Yes, in fact, during a time in my life when my blog posts are few and far between, I’m blogging about one issue of one comic book. It’s kind of had an impact on me.
This will be spoilery, so the rest is behind the cut.
In 1975, when I was ten, my brother bought a copy of Giant-Sized X-Men #1 and I found my first-ever crush: Nightcrawler. Kurt was different. Well, anyone could see that: he was, after all, blue and pointy-eared, with a prehensile tail and glowing eyes. Plus he was German, which I thought was extremely cool, seeing as my dad had been stationed in Berlin with the army and spoke the language. The teleporting was also a big selling point.
Over the next 35 years (Gods, has it really been that long?), Kurt grew into a multidimensional character with a distinct personality. He was clever and charming. He loved old swashbuckler movies. He was devoutly Catholic, and that had a profound effect on his ethics. He loved his friends, always tried to do the right thing, and somehow, despite the fact that he was a very obvious mutant in a world that was rife with violence against mutants, he managed to keep his faith not just in his God but in humanity. He had some very rough times, but he always managed to find his way back to a place where he could hope.
Yes, I’m speaking of him in the past tense. In X-Force #26, which came out this week, Kurt gave his life to protect someone else. Which really is the only way he should have gone. Frankly, I’m devastated. Even though he was fictional, I’ve loved him most of my life. I’ll miss him terribly.
Schlaf gut, Liebchen.
