“These mutants came to help in a time of need, and you dare point weapons at them?” Illyana shouts as she teleports in to save her fellow teammates.
Issue #11 of New Mutants is strong. Ed Brisson does not hold back when writing heavy politics into the X-Men universe. The New Mutants aid Carnelia with a mutant who’s nightmare powers are warping reality around her. The government can’t do anything, so The New Mutants are there to de-escalate the situation without anyone getting hurt. The President and media have a different plan, though: one to shoot all of the mutants on sight.
On top of this, the media is being forced to paint a picture of mutants in a negative light, spinning the story to make the New Mutants seem responsible for the damages being caused to the country. It’s heavy to read, considering where things stand in the real world.
There are some really touching moments in here. Dani Moonstar (Mirage) relates to the teenager whose mutant power is to project everyone’s nightmares into their heads. The teenager is out of control and Dani remembers what that was like for her when she was first a member of the New Mutants. She vows to protect this girl, a mutant who can’t even hide that she is a mutant.
Armor also gets a moment where she sees her family living again, calling out to her. While she understands that it’s a nightmare, she tells everyone after the mission that she is not okay and that she will need time. This is such a powerful sentiment in writing. We do not have enough media showing people that it is okay to experience and face those scary emotions. Ed Brisson does not hold back.
The art between Flaviano and Carlos Lopez is stunning, bouncing between this nightmare water-color effect and happy, cartoony images that make a bold contrast as the mutant teenager’s dreams engulf all of the X-Men.
New Mutants continues to stand up as a great title for Jonathan Hickman’s world of X-Men, bringing both the vibes of The New Mutants and Generation X into one title.
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