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multiverseofmiracleshq · 2 years

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For the whole history of KWANNON, please click here.

← ONCE THERE WAS AN IDEA TO BRING TOGETHER →

Not giving up on Krakoa was a huge decision for Kwannon to make. She’s still privately mourning the loss of her daughter while serving as both a Great Captain of Krakoa and a Marauder. She’s been toying with the idea that she can be a better person than she is, and healing while staying busy is a good way to test the waters. There’s many who never know of Kwannon; their only frame of reference for Psylocke was Betsy. She’s been back long enough now that people know her for her, but there’s still some who are unfamiliar with the real Psylocke. Time will help right the wrongs that were perpetuated by years lost. Her body is her own again, and having agency is not something she’ll let go to waste.

← A GROUP OF REMARKABLE PEOPLE TO SEE IF THEY →

✗ BETSY BRADDOCK (616), for a long time, took Kwannon’s life. Out of the two of them, Betsy was the only one able to withstand the change in their bodies and she walked around in Kwannon’s skin for a very long time. When many think Psylocke, they think Betsy even though it’s Kwannon’s title and form. It was weird between them at first when Kwannon was resurrected into her own body, but they’ve reached an understanding. It wasn’t Betsy’s fault and holding it against her wouldn’t serve Kwannon. It would just hold her back, and she’s trying to move forward.

✗ NATHANIEL ESSEX (616) can rot in hell -- if there’s a hell at all. He strung Kwannon along offering her some hope of getting her daughter back, but he’s a liar and a traitor. She revealed his true intentions to the Hellions and his labs were destroyed, taking with them the last traces of his daughter. Kwannon knows that he doesn’t care about the pain and suffering he inflicts. Essex is past redeemable.

✗ JOHN GREYCROW (616) and Kwannon have both been contemplating their abilities to be better people. After losing her daughter Kwannon was convinced that she should operate as a lone assassin looking for death, but the two of them are turning over a new leaf together. It’s no secret either that Greycrow feels for Kwannon, but she’s measured in her responses. The more people you let in, the more likely you are to get hurt. She knows that all too well.

← COULD BECOME SOMETHING MORE →

✗ THE MARAUDERS → With the inaugural class of the Hellion’s disbanded, Kwannon was able to move onto a new team. The Marauders are less volatile than the Hellions were by a long shot, and they’re more dependable as well. Kwannon is and has always been a private woman who didn’t need anyone else. Her participation on the team is because she wants to be there, not because she needs to be. They’re better with her present.

✗ OTHER AFFILIATIONS -- great captains of krakoa. krakoa.

← & IF WE CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD, WE’LL AVENGE IT →

✗ AGE → 30′s ✗ MULTIVERSE ORIGIN → 616 ✗ SPECIES → mutant ✗ ETHNICITY → japanese ✗ SECRET IDENTITY → public ✗ RELATIONSHIP STATUS → open ✗ FACECLAIM → tao okamoto ✗ AVAILABILITY → taken

← FUN FACTS →

kwannon means mercy, but she herself lacks it

had and lost a daughter

formerly had her body stolen by betsy braddock

#kwannon #marauders #great captains of krakoa #krakoa #earth616 #taken #taken female

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roguearchives · 9 months

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Rogue and Captain America in the cover of Uncanny Avengers (2023) #4, illustrated by Javier Jarrón.

Read full summary.

“Orchis comes to the conclusion that they cannot control Captain Krakoa, and on the eve of his great triumph, with the world about to burn, they must turn to... the Avengers’ Unity Squad? Witness the blooming of the unlikeliest romance in Uncanny Avengers history!”

Release date: Nov. 15th, 2023.

Source: Article by AIPT.

#Marvel #X-Men #Avengers #Rogue #Captain America #Deadpool #Psylocke #Kwannon #M #Penance #Quicksilver #Comics #Covers #Art

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stealthisplanet · 1 month

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New Mutants vol. 4 #18 – Homecoming

The imperative of a mutant community

Vita Ayala (Writer), Rod Reis (Artist), Travis Lanham (Letterer)

Let’s begin with first principles.

The two foundational, definitional characteristics of the New Mutants are the closeness of their bonds, lines between platonic and romantic almost permanently blurred, and their trauma, both individual and shared. The New Mutants’ mission on Krakoa, explored so beautifully in this issue, is to foster a community strong enough that it can guide and support each of its individuals to unburden themselves of the trauma of the past and flourish in the future.

The New Mutants begin their utopian journey in this fashion by creating a support system for younger mutants, no longer constrained by human frameworks and ideologies. This is symbolised by their new home the Sextant, which is itself a metaphor for charting a new course towards a future with limitless possibilities. When Vita Ayala takes over writing responsibilities from Jonathan Hickman from issue 13, they more closely interrogate how this idealism plays out in practice. As the shadow of the past begins to encroach on the Akademos Habitat in the form of Amahl Farouk, the young students are attracted to the allure of easy solutions to their problems. The teachers also perceive Krakoa as an opportunity to release the trauma they’ve held onto for many years but know that this victory must be hard fought. Enter Dani Moonstar aka Mirage to guide them through.

After Magik becomes a War Captain and de facto combat leader of the team, Dani remains the team’s spiritual and emotional leader, as well as the lead educator for the Lost Club, the island’s youngest mutants. While Mirage doesn’t have a story dedicated to her throughout the run, she remains active rather than passive, supporting the team through the period of introspection and reflection that the safety of Krakoa has afforded them.

Ayala uses Mirage to great effect throughout their run, using her innate skill of empathy to de-emphasis the distinction between individual and shared trauma. Ayala’s approach to this feels so realistic, as Dani does not always get this right, avoiding a trap that writers fall into with the character being so morally upstanding that her judgement is beyond reproach. While issue #18 is a wonderful testament to Dani’s strength as a leader and the nature of her bond with Karma, there’s only so much that a community leader can do for her people without wider structural support. Wolfsbane and Cosmar are examples of attentions become spread too thinly, which is a catalyst for calamity and guilt that later issues must resolve. All of Dani’s attention is on Karma’s battle to reclaim her identity by separating her from her ‘evil’ brother Tran, who she has stored in her soul for almost her entire life to protect the world around her. In a society that promises amnesty and support for its former villains, New Mutants #18 examines the precarious moral balance of self-actualisation and community protection through one of the Krakoa era’s most controversial plot devices: the Crucible.

The healing rock

The issue begins with Karma and Mirage sat on a rock by a waterfall, hands held in meditation as Dani facilitates a conversation between Xuân and Tran on the astral plane. This is the same rock that Karma finds Wolfsbane sat on in the opening scene to issue 1 and offers her guidance about capitalising on the potential of her rebirth and finding new purpose. It is a space that symbolises the spiritual connections between the team, and the importance of quiet introspection as a way of resolving problems and challenges. It’s representative of Ayala’s approach to the series, which is to buck the superhero comic trend and resolve issues through philosophical debate rather than physical conflict. That’s not to say that action isn’t core to this issue because it is, but the resolution to the problem is arrived at here on this rock which then plays out in the crucible itself.

Rod Reis’ use of pastel tones and inking to differentiate between the corporal and astral figures and between past and present tense is both economical and visually stunning. The washed out tone clearly demarcates the past tense, while the flare ups of Karma’s pink power signature emphasises Karma’s intense frustration and despair at the lack of success of previous attempts to separate her from her brother. Floating ink lines resembling restraints circle Tran’s body loosely throughout the scene, suggesting Xuân’s reluctance to incarcerate him. At the scene’s conclusion, the inks have become thinner, symbolising the loosening of the bonds and his imminent freedom.

“Tôi đã có bạn - I’ve Got You”

So why is the ritual of the Crucible so crucial to Karma’s story? First of all, it demands conviction. It demands that Xuân reckon with the conundrum of whether her full spiritual independence is worth the risk her brother poses to the community around her. And yes, it demands brutality because the foundational principle of the Crucible is rooted in violence, the premise that paradise should never come easily, even to those who deserve it, because it is simply worth so much.

In the Crucible scenes, Ayala and Reis combine to great effect to simultaneously create a violent intensity and gentle intimacy to the fight. The pacing ebbs and flows as Xuân’s creeping doubts are answered with Dani’s violence before the scene breaks away for Karma to “waver here, in this moment between breathes” as her memories of Tran as an innocent child and as a damaged man as the narrative caption boxes pose the question “who is Tran?”. The fluid, sketched panelling gives way to thick bordering on the bottom panel of the page as the reader sees Karma, sword in hand, resolved in her decision: ultimately, it is not for her to choose. Tran must be given the grace to find his own path.

The scene then ramps up to a frenetic yet almost silent crescendo as Dani stabs her with an arrow. Throughout this scene, when the narrative is from the two central figures’ perspectives, the background is dark pink, symbolising Karma’s internality, while everyone else is faded out. It’s just the two of them together, dancing to a song of violence written with pure love. The issue’s closing scene is a moving testament to the love between them, with Karma flirting with Dani as they stare into each other’s eyes in a way that brings us back to first principles: friendship and romance are fluid among the New Mutants, but what is clear is their deep affection for one another.

Other than the potential romantic elements, Ayala’s decision to have Dani be Xuân’s partner is a smart one in that Dani is probably the most self-actualised of the New Mutants. In the original New Mutants series, she was the first to lose her powers, the first to succumb to her trauma in the form of the Demon Bear and therefore the first to be saved by the found family around her. The passing on of care from one community to member to another is contrasted in later issues where the New Mutants talk to the Shadow King about breaking the cycle of trauma and replacing it with something more productive. By separating herself from the pain of her past, symbolised by the influence of her brother, she finally has complete autonomy: freedom to be who she wants but also to pay the kindness forward to others, which she is able to do with Cosmar in a later issue.

So when Karma is resurrected with her prosthetic leg still in place, accompanied by the narrative caption box of “Welcome Home”, the message is loud and clear: mutant paradise is being the version of yourself that you most love and identify with, and the Crucible is the hard road to travel to get there.

The Lost Club

What is striking on a re-read is how much of this issue is dedicated to the Lost Club and the debate between Gabby Kinney and Cosmar about the efficacy of the Shadow King’s promise to restore the mutants to their idealised self. The scenes are very dialogue heavy, which weigh down the issue slightly, but they are important and completely on theme.

The Lost Club, and Cosmar in particular, present an alternative viewpoint on the theme of self-acceptance. If Karma’s decision to resurrect herself with her prosthesis still in place is a strong message of rejecting disability as something to be fixed, Cosmar’s experience is perhaps an allegory for body dysmorphia or more specifically gender dysphoria. The pop philosophy of self-acceptance generally argues that a person should accept themselves for who they are, which implies a rigidity of identity shaped by a patriarchal view of gender. The point that the children with visible mutations like Cosmar, Anole and Rain Boy make to Gabby is that what if what you see in the mirror prevents you from expressing who you are? How can one accept a version of oneself that is false?

Ayala is challenging a generally held belief in X-Men continuity, perpetuated by the Krakoa era, that possessing a mutant power is necessarily a gift. In the past this notion has generally been challenged by mutants whose powers are destructive, like Rogue or an even more extreme case like Glow Worm, but this comic explicitly is not interested in that. This is about the person behind the powers, and not just whether or not they look “different” from others. This comic is interrogating ways in which people look different from how they perceive themselves, and in that way is an interesting examination of body dysmorphia at the very least.

So while the Crucible scene is a beautiful example of how a community can support the individual, the Lost Club plot is about what happens when a community fails its citizens. The Shadow King, although characterised fairly sympathetically in this run, represents the systems that exploit those left vulnerable by lack of community care. Without spoiling what happens in future issues the seeds of this plot’s central argument are laid here: while they don’t always get it right, the New Mutants have their fellow citizens best interests at heart, and are a positive example of an inclusive and accepting community.

However, the point made by Magik in her letter to the Quiet Council gets to the root of the issue: local communities need the support of central government to best serve its citizens. In an economic and political climate in which vital funding and protective legislation for communities and their vulnerable citizens are being gutted to fund genocide and war, the idealism of Krakoa was always fated to be just another utopia.

#xmen #xmen comics #krakoa #mutants #new mutants #illyana rasputin #dani moonstar

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heckcareoxytwit · 6 months

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A preview of Uncanny Avengers #4

UNCANNY AVENGERS #4

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND! (For one issue) Orchis comes to the conclusion that they cannot control Captain Krakoa, and on the eve of his great triumph, with the world about to burn, they must turn to…the Avengers’ Unity Squad? Plus, witness the blooming of the unlikeliest romance in Uncanny Avengers history!

LEGACY #64

Written by: Gerry Duggan Art by: Javier Garron, Morry Hollowell Cover by: Javier Garron, Morry Hollowell Page Count: 28 Pages Release Date: November 15, 2023

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racefortheironthrone · 11 months

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What do you think of the "death" of Kamala Khan controversy? Armaan Babu at ComicsXF wrote a great article comparing it with ATSV and I read your piece on LG&M on the movie which didn't mention it.

To be honest, I haven't really been reading much recent Kamala Khan stuff - I subscribed to G. Willow WIlson's run but not the Saladin Ahmed run and I think the most recent thing of hers I read was the Dark Web tie-in oneshot - so I didn't know she was dead.

I normally like Zeb Wells' work, but I think this is a pretty retrograde move to horn Kamala Khan into Gwen Stacey's worn-out shoes. Then again, I have not been happy with the direction of the Spider books in general (although I did enjoy the X-Men tie-ins to Dark Web).

My suspicion, and Armaan and Lia's articles note that I'm not the only one, is that this is going to be resolved by having Kamala resurrect on Krakoa mutant and proud - thus smoothing out the rough join between her comics iteration and her MCU iteration.

If that is the case, it's some pretty clumsy editorially- and commercially-driven mandating. However, unlike Armaan and Lia, I don't think anyone will care in the long run.

Her MCU origin story is already a giant mess, because no one was going to do the Inhumans thing after the rights issues were resolved, but the Clandestines/djinn thing was IMO the worst part of the Disney+ show, which also hedged its bets by making her a mutant and her bangle somehow tied in with Captain Marvel/the Kree and The Marvels movie.

By contrast, changing her from an Inhuman to a mutant in the comics is a straightforward change that can only improve her visibility now that the X-books are big again and the Inhumans basically don't exist any more.

Does it suck that it happened in Peter Parker's book and not Kamala Khan's book? Yes. Are stories driven by diktats from corporate about IP creatively bankrupt? Usually, but I'll point out that G. Willow Wilson was working within the boundaries set down by Ike Perlmutter when she created Kamala Khan as an Inhuman.

#marvel #marvel meta #kamala khan #mcu #spider-man

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iconuk01 · 7 months

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I sometimes wonder how Magneto feels looking at the New Mutants he was Headmaster to. My suggestions are the bullet points.

Sam - Married, has a kid, living a space opera life in Shi'Ar space

It's like he gave life his bucket list and it's ticking every box because he's earned it. Good for him!

Dani/Xuân/Rahne - Basically taking over all responsibility for education and training mutants on Krakoa. Casually marched into Otherworld in pursuit of a missing student (Who they then left there as he seemed to be much happier there than on Krakoa)

Those three will be running this entire place inside five years, to the relief of oh so many, especially me.

Doug (+Warlock) - Speaker for Krakoa, responsible for a heavy chunk of the Krakoan infrastructure. Stands up to Xavier and the Quiet Council when no one else will. Utterly devoted to his selfsoulfriend and his super-intimidating Arraki warrior wife

Honestly? One of the sweetest kids I ever met, but I did NOT see that coming.

Illyana - Captain of Krakoa, respected warrior and leader of warriors.

I am just... SO damn proud of her I could EXPLODE!

Roberto - Sometime Avenger, sometime high ranking member of the Hellfire Club, owned and ran AIM for a while. Member of Arrako's Great Ring. Somehow ALWAYS the wealthiest person in the room... ANY room. Is playing 5 dimensional chess with his strategies at all times.

I just don't know what to do with that scamp!

Amara - Presumably enjoying her career as an extra in crowd scenes

Who?

#magneto #new mutants #cannonball #cypher #karma #magik #magma #mirage #sunspot #wolfsbane #warlock

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docgold13 · 1 year

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365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

Supporting Character Supplemental - Lila Cheney

Born in England, Lila’s Mutant abilities manifested in her middle childhood. She discovered that she was able to generate a tachyon field about herself with which she can transport herself and other people/objects across interstellar distances, even between galaxies. The tachyon field converts matter into faster-than-light particles that Lila can direct with a type of cosmic awareness that allows her traverse the stars, essentially teleporting from one inhabitable space to another in the blink of an eye. Young Lila would regale her parents with all sorts of inventive tales and they assumed she merely had a vibrant imagination; unaware that these stories were of her actual adventures across galaxies.

An early foray into different worlds saw Lila visit the planet Aladna. On this planet, young Lila was heralded as a special guest and was betrothed to the crown prince of the realm, Prince Yan. Yan was a sweet young man, but Lila was not interested in marriage so she teleported away with no intention of ever returning.

Lila’s continued exploration led to her being captured and enslaved by a villainous alien empire. She escaped and went on to become a celebrated thief and singer throughout many star systems. She made her home base deep within the Dyson Sphere Colony where she hoarded the treasures, goods, art and technology that she pilfered across the stars.

Returning to earth in her late teens, Lila honed her passion for music and formed a rock and roll band called Cats Laughing. The band earned great acclaim in the United Kingdom and abroad and they often performed alongside The Dazzler (another Mutant musical performer).

Lila’s activities as an interstellar thief led her to encountering The New Mutants and she shared adventures alongside the young Mutants. Herein Lila entered into a sporadic and frequently tumultuous romance with the New Mutant and future X-Man, Cannonball (Sam Guthrie).

Following further exploits, Lila again returned to earth to get back to her musical career. As a solo act, Lila employed the Mutant powerhouse, Guido Carosella, to act as her personal bodyguard. Lila was open about her being a Mutant and one of her concerts was targeted by an anti-Mutant terrorist who sought to bomb the venue where Lila was performing. The terrorist’s scheme was thwarted by the X-Men Rogue and Cannonball.

Some time thereafter, Lila became embroiled in an adventure alongside Captain Marvel (Danvers) where she returned to the planet Aladna to settle a conflict caused by her refusal to marry Prince Yan. Fortunately, the issues were resolved when Danvers’ alley, Tic, fell in love with Prince Yan and the two married (releasing Lila from her matrimonial obligation).

More recently, Lila accepted citizenship to the Mutant nation of Krakoa where she has loaned her abilities to the Krakoa-based SWORD division. Lila Chaney first appeared in the pages of The New Mutants Vol. 1 Annual #1 (1984).

#365 Marvel Comics heroes #Lila Chaney #New Mutants #SWORD #Captain Marvel #Cannonball #cut-out #paper art

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rezonan · 3 months

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Marvel Old Comic Retelling Read Order

So I have a friend who's a big Marvel fan and wants to get into comics, he's willing to start from the late 70s and doesn't want to touch any Golden or Silver age material but does want to get the general idea of what happened at that point in the universe, so I've constructed this list for him, made out of retellings of older stories with modern art and writers to make it better for his style of reading.

**Pre-Golden Age Retellings:**

Thor: Ages of Thunder

The Mighty Thor: Loki

Thor: For Asgard

Thor: Son Of Asgard

The Rise of Apocalypse

Thor: Godstorm

Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears

Apache Skies

Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather

The Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven

Blaze Of Glory: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes

Stoker’s Dracula

X-Men: Apocalypse / Dracula

Wolverine: Origin

Wolverine: Origin II

**The Golden Age Retellings:**

X-Men: Magneto Testament

Captain America & Bucky: The Life Story of Bucky Barnes

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

Truth: Red, White & Black

Captain America: Patriot

The Marvels Project

Marvels #1

Captain America: White

Captain America / Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers

Captain America: America First

X-Men: Krakoa Lives

Sub-Mariner: The Depths

Winter Soldier: The Bitter March

**Silver Age Retellings:**

Fantastic Four: Books of Doom

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock

Wolverine: Weapon X

X-Men: Angel – Revelations

X-Men: Origins

X-Men: Origins II

Ororo – Before The Storm

Mythos: Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four: First Family

Avengers Origins: Ant-Man & the Wasp

Mythos: Hulk

Hulk: Gray

Storm

Avengers Origins: Thor

Thor: First Thunder

Iron Man Season One

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin

Iron Man: The Iron Age

Mythos Spider-Man

Spider-Man: With Great Power

Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One

Untold Tales of Spider-Man

X-Men: Season One

Mythos: X-Men

Avengers: The Origin

Captain America: Man Out of Time

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Hulk: Smash Avengers

Avengers Four

Thor: Blood Oath

Rise of the Black Panther

Black Panther: Killmonger – By Any Means

Daredevil: Yellow

Spider-Man: Blue

Emma Frost

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II

X-Men: The Hidden Years

Punisher: Born

Avengers Origins: Luke Cage

#read order #spider man #captain america #iron man #thor #black panther #ant man and the wasp #wolverine

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ludi-ling · 1 year

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Omg! Another Rogue and Gambit title? That's awesome! What's been going on since Mr. And Mrs. X? I've been out of the Romy loop.

Hi Simba, so good to hear from you again, it's been a helluva while! 😊

Well, I'm going to be honest and say that I haven't really been keeping up with X-Men stuff because I'm really not a fan of stuff that's happened post-2018-ish, and there are other readers who are much better placed to give you a run-down of what's happened. But in a nutshell:

All (most?) mutants now live on the living island of Krakoa in what is basically a neo-fascistic, isolationist state where mutants can live in harmony, and every super-powered mutant can be resurrected ad nauseum. (Where is my girl, Phantasia? I still don't know).

Rogue and Gambit were put on the new Exaclibur team, which I stopped subscribing to because it really wasn't my cup of tea, and I found a great deal of it boring af.

Gambit died and was resurrected. There's a bit of interesting stuff there because he died in the Otherworld where people never come back the same when they're resurrected. Or something.

Oh yeah, and he temporarily became Death again. I'm not sure there was any particular fallout from that, or if there was, it was never explicitly stated as far as I know.

R and G now have their own book again, in which some super-powered mutants are being kidnapped by [unknown baddie] for [reasons], and Destiny has told R&G to go and talk to a character called Manifold for [reasons], and he ends up being kidnapped by [unknown baddie]. Gambit appears to be drunk and perhaps dealing with non-specified stuff, and Rogue has been busy with super-heroing, which makes Gambit sad. They are having communication problems again, apparently.

There may have been stuff in-between, but since I haven't been reading stuff religiously, I may have missed it, in which case more knowledgeable people may add stuff in the comments.

They're also in 2 other books: 1) a new X-Treme X-Men mini, written by Claremont set in the Valle Soleada period, which is kind of meh, and they haven't really done anything interesting in it except hang around; 2) Captain Marvel, written by Kelly Thompson, where they're fighting with Carol against the Brood, and seem to have more of a stake in the plot.

I think that's everything? Again, if anyone else has anything to add, please do, because I'm really not the best person to ask on this. 😂

#questions answered #Romy #Rogue and Gambit #Rogue #Gambit #Remy LeBeau #Anna Marie Lebeau

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mikejaffa · 2 years

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“The Labors of Magik Goes Out with a Whimper”

Body of a letter-to-the-editor I emailed to Marvel after reading New Mutants #28. Spoilers for that issue.

The promotional material before New Mutants #25 led us to believe "The Labors of Magik" would be a war between Illyana and Madelyne for the throne of Limbo. How I wish that had been the case. Writer Vita Ayala had some great ideas:

An Illyana-centric story: Great idea!

Illyana, Rahne, and Dani team up: Great idea! (A Magik/Wolfsbane team-up would also be fun, but I have to accept the fact that Marvel does not now have, never has, or ever will have any interest in doing that. But I can still lodge the complaint [again].)

Magik v. the Golbin Queen for the Throne of Limbo: Great idea!

The Labors of Magik: Where great idea went to die. And #28 was the story's underwhelming conclusion. We began #28 by learning a future/alternate version of Illyana was S'Ym's benefactor. I suspected that from the start. Although the silhouette in #25 was drawn to look like Belasco, S'Ym's ally had two arms whereas Belasco has one. Vita managed to muddy the water by having Belasco generate a false energy arm in #27 (something he has never done in any other comic appearance and certainly not in the Magik limited series written by Chris Claremont), and I briefly hoped for something more creative than another version of Illyana, but alas, that was not to be.

Other than expressing their concerns about Illyana turning Limbo over to the Goblin Queen, Dani and Rahne have almost nothing to do in "The Labors of Magik." There's hardly any chemistry between these three young women even though they have known each other, lived together, and fought side-by-side for roughly a decade. (I'm assuming that the O. G. New Mutants are all in their mid-twenties during the Krakoa era.) It could have been any two characters. It could have been Storm and Wolverine. It could have been Captain America and Hulk. It could have been Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Or just Illyana and her brother for all four issues. Absolutely anyone Marvel has the publishing rights for given the lack of chemistry. Dani and Rahne were completely unnecessary to the story. Why were they there?

After Queen Illyana is, well, dispatched just when she gets interesting, Regular Illyana gets her magical power back, and a text page explains what has happened to her. These feel like afterthoughts, last minute changes to a story designed to either write Illyana out of existence or regress her to an unpowered child (again). I have a very easy time envisioning someone from Disney HQ going to Marvel's editorial offices to lay down the law in person: "Magik is a major character! She's all over the comics lines except for the Star Wars Line, she's in the video games, and she was the breakout star of a movie that otherwise tanked. We're already having discussions about casting her for the MCU; I've had three calls from Taylor-Joy this week. You will NOT get rid of her, Ayala! If you do, we will get rid of you! And the next very next New Mutants writer brings Magik back as soon as possible and we forget this ever happened! Capiche!?" I do not doubt that the writer and editors will completely deny anything like that this happened, but the fact that a knucklehead like me could envision that shows my lack of trust in the writer in this case.

We end on a late-night heart-to-heart between Illyana and her brother in which Illyana explains she was tired of being angry. Oh, please. Illyana was never just angry. 3/5 of her soul had been consecrated to evil via the creation of the bloodstones, and the demonic side of being expressed itself through her being a bad attitude. That's something you can't wish away. Or shouldn't be able to. And Illyana's motivation that she was tired of being angry was weak, especially given that everybody she knows is used to it by now. Why the rush to change? I couldn't see a pressing reason for it.

The flashback reveals that child Illyana defied Belasco because of a book created a time-traveling demon she had once shown kindness. Excuse me? The little sister of Colossus, who was pretty much being raised by the X-Men and who wanted to be a superhero like her big brother, was going to give up all hope and knuckle under to Belasco if not for the book this demon had somehow caused to write? Seriously?

(BTW, what happened to Squidge? He was a little critter who came and went on the first pages of Magik #3. I had assumed/hoped if we saw more of Illyana's time as Belasco's apprentice, we would see more of Squidge. Guess not.)

And to top it all off, the introductory text said one of Illyana's duties was being the leader of the New Mutants. SAY WHAT!? For four decades, I thought DANI was and is the leader of the New Mutants. No wonder Magik was burning out! This begs the question, could the whole mess have been avoided if 'Yana had just given Dani her old job back? Or maybe Illyana, Dani, and Rahne could have taken time off and gone on vacation? That would have been more fun than "Labors of Magik" turned out to be...unless Vita wrote that, too...then...well...

We're left with the Goblin Queen on the throne of Limbo, and I suppose that's got some story potential in it. There's also the mystery of where Illyana's stepping disks now take people. And what her place in the mystical world is now that she's no longer the sorceress supreme of Limbo. Ok. But that potential came at the cost of changing Illyana in fundamental ways. Magik's story was always more than just an allegory for child abuse. Being angry and being the queen of Limbo were central to her character for 40 years. Remove those things and we're left with...what? I can't relate to the character who was having a heart-to-heart with her older brother in #28. I don't know how to relate to her, and I'm not sure I want to. The "old Magik" had an edge. Vita's "New Magik" has the cutting edge of a whiffle ball. To be blunt: A happy Magik is boring Magik.

I can't see any reason for the changes to Magik's character, or who beyond Vita Ayala could have possibly wanted them. "Because no one demanded it, we did it anyway because...well, just because! Vita's tired of writing 'Yana in a bad mood all the time. What do you care? You're going to buy the BLEEP book anyway, so BLEEP you!" Sadly, I did buy the BLEEP book, and I will probably buy the BLEEP trade paperback, but sales receipts do not indicate quality.

So much potential, and all to nothing. What a waste.

Better luck next time?

#magik #illyana rasputin #rahne sinclair #wolfsbane #danielle moonstar #mirage #madelyne pryor #goblin queen #new mutants #the new mutants #vita ayala

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marveltournaments · 5 months

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multiverseofmiracleshq · 2 years

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For the whole history of ILLYANA RASPUTINA, please click here.

← ONCE THERE WAS AN IDEA TO BRING TOGETHER →

There’s been some big changes in Illyana’s life. She’s joined the X-Men in addition to being a New Mutant, and Madelyne Pryor has taken Limbo from her. Illyana’s got a new costume, a new team and a new thing going. She’s been through so much in her life that she’s great at adapting to change, but it’ll still take a second to transition. There’s been times in her life when she’s been a little too dark, a little too violent. It’s true -- being in Limbo for so long shaped her in a certain way. Illyana can be unconventional, but she’ll ride for her people. It doesn’t matter that how she does it may change from time to time. In the words of Illyana, it’s @#$& or fight. There’s no reason not to do both.

← A GROUP OF REMARKABLE PEOPLE TO SEE IF THEY →

✗ DANI MOONSTAR (616) is one of Illyana’s best friends. She was with her recently during the whole Limbo ordeal, and Illyana has let Dani into her very selective circle of trust. Dani -- along with Rahne, Sam, Roberto, Doug and the other New Mutants -- have been through a lot together. They were just kids when they started and they’ve all grown a lot.

✗ SCOTT SUMMERS (616) was part of the Phoenix Five along with Illyana, Emma Frost, Piotr Rasputin and Namor. They stuck together afterwards and recruited new mutants alongside Emma, all three working through various kinks with their mutations. A lot has happened since then -- Scott dying being and being resurrected one thing. She was honored to serve alongside him as a Captain of Krakoa, and now she’s honored to be an X-Men alongside him as well. He’s flawed, but he’s also good at what he does.

✗ MADELYNE PRYOR (616) had a shit go of things. Illyana always knew her as the evil Goblin Queen, but following her resurrection she claimed to turn over a new leaf. Illyana chose to believe Madelyne wanted the best when she agreed to hand Limbo over to her. Illyana’s had her fill of demons. It’s time for something new, and Madelyne is more than capable of handling Limbo.

← COULD BECOME SOMETHING MORE →

✗ THE X-MEN → It’s one of many new steps for Illyana. The X-Men have turned into something new under Jean and Scott, and her close friendship with the latter helped encourage her to join the roster in addition to the many other teams she’s a part of. Life without Limbo is different, but the X-Men are helping her get through the transition. She’s proud to be on the roster.

✗ OTHER AFFILIATIONS -- great captains of krakoa. midnight suns. strange academy. krakoa. new mutants.

← & IF WE CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD, WE’LL AVENGE IT →

✗ AGE → 20-25 ✗ MULTIVERSE ORIGIN → 616 ✗ SPECIES → mutant ✗ ETHNICITY → white ✗ SECRET IDENTITY → public ✗ RELATIONSHIP STATUS → open ✗ FACECLAIM → anya taylor joy ✗ AVAILABILITY → taken

← FUN FACTS →

also goes by her"darkchylde” self

grew up in limbo and was its sorcerer supreme

has a policy of "@#$& or fight."

#illyana rasputin #xmen #great captains of krakoa #midnight suns #strange academy #krakoa #new mutants #earth616 #taken #taken female

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sammysdewysensitiveeyes · 2 years

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Just thinking again about how Duggan’s Marauders was almost completely devoid of inner team conflict. Sebastian’s plotting doesn’t count, he was obviously set up to be an antagonist in the beginning, But you’ve got a team here of Kate, Emma, Storm, Iceman, Bishop, and odd man out Pyro (and Calisto, I guess, she’s practically a main cast member) and somehow everyone gets along just swimmingly.

The only real conflict I can think of is Storm angrily confronting Emma after Kate is killed, blaming Emma for what happened. That’s a great scene for sure, but it basically ends in them hugging it out.

Storm, Iceman and Kate are arguably friends. I think Bishop is on friendly terms with everyone, despite his little villain turn a few years ago. Emma has been an X-Man forever and seems to have buried the hatchet with most people.

But hey, there’s bad boy semi-reformed villain Pyro, right? He’ll stir things up!

Except, he doesn’t. Pyro doesn’t rebel against Kate’s orders, doesn’t cross the line in battle, doesn’t even really clash with anyone on the team. At most, he seems to occasionally irritate Storm (although he also seems to be in awe of her), and at one point has a minor confrontation with Bishop that amounts to nothing. Otherwise, he fits in just great and is a surprisingly good team player.

Bishop has divided loyalties throughout the book, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As a Captain of Krakoa, he has his own agenda to pursue, and can’t always necessarily go along with the Marauders’ plans. This seems like it would be a great opportunity for conflict, especially the type of juicy conflict where no one is completely wrong or right.

But it doesn’t. There are a couple of scenes where Bishop does his own thing (like confronting the Verendi brats), but nothing comes of it. In King in Black, we see Bishop deeply conflicted, because he has been given orders from Beast to kill the symbiote-infected Cyclops and Storm, while the rest of the team plans to rescue them. That seemed like a set-up for some great moments later on, Bishop struggling to find the right thing to do, knowing his team will probably not understand if he follows through on the orders. But it again, it comes to nothing. Pyro calls Bishop out on his constant communication with Beast and clearly suspects that Bishop has a different agenda than the rest of the team (this is the minor confrontation I mentioned above), but there is no follow-up. The next time Pyro and Bishop interact, they seem to be getting along just fine. Bishop is never put into a situation in King in Black where he has to make that difficult moral choice. The very next King in Black issue that Bishop appears in, Savage Avengers, also written by Duggan, throws aside this conflict to focus on Bishop getting punked by Deadpool, and Iceman getting angry, to set up for his big moment against the symbiote later. And Pyro has been replaced by Callisto, to conveniently drop any conflict between him and Bishop. That next issue is all just set-up for Bobby to have his big badass moment, which is fine, but.....Bobby’s main “storyline” in Marauders, aside from a barely developed relationship with Christian, is “I’m a badass now!” and he gets several moments like that. I would have rather continued the focus on Bishop instead of dropping it like a hot rock.

There are events in Marauders that I would expect to lead to conflict. In particular, Emma and Kate seem to be playing their own game, clashing with Sebastian Shaw, and the rest of the team (except Storm, later on) know nothing about it. Even Bishop, Captain of Krakoa, doesn’t get to know about Sebastian killing Kate or Kate and Emma’s revenge, Storm just tells him that it’s being taken care of, and he accepts that. Bobby, Kate’s supposed good friend, doesn’t get to know. Basically, there are secrets kept by Emma, especially, and no one ever pushes to know more or calls her out. Later on, the whole team gets ejected into space because Emma stole a UFO from an alien that is now pissed at her. They all work together to survive and everything is solved, but again, no anger from the team over “I almost got killed over a conflict that I didn’t know anything about.” Nothing.

It’s not that I want the whole team to be at each other’s throats all the time, but it seems like a lot of potential avenues for conflict are either quickly shut down or ignored. Seeing more tension would have actually made the team feel a little more real, like an actual team of individual characters, and give the non-Kate and Emma team members a bit more sense of agency in the book.

#marauders salt

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thevindicativevordan · 2 years

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How would you rate Marvel and DC's showings at SDCC?

Marvel was great. DC was terrible. I should be at the point now where I don't let that bother me as it's been the case ever since BvS, but damnit I'm not happy with the state of DC outside the Trinity.

Running down the list for Marvel:

Comics - Obviously the big news is Hickman writing a "Sandman" for Marvel. My guess is it's either a Dr. Strange book, or a book focused on the Marvel Abstracts (Death, Order, Chaos, the Living Tribunal, etc). Of course I will be picking that up Day 1. Otherwise the Tradd Moore Dr. Strange book sounds interesting, I'm hopeful that the new F4 creative team will come out guns blazing, Aaron is finally off Avengers but we don't know what's next for him, there's going to be a "Cold War" Captain America event featuring Steve and Sam, Cantwell is leaving Iron Man with issue 25, and he's doing a Namor book and another book where Osborn will be a hero going by the moniker "Gold Goblin". Krakoa will last until 2024 at least which is when they might start entering the second act of Hickman's plan. None of the Spider-Man teases interested me.

Animation - Goddamn but that Spider-Man cartoon sure interests me! Gorgeous art style, finally a Marvel cartoon with an actual budget again. They say it's set in the MCU but that can't be true. You've got Norman and Otto showing up here which would outright contradict No Way Home, and Peter gets a classic costume. I assume this is set in the "MCU Multiverse" like the What-If series, on a different Earth. Can't wait to watch, would be nice if we could have great Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man cartoons all running simultaneously like the 90s again. Never seen the X-Men 90s cartoon but maybe I'll go watch that and check out the revival.

Film/TV - Aside from Spider-Man, Blade, and F4 I don't have any interest in the upcoming Marvel slate. Maybe I'll go see the Avengers movies but right now I'm scaling back. Hot damn did this show the confidence invested in Feige all the same, even coming off of the worst Marvel Phase yet he still is able to get people excited over a bunch of logos. That Wakanda Forever trailer was beautiful but I can't help feeling bitter over what it means for T'Challa.

For DC

Comics - Williamson's big "reveal" only elicited eye rolls and groans from what I've seen. Nobody cares about infinite Earths when you can't even put out books featuring anyone but the Bats. Aside from two Static books and a YA Superman book, EVERYTHING else was Batman related. I get that DC likely wants to hold back on revealing what's coming in 2023 until we're deeper into Dark Crisis, but it's painful to see how small the DCU has shrunk compared to Marvel. They're not even trying right now.

Animation - The only interesting reveal was the 2023 DTV lineup of JL/RWYB, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, Legion of Superheroes, and JL: Warworld. Only Legion and Warworld caught my eye, not a RWYB fan, and DtctG's main appeal is the Mignola art which I doubt they can afford to replicate. Other two seem to be the Tomorowverse movies, and both are likely going to star Superman in a lead role given Legion has his symbol in the promo and Warworld is self-explanatory. That takes the sting out of him not getting his own solo movie for his 85th at least. Ideally Legion would be an adaption of the Johns/Frank Superman & the Legion of Superheroes arc, and Warworld would be an adaption of PKJ's Warworld Saga, with the League replacing the Authority, but it's just as likely they will be original stories. Guess the rumors of a CoIE trilogy were false, no matter I'm not a huge fan of that story anyway. Edit: Looks like the Legion story is going to be Superman introducing Supergirl to the team, that could still be fun although I hope Clark is more involved than just passing her off to them and disappearing.

Film - Shazam 2 looks funny but I expect it to be another modest success. Black Adam looks cool but everyone was hoping the rumor Cavill would show up was true, and weren't happy when it didn't happen. Deadline wouldn't usually report "buzz" if there wasn't at least plausible cause but this time they looked like fools. Cavill and WB have been playing a game of chicken for five years and I'm tired of it. If you're seriously going to let the Rock put a post credit scene in BA that sets up a showdown with Superman, fucking get a Superman. Either give Cavill another solo movie like he wants or recast the role, because Cavill is not going to blink. Damn if WB doesn't look sad right now, can't even promote their 2023 movies because of the Miller and Heard controversies, never mind talking about the future.

DC got bodied this year. Speculation that they're saving reveals for Fandome feel far fetched to me given A. the likelihood that there are changes to the slate coming because of the restructure and Hamada's likely departure, and B. last year they announced a date for Fandome in April and it's almost August now. I don't think we'll get a Fandome this year because everyone is waiting for Zaslav to pick his new DC head and then they'll be the one to start greenlighting pitches. Five years since Snyder got kicked out and DC is still a mess. What a waste.

#dc comics #marvel #sdcc2022

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