1984: New Mutants Year One Part VII: We Didn't Start The Fire (Amara's always burning!)*

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the seventh and final part of our lookback at the New Mutants' early days, the teens finally wrap up their South American holiday and return home with their newest member Amara, who coughs up a volcano whenever she gets upset... Which she does. A lot.

The New Mutants took their merry time getting home. They spent their entire 12th issue wrapping up the extensive Rio de Janeiro/Nova Roma storyline. For one thing, we learn that Roberto's mother decided to stay behind in the Amazon while Amara's dad told her to go back with the American mutants to learn how to control her powers. Which wasn't the worst idea...

                                                      "You're talking nonsense, child"

Tell that to the fresh lava plume in your living room, senator. Amara packed her bags and said goodbye to Nova Roma, venturing out into the real world for the first time. Going from ancient Rome to modern day Rio de Janeiro can be quite the culture shock. Luckily, the New Mutants spent another two weeks (!) vacationing in the city. During that time, Sunspot decided to pay his father a little visit, after all it was Emmanual DaCosta's greed that had almost gotten them killed.

"Find some other land to exploit. If you make a move into that hidden valley, I'll know."

After a heart breaking falling out, Roberto left the man he once called father. Disheartened and emotional, DaCosta the elder made a decision and called a certain New York gentleman's club.

                                               "Regarding your invitation to join
                          the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian... I accept."

And with that subtle scene, Claremont set up another storyline for his second year on the title. Having Emmanuel as a prominent member of one of the X-Men's most implacable foes could lead to all kinds of interesting conflicts. Speaking of hellfire, things were about to heat up in Rio as well. Amara, still not quite used to this new world, was being harrassed on the beach...

                                               "I am no strumpet, dog! Unhand me, or...
                                                          Blessed Minerva, NO!"

Afraid of her powers and scared she might actually hurt her new friends, Amara ran off. The New Mutants did their best to chase her, but the upset Amara kept triggering tiny tremors that unleased sufficient sulphur into the atmosphere to confuse Wolfsbane's senses. After several hours of walking around in her bikini without sufficient protection, Amara began to suffer from heatstroke and started to hallucinate. In her fever dreams, she unwillingly created a gigantic volcano that engulfed all of Rio in molten rock.

By the way, how ironic and unbelievable is it to have the girl who can become lava on legs get stricken with heatstroke? Eventually, the New Mutants tracked Amara down (which wasn't that hard, they simply followed her trail of destruction to one of the favellas where a poor family had taken the delirious girl in. Dani Moonstar quickly and correctly diagnosed her condition. Curing it was another challenge altogether.

                                      "We'll have to cool her down right here and now!
                                      Sam, 'Berto, find me all the ice you can carry!"

The two boys flew off together and spotted a nearby ice delivery truck. They also noticed that a volcano was starting to form in the heart of Rio harbor, Amara's powers were subconsciously making her fever dream come true. With time of the utmost essence, Sunspot picked up the truck and Sam, in a supreme effort, flew both his teammate and their cargo back to the favella. Thanks to the ice, Amara rapidly recovered...

             "I see now I cannot do so by myself. Like it or not, I need your professor Xavier"

We all need professor Xavier, Amara... That's why issue 13, appropriately titled "School Daysze", reunited the mutants with their mentor. A man sworn to protect these minors with his very life, yet didn't think twice to let them roam around Rio unsupervised for a week or two. Now, technically speaking, we're already on the New Mutants' second year in the business. Still, it's necessary to include this issue in the review because it very neatly bookends the New Mutants' earliest days at the school.

Remember how back in Marvel Graphic Novel I#4, the proto team went to Rio de Janeiro to recruit Roberto Da Costa? A year later they were in Rio again to gain another new member in Amara. In the New Mutants' debut issue, they had their proper introduction to the school and first go in the Danger Room. History is about to repeat itself for Amara.

                               "Professor, are none of my thoughts to be secret or sacred?"

A valid and fair question, Amara... Imagine how freaked out you'd be if you arrived at a boarding school on another continent only to find your room was an exact replica of your bedroom back home. Then, the headmaster calmly informs you he telepathically plucked the necessary information from your mind "to make you feel more at home".

It's amazing Amara wasn't so shocked she produced a lethal lava spout right then and there. But, Charles being Charles, he assured his newest student he'd never enter her mind without permission (even though he already did when he played interior decorator). Amara believed her honored teacher, though when she caused a brief tremor in a moment of panic a little while later, Xavier did this...

                                    "I'd best maintain a constant, light rapport with her.
That way, I can monitor her emotional state and prevent any accidental tectonic catastrophies."

Well, so much for telepaths respecting a person's privacy. You might say the professor isn't actively sifting through her mind, but this "constant, light rapport" is like wire tapping someone's phone or checking her social media output every second of the day. And worst of all, he doesn't even tell her. 

In yet another attempt to make Amara feel more welcome, the New Mutants decided to throw her a get-to-know-you barbecue. During the preparations, Claremont took a little time to flesh out the New Mutants' personalities some more, finally bringing romance and teenage hormones into play. Amara's arrival had heated things up considerably. Cannonball was immediately taken with her, which didn't sit well with Wolfsbane who harbored a secret crush on Sam.

Meanwhile, Roberto acted like a true casanova, much to Dani Moonstar's chagrin who would have loved to be courted this way. Maybe lose the hat, it isn't you...

"That riff's working on Amara, she's actually smiling. I wish he'd use it once on me."

Of course, nothing came of this supposed rivalry and Roberto was merely being courteous to Amara, making sure she felt okay about coming downstairs for dinner in her fanciest gown, while the others were dressed casually.

Amara briefly met Stevie Hunter, who by then had been officially signed on as a teacher at the school. Just as she was starting to relax, Cannonball came flying in, carrying a box of sodas for the party. When he spotted Amara, the lovestruck teen decided to impress his crush with some fancy mid-air manoeuvring. And, well, you can guess what happened next...

                                                                 "Amara, ah'm real sorry."

Thoroughly embarrassed by the incident, her powers kicked in, accidentally forming a small chasm Dani almost dropped into. Amara didn't even see this, she was too busy running towards the woods behind the school to have a proper cry. It's easy to dismiss her as a big ol' crybaby (and to be fair, she's fairly emotional) but considering her background as a Nova Roman senator's only child, she was raised with outdated ideas on the importance of grace and dignity, both in appearance and actions. Getting covered in sticky grape soda, while wearing your finest attire at a celebration thrown in your honor... Oy, the humanity. And, oy again... how Amara wished she was actually part of humanity.

                                            "If he fails... I cannot allow myself to live."

Those are some pretty dark thoughts, though plenty of teens have felt so thoroughly miserable at one point or another they briefly entertained the notion of ending it all. And that's even without seemingly uncontrollable, potentially catastrophic mutant powers. While Amara remained by herself in the woods, Claremont decided to fully benefit from having the New Mutants at the school again by checking in on another young mutant: Kitty Pryde.

She'd been visiting with her friend Doug Ramsey, in his first appearance. She and Doug immediately hit it off when they met at Stevie Hunter's dance studio and found out they had a lot in common. Computers, for instance... Kitty roped Doug along into hacking into the Hellfire Club's systems only to end up in the database of the government run Project: Wideawake. Their poking around activated a Sentinel that attacked Shaw before Henry Peter Gyrich triggered its self destruct sequence. All in all, Kitty was pretty pleased with herself.

                                                             "Can they trace us, Doug?"

Ironically, in 1984 you enjoyed far greater online anonymity than nowadays. If Kitty and Doug tried a stunt like that today, the authorities would be kicking down the door to Doug's room well before they even got past the first firewall. Also, note how 30+ years ago, Sal Buscema basically figured a computer was like an electric typewriter with a screen? (which, to be fair, they basically were). All that hacking had caused Kitty to completely forget the time. Realizing she was late for a training session with the X-Men, she rushed home and phased her way to the woods to save time. Guess who she bumped into...

        "It always happens this way, whenever I try to talk to someone my own age I screw it up."

Shades of Liz Lemon aside, Kitty Pryde was about to prove her own point again when she continued her trek towards the mansion and ran into the New Mutants. Claremont established there was no love lost between Shadowcat and the "X-Babies" as she called the team. The rivalry had begun behind the scenes of Uncanny X-Men I#168, in which Xavier had briefly demoted her from an X-Man to becoming a New Mutant. This led to the now classic "Professor Xavier is a jerk!" line. Incidentally, that quote became more and more true with every new misdeed and crime that Charles had committed over the years. 

                                                                     "I can take a hint."
                                                     "... Do better than that. Take a hike."

Ouch, talk about a burn. Add to that Xavier's crimson red, furious psi-call and Kitty was in deep trouble. Charles chastized the youngest X-Man for slacking off, missing a scheduled training exercise with the X-Men and continuing to refer to the New Mutants as "X-Babies" when two of them were actually older than her. He then refocussed his attention to Amara, who had sobbed herself to sleep. He directed the New Mutants to find their teammate and bring her home. The next day, she was to have her first real go in the Danger Room, complete with X-costume and a brand new codename!

                   "Since your talent involves the manipulation of lava and tectonic forces,
                                              "Magma" seemed most appropriate."

Good to see you got a bit more inventive with those codenames after sticking your first batch of students with clunkers like "Beast" and "Iceman", Charlie. And while Magma is a fine sounding name, how exactly will it protect Amara's identity if her face is still there for anyone to see and recognize?

At any rate, Magma freaked out when Xavier proposed she burned through the block of steel lowered into place by Stevie Hunter. Already spooked about having to use her powers, she completely lost it when Charles announced he'd be in her mind to make sure nothing went wrong. Feeling he had violated his earlier promise, Amara became furious and ran off... Boy, imagine how she'd respond if she found out Xavier had been eavesdropping on her all along?

Later that night, when she calmed down a little, Amara came out of her room and went down to the professor's study to make amends. When she neared his quarters, she noticed a remarkable white blue light emanating from his office. Charles was catching up with his ladylove, Lilandra Neramani who had only recently left Earth with the Starjammers in Uncanny X-Men I#174. 

Amara couldn't help but listen in...

                                                 "I'll be waiting. Farewell, my love.
                                                     Fare thee well, my heart."

Sharing such a personal experience caused Charles and Amara to open up to one another. If nothing else, this brief scene showed just how much Xavier himself had grown over the past year as the New Mutants' teacher (even if he sent them away for about 6 months of it). Charles had become far more open and personable, no longer the strict, almost uncaring taskmaster of old who brooked no opposition, handing out demerits like they were going out of style. 

                                              "Have you ever failed with a student?"
                                       "Oh, yes! But that will never stop me trying!"

... Run, Amara, run right now! Go on girl, you're so good at it! All kidding aside, Xavier had learned to relate to the newest generation of mutants, which was a theme that would continue well into the second year of New Mutants.

They would gain two more, rather unusual, members in Warlock and Magik. They'd also have the first encounter with their somewhat evil counterparts the Hellions. All that, plus the demon S'ym came a-callin', while Xavier and the X-Men went missing during the first Secret Wars. Not to mention the techno-organic threat of Warlock's dad and the arrival of artist Bill Sienkiewicz looming on the horizon.

The teen team was headed for great things in the mid 80s, but none of it would have gotten off the ground if Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod and Sal Buscema hadn't laid the foundation in those initial 12 or 13 issues. They may not have been the first or last batch of freshmen to walk the halls of Xavier's, but the New Mutants added a lasting class to the X-universe.

*with sincere apologies to Billy Joel.

1983: New Mutants Year One Part VI: On An Evening In Nova Roma*

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the sixth part of our lookback at the New Mutants' early days, the Roman numerals finally make sense as the teens find themselves imprisoned in Nova Roma, an offshoot of the Roman empire that didn't make it any history books. To no one's surprise, it's a pretty forgettable affair.

I'm no expert, but the most important part of launching a new comic series is quickly establishing the format of the book. Set up basics like the cast, their personalities, their reason for being together and the general premise. This gives readers some sense of what to look forward to or even tell their friends about. Usually, it takes about a year before a book really starts to click, unfortunately that's also why nowadays most titles get cancelled before they can start cooking.

At any rate, what's the New Mutants premise? Well, they're new mutants, in need of training to master their powers, not necessarily interested in superheroics or joining the X-Men. They live and study at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters and are mentored by Charles Xavier and his staff. Now, if only Claremont would stick with that a tad more. Apart from a few Danger Room sequences, he very rarely showed team training or studying in the first five issues. What they did do was fight villains: the Sentinels, Viper, the Silver Samurai, all well before Cannonball had even learned to turn right during flight.

Of course, the book had to have some villains to fight. Nobody would be interested in reading a comic that was all about teens in plainclothes, attending classes, doing homework and worrying about zits or a surprise pop quiz. But if you launch a title that emphasizes the fact they're in school... at least try and have your cast on the same continent as that school every once in a while.

Claremont quite clearly disagreed with that sentiment and sent the New Mutants on an extended field trip to South America that lasted over six issues. Sure, they got in a little training along the way but Xavier barely appeared anymore. The kids were on their own and acted like generic adventurers who were pretty much in control of their powers.

And as if having them stuck in Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon for three months wasn't bad enough, #8 ended with the teens getting captured by Roman soldiers. They were brought to the hidden city of Nova Roma filled with all the extras from I Claudius. The New Mutants and Amara, their mysterious blonde friend, were thrown in a jail cell for the night. The next day, the girls would be sold into slavery and the men would be made to fight in the arena... As one does.

First, we're properly introduced to Amara...

                                            "My name is Amara Juliana Olivia Aquilla.
                            My father is Lucius Antonius Aquilla... first senator of Nova Roma."

So, the daughter of one the most well known political figures in a small community isn't immediately recognized by the guards, the soldiers or even a random bystander? And why is everyone speaking perfect English when they're in the middle of the friggin' South American rainforest?

Claremont clearly had a ball writing the Nova Roma arc but you know what... No. Just no. The Nova Roma arc is poorly thought out, full of nonsensical sequences, boring political intrigue, way too many robes and loaded with all the Comics Code approved creepiness Claremont would be mocked for in his later years. Rather than bore you (and myself) with a full synopsis, let's touch on the "highlights" of New Mutants I#9, 10 and 11. 

First things first, Amara's father had a political enemy, senator Marcus Gallio, who desperately wanted to take his place. Gallio was married to a powerful sorceress called Selene. Yes, that Selene. And she had a plan to make her husband's ambitions come true.

                               "Where are we going? The catacombs beneath our villa".

Well, geez... you'd think a man would know where he was going if he's walking into the cellar of his own house. At any rate, they meet with Castro, who was hired by Sebastian Shaw and Sunspot's father Emmanuel DaCosta to mess up Nina DaCosta's expedition into the uncharted Maderia region of the Amazon because they wanted to claim the mineral rich land for stripmining. Castro sweet talked himself into Gallio's graces, suggesting an alliance between him and the Hellfire Club that would most certainly make him the most influential political leader of all Nova Roma.

Now, let's get to the uncomfortable parts... The female New Mutants and Amara were about to be auctioned off, but before that they needed to look presentable. And willing.

                                          "Would you care for more wine? Ooooh... Yum!"

Having Dani Moonstar (barely 15) and Rahne Sinclair (about 13) drink drugged wine that made them drunk, woozy and essentially up for anything is just wrong in so many ways. The kids get hammered and roofied all at the same time, before some sheet wearing slimeball buys them. Amara knew better than to drink the wine and tried to sneak away. But she ran into Selene who apparently had her eye n the young girl for quite a while now...

                                  "You are a gift from the gods I shall make very good use of"

So, how are the boys doing? Well, while the girls were getting dolled up, Sam and Roberto got sent to gladiator training school to prepare for their debut in the arena. All those men trying to stab one another with their big, pointy spears... The sweat, the grunts as they manhandle each other. Two wrestlers, muscles bulging, sweat glistening, hairy chests rubbing against one another... 

                                                          "Plucky little lad, aren't you?" 

It's hard (*tee-hee*) not to notice the homo-erotic subtext of this particular scene. Two teenage boys dressed in loincloths, chained to the wall and drugged to the gills get playfully teased by a burly bear of man holding a big ol' poker. I've heard of adult films with less backstory.

Still, Sam and Roberto survived the night and were forced to fightone another in the arena the following afternoon. The fight was witnessed by Rahne and Dani who were senator Gallio's special, still dazed, guests of honor.

"Wanna make somethin' of it, shrimp?!"

Seeing Sam and Roberto almost fight to the death woke Dani and Rahne up. They rushed to help their teammates, with Rahne jumping into the arena as Wolfsbane and Moonstar calling up an image of Professor Xavier to shock Sunspot and Cannonball out of their drugged stupor. The Nova Romans considered the mutants demons and wanted to kill them. Gallio saved them by declaring young Rahne Sinclair a sign of the gods: her red hair linked her to Gaius Julius Caesar and the fact she could turn into a wolf made her of the same blood as the she-wolf who suckled Rome's founders Romulus and Remus. And as the crowd went wild, issue 9 came to a close.

Issue 10 opened with the New Mutants enjoying a victory parade through Nova Roma thrown in their honor. They were even given a palace to use during their stay, complete with a staff of servants and slaves ready to cater to their every whim...

                                                     "I could ease your sadness, master."

Contrary to popular belief, not every 14.5 year old boy would jump at the chance of sleeping with a gorgeous blonde who basically offers herself up for his pleasure. Bobby's got a lot on his mind, though... For instance, his mother went missing shortly after their boat was destroyed. The thought of losing a parent so shortly after the death of his girlfriend Julia Sandoval kept him pretty occupied. But, as he wistfully stared out the window he noticed a group of newly arrived slaves being dragged along... among them, his red headed mother. Unfortunately, he couldn't reach her because Gallio had ordered his troops to surround the New Mutants' palace, not allowing them to leave "for their own safety".

Roberto complied and went back in, but Dani Moonstar would escape later that night only to be immediately captured by Selene's forces and brought to her secret underground temple. That's where we find out what the heck happened to Amara.

"I am Selene...
Daughter of the Moon... mistress of the fire.
Come children, give yourselves to me."

While Dani was trying to wrap her head around this latest development, back in Nova Roma the remaining New Mutants were attacked by Castro. They easily overcame their treacherous former shipmate who lied to the authorities, claiming he was working for senator Aquilla. This fake confession was all the evidence Gallio needed to have his political opponent arrested.

Meanwhile, Gallio's wife got on with her ritual and forced Amara and all the other scanthily clad gals to sacrifice their lives by dropping them into the fire pit.

                             "I knew you would someday be mine to take, as I did your mother." 

Claremont has Selene explain just why Amara was in blackface, living among the Amazons. Twas all part of her father's attempts to keep the girl out of the sorceress' hands. Selene regularly sacrifices young 'uns to rejuvenate her lifeforce. Unfortunately for her, Amara wasn't exactly your average Nova Roman as she found out as soon as the lady Aquilla was seemingly consumed by the flames.

    "The child you thought slain has been reborn... Made one with the molten heart of the Earth itself.                          And in the name of your countless victims... She will have vengeance!" 

Amara turned out to be a mutant too? What *are* the odds... New Mutants I#11 opened with a fight between her and Selene, who also turned out to be a mutant capable of manipulating inanimate material. She turned the rockface into two stone warriors who overwhelmed Amara, causing her to fall back into the fires that spawned her.

                                                   "Selene... by my ancestors... your face?!"

And here's the big Selene related reveal: much like the Claremont/Byrne creation Proteus, her powers quickly burn up her lifeforce. That's why she needs to consume the life energy of others to retain her own youth and beauty. What's worse, Selene felt Dani might have what it takes to become a psychic vampire like herself. But first, she needed to eat... that's why she used her powers to shove all the remaining sacrificial "lambs" into the fire at once, to restore her appearance.

                      "We are bound... by name and blood... such a link can never be broken!"

Sigh... And here we have Claremont being Claremont again. Maybe I'm a tad biased after over 7 years of writing a blog about the man's fondess for mind control... But Selene trying to dominate Danielle, seducing her to the dark side with waves of almost orgasmic ecsacy has really been done to death. Not to mention that it's in incredibly poor taste to have a minor in a skimpy metal bra on the floor writhing in pain and pleasure. To her credit, Dani was able to hold out long enough for Amara to return and continue her attack on Selene, even burying the devil priestess under molten rock.

That allowed for the girls to have a brief conversation...

                                                      "Maybe Amara's a mutant too?!!"

No kidding, Dani. What was your first clue... the fact she survived getting tossed into a fire pit or that she turned up looking like a volcano on legs? Still, Amara had considerable difficulties coping with this new side of herself. Luckily, she didn't have to live with herself for too long, because Selene was back and boy, was she hungry!

                                              "You killed her... drained her life essence!"

Selene promised Dani she would soon be able to do the same and that she'd even come to love it. Do note that the colorists tried to cheat a little, giving Amara's bikini bottoms a distinctly pinkish fleshtone. Way to be suggestive, Marvel. Still, with Amara presumed drained, the girl was left alone by Selene who focussed her attentions on her new apprentice Moonstar.

Meanwhile in Nova Roma, Selene's husband had senator Aquilla arrested while Sunspot decided he really needed to find out if the red headed slave he spotted earlier was his mother. Dressing up as a centurion, he snuck out of the palace to look for her. And wouldn't ya know it...

                             "With my help, Gallio will become Nova Roma's first emperor."
            He will then grant your husband the mining concession. A pity you won't be there to see it."

Sunspot easily freed his mother and after a brief reunion, she led a revolt against Gallio along with troops loyal to Aquilla. The senator had been taken to his rival's villa for a very private and oh so illegitimate execution. However, before Nina DaCosta and the gang arrived, the faint but still burning Amara popped out of the ground near her father, begging for his help. And then the cavalry arrived.

                    "All along, we've been helping the wrong side. Now it's time to make amends."

The New Mutants joined the centurions and made short work of Gallio's troops. Before they could take the senator down, the newly freed senator Aquilla insisted he faced his opponent in a duel. Though a portly, lumbering swordfighter, the senator was able to kill his rival in the end. Amara then told the team where Selene was holding Dani. The team went down to the temple and faced Selene who attempted to hold the young mutants at bay with both her mutant and magical powers. Sunspot decided to use extreme force in dealing with Gallio's wife...

"Farewell, demoness!"

And that, as they say, was that... Selene was gone for the moment (but not forgotten) and Amara Aquilla was lined up to become the newest of Xavier's mutants as we'll see in the final chapter of New Mutants Year One. 

*With sincerest apologies to Dean "straight from the bar" Martin....

1983: New Mutants Year One Part V: Walk Like A Maderian...

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the fifth part of our lookback at the New Mutants' early days, the teen team is still coping with the loss of one of their own... And professor Xavier knows the best way to deal with loss: go away on a holiday. Xavier's youngest get shipped off to Rio de Janeiro where rest is the last thing on their minds...

                                           "They're not as tough as they look. are they, Sam?"

As we covered last time, the New Mutants had just survived a fight against Silver Samurai and Viper who had kidnapped Danielle Moonstar. The young teens had the experienced villains on the run, but the spiteful Viper decided to blow up her own mansion while the New Mutants were still in there. As issue #7 showed, pretty much all of them had survived... except for one.

                          "We didn't even catch the bad guys... Shan's killers got clean away!"

Yup, 19 year old Karma, the oldest of the New Mutants, had disappeared after the explosion which was cause enough for Xavier, Lilandra and the X-Men to mount a massive search mission. Do note that this is the first time the senior team appears in New Mutants and that judging from her outfit Storm apparently had a party to go to after the search.

Also, having Rahne still be afraid of Nightcrawler plays into her deeply religious upbringing, though that gets a bit tedious... She's faced monstrous robots, parasitic aliens and cybernetic thugs out to kill her and she throws a fit when a fuzzy blue haired German acrobat brings her some cocoa? Pick your battles, girl...

And even though Shan is still missing, professor Xavier had arranged for a little distractions. Roberto Da Costa's mother Nina showed up to, well, distract... Clever as he is, Charles had invited Nina over for a very particular reason...

            "Roberto, your mother will soon be leading an expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon                  river. She's invited the New Mutants to accompany her. I think that's a splendid idea."

Needless to say, Roberto wasn't that happy about getting shipped off to spend time with his mom, not when he could be out there looking for Xi'an. He even threw quite the fit, but Xavier was adamant. He wanted the New Mutants to go away for a while to, well...enjoy themselves. You have to love the lax curriculum requirements at Xavier's: miss classes for a fortnight or so because you were on a life and death mission in the Savage Land? The headmaster will send you on an all expenses paid holiday for however long you want... Don't worry about finals!

That still didn't fly with Roberto, though... He stormed off, allowing Charles to reveal his true reasons for sending his youngest students away.

         "I am convinced Shan is alive... But the entity that attacked her may strike again. If that                                         happens, I want the New Mutants far away, out of danger."

A noble sentiment, Charlie... But you as a telepath should know that adding distance does very little to stop a psychic entity? The best way to fight a strong telepath is by having a stronger one within shouting distance. But by sending them away with Sunspot's mother, Charles might as well have painted bullseyes on the back of their skulls. Incidentally, it's hardly a spoiler alert 30+ years after the fact, but this "entity" Charles sensed was actually his old enemy the Shadow King. The New Mutants would be facing him (and Karma) a good two years down the line. For now, let's focus on their South American adventure...

Nina insisted that Roberto and his friends stayed at the DaCosta's palatial mansion in Rio de Janeiro where they had dinner with 'berto's father, Emmanual... a wealthy businessman last seen in Marvel Graphic Novel I#4. Claremont wasted no time establishing that Nina en Emmanuel didn't have the best of marriages. That led to this particularly nerve-wrecking scene over dinner...

                                  "Stop it, both of you! In mercy's name, shut up!
                                        Don't you see you're tearing me apart?!?"

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who can't relate to this particular, cringe worthy situation... When your elders are fighting before your friends, basically showing the terrible, disfunctional dynamic you'd been trying so hard to hide from the outside world. And the sad truth of the matter is, just like Roberto says, the parents have no idea that their passive agressive bitchiness is like a bitter poison to all those around them.

It's interesting to note that Claremont at this point already proved himself to be a fine writer with an undeniable knack for subtle pacing who would add unexpected but oh-so relatable layers of emotional depth to his characters. That having said, by 1983 Chris could still behave like a good ol' trope enabling hack, in the kindest sense of the word. For instance, when you say Rio de Janeiro, one of the first things that comes to mind is the annual "carnaval" celebration.

That's not lost on just about every writer who brings their characters to Rio: it's almost always during carnaval. Which considering that celebration only lasts 6 days means it's a small miracle all those heroes never ran into each another. Be that as it may, it added a bit of flash and color and allowed for scenes like this...

                                                                           "Golly!"

Fifteen year old Sam just got his first "proper" kiss, which left him slightly embarrassed but not as much as Rahne Sinclair who began to act like the team's unwanted moral conscience. Dani Moonstar tried to get the Scottish redhead to loosen up a little and took her for a little outfit shopping, visiting nearby Sal's Costume Shop (undoubtedly named after the issue's penciller Sal Buscema). However, just as they were starting to have fun...

                                                                      "We got her!"

The New Mutants immediately jumped into action, recognizing the signature armored outfits of the Hellfire Club. However, before Cannonball or one of the others could stop the getaway car, they met the villain of the story... Mr. T....erm, Axe. Mr. Axe.

                       "I'm AXE!! Mess with me, you be chopped down to size... you dig?!"

Now, I'm not saying that Chris Claremont was inspired by the popularity of A-Team star Mr. T, who was the breakout character on the NBC hit series that debuted in January of 1983... I'm not saying that at all. And I pity the fool who thinks there are any kind of similarities that would hold up in court...

Well, maybe the whole "axe" thing was original... But then again, that's exactly how a stereotypical African-American would pose a question, wouldn't it?

Axe was hired by the Hellfire Club. In fact, the entire kidnapping of Nina DaCosta was arranged by Sebastian Shaw who was planning to get Emmanuel to join the Inner Circle. A shrewd business man in his own right, DaCosta insisted that Shaw first proved his worth which led to the convoluted mission Axe and the Hellfire henchmen were sent on. They were ordered to prevent Nina DaCosta from going on that Amazon expedition, but not hurt her in the process. Eventually, the New Mutants tracked Axe and Nina down, courtesy of Wolfsbane's enhanced senses. Sunspot himself was so enraged over his mother's fate, he beat the mutant Axe all by himself. Nina was freed and ready to go on her expedition, which didn't sit well with Shaw and her husband.

                                "Whatever happens, Nina's expedition will not succeed.
                                                  She will not reach the Maderia"

Shaw insisted he would make sure that didn't happen, but it would take until halfway of issue #8 to find out just why DaCosta was so adamant to keep his wife from charting the rainforest. Spoiler alert: it wasn't because he was too concerned with her well being. In fact, it was mostly about his own bottom line... As explained in this scene from #8...

                                        "The evening's entertainment, my friend"

So, turns out Roberto's father is a criminal too... A good twenty years before 2003's Runaways would make headlines for having young heroes whose parents were secretly villains, we had Chris Claremont doing the same to most of his New Mutants... Karma had her crooked uncle Nguyen Ngoc Coy, Wolfsbane was raised by a religious zealot, Dani Moonstar's parents had involuntarily become part of the malevolent Demon Bear entity and now Sunspot's papa was an evil business tycoon. Only Sam Guthrie's parents were beyond reproach... Even though that was mostly because his father died young and his mom Lucinda was too busy bringing up the young 'uns to embark on a life of crime. Come to think of it, Sam started out on the wrong side of the track too.

It all works out... More or less.

                              "Her name is Rahne Sinclair and she's not at all what she seems"

In New Mutants I#8, the team finally reached the Amazon which led to this gorgeous opening page. Sal Buscema really outdid himself with the detailled pencil work on both the foliage and Wolfsbane. Coming up with wolf-like creatures is easy, drawing an actual, anatomically correct wolf... that's art. It's almost a shame Chris Claremont felt the need to obstruct so much of the page with his copy which mostly lists facts and figures about the rainforest.

The teens and Mrs. DaCosta had been on a yacht cruising up the Amazon, heading for the mouth of the river. While that sounds like a leisurely way to spend the day, they were still tasked to train their powers, using the forest as a biological Danger Room of sorts.

                            "Now, he can maneuver. The feeling is indescribably wonderful."

Unfortunately, despite all the progress he's made in controlling his flight path, Sam still has trouble seeing the forest from the trees...

                                                     "The fool... he toppled that tree!"

Luckily Sunspot was more than capable of dealing with a tree trunk. After completing their exercises, the New Mutants decide to check in with professor Xavier back at the mansion. 

"You're better off where you are. At the moment, I have my hands full dealing with new arrivals amongst the X-Men and training Team America. If you're needed, I'll contact you"

Talk about your classic "don't call us, we'll call you!" brush off. While Xavier's reasoning is sound enough, it undoubtedly stung the New Mutants that only a few short weeks earlier they were the professor's primary concern and priority... And now they're shipped off to another continent while he spends his time with the X-Men and a bunch of motor cyclists. How quickly the wheel turns... Still, it's a nice nod to both continuity and the ongoing storylines in Uncanny X-Men, where a month earlier (#171) Rogue had shown up at the school, looking for help.

With nothing better to do, the New Mutants continued their trip, unaware that Sebastian Shaw had bribed some of the yacht's crew to make sure the expedition would end badly. Not only did they quietly disable the engines, one of them tossed a bucket of chum in the piranha infested waters just as Dani Moonstar was swimming there. Cannonball got her out of the drink, but crashlanded on the other shore where they are attacked by a group of not too friendly local tribesmen. They run off when the yacht arrived, but Sam and Dani still decided to take a prisoner because, hey... why not?

                         "The Indians were watching the boat... But for how long and why?"

The answer to that question will have to wait. For now, the New Mutants had other problems like the crew realizing their passengers were mutant freaks. Luckily, the captain calmed them down, but nerves were frayed. Having a native as a prisoner below decks also didn't improve the mood, especially because it might mean the locals could return for her. She did however pose an interesting mystery...

                                "Who are you, girl? Where the devil do you come from?!"

Later that night, the bribed crewmen make their move, taking out the New Mutants by poisoning their food and locking them all up while they further disable the yacht. Of course, Sunspot can break free but that's when Claremont throws in another tired trope even children's cartoons try to avoid because it's so hackneyed: whenever you're on a boat on a river, there's always a giant waterfall you're about to go down... Case in point...

                                                         "We're about to hit the rapids!"

And before you can sing "Itsy bitsy pleasure yacht/went down the rapids' wrath/down came the boat/and washed the mutants out"... the boat crashed on the rocks, with the New Mutants grabbing all the survivors they could. Roberto's mother was nowhere to be found and, after a quick splash of water, neither was the Indian girl they'd captured...

                                                                   "GLORY!                        Her skin's white as my own and her hair's blonde! She was in diguise!"

Way to point out the bleedin' obvious, Chris... Also, even in the 1980s having a character in what is essentially blackface feels a bit tacky, not to mention a tad unrealistic. All the brown facepaint in the world can't make a Caucasian girl pass for a convincing Amazonian. Speaking of unrealistic, Take a moment to read Rahne's dialogue, do you know any 13 year old girl who talks like that while she's just survived a boat crash in the middle of the jungle?

But, as always, they had bigger fish to fry...

"You are prisoners of the 4th maniple, 1st cohort, Thunderclap Legion and henceforth...
slaves of Imperial Rome!!

... Well, of course they are. But more on that next time when the New Mutants visit New Rome where they'll encounter a very old enemy...