Lorna Dane: Polaris Appreciation 2020

[salarta]

I mean, aside from the follow-up element, it also goes back to how Lorna needs her iconic costume to help casual readers recognize when she's on a book.

Honestly and realistically, it's more common for me to see people online think other green-haired characters (Agent Brand, Vertigo, Aphrodite IX, etc) are Lorna than the other way around, but it does make a difference. The experience I always share is how I immediately went out to a comic book shop when I found out about Lorna and bought anything with her on the cover. If she's not wearing her iconic costume or some version of it, casual readers might completely miss that she's on a book and therefore not buy or read the book.

That aside, there are two things about X-Men Monday that I noticed.



There are two interpretations to "kill your sweethearts" that I presently see. One is the writer killing characters they like. The other is characters killing other characters they care about. I think the former is more likely. The latter is a possibility to bear in mind.

Second.

AIPT: Well said. So finally, what can readers look forward to in part 2 of X of Swords in X-Factor #4 this week?

Jordan: X-Factor is an oversized issue written by Leah Williams and drawn by Carlos Gomez. It is beautiful looking and there’s a lot riding on this tournament already and it raises the stakes a bit and makes things a little bit more difficult for mutantkind.

Nothing is said here. The lack of anything said itself says something.

[Frostfire]

Polaris in X-Factor #4.

Where'd you find this? It looks so different from #1-3!

[Soulsword323]

I thinks is just more of a continuity thing as loke said.

I do wish the colors weren't so dark though. I really enjoyed the way it was rendered in Creation, where the torso was a lighter green than the pants. Otherwise, Gomez's art is lovely. Really wish he was the mainstay on X-Factor.

[Devaishwarya]

that makes sense which explains why Rachel was in her XF look bc she was just doing a TP probe on Krakoa and not in the war battle

I think it would be coolz if all the main characters had 'Battle' outfits (like Magneto and o--[A]--o) aside from their regular superhero wear. Even if it means just revamping an old costume.

[Soulsword323]

Where'd you find this? It looks so different from #1-3!

It's from the X-Men Monday interview. The artist is different for #4. Carlos Gomez is the artist for this issue.

https://aiptcomics.com/2020/09/28/x-...swords-week-2/

[salarta]

I think it would be coolz if all the main characters had 'Battle' outfits (like Magneto and o--[A]--o) aside from their regular superhero wear. Even if it means just revamping an old costume.

Kris Anka came up with a redesign to her iconic costume that I actually support, without the Magneto bubbles on the chest.




This concept provides a meaningful evolution to her iconic costume without changing it so much as to not be recognizable. The chest looks like battle armor, suggesting how battle hardened she's become over time. The grey secondary color adds some useful color variation without undermining her green, and it also hints at her powers. It retains the headpiece and cape which are important to retain the royal vibe. It's a costume change that really suits who she is and what she's been through, rather than trying to make her conform to a team or something similar. Only other thing I think would be a good change to this aside from no Magneto bubbles is making it look even more like armor.

[Devaishwarya]

Not bad actually...I would streamline and mold/curve the armor details along the lines of her chest and torso so that it doesn't look so "heavy" but...pretty nice, update.

[Frostfire]

It's from the X-Men Monday interview. The artist is different for #4. Carlos Gomez is the artist for this issue.

https://aiptcomics.com/2020/09/28/x-...swords-week-2/

Ah ok. Seems like they are leaving Mojo world

[loke13]

Ah ok. Seems like they are leaving Mojo world

They left it last issue. But basically all the DoX books plots will be momentarily interrupted until X of Swords is over.

[salarta]

Lorna and Wanda fanart by asinoeiv

[jmc247]

Where is jmc? I look forward to hearing his thoughts on her showing here

I by in large like Hickman's Lorna. His version has some personality, cares about the plight of mutants and he showed her scarred by the past (I am assuming HoX #5 was a unuttered reference to Genosha), she cares about Mags, and doesn't fall into the trap of being an overly emotional mother hen character like a number of attempts which rely on early 90s nostalgia. It feels a little now like the HoM is starting to have the outlines of being a faction on Krakoa like the Summer family and some others. Its clear the character has an important role in this crossover.

X-Men Reload with those issues is out in trade tomorrow.

[rhaenylis]

Maybe you will judge that I am way too optimistic but I think tomorrow will be a good day for Lorna in the comics
Already, there will be the tribute to the Giant-Size #1 presenting one of her most unforgettable performances (if not the best, given the very random interest given to the character)
Then the fourth issue of X-Factor (I don't think Lorna will come out of a husk with a sword, but I doubt that she will be used little in this issue since she got two variant covers for said issue)

[salarta]

I'm generally very pessimistic about Marvel as a result of my experiences with the company these past 11 years, especially since 2017. But, I also understand people being optimistic when they haven't had my experiences. It's nice to believe in and hope for good things coming.

My opinion of Marvel is low enough that I'm even hesitant to say the Giant-Size X-Men tribute will be good because I don't think I can trust them not to change it. I've seen the Avengers side redraw a House of M portrait to remove Lorna from the family. In 2006, Deadly Genesis claimed Jean launched Krakoa into space instead of Lorna. Jean and Storm have had more action with Genosha than Lorna despite Lorna actually being a big part of Genosha and living through its genocide. They didn't even acknowledge her history with Krakoa in any of HoX/PoX, and X-Factor #1 only implied they have some kind of connection and past experience, no hint to that connection being that she threw the island into space way back in the 70s.

The "reasonable," "makes most sense" part of my brain says that yes, Giant-Size X-Men should be a faithful adaptation that serves Lorna well. But I've seen enough of how Marvel views and treats her that I simply can't trust them even on something that should be obviously and undeniably left intact.

As for X-Factor #4, we'll see what comes out of it. Appearances can be good or bad. Appearing somewhere isn't instantly, by itself a good thing.

[Frostfire]

I'm generally very pessimistic about Marvel as a result of my experiences with the company these past 11 years, especially since 2017. But, I also understand people being optimistic when they haven't had my experiences. It's nice to believe in and hope for good things coming.

My opinion of Marvel is low enough that I'm even hesitant to say the Giant-Size X-Men tribute will be good because I don't think I can trust them not to change it. I've seen the Avengers side redraw a House of M portrait to remove Lorna from the family. In 2006, Deadly Genesis claimed Jean launched Krakoa into space instead of Lorna. Jean and Storm have had more action with Genosha than Lorna despite Lorna actually being a big part of Genosha and living through its genocide. They didn't even acknowledge her history with Krakoa in any of HoX/PoX, and X-Factor #1 only implied they have some kind of connection and past experience, no hint to that connection being that she threw the island into space way back in the 70s.

The "reasonable," "makes most sense" part of my brain says that yes, Giant-Size X-Men should be a faithful adaptation that serves Lorna well. But I've seen enough of how Marvel views and treats her that I simply can't trust them even on something that should be obviously and undeniably left intact.

As for X-Factor #4, we'll see what comes out of it. Appearances can be good or bad. Appearing somewhere isn't instantly, by itself a good thing.

When you say you're pessimistic, are you saying that for Marvel as a whole, or just as it relates to their usage/treatment of Lorna?

[salarta]

When you say you're pessimistic, are you saying that for Marvel as a whole, or just as it relates to their usage/treatment of Lorna?

It started out as just related to treatment of Lorna. It's increasingly become Marvel as a whole these past few years.

In the beginning, I was fairly optimistic with the idea that if people at Marvel could just see what's good in her, if they saw the interest she could gain with good treatment and proper support, they would do more and better for her. I also saw problems like what I mentioned of Children's Crusade as just problems with a single person. I was at times harsh with criticism and concerns, but I still thought maybe it was just a matter of someone not knowing what's possible with her.

The same can't be said about the past few years. People at Marvel know how much interest she can get thanks to Lorna breaking out on Gifted. This happened in spite of Lorna not being the character expected to break out on the show. They also know what people liked about that depiction - it wasn't how she could be a great girlfriend to some guy, or how she could be very useful for someone else's agenda. It was the rough, rebellious, conflicted yet heroic leader side of her. Yet, instead, all Marvel ever does with her is use her to promote other characters, ignoring her history, constantly trying to remind everyone she's been Havok's girlfriend like that's more important to her identity than surviving a genocide. I can no longer say "Marvel just doesn't know what she offers." At this point, they know, they just don't want to respect it.

As a result, I've become more aware of problems with Marvel as a whole. And when I say as a whole, I mean the entire scope, including licensing deals, not just the comics. Like Perlmutter in leaked E-mails claiming female superhero films aren't viable. Or Black Widow excluded from Avengers merch. Or past creator complaints about what it was like to work at Marvel. There are even some things I really wish I could cite, but I can't, because I know the impact they could have on some people. At this point, I think Marvel is insincere about diversity and similar things. It looks good for PR. Greenlighting some small out of the way project gives them cover if someone complains, where they or their fans can say "See, we did X, you can't complain now." Quite honestly, I think the only reason they have big plans for Storm now is because they know it looks bad in a time of Black Lives Matter to give her nothing, when they should have been doing more with and for her right out of the gate.

So yeah. I'm pessimistic and jaded with Marvel as a whole. I got there by how they've treated Lorna. I know the fictional Marvel universe is an amazing wonderland with loads to offer, and every character is full of awesome potential. But I think Marvel, the company, is incredibly regressive and undermines everything its universe could be for the sake of nostalgia, power, whatever.