Illyana Rasputin: Magik Appreciation 2019

[powerpax]

The Illyana I know from the old days was feisty, fiery but able to chill with folks as just a person. I don't accept the nonsensical edgelord stoic version peddled by KYost and others as legitimate. Even Gillen stuck with this retcon characterization until Bendis, of all people, began to undo it.

[Andru]

Things that I DID enjoy about Yana's characterization in issue 1:

1) Accomplished sword fighter holding her own against an alien swashbuckler
2) She looks TREMENDOUS
3) The sword is back to looking less scifi and more mystic
4) Calling out the "One armed Preacher"
5) The return of teleportation restrictions -- I've always, always, always preferred my heroes with limitations--especially with broad powers.

That made me actually LOL during the issue, which does not happen very often with comics.

[H-E-D]

The Illyana I know from the old days was feisty, fiery but able to chill with folks as just a person. I don't accept the nonsensical edgelord stoic version peddled by KYost and others as legitimate. Even Gillen stuck with this retcon characterization until Bendis, of all people, began to undo it.

I never took it as a "retcon", but just that she'd toughened up during her absence and in the midst of her complicated schemes. When Bendis came around, that part of her life was at a close. She'd offed the Elder Gods via Legion, and had finished up her plan to make Colossus understand the **** she'd gone through. After that, she was kinda just hanging around the mutant revolution and maybe relaxed a little more.

[pandafarmer]

I agree. I often felt that Bendis Yana was the "I've grown as a person, let's figure out how to help the mutants now" type of thing. Her personal journey had "ended" and she was ready to support Scott and Emma in what they needed. I don't think Yost Yana was ready to teach kids or be much of a role model like Bendis Yana was.

[juan678]

new cover variant

[pandafarmer]

Weird... a> why brandish her sword against Mags... b> dead in the eyes look

[Havok83]

The Illyana I know from the old days was feisty, fiery but able to chill with folks as just a person. I don't accept the nonsensical edgelord stoic version peddled by KYost and others as legitimate. Even Gillen stuck with this retcon characterization until Bendis, of all people, began to undo it.

It wasnt a retcon. Yana wasnt exactly human when KYost brought her back and she had no soul or at least not most of it when she did start to get back in touch with her humanity. She did some horrific things in that time which should and did affect her. The characterization in that time was spot on for her character arc

I never took it as a "retcon", but just that she'd toughened up during her absence and in the midst of her complicated schemes. When Bendis came around, that part of her life was at a close. She'd offed the Elder Gods via Legion, and had finished up her plan to make Colossus understand the **** she'd gone through. After that, she was kinda just hanging around the mutant revolution and maybe relaxed a little more.

Exactly. She was a magical construct created by Belasco and was brought back as a demon. This isnt even the same Illyana from the original New Mutants which was a plot point which came into play during her early years. Theres more than enough to explain that characterization and its all in the text

[ermac]

I agree. I often felt that Bendis Yana was the "I've grown as a person, let's figure out how to help the mutants now" type of thing. Her personal journey had "ended" and she was ready to support Scott and Emma in what they needed. I don't think Yost Yana was ready to teach kids or be much of a role model like Bendis Yana was.

I love that moment when she tells Kitty that jokes about her being raised by a demon and capable of killing anyone was actually not funny and hurtful.

[Maestroneto]

Gillen's Magik did have a soul, unlike Wells' version. Though I'm not sure if Gillen was aware of that.

[AbnormallyNormal]

new cover variant

Good looking armor but I agree why super-aggro Mags reflected in her sword?

And yeah dead face

Pretty tho

[Andru]

Gillen's Magik did have a soul, unlike Wells' version. Though I'm not sure if Gillen was aware of that.

Gillen's Magik did not work for me. Wells crushed it...Gillen was just kinda there.

However, I will give Gillen credit for "there are no snowflakes in hell". Smart!

[sunofdarkchild]

I always felt that Gillen couldn't do what he wanted with her because AvX happened. In interviews leading up to his run he said that he wanted to explore what it meant for Illyana to have gotten her soul back and how it made her a different person, but he never did. The closest he came was a monologue by Danger about the pointlessness of locking up someone who was a different person from the person who committed the crime she was locked up for.

In terms of the switch from her characterization under Gillen to under Bendis, under Gillen she was hated by pretty much everyone, kept around only because Scott thought she was useful, and the only person who still gave a darn about her saw her as something she was not and could never be and being with him was basically living a lie. Of course that situation drove her somewhat mad. She wasn't part of the team. She was a weapon, almost a tactical nuke for Scott to deploy in emergencies but meant to be kept locked away at all other times. Under Bendis Scott and the others recognized her for what she was but still considered her a friend and cared about her despite that. Having friendship and camaraderie that was not based on a lie finally allowed her to open up and move beyond the 'I am demon hear me roar' state she had been in since Belasco brought her back. She went from being Scott's tool to being his friend and confidant.

[AbnormallyNormal]

Do you feel like the episode with Sapna in Extraordinary X-Men further humanize Ilyanna? I do.

But yes under Gillen I agree Magik really was viewed with extreme suspicion by the XMen and as you say she was "a weapon" sort of the same way they tended to view or make use of Legion for that matter.

My personal view: I highly enjoyed the Kyle/Yost take on her, I found it engaging fun dark and exciting. And I loved her in Wells also.

Under Bendis she was a lot more personable yes but I still felt Cyke was indeed mainly "using" her as a gimmick more than a true friend.

So yeah it's pretty jarring for me her personality coming out like this in New Mutants, it adds to the whole "they feel young, this book feels like hijinks and not taking itself very seriously". That may change as it continues of course

[Maestroneto]

Sapna can diaf.

[powerpax]

So yeah it's pretty jarring for me her personality coming out like this in New Mutants, it adds to the whole "they feel young, this book feels like hijinks and not taking itself very seriously". That may change as it continues of course

To me it's just her back to her original self after years of trauma. She is not 'too young,' this is who she was before losing her soul in Limbo.

IDGAF about that Sapna mess.