some comic book related imagery thanks to the wonderful Digital Comic Museum. Open to anyone willing to register, you may browse and download images from a large selection of Golden Age comic artwork that is now part of the public domain. The website does accept donations as well, so if you feel appreciative of their work, do consider making a contribution. The images used for my current background come from Love Lorn #3. From that same comic, here is just one example of the hidden treasures awaiting discovery in their vast archive:

The Vampire Venn Diagrams

As a self-professed Buffy addict and reluctant reader of Twilight, it was only a matter of time before I gave in to the multiple recommendation of trusted friends to watch CW's hit series The Vampire Diaries. Thanks to Netflix watch instantly, I've quickly made my way through the first two seasons and I'm enjoying the guilty-pleasure indulgence. I am hooked by the story of feuding Salvatore brothers Damon and Stefan as they vie for the affections of human teenager Elena. There are also witches, wolves, and evil doppelgangers to keep things interesting. My initial assumption about the series was that it was for pre-teens too young to watch True Blood and needing something to follow-up their Twilight binge, but I now appreciate the show for what it is: a love letter to the teen horror romance genre. The writers of the series have seen what was done before and have upped the teen high school dramatics to the max. One may mistake the obvious influences as proof of lacking originality, but I suspect the similarities are not beyond the show's creators. It is more likely that they are fully aware of the borrowing and use it as a way to hold a mirror up to the genre's more ridiculous (and frequent) aspects. The original Vampire Diaries books were written by L. J. Smith in the early 90's, and though much has been changed for the television adaptation, the main concept is still pre-Buffy, pre-Bella, and pre-Sookie. That makes this teen protagonist vampire story ahead of its time. Since good artists borrow and great artists steal, here is a quick guide to all of the best overlaps from TV's hottest teen-vampire-romance-high-school-drama-horror-fantasy series.

Love Triangles

We'll start with the most obvious thing that Buffy, Bella, and Elena share: complicated relationships. Each story has a love triangle that features one human girl caught between two supernatural suitors, usually against her own common sense. Each possess a dangerous element, whether it's Buffy's Angel who could turn into evil Angelus, Twilight's Edward finding Bella both attractive and appetizing, or Stefan who has an unstable ex-girlfriend and equally unstable brother Damon. None of these relationships scream "healthy" but the alternatives usually aren't much better. Former companion to Angel's evil Angelus, the vampire Spike is literally soulless. Vampire Diaries' Damon is manipulative and quick to murder. Bella's Jacob may be the only sane alternative, and considering he is a werewolf he still doesn't fall in the realm of "normal". One thing is for sure, no ordinary human is much competition for the affections of the women in these vampire franchises.

Broody Beaus

The furrowed brow. The piercing eyes. The hair. These guys have a lot more in common than a weakness for underage girls. Each one carries around the same amount of guilt for being a vampire, and this quality seems to make them irresistible. Did I mention each has had 100 years to brood? They have been miserable for most of that time until meeting their mortal mates. They also pull the same "I am too dangerous, I must leave" routine at one point (or more). Dangerous and controlling? Winning combo! Though she later forgives him, at least Buffy sends Angel to hell for his lapse of morality.

Bad Boys and The Women Who Love Them

Damon and Spike. So many similarities. Both are ruthless killers, quick tempered, and each has an insatiable thirst for human blood. So why are they so damn attractive? These boys are damaged goods, but they are convincing at hiding what lies beneath the surface. The heartbreak they felt as humans  manifests in their sadistic behavior as vampires, their rage inspired by their loss of love. Rather than self loathe, they self medicate. This makes it all the more moving when they attempt to change their ways for the love of a human. But 100 years of murderous habits don't go away over night, ladies.

Mystical Small Towns & Their Unwitting Inhabitants

Where there are vamps, crazy stuff goes down. The local communities seem none the wiser in Mystic Falls (Vampire Diaries), Sunnydale (Buffy), and Forks (Twilight), though each town has a long history with the supernatural beings that frequent their villages. Animal attacks are popular explanations in all three series. Angel, the Buffy spin-off, is the only series that keeps it real in Los Angeles where crazy stuff goes down and no one notices because "Hollywood!"

Veggie Vampires

Every girl that dates a vampire has to tell themselves the same lie: He's different cause he only eats animals! And each one of these vamps falls off the wagon at some point. This adds to the appeal of the "bad boy" character. Spike and Stefan are inspired by their love to fight their murderous nature; Angel and Edward were already yearning to retain their humanity before falling for a human.

Yes, Sire!

Behind every brooding, reluctant vampire, there is usually a sexy, manipulative vampire that sired them. Darla (of Buffy) and Catherine (of Vampire Diaries) each created their vampire companions out of a twisted sense of love, but mostly because these guys were hot and could prove useful. Being a vampire also allowed these women to amass great power when the era of their births (the 15th / 16th centuries) would have denied them opportunities as humans. These vindictive creatures come to discover that their self-serving habits don't prove effective in protecting them from feelings of abandonment when their creations eventually spurn their love.

Witchy Best Friends

Bff's that can hold their own in a fight with vampires? Kind of handy to have around. Buffy's trusted friend Willow is loyal no matter what, even when Buffy makes questionable decisions. Bonnie on the other hand has a much harder time accepting Elena's choice of companions, and for good reason. Her family history keeps her from ever fully trusting the vampires and this makes her a valuable person in Elena's life. It would be nice to see her struggle with the responsibility of her Wiccan gifts as Willow does in season 6 of Buffy.

Vamps vs. Wolves

Image courtesy of Draw For Me

by Jeremy Kron

The vampire / werewolf rivalry is not a new concept to the horror genre, but it is one that is reinforced by these three series. Both Twilight and The Vampire Diaries make these creatures natural enemies that are deadly to one another while Buffy portrays werewolves as cursed humans rather than soulless demons. Since the Buffyverse is inhabited by many more demonic creatures, there is a a much greater spectrum of moral ambiguity amongst them (especially in the Angel series).

Strong Female Leads That Aren't Entirely Defined By Their Relationship

Whoops. Guess Buffy kind of has a monopoly on that one! I felt the need to point this out since this is one area where Twilight and The Vampire Diaries fall short. Buffy isn't even the only strong woman in the series either. Willow, Faith, Cordelia, and Anya each have distinct character arcs that do not begin and end with "meets boy, falls in love." Though Bella and Elena do exhibit admirable qualities, they play the damsel in distress a little too often, nor do they make great role models for how a teenage girl should organize her priorities (aka dangerous vampire boyfriend above all else). I'm hoping The Vampire Diaries will surprise me, but that will only happen when I ask more questions of Elena besides "Which vampire will she choose?" Buffy may have super slayer abilities, but she's the only female lead that makes being a human girl look bad-ass.

Not every Buffy fan will love Vampire Diaries, nor will every Twi-hard be bowled over by the Whedonverse. But I do believe that these series share enough similarities to check them out if you are a devoted fan of one (or possibly two). Buffy fans will love the over the top relationship drama of The Vampire Diaries, and if you are team Spike, you'll love Stefan. Twilight fans will enjoy Buffy for the element of forbidden love, and they may be pleasantly surprised by how much a strong female lead can add to the story. And lastly, if you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries, consider this series a gateway to a whole world of horror / fantasy genre television shows, books, and comics. Vampires are just the start as you may find yourself watching Dr. Who and reading Sandman sooner than you think.

Under The Radar: 2011's Best Geek Gifts

So you know your girlfriend / best friend / co-worker reads comics and enjoys various nerd cultural phenomena, but you have no idea what to get them. Sound familiar? It's tough. These are the people that are most likely to buy themselves that highly sought after collectible. They know what they want, and that makes your job as gift giver a tough one. No fear! Here are some suggestions that will have your loved one feeling thankful and hopefully surprised. Enjoy more gift ideas after the jump!

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Next Level Blu-Ray

The box says it all: "A Taste of TNG in High Definition." This is a perfect gift for several reasons. It will not be released until January, so you know they won't have it, and it's something that not every Trekkie will get for themselves, but they will enjoy nonetheless. This sampler collection contains three classic episodes of Next Gen, the first to be re-mastered for blu-ray. Paramount will surely release a complete series of TNG on blu-ray in the future, but it will probably be astronomically expensive at first. Until then, this is the perfect gift to make that wait a little easier. Since this gift won't arrive before Christmas, here are some suitable alternatives / additional items:

Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection Blu-Ray

Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection Blu-Ray 

Any Brandon Bird Original Artwork

You may be familiar with Brandon Bird's work and not even know it. Several of his pieces are "internet famous", and all of them are wonderful works of art that will make unique gifts. Bird's work spans a wide range of subjects from his recent Jurassic Park piece to Law & Order: SVU portraits. These go beyond fan art as each print is memorable, humorous, and eye catching. Give your friend a print of "Nobody wants to play Sega with Harrison Ford" and it will sure to be a conversation starter. There is plenty more to buy on his site as well, with some of his pieces available as t-shirts, lunchboxes, sticker adventure sets, and coloring books, too.

 

Handmade Doctor Who Gifts

Etsy users are kind of a geeky crowd. There's even a section called "geekery". Just searching for Doctor Who items resulted in 3,098 returns. There is a good chance your loved one doesn't have these item (they aren't mass produced) and with so many options, you're bound to find the perfect gift. Here are a few favorites:

Nyan Tardis Cross Stitch Pattern

Tardis Handcrafted Soap

Tardis necklace with Pink Bow

Set of Three Minimalist Doctor Who Inspired Prints

And though this is not from Etsy, it is my all time favorite fan made Doctor Who t-shirt design from Threadless:

Marvel Cancellations: Smart Business or Proof of Insanity?

It has been widely speculated how Marvel would respond to DC's New 52, especially with DC dominating media attention and market share in the last three months. Would they do a "revamp" of their line as well? Would they try to use their new parent company to gain a wider audience? Would they keep calm and carry on? We may now have our answer with recent announcements that Marvel is canceling several of their lowest selling series, yet offering just as many issues as last year.  Instead of offering a wider variety of titles to appeal to more readers, Marvel's (continued) strategy will focus on "double shipping" their flagship character titles each month, forcing loyal customers to spend more and make up for Marvel's loss in short term sales.

As of late, I've found it hard to find the time to write about comics. I have been reading plenty, but few subjects seemed pressing enough to motivate me to make the time to voice my opinion. The month of October I failed to make Halloween costume suggestions or spooky reading recommendations, and come November, my lack of writing had become habit. It's unfortunate, but this recent change was the motivation I needed to get back on schedule and talk comics. I just wish it was something fantastically positive rather than a shitty marketing change that has me talking.

The (un)official announcements were made several weeks ago, but now with February's solicitations set, it is confirmed that X-23, Ghost Rider, Daken: Dark Wolverine and Black Panther: The Man Without Fear have all been canceled. PunisherMAX will also be "ending" as opposed to getting canceled. Marvel has no official press release regarding these cancellations and most fans found out following sad tweets from the book's creators. I'm assuming Marvel failed to bring attention to these cancellations  because the headline would read something like this:

"Marvel to Cancel Female / Black / Bisexual Superhero Titles"

That's one way to read the news, right? X-23 and Ghost Rider are the only current ongoing female headlined superhero titles. Daken is the only headlining character that could be described as "not entirely straight", and Black Panther certainly isn't the only black character, but he's only one of two with his own title (Miles Morales has very recently joined those ranks). So for those keeping score, of Marvel's solo superhero titles to be released after the cancellation of these titles:

18 = White Male Dudes
0 = Women
1 = Minority (and even that title, Ultimate Spider-Man, won't see a release in the month of February)

Marvel does have three titles headlined by female characters, but none of them are in the capes crowd with Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned - The Scoundrel, and Northanger Abbey. I guess Marvel does have a place for female characters, and that's in the adaptations of other works. The majority of Marvel's titles are team books / minis (they add up to around 20 releases for February), and female and minority characters do show up in these, but with the almost always guaranteed white straight male majority.

Two observations here: one, this doesn't reflect the real world. Two, this doesn't even reflect the readership. Instead of doing something risky like, I don't know, investing advertising and making it a priority to increase readership for these lesser-read titles, Marvel has made it clear that they are abandoning the readers on their fringe. The ones that look at the shelves in the comic book store and don't see themselves reflected on the covers of these books. The sales don't lie, they should cater to the loyal throngs of readers picking up three different ongoing Captain America titles, right? If short term sales are their only goal then yes, Marvel is doing exactly what they should. Trimming the fat and making a leaner line of books that produce more of "what sells" would seem smart, only they don't have anything to gain. This is all about maintaining the status quo, not expanding readership. Much of what I am saying could also refer to the "New 52" as DC has not shied away from stating that males age 12-30 are their target audience (not sure who else would buy Catwoman these days), but hey at least they have something to offer me as a reader with Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Batwoman. I happen to like male superheroes, too, but the comic book market is not in short order of readers like me. I already buy what they are making. If Marvel and DC have any hopes for the long term health of the market, they have to start making comics that appeal to the people that aren't buying their books already instead of trying to get their current readers to buy more, or bringing in "lapsed" readers.  Creating books featuring more females, minorities, and just plain different characters is a start. Until then, Marvel is just reinforcing the view that heroes may come in all shapes, sizes, colors, or creeds, but they are only interested in telling the stories of one kind of hero.

Odyssey X, Week 10: Uncanny X-Force #15 , X-Men Legacy #255

(For those joining late, please see the introductory post on Odyssey X, where I explain my attempt to read every X-Men title during X-Men: Schism)

Uncanny X-Force #15
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Jerome Opena
Cover Price: $3.99

Uncanny X-Force isn't just the best X-Men titles being released; it's probably one of the best Marvel books period. Remender continues to push the boundaries of the X-Men line by infusing more than a few genres into this super-hero title. At the end of the last issue, Psyloche chose to stay behind in an attempt to save Warren, while her teammates fled from their losing battle to regroup. The Life Seed is being used to alter time itself by creating a new evolutionary path for Earth, one where life's mutation never reached the plateau of mankind. The dreamlike sequences of Archangel and his followers witnessing time and evolution re-form makes one hell of a subject for Opena to draw, and he more than meets the challenge. X-Force feels the least like an x-book, and considering the rest of the crop, that is a very good thing. One minute the book is action, suspense, and quick quips, the next it is a fantasy tinged meander through time. All the while it is an immersion that is hard to escape. This is a read twice kind of book, just so you can take in all of the details and enjoy it once more.

Verdict: Remender and Opena are killing it on this book, and making everyone else look bad. Pick it up!


X-Men Legacy #255
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Steve Kurth
Cover Price: $3.99

X-Men Legacy isn't the worst x-book, but it may be the safest. Well established super hero titles like the X-Men always risk falling into patterns, and Carey certainly has a weakness for familiar storytelling. Rogue and company are still stuck on a doomed asteroid amidst warring alien races. If this book has a theme it must be "constant regrouping", as the conflict is always secondary to a drawn out game of "let's find so-and-so". The story culminates with a predictable battle between scorned daughter Lorna and absent father Magneto. This tedious turn of events has me asking, "Will we ever get off this rock?" Either way, whenever this story line ends, it will probably jump right into another non-stop thrillride. The problem is, it's not much of a thrill without a moment to breathe; constant motion in a story leads to an experience akin to literary motion sickness, but far less visceral. The visuals on this book don't help either as there are not one, or even two, but three inkers. That means the final product is the result of five different artists (penciler, three inkers, and one colorist) and one writer. Marvel continues to show their disregard for the "visual" half of the comic book medium, and this is one predictable misstep I am not comfortable seeing so often.


Week 10 Summary:
Potential Cost: $7.98
0 Books Purchased, 2 Books Shelved

A mercifully small week! Readers that actually pay to enjoy these books must have thanked their retailers for such a light X-Men week. The two titles that released were good examples of the best and worst of what the x-titles have to offer on the shelves. On one hand you have Uncanny X-Force pushing the boundaries of the line, incorporating different genres in the storytelling with engaging artwork as well. On the other hand, X-Men Legacy sticks to tired throw away storytelling. Remender shows you what these books and characters are capable of, then Carey pulls you right back down to the mediocre reality of the rest of the X-Men titles. It's a tough act to follow, but any current X-Men book compared to X-Force will certainly fall short.