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Underground > Comic Books >

Mindreading for Columbine

  
  

Page: (1)2

 
 
Aertho
23:58 / 29.01.03
NXM136 Threadspore: This was an idea brought up by Quireboy that I felt should have had its time of discourse.

Am I the only one who's beginning to see the Riot arc as Morrison's "Bowling for Columbine", only with telepathy instead of guns.

I've never seen the Michael Moore film, but i get the premise. I can remember a time when the Marvelverse was absoultely drowning in telepaths, every supergroup had one, every book had at least one mindreading baddie. When that became old, remember when the it-power was reality warping? Anyway, Xavier's has three HUMONGOUS telepaths on its staff in Xavier, White Queen and Phoenix.
Now there are several students, including "Slick", Quentin Quire, and the Stepford Cuckoos, all of whom dominate or set themselves apart from the rest of the school. I'm intrigued by the Columbine parallel and I'd like to know how others interpret this idea.
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
13:17 / 30.01.03
Having seen the movie, I have no idea what that theory could mean, but I'd like to hear Quireboy's explanation.
 
 
Sunny
22:54 / 30.01.03
yeah, I remember him saying that, but I don't agree that its "morrison's 'bowling for columbine'" I guess I could be wrong, seeing as how the story isn't finished but so far, no it doesn't really seem like theres a direct correlation. the main thing is that Quentin's crew's beef is with humans not against the rest of the school for being picked on.
 
 
Char Aina
23:26 / 30.01.03
not humans, normals.

normals persecuting freaks.


does that now seem more parrallel?
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
00:39 / 31.01.03
um, no.
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
00:40 / 31.01.03
you'll break your arm with a reach like that.
 
 
Aertho
13:58 / 31.01.03
I hope Quireboy gets over here soon.

I was thinking the persecution was coming from inside mutantdom, inside Xavier's. Although we are forced to compare mutations as skin color or sexual preference, mutations are NOT.

Mutations are more often than not human weaponry, with telepaths being the MOST dangerous weapon in homo superior. In NXM, we have several telepaths, all with their own ideas of how things ought to be. And instead of recognizing the ridiculous power in thier heads, Xavier sits contentedly thinking he and the they are like-the-rest-of-the-persecuted-mutants. Emma has shown on several occasions, and Jean in a few -that if they don't like how you think, they'll change it for you. They don't need to suffer what Beak or Cyclops suffers, so their battle is a different one.

Now that's a different discussion.

What I think another route to go is the relative quickness and finality to which everything turns into a telepathic battle thus far in NXM. Cassandra was beaten by trapping her inside an alien's mind(where did the alien's identity go?), Xavier co-opted Jamie Madrox in order to defeat Weapon 12(who had his own spore-like telepathy ability), The Stepford Cuckoos deated Oracle, the U-Men, and stopped several students from harming each other in the ake of Cassandra Nova, QQ obliterates Slick's telepathy with his own, QQ personally takes on Xavier and Emma -probably becasue he knows he's on their level. Whereas mutants may be humans who have to deal with the responsibility of having weapons, telepaths are mutants whose weapons annihilate what weaponry means. That's a responsibility bigger than carrying a liscense - just using telepathy shuts down free will and the threat of the "other". Mutants who may be aware of this, like Beast or Wolverine, or maybe even Emma, understand that behaving with this knowledge, free will is annihilated in the presence of a telepath.
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
14:24 / 31.01.03
Chesed, some very interesting points. I'd like to see another thread come from them on telepathy as you've pointed out.

My big query over this is what QQ's attack on the school (if that is what quireboy was talking about) has to do with 'Bowling fot Columbine' which has a lot to do with the mass manipulation of the American public into a state of fear. The Columbine shooting is in there, but... I dunno, it's a bad analogy. If he was talking about the Columbine shooting itself, I can more easily see where he was going. I still see it as a reach, myself, but it's clearer than a reference to the film 'Bowling for Columbine.'

And I doubt that we'll see quireboy here now. We're probably miles away from what he was saying and if I were him, I'd much prefer being talked about rather than clearing things up.

But that's me.
 
 
Aertho
16:46 / 31.01.03
Personally I think the end of Riot will be from QQ is either being exposed as not-wanting-to-be-a-mutant, QQ being surprised at the rest of the students not wanting to riot simply because people will die, or QQ will realize why Magneto never really warranted the mass genocide of the human race.

Taking into account the fact that telepaths are in a mutation class of their own, and that some characters may be aware of it, perhaps Magneto always knew. Here's the undaunted and amazingly powerful Master of Magnetism, looking at his friend Charlie, whose telepathic talent beats ANYTHING he, as a mere electromagnetic manipulator, could ever dream to do for mutant rights. It kind of gives their friendship a whole new light, and provides reason as to why Magneto worked to build up an immuity to telepathic intrusion.

Here's Magneto, a Holocaust survivor who has seen what people will do to those different, and knows that mutations are seen as incredible weaponry, and desperately wants to avoid another Holocaust -though he sees it potentially happening every day. He KNOWS it's not akin to racial discrimination, but knows that the civil rights movement will be the closest thing the world has to understanding and accepting the mutant "problem", so he makes friends with Xavier, a damn telepath. Magneto sees what Charlie's capable of, how much Charlie doesn't see, and exactly how much Xavier won't sacrifice to save the world's future. Now inject Krueger's Earth X Brotherhood of EVIL Mutants positioning theory, and by george, Charles Xavier is a damn coward desperate for acceptance.
 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
16:55 / 31.01.03
If you take the parallel further (mutants being guns) than New X-Men is pretty much exactly Bowling For Columbine: Grant's attempt at explaining away the fear that humanity has of these weapons that will enslave them all if they turn their backs for even a second, a fear that for the most part is media manipulated. Or rather, that's what the X-Men try to do but every five seconds someone else blows something up or kills somebody or takes over their brains.

I recall the end of Fall Of The Mutants when Reporter Neal (ah, Silvestri really was great back then) basically shows the world how good mutants are for the first time on worldwide TV.

Bowling For Columbine isn't just about the events at Columbine High. It's about fear in America, which is what the X-Men have always been about, only globally. A world that fears and hates them and all that.
 
 
Aertho
17:07 / 31.01.03
Getting back on topic, because I seem not to be able to discus anything without spinning tangents:

Bowling for Columbine, from what I've heard, shows the American Gun Culture. This includes the aggressiveness inherent in owning a gun, the obsession with "protection of property", among other things. Perhaps Mutants have within them an invisible "Mutant Telepathy Culture" that allows for a silent heirarchy, obsession with control and paranoia, an agressiveness inherent in one's thoughts and fears, and the-ability-to-maintain-the-illusion.

How, if this is what Grant has been secretly doing, being played out in the book?

1. Slick is in actuality an Ugly Mutant, but his telepathy talent allows him to build a Beautiful Powerful Mutant image in the eyes around him. It's stripped away by QQ.

2. The Special Class has a telepath, but she is only a brain. She needs others to care for her, protect her, and speak for her, she is denied all other aspects to being human, except for her awareness and talent.

3. The Cool New Mutant X-Man has a star for a head, a metal mask, and a pacifist attitude. Xorn is also an Ugly Mutant who takes away the illusion surrounding himself, and what a mutant actually is.

4. The Stepford Cuckoos are a clique unto themselves. They only interact with the teachers -primarily Emma and Jean.

5. After being exposed as a mutant, Xavier is finally doing what he should have been doing all along(this is what I'm assuming from my previous Magneto ideas), putting together the global X-Corporation, and most significantly -stopping the Indian plane terrorists.
 
 
Quireboy
22:59 / 04.02.03
Well, I've only just noticed this thread ... how nice to be talked about!

Basically Benjamin Birdie has got it.

I made the comparison because Moore links the "paranoid mentality" of Americans who love guns to the violent nature of postwar US foreign policy.

While it starts out as an analysis of US gun culture it goes on to provide a revisionist history of the US, suggesting the country was born in fear of outsiders and that that fear continues to influence its foreign policy.

Moore says: "The very first sentence you learn about US history as a child is 'The Pilgrims came to America because they were afraid of being persecuted'. Then what happened? They encounter the Indians and are afraid of them, so they kill them; then they start becoming afraid of each other and start seeing witches and burn them; then they win the revolution, but they're afraid the British are going to come back. So someone writes the second amendment that says 'Let's keep our guns because the Brits could come back'.

"The genesis of fear in America came from having a slave population that in just 86 years from the time of the revolutionary war in 1775 to the civil war in 1861 grew from 700,000 to 4 million. In parts of the rural south, blacks outnumbered whites by a three to one margin and there were a lot of of slave rebellions. So in 1836 Samuel Colt invented the six-shooter..."

In Claremont's first run - and earlier - you can see this fear played out in Bolivar Trask and the US government's attitude towards mutants - their fears about mutants enslaving humanity driving them to create the Sentinels - and justify their use in controlling/destroying the mutant population.

But in Morrison's run mutantkind is set to become the majority. (It's a clever and timely twist - reflecting concerns within white America about the rising ethnic population, e.g all the fuss about their being more US citizens whose first language is Spanish, etc.)

Xavier's dream - which was born out of fear, a reaction to human oppression - has, like many US administration's foreign policy, long been isolationist. But in NXM we see it becoming increasingly interventionist - Xavier is meddling in gobal politics quite outside of the mutant/human conflict, e.g Kashmir. (Xaver's dream after Genosha = Bush's post-Sept 11 foreign policy.)

Meanwhile the Institute threatens to become the mutant NRA. Human reporters have accused the X-Men of training a private army ... and in a sense they are. Super-powered mutants are being trained to use their potentially lethal powers. Xavier's argument is that this will enable them to use their powers responsibly.

But what precautions has he taken before training these students - psychological profiling, background and criminal record checks? It's doubtful seeing as he won't read their minds to see whether they've murdered some humans! The school is clearly not up to the task it has taken on. The teachers don't know how to deal with the spreading Kick addiction Xavier's dream fails its practical.

What you end up with is a Columbine situation - a kid like Quentin who takes Xavier's increasingly interventionist stance to murderous extremes. QQ's isolationist stance stems from his (post-Genosha) fear/hatred of humanity - he wants to use his 'gun' (telepathy) to prevent the Brits (humans) from striking back.

Re Moore's comments about the witch trials, well the X-Men are increasingly suspcious of one another. We're also seeing a mutant hierachy being established with telepaths at the top. And every key turning point in the book so far has involved confrontation between two telepaths.

For more on my parallels between the Bush administration and NXM see the NXM135 thread.
 
 
Quimper
16:17 / 06.02.03
Aside from history—the past, the media—the present—is most at fault in Moore's thesis. The press has played a huge role in Xavier's new world. They have propagated mutant fear almost every time they are featured:

There's Bolivar Trask's original sketch of a world overrun by mutants—the catalyst for QQ's new identity as Dylan and Eric. He blames humans (ie, bullies) and Xavier (ie, complacent or incompetent teachers) for pushing him to this end.

There's the background mistrial of Jumbo Carnation.

There's the woman reporting about Martha writing a suicide note in her own luminous blood—graphic sensationalism.

Trish Tilby turning a snub by her ex-boyfriend into a coming-out story.

The sarcastic comment by the military guy at the end of the Fantomex arc that the cover-up story will be nice and pretty...a sickingly generous spin in his eyes. A report we never heard or read.

Newcasters portraying obsession with mutant culture as a novelty, the trend of the season.

There's also Xavier's comment that the world is becoming a dangerous place while looking at a magazine with his face on the cover.

I think it's also significant that the world's media were who the X-men had to save from death during Imperial. Not once have we seen a positive news report stem from that. There was never a feature story thanking the X-Men for "saving this reporters ass." It's as if Grant is saying that a positive portrayal in the media is impossible due to humans' inherent fear. It's safe to be afraid. Beats being tolerant.

But perhaps the greatest parallel between BforC and Riot is going to be the aftermath. I feel that QQ will be dealt with in a harsh manner by Xavier. While the reader knows the real reason for QQ's identity change is the news of his adoption, I'm sure the media will catch onto the story and blame the institute for a lot. I'm sure mutant bands will be blamed too..."Juggernaut" being the only one I can remember. I am envisioning a mortatorium on mutant culture...the "bowling" aspect of this parallel.
 
 
Quireboy
14:47 / 08.02.03
Well that's the potential danger of the Riot isn't it? That Xavier turns into the telepathic equivalent of Charlton Heston!

The role of the press has been a prominent subplot in NXM - although we've seen the X-Men are capable of manipulating the media when they have/want to.
 
 
A
01:18 / 10.02.03
I don't think that Xavier's actions on the plane that was about to be hijacked can really be seen as a strong example of "meddling in global politics". He acted to save the lives of himself and the other passengers, not as some sort of political action.

I didn't interpret Xavier's use of telepathy on the hijackers as being a straight case of mind control. Rather, I think he enabled them to see the contradictions inherent in their fundamentalist way of thinking, so that they decided for themselves that they were taking the wrong course of action. This is similar to the way Xavier and/or Jean dealt with Corporal Animal (or whatever his name was) in the Fantomex storyline. They didn't brainwash him, just stripped away some of his illusions about himself and, in doing so, did him a favour.

Anyway, the ethics of telepathy and mind control is definitely a developing theme in NXM, and it will be very interesting to see where it goes.
 
 
Seth
04:53 / 10.02.03
Your description of the hijack scene is inherently political. The use of telepathy to change someone's mind about how they fight for their cause. Xavier had many simpler options had he just wanted to save the lives of those on board.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
07:56 / 10.02.03
Not to mention the fact that if those hijackers had been mutants acting in the name of a mutant cause, Xavier would in all likelihood have asked them to join his team (and if they've ever killed anyone in the past, hey! - we've all made mistakes...), and lobbied for their cause himself. As far as he's concerned though, Kashmir is just a "tribal" dispute...
 
 
Aertho
13:08 / 10.02.03
Excellent MF'ing points, Count Adam, reflect, and Flyboy!

Alright, I now see Xavier as the most powerful sonuvabitch out there right now. I think Magneto always knew this too. I don't give a crap if Phoenix is more powerful, she does what he says, making him top dawg.

Here's an analogy for ya: The plane over India is ACTUALLY the whole world. Normal all over people fight with beliefs, and words, and bombs, and planes. Then a telepath gets in, and stops the belief before it turns into anything more. There was never a conflict at all. There was never a dangerous element. There was only the telepath.

Why doens't the telepath stop all bombings? All terrorism? Xavier COULD, in all honesty, become the Marvel Universe's Authority, and he wouldn't have a problem doing it. We've all seen what the Wildstorm Earth did to the Authority, and what they had to learn about people handling their own problems.

This is what I'm talking about -the absence of free will. Not that terrorists should be allowed to kill people, but that human fears can be absolutely annihilated in the presence of a telepath. Imagine the Holocaust, Magneto's decisive experience, if Xavier had been around to "change" Hitler's mind about things. Xavier knows he's sitting on the biggest weapon in the world, he says so to Jean after the gun-to-his-own-head incident.

Yet he continues to harbor murderous and potentially world-endangering mutants in the name of his cause. My question is now: is Xavier himself aware of all this I've said? Is he purposefully wrapping a mutants-rights blanket over something he knows is far more scary in order to give disenfranchised mutants a reason to Do Good? Or is he blind to it and insists on seeing the world in the midst of a civil rights infraction?
 
 
Seth
16:49 / 10.02.03
A request for someone with free time (I have none):

Please compile a list of all occasions in which telepathy has been used in New X-Men. Who is using it, on whom, and that character's justification (if stated).

No analysis necessary yet. We can all examine the results in this thread.
 
 
Quimper
19:13 / 10.02.03
There is only the telepath...Kind of like Weapon XII. There is just one mind. All others follow suit.

It's almost like Weapon XII and Xavier are doing the same thing. What is the difference between Zona's (sic) viral mind and the X-Corporation sigil? X-Corp is spreading like a virus as well, contaminating each country with Chuck's manifesto for mutant rights.

I can't help seeing Xavier as Sir Miles Delacourt. He is leaning more and more toward control as a means to finally get his end. The method...telepathy. Jean controlling the media. Xavier controlling the terrorists. He is starting to share the NRA view that guns (telepathy) is the best means of controlling (read, keeping in line) a wildly erratic and unpredictable population at large. He will probably have to take control of the school via Cerebra to stop the Riot.

More and more mutants are turning to Telepathy® for an easy answer to their problems. Think Now! Mmmm...Telepathy®...Brought to you by the makers of Guns®: The Best Way to Win an Argument.
 
 
Aertho
19:58 / 10.02.03
I think reflect's request to document all uses of telepathy thus far is an excellent idea. I don't know if anyone will be able to do it though I'm more than willing to handle a few storylines, but the whole series thus far es muy intimidating. Anyone willing to voluneteer E for Extinction, Germ Free Generation, Imperial, Weapon 12, interims, and Riot?

I'll do E for Extinction and have it here by tomorrow!

Also, as Xavier is a nicer and stranger Sir Miles, what about the other Invisible telepath, Robin? We could all assume that she is the X-redhead Jean, but I see the two characters as being opposing telepathic philosophies. Robin apologized for taking control of a soldier who was going to kill her, and thought mental invasion of an captured assassin was unethical. Seeing as how psychic invasion is a hourly occurrance at Chateau Xavier, it makes me wonder what Grant's real message about "the power" is. It can't be a Good Thing.
 
 
Seth
21:22 / 10.02.03
This thread has enough ideas to explore without dubious attempts to syncretise New X-Men with other Grant Morrison works. Many of these characters existed for years before he became the writer. We should cast the net wider than Morrison's canon if we are to draw truly resonant parallels.
 
 
Aertho
12:54 / 11.02.03
Telepathy Use

E is for Exctintion - Imperial

Telepath: Charles Xavier
Recipient: All people of the world
Reason: By testing Cerebra, Charles is tapping into all conscious minds. With this augmentation, Charles is locating other mutants by their seeing their unique brain engrams.

Telepath: Charles Xavier
Recipient: Scott Summers, Logan, Henry McCoy, Jean Grey-Summers
Reason: Charles pulls a portion of his staff's consciousness into the astral plane, where they hold a virtual reality debriefing to discuss mission objectives.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Charles Xavier
Reason: Simultaneous to Cassandra Nova's attack on Xavier, Jean feels the "mindquake" with her own psychic talents.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Charles Xavier
Reason: In a quick psychic attack, Cassandra Nova relays thoughts to Xavier while "eating his thoughts", destroying his ability to think clearly, and beginning to replace his mind with her own.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Charles Xavier
Reason: After the attack, Jean continues to feel its effects, and uses her mind to "heal" parts of Charles' wounded mind.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Donald Trask
Reason: Reading his mind like a T-Shirt, Cassandra Nova obtains information about what Donald was going to say.

Telepath: Emma Frost and Genoshan telepathy class students
Recipient: "Tom and Nicole"
Reason: Emma leads her class in a group effort to eavesdrop on the thoughts of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Telepath: Ellie Phimister
Recipient: Emma Frost
Reason: Ellie Phimister, AKA Negasonic Teenage Warhead, uses her psychic talent to warn Emma of their impending deaths, and to say goodbye.

Telepath: Charles Xavier
Recipient: All people of the world
Reason: Using Cerebra to amplify his abilities, Charles "feels" the deaths of the mutant population of Genosha.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Emma Frost
Reason: Jean senses Emma's psychic presence deep underground the Genoshan rubble.

Telepath: Emma Frost
Recipient: Salem Center cab driver
Reason: Taking leave of the Institute, Emma summons a taxi by "calling" for one.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Henry McCoy
Reason: Cassandra begins her escape by disrupting Henry's sensory information and attacking his brain.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Cassandra Nova
Reason: Jean begins to retaliate by invading Cassandra Nova's autonomic mind, but is surprised to find a "hole".

Telepath: Charles Xavier
Recipient: Cassandra Nova
Reason: Charles seconds the attack by trying to shut down Cassandra's ability to control motor functions.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Jean Grey-Summers
Reason: Jean's initial attack backfires and is attacked by Cassandra in a fashion similar to the one on Henry.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Scott Summers
Reason: Cassandra easily draws Scott into his "black bug room", an astral plane where he is confronted with his insecurities and weaknesses.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Charles Xavier
Reason: Finishing the job she wanted to do earlier, Cassandra uses the amplifying power of Cerebra to exchange her mind with Charles'.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Logan
Reason: Using telepathy to locate Logan in the estate woods, she claims "alpha waves" make his mind glow.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Henry McCoy
Reason: Cassandra Nova reveals herself to Henry as hiding in Charles' body while attacking his mind. She insults his intelligence and education while activating his animal instincts and forcing him to move.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Barnell Bohusk
Reason: Cassandra Nova continues her assault on Henry by invading Barnell's mind and forcing him to beat his teacher with a titanium baseball bat.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: every newsreader on the planet
Reason: Using Cerebra, Jean observes the fantasies of two(and presumedly more) television news anchors.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Logan
Reason: Still using Cerebra, Jean "speaks" with Logan in Wyoming. She peeks into his private fantasies and shows him a mental image of Henry, who is comatose.

Telepath: Emma Frost
Recipient: Institute protesters and television news media personnel
Reason: Emma tapped into several people's autonomic minds and "pushed" their "bliss buttons", thereby causing every one of them to have an uncontrollable and mindblowing orgasm.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Henry McCoy
Reason: Checking on Henry's mental state while in his coma, Jean peeks inside, finding only an empty room.

Telepath: Charles Xavier inside Cassandra Nova
Recipient: Henry McCoy
Reason: Trying to communicate with his other students, Charles co-opts Henry's comatose body to spell out an "X".

Telepath: Martha Johansson
Recipient: Scott Summers
Reason: Under orders from John Sublime, Martha disables Scott and commands him to sit.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Logan and Angel Salvatore
Reason: Using Cerebra to check on Logan's Wyoming mission, Jean "speaks" with him concerning the anesthetized feeling she receives from Angel.

Telepath: Martha Johansson
Recipient: Emma Frost and Scott Summers
Reason: Under orders from John Sublime, Martha disables Emma and Scott.

Telepath: Martha Johansson
Recipient: Scott Summers
Reason: Under orders from John Sublime, Martha disables Scott and commands him to sit.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Henry McCoy
Reason: Checking on Henry's mental state while in his coma, Jean looks into his memories, finding images of a violent Barnell, and a leering Cassandra Nova behind him.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Barnell Bohusk
Reason: While Barnell sleeps in a healing tank, Jean slips into his mind to locate more information about the attack, discovering the truth that Cassandra's mind was inside Charles' body.

Telepath: Emma Frost
Recipient: Martha Johansson and the NYC U-Men
Reason: Slipping out of diamond form, Emma pushes Martha out of her head, and retaliates their attack on the U-men by replicating the pain of her broken nose times one thousand in their minds.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Jean Grey-Summers
Reason: Before Jean can request the girls to act, the Stepford Cuckoos read her mind and understand her.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Institute attacking U-Men
Reason: The girls manipulate the U-Men's sense of scale and space so that they believe either they are a hundred feet tall or very, very small.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Institute attacking U-Men
Reason: Confronting the U-Men, Jean perceives their fears and insecurities very easily.

Telepath: Martha Johansson
Recipient: John Sublime
Reason: While Emma holds John out the window, Martha messes up John's mind, and commands him to let go, thereby falling to his death.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers and Emma Frost
Recipient: Charles Xavier inside Cassandra Nova
Reason: Emma and Jean seek to rescue Charles by diving into Cassandra Nova's mind. They locate Charles trapped in an astral prison, where Jean is privy to pre-natal memories of both Charles and Cassandra.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Shi'Ar Empire
Reason: Cassandra destroys the Shi'Ar empire by taking over more and more minds, and causing mayhem on the galactic system.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Steersman Immundra
Reason: Insulting the Shi'Ar steersman, Cassandra manipulates him into crashing the starship.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Emma Frost, Henry McCoy, Logan, and Scott Summers
Reason: Similar to Charles' astral meeting with his staff earlier in the series, Jean summons them all to the astral plane, where they all experience Charles' pre-natal memories.

Telepath: Emma Frost
Recipient: Jean Grey-Summers
Reason: Emma telepathically talks to her about secret information.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Emma Frost
Reason: Jean replies in kind.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: each other
Reason: The girls exist telepathically. I am not going to say that every time they make it on panel.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: the staff and student body of the Xavier Institute
Reason: The girls feel ominous "vibrations".

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Charles Xavier inside Cassandra Nova
Reason: Checking on Charles' mind in the madwoman's body, Jean sees that he is psychically fractured similar to alzheimer's disease.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: the news media at the Institute press conference, Emma Frost and Henry McCoy
Reason: Jean shows the newspeople the wonders of telepathic conferencing by pulling them all to a virtual meeting place on the astral plane. She reads minds to know the media peoples' names.

Telepath: Emma Frost
Recipient: the news media at the Institute press conference, Jean Grey-Summers and Henry McCoy
Reason: Using her own psychic talents, Emma manipulates the astral plane to "grow" in size and intimidate a news bitch(who says exactly what WE'RE asking). She continues by forcing the woman to realize that she is a witless bigot.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: the news media at the Institute press conference
Reason: To "fix" Emma's outburst, Jean wipes the last thirty seconds for the news peoples' memories.

Telepath: Shi'Ar scanners
Recipient: Jean Grey-Summers
Reason: Jean distinctly feels the act of "being scanned" and falls over as if struck.

Telepath: Shi'Ar scanners
Recipient: Emma Frost
Reason: Jean slightly feels the act of "being scanned" and orders the news people to move toward the mansion.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Empress Lilandra, G-Type, and Shi'Ar soldiers
Reason: Cassandra overrides several alien minds and manipulates them into executing Scott and Xorn.

Telepath: Oracle
Recipient: all minds local to the Xavier Institute
Reason: Oracle scans the area for telepathic activity and registers sources of power all over. She also senses an incredibly powerful source underground, and assumes that it is Phoenix.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Oracle
Reason: The girls attack Oracle by distorting her sense of reality and making her believe she is riding a roller-coaster in the dark.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Stuff
Reason: The girls read Stuff to evaluate his morphing powers and mental structures. They see that they can psychically shape both his mind and body.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: the news media at the Institute press conference
Reason: Realizing that the human guests would be safest in the school vaults, she commandeers the minds of the panicked people and directs their bodies to walk to the Danger Room. She apologizes verbally.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Empress Lilandra
Reason: Cassandra manipulates the Empress into ordering several Shi'Ar starcraft to either self-destruct or cause intergalactic warfare. Lilandra also orders G-Type to execute Araki, blaming him for the actions she just took. Lilandra also jumps to her death under Cassandra's coersion.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: Scott Summers
Reason: Invading Scott's mind, Cassandra opens up Scott's "black bug room" again and forces him think of his several fears, insecurities, and weaknesses.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Angel Salvatore
Reason: While Angel flies into the Institute's second-floor window, the girls communicate with her telepathically.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Stuff
Reason: Following Barnell's suggestion, the girls force Stuff to tell them how to take Emma's telepathic inhibitor mask off.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Charles Xavier inside Cassandra Nova
Reason: Using Cerebra, Jean pulls Charles' mind into her own and out of the dead Cassandra Nova body. She also sense Cassandra's presence on the school grounds.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: The Shi'Ar Imperial Superguardian strikeforce
Reason: Cassandra repeats normal attack patterns, giving the aliens fits and messing them up.

Telepath: Emma Frost and the Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: Stuff
Reason: Reaching into the alien mind, the six telepaths discover how to manipulate his form and how to copy DNA samples.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: the student body of the Xavier Institute
Reason: Cassandra manipulates the student mutants to attack Logan and Henry.

Telepath: The Stepford Cuckoos
Recipient: the student body of the Xavier Institute
Reason: After Xorn and Henry harm Cassandra, the girls are free to psychically stop the other students from attacking the teachers.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers
Recipient: Charles Xavier and the mutant population of the planet Earth
Reason: Jean uses Cerebra to amplify her powers and split Charles' consciousness and preserve a little in every living mutant mind.

Telepath: Cassandra Nova inside Charles Xavier
Recipient: the mutant population of the planet Earth
Reason: Using Cerebra, Cassandra springs Jean's trap by linking up the minds of every mutant on Earth. The result recombines Charles in his own body, which completely pushes out Cassandra.

Telepath: Jean Grey-Summers and Charles Xavier
Recipient: Cassandra Nova inside Stuff
Reason: on an astral plane inside Cassandra Nova's mind, the two telepaths play virtual school in an effort to teach Cassandra about reality.

I don't have the issues over the Weapon 12/Fantomex storyline, or the ones preceding Riot. Maybe someone can use this template to build a list of those issues. I did notice over the course of doing this that telepathy use increased dramatically from the relative expected "sometime" use of telepathy in Extinction's beginning, to nearly every page having some thoughts broadcast at the end of Imperial.
 
 
Quireboy
22:52 / 12.02.03
It's not just how frequently telepathy is used in the book but how critical it is to driving the plot forward.

Just think how many of the telepathy episodes were critical turning points in the book - all the confrontations betwen telepaths certainally, which have established a hierachy of psi power with Jean and Xavier jostling for first place.
 
 
Quimper
19:21 / 13.02.03
E IS FOR EXTINCTION - Xavier uses telepathy to see the 'big picture' of mutantdom: We learn that the mutant population is booming.; The X-Men have a telepathic conference: We learn about new look and see Jean and Scott's tension; Cassandra attacks Xavier from Bolivia telepathically, Jean intervenes: We learn there is a history between the two; Jean locates Emma Frost: She eventually joins team; Cassandra telepathically switches with Xavier: The X-Men are outed.

EXTINCTION EPILOGUE - Jean telepathically locates Logan and tries to get some: We learn that the romance between the two is not going to be acted upon; Cassandra attacks Beast: We learn of the switch and Beast's insecurities about manhood are fleshed out; Emma telepathically gives the human mob an orgasm: Jean questions the ethics of telepathy.

GERM FREE GENERATION - Martha is introduced as she shows that even the simplest telepaths (she is JUST a brain) can best the best non-telepaths (Cyclops); Jean telepathically locates Angel: she is introduced; Jean and the Stepford Cuckoos telepathically beat the U-Men, saving the school: Phoenix is re-introduced; Emma gets up the courage to face pain and out-telepaths Martha: Scott, Emma and Martha's escape leads to the demise of John Sublime: Eventually, he will become a symbol, a virtual presence.

TELEPATHIC RESCUE - The telepathic heirarchy continues to be established as Jean bests Emma. We learn the origins of Xavier, and more importantly, the opposite he is merging with.

IMPERIAL - Cassandra telepathically destroys the Shiar empire: We learn that telepathy can beat THE strongest physical force in the universe;

Crap. Ran out of time. Boss is coming. Will be back.
 
 
Aertho
16:13 / 15.02.03
This is flagrant threadrot, or maybe experimental fertilizer.

How many times has Xavier said the words: "Are these words from the future?" I ve noticed twice now, once to Cassandra, and second to Phoenix. At both times he was being overwhelmed by a superior telepath.
 
 
Eskay Uno
18:23 / 15.02.03
Telepathy as the strongest force in the universe? I like it. And "God" is the ultimate telepath. God=the Dalang=Grant in this corner of the X-universe.

Seeing as how Prof. X is Grant's primary avatar in NXM and Jean is the suit the Phoenix force is currently wearing, can it be said that telepaths are prime conduits for higher (more powerful and/or complex) conscious forces? Are telepaths expressing or asserting their OWN will, or the will of the higher forces working through them (Grant, the Phoenix, etc.)?

I don't see how things can return to normal once this riot is over. Especially with the Juggernaut (a known criminal) and the controversial Dust now part of the team. Personally, I hope the team goes underground again. An invisible outlaw nation of mutants working together for the greater good. Have the school become like the Invisible College, divide members into cells of 5, and recruit new members secretly. Okay, so I want the X-Men to turn into the Invisibles, so what.
 
 
The Falcon
02:34 / 16.02.03
[Aside] I want them to be more integrated into society,and assisting it's progress, which I think is what's being led up to/ put forth as the ideal the group are trying to attain.

As it always was, though it had never been articulated this adeptly before.[/aside]
 
 
Quireboy
12:25 / 16.02.03
On the one hand we have Jean as a conduit for the Phoenix force and on the other there's Xavier/Cassandra as the conduit for the mummundrai - as Xavier says in NXM128 "I wonder if we have any control over out destinies, or if we are just biomass manipulated by an intelligent evoluntionary process itself."
 
 
Quimper
17:06 / 19.02.03
To continue my post in a more terse manner...

IMPERIAL - The strongest fact is that telepathy beat the most powerful physical force in the universe. Telepathy is what is used to save the school (Jean, Emma, and the Stepford Cuckoos). The ethics of telepathy are brought up again in the press conference and in leading humans into the Danger Room. Characters are fleshed out througth psychic attacks by Cassandra. The idea of telepathy (Jean's) being able to accomplish the impossible, as well as the distinctions between various types of psi specialties are all brought up as every battle in Imperial of consequence involves telepathy...except Xorn's healing of Xavier's spine and Scott's escape off the Shiar ship, saving Lilandra.

XORN - Xorn's character is portrayed poetically (inherent to his character) by Xavier's comments on what is inside Xorn's mind.

WEAPON XII - X-Corp Paris, who is missing a full telepath, is almost slaughtered. Jean and Xavier are rendered helpless with Fantomex's psi-shields. Xavier becomes very irritable. Jean and Xavier use telepathy to battle Weapon XII. Zona has a viral mind, mirroring Xavier's viral X-Corp sigil. Again, the distinctions between and heirarchy of telepathy are brought up. Fantomex's mask opening allows Jean to reveal more about his character.

SCOTT AND EMMA - Scott and Emma start their psychic affair, continuously justified that it is not real, it is just thinking.

THE LAST MAGNETO STORY - No major plot points are advanced. Telepathy used to find Lorna Dane and wrap up Magneto's fate.

DUST - Xavier stop the hijacking by brainwashing the terrorists and possibly the Mumbai police. Xavier's former ethics continue to plummet. Jean finds and befriends Dust through Cerebra. X-Corp Mumbai laments having no telepaths.

RIOT PROLOGUE - QQ is introduced. The greatest danger in the world is a subtle telepath. He uses his powers to become alpha male at school. Tries to use powers on Xavier, suggesting Xavier's impotence in dealing with internal matters. Stepford Cuckoos try to read his seethrough mind and warn of danger.

RIOT - QQ uses telepathy to start Gang, start Riot, kidnap Xavier, kill humans. The worst internal problem the X-Men ever face is due to telepathy.

CONCLUSION: Wolverine, the epitome of physical prowess, has done nothing to advance the plots of NXM without taking a cue from Jean. Cyclops, Beast and Xorn have somewhat disproven the theory that all turning points have involved telepathy. Although, their contributions have been marginal in comparison to the psis.
 
 
The Falcon
20:26 / 19.02.03
I'd actually argue that, in retrospect, 'Ambient Magnetic Fields' shows the sporing of Magneto's memes.

While this is not telepathy, per se, Polaris is extraordinarily sensitive to it.
 
 
Quimper
20:53 / 19.02.03
That's very true. They certainly affected Polaris. And I think the point of the whole thing is that Maggie's memes will be affecting several beings throughout the universe. He has become unstoppable after all. Come to think of it, they've certainly affected Quentin also.
 
 
The Falcon
21:25 / 19.02.03
I didn't particularly like the issue at the time - see the thread, but it does serve well as a set-up for current Omega-style events.
 
 
Quireboy
10:01 / 20.02.03
The telepathy hierachy continues in NXM137 with the telepathic battle between the Cuckoos - on kick and using Cerebra to boost their powers - and Quentin Quire, also on kick.

Given the pattern of telepathic battles in NXM I'm also thinking now that Emma will 'win' the psychic catfight with Jean ... Why? Well consider how Xavier was first bested by Cassandra, as was Jean - then they beat her.

When Jean and Emma were in Xavier's mind Jean emerged as the stronger of the two - in light of the Riot I expect Emma to come out on top - it won't be a question of who's stronger but whose philosophy/arguments are more cogent.
 
 
Quireboy
17:35 / 24.02.03
In NXM137 the comparison between Xavier's new direction and the Bush administration becomes clearer, particularly how this more aggressive foreign policy is violently reflected amongst the disaffected youth.

On a slightly different slant, if Xavier chooses to allow Quentin and his gang to remain at the school he risks being seen as the mutant Arafat by the US media rather than the mutant Gandhi.

You could say that the destruction of Genosha has left mutantkind in a similar position to the Palestinians. It's not going to help Xavier's cause if the world sees photos of Glob Herman transformed into a flaming suicide bomber chasing after a bus of humans.

Will this cause Xavier to question whether it's right to train all young mutants to responsibly use their powers? Or will he now face renewed calls for mutant registration (parallel gun control)?
 
  

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