The Pleasure's All Yours: Monet St. Croix Appreciation 2019

[lurkerforyears]

1. Yes the claws are more devastating.

2. I guess but Paige has far more versatility

3. I really dont see the race issues here. Monet is still black. I think it would be more problematic if Penance was her default form but its not. She also doesnt need it to go into battle so she wont always use it. The only thing different it adds so far is the claws and those are more destructive than her fists

4. She is still all of that. I doubt this change was done so she can keep up with the men.

5. As far as convoluting things, I also disagree. The Penance shell and M-twins are never used and largely irrelevant.

6. I guess but there may be a reason for this beyond her control

it's basically free finger knives and immunity to telepathy. Jean Grey couldnt mind control Penance when Bunn had her travel in time to Gen X in XMen Blue

[Killerbee911]

Repost thoughts on Monet's recent HoX appearance:
HoX #4 SPOILERS BELOW HoX #4 SPOILERS BELOW

So let's address some of those

-Does Celia, Bishop, Oya, Bedlam, Synch, Storm, Frenzy, Shard, Angel Salvadore, Triage, Shola Inkose, Tag, Prodigy, Gentle, etc have second forms? While they are a bunch of black characters like Apocalypse, Darwin,Bling, Sunspot, Blink, etc who either have non black form or transform. I don't see this being some overall issue affecting black characters in a bad way.

-The Penance powerset is a bit redundant to M but M powers have always been somewhat unclear. I think this move will end up clarifying her powers in definitive away. I am fine with the superman powerset and telepath on her but I think you tweak her powers into something more interesting with the forms

-I am waiting to see what is the in-story reason for the change and how it is explained before worrying things, I don't think M is established enough character for people to worry about her story being convoluted. Honestly if Hickman use her in his run frequently it will be her most high profile appearance and it will become the standard.

I think the move has more upside than bad if they handle it right.

[lurkerforyears]

So let's address some of those

-Does Celia, Bishop, Oya, Bedlam, Synch, Storm, Frenzy, Shard, Angel Salvadore, Triage, Shola Inkose, Tag, Prodigy, Gentle, etc have second forms? While they are a bunch of black characters like Apocalypse, Darwin,Bling, Sunspot, Blink, etc who either have non black form or transform. I don't see this being some overall issue affecting black characters in a bad way.

-The Penance powerset is a bit redundant to M but M powers have always been somewhat unclear. I think this move will end up clarifying her powers in definitive away. I am fine with the superman powerset and telepath on her but I think you tweak her powers into something more interesting with the forms

-I am waiting to see what is the in-story reason for the change and how it is explained before worrying things, I don't think M is established enough character for people to worry about her story being convoluted. Honestly if Hickman use her in his run frequently it will be her most high profile appearance and it will become the standard.

I think the move has more upside than bad if they handle it right.

Her powers have always been very confusing
don't forget the twins that were Monet for most of Gen X, somehow could curse and expulse Marius into having to live in another dimension. IIRC one of the girls drew something like a magical circle on the floor and sent Marius to another dimension that way.
Then they merged and could look exactly like the missing sister
And Marius made Monet look like Penance

they are a mess, I dont think this complicates Monet significantly, it may even streamline her.

[Silver Fang]

1. Yes the claws are more devastating.

Yeah, that's gonna wreck some crap more than just punching.

3. I really dont see the race issues here. Monet is still black. I think it would be more problematic if Penance was her default form but its not. She also doesn't need it to go into battle so she wont always use it. The only thing different it adds so far is the claws and those are more destructive than her fists

AGREED! That is how Marvel could mess this up. if they get cheap and start showing her in penance form every time she's on-panel, which will mute her race further, and they can just say "oh it's up to fans" or "oh she's red, it doesn't matter" so they don't actually have to deal with coloring her as black but won't get backlash for making her white

Hopefully it won't come to that, but we know how unreliable some are. A new writer will see that form, think she naturally looks like that, and write her as a red creature that occasionally takes the form of a random woman...

4. She is still all of that. I doubt this change was done so she can keep up with the men.

Agreed. And I think she still looks beautiful even in the Penance form. More so in this panel.

She certainly still has the figure of a woman. So not like she turned into She-Hulk or anything. lol

5. As far as convoluting things, I also disagree. The Penance shell and M-twins are never used and largely irrelevant.

I am curious how this will be explained. Again, Hickman said he was gonna do some work regarding GenX, and he may be starting with some clean-up & changes to the Monet/Penance deal.

Again, maybe Penance was always a part of Monet, like a secondary mutation. In the GenX 40 flashback, she was mocking Emplate, and calling him a freak who couldn't even go out in public. Then he trapped her in the body to humble her. And it can be retconned that the form was genuinely apart of her, and this showing that some of herself looks just as abnormal as he does. Sadly, her power still maturing, maybe she didn't know how to undo it. Now she's trained & practiced with her ability enough to use & deactivate it at will.

And the "freeing" her from Penance may have split her in half so to speak, which wasn't meant to happen. Maybe they have merged back together fully, with Monet in total control. I think Kurama in Naruto when he was split into Yin & Yang halves and merged back in the end.

[razzmatazz360]

I don't think this is just a secondary mutation. Something must have happenned with Hollow ( the one appearing on The Loners & Avengers Academy). they have merged together again off panel

[Veitha]

Her powers have always been very confusing
don't forget the twins that were Monet for most of Gen X, somehow could curse and expulse Marius into having to live in another dimension. IIRC one of the girls drew something like a magical circle on the floor and sent Marius to another dimension that way.
Then they merged and could look exactly like the missing sister
And Marius made Monet look like Penance

they are a mess, I dont think this complicates Monet significantly, it may even streamline her.

Marius powers/curse were also kind of related to magic, right? I remember he needed to feed not only for hunger but also to keep extradimensional creatures at bay in his own dimension or something like that (I might be making this up).


It would be cool if Monet could also access Marius' Emplate form since she was merged with him for a while. They could explain as her body keeping the template of Penance and Emplate after they have been fused for a bit and she can turn into these forms for some time if needed.
So you would have classic Monet that is already a powerhouse, the more savage/feral Penance form and the intangible/evil Emplate form. They could also have her personality change with the forms a bit.

[lurkerforyears]

Marius powers/curse were also kind of related to magic, right? I remember he needed to feed not only for hunger but also to keep extradimensional creatures at bay in his own dimension or something like that (I might be making this up).


It would be cool if Monet could also access Marius' Emplate form since she was merged with him for a while. They could explain as her body keeping the template of Penance and Emplate after they have been fused for a bit and she can turn into these forms for some time if needed.
So you would have classic Monet that is already a powerhouse, the more savage/feral Penance form and the intangible/evil Emplate form. They could also have her personality change with the forms a bit.

iirc, Marius was cursed into being forced to live in that other dimension, and being in the 616 dimension required for him to spend a lot of energy, a great effort. That is why mutant energy was so important for him.

In the age of apocalypse of 1995 he looks like a normal black man, he was an energy vampire who could track mutants like Wolverine, but from feeling their energy, not their scent, and he didnt have that curse.
the reason he doesnt look like a normal black man is he fed for so long from Penance that he absorbed her powers permanently and ended up looking kinda like her.

In AoA of 1995 also there wasnt a monet, we had her twins instead. Marius and his sisters in 1995 AoA





that changed in the new AoA mini that was released around 2012, Emplate looked like the 616 Emplate (I think this was an artist mistake, or editorial telling them to make him like the 616 one to not complicate things for readers who dont know continuity that well), there were no M twins, but Monet, who had died, was resurrected, and she called herself Penance

that, and not here, is the first time Monet uses Penance as codename

from 2012 Age of Apocalypse

[Veitha]

Thanks for the info! I remembered something about him being cursed and all but I wasn't sure. I like the whole "she's perfect" speech by Apoc Logan.

[BroHomo]

Gah I loooove all this M discussion!!

2. I guess but Paige has far more versatility
5. As far as convoluting things, I also disagree. The Penance shell and M-twins are never used and largely irrelevant.

2. I agree... makes M's new powerset redundant+ in the end it didn't make a difference age still died :(
5. In a superhero book with super villains and epic battles not sure joe useful 2 8 year old girls will be. But they have interesting potential +there's not a lotta minority X-Men with siblings Bishop and Karma come to mind.....so i hope we get to see them more in the Future. And the Penance shell has an appreciation thread...id hardly call her irrelevant. I liked the Lobdells OG idea of her being from wat torn Yugoslavia :/
.

Variant I did of Monet with her other parts in the Action Figure. lol
'

Dude you drew that?

So let's address some of those

-Does Celia, Bishop, Oya, Bedlam, Synch, Storm, Frenzy, Shard, Angel Salvadore, Triage, Shola Inkose, Tag, Prodigy, Gentle, etc have second forms? While they are a bunch of black characters like Apocalypse, Darwin,Bling, Sunspot, Blink, etc who either have non black form or transform. I don't see this being some overall issue affecting black characters in a bad way.

-The Penance powerset is a bit redundant to M but M powers have always been somewhat unclear. I think this move will end up clarifying her powers in definitive away. I am fine with the superman powerset and telepath on her but I think you tweak her powers into something more interesting with the forms
.

Half of the chars you mentioned are dead/depowered Only Bishop and Storm appear bon any future solicits. So that leaves Sunspot and M . Comic book covers are meant to be colorful and entice readers yo want to find out more. Who do you think cover artists will find More visually fun/interesting? I know its a nitpick but im just cautious she might dwell in that form
Hmm i kinda get what you're saying. But with alm the body horrors making up the cast of the OG GenX M's always been one of the chars who's personality was much more interesting than her powers

In the age of apocalypse of 1995 he looks like a normal black man, he was an energy vampire who could track mutants like Wolverine, but from feeling their energy, not their scent, and he didnt have that curse.
the reason he doesnt look like a normal black man is he fed for so long from Penance that he absorbed her powers permanently and ended up looking kinda like her.

In AoA of 1995 also there wasnt a monet, we had her twins instead. Marius and his sisters in 1995 AoA

Nah Emplate begun looking weird before he had turned M into the Penance body. Around GenX #40(?) When Emplate First asks M to join she laughs at how monsterous hes become. Over Time he dud start to take on physical traits of Penance. Also you got it backwards the 95 AoA had Only 1 twin she was know it all working for GenX as there was never supposed to be a real M after the twins split in Gen X and the real M was discovered as Penance in the 616 Tales of Apocalypse came out in 1997 which had Emplate and M-Twins

[Silver Fang]

Dude you drew that?

No. If I could draw that well, I'd be doing my own comics instead of following Marvel's. lol Just more skill with digital prowess...though still amateur.

The Monet discussion is nice. The thread is rightfully booming. I just hope she comes back in HOX since she & Husk were gone too soon.

[Havok83]

Gah I loooove all this M discussion!!



2. I agree... makes M's new powerset redundant+ in the end it didn't make a difference age still died
5. In a superhero book with super villains and epic battles not sure joe useful 2 8 year old girls will be. But they have interesting potential +there's not a lotta minority X-Men with siblings Bishop and Karma come to mind.....so i hope we get to see them more in the Future. And the Penance shell has an appreciation thread...id hardly call her irrelevant. I liked the Lobdells OG idea of her being from wat torn Yugoslavia :/
.

Yeah and so does Hindsight but that doesnt make a character any less irrelevant. Penance/Hollow hasnt factored much in an X-men comic in like 20 years and even then she was self contained to one series and didnt add much. Thats the definition of irrelevant. I know she's had appearances since as Hollow but those didnt amount to much and had no spillover with X-men lore. She's largely unknown and unused and Monet taking on the Penance persona doesnt convolute things in the same that Kwannon as Psylocke does for example

I would love to see the M-twins again but they are very much removed from the Penance persona that I also think they dont really confuse things too much.

No. If I could draw that well, I'd be doing my own comics instead of following Marvel's. lol Just more skill with digital prowess...though still amateur.

The Monet discussion is nice. The thread is rightfully booming. I just hope she comes back in HOX since she & Husk were gone too soon.

yes and Im glad the discussion isnt about whether she is black or not...lol. Finally we have something new to talk about with actual consequences on her future

[Paleo_Rage]

Maybe these abilities can be linked to her, Emplates, and the twins ability to merge and shift... Also Penance earlier incarnation suggested she absorbed negative energy.. Maybe if they tie this ends ends up making Monet a mutant who absorbs and internalize negative( I see this is emotional) energy which gives her strength, invulnerability, flight, etc.. Maybe this can be her version of Teen Jeans Pink form and instead psionic energy, M utlizes emotional energy..

I do think Hickman wants to simplify mutations as either this or this.. so maybe this is his attempt with Monet.

As far as the fates of Monet, Husk and the others.. I think this was just one event that doesnt have deathly consequences for the characters. It is simply setting the stage.

[Veitha]

I wouldn't like all of her powers being psionic. I like the "perfect human being" explanation. She's strong, smart, fast and can do some psionic stuff.

As I said, I actually could get behind her being able to shift between Emplate/Penance/M forms since she's displayed both an Emplate and a Penance form in the past. The sibling being able to merge with each other is another cool concept to explore.

[Jumpyshark]

It's kinda funny that it's such an obvious follow up after M-Plate and yet it was still such an amazing reveal. Larraz drew the hell out of it, and I really hope we see more of Penet. (Monance?)

[9th.]

Loved her transformation, she was FIERCE!