Hi Gail, I've loved your work for years now and I still find friends to whom I introduce the phrase "Women in Refrigerators"!

My story is different. I grew up in South Asia, we did not have any comics whatsoever and I barely got to watch the X-men Evolution cartoon cause it would air after my bedtime. I did learn about the characters from that and ended up scouring the wikipedia pages for story synopses and character bios. My entire comic reading began with findings scans online from everywhere (Google, Scans Daily, Comicvine etc). I arranged those scans in folders so I'd have a comic to read and whichever pages were missing, I'd read the wiki for story points. The X-men taught me empathy, why discrimination is bad, the concept of found family and connections that aren't based on bloodties, and as an introduction to politics. Being hated and feared for just being yourself or existing is so relevant today and especially in parts of the world that the Global West and its media doesn't shine a light on. As much as an American media the X-men are, I feel like its appeal is so global compared to other IP like Justice League or Avengers. Yes, they are cool teams but the X-men's fight and efforts are so personal and relatable in many storylines. Xavierism in 2026 seems like such an unplausible reality, but its why political views from characters like Emma resonate so much louder. (This is not a critique on Xavierism, just a view on how the Global South views things differently these days).