What's New, Mutants?: New Mutants #1

In New Mutants #1 by Ed Brisson, Jonathan Hickman, and Rod Reis, the set-up is simple. The New Mutants think Krakoa is paradise and that it could only be improved by bringing their good buddy Cannonball there. The only problem there is that Cannonball is in space with his Shi’ar associated family. Ever the problem solvers, the New Mutants hitch a ride with the Starjammers, and promptly get arrested.

Allison Senecal: New Mutants #1 is here, and I am made of pure scream. Space! Sword-fights! &$@#ty pirate dads! Half of my top ten mutants! At least five kinds of aliens! JOKES! God bless us everyone, some really good jokes. If you skipped this title, I’m obligated to show up to your home and stand menacingly outside your window in a Ch’od mask.

Zach Rabiroff: I’ve read every issue of Claremont’s New Mutants at least twice, and I love these crazy kids more than many of my actual friends and acquaintances, so I am extremely stoked for this. It’s like a high school reunion where I don’t have to worry about disguising my many life failures! So let’s get into it.

The Gang’s (Almost) All Here

ZR: Well, straight away, co-writers Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson waste no time in breaking in my heart. The last time we saw Rahne Sinclair, she lost her life tragically (and with no small amount of controversy) in the pages of Matthew Rosenberg’s Uncanny X-Men. Now we see that she’s not only back courtesy of Krakoan resurrection protocols, but – in a pair of truly touching scenes with Storm and Karma – as free and unburdened as she ever was before. It’s a whole new Rahne, ready for a whole new, guilt-free life.

AS: Cue me turning on the waterworks. That opening scene really got me misty-eyed, and brought to mind that Doug line from House of X #1, “You need to bury all that cynicism and replace it with good old-fashioned hope.” Hickman promised us an uplifting era, at least to start, and I like the feel of it so far. The next two scenes with Doug and Mondo, and Dani and Bobby, pivot us to some really excellent humorous dialogue, and gosh, that’s a delight as well. Hickman and Brisson have nailed the New Mutants as a family so far, laying all of my major fears about this title to rest.

ZR: Hope is really the theme of these opening reunions scenes, where we see our gang reunite after some rough times over these past few years. And it’s one that really gets hammered home during some lighthearted, but still extremely Hickman, philosophical dialogue between Dani and Roberto as they stroll through the appropriately-named Akademos Habitat. [Ed. note: For the plebs like me, Akademos is the Greek root of the word Academia.]

Here we get what’s basically the mission statement of the New Mutants: they’re not just a team, they’re the first mutant generation to be born truly free from the strictures and prejudices of human society. As Berto says, “You can’t stick this in a people farm and expect to get an accountant out the other side.” Not to get too Biblical [Ed. note: He’s kidding, he will find any excuse to get “too Biblical”], but it’s reminiscent of the first generation of Israelites allowed to enter the promised land after the Exodus, because they alone were free from the legacy of slavery. Oh, and while we’re strolling through Akademos, can we say a little something about the amazing artwork of Rod Reis here?

AS: I admit, when the initial series announcement was made, I didn’t care which writer was attached as soon as I saw Rod Reis was on this. He has that Sienkiewicz vibe, while doing entirely his own thing. His segues from subdued facial expressions and gorgeous environments to those dynamically sketchy (I mean that in the best way) action panels are just *chef kiss*. The fact we’ll have him doing some Gladiator and Deathbird fight sequences (I ASSUME?) tickles me to no end. The little weeny adorable hearts over Illyana as she cradles the coffee jug…I love them too much. That whole coffee scene was a mood. (Also, was that the Soulsword pulling an Excalibur in the background?) And Doug is just always gonna be a fox now, we don’t make the rules.

ZR: Doug has aged handsomely into the Anthony Michael Hall we always knew he was. And while I normally resist the urge to self-identify with comic book characters, I have to say that Illyana’s murderously protective love of strong, dubiously-sourced coffee brings her perilously close to being my fictional alter-ego. But what I appreciate most in all of these early scenes is the way that we really see the characters being given time to unwind and interact as people before the zany adventure starts. It’s the first time that we get to see Krakoa as a living, breathing home instead of a story device or a political concept, and it looks feels darn idyllic. [Ed. note: It goes a long way to show that these are the mutants we have known and loved for years.]

But…whoops, no more time for that. Because our gang just realized that OG New Mutant and platonic Sunspot life partner Sam Guthrie is off in space with his partner and child. So away we go to the Shi’ar Empire, courtesy of…

I Hope You Like Starjammin’ Too

AS: THE STARJAMMERS! Nothing bad goes down when they’re involved, right? And nothing bad ever happens in space.

Ever.

Corsair shouldn’t really be in charge of anyone’s well-being if he can’t even take care of his own kids, but I’m sure it will all be totally fine. It being space, and nothing bad ever happening in space, things immediately start to get a little weird with the Krakoan gateway flowers that Doug has brought along. I’m sure that’ll all be Just Fine, too, right Zach?

ZR: Sure, definitely. Who doesn’t want some nice, sentient, mutant flowers to really bring the space pirate décor together? Especially when we saw the source of those flowers earlier this issue possessing the insensate husk of Mondo in a way that was deeply creepy and unexpected to all involved? But the developments with Krakoa here are really fascinating and alarming. It appears that the Krakoan fauna is having a terminal effect on the pre-existing habitat of the Starjammer, killing off weaker lifeforms as it expands.

It’s like the most threatening aspect of the mutant metaphor in miniature – and it reminds me, unsettlingly, of Moira’s comment back in House of X #2 that the mutant gene is a cancer, which could expand and destroy weaker cells even without intending it. [Ed. note: Not to mention the theories all the way back in our first House of X article about the carcinogenic potential in the mutant drugs.]

AS: Not at all ominous…

Predictably, the Magik-Raza duel is my favorite scene of the issue. The wait for it in its entirety has been a frustratingly tantric experience, as we’ve been fed everything from fuzzy, upside-down, low quality con images to textless preview pages of this fight for a couple months now. The full shebang is wonderful. The sound-effect lettering! Illyana’s dynamite rage-face! Dani telling everyone to shut up so she can watch her girlfriend cut a man’s arm off! Bobby likes Kentucky bourbon! (Of course he does. *eyebrow waggle*) Have we mentioned this is maybe the worst team to send into volatile Shi’ar space? It is, but here they are on a Shi’ar space station smack dab in Brood breeding grounds.

A side note: I’ve been curious about the choice of costume for Illyana, as everyone else is in the new matching get-ups. I feel that’s just due to it being iconic, but I wonder now if it’s meant to signify her as a Captain of Krakoa. No boob window, so no matter the reason, it gets a huzzah from me. [Ed. note: The lack of here Final Fantasy sword, however, makes this editor sad.]

ZR: That’s a really interesting thought – though it’s telling that despite Illyana official authority and unofficial badassery, it’s Dani who takes up her traditional role of calling out instructions to the team when the chips are down this issue.

AS: YES. I love that Dani’s still their team field leader. Happy to see that distinction, and the focus on her, as she can get lost in the shuffle with the boys and Yana.

ZR: But I also loved this fight sequence, which was absolutely the set-piece scene of the issue: just the eager fist-pump of new kid Chamber juxtaposed with the been-around-the-block faces of his teammates was worth the price of admission. But there’s no time to celebrate, because the Starjammer is headed straight toward the most powerful, threatening force in the known universe. That’s right: a Jonathan Hickman data page.

They’re Gonna Need a Lizard

AS: I’m trying so hard not to call everything a “delight” here, but the “WANTED” poster data page? Ok, I’ll go with “amazing”. I’m so proud of Cr’reee for having their own little bounty. What stands out to me from the Benevolence page, besides all that yummy Brood foreshadowing, is the bolded clarification on falsifying ship identification codes. During that extremely weird Gosamyr arc from the first New Mutants run, Dani used her powers to forge ship documents, plunging the team into an interstellar conflict. I hope that’s a deep-cut, but it’s just as likely to be something only I find fun and not my and Hickman’s mindmeld. Hey! And a King Egg! Which surely no one would touch. Haha…unless. [Ed. note: Unless…]

ZR: If the big, long-term plot development this is leading up to is the long-awaited return of Gossymer (a.k.a. Mean Girl from Space, a.k.a. the Poochie of the New Mutants) [Ed. note: I still can’t decide if she is worse than Bird Brain, but it is close], it will fill me with a special kind of horrified delight.

But first we’ve got Benevolence, a location that we’ve actually read about before back in the ninth life of Moira X, when it represented one of the last remaining outposts of mutant life in Shi’ar space. Here, as in that life, Benevolence sits on the border of wild Brood spawning grounds, which is certainly where I would decide to place my dangerously undermanned space station housing an extremely volatile item of great value.

Actually, these spawning grounds (and presumably the King Egg therein) are a funny sort of retcon, since until now, the defining characteristic of the Brood is that they don’t spawn: they reproduce parasitically by possessing the host bodies of foreign species. But be that as it may, I’m an aficionado of cosmic Marvel, and “Brood,” “Skrulls,” and “Superguardian protocols” are words I ask my lovers to whisper softly to me at night. So I was pleased by this section.

AS: SKRULLS! *cough* Skrulls. There’s a nod to that potential wider cosmic conflict. You heard it here first, the big Marvel event of 2020 is Skrulls vs Shi’ar vs X-Men.

Of course, this team wouldn’t stay put after a long dadderly talking-to by Corsair. (Rahne’s “judgy fundamentalists” put me over the edge, oh my god. She’s so good in this so far.) And of course, the ‘Jammers are there to steal the King Egg, and of course, the New Mutants have pissed them off in a number of ways that quickly add up to an epic backstabbing (actually kinda petty, and not very epic, but I get it). [Ed. note: As a parent I love my children and can totally sympathise with wanting to leave your son’s annoying friends on a space station after they broke your things.]

Hepzibah says she doesn’t like kids but two weeks ago she was hitting on her step-granddaughter, so what is the truth?

Is anyone surprised they end up surrounded by the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, hip-deep in an already touchy political situation (the Shi’ar civil war is still in full swing – remember Xandra, Xavier and Lilandra’s daughter?), and with an unconscious teleporter? At least Bobby made sure to unzip his jacket before running to the rescue. Important.

ZR: Look, I don’t want to poach on the territory of my esteemed colleagues over on the X-Men beat, but Hepzibah works on a pirate ship and has a strong cat theme going. All I’m saying is, Rachel Grey Summers might have a type.

Meanwhile, though, one looming mystery is who the unnamed “very serious buyer” for this King Egg actually is.

AS: I have never ever heard of Pshor Prime. “Pshor” sounds like something I’d say if Corsair gave me advice.

ZR: Given the ‘Jammers history of dealing with unsavory characters across the cosmos, and Corsair’s almost heroic refusal to make a good decision even once in his life, I think it’s safe to say that no good can come of this. Another mystery is how the New Mutants are going to get out of this scrape, since we leave them holding the proverbial bag for the Starjammers’ theft. But, hey, don’t worry: Roberto knows a space lawyer, and…oh. Oh, dear. [Ed. note: Of all the things I never thought would get referenced again, this sure is one of them.]

Yes, it’s Murd Blurdock, Daredevil in-joke of the cosmic courtrooms, last (and only ever) seen in Al Ewing’s Rocket series. And while his poorly-photocopied Shi’ar yellow pages ad is Hickman at his finest (“Justice is blind, and so are we!”), I’m afraid I have to rank this only the second-best possibility for legal representation, just behind Deerdevil’s law partner and former counsel for Spider-Ham, Franklin “Froggy” Nelson.

So, Allison, what did you think of this issue?

AS: I JUST LOVED IT. I’m trying to think of a criticism so we can be taken seriously on the interwebs but this didn’t fall into any of the pitfalls I was half-expecting it to. However the plotting and writing duties are split between Hickman and Brisson, it’s working so well. Maybe too well for them to be splitting up early next year. Xi’an’s siblings didn’t come up a single time as a convenient excuse to hustle her off-page. I’m…thoroughly impressed. I just hope we get the level of pure bonkers interpersonal drama we’ll be getting in the other titles.

And now that we know about Ewing’s Guardians of the Galaxy run and the incoming Incoming, I can’t imagine this not tying into both somehow. We’re about to be up to our butts in really fun cosmic and mutant shenanigans. Maybe my Nova & the New Mutants dream will finally come true…

ZR: Look. I am not a person who deals happily with happiness. I live my life inside a warm coat of weariness and disapproval. So imagine my shock when I say that there is pretty much nothing I would change about this issue. Everything about it just worked, from the funny and moving character beats at the beginning, to the stylized but wonderfully expressive art, to the extremely un-Hickmanesque Claremontian accents [Ed. note: It wouldn’t be Rahne if she didn’t pronounce every other word like she’s been possessed by the wandering, disembodied spirit of Scrooge McDuck]. Hickman and Brisson end up elevating each other so well that I’m both curious and wary to see them split up starting next issue.

But until then, we’ve got plenty of great questions to chew over. Will the Starjammers end up unleashing sleazoid chaos across the galaxy? Will our heroes reunite with Canonball? Will the Shi’ar start using mutants as breeding stock for a super-race of Imperial Guardsmen as we saw in Moira’s Life 9? And would Roberto have any problem with this? All this and more, in our next New Mutants.

ZR: And that’s a wrap for…hey, wait. Magma! We forgot about Magma!

AS: Oh uh…WHOOPS. See you next time!

X-Traneous Thoughts

“We can talk about it if you want.” Damn you, Hickman-Brisson, I did not give you permission to break my heart.
Look at Monet yelling at those darn lil’ Penances.
“Guys, please…some of us want to watch.”
“Absolutely. The smile on my face, can’t you see it?” Hepzibah, stop. I love you.
Between Shi’ar eggs, Goldball eggs, and now this pheromone-emitting King Egg, Dawn of X is really doing its level best to make breakfast a theoretical impossibility for me.
The Krakoan at the end reads: Lawlessness And Disorder
We’ll have coverage of X-Force #1 and Absolute Carnage: Weapon Plus #1 later today. Stay tuned!

Allison Senecal buys books professionally and comics unprofessionally.

Zach Rabiroff works daily at a charity, and is also a freelance writer and editor. He reads a lot of comics.