New Mutants #64

New Mutants #64 (June 1988)
Rating:  ★★★★★★
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Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Bret Blevins
Inker:  Terry Austin

So with Fall of the Mutants over, we are now left to deal with the repercussions.  Each title seems to deal with it in their own way.  Over in X-Factor, Cyclops starts looking for his lost son while the rest of the team deals with being celebrities.  In X-Men, they search for ways to do good in the world while maintaining their "death".  Here in New Mutants, the kids deal with death for the first real time in their lives.  Sure, Sam's father had died and Dani's grandfather, but none in the group had really faced death to one of their own, a peer.

The artwork, unfortunately, is mediocre at best.  Bret Blevins leaves a lot to be desired.  However, while Louise Simonson comes up with the weirdest stories, she really does know how to write children and we have to remember that many of the New Mutants are children, especially Rahne and Warlock.  Sure, Warlock may be physically old (I don't think we ever really find out for sure) but emotionally, he's a toddler, unable to grasp the concept of death.  He doesn't understand why they can't just recharge Doug's batteries like they would do to Warlock.

Rahne is still a wreck in this issue.  Her actions are just unhealthy, using the Danger Room to replay the events over and over again, this time saving Doug's life.  When the others find out what she's been doing, she completely breaks down, lashing out at them.  She simply doesn't know how to deal.  Magik is having trouble as well as she continues to mull over the X-Men's deaths in Dallas, her anger intensifying.  And Warlock?  He's having the hardest time of all.

At the wake, both Warlock and Rahne freak out at Doug's body.  Especially when Warlock finds out that Doug will be buried.  He cannot grasp the idea that there is nothing more to be done.  It gets into an interesting philosophical debate about religion and the afterlife.  Sam tries to explain judgment day, but how do you explain such a concept to a child?  Warlock gets the idea that why wait until later?  Why not have Doug walk around now?  His intentions are noble, but his actual actions are horrifying.  He artificially animates Doug's body, thinking that everyone would be happy to see his selffriend.  Doug's mother has a nervous breakdown.  Rahne once again freaks out.  But it is this incident that forces her to realize just how much she had been in denial.  It was time to let Doug go.

The funeral was especially touching as both Rahne and Warlock finally accept the finality of it all.

The artwork in this issue was difficult and inconsistent, but the writing was spot on.  Louise Simonson did always have a great grasp of the characters and knew how to write them.  This was a great issue to finalize the events from Fall of the Mutants.

"Good-bye, Selfriend.  Self will miss you and a piece of self will always be in heavendimension of livingdead with you."