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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 23, 2017 19:07:19 GMT -5
I actually liked the Nova Roma stuff...(I definitely read it after liking Magma in future issues), but I can see where you're coming from.
To answer your question about where the New Mutants are at right now: Sam and Berto retired after the Utopia version of New Mutants, but came back with Hickman's Avengers... probably the best Hickman scene ever... Tony Stark call them to offer them a spot in the Avengers, and Sam says no.. then he puts Cap on the phone and they join. That eventually morphed into them being a team unto themselves, which rolled into Berto buying AIM and making it into a force for good. (see the last volume of New Avengers, and now US Avengers). Berto is mostly the admin now, he wears a suit and Marvel is trying to convince us he's the new Citizen V.
Dani pops up at the Jean Grey school as wallpaper now and then.. she's a teacher there in the story. Same with Karma, though she gets screen time VERY rarely. I want to say Chan was in SHIELD briefly, too, but that was a few years ago.
Selene was the big bad of the X-Necrosha crossover (before Avengers vs. X-Men but after Second Coming).. it was basically a Marvel version of Darkest Night.
Rahne featured very prominently in all the Jamie Madrox versions of X-Factor, and was central to the plot that led to Strong Guy being the ruler of Hell.
Magma, I got nothing. I want to say she died, but I don't recall when.
Magik, of course, has been a main character for quite a while (her teleporting and Limbo have factored in to many recent stories), but she's not much of a character anymore, more of a power. They do have rare scenes with her and Kitty that make one geek out, though.
Cypher comes back and forth from being dead now and then, when they need his powers.
I don't think Warlock's been around since the Phalanx Covenant.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Feb 23, 2017 19:34:44 GMT -5
New Mutants #12 (February 1984)  When I read this run for the first time back in my twenties, it never once occurred to me that Amara was going to join the New Mutants. She had no characterization, a terrible visual look that seemed to be concocted as an after-thought, her only purpose in the Nova Roma story seemed to be to connect the team to one of the two warring political factions, and, as that story borrowed heavily from the Golden Age adventure comics, the native allies those adventurers ran into never became regular recurring cast members. So I really didn't see this coming. And I'm still not sure I understand it. Only a handful of issues back, Claremont discarded Shan (who everyone now seems to have forgotten about) presumably because Claremont didn't know what to do with her, and now we've got a new under-characterized team member to deal with. Amara's one fascinating characteristic thus far, revealed late in the story, being her inner hatred for herself and for all mutants. But how weird to suddenly jump from last issue (in which Amara was a supporting character) to this one, in which the entire focus of the story is Amara fitting in as a new member of the team? The entire thing feels completely forced, including our having to be told (never shown) that Sam has a crush on Amara and that Dani and Amara are now best friends. Nothing subtle about any of this. It isn't bad; it's just that you can so clearly see the strings Claremont is trying to pull, and so the illusion isn't really working. I'm not accepting this new teammate as easily as Claremont wants us to believe the team has in the space between last issue and this one. The one powerful part of this story was Berto's confrontation with his father; less the confrontation itself and more Berto's mature realization afterward that righteous indignation doesn't win the war. His mother gives the sagely advice that: Pretty mature moral to insert into a superhero mag, especially as we watch Berto's anger at his father drive the man to accept the Hellfire Club's invitation. For once in comics, love and restraint, not moral outrage, is the solution to the problem, and Berto has fumbled in that execution. Important Details:- Magma joins (or rather already has joined) The New Mutants Minor Details:- Wait. If Sam grabs Berto while in flight, Berto can use his super strength to lift stuff while Sam's blasting makes him invulnerable to the strain? Couldn't Sam just lift the damn thing himself since he's carrying all that weight with his own powers anyway?? - Thus begins an unsettling trend in which a team that originally seemed grounded in a sincere attempt at diversity  begins recruiting blonde haired/blue eyed white kids at an alarming speed. We've got Amara in this issue, illyana in two issues, and Doug a few more issues down the road. Pretty soon the roster will look as follows: White, blonde haired, blue eyesSam Amara Illyana Doug WhiteRahne Non-whiteDani Berto (and, of course, these two end up romantically interested in one another) Non-humanWarlock Give it up for diversity... A better issue than the last few, but it hinges upon our abrupt and unbridled acceptance of Amara. I did like Berto's confrontation with his dad. Grade: B- |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Feb 23, 2017 19:39:43 GMT -5
I don't think Warlock's been around since the Phalanx Covenant. I didn't know he ever came back. I thought he was supposed to have somehow become X-Factor's "Ship" and Cable's "Professor" via time-travel or some such junk. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 23, 2017 21:07:23 GMT -5
I can't remember, but I'm sure Selene is bound to say "you're mine, body and soul" at some point!!!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 23, 2017 21:10:47 GMT -5
I actually liked the Nova Roma stuff...(I definitely read it after liking Magma in future issues), but I can see where you're coming from. To answer your question about where the New Mutants are at right now: Sam and Berto retired after the Utopia version of New Mutants, but came back with Hickman's Avengers... probably the best Hickman scene ever... Tony Stark call them to offer them a spot in the Avengers, and Sam says no.. then he puts Cap on the phone and they join. That eventually morphed into them being a team unto themselves, which rolled into Berto buying AIM and making it into a force for good. (see the last volume of New Avengers, and now US Avengers). Berto is mostly the admin now, he wears a suit and Marvel is trying to convince us he's the new Citizen V. Dani pops up at the Jean Grey school as wallpaper now and then.. she's a teacher there in the story. Same with Karma, though she gets screen time VERY rarely. I want to say Chan was in SHIELD briefly, too, but that was a few years ago. Selene was the big bad of the X-Necrosha crossover (before Avengers vs. X-Men but after Second Coming).. it was basically a Marvel version of Darkest Night. Rahne featured very prominently in all the Jamie Madrox versions of X-Factor, and was central to the plot that led to Strong Guy being the ruler of Hell. Magma, I got nothing. I want to say she died, but I don't recall when. Magik, of course, has been a main character for quite a while (her teleporting and Limbo have factored in to many recent stories), but she's not much of a character anymore, more of a power. They do have rare scenes with her and Kitty that make one geek out, though. Cypher comes back and forth from being dead now and then, when they need his powers. I don't think Warlock's been around since the Phalanx Covenant. Warlock played an important role in Annihilation: Conquest. I was glad to see him back as himself, and not some Douglock thingie! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 23, 2017 22:04:52 GMT -5
Seriously? I don't remember that at all! Just another reason to try to find the time to re-read that!
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Post by dbutler69 on Feb 27, 2017 10:34:13 GMT -5
I collected about the first 70 issues of this back in the day because I was such an X-Zombie,, but when I re-read them a few years ago, while I liked the first 17 issues, my admiration dropped to zero starting with the Bill Sienkiewicz issues. The Steve Leialoha were no better, and I stopped my re-read after issue #34. I know I'm in the minority on this as I know that people love Sienkiewicz's work, but he's definitely not my cup of tea at all.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Feb 27, 2017 11:29:25 GMT -5
I collected about the first 70 issues of this back in the day because I was such an X-Zombie,, but when I re-read them a few years ago, while I liked the first 17 issues, my admiration dropped to zero starting with the Bill Sienkiewicz issues. The Steve Leialoha were no better, and I stopped my re-read after issue #34. I know I'm in the minority on this as I know that people love Sienkiewicz's work, but he's definitely not my cup of tea at all. I lost some of my enthusiasm for pursuing this thread after reading the Slumber Party issue with my daughters last week, from the Sienkiewicz Era, which I remembered fondly. It just wasn't anywhere near as fun as I recalled it being. The run already isn't as fun as I found it the last time I read it, and now I worry that it isn't going to get much better. I am still considering whether or not I will keep up with these reviews once Groundhog's Month concludes tomorrow. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Feb 27, 2017 15:27:12 GMT -5
I collected about the first 70 issues of this back in the day because I was such an X-Zombie,, but when I re-read them a few years ago, while I liked the first 17 issues, my admiration dropped to zero starting with the Bill Sienkiewicz issues. The Steve Leialoha were no better, and I stopped my re-read after issue #34. I know I'm in the minority on this as I know that people love Sienkiewicz's work, but he's definitely not my cup of tea at all. I lost some of my enthusiasm for pursuing this thread after reading the Slumber Party issue with my daughters last week, from the Sienkiewicz Era, which I remembered fondly. It just wasn't anywhere near as fun as I recalled it being. The run already isn't as fun as I found it the last time I read it, and now I worry that it isn't going to get much better. I am still considering whether or not I will keep up with these reviews once Groundhog's Month concludes tomorrow. I feel your pain. I also had this problem when re-reading my X-Men a few years back. Between back issues, reprints, and TPB's, I've got X-Men #1-300. I figured I'd read that whole run. I stopped reading after #202 because it had ceased being any fun for about the past 25 issues and I figured my time was better spent elsewhere. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Feb 27, 2017 20:50:57 GMT -5
I lost some of my enthusiasm for pursuing this thread after reading the Slumber Party issue with my daughters last week, from the Sienkiewicz Era, which I remembered fondly. It just wasn't anywhere near as fun as I recalled it being. The run already isn't as fun as I found it the last time I read it, and now I worry that it isn't going to get much better. I am still considering whether or not I will keep up with these reviews once Groundhog's Month concludes tomorrow. I feel your pain. I also had this problem when re-reading my X-Men a few years back. Between back issues, reprints, and TPB's, I've got X-Men #1-300. I figured I'd read that whole run. I stopped reading after #202 because it had ceased being any fun for about the past 25 issues and I figured my time was better spent elsewhere. Even when I last read X-Men in my 20s, that's around the point where I lost interest too. That being said, I grew up on the #275-300 stretch, so nostalgia might fuel my getting through those final hundred issues the next time around. |
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Post by tingramretro on Feb 28, 2017 5:11:42 GMT -5
I don't think Warlock's been around since the Phalanx Covenant. I didn't know he ever came back. I thought he was supposed to have somehow become X-Factor's "Ship" and Cable's "Professor" via time-travel or some such junk. Warlock is very much still around. He featured prominently in All-New X-Factor, and has since cropped up intemittently, usually with Cypher in tow. |
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Post by tingramretro on Feb 28, 2017 5:18:48 GMT -5
Magma, I got nothing. I want to say she died, but I don't recall when. Nope, she's still alive, too. Last seen in Fearless Defenders, I think. Generally speaking, with Marvel these days, it's best to just assume that if you're unsure of a character's status, they're probably alive, unless they're Uncle Ben. There is more or less no character that has not been resurrected, except for a few minor villains like the Melter or the Orb who don't really matter because there's now somone else using their name and costume anyway. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 28, 2017 15:52:07 GMT -5
That's right! Magma did turn up in Fearless Defenders for an issue or two. I don't recall Warlock in X-Factor... Cypher yes, but not Warlock... is that the last one with the corporate sponsorship? I remember POlaris, Gambit, Quicksilver, and Cypher, I don't recall Warlock at all.
Just goes to show how unremarkable Marvel has been lately, I guess.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Mar 1, 2017 15:42:09 GMT -5
Magma, I got nothing. I want to say she died, but I don't recall when. Nope, she's still alive, too. Last seen in Fearless Defenders, I think. Generally speaking, with Marvel these days, it's best to just assume that if you're unsure of a character's status, they're probably alive, unless they're Uncle Ben. Even dead characters like Echo show up again without any explanation! (Not that I mind in her case... killing one of the few interesting Marvel creations from the '90s was a pretty bad idea). |
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Post by rberman on May 20, 2018 13:40:53 GMT -5
Hey, I had no idea this thread was here! Now that the event is over, any chance of moving the thread to the main Classic forum so it shows up when people search there for New Mutants related material?
Thoughts on the series to follow...
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