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lunarblazes · 14 days

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early logan is the funniest fucking guy ever. they keep running into magneto and it always goes like

wolverine: I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP MAGNETO cyclops: logan PLEASE we CANNOT fight this guy [removes logan from the fight because he doesn't know when to run] wolverine: THIS TIME I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP MAGNETO THE ONLY REASON I KEEP LOSING IS CAUSE SCOTT IS A LITTLE BITCH magneto: magneto: your bones are made of metal you crazy little freak. what

#xmen #uncanny xmen #wolverine #i do love how op magneto is w the new team #like he just got his crazy power boost and he keeps wiping the floor with them #and logan just WILL NOT give it up it's hilarious #two of your team members are MADE OF METAL #including YOU LOGAN #the tension in these issues is craaaazy though #they were not lying that chris claremont rlly can xmen

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wellnoe · 7 months

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cable being like: maybe i should destroy both jean and my telepathic abilities, so she won't go dark phoenix, and i won't lose her as well as scott is like. extremely a lot in terms of emotions. its also imo like. a lot for jean to have 0 reaction to.

#i can't remember if she reacts to it later. everyone else does! but jean is busy.#perhaps she is ignoring him on purpose #i do like that cable is very sensitive to the idea that he might lose jean and i ALSO like that chris claremont is bringing up jean dying w #other people #in their heads. a favorite subject of mine-#this is uncanny x-men #381. btw #w.me

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agentxthirteen · 2 years

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Sharon-A-Day, Day 186 (7/7/22)

Contest of Champions II 1. On sale 7/7/99. "The Gathering"

Writer: Chris S. Claremont

Penciller: Oscar G. Jimenez

Inker: Eduardo Alpuente

Letterer: Albert W. Deschesne

Colorist: Dennis Calero

Editor: Ruben Diaz

An alien impersonates Sharon.

#sharon carter #agent 13 #contest of champions #captain america #steve rogers #chris s claremont #oscar g jimenez #eduardo alpuente #albert w deschesne #dennis calero #ruben diaz

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x-istential-crisis · 8 months

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This is so cute look at them all having a group giggle at Kitty phasing through every piece of the Danger Room w her eyes closed. Uncanny X-Men #141

Chris Claremont and John Byrne

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lovecanbesostrange · 11 days

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Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #178 (1983) writer: Chris Claremont penciler: John Romita, Jr. inkers: Bob Wiacek & Brett Breeding

X-Men Blue: Origins (2023) writer: Si Spurrier artists: Wilton Santos (w/ Oren Junior, inks) & Marcus To color artist: Ceci De La Cruz

One thing that is canon in the 616 is the fact that Mystique took Rogue in and raised her as her daughter. The details on this have been vague, we have had different versions of their first meeting and we do not talk about the exact age of characters for various reasons.

Over the years Rogue and Mystique clashed a lot of times. Often depending on how far Mystique was on the villain scale and what twisted goal she was currently after. UXM #177 had her train in Murderworld against X-bots to kill them all, including Rogue herself, just to see if she could do it to get her daughter back. Because she was convinced that Professor Xavier had brainwashed her. Murder as means to an end is part of her charm.

Yet the confrontation in #178 makes it clear that Rogue chose to seek out help from the X-Men. It is her choice. For her own good. Because Mystique could not help her with the lack of control of her powers. But this is very much a mother-daughter conversation. "Mother knows best", well until she doesn't.

The thing I love about that moment from 40+ years ago - one of the earliest close-ups of this family relationship - is that Rogue never denies Mystique that role. She is her mother. And she was there to fight away nightmares. Once upon a time Rogue felt safe and protected. And it's so nice to see how the one-shot from 2023 runs with that. To give us a nice beginning.

"When Ah was a kid -- 'fore Ah developed mah power -- Ah remember you holdin' me, protectin' me from the badness an' nightmares."

Those panels from the Origin story make me believe in all of that. And oh the heartbreak from the moment Rogue's power did manifest and Mystique would no longer hold her like that. Afraid of her own daughter. Exquisite angst that was brushed off too often.

Also shown: Raven draws a gun on Irene. She is ready to shoot anybody, including people she loves. That's established. She does in fact shoot Rogue in the back at one point: in true Mystique fashion though it comes with the "for her own good"-thinking. Because Mystique has a plan that in the end does actually help Rogue. That's the best twisted part of it all. It's very important that from Mystique's POV her love for Rogue as her daughter is never in question. While for Rogue there are some complications in the mix (because Mystique absolutely did use her specifically for her power and pushed her into a life of crime and hate, the usual). So much to unpack and with the different writers going for different angles - often a bit too much abuse and not enough "it's complicated". But I really like putting these two moments - decades and decades apart - together for a little feeling of continuity.

#X-Men #Rogue #Anna Marie LeBeau #Mystique #Raven Darkholme #there is so much to discuss So Very Much #and personally I was hoping to one day go with Claremont's plan to have them be related by blood and all #however I'm very much a fan of how Kelly Thompson handled it all with a bit of humor and how she had Mystique around for Rogue's wedding #what's a bit of murdery intent between X-people? there have been worse things forgiven...#I would so love to see them as a ruthless mother-daughter-villain team in the MCU................ *heavy sigh*

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balu8 · 6 months

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Uncanny X-Men #230

by Chris Claremont (W.); Marc Silvestri (P.); Joe Rubinstein (I:); Glynis Oliver (C.) and Tom Orzechowski (L.)

Marvel

#marvel comics #the uncanny x men #marc silvestri #joe rubinstein #glynis oliver #Tom Orzechowski #chris claremont #comic book

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doomreed · 7 months

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Recommended (mostly comic book) reading guide for Doom/Reed v2, text version & some details behind cut:

=DoomReed ship reading guide v2.0=

1960’s-80’s (Lee & Kirby thru deFalco):

Fantastic Four #5 (Doom’s first appearance ever in comics! and his reunion w/ Reed)

Fantastic Four #10 (kidnap & bodyswap)

Fantastic Four Annual #2 (Doom’s full origin story, including the Incident In College)

Fantastic Four #196-200 (intense arc, ends w/ their first very… physical fight)

Fantastic Four #236

Fantastic Four #260 & #288

Fantastic Four #381 & Fantastic Four Unlimited #12 (+ Fantastic Four Unplugged #2) (the DeFalco suicide pact arc, which is very wild and very intense)

Fantastic Four #352 (time duel story! an absolute classic)

1990’s (Heroes Reborn/Return era):

Fantastic Four v2 (1997) #5-6

Captain America v2 (1997) #12

Chris Claremont:

Fantastic Four v3 (1998) #25, #29-31 (Reed stuck in Doom’s armor, becoming more like Victor - but also emphasizes how much alike they already were)

2000’s (Mark Waid):

Fantastic Four #499 (numbered as #70) & #500 (start of the “Unthinkable” arc, which shows Victor in a bad light but is worth it for the dynamic and for how Reed is written)

Fantastic Four #503 (Reed takes over Latveria)

Fantastic Four #507 (Reed builds a pocket dimension to imprison just himself and Victor, it’s very intense honestly)

Dwayne McDuffie:

Fantastic Four #551-553

Fantastic Four Special, “My Dinner with Doom” (honestly one of the best and most overtly romantic stories for these two, Reed literally goes on a dinner date with Victor)

Mark Millar:

Fantastic Four #558, 562

Hickman/Secret Wars Era:

Fantastic Four #581 (arc ends in #582)

FF v1 (2010) #1-14 (omit 6, 7, 10, 11): concluding in Fantastic Four #611

New Avengers v3 (2013) #6, 7,14

Secret Wars (2015) #2-4, 9 + Marvel’s Two-In-One Annual #1 for conclusion

Post-Secret Wars Era:

Infamous Iron Man #6, #8

Marvel Two In One (2017) #5-6 (+ #4 for background), Annual #1, & #11

Fantastic Four (2018-) #25, #32, B Story, “Duel Intentions” & #33

Doctor Doom #9 & #10 (Chris Cantwell)

Origin Re-tellings & Variations:

Books of Doom #2

Before The Fantastic Four: Reed Richards #1-3

Shame Itself (B story) (satire)

F4 #416 ‘Roads Not Taken'

Ultimates (1610) setting:

Ultimate Fantastic Four #2, #7, #9-12, & #31-32

AU Versions:

Fantastic Five (2007) #1-5

Warlock (1972) #6-7

Exiles #95-98

What If? (1977) #22 (‘What if Doctor Doom was a Hero?“)

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #42

100th Anniversary #1

GeNext: United #2

What If? (1977) #6 (‘What if the Fantastic Four had different Super Powers?’)

Also Recommended:

Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1-4 (1987)

X-Men + Fantastic Four (2020) #2 & #3

Fantastic Four: The Movie (2005) (comic adaptation)

DOOM 2099 (2019)

Fantastic Four 2099 (1996) #6-8

Other Media:

Fantastic Four: Doomgate by Jeffrey Lang (novel)

#doomreed #reading guide #comic reading guide #reed richards #victor von doom #doctor doom #mister fantastic

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bookoftheironfist · 3 months

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hihi!!!

what do you think of an asian danny (comics) ? i know we have pei (whom i adore) but how do you think danny as a character would change? (personally i feel like danny would feel less isolated in kun lun, maybe only dimensional differences, but would face more racism back in america. i think white danny is a better concept, to be torn in half between your nature(america) vs nurture(kun lun) yknow)

Hihi! Thank you for asking!

A few key points, just to start off:

I am not Asian myself, therefore I feel like my opinion on this topic doesn't really matter. (I also don't work for Marvel, so my opinion really doesn't matter.)

At the end of the day, this conversation comes down to the desire for more and better Asian representation across the Marvel Universe, which is obviously something we should all want.

Okay, now, on to the in-universe, Danny-specific stuff:

I would be perfectly happy with an Asian Danny, and I understand the arguments for making that change. I don't personally feel like it's a necessary change in this case, but I do get it, and I do think that the introduction of the Iron Fist legacy was very important; back when he was the first and only person to have defeated Shou-Lao, it was certainly much more uncomfortable that he was an outsider. (I will also point out that the feeling of being pulled in two directions--America and K'un-Lun--is something that he would still experience if he were Asian. Probably even moreso due, as you mentioned, to anti-Asian racism and anti-immigrant sentiments in the US.)

For me, the question is more about whether Danny should be of K'un-Lun descent specifically. Just making him Asian wouldn't make him not an outsider there, and that was the main cause of his alienation as a child. The thing that baffled me about Lin Lie being chosen as the next Iron Fist to presumably "fix" the "problem" of Danny's non-native status was that Lin isn't from K'un-Lun either. He's just as much of an outworlder as Danny, and at least Danny grew up in the city and had family there. (And obviously, that's not even touching on the fact that we already had Pei, who was born K'un-Lun.)

Tucos: "You dare aspire to join the ranks of the immortals of K'un-Lun--!?!" Danny: "I dare nothing, Tucos--I merely am. If I am Iron Fist, it is because the gods--thru Yu-Ti--will it so...and if I become an immortal--it is because they will that as well!" Merrin: "Is that so, outworlder--? How pleasant to see an Earther mortal adopt our ways so...fervently." Iron Fist vol. 1 #2 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Michele W., F. Chiarmonte, and Joe Rosen

Kheng: "Stupid orphan couldn't stop a bunch of dogs from turning his mother into breakfast...how were you ever going to face an immortal?" Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #3 by Kaare Kyle Andrews and Joe Caramagna

Yang Yi: "The next Iron Fist should have been one of us. Any of us--even Mei Min. It should have been me." Lin: "I--I didn't call Shou-Lao to me on purpose." Yang Yi: "That's even worse! You stole something that belongs to K'un-Lun and you don't even know its worth. The last Iron Fist was an outsider. So was the one before him. Special enough that the dragon chose them...or callous enough to rip its heart out without respect." Iron Fist vol. 6 #2 by Alyssa Wong, Michael Yg, Sean Chen, Victor Olazaba, and Jay David Ramos

If Danny had been Asian but not from K'un-Lun, the bullying might have focused less on his appearance (he gets called "Snow Pea" and "Snowflake" in Living Weapon), but he still would have been an outsider, an Earther mortal freak, and his bullies would still have been angry that he became the Iron Fist instead of them. If Danny had been of K'un-Lun descent...honestly, I still think he would have struggled to fit in, since he wasn't raised in the culture. Wendell as we know him didn't teach Danny anything about K'un-Lun, and unless we considered the idea of changing Wendell's personality or past experiences, I can imagine that would still be the case if he had blood ties to the city. It would still have been something Wendell spent most of Danny's life trying to put behind him, and Danny would still have been arriving massively traumatized, and even with the knowledge that his ancestors had been from K'un-Lun, I'm not sure how much that would have fixed for him, or for his peers' perception of him. This is a dimension that is extremely difficult to access, and thus a very insular society. They don't get a lot of outworlders, regardless of their race or ancestry.

For the record, it would be easy to give Danny blood ties to K'un-Lun without changing a single thing about his backstory, due to the simple fact that we have no idea where Wendell came from. He was just some random orphan Orson stumbled upon in the Himalayas. It would be very easy for a writer to do a story arc in which Danny found out that his father (possibly even unbeknownst to Wendell) was born in K'un-Lun. Rather than retconning Danny's backstory to make him aware of this from the beginning, I feel like it would be a more interesting approach to have Danny discover a blood connection later on, in the present day. I am always a big fan of explorations of Danny's relationship to K'un-Lun, and this would certainly present new territory in that regard.

Ultimately, though, I agree with you in that I don't feel like this change is needed, or even that it would change much about Danny's character or journey (which I suppose could be an argument either for or against). He would still be that same guy caught between two worlds and not fully at home in either. My personal feeling is that I would rather see characters like Colleen Wing, Pei, Sparrow, Miranda...heck, even Steel Serpent...given more of a spotlight. As I mentioned at the top, what's most important is having strong Asian representation throughout the Marvel Universe, and there are a ton of fantastic, under-used Asian characters within the Iron Fist sphere who I hate to see buried under ongoing debates about this one guy's ethnicity, especially when those debates too often seem to contain incorrect information from people who haven't actually read many of the comics.

Again, thanks for the question! Obviously, this is a very layered and sensitive topic, and having lived through the heated conversations surrounding the Netflix show, it's something that is always on my mind.

#Long post #finnflynn #Iron Fist #Danny Rand #Messages #Commentary #ID in alt text

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bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls · 4 months

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To what do you owe your eloquence and articulation?

It isn’t genetics, that much is clear. In terms of experiences?

Comic books. I taught myself to read using tattered copies of House of Mystery and oversized reprints of old shit like Action Comics #1. I drove my mom insane, running from my bedroom to the kitchen every three minutes to ask, “What’s this word?”

Becoming a disruptive student in sixth grade, and realizing that if you phrased things just so, even the teacher would laugh. You could basically take her class away from her, and make her like it.

Harrison Ford said “George, you can type this shit, but you can’t say it!” I learned to never be satisfied with a sentence until I could smoothly read it aloud.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy took me to a different place. I suddenly wanted to lace my words with double and triple meanings, began playing with puns and lateral thinking, and ultimately saw the power of communicative amalgam… being simultaneously insightful and stupid at the same time. (Ba-dum-bump. I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitress.)

I accidentally bought a ticket to Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V. I became obsessed. I uncovered a linguistic power that exceeded my comprehension… it was like a monkey finding the launch codes for a nuke.

I got lost in the wilderness for quite a while. I had no voice. I wrote like whatever I was reading at the time. I read a bunch of Alan Dean Foster, so I wrote like him. Douglas Adams. Clive Barker. Craig Shaw Gardner. W. Shakespeare. Frank Miller. Chris Claremont. Esther Freisner. I’d rip off their styles without noticing. I became a mimic.

I found an online sex forum full of perverted lawyers, engineers, PhDs, and one honest-to-God aristocrat, who liked to fight as much as fuck. I admired some of them —these were the most extensively educated, articulate people I’d ever met— and loathed others —my admiration and loathing shifted around as people changed over the years— but mostly I wanted to be their peer. I had to learn to craft impenetrable arguments and apologize when I was wrong. I discovered oratory. I found I had a knack for crafting meaningful connections between disparate phenomena. And most of all, I developed an elevated, written version of my normal speech patterns.

#asks

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notes-from-sarah · 4 months

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Fav pages/panels

Magneto's daily schedule: Hellfire Club Meeting Danger Room Lunch w/AN + Chris (editor and writer)

Uncanny X-Men #219 by Chris Claremont

#X-Men #Chris Claremont #Comics #Magneto #Erik Lehnsherr #xmen

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charliejaneanders · 1 year

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Mutant Makeovers #3: Uncanny X-Men issue 210, w: Chris Claremont: a: John Romita & Dan Green, colors: Glynis Oliver. Rogue gets an emergency makeover at a department store. “Can you save this face???”

#x-men #xmen #mutants #marvel comics #comics #superheroes #rogue #makeovers #fashion #beauty #that's a lot of blue eyeshadow right there

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dirtyriver · 10 months

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Comics industry class picture of the 1992

Via Heidi McDonald at The Beat:

Front row (l-r): Jim Shooter, then editor in chief at Valiant; Chuck Rozanski (not doing a very good job of hiding his discomfort with the Marvel suit folks, he says); Richard Pini, publisher of Elfquest; Will Eisner; Mike Richardson, owner/president Dark Horse; Milton Griepp; retailer Bill Liebowitz

Middle row: Denis Kitchen, publisher Kitchen Sink Press; retailer Mike Raub; Bruce Bristow, DC’s marketing director; Mike Friedrich, agent at Star*Reach; John Davis, co-owner at Capital; writer Peter David; I think that’s Mel Thompson, a business analyst whose take in the comics industry was often sought; Mike Hobson (I’m pretty sure) a longtime VP at Marvel; Terry Stewart, then president of Marvel

Back row: Paul Levitz, not sure of his exact title in ‘92 but he ran DC Comics; retailer Gary Colabuono; Tom Flinn , I think he worked at Capital; Allan Caplan of Skybox, a trading card company; Chris Claremont; Mike Martens, then at Capital, later at Dark Horse; retailer Ron Hon; and Shame on me! It’s David Scroggy of Dark Horse!

Color picture posted on Chuck Rozanski's FB.

B&W ID'd picture supplied by John Jackson Miller, as well as the cover of the booklet:

#Comics #Photography #Jim Shooter #Chris Claremont #Paul Levitz #Mike Friedrich #Peter David #Mike Richardson #Richard Pini #Denis Kitchen

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scienceninjaturtle · 1 year

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X-TREME X-MEN #4 (OF 5)

CHRIS CLAREMONT (W)

SALVADOR LARROCA (A/C)

Homage Variant Cover by DAN PANOSIAN

Classic Design Variant Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA

RAGING STORM!

The X-TREME X-MEN have suffered a major loss, and nothing will contain STORM's unbridled rage! But when an anti-mutant scheme leaves the team without powers, can they survive the onslaught of PURITY and the GALÉRER, or will they be done in by the agents of hate and fear?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

#marvel comics #xtreme x men #x men

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bamfdaddio · 2 years

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New Mutants Abridged: 1985

The New Mutants, the YA branch of the X-Men, are the next generation: they have to learn to control their powers and to integrate into a world that hates and fears them. As their first official spin-off, the much more coherent New Mutants are a part of the X-Men’s long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(New Mutants 22 - 34) - by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, Steve Leialoha

My favorite subplot of this year is Sam rebelling in the softest way possible by dating a rocker chick and adopting some of her wardrobe. Of course Xavier can't even abide this, the meekest of teenage resistance, because he’s the squarest of squares. (New Mutants 24)

Whereas the Uncanny X-Men in 1985 are a bit of a disorganized mess, the New Mutants are a lot more focused. We’ve got three main arcs, and the last one barely gets derailed by the intrusion of Secret Wars II! Sure, the first arc is largely disregardable, but the second arc introduces an iconic character and the third arc, while a bit sloppy, introduces an iconic villain. So let’s goOoOo!

The Cast

Psyche - Danielle Moonstar. One of the leaders, can telepathically conjure up your greatest fear or desire. Her powers are developing: she’s slowly becoming a full-on mono-target illusionist.

Cannonball - Sam Guthrie. Other leader. Jetass with big ears. Nothin’ can hurt him while he’s blastin’.

Wolfsbane - Rahne Sinclair. Scottish werewolf. Has terrible self hatred, which isn’t odd considering the fact that she was raised by reverend Craig who put the fear of God in her. Convinced she’s going to hell because of aforementioned werewolfishness.

Sunspot - Roberto daCosta. Brazilian hothead.

Magik - Illyana Rasputin. Teleporter, demonic sorceress and resident bad girl. Is slowly being enveloped by a mysterious armour while using her powers. Willing to take all the risks.

Magma - Amara Aquilla. Lavamancer. Exchange student from a hidden roman village in the Amazon, still somehow very boring.

Cypher - Douglas Ramsey. Starts out thinking this is all some great adventurous caper, but soon realizes that his inoffensive powers (he’s an omniglot) mean that he’s forever out of his depth.

Warlock. Techno-organic alien. Goofball.

Professor Charles Xavier - Telepathic headmaster, still violating boundaries all over the place. Has adopted a more ‘hands off’ teaching philosophy later, considering some events in the sister book.

Cloakspot and Daggersbane

I know I’m not the best at keeping things short and sweet, which is partly because I tend to ramble on and partly because I’m dealing with a writer who likes to take the Neverending Story-approach to his plots and riddle them with more hooks than can ever be picked up on. (Claremont, I love you, but you’re not exactly all about the tight narrative.) In the interest of succinctness, however, we can mostly ignore the first arc of 1985, which involves Sunspot and Wolfsbane being possessed by the powers of Cloak and Dagger. It doesn’t really figure into the grand scheme of things, it’s more about Cloak and Dagger – who have never really figured into the X-mythos and are (not coincidentally!) one of the few mutants I don’t know much about – and by the end of the plot the status quo is restored: Tandy and Tyrone get their powers back, Roberto and Rahne are happy and healthy! Yay!

Legion

And then, we check back in on Muir Isle (the Research Centre for Potential Future Plot Hooks), where a mysterious patient with truly the raddest of hair is throwing a ‘poltergeist tantrum’. It renders two of Moira MacTaggart’s aides catatonic. Oops! Since this obviously a psychic emergency (and not the kind where I can’t get up from the bathroom floor because everything is horrible), Moira calls Xavier, who comes a-flyin’ in the Blackbird, together with half of the New Mutants. (Moonstar, Wolfsbane, Cypher and Warlock.)

Whatever, Dani. It’s not like you have stellar taste in lovers, I’ve seen you flirt with Sunspot. (New Mutants 26)

Waiting on Muir Isle is Gabrielle Haller, Israeli ambassador, previous paramour of Xavier and mother of David, the trouble-causing patient. Meanwhile, somewhere on the more populated part of the island (I guess? I never know if Muir Isle is just a barren rock or if there’s a tiny little Muir Town), Rahne runs into the man who raised her, the hateful reverend Craig. He calls her satanspawn because of her werewolfishness. Rahne runs to Moira’s lab for solace and for once, Moira is actually a comforting presence and not the pragmatic worst. She even tells Rahne she considers her her daughter. (Don’t ask what happened to Moira’s son Kevin, Rahne!) Anyway, such sincere emotions must be immediately punished.

Gabrielle, meanwhile, comes clean to Xavier. She mentions how she has not regretted their affair (despite Xavier being her therapist and therefore doing a hecking breach of trust), but she has not contacted him either, because of as of yet undisclosed reasons. And then, just as Gabby starts telling about “the trauma that made David autistic” (spoiler alert: not how autism works, narrative), a massive explosion interrupts them! In the wake of the explosion, Moira and Rahne are physically unharmed, but their minds are completely blank. Uh oh!

My google search has yielded a disappointing lack of people cosplaying as Legion with his iconic hair. C´mon nerds! Hop to it! (New Mutants 26)

Xavier, who is still recovering from the brutal beating he suffered, has to use Rahne and Dani’s telepathic connection to enter David’s fortified mind. (It’s funny how much X-Men and New Mutants are an extension of one another, only reading this one is like watching Angel without having watched Buffy.) Anyway, Xavier inexplicably deduces that David had three fractured personalities, each with their own powers: a telepath, a telekinetic and a ‘pyrotic’ (we’d call that a pyrokinetic nowadays). Xavier starts breaking through the very real metaphorical wall, but when David reveals the one secret that Gabrielle could not spit out (“Luke, I am your father son.”), Xavier’s concentration is broken. Oops! Promptly, the newly minted daddy!Professor, Gabrielle and all the New Mutants are sucked into the abyss of David’s mind.

Legion is one of my favorite characters, but the portrayal of his autism and his what we now probably would call Dissociative Identity Disorder is… less than ideal, especially in this era. I enjoy him later a lot more, when he becomes a fully realized character with autism rather than a plot point with a disability who sometimes triggers various dystopian alternative universes. One aspect I do love about him has fortunately been a part of the character since his inception: he is a perfect foil to Xavier. Not only because his powers are strong enough to prevent Charles from doing an easy!and!invasive!fix on them, but also because he serves a good reminder of Xavier’s foibles, on how his ideals sometimes fail him. Charles can’t control David, not through his powers and not through his rhetoric. David can always be counted on to be the reality check Charles sometimes sorely needs.

(David is also fascinating as a literary device, because the way he is treated as a character is also a sign of how much our understanding of autism and neurodiversity has changed over the last three decades. I found a great essay by Willow Callahan on the Fandomentals that unpacks that here.)

God damn, I wish this were my mind on drugs. (New Mutants 27)

This arc is Bill Sienkiewicz’ swang song for the New Mutants, but damn does he deliver some gorgeous work rendering the bizarchitecture of David’s mind.

The group is scattered throughout this mindscape and separately, they meet three different people:

Jack Wayne, a smarmy telekinetic. He is quick to paint ‘the arab’ as the cause of the warzone in David’s mind: apparently, the violence only started when he arrived. He tries to convince Xavier to kill him, if he can.

Jemail, the telepath, also referred to as ‘the arab’. Gabrielle recognizes him as the terrorist who killed her significant other. In the real world, an even younger David protected his mother from him and his AK-47 and killed him in self defense. How the hell he ended up in David’s mind, she has no idea.

Cyndi, the pyrokinetic, a wild card who likes the current status quo. Still, she helps Rahne and Moira rendezvous with Dani and Doug. (Doug annoyingly keeps at his running thread of feeling useless because he has no useful powers, but Dani points out that none of them have powers in David’s mind, SO FUCKING SNAP OUT OF IT. (The last bit might have been me. I’m still right though.))

They all meet up (sans Jemail) and Jack convinces them to journey to the center of David’s mind, where they find the boy’s memories preserved as crystals. Some are broken, some are mended. Here, they get to the core of David’s trauma, which is implied to have caused his autism (eesh): while killing the terrorists that tried to murder his mother, he felt them die in his mind. They say it fractured his psyche, although I’d say that experiencing death three times might have also caused trauma if David had been neurotypical. Then again, IAMNAP.

It also turns out that Jack has been breaking David’s memory crystals and is intent on killing the other rogue personalities so he can own David and David’s body. Jemail, who is a reflection of one of the killed man’s psyches, learned empathy and insight through David’s telepathic powers and has been trying to fix David’s shattered psyche. Jack tries to cut Jemail to ribbons with one of the shards, but Dani frightens him off with a vision that is so bizarre and outlandish (it’s of Xavier being a good dad) that Jack flinches back. She then forces Jack and Jemail to help her bring order to David’s mind and return everyone who isn’t part of David back to their bodies.

Xavier, apparently exhausted from all the useless he was this arc, wakes up two weeks later. David is making progress, even though Jack, Cyndi and Jemail all still inhabit his mind. Xavier promises to help David and never leave him ever again. (It’s amazing this huge lie didn’t fracture David’s psyche a fourth time, but whatev. It will be at least half a decade before we see Legion again. XD )

Side-plot: Magleeto

After Warlock accidentally caused Asteroid M to crash into the Earth, an injured Magneto has charted Lee Forrester to bring him to his old C’thulu island, where the X-Men randomly decided to start living until they randomly didn’t. I love that nobody cares enough about this mysterious islet to actually figure the fuck out where all this alien architecture came from. Magneto’s like: “Yeah, this is my fuck island now.” Tale as old as time: the would be mutant supremacist softens when stuck on an island with one (1) decent human being.

After this, they fuck. A lot. (New Mutants 25)

Side plot: Hellfire Happenings

Meanwhile, the Hellfire Club admits Selene and Emmanuel daCosta into their Inner Circle. Selene is a terrifying mutant who recently terrorized an Ancient Roman city hidden in the Amazon and who is currently looking to get a foothold in the modern world, and Emmanuel is Roberto’s papi. After his son rebuked him, he decided to really embrace that villainous side. Sebastian Shaw (always a delight) isn’t too bothered by the crooked Brazilian business man but does worry that the evil, blood thirsty priestess wants to take his spot as the leader of the Hellfire Club. Smart cookie, that Shaw.

Empath, one of the Hellions, continues being the worst. No worries, we love him for it.

Gladiat-ooh-la-la

While Xavier hears he’s a daddy, we check in with the remainders back at the mansion. Shirtless(!) Sam is chasing a plane! Apparently, somebody kidnapped Sunspot and Magma, and Cannonball, despite a myriad of ‘aw shucks’ lets them get away. It’s all very in media res.

Fortunately, Magik is able to interrogate one of the assaillants, revealing they were kidnapped by a secret gladiator ring somebody runs in Hollywood. (The wtf-quotient on this plot is pretty high, ngl.) Illyana bamfs them to the West Coast, but also shifts them one week into the future. Oops! Out of options, they go to Laila (Sam’s girlfriend! She’s in a band! And an intergalactic teleporter and thief!) And… WAIT IS THAT GUIDO?!

WHY have Illyana and Guido never been on the same team? More of this snark, plz. (New Mutants 29)

It might be because the art has taken a bit of a nosedive, but holy fuck, Illyana is right on the money when she calls Guido an ‘ugly lump’. Also, Sam? Running around with teleporters means you always have time to grab yourself a shirt.

Wait, why am I complaining? ANYWAY.

On a whim, Laila teleports them all to her own private Dyson Sphere. (Seriously, Sam, what are you doing with this girl? If you want someone capricious who looks good in black, you’ve got your pal Sunspot right there!) Laila also brought her background singer, Alison Blaire, a.k.a. The Dazzler! And Dazzler knows all about the gladiators! How fortunate!

Man, this plot is really held together by spit and some glue, isn’t it? Anyway, Dazzler used to be one of those gladiators and might still be longing for that life. Ever since got outed as a mutant, her life has been in shambles. (She is reduced to being a background singer, you guys. And she doesn’t even have her own comic book anymore!) But as a gladiator, she could live for the applause! Life was easy! There were no worries! (Except being killed in the arena, but that's minor.)

Together with Dazzler and Lilah, Sam and Illyana infiltrate the gladiator ring. Sunspot and Magma appear, all bloodthirsty and ready to kill! Wait, what happened to them? And who knew Roberto looked so fine in his gladiator armour?

Not looking disrespectfully or nothing, but that is one hell of a codpiece. (New Mutants 29)

Apparently, some shadowy figure forced Roberto and Amara to fight, because if they wouldn’t? Some other homeless runaways would have to fight in their stead. Their heroic hands bound, the two hapless mutants descend on their invading teammates and a confusing kerfuffle breaks out. (Some of this confusion is because of the art.)

But then! We interrupt this plot for some crossover shenanigans! Xavier alerted Magneto on Fuck Island: the Beyonder is coming! (Again!) There’s some Secret Wars II-related teleporting and Magneto recruits everyone for a fight against the Beyonder, and ugh. Whatever. Amara and Roberto share my lack of interest in this ill-advised crossover, but everyone else tags along.

So. While we wait? Who is this gladiator ring where mutant is pitted against mutant for? Are there, like, a bunch of jaded, bored and most of all rich Hollywood socialites who just… do this? This is their idea of a good time? Claremont, you love your textboxes and excessive prose, you couldn’t spare a few words to try and explain this? No? Fine.

The Secret Wars intermezzo is thankfully short, the Beyonder briefly brings out the Darkchylde for some reason I can’t be bothered to read up on. It also serves to reunite the whole team and together with Dazzler, Rachel and Shadowcat, they set out to free the gladiators, including Sunspot and Magma. So back to the main plot!

This story is mostly about Dazzler, who hasn’t earned anyone’s trust yet. (“You’re an artist, not a hero.”) Alison is determined to prove herself and not succumb to the temptation of performing for a hungry audience, but slowly, she feels herself slipping into old gladiatorial habits… Rachel, meanwhile picks up on a strange and sinister psychic presence; that same telepathic presence snatches Kitty, forces her in a robot that looks straight out of Earthbound and forces Sunspot and Magma to fight her.

A+ funky robot design and A+ for giving a literal new meaning for ‘chewing the scenery’. (New Mutants 30)

While all of this is happening, an as-of-yet unseen (but large-shaped) villain is gleefully watching and pulling all the strings, riling up everyone involved by telepathically possessing them or suggesting them into action. Who could this be? Whoever they are, they are hilariously over the top and perhaps my favorite part of this jumbled narrative.

Roberto quickly figures out that the robot contains Kitty when it uses her phasing power and he helps her shake the telepathic thrall. Kitty stumbles out of the robot and it collapses, while the crowd bays for blood. (Amara is all: "Back home the crowd was never this blood thirsty", which I would doubt. I watched Rome.)

Dazzler, still possessed (uh, probably) strikes at Kitty while the cavalry arrives. Magik, fed up with this storyline, teleports Dazzler in and out of Limbo, breaking the telepath’s hold on her. The police arrive and both the audience and the gladiators flee. If you think these spectators get off scot-free… Well, apparently, they were punished by Dazzler’s singing performance, which was so earth-shattering that they’ll never forget it and nothing else will ever compare.

Mkay. I'm just saying, I saw Adele live and I can still enjoy other people's music.

Anyway, the New Mutants pursue the Ringmaster under the shadow of fatphobism (they keep calling their enemy fatso, glut, boat or blimp, and this fatphobia will be a sad but running theme this whole arc; I’ll be delving into all that in a later episode) and then, suddenly, all is revealed! Their enemy is…

It’s not necessarily bad to portray one fat person as a monster, but when the only fat people in the narrative are evil!Karma or the Blob? Not a great look. (New Mutants 31)

Karma is a bitch

Karma threatens to let her enthralled slaves cut their own throats if the New Mutants don’t let her leave, so they kind of have to let her go for now. They decide to chase her without involving the X-Men (“We take care of our own”) so they ditch Kitty, Rachel and Dazzler and go on a whirlwind chase through time and space! (Mostly involuntary.)

See, the New Mutants infiltrate Karma’s secret compound in Madripoor, because apparently all their time with Xavier has taught them that it’s easy to sneak up on a telepath. Sure, they leave Cypher and Warlock behind as, er, ‘back-up’ (mkay, Dani), but ironically, a Boy and his Bot are attacked first. (Karma knows all.)

Karma first gloats that the professor protected well from psi-attacks, but she is a telepathic master equal to him! (This is perhaps the point where we, as readers, should figure that this isn’t entirely Karma.) She possesses all the New Mutants, except for Moonstar and Magik, who bamfs them off to Limbo. Dagnabbit! When they return, Karma’s New Mutants seem to have slaughtered Karma’s army. Whoops!

Dani picks up a lead to Egypt and bids Magik to drop them off there. Magik bams them to Egypt BC, deep in pharaoh time. They have a meet and greet with an ancestor of Storm, who sends them back, overshooting them with a mere five years! In this not-so-distant future, they meet the Bad Mutants, who are bloodthirsty monsters. Seriously, the Rowdy Ruff version of our beloved mutants is the only thing that makes all this completely unnecessary time jumping worthwhile.

Poor Sunspot, getting grey hair at the ripe old age of nineteen. (New Mutants 32)

Poor New Mutants. Even when they’re evil, they look like dorks. Anyway, Illyana finally warps them back to current Cairo! Here, Warlock, immune to telepathic powers, fled to Storm for help. Storm has figured out who is pulling Karma’s strings (hope she shared this with the group), but despite this, her plan of attack is the same as Dani’s previous one: a full frontal assault.

It goes badly, with Storm also ending up possessed. Sigh.

Magik and Moonstar try to flee in Warlock-as-a-plane, but when they end up cornered again, Illyana realizes they have to stop doing this. She delivers Danielle on Karma’s doorstep, seemingly betraying her friends! She then bamfs her and Warlock back to Limbo, where an incandescent Warlock attacks her, before she can reassure him. She has a wicked little plan…

But first, Magik first bamfs back to Xavier’s encounter with Amahl Farouk way back when. Let’s not dwell on how the fuck she even figured to what time to teleport to, because the narrative sure doesn’t! And, just like Storm, she figures out what’s wrong with Karma: she is possessed. By the Shadow King!

dun dun dun

Magik comes to Karma for an alliance and the Shadow Karma wastes no time tormenting her while he succumbs to the villain speech. He explains:

How his licentious night club in Cairo (and his gladiator ring in Hollywwood) are places where regular people come to be entertained by the temptation of the lurid dark for a little while, but in fact, s/he is corrupting them from within.

How he lived on the astral plane after Xavier defeated him. From there, he possessed Karma. And after he makes Ororo kill Xavier, no one will be able to stop him…

Magik thinks otherwise. Suddenly, all the New Mutants disappear, because Magik? Was actually Warlock (robots in disguise). And the real Magik? Was bamfing her teammates to Limbo to break the Shadow King’s hold. Magik ports them back in and they smack him around until the Shadow King evacuates ~the dancefloor~ Karma’s body. They quickly figure out he took Douglas, but Karma confronts and fights Amahl on the astral plane and he finally leaves leaves to lick his wounds.

Yay! Longest arc ever over!

This could have used an editor.

Didn’t you take Art History? Sienkiewicz is the right kind of scratchy and weird, Leialoha… less so.

Turns evil: Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Cannonball and Magma. It’s the ‘we’re in the future and we’re evil’-variant. Funnily enough, the same happened to Sunspot and Magma last year. Best unintentional period piece: the Bad New Mutants are punk. Sam has a safety pin his ear.