Marvel Comics of the 1980s: Karma

Showing posts with label Karma. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

1983: New Mutants Year One Part IV: He Just Called To Say "I Stalk You!"

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the fourth part of our lookback at the New Mutants' early days, the teen team is still trying to adjust to their new life as part of the larger Claremontverse. And Chris doesn't let up as he throws Viper, the Silver Samurai and a mysterious but not unfamiliar threat at them. All that plus Team America too!

Now, don't let the cover to July 1983's New Mutants I#5 fool you... Yes, this scene does appear in the actual comic, but Dani will survive to tell the tale. Which is more than can be said for another one of her teammates, who will be gone by the time this review wraps up. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves, first there was issue #4 which featured a the done-in-one story about Stevie Hunter's stalker. For weeks now, Ms. Hunter had been receiving unpleasant, lewd phone calls.

"Who's scaring Stevie?"

While certainly unsettling, it's not exactly the Sentinels or the Brood breathing down your neck. Still, it was a concern for the New Mutants, especially Karma noticed how Stevie was suffering from this unseen, menacing threat. Reason enough to bring it up at their next meeting with professor Xavier who they were really getting to know for the first time.

During their early weeks at the school, Charles had been influenced by a Brood Queen embryo after all. Getting (re)acquainted was hard on everyone... and having the professor's girlfriend around took some adjusting too. Not in the least because she was the deposed majestrix of an interstellar alien empire... Who's now making you sandwiches.

"There will be mulled cider and sandwiches for you in the living room
after Charles has finished his talk."

It's intriguing to see the New Mutants' individual responses to having an alien "waitress". It also serves to illustrate just how their personalities differed: thought they're all a tad apprehensive around her (and who wouldn't be?), they hide it differently. Roberto offers formal kindness, Sam tries to reason his willies away, Rahne feels a bit embarrassed having royalty serve her and Dani cloaks her apprehension in brashness. Once Xi'an joined them in Xavier's study, he formally apologized to them for recent events. And though the Brood embryo undoubtedly influenced him to gather a new team of mutants to train (and eventually infect), Xavier stated he still felt the decision was the right one. Besides, they still had to learn to use their mutant abilities.

Asserting herself as group leader for the first time, Dani told Charles that for better or worse, they would be staying... After all, they all deserved a decent chance. Though relieved, Xavier also sensed something was wrong with Xi'an who, at 19, had been serving as the New Mutants' defactor field leader. Turns out she wasn't worried about Dani possibly replacing her.

"It is Stevie Hunter. I fear she is in danger."

Shan explained the situation and Xavier decided to indulge his students, even turning the threat to Stevie into a home work assignment of sorts. He wanted them to come up with a plan of action which he'd evaluate and approve. This didn't sit well with Dani who felt that with Stevie's life at stake, this was no time for games or classroom exercises. The professor insisted and the New Mutants complied. They put a tracing device on Stevie's home phone that was able to determine where a call was coming from. Before too long, Stevie's stalker called in. The New Mutants and Stevie raced to the stalker's location, an empty phone booth (ah, the 1980s!) on a corner of Salem Center. Overeager, they sent Wolfsbane in to pick up the caller's scent.

"Och, the stench! How... How could people be so disgusting?!"

... That sort of thing never happens to Wolverine. It's a small and subtle touch, but it allowed Claremont to show the differences between these teens with powers and the X-Men, who actually knew how to handle their mutant abilities. Rahne tried again however, and tracked the scent to a dance at the local high school. The New Mutants decided that the best way to find who was stalking Stevie was by having her go in and see who would freak out when spotting her.

It turned out to be Stevie's prize pupil Peter Bristow, who upon seeing his teacher made a run for it. He dodged the New Mutants long enough to reach his Corvette parked outside. Frantic and uncaring about the world around him, Bristow planked the sportscar and was about to hit a mother and her young child. Sam was able to prevent a tragedy and grabbed them, but that only created a new problem. He was still so inexperienced that once he started blasting he had the maneuverability of, well, a cannonball. That meant he was about to ram a nearby building... Until, at the last possible moment...

"Ah finally did somethin' right!"

A personal triumph for Sam Guthrie, who as one of the oldest members of the team had felt inadequate lately because he was making very little progress mastering his powers compared to some of his teammates. In the end, the New Mutants chased Peter down to a nearby construction yard where they finally were able to take him down. The mutants brought Bristow back to Stevie's place, where he refused to tell them why he had been hounding her... But, when Hunter threatened to call his parents...

"Peter whimpers as Dani's mind touches his... then he shrieks in incoherent rage...
As his heart's desire is revealed for all to see."

What could be worse for a teenage boy than to have his deepest, darkest feelings displayed for everyone to see... including the object of his desire? So it only makes sense that he became enraged and tried to hurt Dani for humiliating them. When he broke free of Sam's hold, his sweater tore open, revealing scarring on his back. As it turned out, Peter Bristow's parents had been systematically abusing him both mentally and physically. This resulted in him developing a very warped sense of how to show and receive affection. Essentially, he felt that those who loved him also needed to punish him.

And with the sad realization that while Peter might be getting the help he needs, chances are he'll never truly recover the New Mutants close out their first done-in-one story. In all honesty, it reads like a slightly preachy episode of After School Special. Still, even though it unsubtly hammers home that child abuse is bad in a "tonight, on a *very* special Blossom" sort of way, it's nice to see Claremont writing the New Mutants as part of the "real" world. It's not just about fighting bad guys and training in the Danger Room... though plenty of bad guys would be right around the corner in issues 5 & 6... As well as bad characters...

New Mutants I#5 featured the book's first ever guest stars. You'd expect the X-Men to show up in these pages, after all they lived with them. But no, of all people to help boost sales, Claremont brought in Team America. No, not the live action puppets movie, that would have meant it was at least funny.

No, Team America was one of Marvel's most poorly thought out ways of capitalizing on trends in society. Riding on the fumes of Evel Knievel and other popular stunt motor drivers, back in 1982 J.M. DeMatteis created a team of... well, stunt motor riders who shared a telepathic bond that allowed them to, in times of trouble, focus their skills and create the Black Rider, a supremely talented, seemingly unstoppable motor cyclist.

To make an incredibly long and somewhat boring story short: Team America happened to be performing at a local fair the New Mutants were visiting with Stevie Hunter.

"... I want our targets alive."

The lady with the huge binoculars is Viper, another one of Chris Claremont's favorite villains he smoothly managed to incorporate into this new title. Claremont wrote Viper during a brief, but memorable stint in Marvel Team Up I#82-85 where she teamed up with the Silver Samurai of all people. She later returned during Claremont's tenure on Spider-Woman where he revealed her as the heroine's mother Meriem, corrupted decades ago by the demon Ch'ton. But now she was back with the Samurai and after the mysterious Black Rider.

Viper ordered her men and the Samurai to attack the fair, hoping that would draw her target out in the open. She was right: the non corporeal Black Rider persona manifested itself inside Dani Moonstar who turned into the Rider, jumped on a bike and fought on. She was no match for the Samurai who after defeating and capturing her quickly teleported away.

The Viper quickly realized that Dani, though dressed like the Black Rider, had none of his skills. When the young girl then unleashed her powers and showed the villain all the horrors of her life she'd fought to forget, Viper was ready to shoot her. The Samurai managed to convince her to use Dani as a hostage to force the real Team America to obey her orders. Viper contacted the team and gave them a day to mull things over. But, wouldn't you know it, a few hours later there was a knock at the door...

"Team America is a projecting gestalt"

Ah, good ol' Cerebro still works better than Google Maps to pinpoint any latent mutants, like Team America. Xavier explained to the stunned motor cyclists what they'd been doing all this time and forced them into helping him and the New Mutants rescue Dani. However, Xavier first wanted to spend time with Team America to train them in the use of their power. This sorely ticked off the New Mutants who felt the professor was needlessly risking Dani's life. That's why they struck out on their own...

"If we wait for Team America or the X-Men, we will be too late"

New Mutants I#6 opened with the teenage team in San Francisco. In yet another example of Claremont's dedication to world building and continuity he had them visit Carillon Towers a luxury skyscraper last seen during his Spider-Woman run. The building belonged to general Nguyen Ngoc Coy, local crimeboss and... Karma's uncle. They had come to shake him down for some information about Viper, though the sly Coy wasn't exactly ready to play ball...

"Talk, uncle... Or die!"

Coy correctly guessed that Karma didn't have the stomach to kill anyone, even one so loathsome as her uncle (after all, he'd indirectly killed her twin brother and abducted her younger siblings, to mention a few of his more personal affronts). Realizing he was in an ideal bargaining position, Nguyen proposed a deal to the New Mutants. He would provide them with the information on Viper, if Xi'an agreed to one simple little proposal...

"Your services, Shan, for a year"

Though loathe to agree, Shan accepted and after Uncle Coy made a few calls they were on their way to Viper's estate in Big Sur where Dani was still imprisoned. But as soon as they arrived and used their powers to get rid of the perimeter guards, Shan felt a psychic presence who at first she thought was professor Xavier trying to contact her telepathically.

She was wrong.

"I am that which will bring about his destruction... and you shall be my instrument"

Shan managed to overcome her fears and focussed on the mission. They invaded the Viper's mansion, held their own against its mistress and the Silver Samurai while Wolfsbane tracked down Dani in the dungeon. In the end, the Silver Samurai realized they were fighting a pointless battle... They didn't have the Black Rider and continuing the conflict would only result in more damage. He used his teleportation ring to transport himself and Viper to a small boat docked close to the house.

The New Mutants enjoyed a brief reunion and all seemed right with the world. Even professor Xavier contacted them and didn't scream their heads off for disobeying orders. All in all not a bad way to end the day, but then on the final page of issue #6...

"I have come to claim you... body and soul... forever!"

And with that, the New Mutants ended its first six months in publication with a bang and a whimpering Shan. As we'll see next time, to no one's surprise, the New Mutants survive the explosion. Well, most of them anyway...

Thursday, April 9, 2015

1982: New Mutants Year One part II: I Came In Like A Cannonball!

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the second part of our lookback at the New Mutants' early days, professor Xavier has just overcome his hesitation at training mutant teens again. In the opening pages of Marvel Graphic Novel I#4, he'd already gathered Wolfsbane and Karma. Now we'll see how Xavier adds three more to the roster and forges them together... courtesy of a little hellfire.

"It is time."

As we covered in our initial entry, the notion of a second team of X-Men originated with John Byrne in late 1978... Though, as he explained in 2006's Comics Creators on the X-Men, it was influenced by then newly minted editor in chief Jim Shooter who decided what Uncanny X-Men should be about. Shooter felt the true core of the book wasn't mutants protecting a world that feared and hated them, it should rather be about Xavier training mutants in a school setting... According to Byrne, Shooter wanted Xavier to become the stern and strict taskmaster of old, handing out demerits, complete with putting all the members back in a variation of the classic X-Men school uniforms.

Byrne tried to prevent this by pointing out that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby themselves had abandoned the school approach by issue # 9 in which Xavier had all the X-Men "graduate", which marked the appearance of their individual costumes. But Shooter wouldn't budge and the Claremont & Byrne team tried to accommodate their boss with scenes like this, from January 1979's Uncanny X-Men I#129.

"Notify Wolverine that his childish outburst will cost him ten demerits"

In a fairly obvious tongue-in-cheek approach to Shooter's edict, Byrne & Claremont proved why the classic school approach wouldn't work with this new team of X-Men. They weren't impressionable teenagers desperate for training and guidance, heck... In retrospect Wolverine was older than the entire team and Xavier put together. That's why Byrne presented Jim Shooter with the idea of introducing a secondary team of "X-Men-in-training" for Xavier to guide and mentor.

Working from this notion, John dreamed up characters like Kitty Pryde and Caliban, as well as some other characters who according to Byrne ended up as members of the Beta and Gamma training squads during his Alpha Flight run. Shooter turned down the idea of this "Legion of Substitute X-Men" in the late 70s, only to warm up to it by 1982 when Spider-Man proved able to sustain more than two monthly titles.

In other words, the almighty dollar greenlighted the New Mutants. And because John Byrne had long since left the X-verse by then, Chris Claremont was left to his own devices when it came to dreaming up this new team. Along with artist Bob McLeod he determined the initial membership. Back in 2000, a few pages of McLeod's New Mutants character designs were published and they make for fascinating reading.

Karma didn't take too much creativity: she'd already appeared back in Marvel Team-Up I#100 even though she'd lose the yin/yang jacket before too long. It might have been a bit on the nose. But this new Sam Guthrie character was still up for grabs. Claremont and McLeod toyed around with codenames like "Inferno" and "Holocaust" before settling on the far less ominious sounding Cannonball. Watching Sam's facial features evolve in these sketches is also intriguing to behold. Before they settled on his sorta goofy, scrawny and big-eared look, Sam was a dead ringer for Douglas Ramsey, a mutant they'd introduce early in the regular New Mutants title.

Speaking of new mutants, it also took some doing to settle on Sunspot and Wolfsbane's looks and names. Sunspot's final appearance was a matter of some debat among the two creatives and as for Rahne Sinclair... At one point, the 13 year old ginger lass was scheduled to be named Mirazhi Shabandar.

So, by the time Marvel Graphic Novel I#4 came out, the look of all the dramatis personae had been agreed on. Time to tell the story... While Xavier and Moira MacTaggert had gathered Rahne Sinclair and Xi'an Coy Manh, there were others hunting for young mutants... Like disgraced, former Hellfire Club member Donald Pierce who had kidnapped the Inner Circle's mentat Tessa and was actively trying to hunt down and kill mutant teens, wherever they might appear.

"Father... Juliana... Someone... HELP ME!!"

Meet Roberto Da Costa, the fourteen year old son of wealthy Brazilian business tycoon Emmanuel DaCosta. During a soccer match, his powers suddenly flared up and caused an understandable commotion. Pierce monitored the incident via remote control and vowed to slaughter the abberation. Little did Donald know though that Roberto was the offspring of the man who who would eventually succeed him among the Hellfire Club's Lords Cardinal.

Pierce was too busy checking in on another possible mutant, teenage coal miner Samuel Guthrie who had manifested his powers to free himself and a co-worker following a cave in.

"A power such as his could be useful to me and then, when he has served his purpose...
He can follow young daCosta into the grave."

Figuring the young, poorly educated Guthrie was easily recruitable, Pierce approached the teen mutant who accepted the job, eager to make a living and support his widowed mother and his many, many siblings. With a young mutant in his employ, Pierce continued scanning for possible targets. That's when he encountered the young Cheyenne girl Danielle Moonstar, living with her grandfather Black Eagle and barely in control of her mutant power. This caused her to manifest a person's deepest fears or desires in giant, lifelike 3d images for all the world to see.

Black Eagle happened to be an old friend of Xavier's, who he felt was the only one capable of helping his granddaughter cope with these strange and frightening abilities. When he told her, Moonstar she didn't react well and even accidentally manifested Black Eagle's greatest fear, which turned out to be getting clobbered to death by Hellfire Club operatives.

"A white?! You would send me to an ANGLO ?!?"

It's interesting to note that apparently Black Eagle was already aware of the Hellfire Club and the threat they posed. After all, Dani couldn't project the future, only a person's most intensly felt emotions. It would also be a few years before she could see when and how a mortal would perish as a member of Hela's Death Maidens.

Yet, before Moonstar or Black Eagle could take comfort in the notion it was only a dream, Pierce made his move. And, faster than you can cite Puck's monologue from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream... "If we shadows have offended/think but this and all is mended/You have but slumbered here/While these visions did appear"... They came true.

"I will have vengeance!"

A laudible and understandable sentiment, Danielle Moonstar... Unfortunately, that happens to be exactly what Donald Pierce is counting on. Y'see, killing your grandfather was all part of his big ol' master plan and you're playing right into it. Black Eagle had already invited Charles to visit with him so he'll come either way, especially now that there's been death in the family.

"When Xavier reaches the Rockies... Alone, without his precious X-Men to protect him... I'll strike!"

So far so devious, Pierce... Only problem is, gee whiz, Charles won't be coming by himself. He was accompanied by Wolfsbane and Karma on his trip and the two girls proved exceptionally useful during Black Eagle's funeral ceremonies which were interrupted by Pierce's forces chasing down Dani Moonstar in the nearby jungle.

And even though the young Cheyenne had matters well in hand, Karma and Xavier decided to involve themselves just to make sure she'd be alright.

"I am Charles Xavier. Like you, I am a mutant. I have come to help you."

Even though she was slightly stunned and impressed by Xavier's power, Dani decided she wanted no part of Charles' promises and demanded he left "her hills" even as Black Eagle's funeral pyre burned in the distance. Xavier tried to reason with Moonstar and finally calmed her down long enough too probe the minds of her would-be assassins, only to discover some disturbing facts... And not just about the pink armored troops...

"If you've no more need of this butcher...
Let Black Eagle's war-knife be buried in his craven heart!"

Yeah, headstrong Dani "Murder On Mah Mind" Moonstar will be quite the handful. But for now, let's focus on what Xavier learned from the Pierce's flunkies: they're about to move on two mutants, one in Brazil and one in Kentucky. Xavier decides to split up the team, taking Wolfsbane with him to Kentucky while Moira MacTaggert was tasked to accompany Xi'an and Dani to Rio de Janeiro where they had quite the adventure trying to get to Roberto DaCosta.

Moira allowed herself to be captured by the local, corrupt, police, which gave Karma and Moonstar the opportunity to locate Roberto. When they ran into him, he and his girlfriend Juliana were already under attack from Pierce's forces.

"I have possessed a body, Dani. But I do not know how to use it properly."

And, to add insult to injury, Dani ended up kicking the crud out of Karma's host. Their lack teamwork inevitably led to Juliana getting shot, dying in the inconsolable Roberto's arms. Watching the love of his young life die was enough for him to join with Shan and Dani to have his revenge on Pierce.

"Whatever the cost, however long it takes... I will find him... And make him pay!"

Meanwhile, Rahne and Charles were in Kentucky where the paralyzed Xavierw was driving a jeep using hand operated steering pedals. Having a cripple driving an off road vehicle at night through unfamiliar territory. Now, what could possibly go wrong?

Ow, you hadda ask...

"I keep forgetting these are children...
As far as being X-Men as they could possibly...
WHAT!?!"

That's right, Charles... the mutant you'd come to Kentucky to find already found you... and the first thng you do is send away a 13 year old she-wolf into the woods. Another solid command decision on the part of ye ol' professor X. Rahne watches from a distance as Cannonball helps the unconscious Charles out of the burning, wrecked vehicle just as Pierce's forces arrive to take Xavier in.

"Who is he, Chase? Why'd you send me to attack him?"

Cannonball complied and went along with Pierce's men to the cyborg's base where Charles was quickly locked up along with Tessa. Wolfsbane, after gathering enough courage, decided to track their scent, breach the base's security and locate Charles. And, as soon as she did, help arrived.

"Oh, hurry, all of you! Professor Xavier's in terrible danger...
If we dinna' act now, it'll be too late!"

Ow, calm down Rahne... this is Charles "I fought off two alien invasions with wheels on my can" Xavier we're talking about here. He can handle a two-bit cybernetic bully like Pierce, if only Donald wasn't using a mind-tap device to both inhibit Xavier's psi-abilities and drain his memories. However, the young mutants teamed up, even convincing Cannonball to help them. Pierce tried to fight them all off, but Wolfsbane disabled the mindtap and well, we all know what that means...

"One man's brain, and strength of will is pitted in mortal combat against a man-machine bionic construct. For a time, the outcome is in doubt."

After Xavier defeated Pierce, Karma stepped in and took control of him until Tessa was freed and offered to take care of the Hellfire Club's former White Bishop. Charles took his students home, except for Cannonball who was turned down by the others because of his role as Pierce's, albeit unwilling, flunky. Two weeks went by after that, a fortnight during which Charles trained his newest mutant recruits before assembling them. Turns out they weren't exactly the obedient,

"Danielle, you're out of uniform... please explain yourself."

In a sign of the changing times, Claremont has Moonstar openly rebel against Xavier's dresscode, perhaps in a way to signal to Jim Shooter and all the other traditionalists out there these wouldn't be your father's X-Men-in-training.

For one thing, they were all international students, as opposed to Xavier's initial all American recruits. And, unlike the international team of X-Men that Charles had recruited to fight Krakoa, this one included no less than three women as opposed to Storm, who was the only female "new" X-Man. Add to that the fact Rahne, Xi'an, Roberto and Dani were already strong, determined young people with their own opinions... With Danielle being the most determined to assert herself.

Still, there were some similarities to Marvel Graphic Novel I#4 ended the same way the classic X-Men I#1 began... Charles Xavier called his pupils into his study for an inspection... And, to introduce their newest member. Way back in 1963 it was Jean Grey, but in this case it's their former enemy Samuel "Cannonball" Guthrie. After some initial misgivings,

Xavier couldn't help but smile as he watched how the group accepted the lanky Kentucky coal miner.

"The dream is still good."

And with that, the New Mutants were off to the races... Not to mention their own, monthly title. More on that next time when something's stirring deep inside Charles other than pride and joy. Plus, we meet the team's dance instructor in part III of New Mutants Year One: I'm Gonna Wash That Xi'an Right Outta My Hair!