Roberto’s on a mission to rescue his girlfriend, Julianna. He’s in for a rude surprise.
Remember: he’s 14 years old. And these goons are Donald Pierce’s cyborg-enhanced soldiers.
And again, Claremont loves to make you hate the bad guys. This man’s clearly suggesting rape with his “cutie” remark.
The line could’ve been “We’re in it for YOUR blood”, but of course Claremont’s gotta do things his own way. It almost reads like a comedy. “I’m gonna kill ya! With, y’know, my gun.”
Boy, it’s a good thing Roberto speaks English, huh? Otherwise these guys wouldn’t understand that he was threatening them.
Again, just because you have superpowers doesn’t mean you know how to fight. But also, how did this guy miss that shot?
Roberto doesn’t yet know that his strength is powered by sunlight, and that it has a time limit. Interestingly, the TYPE of sun does matter, as we see in a later issue when the New Mutants travel to Asgard.
You’d think that X’ian would move as quickly as the other cyborgs, but clearly it’s like driving a race car after only knowing a Volkswagen.
Honestly, threatening someone with Wolverine is scary no matter who you are. But these guys were mangled by Wolvie when the X-Men fought the Hellfire Club in an earlier issue, so he’s a particular terror for them.
This is a great kick by Dani. What’s going on with Roberto in this panel?
Roberto powers up just in time to nail the wrong person! From the sound effect, he might’ve cracked a rib, but it’s never pursued.
Juliana realizes that Roberto’s out of it, as Dani continues to fight in the background. You don’t often see this kind of fight scene anymore, with specific actions and moves.
Juliana’s shot! Dani uses her power on the assailant, which works extra well because of the emotion she puts into it. Not sure how that applies… maybe the goon’s fear is boosted?
Dani’s shaken by the force of the man’s fear. This is also something you never see in modern comics: a hero’s reaction to their own powers at play. It’s a great way to remind us that these are teenagers, not full-blown superheroes.
This is what happens when novices try to play superhero. It’s a theme that will recur over the course of Claremont’s New Mutants run, and it’s a worthy theme to play with.
Poor Roberto understands that if he hadn’t tried to rescue Juliana himself, she might still be alive. It’s natural that X’ian speaks up here, as she’s been through the fire herself.
This reaction, like Dani’s when Black Eagle died, is a natural one, but moreso for a teenager. Dani’s suggestion of a team-up seems a little forced. The scene could have ended with ‘Berto’s outburst.
Meanwhile, presumably at the same time, in Kentucky, Xavier and Rahne are looking for Sam, who suddenly cannonballs right into their jeep. Man, Xavier keeps getting blown up.
But hey, Sam’s a decent enough lad. Even though he caused the accident, he still wants to help.
Claremont again references Rahne’s dual nature, a theme that keeps cropping up for her.
Pierce got to Sam before Xavier could. One wonders what he told the teen about his mission and organization.
Rahne’s not just a lycanthrope; she can change into a midway form that combines elements of both human and wolf. She seems pretty comfortable doing this, it must be said, for someone who is uncomfortable with her own abilities.
This would have made a cool scene in the New Mutants movie if they hadn’t screwed it up so badly.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this particular combination of elements in a werewolf before. Kudos to McLeod for creative design!
Claremont villains can’t resist the typical supervillain speeches, and I love it!
No, not Tessa!
Dani’s testing her “psionic rapport with animals”, another example of Claremont falling victim to the ‘mystical Native American’ stereotype.
Also, how the hell did they get there that fast, all the way from Brazil?
Join me Wednesday for the next chapter!
