When I was 12, like most other boys, by favorite X-Man was Wolverine. There was something fascinating about being able to SNIKT foot-long claws for your hands, and become instantly more dangerous. Being able to fight and not be hurt afterwards was also pretty awesome.
However, as an adult, and as a designer, I've had enough branding experience to know that this was an excellent brand for Marvel. The chaotic loner who fights, but despite his multiple super powers, can't seem to hold it together.
A hero, a brandComic branding is tricky, because we're about three or four generations in since X-Men first started. We've seen the original five grow to a cast of more than 200, each character having their own title, affiliation, and impact on the world. So how do you solve a problem like branding?
With Wolverine, extra attention has been given to his story. We found out that he was trained as a samurai, was a government experiment, had a horrific early life, and literally just wandered the planet for a time.
This background gave us more of a perspective of Wolverine, changing his brand from 'angry loner' to 'lonely immortal.' That changed everything.
The plot and the placeSo we have a character who essentially cannot die, but is (reluctantly) thrown into the human-mutant conflict. After a few decades with Xavier (not decades in the marvel universe) Marvel decided to branch out and have Wolverine take an active role in the conflict after M-Day, when most of the mutant population was wiped out.
This brings us to the series. In X-Men: Schism, Wolverine seperates from Cyclops, decided to train young mutants in how own way. This actually makes sense, because most people who have had poor childhoods usually try to make their children's lives better in some way.
This brings us to the new series. Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Beast, and more all open the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters. With the blessing of Charles Xavier, the school begins again as a private school for mutants. We're introduced to a new generation of mutants (again). You have the usual roster of high school archetypes: The bully, the outcast, the goth, the anarchist, the genius, etc. Unlike Generation X which featured every character as a savvy outcast, this series is more of an introduction into the X-Men for a new generation, attempting to broaden the readership.
The skinny on the schoolThe Faculty of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning is as follows:
Headmaster: Wolverine
Headmistress: Kitty Pryde
Senior Staff: Beast, Gambit, Rachel Grey, Rogue, Iceman
Junior Staff: Cannonball, Husk, Karma, Frenzy, Doop, Toad
Students: Armor, Anole, Blindfold, Bling!, Broo, Cypher, Ernst, Gentle, Glob Herman, Graymalkin, Hellion, Indra, Kid Gladiator, Kid Omega, Match, Mercury, Oya, Rockslide, Trance
Other: Warbird
Whether you are 9 or 90, this series is an easy, great read. Long-time fans will see the subtle growth of our favorite X-Men into their newfound roles, and how they handle kids who were as bad as they were at that age.
To quote Kitty Pryde,
"The first kid who talks to me the way I used to talk to the Professor, I'm nailing him to the wall as a warning to the others."Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com
