VISITOR FEEDBACK 2006: Page 7 of 7

Ask a question pt 2. – for all Contributors

Not knowing whose side are you guys on. (?) Monolith: I'm with Spider-Man, wherever he ends up.
Milleniumcyke: Despite two people from the future choosing two different sides, I would have to go with Cable.
Homer Jay: Captain America's- like he said, heroes should be volunteers and not government agents - that's why we've got the FBI and such.
Binaryan: I'm on the Invisible Woman's side. Initially on the Pro side but then when I see the human costs involved, I opt to fight the good fight while praying we can all work it out.
Daytripper: Captain America's - because being a hero is the right thing to do
Elliemarie: I'm with Cap on this one.
Fantomex: I like stickin' it to the man, so I'm with the young Avengers.
Peter Luzifer: I have been against registration right from the start and will always be. Pro-registration heroes like Iron Man or Mr. Fantastic, who are willing to cut down the rights of a few in the name of security, are acting out of fear - and fear makes for a bad advisor. To quote the movie "Strictly Ballroom": A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
Trevor Cates: Anti-registration all the way.
Wendigo: Anti-registration. Sometimes you have to stick it to the man. Or in this case a recovering alcoholic in a tin suit.
Douglas: My opinions have pretty much followed Spidey’s.

I was wonderin who the staff's favorite characters, and titles are, and why?? that would be cool to know Monolith: Come hell or high water, Thunderbolts will always be my favorite title. No comic has ever as good a use of the universe it's in.
Milleniumcyke: Cyclops if it wasn't obvious. He appealed to me from the very beginning. There was no way I was choosing Wolverine. Favorite title changes depending on how well it's being written. Right now it would be Ultimates (even though issues come out quarterly).
Homer Jay: Favorite characters: Rogue, Gambit & Wolverine
Favorite titles: Exiles, New Excalibur, Ultimate X-Men, Wolverine Origins, Weapon X v2
Reason favorite titles: the action, thrills and revelations are always something to look forward to.
Binaryan: Ms. Marvel, Magik, Storm, Magneto. X-Factor, New Mutants, Runaways & Young Avengers.
Daytripper: Amanda Sefton, Jean Grey, Snowbird, Scarlet Witch, Heather Hudson, Darkstar, Hellcat, Firebird, Monet - pretty much the strong female type characters. Male characters are pretty much the hotties - USAgent, Nighthawk, Hawkeye, Captain Britain, Walter Langkowski and the like.
Favourite titles - Alpha Flight of course. Defenders, Louise Simonson's X-Factor, Avengers West Coast.
Elliemarie: My fav character is Jean Grey and my fav titles are X-Factor, Runaways and Y: The Last Man.
Fantomex: The Runaways rock my world, with Chase providing the right amount of 'tude.
Peter Luzifer: Titles: Strikeforce Morituri, DP7, John Byrne's Next Men – well-defined personalities, and great character-driven plots.
Characters: Polaris, Northstar, Dazzler, Storm, Archangel, Tigra, Rafferty (Malibu) – don’t know, I guess because there’s some sort of connection, me seeing bits of myself in these characters, or the other way around.
Trevor Cates: Iceman and Cyclops. Why? Because Iceman is who I am most like, but Cyclops is who I most aspire to be (except for the adultery thing, lol).
Wendigo: Favorite Characters: Wolverine, Omega Red, Mr. Sinister, Archangel (not the wussy Angel), Apocalypse (not the latest version), Sunfire (if somebody could ever do him right), Silver Samurai, Colossus (before he died), Captain America, and Iron-Man (I know what I said earlier.)
Ruth: Captain Britain: Because as he was originally written he was so human (always screwing up) and had the weirdest adventures
Douglas: Fav series period: DP7, Strikeforce: Morituri, Fav character: Spider-Man

whats your favourite X-men comic Monolith: X-Factor at the moment. Glad to see PAD back with the characters.
Milleniumcyke: Damn your fancy 'u's. X-Factor is currently the best written X-Title out there.
Homer Jay: Exiles
Binaryan: Of all time? New Mutants Volume 1
Daytripper: Currently published - X-Men (2nd series)
Elliemarie: One of my fav issues is Uncanny X-men #308
Fantomex: Uncanny #303 to see Illyana departing this mortal coil and Uncanny #328 for Tabitha's fall from grace.
Peter Luzifer: Currently Exiles. Or are you asking for a single issue ? Then I guess it’s X-Factor (1st series) #87.
Trevor Cates: Current Series, Uncanny. Past series, X-Factor. Issue, any AoA issue.
Wendigo: Favorite on-going titles: Wolverine, Wolverine: Origins
Ruth: Of al time? Claremont'S first run on X-Men starting with thee Byrne run up to about issue 200. Claremont / Sienkiwicz on New Mutants. Currently: toss-up between X-Factor and Astonishing.
Morrison's issues are a contender as well.
Douglas: Exiles, PAD’s X-Factor

What do the staff of UXN like most about their work on the site? Monolith: It helps organize the thoughts in my head.
Milleniumcyke: It's fun adding to the greatest X-database in the world.
Homer Jay: Provide visitors with lots of X-related info
Binaryan: Working together with other obsessive fanboys and girls to create an amazing and complete resource that thrills our visitors.
Daytripper: Being part of a like-minded community with an amazing group of people from all over the world. That and providing a wealth of knowledge to site visitors.
Elliemarie: It's great to try and help the site meet its completion goals, even if my contribution is small.
Fantomex: Providing the synopses I couldn't get my hands on five years ago.
Peter Luzifer: That it makes me change my perspective and view on some of the things in the X-universe.
Trevor Cates: The free beer ... no wait ummmm the relaxation of a hobby, sometimes.
Wendigo: Helping out those who can't afford/find back-issues.
Ruth: It’s fun.
Douglas: Being part of a collaborative effort that weekly comes ever-closer to being a complete resource.

What superhero would you be? Monolith: Daredevil. The blind lawyer deal kind of appeals to me.
Milleniumcyke: Captain Britain
Homer Jay: Gambit or Wolverine
Binaryan: Quasar...great powers and a cool costume.
Daytripper: Jean Grey. Who wouldn't want to be reborn time and time again?
Elliemarie: Sue Storm
Fantomex: Mr. Shiver. That guy is cool on a stick.
Peter Luzifer: A misunderstood, unpopular one.
Trevor Cates: Xavier, my wife thinks I should read her mind, lol.
Wendigo: Probably one that does somthing with numbers. I know it's a lame power but I'm an accountant - what can you do??
Douglas: Spider-Man or Cyclops.

how are the kids? Monolith: Theoretical
Milleniumcyke: She has a cold right now.
Homer Jay: Don't have any
Binaryan: My kindergartener is a wondrous handful.
Daytripper: Highly improbable. Just like Wanda's.
Elliemarie: Just got engaged, so I'm still a ways off for kids
Fantomex: They're small fleshy ones that vomit and take take take, but in a nice way.
Peter Luzifer: In planning stages, at best.
Trevor Cates: Fine. While I'm reading this I'm feeding one a bottle and fixing to go pick the other one up from school.
Wendigo: Very good. Thanks for asking.
Ruth: Huh?
Douglas: Still some years away.

Do you guys like other heroes ? Monolith: Absolutely
Milleniumcyke: When I was younger I would force myself to read. Now I enjoy it thanks to my vivid imagination. The comic world is a great place to go to sometimes.
Homer Jay: Blade, DC's Outsiders and the Avengers
Binaryan: Sure. Avengers, FF, TBolts, Runaways, Young Avengers...
Daytripper: Other Marvel Heroes? Of course. I'm quite fond of Batman and Dean Cain's Superman too.
Elliemarie: Runaways
Fantomex: Daredevil, Mayor Hundred and Deadpool for sure.
Peter Luzifer: Sure, why not.
Trevor Cates: Sure, favorite other is Darkhawk ... if your asking.
Wendigo: Depends if they're nice to me or not.
Ruth: Sure, I read lots of titles by DC as well.
Douglas: Spider-Man, first and always

What inspires you to read comics or books in general? Monolith: A thirst for knowledge and escapism.
Milleniumcyke: Iron Man, Spider-Man
Homer Jay: It's a nice way to pass the time
Binaryan: It started as pure escapism but is now just a weekly ritual and constant in my life. No matter what's happening in my life, I always have that Wednesday trip to the comic store to look forward to and keep me sane.
Daytripper: Living vicariously.
Elliemarie: Comics are a great escape and a lot of fun.
Fantomex: My inability to tear myelf away from this @#%$ soap opera.
Peter Luzifer: Entertainment and Knowledge.
Trevor Cates: Books take me in and make me feel like I'm a part of them.
Wendigo: Storylines mostly. That and drinking got too expensive.
Ruth: I can't remember a time when I didn't. I grew up with comics. Blame my brother.
Douglas: Wanting to know what happens next.

How did the Senior Staff get into the X-Men? Monolith: Fabian Nicieza's X-Force. 15 years later, I'm still reading his work. How cool is that?
Milleniumcyke: A friend of mine was reading X-Men back in elementary school. He took me to a local shop where I bought my first X-Title, Uncanny X-Men #205.
Homer Jay: through the 90's cartoon series.
Binaryan: My camp counselor loaned me his when I was laid up with the flu.
Daytripper: Through the 90's cartoon. Then the trading cards. It was just natural progression for a 12 year old boy.
Elliemarie: Not senior staff, but a childhood friend lent me her Excalibur issues.
Fantomex: I'm not senior staff, and yet I'm pushing forty. How does that work?? Buncha kids I tell ya.
Peter Luzifer: Answered in the About Us section.
Trevor Cates: A good imagination.
Ruth: Again, blame my brother.
Douglas: If you read Marvel, you eventually read the X-Men. The Mutant Massacre crossover was what made me realize it was different from other comics.

Second, What is the hands down best arc out there in back issues? I want it. Monolith: I tried to come up with the Top 5 best single comics in my lifetime awhile ago: Exiles #11, Thunderbolts #39, Authority #1, Fantastic Four (3rd series) #60, Black Panther (3rd series) #30.
Milleniumcyke: That's like asking me to choose a favorite child. Uhhh... how 'bout an odd time in the X-mythos, the Australian Years, starting with Uncanny X-Men #229.
Homer Jay: The Weapon X storyline.
Binaryan: Avengers Annual #10, New Mutants (1st Series) #45 (1-50 rocked in general!), X-Factor (1st Series) #87, Exiles #34, Asgardian Wars, Runaways, Y: The Last Man & Young Avengers.
Daytripper: John Byrne's Alpha Flight.
Elliemarie: Peter David's run on X-Factor
Fantomex: The twelve-issue Inhumans second series which brought Jae Lee to my world.
Peter Luzifer: The best arc ? Probably the often cited Dark Phoenix Saga. (Uncanny X-Men #129-137) Or the original Days of Future Past storyline. (Uncanny X-Men #141-142)
Trevor Cates: My favorite arc I'd have to say is Dark Phoenix Saga. My favorite Crossover / Event would have to be AoA, the first one not the second.
Wendigo: I personally liked Inferno, Mutant Massacre, and Acts of Vengeance. What? Nobody else liked Acts of Vengeance? OK. Then I won't even get into Atlantis Attacks.
Ruth: Hmm, original Brood Saga (Uncanny 162-167, and the Morrison run)
Douglas: Most of Morrison’s run, Imperium specifically.

Why the X-Men? Monolith: It was a good starting point.
Milleniumcyke: Where else can you find such a colorful group of characters?!
Homer Jay: They're outcasts and most often not understood. I often feel that way as well.
Binaryan: The social themes and allegories coupled with strong characterization and drama.
Daytripper: I agree with Binaryan, the social themes and an amazing array of characters.
Elliemarie: Great characters and is relative to issues that we all deal with in real life.
Fantomex: 'Cos Judge Dread is fugly, man.
Peter Luzifer: Because everyone can relate. Quite many belong to some minority and have experienced discrimination based on ethicity, gender, religion or sexual orientiation, all of which “mutants” can be a metaphor for. But even if you happen to be a caucasian, straight, Christian male – you must have been a teenager at some point, and as such you lived through a phase where you believed yourself to be different with nobody else being able to understand what you were going through...
Trevor Cates: I've always felt a kindred spirit with them. It seems they are always looking for a surrogate family. Since I'm adopted I know the feeling of looking for a home where I could feel wanted.
Wendigo: Because I don't like Spider-Man that much.
Ruth: ???
Douglas: I like Spider-Man more… it was the UXN site itself which drew me to work here.

For those outside the US: I'd like to know if you have any idea on how are the X-books published outside North America and England, like in the South America... Asia...

Homer Jay: There are two X-Men comics in the Netherlands. The main series translates mostly an issue of Uncanny X-Men and X-Men v2, but sometimes it clears the way for important stories from series such as X-Treme X-Men or Astonishing X-Men v3. The other X-Men title is Wolverine, which of course deals with Logan's ongoing series.

Peter Luzifer: In Germany, several of the X-titles are/were reprinted. However, over the years, several different companies had the rights to publish them, and there are huge differences between them. The current company is doing a very good job; whereas with the previous one, the translations were rather bad and they released most issues in “pocket book” format, which would be about the same size as a Reader’s Digest Journal. Because of that I switched to reading the original comics about ten years ago.

Ruth: Peter mentioned most of the relevant stuff. X-Men in Germany are currently published by Panini. They do a rather good job. They don't publish all Marvel Titles, but of those they do publish they try to get the limited series as well or at least make sure the reader is informed about goings-on in them.

Conclusion: So there it is – Visitors Feedback 2006. While the first feedback was surprising to us in many ways, there was not much in the way of eyebrow raising information here. Our demographic statistics were basically the same – and most of the complaints were that we weren’t updating fast enough for everyone’s liking. Oh, and the fact that we need to expand. So, in summary, people’s biggest complaint is that we need to expand our scope – while at the same time we need to update faster and put out more Spotlights & features more often. Does anyone want a soda while I’m up?

In seriousness, we thank each and everyone of your who participated. As you see, we even put up some pretty harsh criticism, showing that we didn’t sugarcoat this. Showing the bad defines the good – and we wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t care. While we don’t want people buttering us up and we don’t encourage sycophantic praise – it is heartening when we receive positive remarks in the Forum about our work, as it make the hours and hours we collectively spend working on this project seem worth it.

It is also heartening when we learn – as we did here – that our site is succeeding in its goal of serving as a resource for the X-Men, as well as encouraging new readers and keeping old ones. Hopefully, that encourages Marvel as well.