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    New Mutants #11

    New Mutants » New Mutants #11 - The Ties That Bind 5 of 6: Shy Girls released by Marvel on April 2004.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    The Ties That Bind 5 of 6: Shy Girls last edited by gothiclass on 07/02/21 07:20AM View full history

    The mansion and its new young residents get a shake-up when a member of the original New Mutants team comes home. But Rahne Sinclair - a.k.a. Wolfsbane - is not the sweet little girl she used to be. Also, can the Xavier Institute help a mutant girl who has been living homeless on the streets of Salem Center?

    This issue compares Rahne Sinclair and Laurie Collins side by side. We go through all of Rahne's history and learn Laurie's origin. Every page or so it switches from Rahne's story to Laurie's story. Alot of the narration is similar in each story, which really makes this ish stronger.

    Synopsis

    Present: We start off in Laurie and Sofia's room. They hear Rahne come back with Josh, but its after curfew, AND they're on detention, AND Josh blew off his classes that day, so they know Josh'll get in even more trouble if he's caught. Laurie decides to help him sneak in.

    Past: Laurie's father had the same powers that she has. He used his powers to gain status in the world, and rape women without them even knowing it was rape (because they thought they wanted him at the time). Eventually he wanted Gail Collins. But after she became pregnant with Laurie, his powers stopped working on her, so she found out the truth and left.

    Present: Laurie gets downstairs to find that Rahne has disemboweled Josh.

    Past: Rahne's father also influenced people, but through the Church. But he was also an evil man, and participated in many sins himself... including lust. One day a "lady of the night" became pregnant with his child, so after the lady died, he took the baby in as a ward of the Church. Rahne basically became cinderella, and lived with Reverand Craig as he beat religion into her, and taught her to be ashamed of herself.

    Gail raised Laurie by herself, but worked long hours and multiple jobs to make enough money to support them, so Laurie didnt see her very much. Laurie found ways to entertain herself, such as puzzles and crosswords. She never reached out to people because she could see that her mother had been hurt before (very powerful panel of Laurie listening at her mother's bedroom door as Gail sits up at night crying).

    When Rahne turned 14, she transformed into a wolf for the first time... and she loved it.

    When Laurie turned 13, her pheromone powers activiated for the first time. She was popular, all the kids at the beach loved her... and she loved it.

    But the reverand saw her transform, and told her she was evil. He tried to kill her.

    Laurie's mother immediately understood what happened, and taught Laurie never to use her powers, because its not fair to control other people's feelings and emotions. Laurie withdrew even more from those around her. Unfortunately, that didnt work (flashback to the scene at the beginning of issue #2, where we see a school freak out because of Laurie's fear pheromones).

    *"Salvation came to Rahne in the form of a mother."*

    Dr. Moira MacTaggert sent Rahne to a special school where she met other mutants, and made friends.

    *"The solution to Laurie's problem came from her mother."*

    Gail sent Laurie to a special school where she met other mutants... but she didnt make any friends.

    Rahne grew up with the New Mutants, but was still a shy girl who feared her feelings. She still feared the wolf inside her, and she still suffered alot (shot of Doug Ramsey's grave).

    Laurie didnt make any friends at Xavier's, and none of her roommates worked out. Angel Salvatore was affected by Laurie's pheromone powers. Cessily Kincaid was immune to those powers, but still didnt bond with Laurie.

    Then, Rahne's worst nightmare came true: she was transformed permanantly into a beast. She felt all her emotions stronger than ever, and couldnt control any of them. Her powers terrified her.

    Then, Laurie's worst nightmare came true: she also saw how terrifying her powers could be. There was a riot at Xavier's, where students attacked human visitors. Laurie hid in her room, but felt many emotions such as fear, anger, and panic. She wondered, was SHE causing the riot outdoors? Was that how powerful she was? Her powers terrified her.

    Eventualy, Rahne regained control of her powers, and even confronted her father once and for all. But then a villain took away her powers. She was free of the wolf inside her forever... but it left her powerless to save her mother as the villain killed her.

    Eventually, Laurie made a friend who refused to walk away. Through Sofia, she met David and Kevin, and was happy for the first time. But then a villain attacked her new friends. Laurie used her powers willingly for the first time ever, and she scared away the villains. But she also scared her friends, who could not help her when the villain killed her.

    After her mother died, Rahne wandered around, confused, upset, and hurt. She came back to visit her friends, but she was changed. She angered her friends, and felt urges that she couldnt blame on the wolf.

    *"She was all but lost. Until she met Josh."*

    He gave her the wolf back, and she attacked him for it.

    Laurie was stabbed through the heart.

    *"She was all but dead. Until she met Josh."*

    Josh healed Laurie, and she fell in love. Unfortunately, Josh was interested in someone else. Someone who just attacked him...

    Present: Laurie uses her powers correctly to scare away Rahne. She runs off, and Laurie kneels by Josh's side, who just passed out...

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    A must read! 0

    This issue needs to be read. It was beautifully written, and really powerful at some points. The narration was excellent; it's what makes this story so fun and powerful. There wasn't much dialogue, and most of the story is in flashbacks, but everything still feels just right. It was so interesting to learn Laurie's origins in comparison to Rahne's. Despite the time hopping and story switches, the pacing is excellent. Everything flows just the way it should. The story is so organic in the way...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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