Overall: This issue was basically a look at the Green Lantern rookie from the last few issues(the Psion one)as well as Vril Dox's media war against the Green Lantern Corps. Let's start with the Green Lantern. Much like Starfire, she had been raised a slave on her world, where her only duty was to reproduce, which was the way Psion society is run. Needless to say getting her GL ring was a blessing for her, since it freed her from her captivity. Upon meeting Starfire, the Lantern tells her what she(and her people)had been through, which leads to Starfire following the Lantern to the Psion homeworld. The Lantern takes Starfire to one of the breeding centers, and they are met by a bunch of smug Psions, who inform the two women that they had signed up for LEGION protection, meaning Starfire, as a member of Dox's LEGION, was obligated to protect the Psions, no matter what sort of atrocities they had committed. The Lantern attacks her fellow Psions, and she is soon backed up by Starfire, who ignores her LEGION responsibilities and tears into the Psions. The leaders of the planet destroy that entire section of the planet hoping to kill the two women, but they are saved by the Lantern's powers. With all of the enslaved women(as well as their captors)dead, the Lantern heads to Oa to face whatever disciplinary actions the Guardians will undoubtedly have for her, while Starfire heads back to Rann(where LEGION HQ's was located)to confront Dox. Starfire demands to know why Dox was protecting the Psions, before inquiring as to whether or not Dox was aware of the way the Psions treated their women. Dox never answers the question, but after realizing just how angry Starfire was, immediately breaks his contract with the Psions, who are none too pleased about that. This issue ends with the Psions voicing their displeasure about the destruction of one of their breeding centers, but breathing a sigh of relief that the Lantern and Starfire hadn't discovered their secret lab where they were trying to create what looked to be Lobo clones(!).
Considering this issue was about a rookie Green Lantern and Starfire, I REALLY expected to hate it. My hatred of Starfire is pretty well known, so imagine my surprise at the fact that I enjoyed this issue! The story was strong which is a good thing, and more importantly, the story made sense, especially considering Starfire's own enslavement. So while I would have preferred at least a brief Lyrl Dox appearance, this issue was WAY better than it had any right to be.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Wow does Starfire have some HUGE... um, hair...
Wow does Starfire have some HUGE... um, hair...
I do hate Starfire like you have you ever seen Teen Titans on Cartoon Network they make her look so sweet and cute here she barely clothed ha! check out my Spider-man noir review!
ReplyDeleteBy the way gotta go to my surgery tomorrow so I might not wright my next review.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that surgery tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteYeah transplant wish me luck.
ReplyDeleteX,
ReplyDeleteI loved your review. It was cosmic. lol.
Why is it that you hate all the characters that I love? Misfit, X-23, and Starfire are great examples.
P.S. Good luck on your transplant tomorrow SHIELD Agent #41! I wish you a speedy recovery!
ReplyDeleteThanks if this doesn't work I'm gonna be in a hospital having a machine being my liver for me ha! actually its not very funny for the last few months i haven't been doin so well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck SHIELD Agent, I hope you're feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI think the better question is this, why do you love all the characters I hate, Cole? :D
ReplyDeleteX,
ReplyDeleteThe easiest way to say this is that, to me, they are different. Now let me warn you that I work at a law firm so I'm all about the wording of stuff. Not that you would fuss with that, but I just wanted to give you background I guess.
Now I know that you are saying "But X-23 is an effing clone, how's that different?!?!" Well, she may genetically be Wolverine, but think about what drives them. Wolverine had a life before the Weapon X program. He's biggest character motivation for the past several decades was that he couldn't remember as his memory was messed with sooooooo much that even Professor X, the most (supposed) powerful telepath (at the time) couldn't "fix" it.
Now take Laura/X-23. She doesn't have a past as she's a clone. She's controlled by the Weapons Plus Program to kill whatever they want as that is what she was literally raised to do. They even have a freakin kill scent that makes her berserko. And on top of that, she killed the one and only person that was ever nice to her and showed her affection (before the X-Men) because WPP sprayed the scent her. She's completely and totally lost and has no familia ties to rely on like everyone else in this work, unless she makes them herself. Now, her lifes somewhat improved, but I think you get my point about her background. So while X-23 may be a "clone" of Wolverine, she is completely different to me. To me, it's like saying that since the Human Torch exists, the concept of Firestar and Sunspot are stupid as they are just rip-offs. I just don't see it that way.
And, please don't take any of my agreements as a personal attack. That's just the way I am and I don't mean anything offensive. And I do encourage people to argue back their points as it just creates more discussion (to me). lol.
L8r days,
DHC
Pfft, I'd never take your argument as a personal attack Cole, unless you, you know, actually began to verbally attack me! :P
ReplyDeleteI CAN see what's appealing about X-23(my sister is another big fan of the character), but for me, she's just not a character that I can get behind... I just can't relate to her. “Female teenage clone of Wolverine” is not a character I can sit back and say, “You know, I know exactly what she's going through.”
Plus there's the Yost/Kyle thing... I never had a problem with X-23 until her run as the SAVIOR of the New X-Men during Yost and Kyle's damnable run on that book. I liked the NYX stuff, and didn't hate the first X-23 mini. But between Yost and Kyle killing off half the characters I truly enjoyed in that series, and then X-23 riding in as a SAVIOR for those poor dopey mutants, the bottom fell out and she became a totally loathsome character to me. Basically, X-23 is the boss's daughter, and she always gets the call to save the day, while the rest of the New X-Men either die, or stand around like brainless goofs. So sure, it might be a bit unfair, but much of my hatred of X-23 is due to the actions of her creators, who tried to push her as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Well, I think that would be a little weird if I somehow acquired your phone number and used it to start a verbal argument. Although, don't tempt me as I could easily get it (I work at a law firm)...ever hear of Wolfram & Hart? Joking. :P
ReplyDeleteOkay, I understand not getting behind her character. I personally connected with the fact that she felt lost. I wasn't, but I connected with the feeling and when I was lost, I would just say "hey, at least I'm not X-23". Okay, I didn't really say that, but I'd think similiar to that when I read the comic.
The Yost/Kyle era is when I actually started getting into comics. I will say that I completely agree with you in that I HATE THEM for killing off as many characters they did, and in the way that they did it. I understand that Joe Q wanted to reduce the population, but they didn't have to kill off the effing now human characters. I have to say that in addition to the lose of Wither due to the after effects, I was really sad for the loss of Tag, as he was Hellion's best friend. I thought Tag had the most potential. Okay, I totally got sidetracked, but hopefully you see that I agree with you about that part.
Now I see the reason why X-23 being used so much a little differently. I saw it as Emma Frost purposely putting X-23 in life/death situations hopeing that she would get killed. But that doesn't explain all of the time. My only other possible explaination is that as much as I loved the New Mutants (minus the deaths), the team was poorly balanced when it came to the powers of the team. I think that this led to X-23 carrying more than her share. Now, I do think that certain characters weren't written to their best, but I truely think that this improved the longer the series went on and as more students were added onto the team. Man, I'm tired! I totally forgot what I was trying to get to.
Oh, as I was trying to say above, I think that the writers used X-23 as it was a necessity and not because they wanted to. I think that they were given plot elements that HAD to happen, and X-23 just happened to make said items happen the easiest. Possible evidence of this is for you to take any storyline that she was the "savior"
and remove her from it. Would said storyline have still taken place if she wasn't on the team. I think that Wallflower still would have died, and Dust would have actually have been shot instead of X-23. The only one this might not be true was the Mercury Rising storyline in which it was the Weapon Plus Program that was attacking, but they weren't attacking because of X-23, but rather because of Mercury.
Ooo, I'll agree with you on a number of things, but I can NEVER agree with you when you say, "I think that the writers used X-23 as it was a necessity and not because they wanted to."... Kyle and Yost created X-23 in the X-Men Evolution CARTOON! From there, they(and I'd say Joe Q as well)were OBSESSED with getting her into the mainstream Marvel U, which was the entire purpose of NYX. NYX was NOTHING other then a vehicle to get X-23 introduced to the Marvel U. That's why it came as no surprise(and pissed me off to no end)that the MOMENT Yost and Kyle took over New X-Men they killed off a plethora of characters and inserted X-23 as the replacement.
ReplyDeleteDon't kid yourself, X-23 BECAME the face of New X-Men because Yost and Kyle WANTED her to. I honestly don't think they even read the prior New Mutants/New X/Hellions runs, because in the long run, it all didn't matter to them. It didn't matter who they killed, it didn't matter who disappeared, all that mattered was getting X-23 into a mainstream Marvel series. Hell, to this day I'm SHOCKED they didn't just change the name of the series into X-23 and the New X-Men, much like that Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon.
It's for those politics that I'll always have a bad taste in my mouth concerning X-23. It has nothing to do with the character, but EVERYTHING to do with her creators and the way she was used. In a way, she is to Marvel what Barry Allen is to DC. A character that is only around because of the efforts of a few creators, ultimately serving a purpose several other characters could have easily served.