New Mutants #30 – Review

By: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), David Lafuente (art), Val Staples & Chris Sotomayor (colors), Joe Caramagna (letters), Sebastian Girner (editor)

The Story: Dani Moonstar is trying to get some help from Hela, but Hela needs some help herself in this Fear Itself tie-in.

What’s Good: If you like your New Mutants undiluted by appearances of bona fide X-Men, this is your kind of comic.  In the A-Story, we see Dani continuing her secondary role as a Valkyrie and I really enjoy this aspect for her given the character’s long association with Asgard (go read New Mutants Special Edition #1… Art Adams will make you weep).  Being a Valkyrie also makes her more than just another depowered and helpless mutant.

The B-Story is fun too as the rest of the New Mutants have accidentally landed in Hell-proper via a screwed up incantation of a spell.  Gotta admit, that would be tricky: Having a Hel and a Hell.  You’d think this sort of mistake would happen often.  But that gives Abnett & Lanning a chance to write a really delectable Mephisto.  Some writers make Mephisto more of a nasty or brooding presence, but I much prefer him as a sly and fun character that is always trying to trick folks into joining him willingly.  That characterization makes more sense to me because Mephisto does have all the time in the world to win our souls by offering us tantalizing treats.  He also takes a pretty fun interest in Magma/Amarra; what real devil wouldn’t use their powers to try to get the hot chicks?