New Mutants, vol. 3 (2009): A Post-Mortem

[Sanji]

Good: The Return of Legion, Fall/Rise of the New Mutants (especially the way it wrapped up the plot with Pixie that started in NXM), the Necrosha tie-in, AoX, Dani vs Hope in Second Coming
Bad: Everything that came after Wells but a couple of issues, like Magma's Date and Exiled.
Learned: The New Mutants can still be relevant and it's about time they were considered proper X-men. Too bad the only ones who made the jump were Karma and Magik, while everybody else is staying out of the X-books. Event though it was enjoyable only half the time, it reminded me why they're my favourite characters. It was great to read them again. Also Cypher's powers aren't made for combat. No more of that stupid shit.

[.A²]

Consistently great art choices.

Even Leandro Fernandez?

[cybrestrike]

The Good: Zeb Wells' run, Rise & Fall of the New Mutants (one of the best storylines I've read in a while), Magik, Dani Moonstar, Exiled (Kid Loki, zombie Asgardians, forgotten gods, and fun with Thor), and the Second Coming tie-ins.

The Bad: DnA, Blink, X-Man, mostly anything after Regenesis (except for what I mentioned in the Good).

What I learned: New Mutants was like hanging around a group of old friends who knew each other pretty well. Because in terms of raw power, they would've been a formidable team if not wrenched apart by editorial fiat. I'll miss this book. Wish it could've lasted longer. It was a nice oasis in the sea of Cyclops/Wolverine/Emma Frost/Hope centered stuff that permeated most of the X-books before AvX.

[baltiroo]

The Good Zeb's run, Rise and Fall of the New Mutants, Magik, Dani, Legion's return, Exiled, AoX and Second Coming.

The Bad Cypher under DnA, the wallpaper Magma and Sunspot, 616 Blink, no Wolfsbane at all, most of all of DnA's run

What I Learned One of my favorite teams and it was really great seeing them together again and the first half of the run was like a greatest hits of the first volume.

[insidemyhead]

I generally avoid being negative about writers, etc., but

GOOD: Wells's run on the book

BAD: DnA's run on the book

I look at this volume as two different titles.

New Mutants Vol. 3.0, #1-24, one of the best, most-consistent, entertaining X-titles of the past half decade, which managed to move forward characters who had been long trapped in suspended narrative animation. Zeb Wells had a strong sense of the team and the role it could fulfill, and nearly every issue had art that shined. It ended with Magik's ridiculous double down on summoning the Elder Gods, one of the all-time best moments in 2nd Tier X-Men (and, in fact, launching her into the big leagues!).

New Mutants Vol. 3.5, #25-50, a meandering waste of issues. Despite being stellar writers on the Cosmic line, DnA didn't seem to understand the team, their powers, their motivations, or what to do to further develop their characters. Aside from a few brief flashes of brilliance the art was largely dreadful. To be fair, three of the best characters were editorially stripped from the team after Second Coming, and it was saddled with the black hole of

X-Man and the undeveloped 616 Blink. With the end of the title a relative whimper, it's left to other writers to rescue these characters from obscurity once again. Luckily, people like Remender and Bunn have an affinity for the team that DnA lacked.

Agreed, very much so!

[Dr. Sonic]

The Good: the 'Exiled' crossover.
The Bad: Nate Grey, Cypher, Blink, 'reading' baking.
What I learned: I learned that it;s going to be a long, long while before New Mutants Vol. 4 is green-lit.

[Swashbuckler]

The Good: Feral (for real, she was amazing in Necrosha), Legion, the use of his personalities in the first arc, Moonstar under Wells, Hope crotch punt, Magik fucking with EVERYONE.

The Bad: Nate Grey being a douche, Nate Grey flirting with Dani, Nate Grey not wearing shirts or shoes, Blink being on crack and acting liek she even knew who any of these people are, Nate Grey acting like he cared about any of these characters, Doug returning and becoming a piece of trash.

Learned: Feral makes any book amazing, the Big G does in fact have the WORST taste.

[Pixie_Solanas]

Oh, I learned that when he would crow about Hellion during Messiah Complex.

Hopefully future writers do the right thing and let junk like blink and nate grey lie fallow, facefirst in a muddy bank somewhere - never to be used again.

[yanapryde]

The Good:
Zeb Wells. Brilliantly regathered my favorite X-group (until Gillen's Extinction Team was crafted) and re-established them as HEROES rather than teachers/advisors/mentors.
Dani Moonstar -- Forever and always surpreme bad ass

Illyana Rasputin ---surpassed my expectations for her character's arc. Defeating the Elder Gods. Manipulating EVERYONE. Masterful.

Douglas Ramsey --- super creepy ascension into legitimate ass kicker, during Necrosha. Loved it.


The Bad:
DNA's run began with some interesting concepts, however the reduction in cast didn't do the favors I'm sure it was intended to do, for the previously unshowcased cast members (namely Sunspot and Magma).
The Introduction of NEW cast members impeded that presumed intent even further, as well as pigeon hole-ing each of them (Nate and Blink) into the roles of love interest and teleporter, respectively (held previously by Sam and Yana)

What I learned:
Its very possible that the clique-like association fans have attached to these characters may have some legitimacy after all, and the incorporation of "outsiders" into this familial unit is, in fact, their inevitable downfall (as it was before, with the additions/subtractions involving X-Terminators / X-Force -- for me.)

[Faded]

Good: Similarly to the already mentioned caveat that Magik 2.0 was necessary for the coming of Gillen's Magik 3.0, I did enjoy Wells' brief take on Legion, and Legion's return birthed the amazing Age of X by Carey (Moonstar Cadre and all), as well as the interesting new X-Men: Legacy by Spurrier.

Bad: Everything. It was a hideous train-wreck that never actually just finished derailing. And the least forgivable consequence (other than Cypher) has to be X-Man.



Don't let the rose-tinted glasses obscure the steaming turd that was Wells' run. His writing was never abysmal, and sometimes - as with Legion and Dani punching hope - had moments of greatness, but it was his writing that crafted the bland, cliquey yawn-fest template for this incarnation of New Mutants. He turned Karma dull and tried to make Magma happen. And worst of all, he wrote endless pages of Cypher "reading" the hell out of everything, like the confused Claremazon-wannabe $2 Sage-knock-off he was. Never forget.

You've been so incredibly on point today! <33

[The_Livewire]

Good: Well's run, the return of Illyana and Warlock, Dani. OH gods Dani almost eclipsed Illyana as my favourite new mutant. Also good, picking up the pieces from the past (like the Limbits)

Bad: No Rahne, Doug's power going to absurd levels. (body language combat good, talking to bombs bad.)

Learned: The New Mutants still work as a team, but need a rotating star in the story arcs.

[Pixie_Solanas]

LOL, I refuse to hold Zeb Wells accountable for "making Karma dull". That's a total team effort decades in the making.

[Emerald_616]

I didn't think Wells' Karma was dull at all; he was the first one to do something with her in years. Weir & DiFilippis included her but didn't really use or develop her at all.

[murdershewrote]

Good: Similarly to the already mentioned caveat that Magik 2.0 was necessary for the coming of Gillen's Magik 3.0, I did enjoy Wells' brief take on Legion, and Legion's return birthed the amazing Age of X by Carey (Moonstar Cadre and all), as well as the interesting new X-Men: Legacy by Spurrier.

Bad: Everything. It was a hideous train-wreck that never actually just finished derailing. And the least forgivable consequence (other than Cypher) has to be X-Man.



Don't let the rose-tinted glasses obscure the steaming turd that was Wells' run. His writing was never abysmal, and sometimes - as with Legion and Dani punching hope - had moments of greatness, but it was his writing that crafted the bland, cliquey yawn-fest template for this incarnation of New Mutants. He turned Karma dull and tried to make Magma happen. And worst of all, he wrote endless pages of Cypher "reading" the hell out of everything, like the confused Claremazon-wannabe $2 Sage-knock-off he was. Never forget.

lolol no. To all of the above. Wells manage to craft an engaging story filled with easter eggs and references from the original series - created one of THE MOST compelling stories in the past decade in Magik's Epic Comeback, AND he did it all while being mandated to participate in 437285 different crossovers and STILL made them good. All the while gaving Karma her biggest feats since she lost 300 pounds and beat the Shadow King, too.

GOOD: All of Wells' run, minus the crossover events. Magik. Loved the references to the new mutants of old, and he really GOT the characters - the dynamics between all of them were perfect.

BAD: ALL of DnA's run - that was a steaming pile of shit. Cypher. ALL the crossovers it was forced to participate. The criminal underuse of Magma and Sunspot. Wells being taken off the book before he could wrap up the Empath plot.

LEARNED: This is a lasting team and a lasting concept that will sell well and do well provided there's a competent and knowledgeable writer at the helm. These characters are amazing and compelling always and forever. Team books do not function well if book leads don't rotate from arc to arc and all the characters are spotlighted. A bad writer can nearly completely ruin a franchise/character to the point of no return. And no one likes X-man.

OH and - Leonard Kirk is like, one of my favorite artists of alltime.

[Filip]

Good:
- Kieron Gillen and Niko Henrichon issue
- Fall of the New Mutants and Rise of the New Mutants (Inferno callback was a nice touch and revealing master plan was breathtaking.)
- Age of X makeover
- Cypher (Wells reedemed him in my eyes, after being Claremontian insufferable chickenshit.)
- David LaFuente
- #28, #37 covers
- Magik 3.0 (Giving middle finger to the Elder Gods, throwing clinical empty stare to Karma while hugging Pete and receiving bloodstones from Legion made her worthy of my emotions.)

Bad:
- Nostalgic atmosphere that went through it makes it clear that Marvel doesn't have intention of pushing NM into new territories without all the extra past stories baggage. This felt like The Greatest Hits, rather than a breath of fresh air.
- Dave Wilkins covers.
- Sam/Dani
- Stripping Sam of Carey progression and Bachalo swag.
- Maiming Karma and giving her that dumb steampunk leg. Artist clearly doesn't have vivid imagination and a sense for design.

What I've learned:
I have to read Exiled.