Chapter 32
Lifeguard is a mutant whose powers manifest when she needs to save someone. She can’t control them or use them on herself, but she can becomes a Deus ex Machina at the drop of a hat. For those that might not have read Chris Claremont’s second generation of writing for the X Books, Lifeguard was the product of Shiar and Human cross breeding. Later Claremont issues seemed to hint at the fact that Deathbird was the mother to both Lifeguard and Slipstream. However, that like many other Claremont plots were abandoned and forsaken. But, where to begin with this character? Do you tackle the lackluster codename or the poorly defined powers? Do you mention her connection to other Claremont failure Thunderbird III (Neal Sharaa)?
Claremont’s time on “X-Treme X-Men” was met with derision by fans. What could’ve been a promising run was hampered by editorial not informing him of what Grant Morrison was doing over in “New X-Men”. After a few plot changes and roster shifts, Claremont was free to start toying around in the mutant world he loved. Unfortunately, Claremont had telegraphed to the world that this wasn’t the same guy who got shanghaied by the Image team. Whether it was the introduction of the Neo, the multiple attempts to make sense of the Grey family or a never-ending onslaught of new characters with new hooks; Claremont was looking like a poser when compared to his legacy. It’s frustrating to see and I’m sure it’s why Claremont stepped away from Marvel until he was offered the Nightcrawler solo series in 2014.
Slipstream is a mutant that can surf through teleportation holes that he opens. Specifically, he can access something called the Warp Wave and he seems to have expert control over it from the start. This brings Slipstream and his sister to the attention of Storm and her X-Men team. It’s not long before Slipstream and Storm are putting the moves on each other. Lifeguard gets stuck with the worst Thunderbird, as about three plots take two years to unfold. Decompression is ruining comics, especially when nothing happens. But, I guess if stories were told like they were in the past, we would’ve found out that Slipstream sucks by the second issue.
The character stayed with the X-Treme team longer than his sister. However, he reunites with his sister and becomes disgusted when she starts taking on an appearance that highlights her Shiar heritage. He breaks up with Storm and leaves the book never to be seen again. Later, he was confirmed as one of the depowered mutants on M-Day. Slipstream has faded off the comic fan radar and seemingly disappeared from the Marvel Universe. But, let’s stop beating up the X-Treme X-Men era for a moment and take a look at the larger issue taking place here.
“X-Treme X-Men” was the start of a sustained gasp for Claremont’s second run with the X-Men. Whether it was “The End” or “New Excalibur” or yet another return to “Uncanny X-Men”, fans saw what happens when a toymaker doesn’t recognize that his toys have moved on past him. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t catch up, however you have to realize that the property is growing with its audience and times. Some tropes will remain forever eternal, but time stands still for no man.
Cannonball still blasts, Storm is a Goddess, Psylocke is becoming grimmer by the day. However, there is a reason for that and Claremont spent this decade seeming like he didn’t want to take part in a larger continuity. Marvel owns the X-Men, not a single creator. Therefore, you contribute to a tapestry and continuity is a big part of that. Did Whilce Portacio and John Byrne improve of how Claremont handled Bishop? Who cares? If you can manage to tell a great story, then that’s all that should matter. However, these characters have to grow alongside that tale.
It’s really weird to feel negative feelings towards one of the writers who inspired me to write in the first place. However, everyone should know that their heroes have faults and to acknowledge those issues. Claremont never imagined a world where the X-Men weren’t under his guise. We hear stories about how awesome the Muir Isle Saga would’ve been. We hear about how the adjectiveless X-Men book would be so much cooler. The kicker was that Claremont should’ve saw his exit coming. Much has been made of the comparisons as to how Claremont got pushed off the book by Jim Lee doing the same stuff that Claremont did to John Byrne.
That’s the bitch of partnerships especially in collaborative mediums. It should always be 50/50, but culture and tastes will always decide who is the bigger part of the equation. Thrice now, the X-books have thrown Claremont out because he was seen as old and outdated compared to where popular books are heading. But, Claremont has hung on long enough that generations sick with nostalgia are embracing his classic storytelling in a time where it takes six issues to tell a story that used to be told in two books that shipped in the same month…with the same artist. But, I’m offering up the complaints of an old comic fan.
While re-reading through the issues of “X-Treme X-Men” and “New Excalibur” and whatever else was in the quarter bin, I asked myself if fans would’ve appreciated the same stories 20 years ago and with art by Marc Silvestri? The more I read, the more I processed and with each re-reading, I found something that lies inherently on the page. These stories told after the X-Men have become the big media breakout, not during the Claremont heyday where his clever hand defined each character as they were introduced. It’s the downside of being an auteur who keeps returning to your work after others have been left to attend to the material. Instances of this are rare, which is what makes the Claremont case so very interesting. I don’t fault the man, but the issues between his first and second bites at the apple will keep recurring throughout this Project.