X-Men Legacy 249 Review: Bad Seeds Gone Good

[crabby_lioness]

"Aftermath Part 2"

This issue is somewhat misnamed. Aftermath Part 1 focused on the immediate fallout of AoX, but this issue focused my attention more on how these character have matured since they were first introduced.  A more appropriate title would be "Where Bad Seeds Turn Good".

 

Gambit is wiser, calmer, and more in control of himself.  He's doing things for others when he has nothing to gain for it.

Legion is asking for his father's help, instead of wanting nothing to do with him or coming up with some grand scheme to win his father's love.  I'm reminded of the last episode of Classic Who, where the Ace the combative teenage Companion had to learn that asking for help when you're in over your head is not a sign of weakness but of strength and maturity.

Frenzy wants to be respected and is willing to knuckle down and do what it takes to get that, even if it means being a part of a group of people she's fought for years and who have no reason at all to trust her.  She's now taking the position that Rogue first held when she joined the X-Men of the "Impulsive Bad Seed Trying to Turn Good."  I hope Rogue points that out to her, and I hope it helps free Rogue up to go on and do something else with her life.

And it says a lot of good things about Scott that he's willing to give Frenzy a slot on the team.  It also says he's desperate of course, but he still could have said "no".

Magneto, while still the socially awkward, emotionally stunted, overly intellectual, self-centered jackass he's always been, is at least trying to put someone else's needs ahead of his own. This is a big step forward.  One of the reasons I like the way Magneto has been handled lately is because I remember being a socially awkward, emotionally stunted, overly intellectual, self-centered jackass and how very, very hard those first steps were.  I know some fans want him to triple his self-awareness and emotional intelligence overnight and suddenly show a nuanced understanding of interpersonal relationships and of his own past, but his sincere, stumbling attempts to express his emotions are far more realistic.  His roundabout, overly grandiose way of saying, "If he ever hurts you I'll murderize him!" had me laughing, shaking my head, and going "Dawww!"

In hindsight, it's probably better he didn't have a paternal relationship with his daughters in their teens.

The Marvel Psych Ward report indicates an awareness on the part of the writers that what trips him up in his sincere attempts at reform is his under-developed coping skills for dealing with his trigger issues.  It would be absolutely fascinating if they finally did some work on that subject.

(Side note:  August Hirt's Wiki entry.  Splicing in that bit of genuine history so deftly was a nice touch.)

Rogue takes the chance to act on a crush she's carried for over 20 years. Good for her. I usually dislike casual sex, but there's nothing casual about a spark she's carried for over 2/3rds of her existence.  The poor woman needs a chance to get it out of her system and see if it goes away or turns into something else.

As part of the "Bad Seed Gone Good" theme, I was struck by far she's come since she joined the X-Men.  As a teenager she wore her heart on her sleeve and everyone in the closest five counties knew everything about her romantic interests. That's no longer the case. The adult woman we see in Legacy and who was profiled in the Marvel Psych Ward report is reserved and doesn't project her emotions indiscriminately, especially not her romantic emotions. She's no longer going to put on a show for the whole world when she's got a crush on someone.

Not all her fans are in favor of that change, a situation which looks all too familiar to me.  We saw this a few years ago in the Shatterstar fandom when he came back as a mature man capable of thinking things through before opening his mouth instead of the insecure hothead he'd started out as. Some fans got all huffy and left at that point because he was no longer acting like an angry adolescent with no social skills and a chip on his shoulder.

Personally, I prefer both characters as adults. Perpetual adolescence is a curse I would wish on no one I actually liked.

 The fear has also been expressed that Magneto will dominate Rogue.  Ever since her powers first showed up Rogue has had to dominate powerful personalities that were leasing space between her eyeballs.  I can't imagine her caving in to one that's as far away as the end of her nose.

And then there's those who complain about the age difference.  The idea of Rogue of all people being a poster child for an inter-generational romance taboo is ROFLMAO territory, since her own mothers were over a generation apart in their ages and looked it.  She's the last person to have a problem with that.

Now is this going to last? I'm not going to lie, I wish they would make it work out. I adore weddings where both families are united in thinking, "How the HELL did our relative find anyone to love them, let alone a person like THAT? Everyone knows they're the family oddball who's supposed to be a lonely bachelor for the rest of their life!  It's doomed, I say DOOOOOMED!  I give it six months, tops."  They bring back fond memories of my own wedding 23 years ago.  And in Rogue and Magneto's case the guest list would be Crack Heaven.  (Hmmm, on second thought eloping might be a good idea.)

But it's more likely this is just clearing the decks so Rogue can have a relationship with someone else free from any lingering crush on Magneto.   Carey's devoted years to getting rid of Rogue's baggage:

Working out her problems with her powers -- check.

Working out her feelings about her mother Mystique -- check.

Saying goodbye to her other mother Destiny -- check.

Someone else taking her place on the team as the Bad Seed Turned Good so she can't go back to that role -- check.

Counseling troubled teens in the same position she used to be in -- check.

Stepping away from her overly convoluted past relationship with Gambit without bitterness on either part -- check.

Working out her crush on Magneto -- check.

At this rate by the end of the year, Rogue finally ought to be free of all the baggage she's accumulated over the years and ready to move on with her life as an adult.  I would say it's about time but it's actually shameful how few comic book characters get that opportunity.  Thank you, Mr. Carey.

Comments

[scribblemyname]

I still totally want her and Gambit to eventually get it together. The only time she ever let herself have Gambit is when they were powerless. Ugh.

Love your analysis. I too love the characters to grow up and mature, even if that means some change.

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

I still have to resist the urge to chuck Gambit under the nearest oncoming train but he's looking a lot better these days, especially in X-23. Laura needs an advocate.

And Rogue and Gambit really, really needed a breather first if they're ever going to have a grown-up relationship instead of that high school train wreck they had in the 90s. Urrrgh!

[scribblemyname]

True. Thus, the word "eventually." :grins: Personally, I think they got screwed over by a couple writers, but canon is canon and we're stuck with it. :sighs:

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

I think there was a swamp gas leak in the Bullpen during the 90s. I would explain so much.....

[qara-isuke.livejournal.com]

I agree 100% percent on this whole thing. Rogue has come a long way, and I think ultimately this is a good step for her. (My brother pointed out her "I'm too big to be scared of the dark" thing was very in line with Sookie on True Blood.) I KNOW there will be fans outraged by the choice to spend the night with Magneto, but I think it's a cool direction for all the characters involved. And it breaks a long stagnation that has followed Rogue for far too long.

Also so much ditto on Shatterstar. Haters gonna hate, and wanting a character to never change is kind of sad. Characters SHOULD grow, and evolve, and mature. PAD, like Carey, has shown a masterful touch with his characters and letting them be people. He's brought Shatterstar into adulthood, more emotionally mature and comfortable with his sexuality/sensuality. But especially lately, we've been given a lot of little touches that show PAD knows the character and his history.

In short, PAD and Mike Carey are the best writers the X-Books have right now. I loves them both so much.

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

It's wonderful to see good writing on the X-Books after such a drought. There was Whedon and parts of Morrison's run, but when damn Bendis writes your characters better than you do something is major league wrong.

1991 - 2004 were the Dark Times, with only the occasional flickeR OF

[foreverrhapsody.livejournal.com]

I've had this open in a tab since you made it, trying to think of something to add to it, but I can't. You've summarized my thoughts on the matter. I have to admit, the last scene was completely unexpected. It was a pleasant one, but a complete surprise nonetheless. And I can't wait to see what happens next!

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

Sorry to take so long getting back to you. Dh spent a week rebuilding the computer.

It was foreshadowed pretty heavily back in Salvage. The way Rogue treated the Magneto projection was completely different from any other hologram, and very sensual. She knew "he" wasn't real but she couldn't keep her emotional distance from "him" as she had from the other projections. She couldn't keep her hands off "him" or keep from repeatedly asking "him" for assistance.

[russ-blackford.livejournal.com]

Nice, interesting review. Now that Magneto and Rogue have got to this point, I'll be kinda sad if they don't stick together for at least a while. They would make a great Marvel power couple. But the main thing is that both characters - and Gambit as well - have now finally moved to a place that they can move on from, in whatever direction the writers think is best for them, rather than being stuck in the same rut that we've seen for the last 20 years.

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

I came across a comment that someone said Carey had said that Rogue/Gambit fans wouldn't like him for ten months, but to stick around. I wish this trend would last longer myself.

[russ-blackford.livejournal.com]

Well ... there are pressures to keep Rogue and Gambit in each other's orbit, and there are pressures against making the Rogneto relationship last indefinitely (for one, Marvel is presenting a sane and pragmatic Magneto, but, fortunately, not a "reformed" one; if circumstances change, he'll again be as ruthless as he believes is needed). I think putting Rogue back with Gambit would now be an inherently regressive move, with the potential to neuter what is special about Rogue. But if it happens, I do trust Mike to make it happen in an interesting way.

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

Carey has proven himself interesting so far. I wish he was less involved with other people's crossovers, as I would like to see what he could do with an X-book without someone constantly bumping his elbow.