I’ve been picking up the new New Mutants series and I’m pretty disappointed. I love these characters, but the story really hasn’t be doing if for me.
Now, to give it a fair chance, I’ll read an arc or 2 after Messiah Complex to see how it stands on its own. I wasn’t crazy about the first arc and pretty much everything else has tied into something.
So far though, I feel like they are trying to replicate the original series, rather than letting the characters mature and showing what’s happened to the members since they were X-Force. The only thing that’s really changed is Dani doesn’t have powers. Everything else seems to them learning to be X-Men again.
Why isn’t Sam more of a leader? He’s been on the X-Men, worked in espionage with Pete Wisdom, and, supposedly, could still be an external. Instead, we get Sam who questions himself as leader, seems inexperienced, and weaker than he actually is.
Sunspot could be a real player in the mutant world – he’s got wealth and a pretty good power. I like the idea of him infiltrating the Hellfire Club – it gave him a purpose. Plus, you could see if the power could corrupt his character. But instead that was all brushed aside so he could be Sam’s sidekick again.
Imagine, a comic company ignoring a characters growth? Really, if I wanted to read about what they were like, I’d re-read the original series.
If it’s going to be New Mutants, why not include Meltdown/Boom Boom? She was pretty important to the team and really hasn’t done much since being kidnapped in X-Force.
Another thing I’d like to see on the title is maybe a little more interaction with some of the younger kids on the Island; these were the original “kids” hanging out and learning from the X-Men and would be great mentors. I like the idea of having a Young X-Man to go with each “New Mutant” and have a mentor program. It’ll get more interaction between these different generations, help bring new characters into the spotlight, and might bring a new aspect to the title.
