X-POSITION: Abnett & Lanning "Fear the Future" in "New Mutants"

[cookepuss]

From their responses, it sounds like this book is in limbo between continuing and being canceled, moreso than in the past.

Could it be in danger? Sure. Do I think that it is? I'm not so sure. I got the opposite feeling based on what they wrote. It sounds like they still have more planned for the likes of Doug, Nate, and Blink. I just don't think they're at liberty to state what the post-AvX status quo will be. For all we know, that could result in the relaunching of a bunch of titles. You never know.

Sales-wise, it's only selling a measly 21k+. I know that doesn't sound great. However, that more or less puts it on par with Avengers Academy. New Mutants also sells more than Secret Avengers, Thunderbolts, and Journey into Mystery. On top of that, last month, it lost only 0.78% readership (167 issues). JiM's last issue dropped by 3x that many. A series like Astonishing X-Men sells more, but it's also seeing far sharper decline than even that. Last month, Astonishing lost ~17x as many readers or 8.47% of its readership. That's a drop of 2897 readers compared to New Mutants 167 drop. All things considered, NM is stable by comparison.

Not saying that New Mutants is safe. It ranks pretty low on the top 100. It's quite possible that it's in danger. Still, we have no idea what the post AvX status quo will be and how the books will be affected. Also, if recent rumblings over a New Mutants movie at FOX turn out to be true, you could easily see Marvel make a bigger push to try and position the book to jump up in the charts. Not saying that that's going to happen either. However, not one of us works at Marvel. We can only guess.

The way I see it, cancel New Mutants today and it'll be back in short order. It's one of those titles and concepts that's just impossible to get rid of. New Mutants morphed into X-Force. Then they morphed back into the New Mutants, except as teachers this time. Now they're back as their own team. Given that New Mutants was the very first X-Men first spin-off series, it's a hard title to totally bury.

[CmX]

Preview art looks craptastic.

[cookepuss]

You're seeing an uncolored and out of context set of pages. Found in a similar state, some of the best comic art would look similarly "craptastic". I'm not sure I'd jump to such conclusions.

[Maitreya]

I'm sorry but if you abnett/lanning and editors were wanting people to buy this book they would have chosen a good artist and better writers that write this book. And I can't believe it takes two people to fail so miserably at writing on this book. Compare the characters and see how they were written by Zeb Wells when this book started and when they were in X-Force and Mike Carey's Age of X: you could see that Abnett/Lanning really do not know these characters at all and the New Mutants have become clown, bland versions/caricatures of themselves. Just looking at they way they write Doug compared to the brilliant and original way Zeb Wells recreated him is such a disappointment. THEY'RE ADULTS NOW. THEY SHOULD BE ACTING LIKE REAL X-MEN AND NOT 15 YEAR OLDS. They should be NO DIFFERENT than Uncanny X-Force or X-Men like Psylocke and Wolverine in the way they are super heroes. They act like teenagers now and they are the same age as Kitty Pryde and she's headmistress of the new Jean Grey school. The New Mutants ACT SO IMMATURE NOW. Seriously, where do you think you guys are getting at with this because it looks like a disaster and these rich and cool characters are being crapped on. This book has turned into a goofy cliched "Archie" and "Betty and Veronica" book. It's not smart/intelligent, original and creative as it could be. Please ask Rick Remender or Mike Carey to write this book and save it so that it doesn't have to be canceled. This is worst than Generation-X
and that book got canceled. I'm sure I speak for many that it's so sad to see all these characters that show so much promise and are brilliant and have been for years until the recent change up in writing team for this book. If you wanted to take this book seriously you would have also chosen a good artist like Chris Bachalo or someone that does these characters and their stories justice.

Sincerely and disgusted,

LJ

[MarvelMaster616]

A very nice article. New Mutants has always held a special charm with the X-books, but I'm a bit disappointed that there won't be any AvX tie-ins. I know tie-ins tend to be somewhat narrow in scope, but given how every mutant in Utopia was put under the thumb of the Avengers I think there would be a lot of potential for story there. I know it's playing out in the Avengers Academy, but I would have liked to see the cast of New Mutants get some face time for AvX. None-the-less, I like what Abnett and Lanning have planned and I'll definitely give it a shot. They seem to understand that AvX will be a big game changer. It'll be interesting to see how AvX affects this book and every X-book for that matter when all is said and done.

[.A²]

A very nice article. New Mutants has always held a special charm with the X-books, but I'm a bit disappointed that there won't be any AvX tie-ins. I know tie-ins tend to be somewhat narrow in scope, but given how every mutant in Utopia was put under the thumb of the Avengers I think there would be a lot of potential for story there. I know it's playing out in the Avengers Academy, but I would have liked to see the cast of New Mutants get some face time for AvX.

There might not be a New Mutants tie-in, but Sunspot and Magma are right there on the front lines. Next issue of Uncanny, Roberto gets his ass handed to him by the Thing.

[yanapryde]

There might not be a New Mutants tie-in, but Sunspot and Magma are right there on the front lines. Next issue of Uncanny, Roberto gets his ass handed to him by the Thing.

No disrespect to 'Berto, but rightly so.
I mean, if Thing can defeat Namor at the bottom of the Ocean, I'd be a bit "WTF??" if Sunspot got the drop on him.
They should have assigned Magma to Tabula Rasa duty instead.
She could opened up a lava filled fissure beneath Thing. Old School Amara would have no quams with eliminating her opponent in battle. She's ramble on about Tartarus or something and it would be epic.

[c.lei]

If they really wanted to help this book, Marvel would give it a decent artist. I abhor the art, and it certainly affects my enjoyment of the story. They should also bring back Karma, Cannonball and Magik. If this is supposed to be the New Mutants, then make it the New Mutants and have all of them working together like before. I have severely curtailed my X-books, and so I don't even know where Cannoball landed. I'd like them all back under one title again. It would also be nice if they would stop interrupting the freaking book to shove them - usually unnecessarily - into the next big crossover, where they are often shoved out of their own book and into smaller guest spots. Let the book grow a little with its own stories, build its own momentum, and then gradually bring it into the fold where and when it makes sense. Just my two cents.
Oh, and DnA, if you're listening ... please, please, please get at least Tarot out of that whole Techno virus mess. When she was resurrected back in the old X-Force issues, she seemed like she was more on the side of angels than not, and it would be nice to see her switch sides. For some reason, I always liked her character and would love to see her developed. She'd be a nice romantic match for Cypher, I think.

Yeah. And while they're at it, kill off Nate Grey and Blink in the nastiest way possible.

[c.lei]

No disrespect to 'Berto, but rightly so.
I mean, if Thing can defeat Namor at the bottom of the Ocean, I'd be a bit "WTF??" if Sunspot got the drop on him.
They should have assigned Magma to Tabula Rasa duty instead.
She could opened up a lava filled fissure beneath Thing. Old School Amara would have no quams with eliminating her opponent in battle. She's ramble on about Tartarus or something and it would be epic.

Can you see Magneto saving the Avengers from a pissed-off Old School Amara?

Amy is screaming bloody murder at Iron Man as he cowers behind Magneto as Magneto protects them with a magnetic force bubble from the lava being hurled in IM's direction....

[SoupStainedTie]

There might not be a New Mutants tie-in, but Sunspot and Magma are right there on the front lines. Next issue of Uncanny, Roberto gets his ass handed to him by the Thing.

But where are the others? It's like someone just threw a couple of them in there as an afterthought. We can reason that Sunspot and Magma were visiting Utopia at the time while the others were in San Francisco, but you would think that after the first dust settled they'd immediately get called in.

Even KROSTA has a role in AvX. But not Dani Moonstar? A little funny/strange.

[.A²]

But where are the others? It's like someone just threw a couple of them in there as an afterthought. We can reason that Sunspot and Magma were visiting Utopia at the time while the others were in San Francisco, but you would think that after the first dust settled they'd immediately get called in.

Even KROSTA has a role in AvX. But not Dani Moonstar? A little funny/strange.

Yeah it really makes no sense. They ought to just have stuck with the idea that Exiled was happening concurrently (but then I suppose that's a problem for Thor). Loki mentioned AvX last issue as if it was going on at the same time as well.

[BlackJack]

I only liked this book when the premise was the original Xavier/Magneto era New Mutants reuniting as an adult team of X-men. Now it's like some bad X-Force rehash. The quote about them
not being "X-babies" anymore is about 15 some years too late. These characters need to be integrated into the larger vision of the X-men instead of always being pigeon holed in this
nostalgic "reliving the good old days" routine. But seriously if you're going to re-live the good old days, get the core team back as a group and ditch Blink & X-man. Maybe hire someone
who can draw as well.

[fortyseven]

I'm sorry but if you abnett/lanning and editors were wanting people to buy this book they would have chosen a good artist and better writers that write this book.

So if Adnett and Lanning wanted people to buy this book, they would have fired themselves?

[worstblogever]

All I know is, the Hellions return during this arc, according to the August 2012 solicits. I'm f***ing all in.

[Emerald_616]

I'd like to thank Gischler for having the balls to have a nice little Pixie-themed two-parter as his swan song coda on the title.

But she's joining that book as a team member under Wood anyway, for hopefully real stories instead of what the title was: X-Men: Marvel Team-Up*

*everything after the : was missing from the title on the cover.