I hate the 80s (I'm going to act like I hate the 80s way more than I actually do just so this blog is a lot more interesting to read. This is my opinion turned to 11, if you will). There. I've said it. I hate shoulderpads. I find most all of the television to be ludicrous. I have no special bond with John Hughes movies. The only good things to come out of the 80s are Golden Girls, The Empire Stikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Ghostbusters, and the fact that Freaks & Geeks is set in 1980. I can avoid most everything associated with this lame decade except for one thing. The worst thing.
80s music.
MTV blew up TVs across America and made celebrities out of way too many no-name weirdos with a JC Penny's credit card (for blouses) and a can of hairspray. Going on song alone, 90% of the hits of the 80s would not have been hits. Then, if a band (most likely English) had a killer video they'd have a smash hit song. And that does not mean the song is worth remembering. To all you indie hipsters, don't come at me with your Smiths and your Cure either. I've heard my fair share of both and I have not been impressed; the word 'hate' may spring to mind. Not that these bands are bad by any stretch of the imagination, I just loathe the production (tin can drums, sprightly guitars, distant vocals). My hatred wouldn't be so bad if all these god awful singles weren't forced into my ears anytime I want to dance or karaoke, with most everyone singing along in a disgusting gushing of irony and cheesy enjoyment.
With all this in mind, here are the only super hit songs that are worth anything from the 80s. You are retarded if you disagree.
(I used VH1's top 100 songs of the 80s countdown for reference. I know there are a lot of great songs in the 80s that weren't hits, so Talking Heads, Pixies, The Pretenders, XTC, etc etc etc aren't included...just for the sake of this blog)
Devo "Whip It" 1980
Here you go, 80s fans. A bonafide MTV "what the?" weirdo video hit. The reason Devo is on here is because they are awesome. Their first album is a post-punk/new wave masterpiece and this hit, really their only one, is as weird as their earlier stuff. So not a sell out at all. It's also influencial. You hear that, dance punk bands? You were influenced by this.
Queen & David Bowie "Under Pressure" 1981
I would be a jackhole if I didn't include this song, and you're a jackhole if you disagree. There isn't a hint of crappy electronic drums and forced emotion. The breakdown and buildup two minutes in will move you to tears more than any of those stupid Sufjan Stevens songs you listen to. Really, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie? They're better than a gajillion Scissor Sisters combined. That's because Freddie and David are totes gay gay. Sometimes.
Human League "Don't You Want Me" 1981
To prove that I'm not totally anti-synth, here's the best synth hit of the 80s. The chorus is euphoric and the chick's voice is so calm and cool, you know she's just a bit too awesome for that dude in the makeup. Plus, he's wearing makeup. You know he don't care about that chick. So, this is by far the best song from guys that wear makeup who include hot girls in the band so straight dudes will give them a listen. The 80s had a bakajillion of these.
Dexys Midnight Runners "Come On Eileen" 1982
To-ry-lou-ry-aye, this song doesn't suck. Yeah, I'll fess up; I pogo like a little Hot Topic kid at a Him concert when I hear this song. You have to admire the fact that people that are downright homely and nasty can still become video stars. That don't happen nowadays (Blues Traveler, anyone?). And Dexy (not his real name) straight up fired the drummer during this video, so there's major 'tude behind this song. Mark my words, Dexys Midnight Runners will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I put money on that, and I'm speaking in my real voice right now and not the one I've adopted for this blog. They were huge in England. Right?
The Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed" 1982
The Go-Go's snort losers like The Bangles up for breakfast, yo. For all the teeny-bopper-sugar-rush-all-girl-yay-time songs of the 80s, this is the only one that is worth anything. Why? Because it was written about Ray Davies...wasn't it? Also, Jane Wiedlin is into S&M.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts "I Love Rock & Roll" 1982
Do I even have to explain? She's dirty and pure rock and roll.
Talking Heads "Burning Down The House" 1983
The fact that this song, and that the Talking Heads, were such a big to-do in the 80s surprises me. Unlike Devo, they actually had hit after hit. "Burning Down The House" isn't their best song, but it's one of the best songs of the 80s by far. I always appreciate it when something as creepy and sonically different becomes a cultural touchstone. Plus, this video IS HOT.
Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" 1983
"Thriller" is almost purely 80s video gimmicks and all the singles off of Bad kinda feel like Thriller cast-offs. This song and video, pure AWESOMEness.
Nena "99 Luftbaloons" 1983
This sounds like it could have come from Europe's indie scene in the world Post-Strokes, so the freshness makes it acceptable.
Cyndi Lauper "Time After Time" 1984
Not drenched in disgusting 80s production and overexposure like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It touches me, a little.
Janet Jackson "Nasty" 1986
Not on YouTube, for some reason. And I'm not embedding an amateurish dance company video, neither, so SCREW YOU Jersey Moves Company!
Prince "Kiss" 1986
Actually fun to dance to, and not as depressing as "When Doves Cry" (it's the Schindler's List of 80s pop, right?). The first 9 seconds of the song sum up Prince's entire career marvelously.
INXS "Need You Tonight" 1987
Parts of the video seem like a spoof, like Hutchence is Dana Carvey impersonating Jim Morrison or something. Any video that features a guy in a referee shirt drumming on air deserves to be remembered. Forever.
Salt-N-Pepa "Push It" 1987
A bit light on the actual rapping and words but, come on...it's 80s mainstream hip hop that isn't crap. MC Hammer isn't acceptable to dance to. I know he's 90s, but I think I should make that point while I can. Stop playing his songs.
R.E.M. "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" 1987
Only posted here so I have quick access to the video at parties. I know all the words. HA!
The B-52's "Love Shack" 1989
If you didn't see this one coming, you don't know me.
And that's IT (not really). All other 80s songs need to be BANNED. Aren't we, as a music loving nation, past this decade yet?
Lastly, all kidding aside, I truly hate "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. It is not a good song, the band is not talented, and it should be erased from the collective memory like Mary Jane and Peter Parker's marriage.
1/11/08
R.I.P. Futureheads Button (June 2004 - January 2008)
A man meets a lot of buttons in his life, especially if they like indie rock and have an eBay account. I'm friends, currently, with a lot of buttons. There's a Go! Team one on my jacket that I got from Sub Pop for pre-ordering their new album. There's a big X-Men one from 1988 on my messenger bag, as well as a David Letterman one from my aunt in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There are dozens more X-Men ones at home, and half as many Strokes ones. I even have a Nightcrawler badge that I got overseas. But over the years, none have been as much of a treasure as you, Futureheads button.
The time we spent together was started by fate. When the band's debut album came out in the summer of 2004, their record label sent promo buttons to my college's radio station, WMTS. You were given to me by my good friend who also happened to be the music director at the time. Yes, it was a "sure, I'll take it if you're giving it away" moment when I first met you, but that's what made you special. You lived on the rubbery fabric cover to my 64 CD carrying case, where I would see you day in and day out as I made my musical selections both in my car and on the radio show I co-hosted.
As for the Futureheads themselves, they would slowly become one of my favorite bands. I had probably heard "A to B" when I was given you, downloaded from Entertainment Weekly's website. Maybe I had also heard "Decent Days & Nights" somewhere as well. Both were good, but I didn't know then that they were great. It wasn't until I got my iPod for Christmas of 2004 that I finally began to appreciate the band that you so proudly represented. You moved from my CD case to my wardrobe.
You attached yourself rather nicely to my sweaters in the winter and my short-sleeve button downs in the summer. I wore you on my sweater vest that I bought at H&M, my first New York City outfit. I wore you almost exclusively on my sweater vest for a while, since said outfit reminded me of what the Futureheads actually wear. But just being another button in my collection wasn't enough for you. As the cold winter of 2006 set in and the moody tunes of News & Tributes, the band's second album, began to become the soundtrack to my lonlier moments in New York...you were promoted to the top of the collection. You were placed on my denim jacket.
The buttons on my denim jacket represented my favorite bands. For at least two years, the buttons on the jacket did not change. The same Oasis, Strokes and Features buttons all remained in their same spot, leaving their imprints in the fabric when eventually taken off. I made room for you, Futureheads button, because of the love I have for the band you depict and the serendipitous nature of our meeting.
And then, somehow, you disappeared. I wore my denim jacket yesterday since it was not too hot nor too cold. I noticed you were missing when I was leaving work. I searched my closet at home, hoping that you had somehow been knocked off. I searched my office too, but with no luck. You're out there somewhere, on the disgusting streets of Chinatown. I've failed you.
What can one person say when such an important piece of their wardrobe is lost to them? The Futureheads are releasing a new album in a few months and have now released three new spectacular songs. I want to wear you to show the world that I support this band. And now I can't.
The time we spent together was started by fate. When the band's debut album came out in the summer of 2004, their record label sent promo buttons to my college's radio station, WMTS. You were given to me by my good friend who also happened to be the music director at the time. Yes, it was a "sure, I'll take it if you're giving it away" moment when I first met you, but that's what made you special. You lived on the rubbery fabric cover to my 64 CD carrying case, where I would see you day in and day out as I made my musical selections both in my car and on the radio show I co-hosted.
As for the Futureheads themselves, they would slowly become one of my favorite bands. I had probably heard "A to B" when I was given you, downloaded from Entertainment Weekly's website. Maybe I had also heard "Decent Days & Nights" somewhere as well. Both were good, but I didn't know then that they were great. It wasn't until I got my iPod for Christmas of 2004 that I finally began to appreciate the band that you so proudly represented. You moved from my CD case to my wardrobe.
You attached yourself rather nicely to my sweaters in the winter and my short-sleeve button downs in the summer. I wore you on my sweater vest that I bought at H&M, my first New York City outfit. I wore you almost exclusively on my sweater vest for a while, since said outfit reminded me of what the Futureheads actually wear. But just being another button in my collection wasn't enough for you. As the cold winter of 2006 set in and the moody tunes of News & Tributes, the band's second album, began to become the soundtrack to my lonlier moments in New York...you were promoted to the top of the collection. You were placed on my denim jacket.
The buttons on my denim jacket represented my favorite bands. For at least two years, the buttons on the jacket did not change. The same Oasis, Strokes and Features buttons all remained in their same spot, leaving their imprints in the fabric when eventually taken off. I made room for you, Futureheads button, because of the love I have for the band you depict and the serendipitous nature of our meeting.
And then, somehow, you disappeared. I wore my denim jacket yesterday since it was not too hot nor too cold. I noticed you were missing when I was leaving work. I searched my closet at home, hoping that you had somehow been knocked off. I searched my office too, but with no luck. You're out there somewhere, on the disgusting streets of Chinatown. I've failed you.
What can one person say when such an important piece of their wardrobe is lost to them? The Futureheads are releasing a new album in a few months and have now released three new spectacular songs. I want to wear you to show the world that I support this band. And now I can't.
I found a packet of your brothers and sisters on eBay bundled with a pack of guitar strings autographed by the Futureheads. I'm going to buy them and wear them. This time, not only will I be wearing them to support one of my favorite bands. I'll be wearing them in rememberance of you, Futureheads button.Goodbye, Futureheads button. May you find peace.
1/10/08
Comics: 1-09-08
THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #7Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inkers: Danny Miki & Crime Lab Studio's Allen Martinez & Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Artmonkeys' Dave Lanphear
Production: Rich Ginter
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Mighty Avengers starts their second arc with issue #7, only four months behind due to Frank Cho's deadline problems. If there's an artist you need to crank out issues to get your title back on track, you either have to get Mark Bagley or John Romita Jr. Mark Bagley is a marathon man, capable of putting out multiple titles on a monthly basis. He works well with Bendis and this is a natural fit. This issue picks up on the cliffhanger from New Avengers #32, which came out six months ago. Six months ago. We've actually seen how this issue's cliffhanger is resolved in the last five issues of New Avengers, which kinda ended on the cliffhanger of telling us what this arc is going to be about (Dr. Doom dropping a symbiote bomb on New York because the Mighty Avengers piss him off). Okay, so, that's New Avengers continuing into Mighty Avengers while Mighty Avengers was dealing with New Avengers' previous storyline, so New Avengers went on ahead and finished up the storyline that is starting right now in Mighty Avengers, and therefore reveals what the storyline starting this month in Mighty Avengers is all about. What. The? Was this how Bendis intended for this to all work out? What is New going to do for the next who-knows-how-long while Mighty plays catch up? Bendis experimented with non-linear storytelling in his "Revolution" storyline last year in New Avengers, so maybe he did plan for this to unfold all mixed-up like.
Weird pacing aside, this issue is the first talker of the series. As a storyline, 2008's "Secret Invasion" is actually intriguing and I'm genuinely excited about it. The are-they-aren't-they paranoia is unlike anything I've read in the Marvel Universe and the stakes are very real. Spider-Woman joining the team is a nice ploy to draw out Skrulls and the team's reaction is well-played (even if Jan hushes all the serious chatter to trot out new costumes for Wonder Man).
My biggest complaint for this issue is the thought bubbles. At first it seemed like Tony Stark's internal computer was replacing the bubbles, making a nice change for the new storyline we're starting. But no. They're back. And as useless as ever. At first the thought bubbles had a retro charm and at times they actually do what they're supposed to. Ares' thoughts towards conquering Spider-Woman and Tony Stark's repeated "one of you" towards the end of the issue both give insight into the characters and ratchet up the drama. The rest of them are horribly dull and clumsy. Wonder Man thinking "and the worst" and then saying "and the worst" adds nothing at all. At all. Except for the number of seconds awkwardly messing up the rapid-fire pace of Bendis' patented realistic dialogue. We don't need to read Ms. Marvel thinking about how Tony is undermining her leadership when we have Mark Bagley selling it like the pro he is on every page.
Mighty Avengers starts 2008 where New Avengers was in 2007, but strong characters and the tension filled mystery make this a solid book. If only Bendis would turn off the thought bubble blower.
MY SCORE: 8.4/10
X-FACTOR v.3 #27"Messiah Complex 11 of 13"
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inkers: John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Dave Meikis
Colorist: Brian Reber
Letterer: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Will Panzo
Editor: Nick Lowe
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
"Messiah Complex" is halfway through its last cycle of the four main x-books, with only two more chapters to go. So far, so good, and only minor nitpicks can be made about this installment. For one thing, this issue is reading a lot like X-Factor's contribution to a previous crossover that is so casually referenced here. Just like in 1992's "X-Cutioner's Song," the members of X-Factor are pushed to the margins of the issue while the main storyline plows through. Not that they aren't present. Siryn prays over Madrox's comatose body, Layla makes a very definitive action at the issue's start, and both Strong Guy and Wolfsbane get little bitty lines thrown their way. Still, that involvement doesn't really make this a true issue of X-Factor and one has to wonder how happy Peter David is with this. I'm personally not bothered by it. Wolfsbane, Madrox and Layla have all been getting the same amount of page time in the rest of the crossover's issues so if they don't show up so much in their own title, then I guess that's how the story should be told. Plus, David gets to follow up on that vision Wolfsbane had a while ago about Layla and Madrox being married when Layla says her name is Layla Madrox, that is if that was how that was meant to be read.
The mutant concentration camp aspect of the series finally pays off, with Layla blowing up her dupe companion, thus sending his knowledge back to Madrox prime in the present. With his knowledge of the future, Madrox is able to finger Bishop as the traitor and finally get everyone off of Cable's back a little. I'm rather pleased with this since, at first, it seemed like a waste of time to send Multiple Man's dupes into the future "just cause." I rolled my eyes upon seeing yet another concentration camp-y reality but the disturbing images Chris Bachalo gave us in his issues of X-Men have made it worth it. Also, the reveal that we are in Bishop's timeline (or rather a variation, right?) justifies the setting; we're not seeing another bleak future, just revisiting an old one.
And there's my main problem with this issue and, it looks like, the crossover as a whole. Both Bishop and Cable have knowledge of this mutant messiah that is currently the most popular infant on Earth. Bishop hates the messiah because she kills a million humans, but apparently she ends up doing something awesome because Cable thinks she saves everyone. Okay, that's cool. We're using the fact that both Cable and Bishop come from different points in the future. But oh, wait, um, if they both knew that a mutant messiah was going to be born, why didn't they bring that up until now? I went back and looked at the Endangered Species one-shot from last year that kicked off this current direction. In it, Bishop states that he didn't tell anyone about M-Day because he genuinely didn't know. Most of the records were lost, there were a lot of rumors, but nothing concrete. Fair enough. But here we are in X-Factor #27 with a kid Bishop pretty much telling us everything that is going on right now. I mean, I guess it could be argued that Bishop has known this ever since M-Day and was lying in Endangered Species, but the x-books haven't been known for their foresight in years or...ever. The same can be said for Cable, I guess, who would either know less because more records were lost by the time he rolled around thousands of years after Bishop, or more since he has telepathy, a gajillion all-knowing computers, and has time traveled all over the dang place. But maybe he's been playing it close to the vest as well. I guess I need to wait and see if either of these are resolved before really holding it against the storyline.
Where is Rictor?
And where's the dupe they sent to the other new future?
And how lame is Predator X, really? Is his biggest involvement running through upstate New York, eating Peepers, and then snacking on the ex-cast of New X-Men? Geez.
Overall, the art is solid (even if the coloring still makes people look like rubber) and "Messiah Complex" is shaping up to be the best and most fulfilling crossover the Marvel Universe has produced since "The Age of Apocalypse" in 1995. We're this close to the end, I hope it doesn't fall apart.
MY SCORE: 8.6/10
Beginning Of the Twist
2008 is already shaping up to be an exciting year. On the improv front I have my first practice with a new improv team starting on Saturday and the third System Error show this Sunday with my team Bad Data, LD & the Scientist and Bloody. Also, if you haven't seen it, Adam Bozarth did that lil' design over there for us. We are your favorite Saturday morning jam, are we not? Better than Eek! The Cat, yes? I haven't seen any improv this year though. This relates to my second point in this catch all entry, which I'll get to when I get to the second point.And here's the second point. I haven't seen any improv this year because I'm becoming way too content to go home and watch TV or think about writing something (but never actually writing something) after work. One would think that doing nothing but computer junk all day would make me long for human contact at night, but no. I feel exhausted and dead by 6 PM and want nothing more than my couch, Battlestar Galactica, and maybe an issue of X-Factor from 1986. That's what I've been doing, improv world, when you haven't been seeing me. Reading about Morlocks getting seriously jacked up by harpoons.
Harpoons make me think of swords, which make me think of violence, which makes me think of hitting, which makes me think of strikes. The strike is still going on, which infuriates me. I think we can kiss the 07-08 TV season goodbye (at least we'll all save money come Christmas 08 when all these shows come out on 2 disc DVD sets, right?). I've actually been good about watching Late Night and Late Show since their return earlier this month. I find it comforting to watch both of these shows before going to bed, a practice that would easily be lost if I was actually out, you know, doing stuff. The strike is reaching disaster levels and I have no clue if or where there'll be a place for lil' ol' me when the dust settles. This makes me think I should consider the publishing world, specifically Marvel Comics or Entertainment Weekly, for job opportunities.
Comics makes me think of, um, comics, which makes me think of how I want to start a comic blog after stumbling across several other ones. Methinks any job I can get writing in the comics world will come from writing about comics in the blogspot world.
Comics makes me think of, um, comics, which makes me think of how I want to start a comic blog after stumbling across several other ones. Methinks any job I can get writing in the comics world will come from writing about comics in the blogspot world.
World makes me think of the best show in the world, which makes me think of Lost. I'm having a Lost party in a couple weekends. There will be Dharma food and Lost Karaoke. Intrigued? Be there.
There makes me think of wear. I'm not wearing jeans for the whole month of January (No Jeans January), kicking off my New Year's resolution of mini-resolutions every month. Frugal February has been suggested, which I like the idea of. Any other suggestions for this month or any others?
Lastly, this entry is named after the new Futureheads song. You can see them performing it while walking walking around a shopping center below.
Lastly, this entry is named after the new Futureheads song. You can see them performing it while walking walking around a shopping center below.
1/3/08
X15: The X-Kids
X15 is a series of blog posts celebrating the 15 years of x-fandom I have experienced. From the 15th anniversary of first seeing the X-Men in Fox's animated series (late October 1992) to the 15th anniversary of my first comic book purchase (January 1993), I will explore every facet of Professor Charles Xavier's gifted youngsters.
Almost from the moment I first started watching the X-Men cartoon 15 years ago, I've been chronicling the adventures of the X-Kids. Truth be told, I ended up tying the 'me' character (Blation) into the adventures I used to have with my stuffed animals before falling asleep every night when I was a very little kid (and these adventures were way G-rated, get your mind out of the gutter!). So in a way, the X-Kids have been with me for as long as I can remember and, since I still map out their complicated history, intense present, and unpredictable future every night while trying to fall asleep, they'll probably be with me for the foreseeable future. Um, I'm now realizing that it's probably not healthy to slip into a fantasy world where you're a superhero on a daily basis.
You can click on the pictures to get a closer look at them, but some of them may take a while to open.
The X-Kids started out as a series of one-page stories I would write (cover on the front, story on the back of a loose piece of notebook paper) and read to fellow X-Men fans in third grade. They were of course interested because they were in the stories. The original X-Kids, then called the X-Boys, included Gambrett, Heast, Dabretooth, Professor D, Wolverian and Jeffclops. Yep, every name was a portmanteau of my friend's name and an X-Man. These stories were as ridiculous as you would expect and were, rather recently, deleted from X-Kids continuity. Seriously, I erase things from X-Kids faster than Joe Quesada (joke for the comic fans....all negative two of you)! Blation is no longer a cast member of Friends, his half-brother is not Luke Skywalker, and he never dated Jubilee.
It wasn't until the fall of 1993 that the X-Kids as they exist today were created. On a trip to Washington D.C. for a cousin's wedding, my cousin Tyler and I spent our time in the van drawing characters. I had, by that point, morphed Gambrett into Blation. Blation was created to be Jubilee's brother, so his name is similar to Jubilee's real name, Jubilation. That whole aspect was dropped and Blation was later made Jubilee's boyfriend...so that's downright creepy in retrospect. Tyler created Clayface, a shape-shifter made out of a clay like substance. Just like the Batman villain. At A McDonald's somewhere en route, my other cousin Matthew pointed out something called a copyright and we changed the name to Camileo (which sounds about as plausible as Blation). I don't know why Matthew was complaining, though, because he created Spider-Boy. By the time 4th grade was over, the X-Kids had grown to include my other cousins and many new friends I had made in school.
The X-Kids were hanging out with the X-Men, fighting super villains, and popping up in X-Men crossovers. And none of this was written down. It wasn't until the entire Marvel Universe was obliterated in 1995 for the Age of Apocalypse that I was inspired enough to actually produce a comic book.
The Awesome X-Kids #50 (and no, I never made #1-49) depicts the end of the world as shown in X-Men #41. I also used X-Men #41's kissing scenes to copy for the three kissing scenes I drew in this comic. Needless to say, this was hidden from my parents who would have surely found it odd that their son was drawing a comic full of 12-14 year olds making out on doomsday. Following #50 was X-Kids Alpha, where the team visits the Age of Apocalypse before Blation's super-duper telepathy (Blation was also a Jedi, did I mention that?) transported them back to the Earth they had just seen destroyed...but without the X-Men or any of the Marvel Universe's heroes.
The X-Kids became the X-Men and would do so for all the comics I could speedily crank out in the four months it took for the Age of Apocalypse storyline to be told. I was definitely a 90s comic fan, as the image above depicts a special cover (done in glittery crayon) and a cheap shock tactic concerning a mystery idenity (sic). I did 7 four page issues of X-Men and 3 of Uncanny X-Men before scrapping both and doing a reboot.
"Unlimited" was an adjective being tossed around a lot in the mid-90s. Really it makes about as much sense as calling the book X-Men Ongoing since if a series isn't limited, it's ongoing. Whatever. X-Men Unlimited (later renamed X-Kids Unlimited) would be my outlet for all the X-Kids' adventures for the next three years and 29 issues. The average length of an issue was 10 pages long, sometimes including pin-ups of characters and letters from me, the superstar creator.
I have to note that at the time I was actually keeping the identities of me and my cousins' characters secret. I would never write Camileo's real name as Tyler or Blation's real name as Brett, opting instead to leave a blank space. I, for some reason, thought this information was too valuable to fall into my parents' hands.
Up to this point, I hadn't written anything special, mostly plotless fights mixed with romance stories from a fifth grader who learned everything about drama from ER. Then I finished #3. It's a total rip-off of Uncanny X-Men #137, except this time it's the X-Kids fighting the Imperial Guard to save the X-Men from the alternate reality they are stuck in. It was longer than my normal issues and had some actual emotion in it (Blation dumps Jubilee). The X-Kids lose in the end, thereby banishing the X-Men from Earth. Marvel didn't listen to this and brought the X-Men back a couple issues later.
Yes, I even ripped off Spider-Man's Clone Saga. I didn't even read the Spider-Man comics, but my cousin Matthew did and I'm pretty sure he clued me in.
This was a redo, if I recall correctly. I originally started a 16 part crossover with #5 that would run through this book and a couple others that I was going to start doing and promptly decided against that when it took me forever to make the second part of the crossover. Also, #5 originally had Blation in his Jedi gear and using a Power Rangers morpher to turn into his Ranger, whose animal was a raccoon. Glad I trashed that.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #22, 1997
This change would be the most dramatic one I ever made in the history of the X-Kids. For the first time ever, not only would Blation not be a member of the team, neither would any of the characters I originally created for the X-Boys five years prior. The idea of an 8 person roster for the team sticks around to this day.
In the comic book world in the 90s, reaching the 25th issue was something to be celebrated (as was the 50th, 75th, 100th, the year anniversary, the five year anniversary, the tenth anniversary of some important whatever) and X-Kids Unlimited was no different. No cover was ever produced for it since I never got around to doing the multi-layered, foil covered, laminated and full-color masterpiece it was going to be. I did produce an issue that was 16 pages long and full of a battle between the combined might of Redfire, Colonel, Nightmare, and a whole mess of Cyber Droids. A big fight, yes, but I included some humorous cutaways to Sonic and Wolf fighting boredom in a hotel room that foreshadow the indulgent and irreverent humor that was about to take hold of this book.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #27, 1997
It took 27 issues but I think I finally nailed it with this one. The cover is one of the best of the series and even features a joke with Dust commenting on how the guest stars have taken over the issue. Then there's the inside...
A bargain bin of X-Men toys behind Forecast kicking Shadowmaster in the head, Tracer descending from the ceiling dramatically on a webline with a wrapped-up Abhor, and the dramatic reveal of Tracer as another Shadow Spider clone complete with a totally meta Brady Bunch reference. Just picking these three pages was hard because every one of them has weird details on them that make the whole issue special. I particularly enjoy Shadowmaster's pathetic departure.
Almost from the moment I first started watching the X-Men cartoon 15 years ago, I've been chronicling the adventures of the X-Kids. Truth be told, I ended up tying the 'me' character (Blation) into the adventures I used to have with my stuffed animals before falling asleep every night when I was a very little kid (and these adventures were way G-rated, get your mind out of the gutter!). So in a way, the X-Kids have been with me for as long as I can remember and, since I still map out their complicated history, intense present, and unpredictable future every night while trying to fall asleep, they'll probably be with me for the foreseeable future. Um, I'm now realizing that it's probably not healthy to slip into a fantasy world where you're a superhero on a daily basis.
...
Anyway, this is the first time most all of these images have been made public and these stories been told to anyone other than my cousins, who themselves played a rather large part in the team's early days. This is the story of the X-Kids.
Anyway, this is the first time most all of these images have been made public and these stories been told to anyone other than my cousins, who themselves played a rather large part in the team's early days. This is the story of the X-Kids.
You can click on the pictures to get a closer look at them, but some of them may take a while to open.
Cover for a never produced issue of The Awesome X-Kids, 1993
The X-Kids started out as a series of one-page stories I would write (cover on the front, story on the back of a loose piece of notebook paper) and read to fellow X-Men fans in third grade. They were of course interested because they were in the stories. The original X-Kids, then called the X-Boys, included Gambrett, Heast, Dabretooth, Professor D, Wolverian and Jeffclops. Yep, every name was a portmanteau of my friend's name and an X-Man. These stories were as ridiculous as you would expect and were, rather recently, deleted from X-Kids continuity. Seriously, I erase things from X-Kids faster than Joe Quesada (joke for the comic fans....all negative two of you)! Blation is no longer a cast member of Friends, his half-brother is not Luke Skywalker, and he never dated Jubilee.My mom and I in Washington D.C., September 1993
It wasn't until the fall of 1993 that the X-Kids as they exist today were created. On a trip to Washington D.C. for a cousin's wedding, my cousin Tyler and I spent our time in the van drawing characters. I had, by that point, morphed Gambrett into Blation. Blation was created to be Jubilee's brother, so his name is similar to Jubilee's real name, Jubilation. That whole aspect was dropped and Blation was later made Jubilee's boyfriend...so that's downright creepy in retrospect. Tyler created Clayface, a shape-shifter made out of a clay like substance. Just like the Batman villain. At A McDonald's somewhere en route, my other cousin Matthew pointed out something called a copyright and we changed the name to Camileo (which sounds about as plausible as Blation). I don't know why Matthew was complaining, though, because he created Spider-Boy. By the time 4th grade was over, the X-Kids had grown to include my other cousins and many new friends I had made in school.The Awesome X-Kids team picture (front), 1994
The Awesome X-Kids team picture (back), 1994
The X-Kids were hanging out with the X-Men, fighting super villains, and popping up in X-Men crossovers. And none of this was written down. It wasn't until the entire Marvel Universe was obliterated in 1995 for the Age of Apocalypse that I was inspired enough to actually produce a comic book.Cover for The Awesome X-Kids #50, 1994
The Awesome X-Kids #50 (and no, I never made #1-49) depicts the end of the world as shown in X-Men #41. I also used X-Men #41's kissing scenes to copy for the three kissing scenes I drew in this comic. Needless to say, this was hidden from my parents who would have surely found it odd that their son was drawing a comic full of 12-14 year olds making out on doomsday. Following #50 was X-Kids Alpha, where the team visits the Age of Apocalypse before Blation's super-duper telepathy (Blation was also a Jedi, did I mention that?) transported them back to the Earth they had just seen destroyed...but without the X-Men or any of the Marvel Universe's heroes.Cover for X-Men #1, 1995
The X-Kids became the X-Men and would do so for all the comics I could speedily crank out in the four months it took for the Age of Apocalypse storyline to be told. I was definitely a 90s comic fan, as the image above depicts a special cover (done in glittery crayon) and a cheap shock tactic concerning a mystery idenity (sic). I did 7 four page issues of X-Men and 3 of Uncanny X-Men before scrapping both and doing a reboot.Cover for X-Men Unlimited #1, 1995
"Unlimited" was an adjective being tossed around a lot in the mid-90s. Really it makes about as much sense as calling the book X-Men Ongoing since if a series isn't limited, it's ongoing. Whatever. X-Men Unlimited (later renamed X-Kids Unlimited) would be my outlet for all the X-Kids' adventures for the next three years and 29 issues. The average length of an issue was 10 pages long, sometimes including pin-ups of characters and letters from me, the superstar creator.I have to note that at the time I was actually keeping the identities of me and my cousins' characters secret. I would never write Camileo's real name as Tyler or Blation's real name as Brett, opting instead to leave a blank space. I, for some reason, thought this information was too valuable to fall into my parents' hands.
Cover for X-Men Unlimited #2, 1995
Cover for X-Men Unlimited #3, 1995
Interior page from X-Men Unlimited #3, 1995
Up to this point, I hadn't written anything special, mostly plotless fights mixed with romance stories from a fifth grader who learned everything about drama from ER. Then I finished #3. It's a total rip-off of Uncanny X-Men #137, except this time it's the X-Kids fighting the Imperial Guard to save the X-Men from the alternate reality they are stuck in. It was longer than my normal issues and had some actual emotion in it (Blation dumps Jubilee). The X-Kids lose in the end, thereby banishing the X-Men from Earth. Marvel didn't listen to this and brought the X-Men back a couple issues later.Cover for X-Men Unlimited #4, 1995
Yes, I even ripped off Spider-Man's Clone Saga. I didn't even read the Spider-Man comics, but my cousin Matthew did and I'm pretty sure he clued me in.Cover for X-Men Unlimited #5, 1995
This was a redo, if I recall correctly. I originally started a 16 part crossover with #5 that would run through this book and a couple others that I was going to start doing and promptly decided against that when it took me forever to make the second part of the crossover. Also, #5 originally had Blation in his Jedi gear and using a Power Rangers morpher to turn into his Ranger, whose animal was a raccoon. Glad I trashed that.Cover for X-Men Unlimited #6, 1995
The X-Men come back, the X-Kids move to two cabins on the Westchester property, and the title is renamed.
Starting with #8, the comic would stay in the 9 X 12 sketch pads they would be drawn in. Issues #1-7 were ripped out and stapled, which I realized made them harder to keep up with and more likely to be messed up. Also with #8, I started paying more attention to the interior art.
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #7, 1995
The X-Men come back, the X-Kids move to two cabins on the Westchester property, and the title is renamed.Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #8
Starting with #8, the comic would stay in the 9 X 12 sketch pads they would be drawn in. Issues #1-7 were ripped out and stapled, which I realized made them harder to keep up with and more likely to be messed up. Also with #8, I started paying more attention to the interior art.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #8, 1995
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited#9, 1995
X-Kids trading cards #1-9, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #12, 1996
After having the team fight Gene Nation, a bunch of bounty hunters from Star Wars, and a team led by Juggernaut, I did a multi-part story that didn't suck. It was called "Electrical Storm" and lasted for four issues. It wasn't that great, but it had a villain that I created who ACTUALLY HAD A PLAN and a helpless new mutant caught in the crossfire. Most notable about these issues is the interesting way I started laying out and framing pages.
Yep.
I participated in the massive Onslaught crossover that the X-Men books were doing in late 1996. And not only that, I participated in the lead-up hype to Onslaught since the actual crossover is months away.
This was the first issue of the series to feature no action and straightforward character development. It also had "story elves" on every page, holding up page number signs and commenting on the panels. This was pretty much a rip-off of something I had seen Chris Bachalo do in an issue of Generation X, I think.
This issue fits neatly between the scenes of Onslaught: X-Men and various other "Phase 1" issues of the crossover. And the art is the best I'd done up to this point. Note how I've started to use a ruler to draw panels.
I got to draw Spider-Man! Sure, Ben Reilly Clone Spider-man, but still, Spider-Man! Also, the image of the X-Kids squaring off against at least a dozen Sentinels down at the bottom of the second image below is one that has stuck with me since I drew it. I might even say that these two panels mark the start of the best stretch this book had in 29 issues. The art is something that I'm still proud of today and the stories are getting better.
At this point, there were 14 regular cast members in this book. By the end of this issue, only those depicted on this cover were left. Also, I drew backgrounds modeled after my home. I remember doing this issue on New Year's Eve, between 1996 and 1997.
X-Kids trading cards #1-9, 1996
I collected trading cards as well as comics, so it was only natural that the X-Kids got their own set. The first set, done the year before and currently M.I.A., was never completely finished since most of the backs were neglected and only a handful were colored. These are 18 cards from the second set I did, all of which are completely finished a colored with complete information on the backs. The set contains 100 cards. Click on the images for a closer look so you can figure out who all these characters are.
X-Kids trading cards #10-18, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #10, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #11, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #11, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #12, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #13, 1996
After having the team fight Gene Nation, a bunch of bounty hunters from Star Wars, and a team led by Juggernaut, I did a multi-part story that didn't suck. It was called "Electrical Storm" and lasted for four issues. It wasn't that great, but it had a villain that I created who ACTUALLY HAD A PLAN and a helpless new mutant caught in the crossfire. Most notable about these issues is the interesting way I started laying out and framing pages.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #13, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #14, 1996
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #14, 1996
A peculiar thing started happening as I drew these issues. I had begun taking my sketch pads to school to work on the issues during my downtime (I would purposely read ahead in our novels so I could spend reading time drawing or reading comics). Other kids, somewhat popular kids, the kids that would never talk to me, started to take notice and would watch me draw. I was by no means an outgoing student; I had moved the previous year and was nowhere near adjusted. The attention I got for drawing my own comics was interesting and, in a way, fulfilling. Their interest didn't last long, but while they were watching me feverishly churn out page after page, they were enthralled by the mythology I was committing to paper for my eyes only. Then they would ask me to draw them. I would always say no.
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #15, 1996
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited#15, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #17, 1996
Yep.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #17, 1996
I participated in the massive Onslaught crossover that the X-Men books were doing in late 1996. And not only that, I participated in the lead-up hype to Onslaught since the actual crossover is months away.Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #18, 1996
This was the first issue of the series to feature no action and straightforward character development. It also had "story elves" on every page, holding up page number signs and commenting on the panels. This was pretty much a rip-off of something I had seen Chris Bachalo do in an issue of Generation X, I think.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #18, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #19, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited#20, 1996
This issue fits neatly between the scenes of Onslaught: X-Men and various other "Phase 1" issues of the crossover. And the art is the best I'd done up to this point. Note how I've started to use a ruler to draw panels.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #20, 1996
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #20, 1996
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #21, 1996
I got to draw Spider-Man! Sure, Ben Reilly Clone Spider-man, but still, Spider-Man! Also, the image of the X-Kids squaring off against at least a dozen Sentinels down at the bottom of the second image below is one that has stuck with me since I drew it. I might even say that these two panels mark the start of the best stretch this book had in 29 issues. The art is something that I'm still proud of today and the stories are getting better.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #21,1996
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #21,1996
And then it happened.
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #22, 1997
At this point, there were 14 regular cast members in this book. By the end of this issue, only those depicted on this cover were left. Also, I drew backgrounds modeled after my home. I remember doing this issue on New Year's Eve, between 1996 and 1997.Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #22, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #22, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #22, 1997
This change would be the most dramatic one I ever made in the history of the X-Kids. For the first time ever, not only would Blation not be a member of the team, neither would any of the characters I originally created for the X-Boys five years prior. The idea of an 8 person roster for the team sticks around to this day.Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #23, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #23, 1997
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #24, 1997
In the comic book world in the 90s, reaching the 25th issue was something to be celebrated (as was the 50th, 75th, 100th, the year anniversary, the five year anniversary, the tenth anniversary of some important whatever) and X-Kids Unlimited was no different. No cover was ever produced for it since I never got around to doing the multi-layered, foil covered, laminated and full-color masterpiece it was going to be. I did produce an issue that was 16 pages long and full of a battle between the combined might of Redfire, Colonel, Nightmare, and a whole mess of Cyber Droids. A big fight, yes, but I included some humorous cutaways to Sonic and Wolf fighting boredom in a hotel room that foreshadow the indulgent and irreverent humor that was about to take hold of this book.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #25, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #25, 1997
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #26, 1997
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #27, 1997
I've written this issue three times. Since it features the team relocating to Tennessee and their first encounter with two new villains (Abhor and Shadowmaster), I always felt it made a good starting point for some of my more serious attempts at refashioning the X-Kids to be a real Marvel comic. The other two versions of this issue exist in script form, one written in 1998 and the other in 2005. This version is one of my favorite issues and continues the steadily improving trend of the series.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #27, 1997
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #28, 1997
It took 27 issues but I think I finally nailed it with this one. The cover is one of the best of the series and even features a joke with Dust commenting on how the guest stars have taken over the issue. Then there's the inside...Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #28, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #28, 1997
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #28, 1997
A bargain bin of X-Men toys behind Forecast kicking Shadowmaster in the head, Tracer descending from the ceiling dramatically on a webline with a wrapped-up Abhor, and the dramatic reveal of Tracer as another Shadow Spider clone complete with a totally meta Brady Bunch reference. Just picking these three pages was hard because every one of them has weird details on them that make the whole issue special. I particularly enjoy Shadowmaster's pathetic departure.
Cover for X-Kids Unlimited #29, 1997
And this is it. The last issue. I didn't know it when I was drawing it in 8th grade. I was having a great time creating and I didn't expect it to stop, especially with a last page depicting the team on their way to the hospital to greet Shadow Spider and Zap's newborn baby. There's only a slight sense of finality to the issue. It's a quiet one that follows Dust throughout the team's newly acquired abandoned-mall-headquarters as he visits with every team member individually. The last page features all of the team gathered in a room eating pizza, playing video games, listening to CDs and gossiping. In a way...it's kinda touching that they ended/survived the series as friends and kids still capable of relaxing.
I wrote the next 16 issues (just titled X-Kids) on my computer during 8th and 9th grade. The quality of my dialogue actually worsened when separated from drawings. Compact, my first African American character, replaced Deadeye.
Forecast, the first girl to ever join the team, was killed early on in X-Kids and replaced by Blitz, pictured below with Magik and Dust. The X-Kids were finally ethnically diverse!
When I saw Meredith Brooks performing on RuPaul's VH1 talk show (has a sentence ever been more 1998 than that one?), I decided that a hard rocking chick would be a nice addition to the team. I created Darclight, an intense and sexual 18 year-old former super-villain who murders her evil boss to join the team.
When Angel debuted on the WB in October of 1999, I decided to start focusing my creative efforts on Blation's own self-titled television series. While watching Angel's five year run, I would also plot out five seasons of Blation's television series. The series co-starred former mercenary ally of the X-Kids Gene Doggitt, recent superhero school graduate Poweress, and son-of-Nightmare Dare.
By season four of the series, the cast had grown to include Tentacle (a former classmate of Poweress), Pulsar (who can be seen at the bottom of the cover for X-Kids Unlimited #14), and Jennifer Kale (a supporting character from Marvel's Ghost Rider series).
Season 4 Blation cast in the special sitcom episode, 2003
In 2001 I stumbled across the picture from the top of this page and drew an homage to it, with the current look of every character.
Homage to "Awesome X-Kids team picture", 2001
In 2005, I sent the team to London in a move that drove a wedge through the team. Only half of them were left to fight in jolly old England.
Later that year, I started crafting a story about a battle so epic that it called together all the surviving members of the team. I drew a picture to depict this, but didn't finish Deadeye, Dust or Tracker. Still, I finished a lot of them.
There wasn't much of a team left after the battle...
...but Blitz's sister Lashon, Magik's English boyfriend Martin, and obscure Marvel hero Gravity soon filled out the ranks.
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Lashon, Blitz, Martin Canterbury, Magik, Dust, Wolf, Gravity, 2005
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Wolf, Martin Canterbury, Blitz, Lashon, Redfire, Dust, Magik, 2006
And just after they all got together, the Marvel Civil War happened.
Starting in the top left and going clockwise: Poweress infiltrated Iron Man's team, Sonic was dragged back into action against his will, a mentally unstable Camileo was wanted by both sides, Magik's teleportation power was taken away by Iron Man, Darclight and Deadeye became S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Redfire defected to Iron Man's team, Dust and Wolf hooked up, and Blation rejoined the X-Kids to properly extract his wife from enemy territory.
And that brings us to the present.
Unregistered with the government and on the run from another team of X-Kids, things aren't looking so good for the team. But at least they look good, am I right?
So there you have it. That's just a tiny portion of all the X-Kids material I have created in the past 15 years, but I'm so glad I have it. I never kept a journal as a kid but, in some ways, these drawings are the next best thing. I love that I can see just how much I've grown as an artist. The clothes that the kids wear definitely shows what kind of person I was at the time. Circa X-Kids Unlimited #25, the kids were wearing Tommy X-Figer clothes and watching Seinfeld. Now Dust is wearing Strokes t-shirts and the kids are wearing Urban Outfitters clothes. I'm so proud of the amount of detail I've put into this story and I'm pretty excited to have finally made it semi-public. This is the end of this blog, but nowhere near the end of the X-Kids.
Interior page from X-Kids Unlimited #29, 1997
I wrote the next 16 issues (just titled X-Kids) on my computer during 8th and 9th grade. The quality of my dialogue actually worsened when separated from drawings. Compact, my first African American character, replaced Deadeye.Roster of X-Kids with Compact (flying), 1997
Forecast, the first girl to ever join the team, was killed early on in X-Kids and replaced by Blitz, pictured below with Magik and Dust. The X-Kids were finally ethnically diverse!
X-Kids "Got Milk" ad, 1997
When I saw Meredith Brooks performing on RuPaul's VH1 talk show (has a sentence ever been more 1998 than that one?), I decided that a hard rocking chick would be a nice addition to the team. I created Darclight, an intense and sexual 18 year-old former super-villain who murders her evil boss to join the team.
Darclight sketch, 1999
When Angel debuted on the WB in October of 1999, I decided to start focusing my creative efforts on Blation's own self-titled television series. While watching Angel's five year run, I would also plot out five seasons of Blation's television series. The series co-starred former mercenary ally of the X-Kids Gene Doggitt, recent superhero school graduate Poweress, and son-of-Nightmare Dare.
Cast of Blation, season 1. Left to right: Gene Doggitt, Dare, Blation, Poweress, 2000
By season four of the series, the cast had grown to include Tentacle (a former classmate of Poweress), Pulsar (who can be seen at the bottom of the cover for X-Kids Unlimited #14), and Jennifer Kale (a supporting character from Marvel's Ghost Rider series).Cast of Blation, season 4. Left to right: Tentacle, Pulsar, Poweress, Blation, Dare, Jennifer Kale, 2003
Season 4 Blation cast in the special sitcom episode, 2003
In 2001 I stumbled across the picture from the top of this page and drew an homage to it, with the current look of every character.The Awesome X-Kids team picture, 1994
Homage to "Awesome X-Kids team picture", 2001
In 2005, I sent the team to London in a move that drove a wedge through the team. Only half of them were left to fight in jolly old England.
X-Kids London team picture. Left to right: Wolf, Compact, Magik, Dust, Holo, 2005
Later that year, I started crafting a story about a battle so epic that it called together all the surviving members of the team. I drew a picture to depict this, but didn't finish Deadeye, Dust or Tracker. Still, I finished a lot of them.
X-Kids team picture, 2005
There wasn't much of a team left after the battle...
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Magik, Dust, Blitz, Wolf, Redfire, 2005
...but Blitz's sister Lashon, Magik's English boyfriend Martin, and obscure Marvel hero Gravity soon filled out the ranks.
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Lashon, Blitz, Martin Canterbury, Magik, Dust, Wolf, Gravity, 2005
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Wolf, Martin Canterbury, Blitz, Lashon, Redfire, Dust, Magik, 2006
And just after they all got together, the Marvel Civil War happened.
X-Kids Civil War picture, 2006
Starting in the top left and going clockwise: Poweress infiltrated Iron Man's team, Sonic was dragged back into action against his will, a mentally unstable Camileo was wanted by both sides, Magik's teleportation power was taken away by Iron Man, Darclight and Deadeye became S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Redfire defected to Iron Man's team, Dust and Wolf hooked up, and Blation rejoined the X-Kids to properly extract his wife from enemy territory.
And that brings us to the present.
X-Kids team picture. Left to right: Dust, Wolf, Magik, Blitz, Compact, 2007
Unregistered with the government and on the run from another team of X-Kids, things aren't looking so good for the team. But at least they look good, am I right?So there you have it. That's just a tiny portion of all the X-Kids material I have created in the past 15 years, but I'm so glad I have it. I never kept a journal as a kid but, in some ways, these drawings are the next best thing. I love that I can see just how much I've grown as an artist. The clothes that the kids wear definitely shows what kind of person I was at the time. Circa X-Kids Unlimited #25, the kids were wearing Tommy X-Figer clothes and watching Seinfeld. Now Dust is wearing Strokes t-shirts and the kids are wearing Urban Outfitters clothes. I'm so proud of the amount of detail I've put into this story and I'm pretty excited to have finally made it semi-public. This is the end of this blog, but nowhere near the end of the X-Kids.
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