An Email I Recently Sent
To: Joss Whedon - Writer of Astonishing X-Men
Subject: Astonishing X-Man #14 - Whedon, Sex, and the Bad Guys
[Okay to print ... though I doubt you'll want to as this email covers more than your wonderful comic.]
Mr. Whedon -
What is it about you and good guy/bad guy sex? It's a fascinating recurrence in your work -- Buffy and Spike, Angel and Darla, Wesley and Lila, and now Scott Summers and Emma Frost. Wounded or tortured heroes stumble into or are pulled into sexual relationships with one-time enemies who aren't currently active enemies but whom the heroes still don't trust. The villains, on their part, never forsake their nefarious goals and motivations but put them somewhat in abeyance as they respond both to a need for intimacy and to an affection for their partners that is real and that is often, tragically, not shared by them.
And maybe there's one reason for having these rendezvous, and that's that they are full of ironies and tensions that are quite dramatic. There are the obvious ones of course, but deeper than "She/He's sleeping with him/her!?!" is that we find ourselves rooting (or at least I myself root) for the villains as their affections are the most sincere. The good guys can't deny their passion but, ridden by their higher ideals, cannot surrender themselves to love their villainous sexual partners. In contrast the bad guys, not burdened with such ethics and used to doggedly pursuing self-interest, are perfectly comfortable reveling in the passion and accepting any emotional ties that arise. Thus it begins to feel to us (or, again, maybe just to me) that the good guys are using the bad guys ... which, of course, makes us question our whole good guy/bad guy distinction ... which, of course, makes for lovely storytelling.
But it's this honesty thing that fascinates me most. It seems like through these sexual relationships -- and most clearly with our dear, tortured Mr. Summers and our bright, dangerous beauty, Ms. Frost -- the "bad guys" leads our lost "good guys" to acknowledge truths about themselves. And that's the irony that's really wicked, the bad guy who is the guide to truth.
So I ask, (not that I expect you to answer or even am sure that your wonderful editors will forward this email to you) is this a conscious narrative strategy of yours? If so, what are your thoughts about good guys and bad guys and their hookups?
Thanks for your wonderful and engaging work.
Clinton Johnston
Subject: Astonishing X-Man #14 - Whedon, Sex, and the Bad Guys
[Okay to print ... though I doubt you'll want to as this email covers more than your wonderful comic.]
Mr. Whedon -
What is it about you and good guy/bad guy sex? It's a fascinating recurrence in your work -- Buffy and Spike, Angel and Darla, Wesley and Lila, and now Scott Summers and Emma Frost. Wounded or tortured heroes stumble into or are pulled into sexual relationships with one-time enemies who aren't currently active enemies but whom the heroes still don't trust. The villains, on their part, never forsake their nefarious goals and motivations but put them somewhat in abeyance as they respond both to a need for intimacy and to an affection for their partners that is real and that is often, tragically, not shared by them.
And maybe there's one reason for having these rendezvous, and that's that they are full of ironies and tensions that are quite dramatic. There are the obvious ones of course, but deeper than "She/He's sleeping with him/her!?!" is that we find ourselves rooting (or at least I myself root) for the villains as their affections are the most sincere. The good guys can't deny their passion but, ridden by their higher ideals, cannot surrender themselves to love their villainous sexual partners. In contrast the bad guys, not burdened with such ethics and used to doggedly pursuing self-interest, are perfectly comfortable reveling in the passion and accepting any emotional ties that arise. Thus it begins to feel to us (or, again, maybe just to me) that the good guys are using the bad guys ... which, of course, makes us question our whole good guy/bad guy distinction ... which, of course, makes for lovely storytelling.
But it's this honesty thing that fascinates me most. It seems like through these sexual relationships -- and most clearly with our dear, tortured Mr. Summers and our bright, dangerous beauty, Ms. Frost -- the "bad guys" leads our lost "good guys" to acknowledge truths about themselves. And that's the irony that's really wicked, the bad guy who is the guide to truth.
So I ask, (not that I expect you to answer or even am sure that your wonderful editors will forward this email to you) is this a conscious narrative strategy of yours? If so, what are your thoughts about good guys and bad guys and their hookups?
Thanks for your wonderful and engaging work.
Clinton Johnston
posted by - caj at 6:09 AM
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