The Hellfire Gala continues this week and it’s time for the New Mutants to attend in Vita Ayala and Alex Lin’s latest issue. Most of the team is in attendance, but with Scout missing there’s a bit of a worry from some team members who are trying to cut loose. Oh, and don’t ever mess with Karma at a party. That is all.
New Mutants #19 opens with Warlock on the red carpet (though I guess it’s green on Krakoa), snapping pictures for the photographers and totally getting bullied. Enter Dani Moonstar, who totally gives Warlock some confidence and away we go onto the party floor where heroes like Doctor Strange, Iron Man and Thor are mingling. Much of this issue focuses on characters chatting it up, learning new details about things, and generally enjoying themselves.
Possibly the most heartfelt moment comes when Warlock has a heart-to-heart with Warpath about his loneliness. To connect with the other members, Warlock ends up mimicking what they’re wearing. This totally annoys Warpath, who gives Warlock a nice talk about how the team is family. With Doug focusing on his honeymoon Warlock naturally feels lonely, but it’s a nice reminder the New Mutants are more than just a superhero team who fight to win another day.
The main conflict in the issue revolves around the guy who bullied Warlock earlier in the issue. He butts heads with Karma and gets basically what he deserves. It also connects well with this team being a family. This is a rather light conflict for a book taking place in a major event like the Hellfire Gala, and it does leave one wanting. The whereabouts of Scout ends up being the deeper mystery at work, but this issue could have used a bit more plot. As it stands, the characters stand around and chat, which is fine if you love these characters.
Now that is a comfy look.
Credit: Marvel Comics
There’s also some business talk with Wolfsbane about Tier. The politics of Krakoa appear to be getting in the way, or there’s a deeper mystery afoot about bringing mutants back from the dead. Oh, and don’t miss the data page which features a group chat with this team. One can probably assume it’s a lot like the X-office Slack!
Lin draws many little moments well. Thor talking to Wolverine about getting a beer, Warpath having a costume malfunction, or Multiple Man totally being annoyed with Warlock snatching all the snacks. There’s a lot of color commentary of the party that Lin and Ayala pull off here.
New Mutants #19 is a fun party comic if you love these characters and want to see them interact. It’s rather light on conflict and plot, but what it does have is a ton of heart.
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