The Suit: Heather or Mac?

[varo]

because he looks like more of a icon in that outfit than i feel heather did. ala capt. america and captain britain, i never fet heather looked as dominant and a symbol for the team and country as mac did, but again, thats my opinion.

and as far as how heather has been written since she has had a child i think she has been in the total of one issue, and her relation with her child has been summed up as "we better stop and pick up our child on the way to outer space"

she has "yet" to be written that way, "yet" being the key word. because i feel heather feels very strongly about family, and the last thing she would do is leave a child in someone elses care while she was out saving the world. but again......my opinion.

[cmdrkoenig67]

because he looks like more of a icon in that outfit than i feel heather did. ala capt. america and captain britain, i never fet heather looked as dominant and a symbol for the team and country as mac did, but again, thats my opinion.

and as far as how heather has been written since she has had a child i think she has been in the total of one issue, and her relation with her child has been summed up as "we better stop and pick up our child on the way to outer space"

she has "yet" to be written that way, "yet" being the key word. because i feel heather feels very strongly about family, and the last thing she would do is leave a child in someone elses care while she was out saving the world. but again......my opinion.

Captains America and Britain? Um...their both men too, you know?

Heather's appeared(post baby) in the two X-Men issues where Af goes to collect Sammy pare from Xavier's school and then in issue 6 of the latest series. Of course she's all about family(she IS the oldest of 7 kids, after all)...I'm not disputing that, just stating that she's not been written as the stay-at-home type.

Dana

[Legerd]

I say Mac as well for two reasons:

1. He designed and built the suit which means he is the one who would know how to use it to its full potential. Also, he could fix it on the fly if need be. Plus his scientific knowledge is a big asset in the field.

2. I agree Heather is a much stronger personality and less naive than Mac, therefore better suited to dealing with the government and its red tape. If anyone can keep Dept. H on the straight and narrow its her.

I guess that's true...it's not like the brainwashed her in the past and may be able to control her every action, even now....oh wait....

Dana

Ah, but it wasn't the government that brainwashed her, it was the corrupt heads of Dept. H. If she were in charge of Dept. H then things like that wouldn't happen... unless of course Mac forgot to pick up milk on his way home from saving the world or something.

[JohnnyCanuck]

I think Puck would be a great leader, though I can see the comic taking some heat from having a dwarf as their leader. Rename him Canuck, so he retains part of his old identity while building a new one as the figurehead of the team.
Tom

Rename him Canuck....
Why does this sound like a good idea to me?????

Johnny CANUCK

[kozzi24]

I pick up on some gender bias about who looks more iconic too. The US and Canada are similar, but Canada has it over US in many ways...less crime, less violent crime, less aggressive foreign policy, and healthcare. Look at healthcare as nurturing and the less violence and aggression, and I think a female icon for Canada is MORE symbolic. I don't think the flavor of sexism was intentional, but it was very subliminal, and very THERE.

That's part of what I prefer about Heather in the suit.

She' is more diplomatic, but tougher. Mac himself, during the Neceinza resurrection, pointed out that Heather AT THE TIME had approximately 3X the experience with the suit

There's a matter of consistent characterization here too. Mac NEVER wanted to wear the suit. There was Groundhog from First Flight Special, and this indicates that he designed the suit for others to wear, and would certainly have designed it for others to make on-the-spot repairs. The fact that the suit killed him just shows he did not think of EVERYTHING that could go wrong. And in that characterization outlook, would dying from the suit give him motivation to wear it into battle? No. If anything, there could be further interplay between he and his wife because she still wears a version of the suit that killed him, even though Bochs and Jeffries suppoedly eliminated the fatal flaw. Mac always wanted to be a lab person. Given his brilliance as we see in the Guardian battlesuit, how can he contribute more to the fictional world, wearing the battlesuit in combat or inventing other things?

Mac's discretion in member selection, even if forced by government backing, was questionable. There's a lot of examples that could be culled from 165 issues and other appearances, but I will cite only one: He admitted that he was NOT surprised that most of the original Omega Flight would have turned.

Mac's role would be in the lab and liaison, Heather as team leader...that would not leave Heather without direct interface with the government, and I could see Mac getting what he wanted, repeatedly, with the phrase, "OK, we'll see what Heather has to say about that." I think most people in the government would PREFER to work with Mac.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Mac playing househusband anyway. He can do his research with a babysack for little Emma...don't know why, but I've always called the baby that. See the tyke, watching over his shoulder, learning tech before she can walk.

As a matter of confidence, who would you rather follow into battle, the creator of the battlesuit who died wearing it or someone with 4 to 6 times the successful experience with it in combat?

Most of the Marvel Universe would be more accstomed to Heather as leader, including the Avengers, Doc Strange, Spider-Man...anyone they met in the Infinity crossovers, etc etc

Putting Mac back in the suit seems to just be pandering to making Alpha exactly as it was when they first premiered, and I don't see the use in that. I don't like ANADAF because it wasn't the originals. I don't like Volume 2 for the same reason. But my stance goes a bit deeper than that. I don't ewant to see everything just brought back to the way it was...I want to see the development that was put into these characters respected. There's well more than 10 years of CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT behind Heather as Guardian. To just bring back Mac and have him usurp the role...and make Heather pregnant then a mommy as a very sexist way of removing her from the leadership in deference to Mac...is just reverting the team to what it was originally. As of V1#12, it really could never be that way again. I never liked Snowbird's death, but I also dislike that Erik Larsen brought her back, just to make the team as close as it was to their first appearances. And it's these retro-revising plots that usually stand out as the most forced and illogical, including the ending of V3#12.

I think V3 should have been Heather and Mac leading Sasquatch, Puck, Earthmover, Shaman and the new Snowbird...because that's how they have DEVELOPED for good or bad. The Heather Mac dichtomony could have been explored...but not one writer who has brought Mac back has tried to give him character-sonsistent motivation to don the suit again. Niceinza at least tried, with General Clark's preference in dealing with Mac, but it never made an ounce of sense from the perspective of Mac's character.

Heather was down and out, and her supported-by-most-members assumption of leadership of the Flight gave the character purpose in her fictional life, and for the most part, she has performed admirably. She found her purpose, and maintains it.

Mac's character never wanted the role, and many of his in-the-field failures came from a lack of self confidence. If writer's stay true to the character, he SHOULD not be in the suit, which is my bottom line for voting against him.

I don't like the sexist excuse of "Heather's a mother" so she should stay home with the baby. We've got Sylvie and Jo and there have been many other female fans of Alpha I've encountered in the Volume 1 years who were in part drawn to the title and guys who were NOT turned off to it because the team leader was a self-assured capable woman who was not written to the man-beating Feminazi extreme. Heather, from her first appearance in Uncanny X-Men 139, was written to develop as team leader. Byrne, Mantlo, Hundall, Lobdell and Furman all continued that development. I don't want to see their work thrown aside, along with the thought and time and satisfaction I have invested in the development of that character.

I especially don't want to see it misused or thrown away because Marvel Powers that Be think it takes a male character to be an iconic hero.

[HappyCanuck]

Sorry, Varo, but I read that with gender bias as well, even tho I am damned sure that is not how you meant it - just poor phrasing. (I'm the queen of badly phrasing things). For the record, I knew what you meant when you said it, but can see how it can be misconstrued.

As for 'Heather, as a reluctant hero, not being the type to go out into dangerous situations because she's a mother': snotpuddles. Heather's a reluctant hero, just as her husband, not because she has the firepower and because she WANTS to, but because, to her, she NEEDS to. It's the same reason Mac donned the suit: Canada needed a defender, and Alpha Flight needed a leader - All the options failed, so he put the suit on. He didn't want to, but he felt he had to, since no one else was willing or able to fit the bill. Oh, and for the record (and strictly from my own observations): in Heather's case, the reason she's still in the suit is because, on some levels, she doesn't trust Mac to do right. The first time, she saw him die and couldn't do anything to protect him. That shock nearly killed her. Then having a reletively-still-fledgling Alpha land on her lap like some orphaned kid, she had to do right by these 'kids' (in a metaphoric sence) in the wake of their 'father's death, make sure they grow up nice and strong. Heather-as-human, tho the OTHERS showed confidence in her, SHE had no confidence in herself that she could live up to their expectations. To remedy that, she did the next seemingly-logical step: she put on an exact replica of the same suit that killed her husband. Safe bet (tho I don't think it was ever meantioned directly) that she resented the suit, but it was the only foreseeable solution. She put that resent behind her desire to 'raise' her 'orphaned family'. She had to make herself physically stronger to gain a facade of confidence in herself (note I said 'facade' - the confidence was there, but she was only seeing the limitations of being strictly human). After a while, that confidence grew in her. But she was still stuck: She didn't WANT to be a hero anymore than Mac did, but, to see not only the team strive forth as a unified entity, but to see her husband's dream strive despite what it caused her, she did what she felt she NEEDED to do to ensure piece of mind.

But when Mac came back, not once, but three times (once when she didn't even know he was gone!), Heather's faith in her husband - the person - faultered. Sure, she could have just dropped the suit and let Mac go off and play hero in her stead - hell, she'd like nothing more than to do just that! - but she was always afraid that he'd 'leave' again, dropping Alpha back in her lap. She invested WAY too much time and energy into keeping Alpha formidable and half-assed stable enough to function to see it fall apart again because her husband was too weak to be the defining strength that the team needed (old war axiom: "A platoon is only as strong as it's leader"). Of course, she'd never say as much to him - or hell even think such a thing outright - she loved the guy too much for that, loved what he did for HER. But at the back of her mind, that nagging little voice at the back of her head still spoke clearly: don't trust him not to mess up. (And Byrne said these characters were two-dimensional! )

And Tom... the 'Canada + Puck = Canuck' bit. As much as it's the BIGGEST pun in history... yeah, I can't find fault with it. Hell, I love it. The only thing I DO have problems is the idea of putting anyone other than Heather, Mac or their progeny/ingenue (if you had suggested MML in the suit, I prolly wouldn't have blinked an eyelash). But the fact is, Eugene doesn't need the suit. He's more than able and capable of doing his bit WITHOUT it. Not only that, putting Judd into the suit would - in my honest opinion - be akin to the original arguement against putting Heather in the suit: it would demean his character. (Although I, like many here, think that Mantlo's decision of putting Heather in the suit wasn't the best idea, I also agree that, sans Mac, Heather was the most logical choice for the suit). By putting Eugene in the suit - giving him all of Guardian/Vindicator's abilites - it takes away what made Eugene the successful hero he is, and says that (in my eyes) because he is a semi-human Dwarf, he is unable to play with the 'big boys' (a double-entendre pun in this case), despite the 90+ years of life experience he's aquired. It'd be akin to giving someone like Dr. Strange the Punisher's arsenel - pointless, extraneous firepower to someone who has proven time and time again that he doesn't need it.

In sum: mantle of 'Canuck' - REALLY good. Putting someone in the suit other than the Hudsons - not necessarily a bad idea. Putting PUCK in the suit - a counter-productive waste of time, and an insult to the character to boot.

And that is my two cents. Keep the change.

[Barnacle13]

I don't disagree with demeaning Puck by sticking him in the suit, but I think the Hudson's time has come and gone. Someone has to assume the lead role, and you can't rightly put MML in charge of the troops. He's too goody two shoes. It would have to be someone the originals could trust and someone the newbies could look up to. Only Puck or Sas does that for me if Mac or Heather isn't in the suit. And I don't think there is an Alpha Flight without that suit out in front blazing a path through the bad guys. If I had to pick between Heather or Mac I'd put Heather in the suit, but I'd really rather see them both moved into support roles. Now it wouldn't bother me at all if they could bring in someone else to put in the suit. I don't know who I'd suggest, but it bears some thought. Also, I don't think the Guardian suit necessarily has to be an EM suit. It could just be the fancy PJs with the big red maple leaf and the footies. Then you don't slap Puck in the face at all.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I say Mac as well for two reasons:

1. He designed and built the suit which means he is the one who would know how to use it to its full potential. Also, he could fix it on the fly if need be. Plus his scientific knowledge is a big asset in the field.

2. I agree Heather is a much stronger personality and less naive than Mac, therefore better suited to dealing with the government and its red tape. If anyone can keep Dept. H on the straight and narrow its her.

I guess that's true...it's not like the brainwashed her in the past and may be able to control her every action, even now....oh wait....

Dana

Ah, but it wasn't the government that brainwashed her, it was the corrupt heads of Dept. H. If she were in charge of Dept. H then things like that wouldn't happen... unless of course Mac forgot to pick up milk on his way home from saving the world or something.

Ah...but notice I said "they"...indicating DEPT H....My thoughts are how can she keep H in line if they have Brainwashed and manipulated her in the past? See my point?

Dana

[varo]

*sigh*

you have to be kidding me that when asked whom i prefer in the suit turns into a gender biased, political topic.

and any character development from chuck austen on alpha does not count. sorry. (let us not forget "armor")

as far as discussing a mothers drive to nurture her child rather than being selfish enough to don a superhero suit, i won't listen to anyone unless they have children, because you just don't know unless you do. as a matter of fact i bet heather would beg mac not ot don the suit again either because of his track record in it.

[Northcott]

As for 'Heather, as a reluctant hero, not being the type to go out into dangerous situations because she's a mother': snotpuddles. Heather's a reluctant hero, just as her husband, not because she has the firepower and because she WANTS to, but because, to her, she NEEDS to.
(snip)
She didn't WANT to be a hero anymore than Mac did, but, to see not only the team strive forth as a unified entity, but to see her husband's dream strive despite what it caused her, she did what she felt she NEEDED to do to ensure piece of mind.

You tagged it better than I did, Allan.

By putting Eugene in the suit - giving him all of Guardian/Vindicator's abilites - it takes away what made Eugene the successful hero he is, and says that (in my eyes) because he is a semi-human Dwarf, he is unable to play with the 'big boys' (a double-entendre pun in this case), despite the 90+ years of life experience he's aquired. It'd be akin to giving someone like Dr. Strange the Punisher's arsenel - pointless, extraneous firepower to someone who has proven time and time again that he doesn't need it.

Yep. That's one way of looking at it. Another is that it utterly invalidates the literary function of the character. Superheroes fill symbolic and iconic niches in literature: when you change their schtick, you change the niche they fill, and so drastically change the character.

Batman doesn't stay the same character if he's got Green Lantern's ring. Who'd be more efficient in the Iron Man armour: Tony Stark or Steve Rogers? The genre isn't about efficiency -- it's about using fantasy to explore icons and archetypes of the human condition.

Judd succeeds because he is intelligent, highly-skilled, driven, brave, and unrelenting. He overcomes adversity, bot external and intrinsic, through his resourcefulness. To give him external solutions to his problems demeans the character by reducing his impact. If it were only about efficiency, everybody in Alpha should be wearing a version of the suit.


(BTW, it always irked me that they rebuilt it as easily as they did. The original implication was that Bochs, brilliant as he was, couldn't have built his Box unit without Hudson's help. Rebuilding the suit was arguably beyond Roger's abilities, even with Jefferies help. Never mind improving the design.)

[Northcott]

Look at healthcare as nurturing and the less violence and aggression, and I think a female icon for Canada is MORE symbolic. I don't think the flavor of sexism was intentional, but it was very subliminal, and very THERE.

Be careful in accusing others of sexism in the same breath that you attribute specific character attributes to one gender. A man can't be less violent and more nurturing than the stereotype?

I'm not out to smack you over the head with the sexism stick here, Kozz, but the above statement holds a great deal of irony.

She' is more diplomatic, but tougher. Mac himself, during the Neceinza resurrection, pointed out that Heather AT THE TIME had approximately 3X the experience with the suit

It always disappoints me how writers take advantage of "Marvel Time" to keep characters from aging, but then completely forget about it when it's convenient. Heather spent a lot of time in the suit, but it wasn't necessarily more than Mac.

Let's face it: Alpha as an IP has been the victim of some spectacularly bad writing jags. If we took everything the characters ever said or did as utter fact, the inconsistencies would likely cause a cerebral meltdown. I prefer to look at overall trends and character potential in future useage.

There's a matter of consistent characterization here too. Mac NEVER wanted to wear the suit.

Nor did Heather. Mac did, however, finally come to be at peace with his role when he made the switch from Vindicator to Guardian, as suggested by Michael. The "reluctant leader" argument doesn't hold water: both Heather and Mac were of that mindset. It's a staple of fiction (and even myth).

And in that characterization outlook, would dying from the suit give him motivation to wear it into battle? No.

Would losing in the boxing ring give a boxer motivation to go back in and train harder? Depends on what kind of a person you are. Champions may get knocked down, but they get back up. I prefer to see super-heroes in a similar light... works better for the genre, imo.

Given his brilliance as we see in the Guardian battlesuit, how can he contribute more to the fictional world, wearing the battlesuit in combat or inventing other things?

Why... both! Hank Pym, Tony Stark, Reed Richards (and even before comics, with Doc Savage) -- it's the tradition of the science hero: they are an active individual that uses their scientific miracles for the betterment of mankind through direct action.

Mac's discretion in member selection, even if forced by government backing, was questionable. There's a lot of examples that could be culled from 165 issues and other appearances, but I will cite only one: He admitted that he was NOT surprised that most of the original Omega Flight would have turned.

And Heather blew a hole in Snowbird. Does this mean Heather should be written as ruthless? Hell, no! I stick to my point on writing above.

Mac was not surprised that most of Omega turned. Why do you see this as flawed character judgement? If anything, it reinforces strong character judgement: he knew down to a person who was corruptable and who was not. Look which people were in Beta, Gamma, and Alpha respectively.

When finding beings of a given power level, you have a couple choices: You can leave them to run amok in society, or you can put them in a controlled atmosphere and measure the progress of their power even as you attempt to turn them into productive citizens.

Mac may have been a reluctant leader, but you're making a pretty good case for his having had remarkable vision and the wits to institute it. I never would have thought of that example.

I could see Mac getting what he wanted, repeatedly, with the phrase, "OK, we'll see what Heather has to say about that." I think most people in the government would PREFER to work with Mac.

I'd feel really uncomfortable playing up either character like that. I see both as being strong personalities, though with different strengths. Complimenting each other and being stronger together than the sum of the parts -- not one leaning on the other as a crutch.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Mac playing househusband anyway. He can do his research with a babysack for little Emma...don't know why, but I've always called the baby that. See the tyke, watching over his shoulder, learning tech before she can walk.

I think that's a beautiful vision. If I ever get the chance, mind if I use it someday?

As a matter of confidence, who would you rather follow into battle, the creator of the battlesuit who died wearing it or someone with 4 to 6 times the successful experience with it in combat?

Most of the Marvel Universe would be more accstomed to Heather as leader, including the Avengers, Doc Strange, Spider-Man...anyone they met in the Infinity crossovers, etc etc

Addressed with my comment on Marvel Time above.

If writer's stay true to the character, he SHOULD not be in the suit, which is my bottom line for voting against him.

My opinion is of the opposite slant: to be true to the character, he must be in the suit. He is of the science hero archetype; the active font of knowledge that does good in the world through direct application. This is the character that had the vision to create a national team, and create a national organization dedicated to a dream akin to Xavier's. He's the character who had the force of personality to hold the original, squabbling Alpha together -- who were, and remain, representative of Canada's different squabbling political factions, which is why they continue to "gel" and feel more right than the various Alpha creations since that time. Roger Bochs and Eugene Judd didn't just follow Mac because of a paycheck: they were inspired by him.

Heather, from her first appearance in Uncanny X-Men 139, was written to develop as team leader.

Where do you get that impression?

Byrne, Mantlo, Hundall, Lobdell and Furman all continued that development. I don't want to see their work thrown aside, along with the thought and time and satisfaction I have invested in the development of that character.

I especially don't want to see it misused or thrown away because Marvel Powers that Be think it takes a male character to be an iconic hero.

If we're to talk about respecting other people's work, and thought being tossed aside, Heather should never have ended up in the suit in the first place.

I take issue with the idea that to be a hero or to be a leader that a woman must act like the sexist male stereotype and run about blowing things up or beating on people. Or that to be a hero she must engage in these things. Contrary to your statement above about Heather having been built up as team leader, that development didn't occur until Byrne's solo attempt at Alpha Flight -- and even then he never meant her to don the suit.

[Northcott]

I don't disagree with demeaning Puck by sticking him in the suit, but I think the Hudson's time has come and gone. Someone has to assume the lead role, and you can't rightly put MML in charge of the troops. He's too goody two shoes. It would have to be someone the originals could trust and someone the newbies could look up to. Only Puck or Sas does that for me if Mac or Heather isn't in the suit. And I don't think there is an Alpha Flight without that suit out in front blazing a path through the bad guys. If I had to pick between Heather or Mac I'd put Heather in the suit, but I'd really rather see them both moved into support roles. Now it wouldn't bother me at all if they could bring in someone else to put in the suit. I don't know who I'd suggest, but it bears some thought. Also, I don't think the Guardian suit necessarily has to be an EM suit. It could just be the fancy PJs with the big red maple leaf and the footies. Then you don't slap Puck in the face at all.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the ideas you suggest sound very much like what we saw in Volumes 2 and 3: toss out the old team and replace them with all new members -- save one or two icons from the old guard (and perhaps even modifying those).

As far as discussing a mothers drive to nurture her child rather than being selfish enough to don a superhero suit, i won't listen to anyone unless they have children, because you just don't know unless you do. as a matter of fact i bet heather would beg mac not ot don the suit again either because of his track record in it.

It cuts both ways. Being a responsible and compassionate fellow, do you not think James would also be very hesitant? I'd rather see family dynamics included in the make-up of the characters, though, and still keep them active. Adds new dimension to the leaders and reinforces that family feel. (Damn, what a cool uncle Judd would make!)

[varo]

good points.


now that i think about it, i think with everything we have seen from the last 3 incarnations of alpha and the hudsons newborn at home i would like to change my answer.

the hudsons in a administration position within the new dept. h and the suit going on.......


mml.


heres why. it was never confirmed but it looks like mml has no powers of his own (thunder forming the league of super powered animals.....*sigh* and mml with the guns in #12)


i think the suit is more of the icon status rather than the person in it.

[varo]

and northcott let me ask you a few insider questions if you don't mind. i read somewher on these boards that you were real close to landing this latest series, not sure if that is true or not.

also, how does submitting a proposal on a series work? does marvel put out a open letter for proposals on a series they are considering launching, or do creators go to the publisher with a idea, and is then considered?

[Northcott]

and northcott let me ask you a few insider questions if you don't mind. i read somewher on these boards that you were real close to landing this latest series, not sure if that is true or not.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades. Back when the Epic line was being developed, J Torres and I were in talks with editorial folk about re-launching Alpha. The feeling was that the time was right, and they wanted a reboot of a more "classic" Alpha Flight, though we were going to be starting with only a few members of the original team (Mac, Heather, Sas, Puck, Twins).

The proposal was submitted, we recieved word that they liked it but wanted to see changes: two more revisions were sent in over the next month and a half as ideas continued to bounce around, and then we received word that a "big name" had said he wanted the series, and so we were booted. This big name turned out to be Scott Lobdell.

Note: In all likelihood this was in no way Mr. Lobdell's fault. I sincerely doubt that he had any inkling that there was another proposal floating around out there. From what I understand it was an innocent miscommunication between editorial staff. Our proposal may have been first, but Mr. Lobdell's name held more sway and so we were summarily axed.

also, how does submitting a proposal on a series work? does marvel put out a open letter for proposals on a series they are considering launching, or do creators go to the publisher with a idea, and is then considered?

Relationship with an editor is key. It's all in who you know. J had been doing work for Marvel for some time, and so had some contacts there. If you really want to see what his stuff is like, though, I suggest checking out his indy work. His website is at: http://www.jtorresonline.com

My personal favourite is his "Sidekicks" work. Brilliant stuff imho. Wonderfully simple and touching, yet remains perfect all-ages writing. I really hoped Alpha would take on this kind of tone. C.B. Cebulski, an assistant editor at marvel, used to be the editor of the small press company that originally published Sidekicks. From what I recall, he was part of J's original "in" at Marvel, which expanded after he did work with them. (Being nominated for an Eisner Award didn't hurt, either)

As it stands, I really doubt that anybody at Marvel knows me from a hole in the ground. J (and a couple other writers) are fond of my work, so keep trying to get me in on projects. As it stands I seem to have the mark of Cain on me: everytime it looks like a project's a go, something puts the breaks on it.

So now we're waiting on word from Image (so bloody close!!!) while drumming up another proposal for Vertigo.

Long and short of it: If you want to throw a pitch for series, they've got to know you first. If you want them to know you, you have to be in the industry. To be in the industry, you've got to work in the industry -- which means either self-publishing or small-press publishing for most people. Some folks manage to step in after showing their portfolio/writing samples around a couple places, but those guys are the very lucky minority.

Edit: For a deeper look at J, what he's written, and what he's currently writing, check out: http://www.comicarts.org/innerview.php