I agree that McLoud's simplistic style compliments the tone of the book, but I still find his art clumsy and awkward on a technical level. It really does ruin moments for me even while I can appreciate the overall intent.

New Mutants #4 (June 1983)



After the resolution of the Brood Queen storyline, Claremont seems intent on changing gears a bit with this issue, offering a story that, despite the somewhat misleading cover, isn't all that interested in action and bad guys. We get a lot thrown at us in this story, from sending out an important message about sexual harassment and how it feels to be on the receiving end of it, to domestic violence and how that creates cycles of abuse. It isn't always well done (I knew who the mysterious caller was from the second page, and he was a little too articulate about his feelings and motives by the close), but it was bold, powerful, and risky subject matter for a comic-code approved book.

You can see how careful Claremont is about the harassment angle, in particular, never using the word "sexual" or outright having us hear the caller say anything sexual to Stevie, but what exactly did Rahne smell in that phonebooth where the caller had been, leaving her wondering "How...how could people be so disgusting?!"

---

After four issues of intense debate in this thread, the point is moot -- Bob Mcleod is off of pencils. We've got 14 issues of Sal Buscema ahead of us before Bill Sienkiewicz takes the reigns. Buscema maintains the simplistic and innocent look of the book for the most part, but he's much stronger on the technical side and can still deliver us panels like these:



(with significant help from Tom Orzechowski)

all while leaving us no doubt that we're reading about kids, not X-Men. I'm really glad to have him on the title.


In terms of team dynamics, Xavier finally gives the team the big talk we've been waiting for, revealing that (yes) the decision to form the team came from the Brood Queen possessing him, not Xavier himself:



And yet he still believes in training them:



But nothing much has changed then, as Xavier even states that his primary interest in helping them is their "...extraordinary abilities. For your own welfare--as well as society's---you must learn the proper usage of them." Once again, there's no regard for diplomacy, co-existence, sense of self, advocacy, or even basic high school education. These are weapons to be honed and stored for later usage, not people with the potential to shape a better future.

And maybe Claremont is aware of how shady this all is, having the team's mission this issue be one of their own choosing, and of which Xavier is only marginally interested. Xavier assists Cannonball at one point, but otherwise the team pretty much functions on their own. And, at the end, while Xavier lectures them on how they have a lot to learn, and Stevie reminds them that they're developing their own sense of right and wrong, we quickly skip past learning that Xavier mind-wiped the harasser/kid so that he'd have no recollection of The New Mutants.

That kind of trick worked just fine in the Silver Age, but here, contrasted against a discussion of ethics and morality for the team, it's just plain creepy. Is Claremont trying to cast Xavier as a shadowy figure, even in the wake of the Brood Queen? If so, it's working. And, most importantly, it gives the team an opportunity to learn and thrive on their own, outside of the influence of an overly dominating mentor figure that no past X-writer has ever seemed to know how to properly utilize.


This issue reveals the first signs of Karma drifting away from the team. Whereas she naturally defaulted to team leader in issue #2, her age and responsibilities are now clearly distancing her from the team, as she is the only one not playing with them at the beginning and, thus, is late to the briefing with the Professor, while Dani instead assumes the leadership position, and Shan becomes more concerned with who is watching her young siblings at home than who is scaring Stevie. It makes sense, really, and I got the feeling up until now that Claremont was favoring both Shan and Dani, but only one of them can be the core of the team.

As for the other team members, we get a lot more on Rahne here, as we're reminded for the second time that she secretly longs to remain a wolf instead of a human, and also get this cool glimpse of how she sees the world as wolf:



Claremont and Buscema really sell me on it. I can understand.


And Canonball, though still remarkably uncomplicated, at least get to save the day and, yes, make a turn:




But Berto, in contrast, still remains lovingly one-dimensional, no further indication given since last issue that he's been in any way affected by Julia's death.

And, by the way, his dad is super rich and high profile, and Berto's identity was compromised on national television during a soccer game. Is this having ANY impact on him and his family? Does his dad know what he's doing at Xavier's school? All of this needs to be explained. No one from Sam's family is going to complain if Sam is able to provide them with money (I assume Xavier is helping with this as he did for Shan), Rahne and Dani have no families left. Shan's young siblings aside, Berto is the only one with outside family connections that may prove to be a future source of conflict.


Important Details:

- Xavier confirms that the Brood Queen, not Xavier, decided to take on and train The New Mutants. Still, reading that scene in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 again, I can't imagine an uncompromised Xavier would have chosen any differently.



An ambitious story, both in its bold choice of topics and its minimalizing of action/super-heroics, and Buscema's artwork is a very welcome change as well.


Grade: A-

New Mutants #6 (August 1983)



Sure, the team only gets 12 out of 22 pages in their own book this issue, as nine pages are allocated (once again) to Team America, and one to setting up the plot for an upcoming X-Men storyline, but at least this dividing of attentions allows the team to once more test and define themselves apart from Xavier, free of both his overbearing persona and the safety net he provides.



The team has now completed seven missions, zero of which were done under the supervision of Xavier. They are rapidly developing their own identity and sense of right and wrong, given a baptism of fire in a scary world that offers them no beginners' courses. This team is already proving themselves superior to their predecessors in that respect; Xavier has never been there to guide nor save them.

This issue also marks two important moments for Shan. First, there's this awesome but terrifying scene where she skirts close to the edge in tormenting the uncle that destroyed her family (see Marvel Team-Up #100):



And then there's the bargain she strikes with him once her conscience kicks in and he resumes control of the situation. Shan will work for him for a year in exchange for his revealing Viper's (and Dani's) location. When I read this issue for the first time back in the day, I naturally assumed this deal would somehow get conveniently undone or reversed by the next issue, but it won't. Bye bye, Karma (at least for now). Claremont is still clearly struggling with how to utilize the character two years after her first appearance.


Minor Details:

- This is now the second time a member of the team has referred to themselves as "The New Mutants":



I always assumed it was just a title and nod to Stan Lee. Within Marvel 616 continuity, who named them this...and why?



A largely forgettable issue, especially with half of it given over to another team on a separate (but mildly related) mission. I think the cover, with the blasted letters and reactive corner box, is actually my favorite part. The story itself? Not so much.

Grade: C+

You do realize those subtle few lines were placed by Bob McLeod, right? With anywhere from two to four comics to lay out each month, Sal Buscema would've been providing very rudimentary pencils with very simple expressions. It wasn't until he took over Thor following Simonson that Our Pal Sal began doing full pencils again, something he'd rarely done since his first stint on Avengers back in the late '60s. Just FYI.

Cei-U!
I summon the different perspective!

That would be the difference of McLeod primarily being a new and upcoming inker and Sal being the "old" professional with years of inking and penciling? McLeod could now afford more time to ink and develop himself while "following" and learning with a true comic book artist legend doing the "harder" work of figuring out the layout and the design work and action.

Then I'll amend my statement to the following:

"- I know Bob McLeod as penciler is behind us, but for those who argued that what they liked about McLeod was his ability to draw the New Mutants in a simple way that shows their innocence, Buscema is clearly helping him to do it better. A perfect contrast can be found in the panels below, in which we can clearly determine the two characters' ages just by the number and placement of lines placed on their faces:

They really work subtlety into those few lines. It's damn impressive, far moreso than anything McLeod was doing solo."