FIGHT OR FLIGHT?
The U-Men have the New Mutants surrounded! Will the mutant youngsters gather the strength and courage to fight the good fight and power their way through a seemingly unstoppable force? Or give into their fears and insecurities? And Sublime has his sights set on Escapade, determined to procure her powers by any means possible. With the clock close to running out before Morgan's foretold doom, the pressure is on Shela to save her best friend while avoiding Sublime's clutches. Find out the fate of these young heroes in Charlie Jane Anders and Alberto Alburquerque's explosive conclusion to this three-issue arc!
Rated T+
New Mutants #33 is an emotional, impactful, but also clumsy and abrupt ending, to a run that should have continued and made its trans and queer characters a main part of X-Comics. Read Full Review
The story's intent is admirable, and there's at least one good gag, plus the comic-strip style interludes which, while awkwardly placed, are sincerely sweet. However, the execution lacks the polish and depth needed for the story to leave a lasting impression. Read Full Review
New Mutants #33 sees the book go out with not a bang, but a whimper. Its just a disappointing, badly written comic. The story was never better than okay in the previous issues, but Anderss writing in this one falls off a cliff. The art is better than its been, and the lettering is nice, but if this is the quality of the upcoming series, theres not much reason to stay with this book. Read Full Review
This is a very cute finale to a weird arc in New Mutants. I don't know why Marvel decided this was the best place for this story to be told. Especially since they're continuing it in a separate miniseries. Representation is important, and I think the characters here, both Shela and Cerebella are used to great effect in both humanizing trans people, and their struggle. I think it was very clever to link the two, and I think that link is overlooked in both the critic and user reviews. The optimist in me wants to think that the reception to this arc would've been better if it weren't part of the New Mutants title. The pessimist in me knows that this would be hated no matter what.
I like the conclusion of this arc--in a big-picture, broad-strokes kind of way. I still find the characters appealing and I like the premise of the plot.
But particularly here in the final issue, I have to admit that the storytelling doesn't hold up in detail, line-by-line and panel-by-panel. There are a lot of wonky drawings and a lot of questionable connections.
It's an admirably ambitious finale, one I'm glad to have read, but the nuts and bolts could use a lot of work.
Loses even more points for having nothing to do with the New Mutants team. Try letting the characters stand on their own feet with a title that doesn't automatically sell.
And somehow this merits 5 more issues? Poor Dani, Illyana, etc.
This is what happens when representation matters more than actual storytelling. A three issue run that spent most of it's time beating you over the head over why these characters should matter so much while not delivering a fleshed out story. It feels rushed, there are some odd transitions between panels that hurts the flow of the book and the writing at times feels like something from a nineties after school special. There's no meat on these bones so to speak which makes this a utterly disposable and forgettable end to this series. No matter how much you want to be inclusive and progressive it absolutely can't overshadow poor comics. And in the end that hurts representation more than it helps.
Truly abysmal. This is what you call cratering.
First Marauders now New Mutants.
They are dropping like flies.
*sighs*
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