Era #10, Part 22: The Ties that Bind (New Mutants)

Grade: B

Tensions continue to mount after a failed attempt to help comatose Amara (Magma), the introduction of another former New Mutant (the now powerless Rahne (Wolfsbane)), and disagreements on if and how to integrate a dangerous, homeless mutant (Noriko Ashida (Surge)). Josh continues to feel isolated from the group due to his past affiliation with the anti-mutant terrorist group, the Reavers, and the White Queen agrees to mentor a new group of students that forms around Julian Keller who takes the moniker Hellion.  

Nunzio Defilippis and Christina Weir continue to do a very good job capturing teens being teens. The action is slow making this run another deep dive into the characters. The series ends with the original New Mutants running their own mission, and that is always a big bonus for me.

[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #7
[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #8
[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #9
[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #10
[5-stars] New Mutants (2003) #11
[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #12
[6-stars] New Mutants (2003) #13

Collected in New Mutants: Back To School - The Complete Collection 

Era #10, Part 21: TInker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy (Mystique)

Grade: C+

This collection is not quite as original as Brian K. Vaughan's first run. These three missions increasingly feel less like spy thrillers and a bit more like conventional comic books. I appreciate the growing intrigue of the Quiet Man subplot, however, as Mystique must decide if she is going to double-cross Professor X who is forcing her to work for him through threats of exposure to international law enforcement. I wish he was able to conclude this thread before his departure. 

• "Tinker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy" (issues #7-10), Mystique must travel to Johannesburg in order to obtain a mutant version of the smallpox virus designed to kill anyone who is inoculated against smallpox. With another mutant after this deadly virus for her own purposes, it is a race against time to protect both humans and mutants from the threat of a global pandemic. 
• "Maker's Mark" (issues #11-12), Forge and Mystique go on a date to see where they stand after years of a shakey on-again, off-again relationship, but their night is interrupted by an Amber alert. A mutant boy has been kidnapped by his father, but the situation proves to be less clear than their feeling for each other.
• "Nevermore" (issue #13): Mystique's mission takes her to in Rio de Janeiro to secure the locate the hand of a mutant who could turn lead into gold.

Brian K. Vaughan portrays Mystique as a cynical yet compassionate anti-hero, but it is hard to reconcile her morally conflicted decisions in this title with her totally amoral behavior in the core books. Despite this one inconsistency, I really enjoyed his ability to incorporate and subtly expand her sexuality without making it the focus of the story. Even more surprising, he casually adds a transgender element to a Marvel comic.

[6-stars] Mystique (2003) #7

[6-stars] Mystique (2003) #8

[5-stars] Mystique (2003) #9

[5-stars] Mystique (2003) #10

[5-stars] Mystique (2003) #11

[5-stars] Mystique (2003) #12

[5-stars] Mystique (2003) #13

Collected in Mystique (Vol. 2): Tinker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy