New Mutants, Vol. 4

New Mutants (2019)

by Charlie Jane Anders (Writer), Danny Lore (Writer), Vita Ayala (Writer)

Gabby and Karma have gone missing…and it’s up to Daken and James Proudstar to track them down! Stained by their own sense of failures concerning their respective siblings — Daken’s guilt over not being able to protect Gabby from the Shadow King and Warpath’s avoidance of the recently resurrected John Proudstar — the two must face their own insecurities in order to find the young mutants! Plus, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the New Mutants, a stellar cast of creators craft a mosaic love letter dedicated to the heroes who have become the beacon and hope of a new generation — celebrating four decades’ worth of the joys and tribulations of being young, brave and gifted in the world of X!

COLLECTING: New Mutants (2019) 29-33

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

168 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

My latest book is Victories Greater Than Death. Coming in August: Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories.

Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.

Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.

I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.

I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.

My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.

I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.

Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.

I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

More weak New Mutants' storytelling with too many new characters and the last three comic book issues featuring a Trans mutant who came out of nowhere. An example of weak storytelling is having five novice teen mutants and Rahne take on Sublime and the U-Men, an organisation that previously the entire X-Men struggled to take on. A 6 out of 12, just about, Three Star read.

2024 read

[Alex Sarll]

Despite having already had three Volume 1s in the Krakoan era, this time a change of writer doesn't reset the volume numbering - make your minds up, Marvel! Also, half the characters on the cover barely appear within. Instead we get a Warpath/Daken issue about siblinghood, a 40th anniversary special trying to have its cake and eat it as regards the awkward point that by normal standards that would mean these young characters should all be in their fifties by now, and three issues by Charlie Jane Anders. Whose prose I often enjoy, but this outing in comics is all over the place. The star of the show is a new New Mutant, Escapade, but I feel like she's been introduced elsewhere, along with a surprising amount of baggage, and if the terrible prophecy gets (re-?)explained as we go along, I'm still none the wiser about the flying turtle. Making Martha a prisoner of Sublime again when she's only just got her body back feels both mean and lazy, and Escapade's power is intriguing but feels like it could be a minefield down the line. Still, I did enjoy being reminded what utter losers the U-Men are. Of course they're into crypto.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mash up of unrelated things and bits crammed up in a volume. A useless filler, an ugly-and useles- birthday filler and a 3-parter introducing new characters to the team and their new writer.
A bit too demonstrative and wordy for the point it wants to make with matching colorful art. I’m afraid the new series was retargeted toward younger audience.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Loved the Aayla New Mutants. Anders is not nearly as good. I like the representation. Trans and mutant is such a good fit. But is the story was pretty immature, even for a young adult story.

[johnny ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

shela my love!!!

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing ending for a lackluster run of New Mutants. Vita Ayala's run ends here with a whimper as she does a nice celebration to the team's history but it wasn't enough nostalgia to recommend this book. That's because the new storyline from Charlie Jane Anders is so wonky. New characters are introduced and the biggest questions I have is why? This storyline could have been told with these existing characters and it would have mattered more. Also, I think the former No-Girl would have made a much more compelling antagonist given her changes. New character, Escapade, has a power set that makes no sense. I feel like the writer didn't know if she was trying to be funny or serious and missed both marks. The art was fine but not spectacular. Overall, uninspired read.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume is a lot of things rolled into one..
Anniversary (40yrs of New Mutants?)
End of a writers run (Vita Ayala taps out)
One-shots with characters that haven't been featured (Warpath, Dakken, Escapade, and more)
------------
This is a hard one to wrap my head around. The anniversary issue was cute. We got to see original teammates and some of the new group. Deadpool cameo (and setup for his new series). We even got more of the trans New Mutant, 'Escapade'. That might have been the strongest part of the whole collection. Overall, this collection was just pieces slapped together. It wasn't the worst, but it was far from the best they've shown us.

Bonus: Sublime is..and always will be creepy A.F. with his U-Men
Bonus Bonus: the power to turn any organic material (up to 8oz) into chocolate??

[Michael Church · Rating 2 out of 5]

These were certainly a collection of comics titled “New Mutants.” Unfortunately, this volume represents the awkward transition away from Vita Ayala’s incredible run on the title after the faltering first arcs by Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson. Unfortunately, even Ayala’s entry for this volume falls a bit flat, despite being an oversized 40th anniversary issue for New Mutants.

The first story jumps in with Danny Lore as writer about James Proudstar and Akihiro looking for Gabby Kinney, but it starts mid story and never really goes anywhere. The Gabby plot doesn’t quite catch up, and with it being such an isolated issue, there’s no real emotional catharsis despite the attempts to tie it into other emotional beats happening around these characters.

The anniversary issue has its moments of fun, showing a few flashbacks to different eras through a framing story of a present day anniversary party for the team (in all its iterations). The best moment, in my opinion, is the flashback for Dani and Beto, though I have a soft spot for Karma’s queer awakening, too. Unfortunately, the art really sets this back (which is an issue throughout the whole volume). I think the framing story is my least favorite, and Dani’s is the best, but only by comparison. Even some of the lettering is strange with some sound effects being weirdly placed and almost distracting. Hardly the fantastic send off that Ayala deserved for their much lauded run.

Then we move into the final writer for the volume, and the one that closes out the title before one of many relaunches in 2023, Charlie Jane Anders. Her arc focuses primarily on new character, Escapade, which makes sense as Charlie created Escapade in the recent Marvel Voices Pride special. On the one hand, I love the trans representation from both Shela (Escapade) and her best friend, Morgan. Shela has a great unique power, and I think could be a really interesting character. However, she’s presented very much as a forced perspective character, taking the spotlight for no truly discernible in story reason. She even catches the attention of the villain to the point of redirecting his evil plan. I do appreciate that it paid off the original precognitive vision we learned about in Shela’s introduction and that it was the creator’s vision for the character, but the resolution is trite and a bit tropey for my taste.

I knew from other reviews that this final arc was going to be rough, but I held out hope it would be slightly better than this. To add insult to injury, Magik appears on multiple covers and makes a tiny cameo in, I think, one issue. Not that her presence would’ve made the issues better, but it’s a weird inconsistency. Oh, also, Karma might be dating a student again? She’s definitely dating that new character, Elle, still, but Elle might be in the creative writing class she’s later teaching alongside Dani and (hilariously and appropriately) Pyro. Hopefully this time the age gap is appropriate, but the student/teacher thing is still a bad look.

To be honest, I kind of feel like the X-line is falling apart, and it breaks my heart. This volume was bad enough that I don’t know if I’ll read the New Mutants: Lethal Legion series that comes next.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The New Mutants are joined by new friend Escapade as they face off with sentient bacteria man John Sublime once again! Plus, celebrate the New Mutants' anniversary with an oversized issue, while John Proudstar hosts a celebration of his own - welcoming himself back from the dead!

Issue #30 is Vita Ayala's last on the title, wrapping up their run, while #29 is a filler story about Thunderbird and Daken by Danny Lore which is decent enough. #30 also serves as a 40th anniversary issue for the New Mutants in general, told as a series of flashbacks to different periods in New Mutants history (and of course, Deadpool shows up for a bit as well, because what's New Mutants without Deadpool).

The meat and potatoes is the Escapade story in #31-33, which dovetails out of her appearance in the Marvel Voices Pride one-shot from last year. She and her friend Morgan fit neatly into the book, and the story being told from her perspective is a nice revisit of some old New X-Men stories (not just because Sublime's involved). It does feel a little safe though, which is a shame, and it rounds off the Sword Of Damocles that hangs over Escapade's head a little too quickly for my taste - I expected that to last a lot longer than just these three issues.

Guillermo Sanna takes Danny Lore's issue, and the anniversary one is a smorgasbord of artists I won't bother listing here. The Escapade story is drawn by Alberto Albuquerque who does a decent job, but doesn't help shake the 'safe' feeling that I had for the actual plot. There's nothing technically wrong with his art, but it doesn't really set my world on fire either.

New Mutants has had a few different relaunches and refocuses over its comparatively short 33 issue run, but it's been consistently fun at least. This final collection is a bit of a hodge podge of stuff, for better or worse.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the current X-Books, New Mutants really has a different flow and feel. It benefits from a younger voice, and as such, is a good book for new readers to jump into the whole X-Men thing, but also contains enough action and ties to their legacy for adults to enjoy.
Highlights:
- A small sub-family of the New Mutants are the Wolverines, and none more mischievious than Scout (previously Honey Badger). The first tale in this Volume deals with Daken and Warpath following her trail to an ORCHIS base and taking down bad guys while Gabby sneaks in and out easily.
- We get a fun 40th anniversary issue showing their strong bonds of friendship. Lots of authors and artists contributed to this one.
- For fun, a brief teaser kickoff to the new Deadpool title is here when Wade has the New Mutants face off against each other, knowing that they can be resurrected. LOL
- The multi-part story for the end introduces us to a new member of the team, Escapade. Shela can switch places and powers with others, living their lives as they live hers. Almost like Synch, but one at a time, and a duration as well. She's been having a recurring nightmare where she ends up switching bodies and killing her best friend Morgan. This almost comes true when some of the team gets taken by the U-Men. She is not only able to avoid killing him, but saves him, as well as helps Cerebella overcome her fear and terror at the experiments that originally brought her to the mutants as No-Girl.

Overall, a good Volume, and nice to be a bit disconnected from an overarching X-Books story.
Recommend.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oooof, New Mutants. This series has never been great, but this volume is especially rough. We get a one-shot of Daken and Proudstar chasing down a missing Gabby and simultaneously addressing their control issues. Then the big 40th anniversary issue, which features some amusing shorts, but is otherwise forgettable. So far, so fine.

Then Charlie Jane Anders jumps aboard, and as with any prose author's first time writing a comic, it's terrible. The pacing is awful, the storytelling limp, the dialogue verbose. A new mutant, Escapade, is worried that the New Mutants won't like her, and then the New Mutants all get kidnapped by the U-Men (who?!) and must like, figure out their issues so they can escape. In a painfully ham-fisted way, it's revealed that many of the New Mutants are genderfluid and Escapade is trans. While this is a great development for diversity, the way it's presented is almost literally a villain saying, "Aren't you all those gender-whatever mutants?" Natural storytelling it is not.

Oh, and the art is real bad. A very skippable volume of New Mutants.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a mess of a volume. I mean, I know New Mutants can't keep a writing team, who knows why, but three teams in one volume is ridiculous. And none of them are really writing about the same characters, which is even more ridiculous.

#29 (by Danny Lore) is a somewhat sweet tale about Gabby's relationship with Akihiro (and Warpath, apparently). But, it's a shallow story, and Orchis feels like it's badly used: not the threat of other comics [3/5].

#30 (by Vita Ayala) is a super-sized set of stories looking back at past times for the New Mutants and X-Force. They're well-characterized stories that fit in their times, but totally forgettable. [3/5]

#31-33 (by Charlie Jane Anders) feels mostly like it's putting the comic back on track. Oh, it's another bizarrely different team. But newcomer Escapade is a great addition. Except she's a borderline Mary Sue, from how she pretty much takes over the comic. Nonetheless, good story about a good old foe (the U-Men) who haven't gotten much attention [3+/5].

And then the comic was suddenly cancelled (except Anders is comic back for a miniseries).

[brand · Rating 2 out of 5]

An overall good run, but this final batch of issues was pretty subpar.

The 29th issue felt like a pretty rushed conclusion to the Wolveirne family dynamic between Akihiro and Gabby. The plot of the issue itself felt empty, with the only real thing of consequence being Gabby's letter at the end.

The 30th was a fun anniversary issue to celebrate the team, and though I did like the character interactions, some of the art was not to my liking, whether it was really weird faces or odd proportions.

31-33 is a three-part arc featuring a new writer, and largely, a new team. The dip in writing is clear at this point, and some of the dialogue is the worst it's been in the run. The new team isn't too bad, and its charming to see how much they care about one another, but having only three issues to juggle all of them and give them equal importance and impact seemed farfetched. I can't say I'm too interested in following this team, should the next New Mutants ongoing feature them.

50/100

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to circle back to check who wrote what in this volume since three authors are in play. Lore’s piece didn’t really seem to congeal with what I’ve been reading recently with the two focal characters (or why they’d really be interacting either). Ayala’s sendoff was heartfelt but ultimately had that “slice of life” quality to it that didn’t really click with me, especially when some of the characters weren’t of the frequent use set of the recent runs. And I love CJA! Going back to her days on io9! But the writing here felt flat and I had a really hard time figuring out the stakes (why would mutants dying be an issue if they can be immediately brought back? Why is a sentient bacteria transphobia or playing at being that way in a moment and why would he be aware, suddenly, that a character is trans? Did I miss something? Maybe!). I just wanted to like these stories but the characters weren’t clicking for me. I’m so excited to see more and more diversity in Marvel at least.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rating reflects the overall book, not the portion written by Charlie Jane Anders. It's disappointing that Anders' name (online, not on the cover) is plastered on this volume considering that about half of it is work done by others, with stories I found to be less interesting and with art that didn't work for me.

Anders' story about Escapade was much more interesting. However, another demerit goes to the fact that this storyline is apparently a continuation of a story written elsewhere, but that one-shot was not included in the book. This is just poor formatting by Marvel, if you ask me. And it hurts the story because then we're flung into three issues where this new character has completely stolen the spotlight. Fun writing and a clever new power make things work for the most part (my daughter picked up the book and told me, "I want Escapade's power!"), but it doesn't flow well. But again, I can't blame Anders for what Marvel saddled her with. Maybe she could have given a few other characters time in the story, though.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hope this isn't called New Mutants by Danny Lore because he only wrote the first issue. This thing was all over the place and filled with poor art and stories. It's all just really bland. First is an issue where Warpath and Daken look out for Honey Badger. Then a 4oth anniversary of New Mutants with a bunch of crummy flashback stories. Lastly is a three part story with the return of Sublime who captures the New Mutant kids who are being trained along with two New Mutants with dumb powers and not much personality. This gets 2 "Mehs' from me as this title ends before a reboot.

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The anniversary issue had some nice moments, even if the art was really on the ugly side. Too bad this was Ayala’s farewell, they’re definitely going to be missed.
The first story with two macho men trying to save a macho lady was just off. Shouldn’t have taken place in this book, anyway.
And this new writer, Charlie Jane Anders, is just so bad. What is she doing with the New Mutants? She introduced this new character Shela/Escapade, and all of a sudden this new girl took over the entire book. And she’s not an interesting character, not at all!

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 40th anniversary issue was pretty fun, but the Daken and Warpath issue was meh and the Sublime story was not very good. Was I supposed to know who Shela and Morgan were? This seems to be the first time I’ve met them, but maybe they showed up in a New Mutants trade I read years ago. Anyway, I was confused, and Sublime is a terrible character that even Grant Morrison couldn’t make interesting, so let’s just sunset that guy, eh?

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much a mess as we've got three different stories by three different writers, with three different art teams. Probably the best of it is the three-issue arc that (re-)introduces the mutant Escapade, who can switch places with people, in a story involving Sublime and the U-Men, who are some of the worst villains in the entire X-universe.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly i only rly enjoyed the last story. the first one was kinda rushed and the anniversary issue was just. ehhhhh. also not a fan of any of the art styles apart from the peanuts-style shela and morgan flashbacks those were so cute (shela and morgan are the highlight of this book ngl i NEED more of them)

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, just not super engaging. It’s all based around high stakes for two brand new characters that I don’t fully care about yet. But I’m glad it seems like at least one of them will be sticking around for when this series resets later this year.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fills a niche in the Krakoan era of telling small scale tales of the everyday folks on the island, but is a lackluster version of that with stories that feel unimportant and almost self-aware filler.

[André Habet]

I miss Vita

[Jennifer Sigman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just cannot get past how gods-awful all the art is. Really disappointing.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 40th anniversary is fun but retrospective rather than forward looking. I'm going to stick with the New Mutants but I already miss the vibe Vita Ayala created with this book.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a few new players in this New Mutant's Volume. It's very interesting how they get out of the mess the last volume left them in. To be continued..?

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a mess, but queer one

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art was not nearly as stunning as earlier volumes. Felt a bit simple overall.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started okay but not a fan of the anniversary issue and the new writer’s first arc.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful writing