X-Men Red #3 Review / Spoilers

[Kevin Street]

I'm not initially a big fan of any of these characters or the Arakki, and I find the Krakoa era of X-Men to be as disturbing as it is interesting, but I've come to love this comic after three issues. It's pure storytelling power. Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli have made me care about the characters and what happens to the Arakki culture by doing the work and building an interesting world filled with sympathetic characters. I cheered when Roberto said "that's how I lose without losing," even though he paid a horrible price. (He'll come back from an egg.) And I actually felt sympathy for Magneto here when he talked about his daughter, which made it easier to cheer for him in the arena. It seems there is one ordinary human he loves.

[jwatson]

I can’t actually remember the last time Storm took a straight up L on page

Terrigen cLoud. Over a year and a half of a mutant with the power to control the weather being forced to let the earth saturate from a cloud while hiding her team in limbo. I remember the dragging she got for "doing nothing" as though there was no mandate. Objectively speaking the character did the best she was allowed to do but at the same time one can definitely considered that an overall L for the mistress of the elements. Now i can't think of any other leader who basically had to operate in an entirely straight up L situation, not Wolverine, not Cyclops, this is the first time in ages storm got to lead in a growth situation or a not the only one left situation.

Thinking about it further i can't think of any other x-leader that had an era when they didn't even get to choose a direction or a purpose, the sole point was basically to survive dealing with the cloud from another franchise, so nothing could be done until basically the end, and then they slapped an L on her forehead and had her step down once it was over and called it back to basics.

[OG Storm]

Terrigen cLoud. Over a year and a half of a mutant with the power to control the weather being forced to let the earth saturate from a cloud while hiding her team in limbo. I remember the dragging she got for "doing nothing" as though there was no mandate. Objectively speaking the character did the best she was allowed to do but at the same time one can definitely considered that an overall L for the mistress of the elements. Now i can't think of any other leader who basically had to operate in an entirely straight up L situation, not Wolverine, not Cyclops, this is the first time in ages storm got to lead in a growth situation or a not the only one left situation.

Thinking about it further i can't think of any other x-leader that had an era when they didn't even get to choose a direction or a purpose, the sole point was basically to survive dealing with the cloud from another franchise, so nothing could be done until basically the end, and then they slapped an L on her forehead and had her step down once it was over and called it back to basics.

Cyclops had an L situation during Rosenberg 's run and was killed before that by that same cloud.

[Reigna]

I can’t actually remember the last time Storm took a straight up L on page

Storm's L's comes in packages. Like an entire run you just know she is gonna be nerfed to hell and back. Take gillen's run, the entire inhumans vs xmen era, her entire time with the avengers, and many more from x-men hold to krakoa era. Hell she took a few in the krakoa era. She pays her L dues in full always and then some when it comes to taking L's hell innthe latest run of The marvels she literally took an L from a lightning bolt. Her loses dont come one at a time but it's very systematic and very continuous.

Like literally there was a time where they went to hell and they could breathe and there were storms and there were elements but storm couldn't access her powers because the writer wanted to see her fight demons powerless.

[Reigna]

Terrigen cLoud. Over a year and a half of a mutant with the power to control the weather being forced to let the earth saturate from a cloud while hiding her team in limbo. I remember the dragging she got for "doing nothing" as though there was no mandate. Objectively speaking the character did the best she was allowed to do but at the same time one can definitely considered that an overall L for the mistress of the elements. Now i can't think of any other leader who basically had to operate in an entirely straight up L situation, not Wolverine, not Cyclops, this is the first time in ages storm got to lead in a growth situation or a not the only one left situation.

Thinking about it further i can't think of any other x-leader that had an era when they didn't even get to choose a direction or a purpose, the sole point was basically to survive dealing with the cloud from another franchise, so nothing could be done until basically the end, and then they slapped an L on her forehead and had her step down once it was over and called it back to basics.

Isnt it fully acknowledged by most fans and partially by the xoffice that most of the 21st century storm has been taking L's narratively and all.

[Reigna]

Cyclops had an L situation during Rosenberg 's run and was killed before that by that same cloud.

Did he? Because if I recall correctly it was people being jerks to him fir saying what they were thinking. He got killed by the same cloud but he losing in that situation is very acceptable especially when compared to storm who literally controls the weather and was allowing the cloud to saturate the earth. Like that was one of the biggest blows in her entire superhero career, also the morlock massacre is another strong L run for storm.

[OG Storm]

Did he? Because if I recall correctly it was people being jerks to him fir saying what they were thinking. He got killed by the same cloud but he losing in that situation is very acceptable especially when compared to storm who literally controls the weather and was allowing the cloud to saturate the earth. Like that was one of the biggest blows in her entire superhero career, also the morlock massacre is another strong L run for storm.

Yes all the religious monuments in the world were destroyed and the only way mutants could survive was to mentally convince everyone on the planet they died. No mansion, he lost an eye. The entire planet had decided mutants need to die.

[jwatson]

Isnt it fully acknowledged by most fans and partially by the xoffice that most of the 21st century storm has been taking L's narratively and all.

I can't speak for most fans but definitely partially the x-office as many in interviews have said they realized she was basically sidelined. but while i personally enjoyed extraodrinary for what it was i would definitely say from an objective standpoint it was one of the biggest l's. a weather manipulator didn't just shunt the cloud off into space and then she didn't even succeed in her objective as team leader because Medusa voluntarily destroyed the cloud after the death toll took it's count. I mean of course it all happened off her watch but she was the face of unsuccessful clean up but lemire did his thing. So i think it's a little disingenious when people say they haven't seen storm taken an L when it took almost 20 years to get back to the prominence she now finds herself in. I mean i'm all for losing if it's where the story goes but this expectation and almost demand for it is a little strange to me.

[JB]

Storm's L's comes in packages. Like an entire run you just know she is gonna be nerfed to hell and back. Take gillen's run, the entire inhumans vs xmen era, her entire time with the avengers, and many more from x-men hold to krakoa era. Hell she took a few in the krakoa era. She pays her L dues in full always and then some when it comes to taking L's hell innthe latest run of The marvels she literally took an L from a lightning bolt. Her loses dont come one at a time but it's very systematic and very continuous.

Like literally there was a time where they went to hell and they could breathe and there were storms and there were elements but storm couldn't access her powers because the writer wanted to see her fight demons powerless.

Yeah, Ororo was knocked unconscious half the time during X-Men Gold. It was awful so I'm glad to see her kicking ass again.

[jwatson]

Cyclops had an L situation during Rosenberg 's run and was killed before that by that same cloud.

But his plan worked. He destroyed one of the clouds and it wasn't the situation he found his leadership in . The first issue of extraodinary was us being filled in on all the deaths and how humans wanted to kill mutants more than ever and was blaming them for mpox and worried it could be spread to humans. Another situation no PR from mutants or humans or inhumans got in front of to try to explain clearly where the mpox was coming from and the cause. Again i enjoyed the ride for what it was but no other leader i can think of was put in such a situation where personally only fans could really wank why the cloud couldn't just be blown away by a weather manipulator of Storm level. Or why thor couldn't do it. Or together like they did the spores in curse of the mutants. Storm took a big L in the eyes of her history during that period if we are to just look at the situation and the fact that she was put in the head professor role after everybody else was killed or taken off the board

Then i remember people saying "well why would you want another franchise to solve a mutant problem" which basically happened anyway, and much like decimation never started in the x-books. I think that false narrative of back and force and yes i am digressing is what chaps my hide the most. It's always okay to interfere with mutant stories and derail them but after the problem is created it's like "Well who wants another franchise to solve the problem they rode in and created.) while their fans go back to their books after the events.

[OG Storm]

But his plan worked. He destroyed one of the clouds and it wasn't the situation he found his leadership in . The first issue of extraodinary was us being filled in on all the deaths and how humans wanted to kill mutants more than ever and was blaming them for mpox and worried it could be spread to humans. Another situation no PR from mutants or humans or inhumans got in front of to try to explain clearly where the mpox was coming from and the cause. Again i enjoyed the ride for what it was but no other leader i can think of was put in such a situation where personally only fans could really wank why the cloud couldn't just be blown away by a weather manipulator of Storm level. Or why thor couldn't do it. Or together like they did the spores in curse of the mutants. Storm took a big L in the eyes of her history during that period if we are to just look at the situation and the fact that she was put in the head professor role after everybody else was killed or taken off the board

I agree she took an L during that time but how did his plan work? He was dead. Literally, he was losing mutants every issue. Moving mutants to hell was an L, not destroying the cloud was an L but let's not pretend that other leaders haven't faced L's too.

[jwatson]

I agree she took an L during that time but how did his plan work? He was dead. Literally, he was losing mutants every issue. Moving mutants to hell was an L, not destroying the cloud was an L but let's not pretend that other leaders haven't faced L's too.

He didn't take an l in that story. He died, yes. But his plan destroyed one cloud which cut the saturation in half saving countless mutant lives. They did try to make him take the l though by acting like we should be offended that he tried to destroy the cloud but I can say in this case most of xfans we're not buying the narrative and why most didn't blame Emma for her response, even Emma haters.

Cyclops was right was very popular during that time period which then led to Emma was right

[OG Storm]

He didn't take an l in that story. He died, yes. But his plan destroyed one cloud which cut the saturation in half saving countless mutant lives. They did try to make him take the l though by acting like we should be offended that he tried to destroy the cloud but I can say in this case most of xfans we're not buying the narrative and why most didn't blame Emma for her response, even Emma haters.

Cyclops was right was very popular during that time period which then led to Emma was right

Emma tried to commit genocide and nearly got merked by magneto.

[jwatson]

Emma tried to commit genocide and nearly got merked by magneto.

And during the same story the inhumans we're basically creating genocide and being rewarded for it so purely on optics at least Emma was one person trying to do the right thing. At the end of the day terrigen became a weapon when it was released killing humans and mutants so in the end can one really ignore all and try to just paint solely Emma with that brush. I can't.

To me at least after nearly a year of watching mutants die while inhumans gambled and expanded on the literal backs of mutant loss I think would drive most to extremes. Especially when the other side isn't listening or refuse to see what is actually happen. Like mpox being called a peanut allergy etc. And that attitude is what came off in the writing despite what we were seeing as readers and what the characters were experiencing on panel.

[Fokken]

Emma tried to commit genocide and nearly got merked by magneto.

That entire event should be expunged from X-cannon.
A messed up fever dream alternate reality.