Recently, Uncanny X-Men #500 came out. Instead of some big fight with Magneto or top-tier villain, the issue signaled a new beginning as the X-Men move from New York to San Francisco.
Anyways.... here's the picture on the front...
Here is a copy of the article from sfgate.comX-Men go west, to San Francisco
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
If you pay attention to the national news, it's been the world against San Francisco lately. If we aren't getting hammered for the city's activism in the gay marriage debate, our role as a "sanctuary city" routinely causes controversy.
But San Francisco just got some pretty big (albeit fictional) allies in its progressive fight for equality: The X-Men have moved to the Bay Area.
This isn't a small deal in the world of comic books. The X-Men, who settled in the Bay Area in the just-released 500th issue of the Uncanny X-Men, are arguably the most popular and recognizable superhero team in comic book history. And they've spent most of their 40-year existence based out of a mansion in Westchester County, N.Y.
But it should be no surprise. The trials of the X-Men, who discover at puberty that they are mutants, and are often forced to hide their true identities out of shame, have a lot in common with left-leaning causes, most notably the gay rights movement. In the comics, the X-Men have had gay and bisexual team members and associates, and their numbers were once decimated by a virus that had strong similarities to the AIDS epidemic.
Marvel Comics Executive Editor Axel Alonso says the city will be more than just a backdrop for the comic.
"The X-Men moving to San Francisco isn't just a physical move, it's a spiritual move. I love San Francisco and we want to see it really represented," says the city native during an interview last week at Isotope Comics in Hayes Valley. "Anyone who looks at the X-Men, the analogy is right there: If you're different in any way due to race or sexual orientation or just being nerdy, there's an X-Men character for you. They're about being different and finding strength in that weakened position."
Action movie fans will note that the X-Men and their nemeses have already been to San Francisco, destroying the Golden Gate Bridge and much of Alcatraz in the 2006 film "X-Men: The Last Stand." But for that sequel, the filmmakers didn't do any meaningful filming in the Bay Area. The movie was shot in Vancouver, and visual effects were used to add a few landmarks to the background.
The comic has much more of an insider's vibe. Marvel Comics artists will be visiting San Francisco frequently to get a feel for the fashion, architecture and even the way residents walk and talk. There are no cable cars in the first issue, but the artists did include a KRON TV news truck and a panel where the iconic mutant Wolverine walks through Noe Valley. The heroes make their base in the concrete bunkers beneath the Marin Headlands and join the protest of a controversial art installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Perhaps most significant, they seem to appreciate San Francisco's much publicized (and recently criticized) role as a sanctuary city.
"San Francisco is now a mutant sanctuary," X-Men group leader Cyclops proclaims, near the end of Issue 500. "Any of you - and your family or loved ones - are invited to join us here, and know safety and protection our kind has never known."
Of course, this being a comic book featuring a guy who looks like a giant blue cat, there are a few moments of pure fantasy. While the leader of San Francisco in both worlds is a young attractive politician with great hair who seems more than a bit starstruck, in the comics, the mayor is a woman not named Gavin Newsom. And the X-Men somehow establish their enormous base without a historical society protest or a single tree-sitter in sight - although, to be fair, they do set up a hippie-friendly hydrokinetic power plant, presumably using tidal power from the ocean.
"We believe that homo sapiens superior represent the future, so we better start living like it," says X-Men member Beast, sounding as if he's about to run for governor. "Soon the X-center won't just be green, it'll be positively viridian."
Whether the X-Men will settle here for the next four decades isn't known, although Alonso says the story arc is mapped out for at least a year. Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada says the length of their stay has a lot to do with reader reaction.
"Temporary or permanent is a weird thing in the world of comics," Quesada says. "As far as we're playing it right now, we just got to San Francisco. We're not planning to leave any time soon."
X-Men and the sanctuary city
Parallels between the X-Men and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement have been so strong that some real-life conservative groups have denounced the comics and movies for being pro-gay rights. Here are a few themes from the X-Men comics:
-- The X-Men don't discover their super powers until puberty. They often try to hide their differences until finding others like themselves.
-- The mutants suffered (mostly in 1990s comics) from the Legacy Virus, which wasn't understood at first and killed many mutants before treatment was found.
-- Anti-mutant slurs are frequently heard in the Marvel Universe. ("Mutie" is a common one.)
-- Efforts have been made to "cure" mutants by changing them back into nonpowered humans.
-- One of the biggest struggles for the X-Men is a political: establishing rights for mutants that are equal to humans without powers.
- Peter Hartlaub
E-mail Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com.
A second article also appears with an interview with the editor of the X-Men with his explanation.
Axel Alonso: the man behind the X-Men move
Axel Alonso, the driving force behind the X-Men's move to San Francisco, was born in the city. He fell in love with comics as a preteen, making regular trips to the old Best of Two Worlds comic book shop near 19th and Irving. Alonso is an executive editor at Marvel Comics and is the group editor overseeing the X-Men franchise.
Looking very much like a San Franciscan, in a Mission District "The City" T-shirt, Alonso, 42, who still visits his mother regularly in his old Sunset District home, met with a Chronicle reporter at Isotope Comics on Fell Street in San Francisco. We didn't get to ponder whether Nightcrawler might be able to take the Kenyans in the Bay to Breakers, but covered just about everything else, including the odds of 12 Galaxies placard holder Frank Chu showing up in a panel and the possibility of an X-Men character coming out during their stay.
Q: Was it a hard sell to get the X-Men moved to San Francisco?
A: Once the idea was said out loud, it made perfect sense. Why is it that all the big superhero teams are in New York? You've got Spider-Man. You've got the Avengers. You've got the X-Men up in Westchester. Where are the superheroes to defend San Francisco if little green men come down to take over the planet?
Q: How far are you willing to go when it comes to including local landmarks and Bay Area minutiae in the books?
A: All the way. For me, I want to see the X-Men eating at La Taqueria on 26th and Mission and enjoying the carne asada taco. I want to see (X-Men member) Emma Frost getting out of bed in a Monta Ellis Golden State Warriors jersey. I want to feel that culture.
Q: San Francisco has a hot mayor in the comic, but she's female. Was there any thought of just using Gavin Newsom?
A: There was. But I think we function best when we're taking some latitude and having some fun. I know some people in (San Francisco) government and I think he would have been receptive and had some fun with it. By the same token, you want to exist in the real world, but you don't want to be reality. What if we decide that we want the mayor kidnapped? What if the writer wants him to be put in a coma? There's only so far you can go.
Q: Marvel frequently gives real-life figures cameos in its books. Will you be willing to use someone like the 12 Galaxies guy (Frank Chu) or the San Francisco Twins?
A: Absolutely. ... I get e-mails from people all the time who say 'Yo, Axel, I love this book. Can I be in it?' Or 'I'm a big fan of X-Men. Any chance I can show up?' And when it works we accommodate.
Q: You've got to get Frank Chu. Put him in some random panel in each issue, just standing in the background with his protest sign. No one else will understand it, but every single San Francisco reader will love you.
A: I can see it. I can definitely see it. I'll give that strong consideration.
Q: The Marin Headlands is an interesting base for the X-Men.
A: As a kid, I used to spelunk those caves with my friends. I remember them well. I always thought it would make a great secret hideout. It's off the grid. Nobody knows about it. Every time someone has a gripe with mutants they don't know what door to knock on.
Q: The mutants seem to be blending into the city easily. During a Gay Pride Parade or Bay to Breakers, their colorful costumes will seem almost understated.
A: Look at (X-Men member) Angel. Now he can walk down the street with his wings out. I think you're going to see a bunch of characters that are enjoying their newfound freedoms, because their differences are embraced by the culture.
Q: Is there a chance we might see one of the X-Men come out?
A: Yes. Yes. The city being what it is, certain characters whose sexuality might have been ambiguous are going to feel free to be who they are. I will qualify and say that I never go into the situation with a mandate or an agenda. It has to come along naturally. We're not going to rush into it. But I see it happening.
