Issue(s): New Mutants #37
Cover Date: Mar 86
Title: "If I should die"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Mary Wilshire - Penciler
Bill Sienkiewicz - Inker
Ann Nocenti - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue starts off with the New Mutants watching an old school western, and Wolfsbane objecting to the depiction of the Indians.

It's more or less accepted now that the cowboy & indians genre was pretty offensive, but i'm fairly certain that in 1986 Cannonball's "It's only a movie" was a prevailing opinion.

Dani is on the phone with her mom...

...but that conversation is interrupted when Dani's valkyrie-sense tells her that each of the New Mutants is dying, represented by their respective religion's figures of death.

She runs out and has a vision of her grandfather, who tells her that "in the old days" the Cheyenne were too proud, and so "the white eyes" were sent to teach them humility.

This is all setting the stage for the arrival of the Beyonder. He's in a destructive mood, per the events of Secret Wars II #8 and he's mad at the New Mutants for not accepting his offer to be his disciples last issue. And so he proceeds to kill them, one by one.

He then wipes them from existence; he doesn't just kill them but he wipes the world's memories of them as well.

Really an impressive level of participation on Secret Wars II from Claremont here. This isn't just the Beyonder showing up, messing with things a bit, and then restoring the status quo at the end. The New Mutants are dead, and while of course that isn't permanent, the ramification of that death will be explored for the next few issues.

The only New Mutant spared is Sunspot, because he's not at the X-Mansion at the time. He was in New York, trying to help rescue victims of a construction accident.

But he got upstaged by She-Hulk.

This is one of my favorite scenes showing the schism between mutants and other super-heroes. It was really just a matter of circumstance that She-Hulk was able to save the day and not (entirely) Sunspot. But it's also a matter of appearance- She-Hulk may be big and green, but she's presentable ("gorgeous", even) and not as weird looking and scary as Sunspot - and celebrity - She-Hulk has been prominent as a member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and is comfortable at this point as the center of attention in a crowd. So she gets all the credit, doesn't even realize Sunspot was there, and Roberto leaves feeling sullen, and on a whim decides to go back to Brazil to visit his mom. It's not fair, but it's what's happening, and it's scenes like this that help smooth the edges around the age-old question of why the X-Men are hated and feared while the Avengers and the FF are loved.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place during Secret Wars II #8 per a note in that issue; in between panels on the last page. The New Mutants are "killed" in this issue, and next appear in Secret Wars II #9.

References:

• The X-Men are still in San Francisco after their encounter with the Beyonder in Uncanny X-Men #202.
  
• Dani Moonstar became a Valkyrie in Uncanny X-Men annual #9.
  
• After the New Mutants think they've defeated the Beyonder, Dani reminds them of the time in New Mutants #18 when she thought she defeated the Demon Bear but it turned out to still be alive.

Crossover: Secret Wars II

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

That scene with the Western looked very weird to me back then; I had difficulty believing any mid-1980s kid in the middle of the MTV age would even bother watching an old Western, let alone going berserk over it.

While I would guess that the writer of this tale did not intend to present a rather hasty and cursory dismissal of Westerns; I will note that Zorro promoted understanding and tolerance of other societies, while the Lone Ranger did the same.

http://thecaveboard.yuku.com/topic/8885/Movie-Production-Release-dates#.UoQkTtF3scA

Check for Greg Hatcher notes

For what it's worth, John Wayne is mentioned by the kids, although it's not 100% clear that they're actually watching a John Wayne movie.

And Mark, based on Cypher's comment they seem to be watching the movie "ironically". They're probably all high (except Rahne). ;-)

But under Shooter, all drugs are bad! BAD! BAAAAAAAAADDD!!!

Thank you for the reply. I will mention that Derekwc has a series of reviews of the Lone Ranger television shows, films, etc. made up to 2003 up for those who want further support for my assertions vis a vis the Lone Ranger. (Derekwc, Derek Crabbe, usually only covers heroes who debuted in comic books, but he does cover the Green Hornet and the Lone Ranger as a side project.)

For those who might want to see some Lone Ranger comic book adaptations, as well as Zorro:

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2012/04/number-1149-lone-ranger-is-pure-gold.html

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2011/11/number-1046-origin-of-lone-ranger-lone.html

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2010/06/number-754-tom-gills-lone-ranger.html

http://westerncomix.blogspot.com/search/label/Lone%20Ranger

http://westerncomicsadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Zorro

http://westerncomicsadventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-lone-ranger-he-finds-dan-reid.html

http://hocof.blogspot.com/

These might have some more Lone Ranger connected scans:

http://captainvideossecretsanctum.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_archive.html
http://heroheroinehistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Green%20Hornet

There is some evidence that Claremont was starting to give less attention to this book. In Amazing Heroes Preview Special #2 around 12/85, Claremont states the plots for #38-#41, but said that nothing was finalized and everything was up in the air afer that.

This actually began some of the best stretch of writing on this title, with the ramifications of this covering the next several issues.

Rhane is certainly not high. I would surmise however that she is enjoying her country's most famous export to loosen her inhibitions, given that virtually all of these young attractive adolescents are in various states of undress.

Yeah I still hate anything with the Beyonder. He is a terrible protagonist and a terrible antagonist.