New Mutants 25 review: It's about time (Spoilers)

[Rift]

Vita Ayala will be answering questions about this book on AIPT. Now's a good time to ask them whatever's on your mind.

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/05/18/x-...a-new-mutants/

[Anduinel]

On the topic of mystery villains…
I’ve lost track…Belasco regained his missing arm at some point? X-MEN: BLACK SUN maybe? Where’s Amanda Sefton (aka Replacement Magik) these days?

She hasn't had anything to do with Limbo since the Kyost run on Academy X. I think last we saw of her was in his last solo, where she was trapped in another dimension.

[captain Qball]

This was a solid book. I hope Illyana separating herself from Limbo doesn't come with a power nerf. She has been terrible at ruling Limbo anyway, in the sense that we never see her there actually ruling.

Loved the styling on the flashback to her ad a child at the end. So far it certainly feels worthy of being the next chapter of the Magik and limbo story.

I had it in my mind that Madelyne was the one with Sym at the beginning. Kept trying to figure out what game she was playing with the demon attack. Took a second read to realize I assumed that.

[mugiwara]

I had it in my mind that Madelyne was the one with Sym at the beginning. Kept trying to figure out what game she was playing with the demon attack. Took a second read to realize I assumed that.

I still think it might be her, trying to get Limbo without being binded by a contract.

[Kingdom X]

Yeah Vita did what they needed to do. Love it when Magik is characterized as more than “scary lady with big sword!”

Only slight complaint is that I would have just had the entire adult team (Warpath and Karma) go on this adventure. I woulda been shut Rahne up if she had something to say after the mess she pulled last arc.

[Leirus]

I kinda think there are two Magiks running around? The alternate Magik who came to Limbo with the x-men and our Magik.

[danielsan52]

I still think it might be her, trying to get Limbo without being binded by a contract.

Could be Witchfire.

[sunofdarkchild]

I kinda think there are two Magiks running around? The alternate Magik who came to Limbo with the x-men and our Magik.

You mean the Illyana from the same timeline as Cat and the old Ororo'?

Could be Witchfire.

Only if everything about Witchfire and S'ym's histories are being ignored and retconned. S'ym proved he would never betray Illyana for Witchfire the time she tried to take over Limbo, and Witchfire would never say that she knows Illyana better than someone who literally watched her grow up. Again, the only villains it can possibly be are Belasco and the Darkchild. No one else would make the claim to know Illyana that well, and no one else could get S'ym to betray Illyana so easily. The story falls apart if it isn't one of those 2 people.

[sunofdarkchild]

Hiding the villain's identity even when it's obvious is not an unusual thing in fiction, especially superhero fiction. In the second Harry Potter book, who an entire mystery was built around who the heir of Slytherin was, and of course it was the one true villain the franchise had established up to that point. In Madoka Magica's sequel movie Rebellion, where the first 2 thirds of the movie are a giant mystery about what's going on on and who's causing it, of course it's revealed to be the Incubators, the main villains of the series. When Stephanie Brown is dealing with enemies taking orders from a mystery villain, of course it's revealed at the end to be her father, who is her archnemesis. When Marvel's screwed up so royally that they need to find a villain who can justify everything that's happened in the Spider-Man books for multiple years, of course they make it the Green Goblin.

Maybe they decided to not do the 'obvious' villains. I haven't read their minds or seen previews of any of the next 3 issues. What I have read is the issue which was released and the pages in which the villain appears and enacts his plan. If the villain is anyone other than the only 2 people who it can possibly be given what is known for sure about him, it will have been a massive mistake. The story will be much worse for it, and it would only serve to undermine the very history this story is supposed to be paying respect to. 'I know out quarry far better than you.' That is what is said by the villain, and S'ym does not contradict that statement even though he has known Illyana since she was 6 years old, watched her as she grew up, and served as her henchman for years. They are not going to pull something out of left-field just to not be 'obvious' and contradict what they wrote on the page. That's just bad writing.

[Havok83]

This was the best art that Reis has done. The colors and lines really made this pop. That shot of Maddie was my fave

[Devaishwarya]

Re-reading it...in some ways, other than the art, it closely feels and sounds like a New Mutant book written by Claremont. Which, for all the flack I give his work now, I can definitely appreciate.

[dragon1440]

With her sword shattered now those this mean Sapna soul is free to move on to the afterlife now? Meaning that now that she is offically dead she can be brought back by the five? Afterall they are not supposed to bring back someone still alive, meaning Magik might have trapped Sapna soul and did her a big disfavor as instead of saving her, she might have kept Sapna out of the resurrection protocol.

[BobbysWorld]

I would LOVE for this to lead to Sapna coming back (and especially with 'Yana and Rictor gearing up to start a magic school for Krakoan kids, she's a perfect fit for that direction) but sadly, I kinda get the feeling that Sapna isn't even on Ayala's radar? I feel like there'd at least have been a mention of her by now if she was someone Ayala had any intentions of bringing back.

(The whole X-Haven era kinda sucked overall, IMO, but it did give us two particular young mutants I have a special fondness for, Sapna and Lucid, and I'd love to see both of them resurrected but guess we'll just have to wait and see).

[Devaishwarya]

I would LOVE for this to lead to Sapna coming back (and especially with 'Yana and Rictor gearing up to start a magic school for Krakoan kids, she's a perfect fit for that direction) but sadly, I kinda get the feeling that Sapna isn't even on Ayala's radar? I feel like there'd at least have been a mention of her by now if she was someone Ayala had any intentions of bringing back.

(The whole X-Haven era kinda sucked overall, IMO, but it did give us two particular young mutants I have a special fondness for, Sapna and Lucid, and I'd love to see both of them resurrected but guess we'll just have to wait and see).

I would have thought Illyana would have found a way to free Sapna's soul off-panel, long before now.

That said, not every bit of minutiae especially from an era that's not very popular or well-received needs to be addressed. (Until you had mentioned her name I had actually forgotten about her and that storyline)

[sunofdarkchild]

I'm sure Sapna was revived off-panel early on, they had a tearful reunion, and now she'll never be referenced again. I even wrote a fanfic where it happened.