Xi'an Coy Manh aka Karma Appreciation 2021!

[Jeremy!]

With only a few days remaining in AAIP month here in America and the start of Pride month in June, I thought it was fitting to honor Xi'an Coy Manh aka Karma, the first leader of the New Mutants and the X-Men's first Asian telepath (Sorry Psylocke).

Karma has always been so underrated yet writers have been able to find a way to carve out an identity for the character amongst her more popular peers. She's currently being written under the pen of Vita Ayala whom I believe has been able to give Karma some major character development that we haven't seen in awhile.

With that said, what next chapter do we want to see explored with Karma?

For me I'm a bit over the family baggage that has haunted the character since her inception and hope to see more stories surrounding her new freedom.

[hairys]

One of the most inconsistently drawn characters around. I've always found it interesting that for a full-blooded Asian (100% Vietnamese), she is so often drawn as almost a white brunette or a latina. Must be hard to get Asian features right.

[mugiwara]

Karma needs a writer to restate how her power is different from classic telepathy.
I'd like to see her in a spy story. Maybe something with a horror vibe, told from the POW of the bad guys trying to figure how they are taken down one after another.

I also want a story featuring Leong & Nga, Pierrot & Pierrette (or whatever the french albinos name is), the Karasu twins and the Penance twins.

[danielsan52]

I want the Green costume back.

[Jeremy!]

One of the most inconsistently drawn characters around. I've always found it interesting that for a full-blooded Asian (100% Vietnamese), she is so often drawn as almost a white brunette or a latina. Must be hard to get Asian features right.

Agreed. Most non-white female characters look varies drastically amongst artists and they neve quite get them to look none euro-centric.

Karma needs a writer to restate how her power is different from classic telepathy.
I'd like to see her in a spy story. Maybe something with a horror vibe, told from the POW of the bad guys trying to figure how they are taken down one after another.

Understandable, I always took it as in order for her to achieve the things normal telepaths like Charles, Jean, Emma and Betsy do, she has to forcibly possess the minds of someone. Hence the unrefined power signature she's drawn with. So at base level I think she's a weak telepath but once she assume possession over someone she has the ability to do some of things we come to know X-paths are capable of.

[Chris0013]

I would not have kept the prosthetic. I get they want to be inclusive...but it makes no sense that if you are dead and being resurrected to NOT come back with all your limbs, sight, hearing, whatever.

[rcaguy]

I would not have kept the prosthetic. I get they want to be inclusive...but it makes no sense that if you are dead and being resurrected to NOT come back with all your limbs, sight, hearing, whatever.

Which would make her not the person she was. Might as well create another useless GenX character.

[Uncanny X-Man]

With only a few days remaining in AAIP month here in America and the start of Pride month in June, I thought it was fitting to honor Xi'an Coy Manh aka Karma, the first leader of the New Mutants and the X-Men's first Asian telepath (Sorry Psylocke).

Karma has always been so underrated yet writers have been able to find a way to carve out an identity for the character amongst her more popular peers. She's currently being written under the pen of Vita Ayala whom I believe has been able to give Karma some major character development that we haven't seen in awhile.

With that said, what next chapter do we want to see explored with Karma?

For me I'm a bit over the family baggage that has haunted the character since her inception and hope to see more stories surrounding her new freedom.

I appreciate Karma! And agreed on this latter point. Shan's whole story has always revolved around her family and it would be good to develop the character beyond her sense of duty to her siblings.

And I'd also like to add to your first point - Shan is one of the first lesbian characters in the X-books and one of the few mutant characters co-created by Frank Miller (the only other I can think of is Yukio, who's of course not a mutant). Not a bad pedigree!

[Chris0013]

Which would make her not the person she was. Might as well create another useless GenX character.

She would be the same person she always was...she would just have her leg back.

[davetvs]

She would be the same person she always was...she would just have her leg back.

Literally. Like, huh? Vita's comments about that criticism being "ableist" were a little ridiculous, especially since they didn't go about explaining her choice to remain maimed in the book itself.

[sallyblevins]

I think the first time i saw Karma was in new mutants asgardian wars and she totally blows me.

[rcaguy]

Literally. Like, huh? Vita's comments about that criticism being "ableist" were a little ridiculous, especially since they didn't go about explaining her choice to remain maimed in the book itself.

Why should it be explained? It should go without having to engage in this kind of silliness.. She (Xi'an) has pretty much come to terms with the loss of her leg along with pretty much other things in her life such as her father and half-sister.

[Anduinel]

Why should it be explained? It should go without having to engage in this kind of silliness.. She (Xi'an) has pretty much come to terms with the loss of her leg along with pretty much other things in her life such as her father and half-sister.

I don't think it's necessarily that; coming to terms with the loss of her leg I don't think would equate to not wanting it back if given a chance, esp. given that, taking the sliding timescale into account, this would be a relatively recent loss. I'd think it would be more along the lines of, to Karma, making the choice to restore the leg would feel like an attempt to erase the past. Absent most of the physical and financial burdens that come with having to deal with loss of a limb in the real world, I could see that being a strong enough reason for someone with Karma's history to want to maintain her personal continuity, particularly paired with the themes Ayala's been working with. But, whatever the reason, I do think the reader still needs that peek into Karma's thought process to get them on the same page as the character, because it is going to be a hard thing for a lot of the audience to wrap their heads around left to their own devices. Honestly, I'd be surprised if a character who's more combat-oriented - like Magik or Warpath or maybe even Scout - doesn't just ask, given that I don't think they'd be able to quite understand it either.

[Jeremy!]

Who knew this issue would define Karma for years to come!?

[Will Evans]

Was Jetstream of the original Hellions, resurrected without his cyborg parts?

Also are Karma’s younger siblings and Face been referred to as living on Krakoa.