NEW MUTANTS #15
Recap
It’s time to party! And while the New/New Mutants run wild and mess up the Akademos Habitat Fort, the Old/New Mutants get ready to finally cut a rug and celebrate Doug's marriage, while in the Boneyard Daken makes some moves of his own. Meanwhile Rahne has some brooding issues, Cosmar gets a knock back and Farouk shows an interest in the kids training that doesn’t bode well at all.
Review
STORY: So Farouk is still keeping mum on what he’s up to with the kids. Is he just taking an interest out of boredom or is he up to something more nefarious? It’s clear from the journal entry of the young Farouk that Shadow King manipulated him as a child. But if they are now not separated, as we once thought, is he at it again? On the sartorial front James is in shorts again, loving it. And we have more synergy, also loving it. Especially the new power couplings that we have going on. SHARKNADO!!! Come on we were all thinking it!!!
Poor Gabby isn’t having a good time lately. No bonding with Daken?? The return of the Scout moniker (yes I’m still smarting over that, my problem I know) is now topped off with her big brother snubbing her while he focuses on romance. And though I’m loving the link in to the goings on in X-Factor I was hoping he’d treat her a little better. I actually think Aurora would find it endearing if he was a little more brotherly, after all she has her own standards in that regard. But then Gabby’s alienation is something that seems to be defining her lately and I’m sure there’s more to come.
And with Cosmar also getting denied, with her request for a chance at the Crucible and Tier being denied the resurrection protocols there is quite a bit to take on board regarding the lack of agreement with the Krakoan rules lately. So there is plenty of subtext to keep track of. As Vita Ayala keeps the melodrama bubbling away nicely we then divert to the Green Lagoon, which was again a Who’s Who of Krakoa’s biggest and brightest. And it’s time to PARTY!!! Dazzler and Lila on stage together. Yes please and thank you. S.W.O.R.D. appearances aplenty, with Peeper at the bar and the aforementioned Empress of Impress in the throng. Doug being carried in by the good lady wife. Broo chatting with Warlock. The Summers brothers in a conflab. The return of Cannonball and Sunspot. What isn’t to love here???
ART: Hmmm. Yeah it had to come didn’t it. Okay, I’ve tried this issue, I really have. Rod Reis is usually a favorite of mine, I’ve loved his work in the Cosmar arc as it suited the story. And last issue the energy was perfect for the introduction of the synergy battles. But here it looks a little too varied and haphazard, with the foreground characters out of focus and too much vaguery. And while that would be good to draw the attention to the drama and the action of those being the center of attention …those in focus are also out of focus, which is distracting from the story. Everything is background, the main characters just aren’t defined enough. It didn’t do it for me sadly.
That being said I do like some of the background fades and contrasting textures elsewhere in the story as well as the coloring which did complement well. I know as well usually he can do so much with the action scenes. And also, as has been done in the past, keep the more conversely sedate plot building exposition full of humor and visual keys. But this issue it just felt a little too rushed and off kilter. Maybe it was the lack of full on action, which I know is where he usually excels. I just hope that all the different threads we were fed this issue will lead to something more dramatic that he can get his teeth into. And in doing so it will also draw me back in. However he did a stellar job with the cover. And seeing Warlock in Darkwind form was a treat and makes up for almost everything I didn’t like inside.
Final Thoughts
Despite the hodge podge of narrative text the overall story was, as Sunspot said, well overdue. I just felt the art let it down, where normally it is the stronger and more dynamic tool in the creative field in this title.
New Mutants #15 Big Brother Is Not Watching You
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 4/104/10
- Color - 6/106/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
I just want to point out that Rod Reis didn’t do the Cosmar Ark.