An intriguing tale involving my OTHER favourite swashbuckling acrobatic hero

[icon_uk]

It's not often I deliberately buy a comic to showcase it here, normally my recent purchases and longboxes are adequate, but this one appealed to me a lot, as it raises some interesting questions (notably about one of the oldest groups in the Marvel universe which I don't think have ever been asked before) but doesn't provide pat answers.

One of my earliest comic reading memories was of a subplot in an old Inhumans issue (With early George Perez art), where a woman, her hair withered and grey and her face and skin covered in all manner of boils, blotches and wrinkles, pleads with Black Bolt to be allowed to use the Mists. Despite some (Gorgon for one) objecting to such a request being made out of vanity, Black Bolt permitted it, perhaps out of sympathy with her plight. And she later emerged from the mists looking like this;



Now as a kid, I don't think I was vain, but I was aware that I was perhaps never going to be amongst the greatest looking people on Earth, so there was a certain element of wish fulfilment that there might be a magical process which would make me special somehow (but handsome to boot), but in retrospect, is it a "Looks ARE everything" message here? I don't know, but one likes to think it's a story of compassion leading to lessening the pain of an individual.

Now, taking that story in a slightly different direction, from: Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 and #2(and republished in the UK as this years X-Men First Class Annual) I present approximately 14 pages from a 44 page story) where the X-Men discover....



I should mention I've cut a LOT of fight scenes from these issues. They are perfectly decent fight scenes (I have nothing against such things) and some of them are enormous fun, but slugfests you can get anywhere. Awkward questions less so.

We start, however, with a dose of the pretty, and a glorious splash page which I make no apologies for sacrificing a whole page for.



Damn, but I miss this Kurt... and having him in an outfit which appears to gleam like it's liquid latex is just FINE with me! :)



This ends about as well as you might expect in the MU, in the sort of fashion that makes me want to take a 2x4 to the general Marvel population.



See what I mean... sigh...

We cut to a Danger Room workout, where the team are engaging in the usual trashing the giant robots, but Kurt's absence is noted by a rather annoyed Cyclops...

And I'm sorry, just looking at that first panel, I'm having naughty thoughts about Kurt and that tail of his...



Aaaawww.... don't you just want to hug him... at least. (and it's not like he doesn't have a valid point)

Events at the school are interrupted by a state visit by the Royal Family of the Inhumans; Black Bolt, Medusa, Triton, Karnak, Gorgon, and our favourite teleporting puppy; Lockjaw. They have stopped by their old friend Professor Xavier's after a long and gruelling session at the UN as the Inhumans seek official recognition on Earth.

Pleasantries are exchanged (and there's a nice little running gag about Wolverine and Gorgon I won't spoil) and Triton explains to Kurt about "the Great Refuge" the Inhuman's hidden city in the Himalayas. Kurt is fascinated at the concept (since he's slightly PO'd at the human world) and asks if he can visit it as sort of a cultural exchange. The Inhumans and X-Men agree, and Piotr, suspecting something perhaps, asks to go too.

There's a lovely rather Kirby-ish splash page of the Inhuman city which I could scan, but won't, as if, as a result of this posting, you go out and buy these issues, you deserve the treat! It does also highlight how physically disparate the Inhumans are. They meet other Inhumans, including a suitably snarky and short tempered Quicksilver and his wife, Crystal.

Kurt is, to say the least, impressed (by the city, not Crystal... well, no more than he usually is by a beautiful woman)



As always, it's nice to see an artists who can draw different body types (Though all gorgeous, and not a spare ounce of fat on any of them, Triton, Kurt and Piotr are different builds and shapes).



You have to feel for the blue fella here. But someone else can see where this is leading.



Ooh, that's cruel Kurt.... though Piotr does have the advantage of being able to look human any time he wants without needing an image inducer.

A new sound interrupts proceedings.





And this is where it gets interesting IMHO.



This does not end well. amid cries of "Blasphemy!" and "Desecration!" from the crowd (and especially Gorgon), Kurt manages to damage the chamber of the Terrigen mists, but is blasted by the High Priest, and Piotr is prevented from intervening only by Triton's appeal to him for calm backed up by Medusa and Black Bolt, who intervenes, upsetting the High Priest by over-ruling him and insisting there be a trial rather than a summary execution.

However, even Triton feels this will be more or less a formality, as the only punishment for such a crime under Inhuman law is death.

Piotr wants to bring the X-Men to, at the very least, be with Kurt as his friends. Triton is less struck on this. (Oh, and Triton's reply here refers to his very early adventures in the MU back in the Lee/Kirby FF era, when he was one of the Inhumans sent out as a scout for his people.



I ADORE that Lockjaw has dog toys in his basket, including what appears to be a Godzilla toy... or possibly Crocky the Crocodile (picked up in a jaunt to the DCU)

The X-Men are contacted though and set out at once (There's also a lovely scene between Scott and Professor X, where Scott is seen to over-rule the Professor's decision to join them, which is the sort of thing one might imagine happening between Picard and Riker, if Riker hadn't so often been such a complete personality void)

And now Kurt proves he's not just a pretty face (and posterior, though he's that as well), asking some rather intriguing questions of the Royal Family and the Inhumans as a whole.





Some food for thought there.



Yeah, they might, but when there's a telepath like Jean Grey (in her Phoenix phase) on board, you'd be amazed at what sentries won't see.

A fight breaks out, not helped by Jean being so overwhelmed by the anger the Inhuman crowd feels for Kurt and the other "outsiders" that she starts acting a little irrationally.

A REALLY BIG fight breaks out. Storm finds that she's not the only elemental in town thanks to Crystal, Medusa gags Banshee with a LOT of hair, and Gorgon and Colossus duke it out.

There's also this little encounter which alters things a little...



Now that's also an interesting question.

It's perhaps worth noting that Karnak does indeed have no terrigen granted power. His ability to detect weakspots is apparently naturally trained ESP. it is also worth noting perhaps that A) Karnak IS a member of the Royal Family, and B) The reason he was not subjected to the Mists in the first place was that his parents were concerned about how they might effect him, since his older brother had one of the most extreme transformations in Inhuman history, and his older brother is none other than Triton (Who needs a special "wet suit" to be able to even walk amongst the Inhumans, instead of having to live underwater all the time.)

Gorgon accidentally triggers an avalanche in the course of his combat, a very, VERY LARGE avalanche which can only be defetaed by Jeans newly amped up telekinesis and Balck Bolt having to speak aloud (For those not familiar with Black Bolt, the reason he never speaks is that his voice, even at a whisper, unleashes destructive power that makes an atom bomb look like a water balloon)



And so they leave, with bridges, if not completely rebuilt, then at least under construction.

So s_d, does Kurt have a point, or was he operating arrogantly? What does happen to Inhumans who don't undergo the Terrigen process, and who aren't Royalty?

Comments

[jlbarnett]

as far as I know Karnak was the only one

[rocketlindy]

I think he acted irrationally, letting his very recent experiences color his understanding of the situation.

While the Terrigen process and tradition of mutating children might very well be in violation of something-or-other, it's not wise to voice your disagreement with something that important to a culture by shouting about how awful they are and breaking things. He would have done better to hold his tongue for a little while and find someone to talk to about what he watched, and maybe talk to some of the children about their feelings.

For similar (though certainly of a completely different magnitude) real-world analogues, you could look at "fixing" hermaphroditic children to be one gender or the other, circumcision of infants, even something simple like ear-piercing and nose-piercing of infants/young children in various cultures. Adults make all sorts of decisions that deeply affect their children, without children having any say--what food they eat, what they watch, read, or what they play with; what religion they practice, etc.

[icon_uk]

Whilst I agree in general principle, these are children. As long as an adult isn't hurting themselves or others, I believe they should have freedom of choice, but young kids?

If I saw something I thought was harming a child right in front of me, I think my first reaction would be to prevent the harm to the child and deal with the consequences later. Not necessarily a terribly BRIGHT thing to do, but could I live with myself otherwise? I'm not sure.

Adults make all sorts of decisions that deeply affect their children, without children having any say--what food they eat, what they watch, read, or what they play with; what religion they practice, etc.

Also true, but those things that can be worked around, overcome, or opted out on. Rewriting their DNA? Not so much.

[rocketlindy]

I just feel like it's a difficult area, and one that certainly has a lot of heat on either side--but people make choices for their children, and there (and this might be wrong, I'm not too familiar with the Inhumans) don't seem to be many who regret the process.

While those things can be overcome, they still affect people pretty much for their whole lives. And in the cases of, say, children born with a mutation or deformity (real-world,) most people wouldn't hesitate to try and get surgery to "correct" the abnormality. Since what's desirable physically is determined mostly by genetics and culture, wouldn't different cultures have very different ideas of what is a flaw to be corrected and what is simply a difference to be tolerated or to be celebrated?

[icon_uk]

Oh absolutely, there are valid arguments on both sides, and that's one of the reasons I posted this, as I think this story nicely highlights some of them.

[violetclm.livejournal.com]

Also important characters to consider when talking about the mists: Luna and Lockjaw.

[icon_uk]

I have to say I still always think of Lockjaw as a dog, anything else is raising too many weird things about how the Inhumans treat him.

And Luna was eventually Terrigenned wasn't she? She gained the ability to see the truth in peoples hearts, or something like that (With a Dad like Quicksilver, who has so many secrets, a rather troubling power for a kid methinks)

[akodo_rokku]

She was pretty much forcibly Terrigenned BY Quicksilver, if I remember correctly. And her power does not exactly make her happy. She really doesn't want to know the things she knows.

[ian_karkull]

Yeah, you should have spoken up a little earlier there, Karnak.
Personally, I think Kurt is behaving incredibly arrogant and narrow minded and demonstrates a huge unwillingness to even try to understand the Inhuman culture, which as a fan of the character, saddens me. To me, Terrigenesis was never about "correcting imperfections, but rather embracing change in all it's forms and unlocking one's true potential, being who you truly are and being all who you can be. Surely no mutant could object to that..? It has made Inhuman society one of the most truly diverse and thus, truly accepting societies in comic books, as Kurt himself had just witnessed. Sure, it can have some drawbacks, but it's more about embracing your true nature than forcing you to change for the good of society. In some versions, the more, well.. inhuman looking Inhumans even have a higher social standing than those appearing as normal humans.
As for the child endangerment argument, Terrigenesis does not occur until children hit puberty, an age where children in our society are excpected to take on increasingly adult responsibilities and even have counted as full grown adults throughout history. It is a life altering decision yes, but it's not like they're tossing toddlers into the pool.
Arguably the closest real world analogue would be raising children in a specific faith or as part of a religious community. This can have a tremendous effect on the live and development of a person as well, yet it is considered normal to do so at even earlier ages and is in many cases still a huge part of culture and tradition, just like the transformation is for Inhuman culture. I'd argue that Terrigenesis is preferable as it would be liberating rather than restricting (as opposed to adhering to some dogma) and here at least the choice is made by young adults with at least some capability of reflection.
And as Karnak points out, the choice is not compulsory, opting out of it is a possibility. But really, would anyone refuse the chance of gaining superpowers and the full support of your community regardless of the outcome based on some vague, ill-defined point based on incorrect assumptions? Even if you do turn into a Giant Octopus, the Inhumans will still accept you and wouldn't you be the least bit curious what your full potential could be..? Refusing that strikes me as equivalent of hiding away yourself, your work and your passion for the fear of rejection. It's an incredibly unhealthy attitude.

TL;DR Kurt is letting his emotions overcome his intellect, which turns him into a short sighted bigot and it's sad.

[kagome654]

I don't know, one could just as easily feel that they are capable of unlocking their 'true potential' and their 'true nature' (and what do those terms mean, exactly?) on their own, without using an outside force such as a mutating mist. I know little of the Inhumans, but it seems to me all this talk of embracing one's true nature could be viewed as spin and rhetoric to justify something that, if it's all voluntary anyway, doesn't really need justifying.

[icon_uk]

Nicely put, and Karnak should stand as an example of what can be achieved without need of Terrigen Mists.

[kagome654]

He certainly seems to be doing fine.

I should add that if the Inhumans view exposure to the Terrigen Mists as an unquestionably good thing I don't see the harm in waiting for their people to reach adulthood to make an informed decision. After all, it would be the obvious choice, right?

Unless there's a specific reason for doing it when they're young...?

[ian_karkull]

Well, in the real world those are just buzz words, but in comic book terms it means unlocking the latent X gene that is present in all of humanity. Terrigenesis does not turn you into something else entirely, it merely brings to the surface whatever mutant potential is already there hidden in your DNA. It merel enhances the process by which natural mutants are born on Earth.
The Inhumans were created by the Kree by rapidly excelerating the evolutionary process of some prehistoric humans (Kirby, y'all!) to see what potential the human genome code holds (and use it as weapons, but that's a different story), so genetic evolution is naturally a big part of their culture. Over time, biological necessity became culture and finally ritual. It's similar to the religious spin put on some of the perfectly sensible (for a desert tribe thousands of years ago) living advice given in some religious texts.

[kagome654]

I don't know, there are a lot of latent things tucked away in DNA, not all of it beneficial. These things are typically a bit of a crapshoot. That may not typically be the case in comic book land, but at the very least it couldn't hurt for the Inhumans to reconsider the rhetoric surrounding the event (calling something 'perfection' obviously implies the alternative is imperfect).

[icon_uk]

Except it's not really an enhancement so much as it's an enforcement, since it's forcing genes to activate that the Inhuman's own genetic code did not see fit to make active themselves.

Karnak aside, I don't think any Inhuman has developed mutant-like abilities without terrigenesis, so their own X-gene must be royally messed up. If perhaps we saw that they waited to see if mutation occurred naturally, and if it didn't, offer terrigenesis as an alternative then it would seem less... involuntary.

[ian_karkull]

There's no telling what the Kree experiments did to the Inhuman genome, so it may indeed be the case that their X-Gene can not be activated any other way. Otherwise, I'm not sure I see the logic here? Gene's are not intelligent, just because an ability does not present itself immediately and on it's own is no reason not to stimulate it. They're not rewriting the entire genetic code, they're merely trigger a latent genetical potential that is already there. Not doing so would be like not giving a musically talented child violin lessons.

[icon_uk]

Actually we do know that the Kree experiments botched things up. Using terrigenesis had appalling side effects in some cases, which is why the Inhumans have been carrying out selective breeding for so long.

No gene's aren't intelligent, but there's no reason to activate gene's unnecessarily either.

And given the level of transformation we see between pre-terrigenesis and post-terrigenesis, I'm not sure how you get how they're NOT rewriting their DNA.

And even if the potential is theoretically, there so what? If the person could live a long and happy and successful life as they are, why change them just on the offchance they can play the violin?

Also to expand that analogy, consider that Beasts most recent mutation altered him to the point that he had paws rather than hands and as such could no longer play the piano, something he loved doing. He opted to learn to play the drums, but that was never his first choice.

In short, why assume someone would be happier/more valuable a member of society in their mutated form than their normal form?

[ian_karkull]

Those side effects came from early Inhumans going overboard with Terrigenesis due to their inexperience with the process though, they didn't necessarily have anything to do with what the Kree did to them beforehand. We only know that the Kree prematurely evolved them in some way, which could have possibly changed or even damaged their X-Gene.

They're not rewriting DNA in the sense that it's not a completely random transformation, but activating whatever mutant potential is already there. If a regular X-Gene changes a person into a sentient rock creature, for instance, then this is a dramatic change as well, but it's one preprogrammed in their DNA. Likewise, whatever mutation Terrigenesis triggers is already hardcoded into their DNA, the Mists merely activate it. This is significantly different from, say Spider-Man's powers, who are excusively the result of an external agent.

I feel like this argument could just as easily be reversed. Why not be all that you can be based on the off-chance that something might go wrong during a controlled process that has been perfected for over 25.000 years? You can't know whether any Inhuman would live a happier life with or without undergoing the transformation and following that line of argument to it's conclusion would amount to never actually doing anything. Any superhuman ability arguably increases the overall opportunities one would have in his/her life. I can think of no reason not to take this opportunity when it presents itself. And since Inhuman culture is built around cherishing their genetic diversity, a person would arguably be happier and more valuable member of society.

[icon_uk]

To me, Terrigenesis was never about "correcting imperfections, but rather embracing change in all it's forms and unlocking one's true potential, being who you truly are and being all who you can be. Surely no mutant could object to that..?

That's not what he seems to be objecting to though. It's the notion that young children are being indoctorinated with an ideal that ONLY by rewriting their DNA can they truly be accepted or be considered "whole", and I can well imagine a mutant objecting to that.

As I said, what happens if someone doesn't want to be Terragenised (Karnak's parents made that choice for him, it wasn't his decision) If we'd seen the candidates being asked with a no-shame drop out option, (maybe a private ceremony, rather than the ultimate peer pressure moment of everything happening in front of all the already mutated Inhuman crowds AND the Royal Family) (and that may have happened elsewhere) I think it would come across better.

The religious indoctrination comparison is an interesting one, though the choice being made is so... extreme and one way, that I don't think there are many comparable situations.

And someone who has hit puberty is still not legally recognised as being anything other than a child.

Yes, I think that Kurt reacted through anger, and a few questions would have made things smoother (though the same could be said about 98% of superhero bust ups) but he thought he saw children being put through something he found unthinkable, I'll give him a pass for that.

[ian_karkull]

Who's to say that there isn't a private ceremony or even a longer period of teaching, guidance and introspection beforehand? The comparison to religious indoctrination presented itself because the way the ritual is depicted strongly reminded me of Confirmation, which has a very big, public ceremony at the end, but is preceded by a year long phase of preparation from which one could opt out at any point if you reach the conclusion that it's not for you. With the huge, quasi-religious role Terrigenesis plays in Inhuman culture, I can't see it being forced upon anyone who is not ready, not willing or does not fully understand what it could do to you.
Kurt -and by extension we, the readers- only sees a tiny facet of something that utterly defines Inhuman culture and makes a snap decision that is at best ill-informed and at worst completely ignorant. He's judging an entire culture after all but five minutes exposure to said culture, based on his personal experience with a completely different environment.


And while a teenager may not legally be considered an adult -which in itself is a fairly recent development- I think it is unfair to deny them any sort of decision making capabilities. The X-Men themselves had (until recently) no problem with throwing children of the same age onto the battlefield, regardless of whether they wanted it or not, so this comes across as a teensy bit hypocritical. And even in our world children of this age are groomed towards their adult life, many major decisions on their path to adulthood have already been set in motion. Go a little further back in time or even just space, really, and a child of the same age would be expected to behave like an adult. Applying our contemporary western standards to a society we don't even fully understand is ludicrous.
Terrigenesis isn't a Baptism where a crying babe does not comprehend what is being done to him, but rather a rite de passage where an individual chooses his life's path. None of the participants even seem all that unwilling. Kurt is simply projecting.

[icon_uk]

The comparison to religious indoctrination presented itself because the way the ritual is depicted strongly reminded me of Confirmation, which has a very big, public ceremony at the end, but is preceded by a year long phase of preparation from which one could opt out at any point if you reach the conclusion that it's not for you.

Speaking as someone who has been through Confirmation, it's not that cut and dried, again largely because of family and social expectations to BE Confirmed (We didn't have a years worth of preparation, but there was some).

I am Confirmed, and still take my faith seriously, but looking back on it now, I don't think I can view it as an entirely free choice. Perhaps I should have spoken up more on the matter, but disappointing one's family is never easy.

Plus being confirmed makes no actual social or physical difference to an individual. In the context of terrigensis, it would be equivalent if being Confirmed meant I had my face tattooed blue permanently as a result of the ceremony and the entire world was Catholic. Something irreversible and distinguishing, which would make me stand out for NOT having been Confirmed.

[ian_karkull]

I have been confirmed as well, and in my case there had been a year long phase of preparation and formally asking the Confirmees (is that a word?) whether they want to join the faith or not was even part of the ceremony. Of course there are certain non-quantifiable factors of pressure like family expectations that apply in both situation, but the option to simply refuse has always been there through every step of the process. It's possible that this is also the case for something that is so higly ritualized and has such defining implications with regards to the community as Terrigenesis.
Strictly objectively speaking, we can't rule out that this is not also the case here, as we only experience a tiny snippet of a more complex, larger process. And again, I think it's entirely unfair to judge a different culture based on contemporary, western standards. Confirmation may have that much of an impact on your social life today, but only a few generations ago, when faith played a much more defining role in everyday life, it would have been a very important part of life within the community.
As it stands, there is simply no reason to assume that Terrigenesis is not a choice for everyone involved and an informed one at that. Since it is the defining part of Inhuman culture, there may arguably some familial expectations connected to it, btu that is not reason enough to decry it as a compulsory and mandatory institution. Such is a snap decision based on false and incomplete data, the very essence of bigotry, imho.

[arilou_skiff]

Terrigenesis is clearly an initiation rite. So yes, it's a definite sense of "you're not a full member of society until you've gone through it"

Which is rather the point of initiation rites.

[ian_karkull]

That's the other thing, metatextually speaking, it's clearly a metaphor for adolescence and the strangeness of growing up, just like being a Mutant is, really.

[proteus_lives]

A truly accepting society that engineered a slave race.

Plus, it's been shown that Inhumans with lesser or worthless mutations get treated poorly.

[ian_karkull]

Inhuman society is far from perfect and a lot can be (and has been) said about its rigid caste system and proto-fascist tendencies. That isn't the issue at hand here though.

[icon_uk]

Isn't it though? We're looking at pressure being applied to children to undergo a rite without which they would be considered inferior by the Inhuman society at large.

That alters the concept of "Free choice" quite significantly, does it not?

[ian_karkull]

(Former) treatment of the Alpha Primitives (which have been abolished at least half a dozen times now) and general lack of social mobility after Terrigenesis has absolutely nothing to do with the question whether children are coerced into the Rite or not.

[silverzeo]

Ugh... why is the populace in Marvel are such stupid jerk-asses?

[cleome45]

Because It's In The Script™.

Sheesh. I spent a lot of time in lower Manhattan in the late 1980s. I don't think anybody would've batted an eye at Nightcrawler.

[silverzeo]

And yet nearly every world leader as of now started commissioning Sentinels, the 5-story atomic powered, missile-filled robots with hand lasers, that can be taken out by Jubilee that have been know to turn against humans world wide... in fact. A issue of Schism starts with a anti-mutant crowd activating a Sentinel, only to have the control board short-circuiting them out and killing them all! They couldn't use the piloted ones?

[nemryn]

Yeah, he goes on about the children's right to choose, and then (temporarily) denies them that right himself when he disrupts the ceremony. None of them look scared or reluctant, so I assume that they all wanted it.

[icon_uk]

Peer pressure and indoctrination can make people accept as normal quite terrifying things.

[nemryn]

Well, the thing is, if you're truly committed to an individual's right to choose, then you have to accept what qe says qe wants, even if you personally think it's horrifying. If you start going 'Well, qe's only saying that because of peer pressure' or 'Qe couldn't possibly want that, that's horrific', then you're making the decision for qem.

Now, obviously there's a scale, and if these kids are only doing it because a madman with a gun has their fathers hostage, then sure, go ahead and beat up the madman and then see whether they still want to do it. But the line isn't clear.

[kamino_neko]

'Qe'? That's a new one on me. (Personally, I prefer Zie, since I could actually use it and its conjugations in spoken communication.)

[icon_uk]

I absolutely agree with the individuals right to choose, but you have to be sure that it is an absolutely 100% free right to choose.

Surrounded by a mob of already mutated Inhumans, and with the only example of non-mutated Inhuman being a member of the Royal Family is perhaps not it, so I also agree the line is very far from unclear in this case.

[proteus_lives]

It's seen it other Inhuman tales.

Those who don't undergo the TM or get worthless mutations are treated as lesser.

Also, Alpha Primitives.

I think Karnak's not a good example because he's protected by class and political power. If he had been born to a common citizen?

[autumn_lily]

Now as a kid, I don't think I was vain, but I was aware that I was perhaps never going to be amongst the greatest looking people on Earth
You definitely aren't the only one dear.

As for Kurt, I think there were other ways he could have brought his objections up. He could simply have teleported the kids off the dais and then addressed them, if he was worried about the children's immediate safety. But the thing about Kurt's argument is that when people see him and attack, they are doing so by his outermost appearance. For the inhumans, it's less about appearances and more about what your DNA consists of. So it's not exactly an even argument unless the whole moral to the story would be that you should be loved and accepted for who you are, just as you are. But there isn't a culture anywhere that does that.

[autumn_lily]

Also, I would like to add that Kurt has always been gorgeous to me ever since I first saw him when I was twelve, both how he looks and his personality.

[kamino_neko]

So s_d, does Kurt have a point, or was he operating arrogantly?

Both, I think.

He has a point, but he's arguing badly, and obnoxiously, based on several incorrect assumptions.

Also, he should have asked Triton what to expect before they went to the ceremony...then maybe asked for details on the attitudes surrounding it. That's just good manners, so as to avoid pissing off your hosts.

[eyz]

The art's fun here and really suits Kurt^^

[icon_uk]

Very true! :)

[cleome45]

It's noteworthy how blatantly Marvel has its cake here, and eats it, too.

Kurt gets picked on because he's UG-LEEEEE!!! (Supposedly.) So we sympathize with the ugly guy, who's really not ugly to us.

Then Kurt gets upset because a pretty, blonde, normal young woman is mutated into turning UG-LEEEEE!!! We're not supposed to sympathize with him because she's now a mutant (do they ever disclose what her powers are, BTW), but because it was mean of her rulers to turn her UG-LEEEEE!!

Which is kind of funny-sad, given the hypocrisy of how these companies peddle ideals of beauty (especially the female kind) to us in the first place.

[icon_uk]

I don't think he's reacting to her becoming ugly (he's happy interacting with all the equally non-standard looking Inhumans he's already met), he's reacting because she's becoming something other than herself for, as he sees it, no good reason.

Why insist she become anything other than she is, why not love her and accept her as she is without terrigensis?

[cleome45]

I think that by starting out with a pretty, young, blonde girl and turning her into something "Inhuman," Marvel was blatantly stacking the deck.

The underlying philosophy on Kurt's part is sound, but the execution leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm pretty sick and tired of having to hear this kind of thing from the mouths pens of creative people who themselves have extremely distorted notions of what's "pretty" and what's "ugly."

[cainofdreaming]

There actually was a story about Inhuman kids and their Terrigenesis day. Mini, I think. It's been a while since I read it, but I think it did go a bit into the whole moral thing. One got a poor terrigenization and got dumped by her boyfriend because of this, or something like that, one got turned into an Alpha Primitive, etc.

Wish I could remember the name of the mini.

[chonaku55]

Sorry, but I do not like the characterization of Kurt here, it is too far from the character I learned to like and too close to the smooth character, boring and preachy that I hate. And it's canon that without Logan, he never would go to out Institut without his image inductor, since he was confronted with a bloodthirsty crowd in Germany and he never spoke too rude to Colossus (the Godwin's law, no, Kurt is too subtile for that...)