[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultra Seven

I’m really partial to that era, I think it was when Claremont’s storytelling powers were at their peak. And that’s really saying something. Every issue just did so much to immerse me in the world and the characters… his X-Men overall is a contender for my favorite comic run of all time. I know, basic pick, but… damn. Reread a rando issue (194#) last week for the first time time since high school and was blown away by how well it holds up.

Claremont certainly was the engine that made X-men go, for me, however, the three artists I mentioned captured the look and feel of the 80's-into-90's in such manner that transformed the medium into a uniquely powerful storytelling device. Marvel's mutants faithfully embodied the times in their civilian dress and there were even contemporaneous highlights woven into their super hero looks that made the X-men stand out against a tapestry of more anachronistic heroes like the Avengers. Essentially, the heroes looked like musicians/celebs of the period being both influenced by the zeitgeist and simultaneously affecting it in their own right. I know that was why it spoke to me so clearly; they were in concert with other elements of pop culture I was consuming. I remember reading an article at the time about how artists like JRJR and Larry Stroman were introducing high-end contemporary fashion and urban cultural stylings into their illustrations and how those images were in turn finding their way to runways from NYC to Paris. I'd add Byrne as well, but his X-men run was just prior to my becoming a reader. However, his Alpha Flight run was right there at the height of my consumption.