Originally Posted by
Strong Girl Daken
I thought it had great storytelling in terms of pacing, tension, and especially the art. This arc stands out from nearly everything in comics. The depiction of Dani's life hanging in balance was unreal and very epic. I was a bit surprised that Dani was mostly unconscious for two of those issues, though. I knew going in that this story is closely associated with her, so I expected a more active role. That being said, I think there are good reasons for that.
After thinking about it, the story is about intergenerational trauma and colonialism. Dani has physical wounds from her fight, emotional wounds from her parents' violent death, and cultural wounds from settler colonialism. The whole story is really about her friends fighting so that these traumas can heal. Had it not been for the New Mutants, the Demon Bear would have destroyed the hospital and Dani would not have a future. Emotionally, her family is healed when reunited and Dani's link to her cultural knowledge and ancestors is no longer severed. The Demon Bear is a horrifying image of colonialism that has corrupted the land (a symbolic representation of stolen land, resource extraction, pollution, etc). The New Mutants won this fight by destroying the distorted image of an Indigenous symbol (as settlers have distorted the land). This fight addressed a specific symptom of colonialism but not its root. Like Dani's father said, "you've got a long way to go before challenging the evil that spawned [the Demon Bear]." It is significant that Dani's grandfather's traditional wisdom is what protected her for so long. The scene cuts away from Dani and her father after she asks about the Demon Bear because this is information we're not privy to; Dani's family is able to pass knowledge and wisdom between each other that others do not (and should not) have access to. I particularly liked that Dani's parents were not depicted using stereotypical imagery which happens quite a bit in comics.
The story has dated elements and crude representations. The stuff with the cop and nurse is a mess in particular. I would have liked to have seen Dani playing a larger part in the final conflict - the story at times is more a showcase of how awesome Illyana is when I came expecting Dani to kick butt. I would love to hear a Cheyenne person's reaction to the story since it is so interesting.