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From: argo@hou2a.UUCP (W.GARRETT)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: New Mutants #21
Message-ID: <387@hou2a.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Jul-84 22:16:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou2a.387
Posted: Mon Jul 23 22:16:54 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 00:18:56 EDT
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Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
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	Has any one else out there read New Mutants #21.  To those of
you who have, my condolences.  This has got to be the absolute worst I
have ever read.  To put it simply, I couldn't believe it!!

	First, the artwork.  It stunk.  Ever since the NMs finished their
engagement with the hellions, the artwork has gone down, I can't remember
the issue number it changed style on, but it was 17 or 18 I think.  Suddenly
they are in to shadows and sketch work, not the finished look.  They could
do a far better job by walking into your average kindergarten class and using
their fingerpainings.  I sincerely hope they get a new artist soon, or I
may end up dropping this title, a real shame too.

	The story was not much better, although I daresay good artwork would
have made it more palatable.  Nothing really seemed to hang together, much
of the story was disjointed.  I did not enjoy seeing Doug Ramsey get in the
act, I object to pulling in a new character whenever a problem needs solving.
Worse still was the bit with the alien itself.  Okay, so the team makes contact
with the alien and decides to help it out, that much is standard and perfectly
acceptable.  However, having the alien become a new mutant is not!  I cannot
picture such a being hanging together with these students, it doesn't fit.

	I have many more complaints, such as the new way of drawing Dani and
Illyana so they are no longer recognizable.  The slumber party could have
been kept in better control, or better still dropped entirely as it really
didn't add anything at all.  The demon sitting on Illyana's head during the
sceance was not a good idea, I don't think it should have been used at all.
As I have said, this issue did not live up to my expectations, but neither
have the last several.  Ever since Dani went on her bear hunt things have
slid steadily down hill.

	This is truly a shame, because the New Mutants is an excellent idea,
and a superb story when done correctly, as the first seventeen or so issues
prove.  Up until the sudden change, I truly enjoyed this story.  Does any
one else feel the same way?  I would like to hear any objections or
agreements with these statements.  Last, and most important, does anyone
know if Marvel is getting a new illustrator for this title.

					Contact Has Been Made,
					Andrew Garrett