New X-Men: Academy X #12 -- Thoughts and Spoilers

[mattbib]

1) Really dug Michael Ryan's pencils this issue. The panels looked great, especiall with the solid inks and the bold, dimension-giving colors.

2) The opening was very fun. A classic danger room battle witht he New Mutants facing the Hulk. I felt bad for Rahne's Paragons losing to the New Mutants though. I hope to learn more about this team in the future as well.

Prodigy's still acting weird, blowing off Noriko. Josh is sweet on Laurie. Kevin tells Emma about Josh and Rahne's relationship.

Jay and Sofia go dancing and Jay comments on her having a thing for Julian. She denies it.

Scott and Emma confront Rahne about her fling with Josh. Dani's furious with Rahne. Scott's not sure what they're going to do with Rahne yet. They feel bad since Rahne was still reeling from Moira's death.

Dani confronts Josh about his fling with Rahne. Josh doesn't want her to get in trouble.

Scott and Emma try to recruit Dr. Garrison to be a counselor for the school; he declines at first.

Julian lets the Rahne/Josh fling slip to Laurie, who runs off crying.

Rahne leaves the school on her own.

Josh tries to talk to Laurie, but she attacks him with her pheremones, frightening him away. He runs into David as they wear off. David shows no sympathy, and says that Josh tricked him into believing he wasn't a jerk once; it won't happen again.

Laurie's at home talking to her mom about Josh. We learn that Laurie's dad used his powers to control people, whereas her mom was kind of a doormat. Laurie storms off. Then it's revealed that Dr. Sean Garrison is Laurie's dad. And that he's accepting the job as of the new school year and that he has big plans in store for the students at Xavier's.

Very forboding stuff. :)

[HellFrost]

An amazing issue, once again. I only hope that this isn't a build up to the death of wonderful Laurie.

I cannot wait until Sophia and Julian get together.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Yay! Good art again? If the artist from the last two issues had stayed on I probably would have dropped the book.

Good issue, nice to see the team work so well in the Danger Room. And the soap-operaish stuff is my monthly guilty pleasure.

[The_15th_Sven]

Meh, good issue, but not their best. I think Josh could've avoided losing Louri if he just sat down w/ her and calmly confessed and appologised. Also, I don't think that Rhani should've left.

[HellFrost]

Meh, good issue, but not their best. I think Josh could've avoided losing Louri if he just sat down w/ her and calmly confessed and appologised.
I don't think he would have kept her either way. Besides... would it really have been interesting if for the entire issue he sat her down and said... "Laurie... I had a thing with Rahne, who is 3 yrs older than me, because I really didn't like you that much at first. But, it's ok because now I do and we can stay together, happy like... ya'know?" :rolleyes:

I love the drama. It reminds me of my own H.S. days... which were all of about 7 months ago :p

Plus, this is good incentive to bring out Lauries "hardcore" attitude out. I hope she stays in the books for a while. She's easily my favorite New Mutant... besides sexy Icarus :evilsmile


don't think that Rhani should've left.
Didn't want her to, but I'm sure there is good reason for her leaving. And Nunzio and Christina did say that she wasn't going into limbo. :)

[Atomic Mongoose]

Really liked this issue. I don't think many people would feel the same, but I sympathize with Laurie's mom a lot. Strikes a chord. Props to Nunzio and Christina for writing believable characters who retain a certain personality trait, but are also multi-faceted.

[MrBiggs7]

Coming from a guy who's cheated on his very hot girlfriend, I definately feel for Josh and hope that he can work it out. He makes a good point when he says they weren't serious yet and Rahne dumping him was the best thing that's happened to him. It made him realize what was important to him and who really cares for him. I've been in that hotseat, trying to convince a woman who's lost her trust in me, that I still love her and I made a terrible mistake.

Also, Kevin is a snake. Its completely against guy-code to tell on another guy. I'd like to put on a pair of plastic gloves and slap the pee pee out of him.

And you guys' predictions on who his councelor was was right on the money. Don't know how you guys came up with that prediction because it seemed out from left field to me.

Is David's strangeness towards Noriko completely about what he did to her in the dream or is it part sexual frustration? Hopefully Noriko and David hook up....because mixed black/asian kids are cute. :thumbsup:

[Ryan K]

Good issue. I liked seeing the Paragons. I liked Prodigy being awkward around Noriko. I liked the whole Danger Room sequence. I LOVED that the whole Rahne-Josh thing is now over. Sad to see Rahne leave, but if it means she's in some sort of Madrox/X-Factor book, I welcome her departure with open arms.

[The_15th_Sven]

I don't think he would have kept her either way. Besides... would it really have been interesting if for the entire issue he sat her down and said... "Laurie... I had a thing with Rahne, who is 3 yrs older than me, because I really didn't like you that much at first. But, it's ok because now I do and we can stay together, happy like... ya'know?" :rolleyes:

I love the drama. It reminds me of my own H.S. days... which were all of about 7 months ago :p

Plus, this is good incentive to bring out Lauries "hardcore" attitude out. I hope she stays in the books for a while. She's easily my favorite New Mutant... besides sexy Icarus :evilsmile
Yeah, now that I think about it, he probably wouldn't have kept her. But still I may have saved her some heart ache and maybe all his friends wouldn't be angry w/ him.
Coming from a guy who's cheated on his very hot girlfriend, I definately feel for Josh and hope that he can work it out. He makes a good point when he says they weren't serious yet and Rahne dumping him was the best thing that's happened to him. It made him realize what was important to him and who really cares for him. I've been in that hotseat, trying to convince a woman who's lost her trust in me, that I still love her and I made a terrible mistake.

Also, Kevin is a snake. Its completely against guy-code to tell on another guy. I'd like to put on a pair of plastic gloves and slap the pee pee out of him.

And you guys' predictions on who his councelor was was right on the money. Don't know how you guys came up with that prediction because it seemed out from left field to me.

Is David's strangeness towards Noriko completely about what he did to her in the dream or is it part sexual frustration? Hopefully Noriko and David hook up....because mixed black/asian kids are cute. :thumbsup:
I think it's because in the dream, he got maried to Noriko.

[The Fury]

Another good issue, as many have said.

Paragons are cool. Which is good.

[Archer]

Guy code is one thing - but it's completely against the good human being code to cheat on a friend. Kevin's liking Laurie should be a much higher priority for his decision making, than simply being the same gender as Josh.

Garrison looks like he could be turning into a very, very interesting villian. It can't be ethical for Scott and Emma to send files on the kids out to him without getting consent from either the kids or their parents, so presumably his manipulation doesn't just stop at Kevin.

Very enjoyable issue, and a huge improvement over the Too Much Information story. The art is growing on me all the time, too. All I ask now is for the teachers to actually look older than the pupils, heh.

[Bryan Rios]

I think it's because in the dream, he got maried to Noriko.
Didn't he kill her in the dream too?


So I finally read the issue. Another GREAT issue. Though I'd have liked to see some of the interaction between those being told about the relationship. I mean, while Julian is on the same squad as Kevin, I'd have liked to see who told him about it. Anyway, that's just small stuff... And I know that in the preview for #13, Laurie says that what Kevin did doesn't change her feelings for him, but I really hope that means there will never be anything between them. I mean, sure what he did was probably right, but at the same time he doesn't deserve to be with her.

David's awkward attitude toward Nori was also pretty groovy.

This is really sad. I'm just now starting to really like Rahne, but now that she's gone I'm saddened. But I'm happy knowing that she will not be going into limbo.

[Corey Dreher]

Also, I don't think that Rhani should've left


She had to leave. If she didnt then she could've been killed or hurt really bad. Laurie is a real powerful mutant. And I can feel her emotions and I know if she looked at Rahne she would lash out on her with her powers. Probely if she went to Rahne when it first happened she could've put Rahne into a coma. Overwhelm her with emotions and she couldnt bare it untill well she gives up. Am I overgenralizing?

[Yusaku Jon III]

For my part, it was a decent issue with several elements that could make me want to follow at least some of the story arcs for the title (at least those not tied in with any of the big company-wide X-overs). However, my experience with GENERATION X and the post-Claremont NEW MUTANTS issues has more or less made it clear not to expect these to hold true for very long.

Now, on to some of what stood out for me...

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Good things to point out include the emphasis on characterization. I specifically noticed this with Sophia's visit to Stevie Hunter's dance studio (long time, no see) and the awkward feelings that David has since his telepathically-induced dream of the past two issues. Would be curious if Noriko finally confronts him on it.

Kevin and Julian are turning out to be the bad kids at school. Notwithstanding the indiscrete relationship between Josh and Rhane which became the source of most of this issue's conflict, these are the type of characters you'd love to hate. In Kevin's case, his weasel-ness is starting to outweigh any sympathies you could have for his circumstances. Jules is just being the asshole.

Here's to hoping Noriko gives 'em both a high-speed slapping soon.

And then there's Laurie's dad. And, like the idiots that they are, the X-Men are going to let yet another potential villain into their midst (and into contact with the kids, no less). I have flashbacks to Adrienne Frost, the White Queen's older sister from the later issues of GENERATION X. God, I hope he doesn't show up as a cackling madman in red spandex.

Overall, I'd still give the creative team of Nuncio DePhilippis, Christina Weir and Mark Ryan high marks for the overall quality of their product (well, excepting the scary witch on the cover). My hopes is that they can maintain this consistently for the duration of their run and follow through on some of these subplots that they've started in a way that predecessors haven't been able to do.

;)

[MrBiggs7]

Guy code is one thing

You're absolutely right. But unless a man is seriously, in every shape and form two-timing Laurie then there's no reason to tell. Kevin jeopardized Rahne's future as a teacher, Laurie's trust in human beings, and Rahne and Dani's close friendship. All of that just to free up a girl that you like but will likely never have? Rediculous.

If Josh was going around calling Laurie is girlfriend professing his love then going back to Rahne and telling her how much he loves her then it's warranted. But a single kid doing a little harmless kissing is something that should just be looked over unless stopped once attention is brought to it.

[Archer]

You're absolutely right. But unless a man is seriously, in every shape and form two-timing Laurie then there's no reason to tell. Kevin jeopardized Rahne's future as a teacher, Laurie's trust in human beings, and Rahne and Dani's close friendship.

I disagree - Rahne was the one who did all that, by having the relationship in the first place. She was the one who acted out of line - way, way, way out of line. Now, certainly, Kevin did not have the best motives (or even good motives) in telling Emma Frost - but given what she did, Rahne should have been fired anyway.

All of that just to free up a girl that you like but will likely never have? Rediculous.

And because his therapist was manipulating his emotions while telling him to do absolutely anything it took to make himself happy. Garrison's control over his power is strong enough that he was able to force someone to love him - given he can do that, I think it would be beyond easy for him to be the driving force behind Kevin's actions.

If Josh was going around calling Laurie is girlfriend professing his love then going back to Rahne and telling her how much he loves her then it's warranted. But a single kid doing a little harmless kissing is something that should just be looked over unless stopped once attention is brought to it.

If you're Kevin, and you're lonely, and depressed, and pretty traumatised by what happened to your father, and you know you will probably never be able to touch another human being again, but you're very attracted to this one girl . . . who instead of giving you a chance, instead ends up with an arrogant, good looking jerk who used to spend his evenings with anti-mutant groups . . . you might feel justified in trying to break them up. That's not exactly how it was, but it's a pretty close description of things from Kevin's point of view. On top of that, while he *might* normally have backed off, Garrison was pulling his strings to make sure he caused as much trouble as possible.

Kevin's motivations were certainly not pure - but given the circumstances were very understandable.

Further, Emma, Scott, and Dani's reaction to finding out about Rahne and Josh shows just how extreme an indiscretion it was.

[MrBiggs7]

Yeah dude, I completely forgot about Laurie's father coming into fray. He definately could have rose those jealous hormones. But if pheromone powers had nothing to with it, Kevin's other circumstances doesn't condone haterism.

[handOFfate]

Outstanding issue, probably the best of the series so far. The art was far superior to the last arc. Man, the New Mutants went into a tailspin pretty quick, didn't they? Some thoughts:

I'm pretty sure Garrison used his powers on Kevin, building up his anger and frustration enough to tell Emma. Kevin's never been shown to be an evil kid, just frustrated and lonely. I wonder why Emma hasn't read Garrison's mind and figured out what he'd doing, unless she's in on it. I wouldn't count that possibility out.
I'm happy to see the Josh/Rahne relationship end. I just wasn't getting into it. I have a feeling Rahne will pop up in another book soon enough. I wonder who'll replace her as advisor of the Paragons.
I would really hate to see one of the New Mutants leave the team (leaving a spot open for X-23). To me, the six have real chemistry with each other.
Man, can a book be any more soap-operish? There's Josh-Rahne, Josh-Laurie, David-Noriko, and Sophie-Julian.

Overall I've really enjoyed this entire run, and there's a lot to look forward to in the next issue.

[fishtaco]

This was easily the best issue yet of this series. Sharp dialogue. Just excellent stuff. Art was all good, except for that one panel with David being angry at Josh. That looked kind of weird. This book seems kind of innocent before this issue. The kids are all supervised and stuck with Danger Room training, instead of going head on with Selene, Hellfire, The Beyonder, Spiral, Legion,Demon Bear, etc. I feel that that is all going to change now.

- Prodigy's vision will be an on-going subplot that will keep David occupied.

- Rahne has departed to go to Multiple Man's XXX Inventigators full time.

- Sean Garrison is revealed to be Laurie's father. I believe he will be the main villain for the New Mutants. He has a connection to Laurie, he can influence the students with his powers, and he is on Kevin's side, which means that he is an asset to the Hellions. Laurie does not know what her father looks like. Laurie's mother does. Very scary stuff.

-Rahne's Paragons. I liked the precog kid.

-Who will take over Rahne's Paragons? I heard Karma will do it. I still would have liked to see Karma in this issue.

[DavidQ!]

Well, darn it paco Medina isnt going out for long he's coming back for issues 14 and 15. Damn I like lopestri's art for the House of M tie-in, but they arent even using Ryan during that period does that make sense to anyone?

[Orion101]

Not to burst anyones bubble about Sean Garrison but wasn't estabished in New Mutants # 11 that once Laurie was conceaved he lost his powers. Of course he could still be manipulating Kevin only emotionally and taking advantage of the influence he had as his therapist.

[Sandoz]

Not to burst anyones bubble about Sean Garrison but wasn't estabished in New Mutants # 11 that once Laurie was conceaved he lost his powers. Of course he could still be manipulating Kevin only emotionally and taking advantage of the influence he had as his therapist.
He didn't lose his powers. They only stopped working on Laurie's mother, because she was carrying the child who had inherited the same power.

[DavidQ!]

hmmm, see issue 10 you look at kevins face, maybe that'll give you a clue.

[Archer]

Well, darn it paco Medina isnt going out for long he's coming back for issues 14 and 15. Damn I like lopestri's art for the House of M tie-in, but they arent even using Ryan during that period does that make sense to anyone?

Lopestri's drawing the House of M issues of New X-Men? Please say yes!

[fishtaco]

Lopestri's drawing the House of M issues of New X-Men? Please say yes!according to the solit, he is. I enjoy his work on Excalibur, but I'm not so sure he can draw the people in this book like he can the people in Excalibur.

[Archer]

according to the solit, he is. I enjoy his work on Excalibur, but I'm not so sure he can draw the people in this book like he can the people in Excalibur.

Excellent. I like his Excalibur work a lot, and though the New X-Men art has been growing on me, it has been bugging me since the start that none of the artists have made the teachers actually look older than the kids. So, I'll be glad to see someone with a totally different style give his take on it.

[HellFrost]

Wow... if she's angry now, imagine what she's going to be like when she finds out her father is going to become the guidance councelor. When she finds out he is her father I should say, and that he's most likely using her in some way. He might try and use Laurie to make her mother fall back in love with him too, if she's still immune to his specific power. We don't know if she's immune to Lauries either(she isn't a mutant after all). What exactly could he use Laurie for anyway, especially if he has those same abilities and possibly has much more control over them. We'll see and just because I can't say it enough, this series is so awesome, I can't wait for the next issue, and when Garrison comes to the school. :)

[Betty the savior]

Wow... if she's angry now, imagine what she's going to be like when she finds out her father is going to become the guidance councelor. When she finds out he is her father I should say, and that he's most likely using her in some way. He might try and use Laurie to make her mother fall back in love with him too, if she's still immune to his specific power. We don't know if she's immune to Lauries either(she isn't a mutant after all). What exactly could he use Laurie for anyway, especially if he has those same abilities and possibly has much more control over them. We'll see and just because I can't say it enough, this series is so awesome, I can't wait for the next issue, and when Garrison comes to the school. :)

Umm.....Im new here...well minda...anyways im a BIG fan of New X-men acdemy X and I want to say a couple of things about this issue: Wouldn't Laurie be immune to her father's power because they are related just like Hellfrost said? And I dont think her dad is here for no reason..... hes going to make Laurie become Laurie the powerful. Becuae in issue 11 none of this showed in the future because Josh was dead...................wait a minute they say 11yrs later! So then Wither should've already told....then why was Laurie so happy for Josh!?! Well anyways she was happy.........but now I bet if they went back into the future you would see Laurie taking down the whole school........which I think is going to be the ultimate plotline........ her father is going to bulid her up to be all time powerful and nobody can stop her except for maybe Josh. And she is going to calm her down and explain the whole situation and how it really happened. Even thou I think Josh is a total Jerk and I dont buy his "I'm sorry Laurie" speaking as a woman I really dont like Josh for what he did.....especially since he hurt my favourite character hands down Laurie and broke her heart into trillons of peices. But I think Josh should get another chance even thou he screwed up big time.


Betty. :)

[Bryan Rios]

Okay... I'm going to assume I know what you're tlaking about (Don't mean for that to seem rude). 11 years into the future. Gotcha there... in issue 11. Alright. What happened between #10 and #11 was all done by Emma and Dani in David's head. This was to show him a POSSIBLE outcome of removing his mental block, not to show the real outcome, since neither Emma nor Dani REALLY know what it would be. Now here is the problem: You assume that even though this is just a possible outcome, that everything will happen exactly how it is happening now. Because of Josh dying to help produce whatever cure David was talking about, there wouldn't have been any need for Kevin to tell anybody about Josh/Rahne, since well... Josh is dead... leaving Laurie without boyfriend.

[Flight]

I really like the wind-girl

[HellFrost]

I really like the wind-girl
Sophia Montega aka Wind Dancer

She's awesome. :)