New Mutants #18
August 1984
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letter: Tom Orzechowski
SYNOPSIS:
We open on New Mutant team leader Dani Moonstar having a terrible nightmare of the Demon Bear that killed her parents. We then see the X-Mansion under attack by the military as a young, red-haired girl uses her powers to shield herself as she makes her way to Professor X, trying to reason with the troops telepathically only to be killed. It's revealed that these are the memories of a young woman from the future, the girl from the before, just older and looking much more ragged.The New Mutants, except Dani and Illyana Rasputin, train in the Danger Room and prove successful, albeit with some difficulty. Illyana answers the front door to find the red-haired young woman who runs off in tears since she remembers seeing Illyana die.
In space, an alien named Warlock is on the run from his brutal father. This Interlude leads to Dani training in the Danger Room against holographic bears to the confusion of Illyana. That night Dani sets out in the snow to confront her Demon Bear, as she knows it's close. She uses her mutant power on the bear to find its deepest fear is her and finds the strength to apparently slay it with surprising ease. It's then she realizes that she made a terrible error.
Rahne wakes screaming from the rapport she shares with Dani and leads the New Mutants to the woods, where they find Dani unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.
REVIEW:
This is a beautifully drawn comic. Glynis Wein must've had a helluva time doing the coloring on this issue. Sienkiewicz made good use of black areas. Each character is unique in their depiction. Illyana is cute as a button. Cannonball is lanky and awkward, a quality no other artist since has been able to capture like Sienkiewicz did. Previously in this series, Dani was sexualized, which is disturbing, given that the character is still in her teens. Sienkiewicz managed to make her attractive and exotic without being sexual about it. The only drawback is the technology of the time, as I sit and think of what this comic would've looked like if it had been printed with today's technology and paper quality. Heck, thinking about what kind of work he's doing now, what would this book look like if today's Sienkiewicz had drawn this book.
The script is Chris Claremont at his peak, as he foreshadowed a subplot in a way that was intriguing and made time travel seem not quite so hokey as the previous times he used it. While cliché, Dani's motivation is written well enough to be believable.
FINAL RATING: 9.0 (out of a possible 10)
NOTES:
This issue has been collected twice, first in 1990, 2006, and 2018. Prices vary, but the most recent collection is 2020's New Mutants Omnibus, for those who like spending money on thick, comprehensive collections. Finding a physical copy will cost a few dollars, but twenty dollars for a raw, unslabbed copy would be too much. Fortunately, the book is available digitally on Marvel Unlimited.Those inspired to look for more Sienkiewicz, look for Elektra: Assassin, Stray Toasters, and even some art books collecting Sienkiewicz's work.