Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Age of X-Man, Blob, leah williams, x-men, x-tremists

Leah Williams Has Reinvented The Blob in Age of X-Man: X-Tremists

Published Thu, 07 Mar 2019 13:00:38 -0600

Leah Williams, writer of Age of X-Man: X-Tremists and future savior of the X-books, stopped by Reddit yesterday for an AMA, answering all the burning questions on the minds of readers, such as "can Glob Herman get it?"

physically? like, can his paraffin boner withstand pussy heat? sorry in advance for just typing that

But one topic that came up repeatedly is one that, as a fellow very sexy fat man, this reporter can't help but love: the transformation of Blob in the Age of X-Man universe. In a comics universe where it seems like no villain can remain truly evil forever, Blob has remained consistently a bad guy. That's no longer the case, at least in this alternate universe mutant "utopia," where Blob is as friendly as a former member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants can possibly be while on a team of X-Men tasked with enforcing the repressive rules of the sex-hating Nate Grey.

Asked by redditor mortalfinlay:

Since Blob has gone from being Dumb Evil and Slightly Uncomfortable to Granola Bar Roadtrip Dad in the Age Of X-Man, what other characters do you think deserve a reinventing and how would you do it?

Williams replied:

hmmm. I don't want to woobify too many villains honestly, because we NEED more villains, but Blob was a special case because of how his size factors so much into the vitriol people feel towards him. My hope in removing the villainy aspects of his character for X-tremists was to make people confront how they feel about fatness in general by utilizing an intriguing aspect of AoX: there is no bodily prejudice.

The transformation is working for Blob, and not just because his sexy new look combined with the current "dad bod" obsession in the cultural zeitgeist works out in his favor. Redditor GandalfTheChill asked:

Blob's leaped from somebody that actively makes me less interested in a story to a character I am dying see continue on in some form after AoX wraps up. Where on Earth did you get this wonderful character?! Are the kernels of a good character in Blog stories that I've just missed before/ were there certain specific Blob stories & moments that showed you he had potential?

To that, Williams replied:

There were kernels of this in his origin story, for sure. It's like an equation–take his desperate desire to be loved, subtract the prejudice and ridicule he's faced for his size, add the confidence of being a beloved team leader, then add a pinch of being slightly brainwashed by Nate Grey literally lowering your sex drive, and then you get X-tremists Blob.

I looked at AoX's world conditions–no physical prejudices–as a way to tell a story with Blob that never once uses his size as a punchline. The rest of it fell into place pretty naturally once I was thinking about how this world would have changed him.

And redditor IAMA_LongHorse asked:

Out of all the X-men characters out there why Blob? He doesn't seem to get a lot of love, but I like what you're doing with him.

Prompting this response from Williams:

I was really interested in how the world circumstances of AoX would give us a different Blob–as the world interacted with him differently, more compassionately and more understanding, he'd change too. He's a sweet, bookish sort in AoX.

Williams also named Blob when asked by redditor Zthe27th which of the X-Tremists was most likely to write fan fiction.

I'd imagine fan fiction is either strictly prohibited or regarded as barbaric in AoX considering attitudes towards sex, love, and relationships buttttt if someone were going to ignore all that it is 100% Blob. Easily. He's a daydreamer.

Williams also talked about the connection between Blob and Psylocke, when asked by redditor FrostFireFive:

As a big Psylocke fan I'm excited to see you get your hands on her, but I've got two questions.

How did you come up with Blobsy? It's such an off the wall pairing that kinda works when you squint at it.

And second, how does Betsy view herself after all those body swaps? What's her sense of self?

To that, Williams said:

o man, i feel like you in part answered your first question with your second one!! yeah, that was my exact line of thinking to that led me to how and why she'd end up connecting with Blob in AoX. She's not in a really good mental place before AoX considering everything, and then being brainwashed on top of that FOR AoX isn't going to make things any better. She sort of feels like she's lucid dreaming–she's distant, aloof, dreamy. But Blob in AoX is very different because of how this world affects him differently–he's warm and goofy, a daydreamer. Betsy immediately connects with his unabashed sense of self because it's something she's lacking right now, and that's before she becomes fascinated by his attraction to her. She's looking at herself through his adoring eyes and using what she finds there to inform her sense of self, and in doing this she's like "Who ARE you?? How, why are you like this???" to Fred, and things heat up from there.

Unfortunately, asked by redditor dalelito whether the relationship between these two would carry over into the regular Marvel universe after Age of X-Man, Williams was not optimistic:

I hope so. They have such a sweet and nurturing relationship in AoX that I know it can't last, though. There's too much implied heartbreak for them on the other side of it once what ever happens after AoX, happens.

So what do you think of the new Blob? Has Williams changed your perspective on the character? Let us know in the comments.

Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #1 is in stores now, with another issue hitting stores later this month. And if Williams doesn't end up the writer of Uncanny in the next few years, we riot!

Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #2
(W) Leah Williams (A) Georges Jeanty (CA) Rahzzah
THE AGE OF X-MAN CONTINUES!
As Department X continues its work of purging and revising the ill-fitting elements of society, an encounter with a pregnant rebel begins eating away at the team from within. Cleaning up the minds of the world can be a dirty job…
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 27, 2019
SRP: $3.99

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