X-Men 97 got me on a big Nightcrawler kick. I've always liked him, but this show put his Catholicism out there with him praying the Rosary and making the Sign of the Cross.
Chris Claremont always used that prominently during his run writing X-Men from 1975 through 1991. I mostly read the comic from about 1982 through 1990, so I was pretty familiar with that aspect of his personality. His faith was also quite prominent in the second X-Men film where Alan Cumming played him. He says in that film that the marks on his skin in the pic below (click for a larger image) were carved by him and are "angelic symbols," and that he has "one for every sin."
I miss the days a store stocked like this wasn't something special...
And FWIW, Target stores proper never stocked Rogue or Storm - they were Online Only. Yes, a bunch ended up showing up in stores, but that wasn't the plan (my store got both).
I'm still really curious where Target's stock of Wave 2 is. A handful of sightings and then... nothing.
I'm still really curious where Target's stock of Wave 2 is. A handful of sightings and then... nothing.
I didn't realize there were some sightings of wave 2 at Target. They never listed that wave on their web site and I never saw them locally so I wasn't sure they even stocked that wave at all.
But then again not listing things or not distributing them to some regions are two random screw-ups I've seen Target make over the past few years on several other waves so I never assume anything anymore on how or if they screw something up.
They did have webpages for Wave 2, which I found by scanning the UPCs with the Target app. But they were never really visible, except for the tiny sliver of time I was able to order one of each Jean and Maddie. Then they deactivated/hid the pages.
They did have webpages for Wave 2, which I found by scanning the UPCs with the Target app. But they were never really visible, except for the tiny sliver of time I was able to order one of each Jean and Maddie. Then they deactivated/hid the pages.
That must have been a pretty short window, and they must have removed the listings entirely instead of just hiding them. Usually Google finds Target item pages that aren't returned from Target's web site search engine, but they have to be up for at least a few days for Google to find them. My technique for finding hidden Target items is to go to Google and type in a search like this:
marvel legends goblin queen site:target.com
That search limits your Google results to just results from target.com. I did searches like this both today and a few months ago and never found any of the figures on their site. Here's an example of that technique working--this Google search does find the hidden item page for the Jada Toys Street Fighter Dhalsim action figure:
jada toys dhalsim site:target.com
I've never been able to find the Jada Toys Street Fighter figures via Target's search engine, but they have listings for every Jada Toys Street Fighter figure made that you can find via Google.
Yeah, not to derail the thread too much, but I was just glad to see a little bit of the talk of LGBT characters. I agree that Disney's efforts have been minimal at best, and it's a double edged sword. On one hand, it's frustrating that they're so mimimal and easily deletable- I know there's always the argument of "It's not my entire personality, just a small part of who I am", but to have that explored in a main character in a big movie by arguably THE biggest entertainment company? Say what you will about Strange World (I certainly will)- the movie wasn't great, but I think it was a really good example of how to write a gay character- make it well known who and what they are, but give them a storyline other than the shame/trauma. On the other hand, I'm endlessly glad we have the rep, however brief it may be. Even this bare-bones approach would've done me wonders as a kid. Having the characters be such a small part of the movie/show just highlights the absurdity of the other side of the argument even more- most are blink-and-you-miss-it moments, but they're hyped up (by both sides, admittedly) to be way more than they are. And you notice it's never the kids who are complaining, it's the adults who think they know what's best for a kid or feign shock on their behalf. We can argue all day as to whether or not this or that thing is "natural" or you're "born" as whatever- what it really comes down to is that nobody is born knowing how to hate. That's totally a taught concept.
Especially when it comes to X-Men, which, despite what some bigots may be spewing recently, has always been about the fight for equality- both people of color and the LGBT community. There was all that backlash about Morph being non-binary, only for it to never be brought up in the series (though implied, granted), not to mention a lot of those early naysayers were completely silent once the show came out and they saw how good it was. But it's also a smart decision that really works when you think about it- a shapeshifter who can be anyone or anything they want may not entirely prescribe to such rigid binaries. I'm just glad that it's not necessarily played for laughs anymore; there totally would've been a time when Morph shifting into a woman was played for laughs, but it was always handled seriously in the show, which I loved. He was still the comic relief without being the butt of the joke. I absolutely want a Morph figure in the next wave; I'll probably try and pick up his retro VHS figure as a placeholder in the meantime, but we definitely need a 97 Morph too (though, if we wanna get technical, almost any figure on the shelf could be Morph)
Anywho. To keep things somewhat on topic, I finally got my wave 2 case from EE yesterday. Opened them all up late last night while watching the Assembled for X-Men 97 and during the listening party for the new Twenty One Pilots album, so it was a good night for me. I definitely noticed the lack of anything Beau DeMayo related in Assembled, which was disappointing, but I enjoyed it otherwise. As for the figures, I found myself messing with them for ages- there's something about them that just looks and feels so good. Cyclops finally having a blast effect is wonderful, and I love that it doesn't weigh him down or droop at all. X-Cutioner, for what little screen time he had, is a crazy fun figure; same with Goblin Queen. I still wanna maybe track down a second Jean to be able to put the Madelyn head on her, but I'm cool with a separate GQ if that never happens; I love that they finally included a hand that looks like she's using her powers. Nightcrawler is a really nice figure too- he could maybe have a tiny bit more articulation, and a happier head would be nice, but I like what we got. A swappable tail with a sword in it would be a dream, but who knows how that would hold up? I'm sure the customizers are working on it as we speak. Magneto is really nice too, but perhaps the most plain of the set. Still wanna pick up his wave 1 figure; I really like that the heads for this one are compatible with that.
Wolvie should arrive tomorrow from BBTS, and then I just need to get Magneto, Gambit (who I have pre-ordered at a couple places, so hopefully those restocks don't get cancelled), and Rogue. Gonna be a bit on the last 2, I know, but I'm hoping Hasbro comes through (sooner rather than later).
Wolvie ended up getting delivered late yesterday. Really like him! I like how they implemented the claws this time around- the comic figure with the removable claws was really nice too, but always felt a little flimsy to me. But having the fixed claws and then swappable, no-claw hands feels like the way to go. Think this may be the first Wolverine figure I leave unmasked, at least for the time being. It feels like he spent most of the season out of the mask, but I could be wrong.
Amazon finally restocked the Titan Series Sentinels at regular price, so I snagged 2. They just arrived, and look really nice, especially for the price. I know they're not entirely in-scale with the Legends, but that's okay with me. Don't have room for the super big ones, as cool as those would be.
X-Men97 is great.... but I've enjoyed the vast majority of the Disney+ Marvel and Star Wars content so I can't join or appreciate all the shit talking about that stuff.
This is how I feel. I have enjoyed the worst MCU films or Disney+ shows then some entire franchises movies. Maybe it's because I have loved comics for more than 50 years and never dreamed I would see the characters come to life like this. Same goes with DC Movies. Can I say I can't wait to watch all of them over and over again? no but I would watch the worst Marvel/DC movie (or show) over any of the say Fast and Furious or Transformers movies, which is just my personal taste.
X-Men 97 got me on a big Nightcrawler kick. I've always liked him, but this show put his Catholicism out there with him praying the Rosary and making the Sign of the Cross. He and Daredevil are the only two Catholic superheroes I know of, and DD's religion may or may not be swept under the rug at any given time depending on the writer. Me being Catholic, I loved it. Had his figure came with three swords I would have sprung for it.
Notables are Banshee, Siryn, Sunspot, Gambit (lapsed), Aurora from Alpha Flight, Captain America (son of Irish immigrants in the early 1900s, but that's implied what he most likely would be), Dagger from Cloak & Dagger.
Iceman is debatable, as his mother is Jewish and his Dad is Catholic. Various resources describe him as "Jewish Catholic" meaning he was likely raised Catholic but has Jewish heritage. I remember seeing him referred to as one of the protestant branches in the 90s, I thought it might've been Episcopalian, but it might've been another one. Ever since Bendis changed him I don't know what applies in his case. He's also a CPA, I don't know if that's in play anymore either, because I never see him mention the joys of tax season.
Oh, and Hal Jordan.
Nightcrawler and Matt Murdock are the most overt about it of course.
X-Men 97 got me on a big Nightcrawler kick. I've always liked him, but this show put his Catholicism out there with him praying the Rosary and making the Sign of the Cross. He and Daredevil are the only two Catholic superheroes I know of, and DD's religion may or may not be swept under the rug at any given time depending on the writer. Me being Catholic, I loved it. Had his figure came with three swords I would have sprung for it.
Notables are Banshee, Siryn, Sunspot, Gambit (lapsed), Aurora from Alpha Flight, Captain America (son of Irish immigrants in the early 1900s, but that's implied what he most likely would be), Dagger from Cloak & Dagger.
Iceman is debatable, as his mother is Jewish and his Dad is Catholic. Various resources describe him as "Jewish Catholic" meaning he was likely raised Catholic but has Jewish heritage. I remember seeing him referred to as one of the protestant branches in the 90s, I thought it might've been Episcopalian, but it might've been another one. Ever since Bendis changed him I don't know what applies in his case. He's also a CPA, I don't know if that's in play anymore either, because I never see him mention the joys of tax season.
Oh, and Hal Jordan.
Nightcrawler and Matt Murdock are the most overt about it of course.
That's all well and good but I have a lot of comics and I've never seen any of the above characters do something on page or screen that would indicate they are Catholic besides Nightcrawler and DD. Even in Claremont's X-Men run....I recall many times Nightcrawler referring to God, it's established that he believes, but I don't know if I recall him doing anything specifically Catholic. I could be wrong there, and if so let me know. I googled Catholic super heroes once and got a few different names but I rarely/never see it in practice, nothing that indicates they are Catholic anywhere but on paper. So seeing practices specific to Catholicism written into the story (praying the Rosary, Sign of the Cross, going to confession) gets a thumbs up from me.
Nightcrawler became a full-on priest at one point (comic book shenanigans notwithstanding). It's always been front and center, just as it has with Daredevil.
@yojoebro82 Absolutely get where you're coming from. I think we can infer that certain characters might be Catholic, or it may be outright stated here or there in passing. But really, comics don't bother much with delving into religion unless it has some utility to the story, for whatever reason. With DD, his religion is central to how he views his place in the world and is a direct contrast to him being a 'Devil.' It's also a really good way to make sure the character isn't seen as 'Satanic' while being called Daredevil. Certainly a real fear in the '60s.
You get a similar really intentional dichotomy in Nightcrawler. The fact that he's deeply religious while looking like a literal demon is central to his character and how he's presented. So it's important with both characters that the religious values and beliefs are front and center for the reader.
(Obviously, these aren't revelations about these characters - just setting the stage to say...:)
I can't think of many other (Marvel) characters where this is, or would be, nearly as impactful or important (without fundamentally changing the character as we currently know them).
Like say with Captain America. We can infer certain things about his beliefs. Certainly, he believes in God. Based on the obvious factors, we can assume we know which God that is and which group of religions he probably belongs to even if we can't pinpoint a single one. I don't know if his religion has ever been directly called out. He's a blonde white dude born in 1910s New York. His parents were Irish immigrants, but they were post-WWI immigrants. So -probably- Catholic, but definitely could have been Protestant.
Does it matter? No. I think, in fact, it would muddy the character to imply too strongly that any of his values are religiously motivated.
Anyway.. no real point here except to say that representation is important, so I'm glad there are at least a few characters you get that connection with.
Yeah, religion just doesn't come up a whole lot in superhero comics. Kitty Pryde and Ben Grimm are prominent Jewish characters, but their faith doesn't come into play that often. I think Daredevil's religion is used as a plot point more than any other hero (by far, honestly), so you have that going for you. Matt's a priest in the current run.
Islam is the world's second-largest religion, but before Kamala Khan, it had hardly any representation at all. I believe Monet and Dust were the only notable Muslim characters.
Atheists/agnostics have Hank Pym, Tony Stark, Beta Ray Bill, Colossus, and Mr. Fantastic, but I didn't know about the first four until I looked it up.
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