Lorna Dane: Polaris Appreciation 2018

[salarta]

One thing to say about the article posted by juan.

https://www.cbr.com/uncanny-x-men-di...d-kill-list/2/

I like that while describing events of Blue, the writer didn't mention Havok or how Lorna was treated in connection to him. It brought up the good parts, framed them as Lorna with some agency, and presented a final blurb highlighting a good direction she could go post-Disassembled - struggle between Xavier and Magneto philosophies, going back to her very first storyline.

In other contexts, I might have complained. Like if Marvel wrote it, and had no/bad plans for Lorna, I'd see it as Marvel trying to hide the problems with how Lorna was treated on Blue so they can pretend she doesn't deserve more and better to fix those problems. In this context, the write-up is good.

[jmc247]

I enjoy how a lot of fans are smitten with the magneto family as like a family of "very powerful but chaotic and rebellious mutants" although that does clash some with how Wanda has been portrayed on the big screen, it seems a good chunk of Wanda fans want her to go more "dark" or militant

Do a large segment of casual fans of Jean love the Dark Phoenix Saga? What about audiences in general? They love it enough its gotten a second go at a big budget film and probably a third will come by the MCU in 20 years or so. Avengers Disassembled/House of M was Wanda's Dark Phoenix Saga and popular as hell and one can certainly bet as well within 20 years the MCU will do a version of at least one of them (though they might be quite different from the original).

The issue then becomes for alot of hard core fans if your character is an A list X-Men or Avenger and you want them to stay that way, you don't want them blamed for what happened and you don't want the event to define them and their story then comes the demand for retcons which happened in both cases. Retroactively far later they revel (to varying layers of disbelief) they were controlled by external forces something not intended at the time and if they were would have never been popular, because straight up Marvel possession story lines do not make characters popular as its not the character acting its something else.

Lorna is in a whole different boat then Jean and Wanda. She isn't a mainstay and the closest she came other then the 60s was a few years after her return from Genosha with energy and new ideas behind her until old ideas forced their way in again and stagnation set in. This is should be the characters year to really shine and I have high hopes she will regardless if publishing misses the boat or not.

[Soulsword323]

That's a red flag to me. I think he's a good writer, but I don't want a Kitty situation here.

Solicits for November below, nothing new Lorna related. They do show an epic number of artists doing Uncanny X-Men revival comics including Alan Davis on the Avengers among many others. More X-Men variant covers then I think I have ever seen. Emma Frost has moved on to the cosmic Avengers in a team with Loki.



That reminds me of when Lorna in the comics would give lectures often to other characters (like with Nurse Annie, Wolverine and Bobby mainly in the early 2000s) about electromagnetism its properties in the natural universe only these are real people in need. I always believed comics should be a place to help educate the next generation somewhat even within the realm of the background science and yes certainly pseudoscience they rely on.

No Polaris in the Solicitations, but she could still have some kind of role in Uncanny. I'm trying to remain optimistic.

Emma's outfit is everything. Were they just wearing clothes from the show lol? I see she has the wig on, and it looks very Lorna inspired. Love that she's teaching about the electromagnetism.

[salarta]

I have a couple thoughts to post.

I've noticed CBR seems to be including Lorna in a lot of articles lately, compared to years ago when they would only mention her like once per year.

Separately, for a while now I've been silently wondering if Lorna is a character that's too complex for a company like Marvel to handle.

They keep refusing to really use her, and when they do it, they completely ignore all the most important facets of her character to focus on regressing her to insultingly simplistic ideas of her. She survived Genosha, she lost her powers, she's been possessed or mind controlled many times, she has trauma from all these incidents and she's managed to survive and fight back to be something greater instead of letting all of that beat her down. When she's at her best, she's a queen/princess (I'm leaning more toward queen lately), survivor and mutant rights crusader that cares about other mutants. But for some reason, Marvel never grapples with her character history. The only history they seem to be comfortable with touching for more than a few panels is her time as Havok's girlfriend. The beginning of ANXF and beginning of Blue treated her dynamic with Gambit and Magneto, respectively, the same way.

All in all, I'm starting to wonder if the lack of real use and support for Lorna out of Marvel is because they can only handle writing easy stuff, and they feel Lorna is too complex for them to handle. She's not a broad strokes, lowest common denominator kind of character, after all. It takes time to try to understand her well enough to not just hastily jot her down as Havok's (ex)girlfriend or some clone rendition with another male character and call it a day.

That's a red flag to me. I think he's a good writer, but I don't want a Kitty situation here.

By itself, it could go either way. What makes it a red flag for me is how he's talked about Lorna and Havok as a relationship he loves, how Havok is his favorite character, and how he's been writing a book with Havok as team leader and did it before ever doing something with Lorna. Also potentially what happened on Blue, if Rosenberg's thoughts and plans factored in. It doesn't mean he can't write Lorna well, but it's a lot of evidence toward a high risk to him writing Lorna.

[jmc247]

No Polaris in the Solicitations, but she could still have some kind of role in Uncanny. I'm trying to remain optimistic.

She could and most likely will have some role. At minimum the publishing side will want to bank in on lots of new fans coming in of Emma D. as how many actresses will support the comics via social media? Heck, how many showrunners care about a character's lot in the comics at all much less send the actress a note and an issue for Blue #25 that Lorna's fortunes are looking up?

Though next time where she shows up I won't be putting it on my pull list right away unlike the last three series she was in until I read the reviews of the character after she appears or see interviews that tell me the writer gets at least in large part the fundamental basis of the character and it won't be recycled nostalgia for poor eras in her history. I am still going to buy Blue #34 next week, but the past few years haven't given me much hope.



Video of Lorna in media over the years.

That's a red flag to me. I think he's a good writer, but I don't want a Kitty situation here.

My worry is centered on how much he can see Lorna out of one era in her history which has been a major problem for the comic version of the character. He basically said start of 90s Lorna is his definitive conception of Lorna. 1991-1992 Lorna didn't care about mutant rights or mutant issues. Her world was centered around one man in her own words at the time.

The comic version of Lorna needs to move from an individual centrist train of thinking back to an ideas centrist one. Mutant political activism is where she started finding her voice again in 1993 and its when her popularity exploded early last decade, but its not where most writers feel comfortable with the character.

[jmc247]

In terms of Reeva its pretty obvious she is being used hard as a lead in for Fox for Empire viewers and she is dominating the ads for the new season big time as the voice of Hellfire. Though hopefully Lorna's own special sauce in the comics being her public speaking voice isn't entirely forgotten about. Its a sure bet mutant political intrigue will be at the forefront.

[AbnormallyNormal]

Yeah I just hope Reeva isn't portrayed as basically the s2 version of Dr Campbell

Like a one-season 1-d pure villain yknow?

I hope it's not like that

Also agree it's a weird situation with this show's Lorna being an "underling"

[jmc247]

Yeah I just hope Reeva isn't portrayed as basically the s2 version of Dr Campbell

Like a one-season 1-d pure villain yknow?

I hope it's not like that

Also agree it's a weird situation with this show's Lorna being an "underling"

She will likely prove to be power hungry and perhaps some other nasty things of that I have little doubt. We haven't heard if the actress has a multi year contract or not for certain. If she doesn't she probably is the seasons Dr. Campbell as most actors that don't typically either have their characters fade to the background or die as happened to Campbell. If she is the season's Dr. Campbell the question becomes where the situation takes Lorna as the promo at SDCC sort of sold her as the blocking force for Eclaris.

[AbnormallyNormal]

She will likely prove to be power hungry and perhaps some other nasty things of that I have little doubt. We haven't heard if the actress has a multi year contract or not for certain. If she doesn't she probably is the seasons Dr. Campbell as most actors that don't typically either have their characters fade to the background or die as happened to Campbell. If she is the season's Dr. Campbell the question becomes where the situation takes Lorna as the promo at SDCC sort of sold her as the blocking force for Eclaris.

I want it to be a seriou question in viewers minds which group to sympathize with. i will be disappointed if it's as you indicate.

Especially with that weird bet hedging stuff about Lorna still in love with Marcos, him searching for her and so on

God they had best not mess everything up and make her join back w/ Underground this season

I don't think so at least not until the end if it does happen at all

If it's more like Lorna and the Cuckoos rule a new/reformed HFC by the end. or even Reeva dies in a battle vs Reed Strucker for example, with Lorna and Cuckoos vowing to carry on her work like "Reeva was right" that could work

[jmc247]

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...-in-the-Future

Blue 34 preview. If Lorna and Emma show up I would imagine a third team (maybe or maybe not an alternate apocalyptic future version of Hellfire) cameo, but you just saw nearly a forth the issue and nothing so hopes should be kept in check.

[jmc247]

I want it to be a seriou question in viewers minds which group to sympathize with. i will be disappointed if it's as you indicate.

Especially with that weird bet hedging stuff about Lorna still in love with Marcos, him searching for her and so on

She is sacrificing her future with him for her child and for mutants in general, not that she cares about him any less.

I doubt Lorna and Reeva will be on good terms if they aren't actually trying to kill each other by the end of the season. The best you are going to get from this season is Reeva as a sort of Elijah Muhammad and Lorna as a sort of evolving Malcolm X with Lorna deciding to make a pivot on objectives and/or tactics, but not changing her core beliefs and running back to be lead by Eclipse and T-Bird.

In terms of Lorna in the comics I will say Marvel comics should focus on the political aspect, leadership of a movement is where she should build towards. What that entails is up to Marvel. In terms of her pathos they need to iron it down to say two core things about the character that people would remember. For Bunn's Magneto it was the Holocaust and the Genoshan genocide. For Claremont it was Anya's death and the Holocaust.

I think pathos that accentuate her political side like the Genoshan genocide among others are preferable to use near and medium term then those disconnected from the broader theme.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Then again Rosenberg's Alex isn't exactly how he was in the early 90's either so some here are harshly judging a possibility that may or may not happen...

[jmc247]

Quality HoM cosplay. One week until Fan Expo Canada where Emma will

[Heroine Addict]

... That's a red flag to me. I think he's a good writer, but I don't want a Kitty situation here. ...

Ha! Rosenberg =/= Guggs, thankfully.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Yeah even in Astonishing now none of the characters are being written up to Kitty in Gold level and I don't expect that to change whether that's where Lorna goes or not, or if the book ends after about 12 issues or so, who knows...