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If you could write Kurt

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:53 pm
by NachtcGleiskette
I thought this might be really interesting to see :)

If Joey Q were knocking on your door, asking you to please, come to Marvel and write a core Xbook starring Kurt +, what would you write? Who would his teammates be? What would his role on the team be? Who would be his love interest?

Also, no ignoring continuity. What parts of his continuity would you like to spotlight? Which would you wanna change, and how??

Since things in the book with him are heating up just a tad, although still "meh" with him in the med bay in "uncertain condition", I thought it'd be interesting to open it up to his truest fans. What would you do?

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 7:55 pm
by Ult_Sm86
I think if I were to do Ultimate I'd pull him out of the Morlocks domain but in a tasteful way. Like the morlocks go too far with something, (an attack on some accidental intruding humans) and he realizes he can't get through to them and watches them do horrifying unspeakable deeds. He flees back to the mansion after being ousted by another Morlock for leadership and takes a couple of the ones who understand him with back to the mansion with him. Then just give him a sword and have at it!

In regular continuity...I'd have him do a team-up with Logan. It's been a long time. :poke

[Edited on 2/1/08 by Ult_Sm86]

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:01 am
by Feuerstein
I would take Kurt off on his own. Maybe even to another world. He would find his inner swashbuckler again, and work to prove himself to the skeptical inhabitants of the new world. In the process, Kurt would prove to himself that he's still as capable a leader as he was in Excalibur, and rediscover that unique spark that makes Kurt who he is. In the beginning, he wouldn't be a leader. As I said, he'd have to prove himself. He'd meet obstacles in the form of people whose respect he desires, but seems unable to attain. And then he'd succeed and gain loyal friends.

Eventually I would probably add Kitty and Wolverine into the mix, and maybe some others (Rachel, Storm, Northstar). If I were daring, I'd tackle the aftermath of the Draco... but I dunno if I want to be the initiator of another controversial storyline. ;) I'd rather focus on Kurt, his personality, his relationships, and show exactly how he makes a difference in people's lives.

I'd let him cut loose too. Put him in situations where he's got to kill, albeit reluctantly. Show his intelligence through strategy. Prove his mettle with risks. And make teleportation a totally butt-kicking awesome skill. And there would be swords! His sense of humor would spice up the dialogue and show my favorite aspect of Kurt's personality: his optimism in spite of danger.

If I could play with the Soulsword too, that'd be awesome... If I could I'd snag Pixie also and write something cute with them that tickles my fangirl brain. But at the very least I'd play with my theory of Kurt's somewhat dormant "sixth sense." He's seen and communicated with enough dead spirits now that I think I could do it. That would be so much fun. And I'd just generally like to show Kurt in more normal situations, show how he's a great friend and stuff.

The hardest problem would be romance... *sigh*

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:07 am
by Ult_Sm86
I think a duo with Logan would be cool cuz Kurt will be there to ground and hold back Logan but he'll re-learn how to let his wild side out in a fight with just Logan on his side again. I would put them in a death situation, as you said, and make him have to kill, but take great displeasure in it. I also would have him relate to old friends again. Kitty, Colossus, others. I'd bring Abyss back even and have them sit down and say "hey so now that we have some time to talk, you're totally my brother did you know that?" As for romance, I agree, there's not a lot out there for the Elf-ster because bringing back someone new is letting another writer later kill said girl off. For giggles. They do it a lot its annoying.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:38 pm
by Angelique
I would work with Roberto and Darick on kicking off the solo series again. While Christine kind of annoyed me at times, she's no worse match for Kurt than anyone else. I thought Kurt's religion was handled very well, keeping it subtle, and pointing out that it's a source of strength and comfort for him. That nearly canceled out, in my mind, the way some previous authors used his faith as nothing more than a source of angst, hand-wringing, whining, browbeating, ax grinding, agonizing, and more angst, angst, angst.

Same with Kurt's taste in movies and sports and his friendships. The only thing I would do differently is probably the romance. I really don't think anyone Kurt's been paired off with has had enough in common with him. At least Christine had the sense to figure the same was probably the case with her.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:16 pm
by neling4
I have written Kurt...in my fan-fic. If only Mr. Quesada would pay me for it.

I always like a Kurt/Logan buddy story...the two best friends, working as a team. Or, perhaps Rachel could return from Shiar space and take Kurt off for some outer space swashbuckling. They could take up where they left off after that first kiss.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:47 am
by love_of_bob
I can't quite decide. I always have trouble with "pitching" concepts, because in the end, it's not the concept that makes a book work, but the writing.

One thing I most definitely would do, though, is take Kurt away from the X-men. I just don't think he's ever going to reach his full potential while there.

I'd put him in a really challenging situation - maybe as a reluctant leader to a gang of people whose respect he would have to work really hard to earn. There would be a lot at stake and he would be completely alone, at first, with no one to lean on or to help him. He'd have to toughen up.
The setting/mood would be dark, with Kurt's heart and laid-back cheer brightening it.
Eventually, when Kurt was fairly settled in his leadership position and had gained enough confidence, I'd bring in supporting characters like Logan, Rachel, Mystique, Amanda and Margali. And whoever else the story called for.

Logan would, of course, be the best friend/advisor. Not much more explanation needed. Their relationship would be the most stable one in the entire book.

Rachel would be both a friend and romantic interest. She'd have withdrawn from people, mostly, and would now be traveling here and there in the world while trying to come to terms with who she really is, as she realizes she has been too hung up on her mother and revenge for too long. Kurt would serve as her anchor and advisor and she would occasionally help him out with whatever mission or task needed helping with at the moment. The romance would be a slow boil.
(This is not Claremont's mini-Jean, but more like the tomboyish Excalibur version. Lots of identity issues, but handling them with a healthy dose of self-irony and a dark, dark sense of humor.)

Amanda would have moved on and started dating others, finally having a life of her own (Kurt feels a little bit strange about her dating people that aren't him, but he's a good boy about it). She would no longer be on speaking terms with

Margali, who would be in a really low spot, power-wise, and try to use Kurt to communicate with her daughter so she could get Amanda's help. Some family drama would ensue, giving some insight into Kurt's and Amanda's childhood, about exactly why they started dating and some further fleshing out of Stefan.

Mystique would be, as always, a wildcard. Their relationship would be something along the lines of the AoA relationship, but with a less ferocious Kurt and a more fickle Mystique - that power balance and the love/hate vibe. I don't know yet what her agenda would be, though. But then, maybe no one would until later.

There was something else I wanted to add, but I forgot. Oh well.

[Edited on 7/1/08 by love_of_bob]

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:49 am
by german_gremlin
I would make Kurt get more experince alone too. He seems to gain more that way..or with Logan

:content

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:23 am
by Bobj1
If I could I'd just make him what he was like in his first comics. He still is a swashbuckler and nothing changed. He would go on a mission with Logan and Storm.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 4:12 am
by Love das flockige
I too miss that swashbuckling, sword carting Kurt, who would team up with Logan and be this super cool duo. That's something I would definately bring back!

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:46 pm
by shail66
Definitely, I think I'd have him reflect more about all the choices he's made in his life, and have a few pages with him enjoying some down time with Logan ( of course) and or someone who he barely talks to.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:02 pm
by El_Nastro
I first got into X-Men back in the 80's with Classic X-Men, which was a reprint of Uncanny X-Men starting with Giant-Size #1, so I've always liked how the character was written originally. Nightcrawler was always my favorite. He had the coolest look, neat powers, and a fun personality.

I quit paying attention to comic books for years, and when I started to pay attention to them again, I found that Nightcrawler was no longer about swashbuckling and derring-do, but he was all about religiosity.

"When did THIS happen?", I thought. What a LAME thing to do to a great character...turn him into a pious Christian? It was oh-so-obvious why they did it too. The reasoning no-doubt went something like, "Nightcrawler looks like some sort of devil-monster, so wouldn't it just be CRAZY if we made HIM all religious?!"

Anyway, I HATE the "religious Nightcrawler", so if I was calling the shots, step one would be to completely disregard that angle, if not retcon it out of existence.

I'd write him like he was...an upbeat, fun-loving, swashbuckling daredevil.

It'd be fun to really show the reader how bad-ass the character could be. Teleportation aside, I'd play up his inhuman agility and athleticism and his other oft-ignored attributes to their full-extent: the night-vision, wall-clinging, stealthiness, and his fencing chops. While not super-strong, Nightcrawler's athleticism demands he'd be a lot stronger than a normal person, and it'd be fun to call attention to that, too. (It doesn't make any sense at all for him to be skinny) Nightcrawler could be written every bit (if not more so) as badass as the ever-overrated Wolverine, and should be.

The story possibilities with Nightcrawler are endless too. When you're talking about a character with that teleportation power, you could easily find a way to put him anywhere or even anyWHEN.






[Edited on 8/9/08 by El_Nastro]skinnyskinny

[Edited on 8/9/08 by El_Nastro]

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:05 pm
by Angelique
Originally posted by El_Nastro

Anyway, I HATE the "religious Nightcrawler", so if I was calling the shots, step one would be to completely disregard that angle, if not retcon it out of existence.

I'd write him like he was...an upbeat, fun-loving, swashbuckling daredevil.
I don't see why he couldn't be written as upbeat, fun-loving, swashbuckling, and at least a semi-decent Catholic at the same time.

I, for one, would hate to see the religion retconned out of his existence. For one, I don't think it could be done well. The only way to get him out of the Catholic Church would be for him to leave the Church (and if he converts to Skrull-ianity, I am so totally dropping the X-titles!). For another, I like having a not-perfectly Catholic superhero to whom I, a not-perfectly Catholic ordinary fan, can relate in these books. Finally, when his religion is handled with respect and/or subtlety and knowledge of the subject, I find it is a beautiful aspect of his character, rather than something ironic that Claremont just foisted on him.

The problem is that too many writers who don't know or can't be bothered to learn any more about what they write beyond what they read in the news headlines have written glaring errors (making Kurt a fully-ordained priest in only 6 months, then retconning him to seminarian status, then retconning the retcon), misrepresented the Church as a bunch of flat-earth Biblical literalists who'd even have a problem with proof of evolution, used Kurt's religion as a way to work their own biases into the books, and often made Kurt look really dumb in the process. (Of course, as St. Kurt would say, the "Catholic Church" as represented in comics doesn't seem to represent in any way the real Catholic Church, so there we have that.)

Anyway, I feel the dichotomy between Kurt the fun-loving swashbuckler and Kurt the Catholic is a false one.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:11 am
by Elfdame
I gotta amen what Angelique said (better than I ever could). One of my problems in most fiction is the dire lack of any spirituality. To me, that makes it difficult to visualize characters as real, dimensional folk. Even in Storm's case, she is connected to earth and earth gods/goddesses, but not in any heartfelt way, more as an earth mother kneejerk reaction.

I like to write Kurt as an ultra-Catholic, because it gives him depth. He still likes the ladies (but exercises self-control), still has the mischievous sense of humor, still kicks total ASS when fighting, drinks beer with Logan and my OC, etc.

That said, I am *so* glad, Mr. Nastro, that you brought up how underrated the blue guy is in the comics. Does it not bother you that (at least in the 70's and 80's) he's forever getting knocked unconscious? Like, "Okay, we'll let him bounce around a bit and then have him hauled off like a sack o' fertilizer so the Real X-men can show off their amazing skillz." Blech! Spidey's my favorite bar none, and 'Crawler has many of his attributes but with much more panache.

I hope you will post some fanfic here so we can all benefit from seeing Nighty in some good fight scenes.

To quote Princess Bride's Vizzini: "I'm waaaaaaaiting. "

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:35 am
by fourpawsonthefloor
I can understand where you are coming from though El Nastro. For him the religion got to be *all* that he was and what you want is a well rounded sort of thing. And it was semi-weepy stuff. No offense to those who liked it - I didn't mind it - but I found it a lot less of an 'escapism' sort of thing and more of a 'umm. ok then.'

What I found a perfect mix is in his last solo. He goes to confession in that once scene. Great! The rest of it centered on other things. His faith is still there - but it doesn't overwhelm it.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:15 pm
by Elfdame
Oh, I agree, Paws, even monks and nuns do stuff besides pray. "Ora et labora" is the Benedictine motto: pray and work. Nuns have hobbies (well, maybe not the Missionaries of Charity; they are pretty hard-core, but they do have gardens and stuff), and I know monks who drink beer while watching football. (My kinda monks, woot-woot!) The CD's currently in my car are: folk music, Led Zep 4, various Gospel, and Gregorian chant. So it's all about balance. Even Jesus Christ Himself partied down (in the purest way possible, of course); that's one thing the Pharisees griped about "You eat and drink with sinners." The "religious" side, IMO, supplies the underpinnings for his motivations and gives him perspective on what he does. Also (again IMO), it gives depth to his "why am I this way?" struggle, if he believes a Person made him that way on purpose and out of love, when the consequences of his uniqueness are so difficult.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:55 am
by The Drastic Spastic
My only real life Christian friend right now is also the biggest slut I know. (I say that with all the love in the world.) Now THAT is what I call "balance".

She's also super fun and cool. I wanna see more of that in the comics. I know it's possible!

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:55 am
by Angelique
Balancing the virtue with vice is not what I'd consider the best example of being religious without being one-dimensional, though it is one.

I think I would have preferred to list a nun I know who is a huge Greenbay Packers fan and can quote football stats with the best of them, a priest who's as big a Star Wars fan as I am, and, oh yes, the character I wrote who was an elite gymnast prior to becoming a priest was based on a real person, too.

I think I'd prefer to see more of religious characters behaving like real people rather than like cliches, but without violating their beliefs in the process. That can be done, too.

[Edited on 11/9/2008 by Angelique]

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 1:58 pm
by Elfdame
Again an amen from The Peanut Gallery for Angelique.

I was trying to say what she said: people whose love relationship with God permeates their whole lives, but not to the exclusion of being "in" the world while not "of" it. (I'd love to meet your Packers nun; my type o' gal.) For example, I've known several priests and (usually male) religious ("religious" is Catholic talk for professed folk like monks, sisters, nuns, etc) who were volunteer firefighters. Others were gardeners. Stuff like that. Enjoying the corporeal world God gave us, but not pushing the line to dishonor how He revealed for us to use it.

If you could write Kurt

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:28 pm
by Angelique
Originally posted by Elfdame(I'd love to meet your Packers nun; my type o' gal.)
I would have liked to have watched more games with her, but she's recently moved back to her old convent in... you guessed it... Wisconsin.

But we digress. So far, I am happy to see that Kurt is not being written as a Skrull sympathizer, though I don't know how much longer that will last.