Danielle Moonstar/Mirage Appreciation 2023

[norj]

War college seems to be just getting yelled at by Bishop while he makes you fight your fellow students. New Mutants provide basic education and mental counseling, teach kids how to use their powers and take them on low risk field missions.

[The Cool Thatguy]

You nailed it. And while admirable from a representation standpoint, it comes at the expense of plots, character development, etc.

Part of the reason while it feels like the Krakoa arc is spiraling down the drain.

Comics have been spiraling the drain a while now, IMO. Still relying on the popularity of second stringers that have been around for decades while refusing to develop new characters, and wondering why new readers are so few and far between.

Kamala Khan is the only character in recent history I can think of that the company put any effort behind.

But, by in large, it's regression. Dani is still in the same book that she debuted in from the freakin' 80s? WTF?

[wlfking]

I was skimming a while back and remember coming across Dani talking to Forearm. I think it was around the time it was revealed she was working for shield. I was googling to make sure I was spelling his name right when I came across this image.
Michael_McCain_1.jpg
*hope it actually displays*
Aye! He cleans up nice! His usual outfit makes him really seem like a background character.

You think he and Dani are friends now? In the last volume of New Mutants i believe he was shown in the place the Mutant Liberation Front lives where they have a "No New Mutants" sign. lol! But I think he was also with Magik in that Man-Thing one shot.

[rf2044]

I was skimming a while back and remember coming across Dani talking to Forearm. I think it was around the time it was revealed she was working for shield. I was googling to make sure I was spelling his name right when I came across this image.
Michael_McCain_1.jpg
*hope it actually displays*
Aye! He cleans up nice! His usual outfit makes him really seem like a background character.

You think he and Dani are friends now? In the last volume of New Mutants i believe he was shown in the place the Mutant Liberation Front lives where they have a "No New Mutants" sign. lol! But I think he was also with Magik in that Man-Thing one shot.

Forearm -- haven't thought about him in awhile!

Is he even on Krakoa?

[Arachne]

Yeah, he is. I think he was last seen getting his head destroyed in SWORD #9. For some reason, he's got grey hair and a beard now.

[rf2044]

Not that Forearm has been prominent in decades, but man -- there are a bunch of mutants on Krakoa who just don't get airtime.

Makes me even more annoyed that an established book got hijacked to promote a new writer's pet project character of the moment.

[Arachne]

Especially since there is at least one other trans mutant who seemed pretty cool, although her name is escaping me at the moment. There's also a fan theory that Chance is a trans man, or non-binary. I really liked Chance as a kid, so I'd love it if they came back.

[BobbysWorld]

Especially since there is at least one other trans mutant who seemed pretty cool, although her name is escaping me at the moment. There's also a fan theory that Chance is a trans man, or non-binary. I really liked Chance as a kid, so I'd love it if they came back.

I think you're thinking of Jessie Drake, the first canon trans mutant I'm aware of though I'd think most people would agree that Chance read as heavily trans coded in the 80s, and would be very easy to confirm as such.

[Arachne]

Actually, I'd forgotten about Jessie Drake. It was someone connected to Dazzler that I was thinking of. I think.

That just strengthens my point, though. Why create a new main character when they could have brought someone back? Chance is even connected to the New Mutants already, by way of Roberto, Tabitha, and Warlock in Fallen Angels.

That said, I think we need more trans characters, but this wasn't the way to endear the character to the fans. If Escapade was a major sporting character or an equal team character, she'd have a lot more fans. Hell, if they'd even named the mini Escapade and listed the New Mutants as guest stars, I'd be more likely to buy it.

[rf2044]

Dani Moonstar RESPECT summary:

https://www.reddit.com/r/respectthre...ar_marvel_616/


bad ass2.1.jpg

[Arachne]

Wow! That was thorough. I think the missed New Mutants #41, though. The list didn't mention defeating then talking to Death or that Dani learned to use guns before going to Xavier's. Other than that, I think they covered every ability and cool moment up until 4 years ago when this was posted.

[rf2044]

Here's another one, with some different data points:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/moons...star--2113352/

bad ass2.jpg

[Arachne]

That one's good, too. A very nice, if long, read. I wish they made the writers read this before using her.

[rf2044]

She's had a long [40 years / 4 decades], illustrious history -- and she's got tons of impressive capabilities. It's really a shame that Dani has become such an afterthought.

She's the leader and dominant personality on every team she's a part of. Why can't any writers find ways to use her?

[norj]

She should be on the Avengers by now but they are suffering from the same old guard/popularity problem as the X-men. Which is ridiculous when you consider the fact that the Avengers was originally created to be the book for characters the didn't have their own books and were basically unknown.