Comments on New Mutants #45: Im very ambivalent on this issue. Its trying too hard to be a Very Special Episode, but for a franchise with no shortage of attempts, its definitely one of the more successful ones. I also think its utterly bizarre that Kitty is the star of the story, when its not even her series. But it also works. Which resident at Xaviers (or member of the Marvel Universe at large) would have filled her role better? Your Mileage May Vary on the role was needed or the story itself. This was the first time Claremont specifically acknowledged X-Factor, wasnt it? Louise Simonsen had been writing it for a few issues by this point, and one assumes that between the two of them (and Ann Nocenti, Jim Shooter, etc.) they had worked out peaceful co-existence between the titles. Especially once Walt starts drawing. Who wouldnt like that? Speaking of the art, I am a big fan of Jackson Guice and Kyle Baker, and especially their work together on these New Mutants issues, but I find the art represented on these scans to be horrible. In the first pic, panel 1, someone who vaguely resembles Kitty is just jammed in behind Roberto and his hook-up chick, Illyana (I think thats her) has an enormous butt, Doug looks like a cartoon character in the second panel, and in the third, Danis thigh and short-shorts [?] are larger than the rest of her body. [Looking at the actual story, it was a short skirt. Oh, thats so much better. If the entire New Mutants series wasnt about how Dani wanted to show off her stuff, what was it about?] Again, I like Guices art and I like Bakers art and I love it when they teamed up. But not here. The backgrounds are empty, the pacing is awkward, Kittys Goodnight Larry frown would be perfect in Kyle Bakers Cowboy Wally or Why I Hate Saturn (which, by the way, are two of the greatest comics ever. If you havent read them, do so now. Ill wait.) Welcome back. Great comics, werent they? Anyway, Kittys portrayal in the later scan doesnt show the girl we know. This is a Very Special Episode. Yay, Kitty. The pacing should work, but it doesnt. The art should be good, but it isnt. That final scan, panel 1, were looking at Dani from roughly eye-level. What position does Dani have to be in that we can see her from this angle, and we can read the cars bumper sticker as well? The basic idea is fine. Persecuted mutants, oppressive X-Factor, teen suicide, thats a story. But the New Mutants dont look that good by immediately cutting Larry off for saying things he didnt know would offend them. They do come off as elite, and considering their destructive power, humans are right to hate and fear them. Reading the story itself, theres also a gender wars subtext. Bobby has his pick of the girls and takes advantage of it. I should be so lucky, thinks Kitty while remarking on it. I wouldnt do that, says Larry, and Kitty thinks Just my luck. Shes already been ditched by her hot roommate after a guy danced with her just to get close to Illyana. Meanwhile Warlock is questioning Doug about his feelings for Kitty (We were friends. We still are. Thats as far as it goes.) Then they save Dani in her short skirt from being bothered by a bully, Sam gets farther with Amara than he ever has or ever will, and this is before Magneto sets up Kitty and Larry in the first place. Never mind mutant existence, human existence is complicated enough. Im still ambivalent about this issue, but Claremont was obviously doing a lot of work. Guice and Baker did not live up to that standard. I dont hold X-Factor liable for Larrys death, but Im glad that a comic book can be so complicated that people can hold the opposite view. This is what you get when you let Kyle Baker create comics. [Someone responded that X-Factor was also mentioned in X-Men #210, where Kitty also made a big speech, and suggesting that the X-Babies got angry because only blacks can use the n-word.] 1: Ok, but New Mutants #45 was published contemporaneously with X-Men #210, right? #211 was the Mutant Massacre, and NM #46 was the first tie-in from that. Still makes the point, that Claremont has suddenly acknowledged X-Factor (and in both titles at the same time, no less.) I dont know what it means, but its worth noting. 2: Yeah, theres the racial solidarity thing [and good on Claremont that he included it in the story] but theres also the human factor The art has already been showing nubile teenage girls and Robertos having fun with them amidst Kittys jealousy of Illyana, and Danis discomfort with the whole scene (in her short skirt?) and thats just a small part of the 80s teen movie going on here. Look at it from Larrys point of view. Hes alienated. He doesnt know anybody. His parents are distant. Hes bullied. For the first time in his life, hes actually having fun with a nice girl and as a typical teenager, he might actually have some progress for the first time in his life. Both Larry and Kitty are quite specific about this in their thought balloons. Its the human condition. Hours (and many glasses of spiked punch) later Kitty still likes him. She still wants to talk to him and dance. For all his teenage angst, he hasnt screwed up, and theres no reason to think he would. Until he started telling jokes about muties. Hes with Kitty, hes with Kittys friends, if its not the in-crowd, its closer than hes ever been in his life. People who accept him for who he is - the joke being that if they knew he was a mutant, theyd have accepted him no matter what kind of asshole he actually was; look who Xaviers School hires as Headmaster! - and then they turn on him in a heartbeat. No ifs, ands or buts, he is effectively dead to them, its his own fault and hell never be able to fix it. In the space of six (poorly-paced) panels, hes gone from Kitty smiling at him like a teenage girl having fun, to being shocked (with Rhane), to Sams gruff dismissal, Illyana walking away and Kitty harshly shooting him down. I thought you were a nice kid. My mistake. I still think the art sucks, and Im still ambivalent about whether this story should have been done, but could there be anything more devastating to a troubled teenage boy than to be so quickly cut-off and shut-out by the ostensible heroes of the book (and Kitty Pryde too)? They didnt even hesitate (and only Rhane went back to check, more for plot reasons than anything else.) Never mind Cyclops or Wolverine, this issue makes it very clear that humans are right to fear people born with werewolf powers will try to murder them. And definitely worry about homo superior deciding suddenly that you arent worthy enough to hang out with them, and wont even tell you why, much less care whether or not you live or die. Sure, theyll save you if the Juggernaut is destroying the city, but only as part of their job description. Reaching out to a fellow human being who unintentionally insulted them? Nah, theyre above that. Writing all this has actually made me appreciate this issue more. Im still ambivalent about it, but Claremont definitely worked on it, which may be why I think the art suffers. One of the rare times in comics where the writers job was as important as the artists. From their point of view, why should they? If he had been making black jokes around Roberto, or Jewish jokes around Kitty, would their reaction had been any different? And as for humans being afraid of Rahne- so humans should be afraid that mutants will try to kill them if they drive a mutant to suicide? From their point of view. Exactly. If the mutant/minority metaphor means anything, Roberto and Kitty are going to be much more protective of their fellow mutants than skin color or religion. No matter, they didnt consider anyone elses point of view, like Larrys. Sucks to be Larry. Oh well, hes dead so he doesnt count. Because mutants just want equality. As long as you dont make jokes about it. As for Rhane, humans should genuinely be afraid that a werewolf will try to kill them, especially if werewolves really exist. Do they know why the werewolf is trying to kill them? Um, I may have made some comments at a high school dance, but I dont have any proof. The werewolf in question was very willing to kill them. And she clearly exists. Why does the concept of werewolves exist? Because humans are afraid of creatures that try to kill them. What is Rhane the werewolf eager to do? Kill human beings. At least the guy with the sunglasses makes a consistent attempt to keep wearing his sunglasses so he doesnt destroy everything. What does someone who doesnt want to get killed by a werewolf have to do to keep the werewolf away? Not make inappropriate jokes when you dont know exactly how people will respond to those jokes? You never know when a mutie is listening in?
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 06:48:41 +0000
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