Issue(s): New Mutants #41
Cover Date: Jul 86
Title: "Way of the warrior"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Butch Guice - Breakdowns
Terry Austin - Finishes
Ann Nocenti - Editor

Review/plot:
We saw Dani Moonstar leave Xavier's school in New Mutants #39, and this issue features her in a solo story returning to her childhood town. I've complained that after Chris Claremont made her a Valkyrie he didn't slow down enough to really examine the implications of that, and while this issue doesn't really get into the metaphysical implications (i.e. what does it mean to be a living Valkyrie? What are her responsibilities, if any? And is it really ok that she's fought Death to save friends on a couple of occasions now?), it does a good job of just getting into her head after all the changes that have happened to her, and also teach her that death has a purpose.

The issue begins with her examining the three aspects of her identity: Valkyrie, Cheyenne, and mutant. She says that she feels she's being pulled in three directions at once.

When she arrives at her town, she finds that a plain has been replaced with a shopping mall, something she has mixed feelings about.

But the main source of drama for the issue is a meeting with a former friend of hers, who has now become a bully and a racist.

He's also been secretly in love with her, and his change in attitude is in part because she left town. (And also because, as Mark notes in the Comments, she inadvertently used her powers on him before she left. This issue actually shows the need for Dani to be at Xavier's school for a number of reasons; in addition to that old incident there are a couple times in this story where she's under stress and uses her powers on herself, pulling out images from her own psyche.)

He's also a diabetic, and he gets into an accident during a blizzard. Dani rescues him, and even fights Death to keep him alive...

...but Death later explains that since he's already in a permanent coma, keeping Death away is no blessing.

It's a good little character story. I also like Dani's parent's casual reaction to Dani arriving on a winged horse.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Dani Moonstar became a Valkyrie and got Brightwind in New Mutants Special Edition #1.
  
• Dani's parents were thought dead but they turned out to be prisoners of the Demon Bear and were fried in New Mutants #20.
  
• Dani's grandfather was killed in Marvel Graphic Novel #4.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Death has reeeeaaalllyyy long legs.

Wasn't Patrick's hatred for Dani explained as the result of her power revealing a deep dark secret of his in public years before?

Dani's parents' behavior puzzled me back then and still does. They hadn't seen her for a very long time due to being imprisoned by the Demon Bear, then she doesn't see them while they're recovering from that and re-establishing their lives, and when she finally does go to see them...they don't seem to be making much effort to be around her. Weird.

Correct on Patrick, or at least that's part of the reason. Added that to the description. Thanks.

Everyone has long legs. And tiny feet. And strange knees... the 90s are a-coming...

Nah. There's still quite a bit of New Mutants to get through before the dreaded Rob Lie field as artist period begins.
The point where I stopped reading New Mutants....
Although, for some inexplicable reason, I came back for issue #100 and the X-Force launch. sigh

One of my absolute favorite issues of New Mutants. This same theme will be used again with Illyana's death some seven years later - that sometimes death is the relief for someone who is essentially no longer living. I was definitely a much bigger fan of Dani after this issue (and her facing death against the Beyonder and riding straight towards it).

I wrote a short story once that I absolutely ripped off from the second half of this issue.

Re: Dani's loss of control this issue. I'd like to think that if the Beyonder hadn't killed her, she wouldn't have lost control of her powers like she did. Although Claremont underplayed it, the Beyonder's killing of the New Mutants was clearly a plot device to keep the New Mutants from getting too trained with their powers. the original X-Men were graduating by the same point the New Mutants were killed, resetting much of their learned prowess so that they would continue to need a teacher. Of course, what this comes down to is that the New Mutants never graduate and it's likely Claremont, whatever his plans were, never intended them to. I base that on the hero shot in X-Men Annual #10, were the junior team dons their graduation uniforms. By pulling the trigger on using those (darn 80's looking)uniforms prematurely, it essentially negates their "real graduation" in advance since the key visual and moment has been already depicted. That, of course, doesn't stop Louise Simonson from doing it again with New Mutants 61, but it was her book at that point and it just reinforces that the New Mutants are going to be stuck in a holding pattern until Liefeld takes over the book.