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New Mutants: Lethal Legion #1-5
New Mutants: Lethal Legion
Bestselling writer Charlie Jane Anders launches the New Mutants into a new era!
Bestselling writer Charlie Jane Anders launches the New Mutants into a new era — before it all comes crashing down in “Fall of X”! When Escapade and her new friends decide to try their hand at robin hooding, they stumble onto a conspiracy that could level New York City. Can the OG New Mutants save their young charges, or will they set the world on fire together? The team has faced some of the most cunning minds in the Marvel Universe — and survived. But when someone starts building a new Lethal Legion, will Krakoa’s youngest class finally be outmatched?
New Mutants Lethal Legion (2023) 1-5
Bestselling writer Charlie Jane Anders launches the New Mutants into a new era — before it all comes crashing down in “Fall of X”! When Escapade and her new friends decide to try their hand at robin hooding, they stumble onto a conspiracy that could level New York City. Can the OG New Mutants save their young charges, or will they set the world on fire together? The team has faced some of the most cunning minds in the Marvel Universe — and survived. But when someone starts building a new Lethal Legion, will Krakoa’s youngest class finally be outmatched?
New Mutants Lethal Legion (2023) 1-5
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2024
7 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Jane Anders
163 books4,057 followersMy latest book is Victories Greater Than Death. Coming in August: Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 27, 2025
Best selling writer Charlie Jane Anders came to Marvel with the idea of a trans hero, and Escapade was the result. Her story began in Marvel's Voices: Pride (2022) #1, continued in the main New Mutants series and is completed in this Limited Series, and it is all pretty poor stuff in my opinion, with the main focus being on Escapade's love life!
Although I loved the characterisations of the original (OG) New Mutants, the rest was pretty poor. Poor use of the likes of Count Nefaria, and Moonstone. Dreadfully childish humour throughout. At times awful art. Anders said she wrote this hero at a time when the trans community is under attack (In the USA), so am not sure what a juvenile babying of the New Mutants brand and a book centred around Escapade's love life and best friend friendship does anything for the cause. I'm going to call it as I see it - tokenism. A One Star, 3 out of 12, just for my OG New Mutants.
2025 read
Although I loved the characterisations of the original (OG) New Mutants, the rest was pretty poor. Poor use of the likes of Count Nefaria, and Moonstone. Dreadfully childish humour throughout. At times awful art. Anders said she wrote this hero at a time when the trans community is under attack (In the USA), so am not sure what a juvenile babying of the New Mutants brand and a book centred around Escapade's love life and best friend friendship does anything for the cause. I'm going to call it as I see it - tokenism. A One Star, 3 out of 12, just for my OG New Mutants.
2025 read
August 15, 2023
So, in case it wasn't clear, I hated this.
I truly am gay, so don't take my negative review as homophobia. Rather, I think that Marvel's attempt to shoehorn in queer content is being handled poorly, even when it's being done by queer writers. (And it's even worse when cishet writers start to arbitrarily drop in queer romances in X-titles, without any foreshadowing or coming out stories.)
The writer showcased several queer young people. They were basically all Caucasian. There were only a few token members of the actual New Mutants team-- Wolfsbane, Karma, and Moonstar. And, true, Karma and Moonstar are both POC. But they functioned as incompetent chaperones, or professors, for this little miniseries, and were not featured as heavily as the younger, newer characters.
Escapade, Morgan, Leo, Scout, and Martha were the primary focus, as some of them auditioned to be henchmen to Count Nefaria, and other times they fought lizard monsters in New York's sewer system. All five have been suggested to be some version of queer, even if only revealed for the first time ever in this miniseries. Martha Johansen used to have no body whatsoever, and now that she has a female human body again, she has a potential romance with --bisexual?-- transwoman Escapade.
Setting aside the queer representation, the artwork was terrible and the writing felt rushed/juvenile. Tonally, the writer couldn't figure out whether they were trying for humor, or if they could contrast humorous scenes against really serious conversations about getting kicked out of your house. Tonally, it all just didn't work.
Individual covers had nothing to do with the story inside, as illustrated by Escapade being featured in Grim Reaper's costume on a cover, but Grim Reaper isn't actually in the story. Wolfsbane and Morgan explored New York's sewers practically on a whim, looking for old Spider-man villain tech. (And what does that say about Spider-man, Iron Man, and other heroes, that they would let that stuff just sit around in the first place?) Wolfsbane, Karma, and Moonstar spend very little time actually supervising most of their young charges, as the students literally seek out a supervillain. There is a possible romance hinted at between Wolfsbane and Morgan, and neither of them addresses whether the age difference is appropriate, setting aside the unethical teacher/student relationship. This is all the more galling because Wolfsbane previously got in trouble for having a romantic relationship with a student, as a professor, back when she made out with Elixir in the early 2000s. So, she is completely unrepentant?
But, the queer representation is really bad. Nobody is allowed to properly "come out" anymore, and I don't understand why the writers are glossing over that. Martha and Escapade never have a conversation about whether Martha is "out," or if her family is accepting, or if they would want to make their relationship public, or, anything. Those are the normal conversations young queer people have when they're thinking about dating.
No one expresses trepidation about the mechanics of queer sex (including a very uncomfortable conversation about the ONE TIME it is actually appropriate and relevant to ask a trans person about the status of their genitals). These young people have no internalized homophobia or transphobia. To the point that they're willing to make decisions on behalf of their romantic partners, apparently, about whether they're "out."
There are no straight characters for the straight audience to relate to. No Black or Latino characters whatsoever, either. No, we're just supposed to watch a Caucasian gender-queer support group play at being supervillains, and praise this as --good?-- queer representation.
Not so much in this miniseries, but in an earlier comic there was a single panel showing Dani and Wolfsbane hugging. There was some suggestion that these two might be dating in the comics, as they were in the New Mutants movie. ... This is problematic for many reasons. Not the least of which is because Wolfsbane used to be extremely homophobic, and grew up in a conservative pastor's house. Back in X-Factor, Wolfsbane previously tried to trick Rictor into turning straight, by lying to him and suggesting that the baby she was pregnant with was his. If Wolfsbane had her own internalized homophobia about herself, THAT would have been the time to address it. Or, how about the fact Dani and Wolfsbane are close friends with Karma, an actual out-and-proud lesbian for the last couple decades? We're supposed to think that Dani and Wolfsbane stayed silent while they let one of their best friends come out as the only lesbian on their team? And now Dani and Wolfsbane can intimate that they're in a relationship without actually coming out, or talking to Karma at all? They don't want to apologize to her for not coming out earlier, or expressing greater solidarity, or asking for her support while they struggled?
This just isn't realistic. I don't travel around with a gender-queer support group. At least 90 percent of my friends are straight. And when I came out, it was a big deal that took years. I felt that my same-sex attractions were unwanted, and I tried to suppress them or reverse them for years. I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else. And then when I did tell others, it was a big deal, and I was scared of getting rejected. My LGBTQ peers in high school were mostly NOT my friends, as many of us struggled with insecurity, or jealousy, or hurt feelings because someone didn't want to date, and we didn't know how to be friends after that.
This was a fucking nightmare.
I truly am gay, so don't take my negative review as homophobia. Rather, I think that Marvel's attempt to shoehorn in queer content is being handled poorly, even when it's being done by queer writers. (And it's even worse when cishet writers start to arbitrarily drop in queer romances in X-titles, without any foreshadowing or coming out stories.)
The writer showcased several queer young people. They were basically all Caucasian. There were only a few token members of the actual New Mutants team-- Wolfsbane, Karma, and Moonstar. And, true, Karma and Moonstar are both POC. But they functioned as incompetent chaperones, or professors, for this little miniseries, and were not featured as heavily as the younger, newer characters.
Escapade, Morgan, Leo, Scout, and Martha were the primary focus, as some of them auditioned to be henchmen to Count Nefaria, and other times they fought lizard monsters in New York's sewer system. All five have been suggested to be some version of queer, even if only revealed for the first time ever in this miniseries. Martha Johansen used to have no body whatsoever, and now that she has a female human body again, she has a potential romance with --bisexual?-- transwoman Escapade.
Setting aside the queer representation, the artwork was terrible and the writing felt rushed/juvenile. Tonally, the writer couldn't figure out whether they were trying for humor, or if they could contrast humorous scenes against really serious conversations about getting kicked out of your house. Tonally, it all just didn't work.
Individual covers had nothing to do with the story inside, as illustrated by Escapade being featured in Grim Reaper's costume on a cover, but Grim Reaper isn't actually in the story. Wolfsbane and Morgan explored New York's sewers practically on a whim, looking for old Spider-man villain tech. (And what does that say about Spider-man, Iron Man, and other heroes, that they would let that stuff just sit around in the first place?) Wolfsbane, Karma, and Moonstar spend very little time actually supervising most of their young charges, as the students literally seek out a supervillain. There is a possible romance hinted at between Wolfsbane and Morgan, and neither of them addresses whether the age difference is appropriate, setting aside the unethical teacher/student relationship. This is all the more galling because Wolfsbane previously got in trouble for having a romantic relationship with a student, as a professor, back when she made out with Elixir in the early 2000s. So, she is completely unrepentant?
But, the queer representation is really bad. Nobody is allowed to properly "come out" anymore, and I don't understand why the writers are glossing over that. Martha and Escapade never have a conversation about whether Martha is "out," or if her family is accepting, or if they would want to make their relationship public, or, anything. Those are the normal conversations young queer people have when they're thinking about dating.
No one expresses trepidation about the mechanics of queer sex (including a very uncomfortable conversation about the ONE TIME it is actually appropriate and relevant to ask a trans person about the status of their genitals). These young people have no internalized homophobia or transphobia. To the point that they're willing to make decisions on behalf of their romantic partners, apparently, about whether they're "out."
There are no straight characters for the straight audience to relate to. No Black or Latino characters whatsoever, either. No, we're just supposed to watch a Caucasian gender-queer support group play at being supervillains, and praise this as --good?-- queer representation.
Not so much in this miniseries, but in an earlier comic there was a single panel showing Dani and Wolfsbane hugging. There was some suggestion that these two might be dating in the comics, as they were in the New Mutants movie. ... This is problematic for many reasons. Not the least of which is because Wolfsbane used to be extremely homophobic, and grew up in a conservative pastor's house. Back in X-Factor, Wolfsbane previously tried to trick Rictor into turning straight, by lying to him and suggesting that the baby she was pregnant with was his. If Wolfsbane had her own internalized homophobia about herself, THAT would have been the time to address it. Or, how about the fact Dani and Wolfsbane are close friends with Karma, an actual out-and-proud lesbian for the last couple decades? We're supposed to think that Dani and Wolfsbane stayed silent while they let one of their best friends come out as the only lesbian on their team? And now Dani and Wolfsbane can intimate that they're in a relationship without actually coming out, or talking to Karma at all? They don't want to apologize to her for not coming out earlier, or expressing greater solidarity, or asking for her support while they struggled?
This just isn't realistic. I don't travel around with a gender-queer support group. At least 90 percent of my friends are straight. And when I came out, it was a big deal that took years. I felt that my same-sex attractions were unwanted, and I tried to suppress them or reverse them for years. I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else. And then when I did tell others, it was a big deal, and I was scared of getting rejected. My LGBTQ peers in high school were mostly NOT my friends, as many of us struggled with insecurity, or jealousy, or hurt feelings because someone didn't want to date, and we didn't know how to be friends after that.
This was a fucking nightmare.
Read
May 14, 2024Dear heavens, what a mess. Why is it a miniseries, when it follows directly from Charlie Jane Anders' New Mutants run, and this was a book that had previously swapped writers without a renumbering, very rare at Marvel lately? Pass. Not that this would be more than mildly odd were it still a good read, but it isn't; Anders has certainly yoked daft comedy and earnest explorations of the pains of queer youth under capitalism before, but this time the two horses aren't working together, keep tripping over each other's feet. Which might not even be her fault; that cover has the Shadow King and the Demon Bear, although the Bear's lovely fuzzy face is under the trade dress, neither of whom is even mentioned within, so possibly there was some late editorial rejig or something? Though that still wouldn't explain why Wolfsbane looks more like a monkey. There are some good gags here, granted, mostly at Count Nefaria's expense. But even then, we get one of them twice, and not in a way which feels as if it was meant to be a running joke. And the romance and friendship stuff has that modern habit which I'm sure some of the youth find useful, but which to me mainly feels inartistic, where characters are so busy modelling how this sort of stuff is meant to work that they forget to feel like characters or talk like people. Though I suppose if people are being raised on material where everyone talks that way, it will at least be realistic soon, gods help us all.
May 3, 2024
this one was a chore to get through
also there is shadow king on the cover and no shadow king in the story
also there is shadow king on the cover and no shadow king in the story
May 24, 2024
Just barely better than Charlie Jane Anders previous outing and that's largely thanks to the improved art. Our teenage heroes are bored (??) so they decide to mess with Count Nefaria. This involves a heist and then a showdown with a deadly (stupid) weapon.
All the New Mutants are interesting in that exciting, yelling Gen Z way. Count Nefaria is...bumbling? At best? Where are the stakes? The book ends at a Comic Con, which is maybe supposed to feel like a clever in-joke - it does not.
Really hoping the New Mutants are retired for a while after this one.
All the New Mutants are interesting in that exciting, yelling Gen Z way. Count Nefaria is...bumbling? At best? Where are the stakes? The book ends at a Comic Con, which is maybe supposed to feel like a clever in-joke - it does not.
Really hoping the New Mutants are retired for a while after this one.
January 19, 2024
Perfectly innocuous, not very funny and definitely designed for a much much much younger audience than me.
January 21, 2025
I really like new mutants because of focuses on the lesser known characters, also this is great to have a trans character because representation is important, hope to see escapade again
September 2, 2024
Ninguém dava nada, nada mesmo por essa minissérie dos Novos Mutantes, anunciada depois que o seu título original foi descontinuado. Na verdade essa não é uma história dos Novos Mutantes, desavisados que venham procurar por isso nesse encadernado. Ela se foca em Escape, uma jovem mutante trans em treinamento em Krakoa, criada pela autora também trans Charlie Jane Anders. Junto com sua namorada Cerebella, as duas querem praticar as Robin Hoods na mansão do ricaço e poderoso Conde Nefária que, por acaso está criando uma nova Legião Letal. Então elas vão se infiltrar. na seleção para invadir a mansão. Esse é um quadrinho bastante divertido, que eu curti muito ler, mas, mais uma vez, se afasta do conceito inicial e dos personagens iniciais dos Novos Mutantes. Os desenhos de Enid Balán são graciosos e ajudam a pontuar a aventura e humor deste encadernado. Então no fim das contas gostei dele bem mais do que imaginava que iria gostar. Assim que é bom, não é mesmo?
August 7, 2023
Escapade is an interesting new character but that is about all I enjoyed about this story.
February 22, 2024
A decent read. I don’t think the new recruits really found their groove and the oldies didn’t have much to do. Overall a good story with some fun action.
We talked New Mutants in this episode of Previously on X-Men:https://previously-on-x-men.libsyn.co...
We talked New Mutants in this episode of Previously on X-Men:https://previously-on-x-men.libsyn.co...
May 25, 2025
Super relationship driven…but feels unearned.
Too many relationships.
Why is Shadow King on the cover…he doesn’t appear. He is just a tie to the previous New Mutants storylines. But he has no impact here.
Hey…and the Lethal Legion isn’t the New Mutants.
Just to jumbled and confused. It’s like a story was written and the editors packaged with cover and titles that don’t really sell it well.
Too many relationships.
Why is Shadow King on the cover…he doesn’t appear. He is just a tie to the previous New Mutants storylines. But he has no impact here.
Hey…and the Lethal Legion isn’t the New Mutants.
Just to jumbled and confused. It’s like a story was written and the editors packaged with cover and titles that don’t really sell it well.
May 18, 2025
i like shela and martha a lot but i think a lot of this comic is just therapist speak and the dialogue gets exhausting after a while. yay communication! but also wow can teenagers REALLY communicate this effectively
July 22, 2023
This has been a pretty fun read. I like this new New Mutants team a lot, and the new character they introduced in last years Pride comic is turning out to be a really good character. I’ve never read anything with Count Nefaria before but it’s always fun when Marvel takes an unserious villain and makes them a little dangerous for once. I’m excited to see where we see these characters next as the Fall of X approaches.
March 13, 2024
2.5
This was...not good. I was too aware I was reading a comic book. And the drama was so...idk...forced?...self-centered? The motivationsand action was confusing. I'm not even sure what happened in the last issue. Spoiler: unbeatable bad guy was defeated.
This was...not good. I was too aware I was reading a comic book. And the drama was so...idk...forced?...self-centered? The motivationsand action was confusing. I'm not even sure what happened in the last issue. Spoiler: unbeatable bad guy was defeated.
February 17, 2024
A tonal mess, with weird art and a contrived romance, all centered around an unserious take on villainy. It is an odd fit for the rest of Krakoa.
January 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this, and think most of that came from what I felt was the thematic core of this collection and story arc: Wolfsbane saying, "Traumatized people make terrible decisions," which is then repeated by Karma as "'Traumatized people make terrible decisions,' should be the New Mutants motto," which Moonstar answers with, "I want those words embroidered on a throw pillow."
This arc lands pretty squarely on Escapade (who I freaking adore), and Cerebella (who I barely knew before this comic, but like well enough even without a lot of awareness/backstory). Escapade has, from step one, been the sort who cracks jokes as a coping mechanism from a life that was full of reasons to think that her only value came from cracking jokes and keeping things not-serious (see the "throw pillow" statement/theme above) and that theme plays constantly in this arc: as a group they make terrible choices born of attempting to side-step trauma—and keep in mind, for Escapade, she is a mutant who can quite literally side-step, swapping places/qualities with other people at will as long as they're close enough—and go for the easy, fun fix.
And it blows up in their faces, like it always does when you try to side-step trauma for a quick-fix.
I really enjoyed the nods to some of the earlier major X-moments that I recall from back when I was far more up-to-date with the X-comics, such as the Mutant Massacre, Moonstone's checkered past, and what, exactly, happens to the hidden tech labs villains have once they're defeated?
In particular, I liked how Morgan bluntly up-front told Wolfsbane he wasn't down for dating if that's what she was maybe hinting at and she was, 100%, 'No, I'm too old for you' because, I mean, *cough-remember-Elixer-cough*? Nice to see her learn and grow. Similarly, I enjoyed seeing a group of (mostly) queer people do that thing we so rarely get to do when we're in those groups of mostly queer people where you just exist. The shorthand, the quick allusion to "growing up," or "my parents weren't great," without having to spell out all the coming out stuff because your fellow queers get it—either by having also experienced it, or not having the blinders on—and that was cool.
Also, I like Scout, and the little winged turtle, and how the story fed back into the chaos of the New Mutants in a way that really hit my nostalgia buttons: oh, hey, a sewer monster; oh, crap, we're up against a supervillain and it turns out things have gone more sideways than we expected; hey, we totally made this happen by accident, didn't we? It's so very New Mutants.
Anyway. I really enjoyed it. The little pieces of writing between chapters in the collected issue were also goofy and good (and sometimes heartwrenching)—transcripts from therapy sessions, text messages, interviews.
Happy I picked this one up. I did have a few moments where I followed an asterisk to "See Issue X of Whatever Line" and it wasn't enough for me to wholly understand what was happening now, but that's just life when you're reading comics, isn't it? My days of reading everything are long gone, so sometimes, I miss the allusions.
This arc lands pretty squarely on Escapade (who I freaking adore), and Cerebella (who I barely knew before this comic, but like well enough even without a lot of awareness/backstory). Escapade has, from step one, been the sort who cracks jokes as a coping mechanism from a life that was full of reasons to think that her only value came from cracking jokes and keeping things not-serious (see the "throw pillow" statement/theme above) and that theme plays constantly in this arc: as a group they make terrible choices born of attempting to side-step trauma—and keep in mind, for Escapade, she is a mutant who can quite literally side-step, swapping places/qualities with other people at will as long as they're close enough—and go for the easy, fun fix.
And it blows up in their faces, like it always does when you try to side-step trauma for a quick-fix.
I really enjoyed the nods to some of the earlier major X-moments that I recall from back when I was far more up-to-date with the X-comics, such as the Mutant Massacre, Moonstone's checkered past, and what, exactly, happens to the hidden tech labs villains have once they're defeated?
In particular, I liked how Morgan bluntly up-front told Wolfsbane he wasn't down for dating if that's what she was maybe hinting at and she was, 100%, 'No, I'm too old for you' because, I mean, *cough-remember-Elixer-cough*? Nice to see her learn and grow. Similarly, I enjoyed seeing a group of (mostly) queer people do that thing we so rarely get to do when we're in those groups of mostly queer people where you just exist. The shorthand, the quick allusion to "growing up," or "my parents weren't great," without having to spell out all the coming out stuff because your fellow queers get it—either by having also experienced it, or not having the blinders on—and that was cool.
Also, I like Scout, and the little winged turtle, and how the story fed back into the chaos of the New Mutants in a way that really hit my nostalgia buttons: oh, hey, a sewer monster; oh, crap, we're up against a supervillain and it turns out things have gone more sideways than we expected; hey, we totally made this happen by accident, didn't we? It's so very New Mutants.
Anyway. I really enjoyed it. The little pieces of writing between chapters in the collected issue were also goofy and good (and sometimes heartwrenching)—transcripts from therapy sessions, text messages, interviews.
Happy I picked this one up. I did have a few moments where I followed an asterisk to "See Issue X of Whatever Line" and it wasn't enough for me to wholly understand what was happening now, but that's just life when you're reading comics, isn't it? My days of reading everything are long gone, so sometimes, I miss the allusions.
February 16, 2024
I think these just really aren’t for me, which is SUCH A BUMMER because I really like Charlie Jane Anders’ work, broadly speaking. I’ve read her short stories and her think pieces and do earnestly want to read her first two novels still. Part of this isn’t her — the art is fine in these, but it verges towards cartoonish in a way that felt at odds with some of the violence. I also just really couldn’t connect with any of the characters when the cast was this big and these collected volumes are coming out at the speed they are. The idea of Escapade as a trans character seems really neat given her (their? Honestly can’t remember!) body swapping powers, but that doesn’t seem to really…serve any purpose outside of the action in this volume. And Cerebella and Morgan feel like they’re both here just to help Escapade learn some stuff about friends in this issue. Karma and Dani and Rahne and Gabriel (who is this?!) also feel tacked on. The dramatic personae show Warpath being on the roster for this but he’s…never in this volume? And then I remember Scout being connected to the Shadow King in a regions New Mutants storyline and Shadow King is on this cover but…again, he never appears in any of these issues? And Count Nefaria is just…not interesting?!
I’ll keep reading Anders write comics hoping for something good, but this New Mutants arc just feels exceedingly boring to me and I’m so bummed that that’s how I ended up feeling about this.
I’ll keep reading Anders write comics hoping for something good, but this New Mutants arc just feels exceedingly boring to me and I’m so bummed that that’s how I ended up feeling about this.
October 31, 2023
This new iteration of New Mutants definitely plays to a younger audience, but allows the young ones of that team to shine.
Highlights:
- New character Escapade (a trans youth named Shela Sexton) plays a huge role in this Volume. With the power of "switching", or being able to switch places and/or powers, abilities, and/or appearances, she is quite powerful.
- After defeating some U-Men, Escapade and Cerebella seek to blow off some steam. Adding Scout to their little gang, the three of them dress up and go to Lethal Legion try-outs that Count Nefaria is holding. Their heist is eventually discovered and they must fight.
- Morgan Red, a mutant who has refused to move to Krakoa, and happens to be Shela's best friend, is upset she planned a heist without him. Teaming up with Wolfsbane, he ends up in the sewers near the old Morlock tunnels and they befriend a beast they call Beatrice.
- Nefaria and the Lethal Legion have obtained the Weird Engine and want to use it at a con to turn all the people in the area into ionic batteries so they can be absorbed as power for himself. Obviously they all throw down and the New Mutants come out on top.
- At a celebration on Krakoa, Escapade and Cerebella kiss, beginning dating.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but it did go in some ways I didn't expect.
Recommend.
Highlights:
- New character Escapade (a trans youth named Shela Sexton) plays a huge role in this Volume. With the power of "switching", or being able to switch places and/or powers, abilities, and/or appearances, she is quite powerful.
- After defeating some U-Men, Escapade and Cerebella seek to blow off some steam. Adding Scout to their little gang, the three of them dress up and go to Lethal Legion try-outs that Count Nefaria is holding. Their heist is eventually discovered and they must fight.
- Morgan Red, a mutant who has refused to move to Krakoa, and happens to be Shela's best friend, is upset she planned a heist without him. Teaming up with Wolfsbane, he ends up in the sewers near the old Morlock tunnels and they befriend a beast they call Beatrice.
- Nefaria and the Lethal Legion have obtained the Weird Engine and want to use it at a con to turn all the people in the area into ionic batteries so they can be absorbed as power for himself. Obviously they all throw down and the New Mutants come out on top.
- At a celebration on Krakoa, Escapade and Cerebella kiss, beginning dating.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but it did go in some ways I didn't expect.
Recommend.
September 18, 2023
I get that the author wanted to empower trans individuals out there. I understand that this is supposed to show how dealing with dualities in your life is hard and ever present.
This? This is just chaos. Is it comedy? Is it action? Is it a romance? Is it a therapy session? It bounces all over the place and gives the reader whiplash. I was left with the strong feeling that, while these views are important, shoehorning them into a New Mutants series was a really bad idea. Leaps of logic were made and false promises were passed out. Look at all the cover are for the single issues. It was the comic cover of 'click bait'. Also...this isn't REALLY a New Mutants book. There's a small handful of team members present (and their leadership skills is non-existent).
In summation:
Idea: Sound. Needed. Anticipated
Implementation: Horrible. Slap together. Misrepresentation galore. Jarring(?)
Result: This would have been better released as an 'Escapade' miniseries with the New Mutants cameoed.
----
Bonus: Moonstone has a thing for Hawkeye cosplay?
Bonus Bonus:
This? This is just chaos. Is it comedy? Is it action? Is it a romance? Is it a therapy session? It bounces all over the place and gives the reader whiplash. I was left with the strong feeling that, while these views are important, shoehorning them into a New Mutants series was a really bad idea. Leaps of logic were made and false promises were passed out. Look at all the cover are for the single issues. It was the comic cover of 'click bait'. Also...this isn't REALLY a New Mutants book. There's a small handful of team members present (and their leadership skills is non-existent).
In summation:
Idea: Sound. Needed. Anticipated
Implementation: Horrible. Slap together. Misrepresentation galore. Jarring(?)
Result: This would have been better released as an 'Escapade' miniseries with the New Mutants cameoed.
----
Bonus: Moonstone has a thing for Hawkeye cosplay?
Bonus Bonus:
June 7, 2024
Escapade and some of the new, New Mutants plan to redistribute some of Count Nefaria's ill-gotten gains but stumble upon a potentially catastrophically dangerous artifact, that is also guarded by second rate villain group, the Lethal Legion. So old New Mutants Wolfsbane and Moonstar charge in to rescue them.
There's the bones of a half decent story here but it never transpires. Anders devotes too much time to the possible romances between the younger mutants and Nefaria and his Legion never feel like a significant threat. The narrative plods along with boated dialogue and unclear narration. While seemingly from Escapade's point of view it flits around to others which makes for an awkward read.
The artwork delivered by Balam is a good fit for the diverse cast with distinctive designs for each character, though some of the action scenes feel a little stilted.
With simply too large a cast, this feels more a jumbled mid-series filler tale rather than the launch of a new storyline, that it should be.
There's the bones of a half decent story here but it never transpires. Anders devotes too much time to the possible romances between the younger mutants and Nefaria and his Legion never feel like a significant threat. The narrative plods along with boated dialogue and unclear narration. While seemingly from Escapade's point of view it flits around to others which makes for an awkward read.
The artwork delivered by Balam is a good fit for the diverse cast with distinctive designs for each character, though some of the action scenes feel a little stilted.
With simply too large a cast, this feels more a jumbled mid-series filler tale rather than the launch of a new storyline, that it should be.
March 1, 2024
This book highlights a really big problem with a lot of current day Marvel comics.
Charlie Jane Anders doesn't care about the New Mutants. She doesn't care about superhero comics. She cares about making a story to increase representation for the queer community, and she will hit you over the head with it. The writing is bad, the story is bad, the characters that people care about are used poorly and new ones are shoehorned in. But at least we have diversity!
I'm all for representation, but entertainment should come first. The characters should come first. You need to actually know and care about the Marvel universe. Marvel is constantly bringing in writers who just want to preach and who don't know or care about the established characters and continuity.
The book is called "New Mutants" but it's really not about them. It's about Escapade, a trans youth character introduced by Charlie Jane Anders. It's only called a New Mutants book to try and increase sales.
Charlie Jane Anders doesn't care about the New Mutants. She doesn't care about superhero comics. She cares about making a story to increase representation for the queer community, and she will hit you over the head with it. The writing is bad, the story is bad, the characters that people care about are used poorly and new ones are shoehorned in. But at least we have diversity!
I'm all for representation, but entertainment should come first. The characters should come first. You need to actually know and care about the Marvel universe. Marvel is constantly bringing in writers who just want to preach and who don't know or care about the established characters and continuity.
The book is called "New Mutants" but it's really not about them. It's about Escapade, a trans youth character introduced by Charlie Jane Anders. It's only called a New Mutants book to try and increase sales.
January 18, 2024
Escapade drags some of the New Mutants into a conflict with Count Nefaria, of all people. This'll end well, I'm sure.
This is mostly just an Escapade vehicle, a follow-up to the last New Mutants arc before the ongoing came to an end. It's fun to see some of the lesser known characters in the spotlight (more Scout is always a joy), but this doesn't really do anything we haven't seen before. With Escapade's origin story and the consequences of it out of the way already, you'd think she'd feel a little more free, but instead she's full of doubt, which only gets worse as the story goes on.
The art, from Enid Balam, is decent, but I do find their work a little sketchy when it comes to faces. This feels like a step down from the Hawkeye mini-series they drew last year or so.
Okay if you're a fan of the characters, but hardly an essential Krakoa book.
This is mostly just an Escapade vehicle, a follow-up to the last New Mutants arc before the ongoing came to an end. It's fun to see some of the lesser known characters in the spotlight (more Scout is always a joy), but this doesn't really do anything we haven't seen before. With Escapade's origin story and the consequences of it out of the way already, you'd think she'd feel a little more free, but instead she's full of doubt, which only gets worse as the story goes on.
The art, from Enid Balam, is decent, but I do find their work a little sketchy when it comes to faces. This feels like a step down from the Hawkeye mini-series they drew last year or so.
Okay if you're a fan of the characters, but hardly an essential Krakoa book.
November 19, 2023
even though i'm sure i read the backstories of all these new characters in whatever random issue they debuted in i'm still pretty confused about who they are and what their powers are
also ages in comics are fake but surely the original new mutants team is like so much older than these new kids but they all sorta act like they're peers? it's just that magik is a war captain and her old team are all still here ??
also ages in comics are fake but surely the original new mutants team is like so much older than these new kids but they all sorta act like they're peers? it's just that magik is a war captain and her old team are all still here ??
June 8, 2024
This was a chore just to get through. Anders wrote the last 3 issues of the last New Mutants series and it's pretty clear this was meant to be the next arc. It's so boring. It's about a dumb ass Count Nefaria trying to put a new Lethal Legion together for no real purpose other than to give this a title. All of these New Mutants are so wrapped up in relationship drama that they can barely be bothered to deal with any bad guys. The art is kind of terrible as well.
October 28, 2024
I confess - I've never been a fan of comic books. I picked up this one as a library loan because of my famliarity with the author's other works. I felt totally lost by all the different characters and couldn't really understand what was going on -- at about 2/3 of the way through, I just skimmed the rest and admired the artwork. Not my cup of tea but that doesn't mean it's not a well done work. I just lack the framework / background to enjoy it properly.
February 25, 2024
This comic is super fun. I like seeing goofy capers go awry. Seeing poor Martha from back in the Morrison days get to be a full character is spectacular. Escapade is a strong new character, but I wish the main New Mutants got a little more focus. It really feels like Escapade used her swapping power on the title of this comic for better marketing 😄
February 11, 2025
Una extensión "epílogo" de la etapa de New Mutants en la era Krakoa que si bien consigue un estilo de dibujo más definido. La parte autoral juega más difusa que la última etapa con Vita Alaya. No es ni tan divertido ni inclusivo como quiere ser. Y una pena que se integre al Conde Nefarian como amenaza solo para que sea la excusa punchingball de estos personajes.
April 28, 2024
Recent Reads: New Mutants Lethal Legion. Charlie Jane Anders' X-Men universe story is laugh out loud funny, as a therapy heist goes interestingly wrong. Mutant team bonding in action, with added sewer monster fun. What's not to like here? A good way back into Marvel's mutants.
May 14, 2024
Far too busy, too sappy, too cutesy, too twee, tries way too hard to be funny, story is constantly jumping around from one set of mutants to another. The art's not bad. Why is the Shadow King prominently featured on the main cover, when there's no Shadow King anywhere in the story?
October 10, 2024
Cute story about kids finding their way in the world. I wonder where Ernst is. And if I'm supposed to know all of these people.
Also note Xi'an's name became more accurate. It feels like a Cerebro podcast-icization correcting mistakes.
Also note Xi'an's name became more accurate. It feels like a Cerebro podcast-icization correcting mistakes.
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