In 1999, the superhero genre wasn't looking so hot. The comic-book business was severely depressed after the excesses of the early 1990s and a comic-based movie wasn't anybody's idea of a good date. The few superhero films of the last few years had mostly been either aggressively terrible (Batman and Robin, Spawn, Steel) or carefully styled to feel as "un-comic-booky" as possible (Blade, The Mask of Zorro). Even Mystery Men was largely a joke at the genre's expense. It wasn't all the actors. Batman and Robin had George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, and Uma Thurman in it, and somehow managed to make them unattractive. But when X-Men threw a spotlight on Jackman with those soulful eyes, that fatherly concern, and that sculpted, rock-hard body, he commanded the attention of quite a few people who wanted entertainment to engage them on, ahem, every level. A superhero hadn't been a sex symbol since Christopher Reeve's early days, but they sure got sexy fast after Jackman showed them how it could pay off in terms of box office receipts. This was a big reason for the comeback in superheroes' popularity that continues today. Jackman simply helped make them cool again, and that ensured another generation would enjoy them too. Retire in peace, proud weightlifter.
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
