In all seriousness, i hardly believed when I heard the x-office would have a do-over of the Savage Land. It is a landmark for Rogue indeed, despite all the ickyness of the innuendos between Rogue and Magneto. Before Magneto enters the scene, though, the Savage Land is, in fact, the first time she’s totally alone in her head - since in the original, she fight’s Carol Danver’s persona and comes out as a winner. This take not only doesn’t highlight this on a positive light on this side of the timeline, but also takes away the only good things that were in the original series for Rogue - a hard time, yes, but a time she can also thrive all by herself inside her own head. People nowadays seem to forget the earlier days of Rogue - the redeemed terrorist, the girls with so much people inside her own head, and how terrifying it was to her having so many hostile people she not only couldn’t let go, but also the shame and the guilt coming from the fact those people were people she actually hurt in her evil days. Maybe it makes no sense to address this in new stories, but in this one, even as a “redux”, it should have been front and center as it is in the original.
Which brings me to the point: Why do a remake of a praised, well stablished arc, if the original has completed its task at the time? While I’m not here to make little of Seeley’s or Lavina’s work, there’s a distance between them and Claremont and Lee - and it shows. Actually, few authors could write Rogue with such grit, yet sensibility, as Claremont.
So, yeah. You can call me nostalgic, because that’s what I truly am. And I feel a retelling of an arc by Claremont and Lee - no matter how good it gets - is in no shape for comparison for the mother-work. As stated below, this new run can’t even exist without its source material. And I can’t help but wonder, there would be nice stories to tell about Rogue that are actually new and fresh: her take as not only a leader but as an inspiring figure, her struggles with her new role, the need to learn how to connect with people, learn there’s strength in trust and vulnerability. So much meat in this bone, and this mini could have been a good opportunity for that. more