Tag: marvel

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salarta:

With thanks to @lordtimeblogposts for linking me.

Solicits here: https://www.cbr.com/x-men-blue-25-new-team-marvel-comics/

Now thoughts.

Team costumes, at least in Polaris’ case, are a big mistake. I’ve said this and why many times before. However, I’ve also said I can begrudgingly accept team costumes for her under certain conditions, and so far this appears to fit those conditions (as ANXF did).

I’m sure this is the 616 Polaris we all know and love, but the art is done in such a way that I found myself wondering if this was a time-displaced teen Lorna or a younger AU Lorna.

I assume Lorna is the leader here based on positioning and all, and that’s nice. Especially if she continues to be treated as well as she was in Blue #15 and #16, rather than the way she was written in all issues before those two.

I’m surprised to see Lorna here since I could’ve seen Marvel throwing her into limbo. It’s her 50th anniversary this year and she’s becoming popular through Gifted. Marvel’s track record is to undermine Lorna every time she can have good things going for her, so I expected this year to be that philosophy in overdrive.

But then, this is Marvel. Same company that I gave benefit of doubt after Secret Wars, telling myself Lorna’s good presence there wasn’t just so they could have an easier time throwing her into limbo, only for them to prove me right. Probably best to assume they’ll still behave the way I’ve grown used to them behaving.

This cover also pretty much says that the Lorna possessed by Malice part of the story is a part of the arc and not permanent. I know several people were rushing to judgment and complaint about the Malice part. This might help them feel a bit better going into things.

For my part, that Havok (so far) isn’t on the roster is a very positive sign. I’d consider the book DOA if he was.

If Lorna’s the leader, then if there’s a crossover with X-Men Red, it’ll be interesting to see what happens between Lorna and Jean. Their friendship that they had in the late 60s pretty much got thrown away by Claremont, and subsequent writers stuck with it, so this would be an opportunity to revive something that was unfairly lost same as Magneto being Lorna’s father.

Lorna’s fingers glowing green is an interesting effect I don’t think I’ve seen before. Find myself imagining it’s a power boost. Probably isn’t though.

Of the roster, I thought I heard that AU characters weren’t supposed to be around anymore after the team roster change. Jimmy and Bloodstorm disprove that. Unless they’re only here cause during team transition or something.

If I’m being entirely honest, I don’t really care for this roster at all on sight, but that only matters if it hurts interest in reading the book. It’s entirely possible it could be good as things progress. I remember that I always felt awkward and apprehensive about new directions in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics, then I’d keep reading and love the very stories I was so unsure about.

The roster doesn’t fit my suggestion of a mix of “popular” and “obscure” characters though. Not that it has to, mind. I’m not the writer or editor or whoever chose these characters. But the point of having a mix is you have characters people know to draw attention and create ideas, alongside wild card unknowns to get people curious about how things can go differently than they’re used to seeing.

That’s all I got for now. Lots of text is lots of text.

@plavapticica said: is that Xorn? The last time I remember him popping up (and bear in mind I haven’t kept up with comics) he was taking credit for impersonating Magneto to destroy New York as revenge for Genosha. BASICALLY the last person I would think Lorna (even as an antihero) would team with?

I’ve noticed Bunn has a strong personal interest in Xorn. I only really know the cliff notes version of the character, so it’ll be interesting to find out what’s going on there. His presence also reminds me of “Xorna,” and when I thought Battle of the Atom would’ve been interesting if that character turned out to be an older Lorna, only for it to be grown-up teen Jean instead.

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With thanks to @lordtimeblogposts for linking me.

Solicits here: https://www.cbr.com/x-men-blue-25-new-team-marvel-comics/

Now thoughts.

Team costumes, at least in Polaris’ case, are a big mistake. I’ve said this and why many times before. However, I’ve also said I can begrudgingly accept team costumes for her under certain conditions, and so far this appears to fit those conditions (as ANXF did).

I’m sure this is the 616 Polaris we all know and love, but the art is done in such a way that I found myself wondering if this was a time-displaced teen Lorna or a younger AU Lorna.

I assume Lorna is the leader here based on positioning and all, and that’s nice. Especially if she continues to be treated as well as she was in Blue #15 and #16, rather than the way she was written in all issues before those two.

I’m surprised to see Lorna here since I could’ve seen Marvel throwing her into limbo. It’s her 50th anniversary this year and she’s becoming popular through Gifted. Marvel’s track record is to undermine Lorna every time she can have good things going for her, so I expected this year to be that philosophy in overdrive.

But then, this is Marvel. Same company that I gave benefit of doubt after Secret Wars, telling myself Lorna’s good presence there wasn’t just so they could have an easier time throwing her into limbo, only for them to prove me right. Probably best to assume they’ll still behave the way I’ve grown used to them behaving.

This cover also pretty much says that the Lorna possessed by Malice part of the story is a part of the arc and not permanent. I know several people were rushing to judgment and complaint about the Malice part. This might help them feel a bit better going into things.

For my part, that Havok (so far) isn’t on the roster is a very positive sign. I’d consider the book DOA if he was.

If Lorna’s the leader, then if there’s a crossover with X-Men Red, it’ll be interesting to see what happens between Lorna and Jean. Their friendship that they had in the late 60s pretty much got thrown away by Claremont, and subsequent writers stuck with it, so this would be an opportunity to revive something that was unfairly lost same as Magneto being Lorna’s father.

Lorna’s fingers glowing green is an interesting effect I don’t think I’ve seen before. Find myself imagining it’s a power boost. Probably isn’t though.

Of the roster, I thought I heard that AU characters weren’t supposed to be around anymore after the team roster change. Jimmy and Bloodstorm disprove that. Unless they’re only here cause during team transition or something.

If I’m being entirely honest, I don’t really care for this roster at all on sight, but that only matters if it hurts interest in reading the book. It’s entirely possible it could be good as things progress. I remember that I always felt awkward and apprehensive about new directions in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics, then I’d keep reading and love the very stories I was so unsure about.

The roster doesn’t fit my suggestion of a mix of “popular” and “obscure” characters though. Not that it has to, mind. I’m not the writer or editor or whoever chose these characters. But the point of having a mix is you have characters people know to draw attention and create ideas, alongside wild card unknowns to get people curious about how things can go differently than they’re used to seeing.

That’s all I got for now. Lots of text is lots of text.

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First commissioned fanart for Polaris’ 50th anniversary is complete!

DecoySnake made this for me partially based on Kris Anka’s concept, shown below. Many thanks to him for taking up the commission in the first place and working with me on it.

image
image

This is just the first of more to come.

If anyone’s feeling like trying their hand at some ideas, here’s a list of them. One not on the list is possibly a 50th anniversary logo of some sort.

By 50th anniversary, I mean that this year in October will be 50 years since Polaris was created (1968).

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There’s a question at the end of this post.

I’ve had various issues with the CBR forums over the years. To summarize my latest, I’ve come to realize I get no real sense of community or support out of Polaris fans there anymore.

People who agree with me and who I used to like talking to have been banned. Of those who remain, they’ll turn their backs on you if you dare to say things they don’t like, or if you say them sooner and more openly and loudly than they’ll be ready and willing to say them for months. I’m sick of concerns/complaints I raise getting blown off or treated like overreaction until it’s too late to do anything about them, and I’m sick of things I do or have done getting taken for granted.

Here’s my question.

Do any of you know a good message board type of place to go to talk about Polaris and share fandom things about her?

If you do, please reblog, shoot an Ask (even anonymously), or whatever you want to do. I know I always have Tumblr and Twitter, but that’s different from having a dedicated thread to post on.

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There was an argument between a couple different accounts on something I reblogged, that I saw because Tumblr has me on this experimental “subscribed” function. The argument was more or less about how Lorna was written in the final episodes.

I don’t have much I can say about that because I didn’t watch it. I assume if I had watched it, I probably would’ve liked it, because I had been liking most of what Gifted was doing with Lorna before the writers royally screwed up with Dreamer.

There’s a bit I can say though. Pertaining to Dreamer, and certain characters and dynamics following her death.

Thunderbird x Blink (Thunderblink)

Okay, so supposedly this pairing got more push after Dreamer’s death, and subsequently, I’ve seen some fans of the pairing talking about how glad they are that Dreamer was killed off so she couldn’t “stand in the way” of this pairing.

To which I say this: if Thunderbird x Blink really couldn’t happen unless Dreamer got killed off, then they’re a pretty shitty pairing. Good pairings don’t require killing off all possible “competition” to become viable. If they’re actually, legitimately good, they’ll be able to develop and thrive regardless.

All Dreamer’s death does for this pairing is make it look forced and disingenuous, like the writers and fans of the pairing are so terrified the pairing sucks in the eyes of everyone else that they need extra assurances to make people accept it.

Esme/Cuckoos gaining prominence

I’ve also seen some people act like Dreamer was either an obstacle to Esme gaining prominence, or somehow redundant because she has psychic-like powers. And they’re cool with Dreamer’s death and how poorly it was handled for that reason.

If you think Esme couldn’t rise unless Dreamer died, that says the same thing as the Thunderbird x Blink pairing: that you think she’s too shitty to stand on her own merits and needs all “competition” removed.

If you think having Esme around means Dreamer is “redundant” and needs to go away for that reason? Well for one, you’re reducing the character exclusively to her powers. Which is stupid. Two characters with the same powers can use them in different ways. For another, if we say they’re all exactly the same, then why does going away have to mean death, and why did that death have to be done so poorly?

Polaris’ darker turn

I’ve seen some people try to claim Dreamer’s death was necessary for Polaris to take a darker turn. That it “had” to happen.

Which isn’t true. First and foremost, there are a LOT of things they could’ve done instead of character death to get the same impact. Dreamer could have been physically or psychologically tortured. She could’ve lost limbs being experimented on. There are so many options that could’ve inflicted a level of suffering that could push Lorna to the breaking point. There are so many options that could’ve taken her to a mentality of “They should be glad I’m killing instead of torturing.”

Second, Lorna already had a lot of trauma and baggage to begin with. Her time in prison alone would’ve been enough to drive her into darker mental modes.

Third, it’s not like it wasn’t possible for the writers to potentially reveal something like Lorna had suppressed memories, Dreamer and/or the Cuckoos bring them out, and that drives Lorna to be darker.

Lorna going dark did not require Dreamer’s death, and to say it did sells Lorna and her potential very, very short. It robs her of some actual real personal development she could’ve received, in favor of making her darkness out to be from a death that was written so poorly that it makes everything to come from it look cheap and half-assed.

Polaris and Esme/Cuckoos dynamic

Lastly for the moment, I’ve seen some people suggest Dreamer had to die so Lorna could have more of a dynamic with Esme and the Cuckoos.

This is the same as the Thunderbird and Blink relationship: if seeing it pursued requires killing off a character, it’s a shitty dynamic. A good dynamic, with a good foundation to work from, can work without “competition” getting “removed” for its sake. If Polaris and Esme/Cuckoos working together was a truly viable angle, it didn’t need Dreamer’s death. It would’ve worked with her still around.

As I said about Esme/Cuckoos gaining prominence, Dreamer’s dynamic with Lorna could have differed greatly. Even if they’re on the same side, Dreamer could have been the softer side to Esme/Cuckoos being hardassed and vicious.

If Dreamer stayed with Mutant Underground, next season could’ve seen her role as Lorna’s best friend trying to get her to come back from her dark side. Some would think of this as redundant with Marcos, but it wouldn’t be, because best friend and lover have differing perspectives and qualities. Or is Marcos gonna try to get Lorna back to the Mutant Underground by reminding her that the two of them could go back to the days of flirting with guys at bars to get intel for missions, instead of talking about the baby and building a family?

Conclusion

Whatever “reason” may be given for why Dreamer getting killed off was somehow good, is a false reason. There is literally nothing about her death that could not have been done better in some way that kept her alive. Especially with how poorly the show’s writers wrote her death.

The show threw away a good character with tons of potential for no reason other than because the writers were either too lazy to put more effort in an alternate route, or too terrible at writing to feel confident in their ability to write various characters and relationships/dynamics well with her presence intact.