On July 22, Marvel Comics released New Mutants #11. Writer Ed Brisson wraps up his arc with the nightmare-causing mutant in Carnelia (her name is Cosmar, btw), addressing the fallout from the New Mutant’s experiences in the nightmare sphere while setting up a confrontation with the anti-mutant blog DOX. Brisson is joined by artist Flaviano, colorist Carlos Lopez, and letterer VC’s Travis Lanham.
Writing
I complained in my review of the last issue that the writing was…let’s say a tad bit dialogue-heavy. I’m happy to say that this issue corrects that problem. Where the last issue over-relied on dialogue and some at-times heavy-handed exposition, this issue brings the nightmare arc in Carnelia to a conclusion, and while it doesn’t necessarily do so in a high-octane way, it does so through character moments and by focusing on the drama of mutants being misunderstood by a world that hates and fears them.
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I’ve been noticing a trend lately for Magik to feature in a lot of the X-titles I’m reading, and even some non-X-titles like Strange Academy. She has a very cool, dramatic moment in this book that shows off what a badass she can be. Magik is a cool character, but I imagine her many appearances of late might be an attempt to boost her profile when for when The New Mutants movie comes out…whenever that is.
One casualty of this mission was Armor, who after seeing her dead family in the nightmare orb, is left with a lot of emotional damage that I’m sure will play out over the next few issues.
Art & Colors
Flaviano and Lopez create some really beautiful panels in this title, particularly when Wild Side turns Cosmar’s nightmares into happy dreams.
Some might argue that the overly smiley stuffed animals are more creepy than the nightmare creatures ever were. Nevertheless, the move from the dark and grotesque to the bright, rainbow colors is quite a creative interpretation of this shift in Cosmar’s dreams.
I already mentioned Magik’s badassery in this issue. When the New Mutants bring Cosmar’s threat to an end, the leader of Carnelia turns on them and forces them to surrender, but then Magik shows up.
Not only is her appearance in this issue super cool (I was getting worried for the New Mutants for a second), but I love that menacing look that Flaviano and Lopez give her.
In a world controlled by media sound bites and spin (a problem that the New Mutants are set up to address moving forward), I love how triumphant Magik looks here and how she speaks truth to power without giving a f*%$!
Lettering
One thing we learn about in this issue is that an anti-mutant blog site, DOX, is responsible for stirring up anti-mutant sentiment and for cyber-bullying/stalking mutants by posting their home addresses and monitoring activity at the Krakoan gates. This is how the cartel found Beak, Angel, and their family in previous issues. In light of the Carnelia incident, DOX is at it again.
Some of these prose pieces in the X-titles have been a bit much at times (as I’ve noted here). Although this page is text-heavy, I think it supplements the story well by showing a glimpse of the anti-mutant, InfoWars style website that’s spouting anti-mutant misinformation, hysteria, and conspiracy theories. Lanham’s lettering for this page is excellent and reminds me of a few unpleasant encounters on internet message boards and comment sections. I wonder if the New Mutants are also fighting an inner voice that’s telling them, “Someone on the internet is wrong. I must correct them!”
Conclusion
Despite some of my criticism of issue #10, I still think New Mutants is a good title, although I still wonder if the cast of characters should be split into two books (again, I’m rooting for a Generation X title, no matter how anachronistic that name would be now. Generation Z maybe?). It will be interesting to say how the book handles the group’s mistakes and missteps moving forward as well as their upcoming clash with social media.
What did you think of New Mutants #11? Tell us in the comments below!
