Tag: x-men blue

X-Men Blue #23 Initial Thoughts

Leave a comment

I don’t have time right now to spend on an incredibly exhaustive, detailed analysis of every single thing I take out of the issue and its implications, so this is my initial thoughts. And they’re… not good. Overall.

I’ll start with the things I actually did like.

As I said with the preview, I liked this.

I had big complaints about Lorna reduced to “daughter of Magneto” and nothing more in the earlier issues, and the downward spiral that had on her treatment in subsequent issues. I’m glad Bunn gave her a chance to emphasize that she’s not just Magneto’s daughter, she’s her own character too.

I also liked that the artist got a little gold in there, on her cape clasps.

That’s the positive.

A decent chunk of Lorna’s presence in the issue did exactly what I worried it would do: put the emphasis on her “status” as Havok’s long-time ex-girlfriend.

To make matters worse, there’s a bullshit line (and unlike in the past, I really don’t struggle to call it bullshit here) about how Lorna and Havok haven’t been a couple “for a long time.”

Lorna and Havok have only been apart for 5 and a half years. In real world chronology, that’s already very little time compared to Jean Grey being dead for something like 15 years or Magneto being Lorna’s father not getting confirmed for nearly 10 years. To say even in real world terms that it’s a long time is already bullshit.

But it’s even more bullshit when you factor in comic book chronology. Comic book chronology is much, much shorter. It’s why Lorna was a teenager in 1968 and she’s rough estimate in her late 20s/early 30s today, 50 years later. So to stuff words in Lorna’s mouth saying it’s been a long time is like a couple being apart for 6 months and acting like it’s been decades since they were together.

I’m not even going to get into how Havok’s been hovering over her ass every single time she so much as breathes in the comics since the “break up.”

That, alone, makes me expect the absolute worst for his use of Malice possessing Lorna in future issues. If Bunn’s so eager to claim something I know he knows isn’t true for his Havok ship, then I have to fully expect he’s going to screw up what could’ve been a good storyline with Malice, too.

I’m sure I’ll feel like I’ve been overly harsh later today, but I always feel that way. So posting this and getting other stuff done now.

Lost in Space with X-Men: Blue

Format Post format: LinkLeave a comment

On March 14, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jorge Molina trap the mutants on a spaceship, pit Polaris against the body-snatching Malice, and put future of the enigmatic Emma Frost up for grabs.


Marvel.com: What’s going on with Malice and Polaris, and what’s the history there?

Cullen Bunn: Polaris and Malice have a long history. Years ago, the psionic entity of Malice possessed Polaris and turned her against her friends. Now, thanks to Miss Sinister, Malice is back! Way back in the early issues of X-MEN: BLUE, Jean Grey found a necklace containing the Malice entity. Malice was meant to possess Jean…but she’s now found her way to Polaris. The question is, in a world of doppelgangers, is this the Malice we knew from before?

Marvel.com: Speaking of story themes, how do fan favorites Polaris and Emma Frost fit in with the idea of “destiny versus free will” that this series has been exploring?

Cullen Bunn: An interesting pair you’ve picked for this question. For one, the theme of free will is overt. Polaris is in danger of being possessed by Malice. She must struggle against that if she wants to be herself. For Emma, she struggles against destinies of her own making. She started out as a villain. She became a teacher. She became a hero. Then, because of a terrible loss, she became a villain again. The story in the next few issues will show what she decides she must be…and if those around her will accept it.

Lost in Space with X-Men: Blue

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: The Hellfire Club Surfaces in X-Men Blue #23

Format Post format: LinkLeave a comment

Once again relayed to me by @lordtimeblogposts! I’ve been busy all day/night and only just now got a chance to say anything.

I wanna give a big thanks to Bunn for what he did in this preview on what Lorna’s called. One of the complaints I had a lot in her return issues was their emphasis on her value as Magneto’s daughter over her value as herself. Here, Bunn’s using her connection to her father, but letting her express that that’s not all that defines her.

I also think using Lorna right off the bat in itself may be Bunn trying his best to show good things for Lorna amid a lot of people worrying about how she may be treated in coming issues.

I’m still worried, because of Havok’s presence and what that might do (almost always does) to treatment of Lorna, but this is a good start. 

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: The Hellfire Club Surfaces in X-Men Blue #23

Format Post format: ImageLeave a comment

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.

Format Post format: ImageLeave a comment

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.

Thoughts on future X-Men Blue plans

Leave a comment

A couple people have asked my thoughts about the March 2018 solicitations of X-Men Blue. I decided to make this post about it. I intend for this to be the only time I really say much about it here until there’s more info and we get closer, but I can’t promise that won’t change. I know myself, and I know life is always unexpected. Something might prompt me to post more.

I’m supportive of Bunn revisiting Polaris’ history with Malice. That, I presently have no issues with. I’ve said for a very long time that I’d like parts of Lorna’s character history where she was treated poorly to be revisited so they can be done right and respectfully this time. Claremont’s writing of Lorna when possessed by Malice is one of those times. If Bunn does it right, it could give a lot of great insight into Lorna and open doors for her.

Here’s where I have a problem: Havok, and everything about Bunn’s writing of Lorna on Blue sans Blue #15 and #16.

Blue #15 and #16 are the only issues where she’s had a good depiction. They’re the most recent depictions, so that’s good. That’s in Bunn’s favor. Recency matters. It could be a sign that he’s improving and trying to better understand the character, which is very important going forward.

Blue #15 showed an ability to acknowledge Lorna as her own distinct character while doing things with her father Magneto. Much better than prior issues, which I’ll explain shortly. Blue #16 showed he’s capable of grasping Lorna’s personality without trying to make it look like her personality isn’t her own. And, he managed to do it while having her interact with two male characters.

These are improvements. However, they’re minor improvements compared to major problems that came before.

In issues prior to Blue #15, everything she was written as saying and doing revolved around Magneto being her father and Havok being her ex. It wasn’t simply acknowledging and using those connections, it was defining her exclusively by those connections and nothing else. I won’t do a thorough accounting of those problems. If I did, I expect I could go for several thousand words. I’m going to set aside the Magneto aspects to focus on the ones that are relevant here, involving Havok.

The coming arc is literally titled “Cry Havok,” and one of the covers we’ve seen has Havok displayed on an equal footing with Magneto. Between the two, it’s pretty obvious the arc is going to be Havok-heavy and Havok-centric. He’s going to be the star of the show. There may be tangents of the issues that don’t include him, but the bulk of it will be about him.

… After he already had an arc devoted to him. What was that arc?

X-Men Blue #8 and #9.

Looking at only the visuals and the cover of X-Men Blue #9, it would be easy and understandable to mistake those issues as being about Lorna. They’re not. They’re actually about Havok. This was a case of deceptive appearances.

In Blue #8 and #9, Havok got the bulk of panel time outside of the O5 team. He got to lead a new team for New Tian. He got brand new interactions with Briar and Emma Frost. He defeated multiple members of the teen O5, showing himself as an intimidating threat in the process.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, during the fight between Lorna and Havok, everything about the fight was geared toward building up Havok’s prestige and putting him on a pedestal. It emphasized his need for redemption, and presented his inverted nature, and worst of all, it played into the idea that there’s absolutely nothing about Lorna’s history worth bringing up besides her terrible relationship history with Havok.

Not even looking at the story itself, but in general, Havok got half of Blue #8 to establish himself before Lorna showed up, and Bunn was eager to tease Havok’s coming use on social media at the time while talking not at all about Polaris.

All Lorna got out of the issue was getting taken out of a two-year forced limbo, and having interacted with the teen O5 – both things Havok got too.

In an X-Men Blue issue presented like it would be Lorna’s time to shine, Bunn had Havok completely steal the spotlight from her. Havok’s struggles, his personality, his near-total dominance of Lorna and her history all became the focus of an issue that tried to look like it would be about Lorna.

Bunn has not done anything to give Lorna the spotlight that was stolen from her and given to Havok. He hasn’t tried to do anything that would make up for it. And now, he’s giving Havok a huge multi-issue spotlight.

Already, he’s refusing to fix a mistake previously made. That sort of behavior already rubs me raw. I’ve been boycotting everything Square-Enix since winter 2010 over that behavior, and I anticipate I’ll be boycotting Square-Enix for the rest of my life because they still haven’t fixed their mistakes. But there’s another aspect of concern even if I set that aside.

In an issue supposedly meant to be about Lorna, Bunn made it all about Havok. Now we have an arc that’s actually intended to be all about Havok from the start. If Bunn wasn’t able to treat Lorna with care and respect for an issue about her, how can I trust that he’ll manage to do it in issues meant to be about the character who stole her show?

Imagine a car. Imagine being offered the car and buying it, only for the dealer to hand the keys to some other guy who crashes it into a wall. Imagine, after the dealer’s done that, getting charged for towing the wreck and having it junked, then getting a gift card for Starbucks as compensation. Then, finally, imagine the guy who crashed your car getting offered a much better car, while all signs suggest you might be offered something half as good as the first car or worse.

That’s how all of this feels to me. Like Bunn had Havok ruin something intended for Lorna and is now giving him even more on top of it, as if tearing her down wasn’t enough.

I’ve said a lot here. What’s the final verdict?

Despite all my complaining above, I’m waiting to see what comes.

Like I said early on in this post, X-Men Blue #15 and #16 were good depictions. They’re going in a positive direction. If Bunn keeps that up, then maybe what he does with her in Havok’s arc will be fine. Entirely because of those two depictions, I’m willing to wait and see. It’s incredibly hard for me to do that, but I’m trying my best to wait. His treatment of Lorna in the arc might be just fine. He might do great things in working on her Malice history. We need more for me to know.

However, I don’t have much trust or faith in Bunn’s abilities anymore. Especially with Havok around. As such, if he pulls this off, I might remain open to future work from him. But. If he doesn’t pull it off, if it’s bad like Blue #8 and #9 were, then it’ll be a permanent end of any support of Bunn from me, and I’ll be pushing really hard for Bunn to never write Lorna again.

I’ve always been against Lorna having any interaction at all with Havok until she gets to properly and fully establish herself, which I judged as taking a decade minimum. This is why. If Havok wasn’t involved and Bunn screwed up, it would be bad enough but I could be more understanding and patient. Screwing up and having Havok involved takes it to a whole other level.

It’s not even a matter of want or don’t want. I am completely incapable of giving a pass on screwing Lorna over if Havok is involved, because he benefits by his very presence. It reinforces the false decades-old narrative that Lorna is a bad character deserving of poor treatment that should only exist to be a supporting character for Havok. I don’t have much tolerance for that.

That’s all my thoughts that I can think to gather in one post. It’s possible I’ll add to this post later if necessary. My intent is to avoid making multiple posts that individually stand out.

I’m not hoping “Bunn proves me wrong” for doubting his abilities. I have good reason to doubt them. What I’m hoping is that he proves me right for giving him another chance and not immediately condemning the arc as guaranteed to be bad for Lorna.

Oh, and if by some chance everything happening is the fault of people above him, then Bunn needs to signal that he’s not at fault and he’s trying to do his best in spite of that. At present, I have no such signal, so I have to follow the assumption it’s all on him.

Leave a comment

Okay. Post that shouldn’t be necessary but apparently is, after seeing some of the Asks sent to Cullen Bunn.

Do not harass creators. Do not harass Cullen Bunn.

I’ve complained a lot and loudly about writing and treatment of characters by various creators, but that is much, much different from sending direct messages to a creator.

When you send a message directly to the creator, you’re not just talking to other fans and other consumers and letting loose with your feelings. You’re not making a post because you have strong feelings and you need an outlet. When you send a message directly to a creator, you’re opening a line of direct communication. You’re starting up a discussion with them.

In offline terms, airing your grievances in a public space to any who might hear is just you expressing your thoughts and feelings. Going to where the person lives, knocking on their door and insulting them to their face is being a harassing asshole.

Sending a direct message to a creator full of insults and personal attacks is like going to their home for the express purpose of doing the same. Don’t do it. It’s wrong.

If you don’t mind, I would like to see more Polaris and less Storm. We already know about the lame ass storm and we don’t need another lame ass storm nor her past story. We need Polaris past story. We need Polaris in the spotlight.

Leave a comment

cullenbunn:

“Lame-ass” is my take away here, right? Also, I’m pretty sure “Lame-ass” needs a hyphen. 

Adding this as a sort of open letter response to the anon that will probably never see it.

There is nothing wrong with Blood Storm. If Bunn wants to focus on her and cares more about her than Polaris, that’s perfectly fine. He’s the writer and a person. He can like what he likes and not like what he doesn’t like. Calling the character “lame ass” is disrespectful to anyone who might like the character, too.

Also, X-Men Blue isn’t about Polaris. The spotlight is supposed to be on the teen O5. Sure, a book where Lorna was in the spotlight would be excellent, but that’s not what X-Men Blue is.

That said.

I do have a complaint in that Blood Storm got the sort of support and in-depth character exploration that Polaris should have received in X-Men Blue #9 and never did. And never will.

This is not a “Blood Storm should’ve gotten worse” take. That line of thinking is awful. This is a “Polaris should’ve received better” take. Personal monologue, flashback panels, exploration into character nature and philosophy, those are all things we should’ve seen for Polaris in X-Men Blue #9. Instead, we got text/speech bubbles and other characters talking about how important it is that Lorna has relationships with two men, as if she’s worthless if those two men don’t exist.

So in sum.

Blood Storm is a perfectly fine character. There are bound to be people out there who like her. Don’t knock her for lack of personal interest, and don’t act like they’re rivals for panel space, because they’re not. If Bunn likes her, Bunn has every right to write her as much as he wants. He’s the writer.

But, if Bunn isn’t really interested in Polaris for anything more than writing about the men in her life, then he shouldn’t write Lorna. I appreciate that Bunn helped to repair Lorna’s father-daughter relationship with Magneto that was severed in X-Factor, and that’s enough if that’s the furthest things get. Better to not write her than to write her without trying to understand her as her own character. I don’t want Bunn forcing himself to do something if he doesn’t want to do it. None of us will walk away from that happy.

X-Men Blue #11 Thoughts

Leave a comment

It’s that time again. I’m going broader this time. Saying thoughts about the book as a whole too.

In all honesty, I’m pretty bored with the book. The primary reason I read it is because Polaris is on it.

There’s just flat out too much emphasis on alternate universe characters. Way, way, way too much. Bunn takes extra time to explain who these characters are this time, but it doesn’t really matter. Most people are going to think there’s no real point cause they aren’t going to matter after Blue. Just look at the three AU mutants that showed up on All-New X-Factor #2, as part of Quicksilver’s story. If they’ve been up to anything since 2014, I have no idea what it even is.

In the hierarchy of comic book characters, AU characters are considered pointless unless you’re really deeply committed to a specific character. They’re not the “real,” 616 versions of these characters.They’re going to go away and be completely irrelevant some day. Rachel Grey/Summers works because she’s the child of two core X-Men, there’s no 616 counterpart to her, and she was one of the early ones. Characters like this Colossus knight, Blood Storm and Jimmy don’t have that.

AU characters work for brief arcs. They work for entirely self-contained stories. They don’t work as the core theme of a committed ongoing book. They’re a pretty good example of the pitfalls of being a hardcore fan and making comics. Things you geek about may be things casual readers don‘t really care about.

It also pisses off a LOT of people who are fans of characters that aren’t getting used. All these storylines about AU characters are storylines that COULD have been traded for ones featuring characters that are largely ignored. As a Polaris fan, if she wasn’t being used in any comics and this was happening, I’d be absolutely pissed. I’d be pointing at X-Men Blue as evidence of Marvel being so awful that they think even temporary AU characters are more deserving of use.

If this looks in any way like an attack on X-Men Blue, then I just want to emphasize that’s not my intent. I’m just trying to explain what a lot of fans must be thinking and feeling even if they don’t outright say it. The first step to making sure things work out well is to know where a problem is so it can be fixed.

I also generally get the feeling Bunn is uncomfortable with the fluffy happy teen O5. I get the feeling he’s more comfortable with dark, rough, edgy characters and storylines, and he’s trying to bring more of that into the book cause it’s his natural element.

This isn’t a dig on him. All writers are more comfortable with some scenarios than others. It’s why a lot of writers fall back into old habits of how to treat characters, what storylines they pursue, etc. Bunn’s comfort area is dark and rough stuff. There’s nothing wrong with having a comfort area. But it does mean doing stuff outside it is more difficult, and there’s a tendency to try to bring in comfortable stuff to make it easier.

On to other things.

The Edgar Rice Burroughs reference is both good and bad. It’s a reference that makes sense for Jean Grey to make given her original time period. I get the impression Bunn is having fun with the writing there, and that’s always a good thing. On the other hand, it’s a reference most people aren’t going to catch. I actually had to look up who Edgar Rice Burroughs is to understand the reference, and I think I’m atypical in a willingness to do that. This is a case where I think a different reference, even if it was a modern one, would’ve worked better.

Jean Grey showing more variety with her powers is good here, between hallucinations and the TK bumpers. I know some people have complained about her not being creative enough with her powers. This issue showed she can do more than telepathy and throwing things around.

On that note, would just like to note as a Polaris fan that Lorna could do the same things if Marvel was willing to acknowledge the full extent of what can be done with electromagnetism. Just throwing that out there.

The line “lemonade from lemons.” Entirely personal thought horning in, I would’ve liked ‘demonade from demons’ more. There’s nothing wrong with the original line. It’s perfectly fine. I just felt it could’ve used some playfulness.

Also, Jean asking Scott what’s wrong toward the end. This is probably nitpicking. I know Jean explains about how they need to make mental partitions and all, and reading between the lines, I’m sure this was a sign of Jean setting one up to avoid picking up Scott’s thoughts. It still irked me and felt like she should’ve known anyway.

Now for a couple Polaris-specific things.

The vents (or whatever the word is) they’re in, I feel Lorna in particular has much more that she’d contribute to it given how much loss and pain she’s endured. In all honesty, I doubt that will be acknowledged. Everyone at Marvel likes to pretend she’s a white as snow Xavier type that’s never endured any trauma or suffering. I don’t know if it’s executive/editorial mandate (probably is) to ignore the core of who Lorna is, or if it’s various creative types doing it, but it’s annoying and I don’t expect it to change here. It’d be really nice for things to work otherwise.

As far as Lorna (and Magneto, and Danger) having been beaten by Madelyne Pryor and them, it’s fine here. Nothing wrong with characters getting beaten by other characters, and I appreciate that it happened off panel so there’s no arguments about it. But, general warning: Polaris (and the others, really) being beaten like this should be rare. Do it too much and it not only makes a mockery of the characters, but for this book, it raises the question of how they can even pretend to be in a position to mentor/teach the O5. Jean and Cyclops at least got out alive, after all. What do they have to teach the O5 if they can’t protect themselves and need rescuing all the time?

Lastly, Blood Storm. I’ll just get it out in the open: I know she’ll be sticking around. I hope Bunn is better about having Polaris and any version of Storm on the same team/book together than Claremont was. I’m a lot more open to Storm and Lorna interaction than with Havok. I’m willing to give it a shot cause the hate-a-thon got dropped after Claremont left, and more emphasis was put on Storm’s value in her own right than in tearing down Lorna to do it. But, I’m still cautious on this point.

All I’ve got to say for now.

X-Men Blue #10 Thoughts

Leave a comment

tl;dr it was good.

I’m glad this issue is doing more to highlight Beast, Iceman and Angel. I had an overall feeling from earlier issues that they weren’t really explored enough.

Scene with Danger training Iceman made me think of Dragon Ball Z training episodes for some reason.

I noticed the rings on Lorna’s costume are gold, which is a nice touch for variation of color scheme.

The scenes between Lorna and Magneto are really good in this issue. Their personal history and family ties are used, but Lorna is still very distinctly her own character. It’s mostly got the right balance.

I especially like the emphasis on Lorna being there to challenge and work with her father toward a common good goal, and how it’s explicitly stated that Magneto doesn’t want blind followers. The exact way that message came out is perfect. The in-comics framing is about Magneto not wanting the young O5 that way, but it applies to Lorna just as well without the risk of coming off condescending to her age and experience.

It’s at this point I want to say: if anything in this issue was adjusted based on criticism and complaints, Bunn is much quicker and more open than Peter David was. That’s a very good sign both for him writing Lorna and for the book in general.

That said, there were a couple spots that irked me. They’re minor, but I feel I should say them anyway.

The first is entirely personal, selfish and as I said, very minor. We see Magneto use his powers to serve more coffee to Lorna. I would’ve preferred seeing Lorna do it. But, it actually makes a lot more story sense for Magneto to do it since he’s the host – and again, it’s minor.

The other means a little more.

Lorna acting surprised and saying “some sort of attack?” to the unexpected attack, and Magneto “correcting” her. Lorna’s among the very last people I would expect to be surprised by an attack. She survived Genosha, a genocide that came on sudden, unexpected and killed millions in minutes, within a mutant homeland where she no doubt felt safer than ever. She was traumatized deeply by that. Survivors don’t act like they can’t believe an attack happened. If they’ve been through what Lorna has, it’s hard not to expect you could die at any moment.

A survivor’s struggle is managing to relax and feel safe, and that problem sticks with you. You may lose some of that edge, but it never goes away. It’s the whole concept of a veteran’s PTSD triggering because they saw images of war or heard a sound like a gunshot. A survivor is more likely to assume something harmless and innocent is an attack than they are to mistake an attack for something harmless. When you add things like Lorna fighting in the War of Kings, and getting abducted in her sleep by Iceman’s dark alter ego in Liu’s run, there’s even more to go on.

I know that’s a lot of text, and having a lot of text makes it look like a huge problem, but in this case, it’s not. It was a couple lines on one panel in an issue that was otherwise great to her.

This is just one of those things I really, really feel the need to expound upon. Depiction of the way people who’ve been through trauma live it out is a pretty big deal to me.

Back to other praise though.

Scott and Jean being in each other’s heads is a really interesting idea with a lot of potential. There’s a risk of it looking hokey and bland if it’s treated like a romantic genre film story, but I’m not getting that vibe so far. What I’m getting out of it is more like two random people forced to live like twins in the same mind but different bodies. Sort of like a mad science experiment.

Lastly, I like the parallel of Beast becoming THE Beast, as in playing on Revelations. Maybe a different writer pre-Bunn intended this all along, but pulling it in here really makes Hank using magic feel like it actually fits now. Before, it looked like a superficial add-on just to be able to claim having the young O5 around has worth.

That’s all I’ve got here.