Last week, the suspicion that Marvel’s XX teaser banners were hinting at an all female team were confirmed.
What was even more exciting was that the banner meant that Brian Wood would be leading this all female team on the classic flagship book of X-Men. Now, there was one thing immediately obvious with the announcement that the book’s team would be Storm, Psylocke, Phoenix, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey, and Rogue: the author is not a female.
Before you scroll down to the comments section and start sounding off your opinion, stay with me for a moment.
I honestly have no problem with this book’s author. Brian Wood has shown himself to be a very sensible, centered and logical writer of female 
characters. Just within the last month Wood has created female characters that are both powerful and interesting with Mara, in the same titled book, and Leia in the new Star Wars title. Wood has also shown that he can highlight female characters well with books like DMZ.
Despite this, there has still been talk about the fact that an all female book should be in the control of a female writer. This type of opinion is to be expected, however it hasn’t been women sounding off, but male readers. From comic book forums to pod-casters, it is men who seem to be voicing the opinion that a female writer or a writer/artist team should have been chosen for this book.
As far as female opinions are about Brian Wood’s ability to pull off this book, I’m comfortable in knowing I’m not alone in this opinion.
However, I do wonder why male readers are voicing this opinion. Are they hedging bets in fear that female readers will sound off? Do they really believe that because Brian Wood is male he will not be able to write only for females? Is it because the main storyline revolves around a chosen baby, which could dangerously lead to stereotypes that, while positive, still put female characters in a box?
Wood has said in multiple interviews that he is looking to write these characters as humans first, perhaps that is the key to whether or not the title will be successful.
What do you think? Did Marvel miss an opportunity or will Brian Wood continue to shine with X-Men? Let me know in the comments below.
Does the writer type with his/her genitalia or breasts? That’s the most important thing. If so, it’s better the writer is male or have very small breasts because the keys on a keyboard are small and difficult to push with a vulva.
It’s kind of funny It’s an all female team and titled ‘X-MEN’. Should be ‘POST-OPS’
If there were more female writers in the industry, this would be less of a concern. Won’t it be nice when we no longer care “who” writes a story, but focus on only what has been written?
Hey Sam, thanks for paying us a visit!
Good point about the title…
I’ve been told, by intelligent professionals and with utter sincerity and conviction, that I can’t direct plays with African American protagonists because I’m not black, and that I can’t direct plays with homosexual protagonists because I’m not gay.
To imply that Brian Wood, a professional writer, is incapable of writing a superhero book with a female ensemble, is insulting to Brian Wood.
To imply that a female writer should be writing the female team because she is a female is potentially insulting to the writer in question. Are you then implying that the female writer can not write The Avengers or The Justice League because most of those characters are male?
Hell, since most mainstream comics are superhero books, by the same logic shouldn’t we get superhumans to write them all? How are unpowered norms going to be able to write about the particular struggles of the superpowered individual?
Silliness abounds.
*Spoilers of old issue ahead*I am super excited for this run. I just finished 1-12 of Wood’s current run on Conan and in that title there is a strong female character in the form of the Belit who is a pretty hardcore pirate. I thought that the writing was great. Some may point out that at some points in the story Belit has to rely on Conan but you will also see Conan needing her help as well. I am very hopeful and ready for Storm to lay down the law like no other in this book. One of my first comics as a kid was uncanny x-men 201 were Cyclops and Storm fisticuffs for who gets to lead. Storm at that point did not even have her powers and won.
