Exiles Vol.2 #5 70th Years Marvel Comics Frame Variant Edition
Hello fans!
Today I want to discuss about my beautiful favorite character, Lorna Dane aka Polaris. I waited for Marvel to publish issue 5 so I can discuss of how amazing Lorna ended up in Prisoner-X. As we all know Nate Grey is responsible for creating those false reality in Uncanny X-Men #10 and as everyone else questions what reality is. Let begin, shall we?
Prisoner-X #1
There were also variant covers from this issue
This one here below was a secret variant and a very hard to get. There were only a few of this one but I’m glad to say that I own both of these variants :)
We open up the book with Bishop being captive and sent to the Danger Room Prison Complex (but I’m going to skip everything about him or any other character because I only speak for Polaris, since she’s the big thing here) where Lorna was shown being captive as well.
Here Lorna was sitting with Danielle Moonstar (aka Psyche aka Mirage) while Forge (the Warden of the facility) was walking around Bishop.
The next day he entered to the cafeteria and Polaris was sitting with the rest of the mutants. There Bishop and Beats were having dramas so let’s skip :)
Bishop then heads to the yard to ask around about memories that he was having.
He first stepped to Gabby asking if they somehow knew each other but she didn’t know what he was talking about.
Then he stepped to Polaris and for some reason Bishop saw one of Polaris’s past.
Yes, he saw a vision of when Polaris was one of the Four Horsemen as
Pestilence. I literally don’t like this version at all. This armor here
made her look like a male. I like Di Giandomenico’s version better (All
New X-Factor #17) because she looks more like a female and the essence
of this style can be captured by the phrase “Dude look like a lady”,
lol.
Anyway, this was unexpected and I’m Glad Marvel remembered it :)
As he approached to Lorna asking her few questions, Lorna was silent and didn’t want to be bothered as if she already knew what was going on.
Moonstar interfered so those questions weren’t answered and thus Lorna was not seen until the next chapter.
Prisoner-X #2
A remarkable cover :)
It didn’t took 2 issues for Lorna to get her own cover. Thank you, @marvelentertainment :)
Bishop once again went up to Polaris to ask her about a note he received in his cell.
“The dream is real. The reality false! Get out!” It was written on a note that slid into Bishop’s life. He’s been having dreams of a world that doesn’t exist and he’s looking for answers about his dreams.
Although, the way I see it, there are at least three things
to point out.
1) We know Polaris knows Bishop and her memories are more vivid.
2) Bishop doesn’t remember Lorna but she does remember him when he used to hunt mutants and even though he’s not that “badass”…..
he’s still an asshole, lol.
3) She’s in a “straightjacket” but
why can’t they see it? Who told Lorna she was in one when she woke up? Woke up from what? As for what Gabby’s saying would be something I’m going to explain in a few. Meanwhile, Dani and Bishop are starting to have more memories.
A note slipped under his cell door makes him question everything.
I’m glad to know that Lorna happen to remember everything… making her the first to know that they’re in a false reality.
Prisoner-X #3
The cover may seem to offer nothing of interest, but don’t be deceived :)
Moonstar is also haunted by memories that seemingly never happened. Somehow Beast refused to face reality. Nobody in the Prison remembered their shared past except Polaris and now Moonstar, who are similarly haunted by strange memories.
Speaking of “haunted by strange memories”, Lorna started remembering two different things. Screaming her lungs out as if she was fighting reality against fantasy.
Such a gorgeous page. Nice to see some of Lorna’s memories of this world as well as her actual world (616). German Peralta really draws a wonderful Lorna Dane. I’d love to cut out this panel so we can discuss the things that are holding significant meanings in each of those memories. Shall we (BTW, history was not ignored)?
Our first piece is Polaris fighting (on her own) against the whole X-Men combined. Yup! :)
An Introduction to thinking like a Sociologist and Philosopher. You
may ask yourself…..did it take that many to beat and lock her up in
the danger room prison? We have a powerhouse taking on a whole team by
herself with a few powerhouse mutants like Nate and Jean for example.
There is a resemblance between her and her father. At least we now know
how Polaris got to prison. Strange how Magneto is not in the picture. I
know this is a false memory but a memory nonetheless. A memory that only
exists in this alternate universe… just like House of M. And just
like House of M……it did happen.
The reality about this image below is that someone hate them together, lol.
I’m the contrary. I do love this couple because they are popular for lasting more than Scott and Jean. This was when both were leading the X-Factor team and together they beat the odds. There is nothing more tantalizing to a woman than the prospect of being the one who succeeds, where all others have failed. To reach the heart of an unreachable, reluctant man and have him fall madly in love with you, change his ways and give us the relationship we’ve always dreamed of. That’s the type of relationship Polavok’s was. They are now separated and have been for more than a decade. I’d rather see them that way til Lorna gets her solo book :)
Here is when you struggle to differentiate between what was real and what wasn’t.
What wasn’t real? This incident right here. What’s real? Their combat. Polaris has history upon history fighting against her father. Polaris and Magneto share the same mutant power, mastery of magnetism. I don’t know what that metal is going to do against her, lol. We can clearly see she’s energizing so she can use her raw power while Magneto is using metal. Nevertheless, this is some cool memory of Polaris going against her father even though in reality she did too.
Let me be clear that she’s not always against her father.
Lorna has always sided with her father despite their beliefs. This memory shown here is real. This was in Magneto’s solo book where she stood by her father fighting their Last Day. Both were trying to stop the world from merging with other worlds. I’m just curious why Marvel brought this up? Every piece of memory seems to have some significant moment. I’m glad Marvel brought that up.
This is an alternate memory but I will discuss it soon. Reason for her straightjacket.
I am excited to discuss further about the reason why Legion wanted people to think she was crazy but I have to say this turned out magnificent. I’ll skip this for now and no, She’s not crazy.
And at last, the panel that everyone wasn’t expecting, lol.
Yes, that’s Lorna Dane attacking Jean and Ororo and this my friend, is the reality. I also wonder why Marvel uses this memory but I’m sure this is where Lorna called herself Polaris for the very first time. She also got a costume that I literally love. She was brainwashed as well as Havok (just like any other character) by Eric The Red so they can go against the X-Men. Nice to see Polaris creating lightning around her body :)
As always, Polaris is the first to bring us some good entertainment. Once Lorna was reacting as if she knew she didn’t belong there, the guards (I swear this guy looks like Magneto trying to calm her) holds her down and
Moonstar distracted them and they went after her, giving Lorna a chance to break free.
I love the fact that she broke free from her straightjacket. As I mentioned before…. anger is her infinite potential. It looks she magnetically took all the keys away from the guards and passed them on to the other prisoners so they can free themselves.
How beautiful is this panel above? German really captured the beauty of Lorna’s power. I love it :)
Lorna was able to regain control over herself and destroyed every guards that was in her way. She went berserk, throwing things around and even levitated all the guards and slammed them against the floor and each other.
This is where Polaris’s truly became the badass from this issue forward :)
Forge seems to have a partner
Because after that phone call, everything went back to “normal” like
none of this had happened. But Moonstar noticed something was wrong. She
just didn’t know what.
It felt like she was going crazy too.
One thing for sure is that Lorna became very significant from this point forward. She was the key who knew what was happening. And of course, Bishop was excluded from this issue. Only a cameo at the very end. Didn’t look like Bishop was the main focus.
Prisoner #4
Out of all the Age of X-Man books, this one is the best :)
Finally things are getting clear about the prison and all thanks to
Lorna. After Moonstar noticed something wasn’t right, she then went up
to Polaris trying to get information out of her about the prison, as
well as what happened before when she got out of her collar and
unleashed her powers, after which everything went blank.
Being how this was the first time someone besides Lorna remembers, they
begin to think about what is truly happening. Polaris does most of the
talking.
Lorna has been the only one to remember the events every time she breaks
free and every time she does, time was altered. As we learned from the
previous book, someone is controlling them except for Lorna who manages
to escape a dozen times.
I swear I thought that old guy was Magneto, lol. He appeared in several panels, and some of those panels he’s with Polaris as if he was protecting her. I guess we may never know.
Nevertheless, the writer takes everything we know and gives them an ironic twist.
It was Legion who was behind the mind control. Legion was the mastermind while Forge was just the puppet. Nate Grey locked Legion here and he took control, happy to torment the rest of the prisoners.
Fighting back, Forge remotely removes the collar off of everyone. This was odd because at the beginning, he was all for it, but then he changes his mind.
With everyone’s collars off, they somehow receive their memories again.
I liked the part where Moonstar reached the keys to free Polaris.
Thankfully Moonstar, took the keys to unlock Lorna’s collar. Here is when things are getting good and Lorna is not gonna take it anymore.
“Never Again” while her eyes glowing. I love it!
A huge question remains. We saw that Lorna’s collar didn’t come off and there was no explanation whatsoever as to why everyone else were free except Polaris. There can only be one theory and I’m going to explain this down the road to conclude that ? mark.
At the center of it all, Polaris is given a great deal of impact by Marvel. She let her power loose as a giant fight begins with the inmates against the guards that are just robots with Legion laughing and watching from above.
Now this is what I call a prison fight. I’ve always been a fan of Polaris and getting more of her here was awesome! But wait…she’s getting more in the next issue :)
Prisoner-X #5
Last issue, it ended with a big riot in the lunch room but Legion trapped the 5 main characters into a daydream. I must point out Lorna surrounded by metal was awesome!
They are trying to locate Legion and to do so, they would have to go door-to-door to find him. This was turning into a nightmare.
Apparently Legion likes to play mind games with them as well as giving them guards to fight. Legion looks creepy as hell.
The fight continues and unexpectedly they tried to take out Lorna first.
I enjoyed getting to see Lorna using her power in unique and different ways. The scene below was kind of shocking. But what a badass Polaris (as usual) we have here.
Despite how many times Polaris and the crew destroy the guards, the fight became never ending. The guards was completely interminable.
Polaris has already proven to be the more powerful. This is the Lorna who we can relate to. Look how beautiful she looks in those panels.
Polaris knew she was the only one to take on all the guards at once so she decided to stay and hold them back while the rest went to find Legion.
How intriguing!
Loved that moment of Polaris putting those metals around the guards. Thanks to Polaris the rest of the group were able to locate Legion. What’d they do without the true powerhouse. The Queen of Mutants.
Truly believe this is one of the best fight scenes to watch in any of the Age of X-Man books! Polaris especially shined in this issue and it was a lot of fun to see her just go crazy like the one woman army she can be.
Thanks to Lorna they now know their true identity and are going after Nate Grey who is responsible for rewriting the world. The story doesn’t end here. The continuation will be in Age of X-Man: Omega
Truly this book is the best of them all.
Review:
I
think my point of view is crystal clear: Polaris was incredible
throughout the event. She was the badass in this story, the key focus
and had the best scene, no contest.
I have to admit these scenes were causing intense surprises. She has been consistently a central
character for the majority of Prisoner-X story.
I love how this played out for Lorna. All of the fight scenes
are detailed and provide a natural momentum through the story, I
thoroughly enjoyed it. I really feel sorry for
the creators who were trying to make Bishop and Legion look cool in this
book… because they just managed to make them look like a weakling
stupid characters who make no sense at all. Bishop never attempts to
stand up for himself. He even got bullied by women. He ended up
having the short end of the stick if I may say. I don’t think this book
was mainly focused on Bishop. He was treated like crap. The book was
mainly focused on Lorna, with Bishop as a lesser character for emphasis.
There are other characters involved, but Lorna has been the main focus.
Bishop wasn’t even “the most prominently featured in promo”. Lorna’s
the character whose POV the reader most connects with, and she’s the
impetus for the comic’s actions getting underway. Given that Bishop was
completely excluded in issue #3 where he only had a cameo at the very
end of the chapter. Bishop is not really my type of character. He’s
pretty much like a “whatever” in every story I read with him in it (I
never forgot that Bishop killed billions of people just to hunt Hope
Summers). Well that comes with absolutely no surprise since Bishop is a
“whatever” character to begin with but as a “main” one he turns out to
be pretty bad. He was not the “main” focus but most likely a plot device
that’s been used as a narrative to move the plot forward. He has no
purpose. His only purpose was to advance the plot of the story while
Lorna became a key figure in the story and unlike Bishop, Lorna shines throughout the story. The
overall effect is impressive. This was truly an amazing read and I
loved it.
:)
Now back to the remaining question. An interesting question that has been looking for philosophical answers and I have the best (theory) conclusion. The question of WHY Lorna’s collar didn’t come off when everybody else’s did.
Let’s go back to the beginning where everything started. Here is where things get interesting. Why didn’t Polaris’s collar come off? Probably because it was a special collar made for Lorna by Legion (and/or Nate?). Probably because she was the powerhouse of the prisoners. Probably because she couldn’t be controlled like everyone else. Probably because she knew too much. What reason was there for assuming any probability of an uprising in the prison? Probably all of the above.
The reason:
It seems that Polaris figured out everything was fake before
everyone else, hence the reason for the straightjacket and making her
believe she’s crazy. She was actually the only sane one. Although
there’s no way to know if the straightjacket was any more real than
anything else in there. But we know Legion was behind the mind control.
Legion must have put Lorna down several times and when she awakened told
her she was wearing a “straightjacket” and planted that thought in her
mind. Perhaps it’s the reason why she sees it on her while other can’t,
just so they can think she’s crazy.
From what I can tell,
Polaris broke free multiple times (apparently the only one to have done
so) but had her and everyone else minds reset each time (so no one would
remember her breaking free), with the benefit of making the “reality”
of the prison a bit weaker each time. It shows Lorna wasn’t easily
controlled.
Clearly Polaris overpowered Legion telepathically a few times. Legion is an “omega level mutant” and the fact that she was seemingly unaffected by his power astounds me. She was the only one who defeated Legion and gained control of herself several times while wearing the collar. That’s a new development. In The Gifted, Polaris overcame the collar a few times.
When Bishop “led” the uprising therefore, everyone was ready thanks to Lorna. It was obvious she was the strongest one of the prisoners. When Legion began reanimating the guards to keep the group off his trail, Polaris was the only one capable of holding them all off so that Dani, Bishop, etc.al. could get away.
These are the main reasons for her collar seeming to be intact.
Certain things have been said but it is very important for me to drop a hint that had me thinking over and over again. It seems apparent Lorna gained her memory while wearing her collar whereas the rest of the prisoners gained their memories as soon as their collars were off. Looking back at when Lorna was mind controlled by Malice and was
able to regain control over herself
and was also able to enter Malice’s mind and destroy her. Thinking how Legion couldn’t control her like the rest of the prisoners… makes me wonder.
She has a quiet confidence that screams loud. So, how powerful is she? Hmmmm. Just something to think about.
Before you come up with “that’s Polaris from an Alternate timeline”, you need to remember that’s the same Lorna from 616 that Nate took and replaced (like the rest of the X-Men) in a different timeline. Nobody knows where this is taking place. All we know is it’s taking place…somewhere. They did return home in the Age of X-Man: Omega (which I’m going to discuss next because the story doesn’t end here) where it implied they were from 616.
Did you miss me? :)
I dropped a hint!
And there when you
agréable
@1979semifinalist the most unrealistic comic panel ever because walking down the stairs with a cat results in said cat either tripping you or getting stepped on approx. 100% of the time
Gambit being agile helps for more than just thievery and super villain battles. ;D
The release of the highly anticipated bottle issue of the MMX series is just around the bend. Comicosity released the previews to this installment late last night. So here it is!
Cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson
Let us just note the location: GAMBIT AND ROGUE’S APARTMENT
The place is gorgeous and I feel like Rogue has done her part on making it hers. She seems far more comfortable now (or stressed because of the big party).
Loving the Bobby and Rogue interactions and of course the caaaaaaaaaaaats!
Jean-Luc makes his appearance but No Tantie!?
(I’m holding out on her appearance after all of the action is over with)
Of course minutes after his arrival the trouble follows…
Anyway, this looks great and I can’t wait.
Gambit and Rogue are throwing a party, and you’re invited! Guest-starring every X-Man their apartment can fit! Hey, who invited the Thieves Guild?!
MR. AND MRS. X #6
Written by Kelly Thompson
Art by David Lopez, Nayoung Kim
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: December 12, 2018
Source: @1979semifinalist
We are all travelers,
wandering between dreams
and reality.
Micropoetry, Our Journey to Balance
Welcome to a new era. I know I’m a little late (plus working overtime didn’t give me time to participate in the community) but I thought I shouldn’t spoil those events too soon. Now I think it’s the time, since we’re 3 days away from #3.
Oh my. Where should I begin. First I’d like to thanks to @1979semifinalist, Rosenberg, and Brisson (and @marvelentertainment) for allowing Lorna to participate in the new (reboot) Uncanny X-Men. Honestly, I had high expectations for her future. I never doubted her inclusion in this book. So, thanks all of you once again.
Uncanny X-Men #1
How wonderful to see her in the introduction page. She’s among some of the original X-Men :)
In this scenario, Nightcrawler seems to teleport Lorna into the scene first and then X-23 (well, I’m going by the BAMF). Lorna was shown devastating the MLF upon her arrival. She came to (and did) save the day.
Yes, she right away grabbed a piece of the X-Jet with her magnetic power and hurled it toward the MLF. Buying time in order to do this…
“Wait…are you a “big kid”?” lol. What an amazing team-up. Lorna hurling Laura at the enemies was EPIC. I couldn’t get over this, I mean, what a dramatic entrance into combat. I was so excited to not only see this combo but to see Lorna and Laura interacting as well. Both had a good sense of humor. The Magnetic Fastball Special was intriguing. I’m sure some of you know the Fastball Special is a maneuver in which Colossus launches Wolverine at an enemy. Two males and now two females. I can gladly say that Lorna and Laura are the first two females to display the Fastball Special.
Uncanny X-Men #2
I know what you thinking, lol.
Here they are in their locker room. They are getting ready for a mission. Again, I know what you’re thinking but in my perspective, they were already dressed up before entering the locker room. As we can see they are suiting up and waiting for Jean’s command. That’s my perspective but if you want an actual answer, you gotta get it from the writers. I just don’t think they were all in the same room getting dressed. It would be silly knowing Lorna wouldn’t do that :)
Something abnormal was happening and so Jean gathers the X-Men and
divided them into two teams, A and B, to go into two different missions.
Lorna was in Team-B with Nightcrawler, Jubilee, Psylocke, Storm, and Cannonball. What a badass squad.
One thing I’d like to point out is Lorna’s force-fields. I’m trying to remember when was the last time she was using a force-field just like her father. I know her magnetic field manipulation allows her to create force-fields, like an electrical energy form surrounding her. Lorna was shown with many different force-fields but I just don’t remember the bubble one.
Nevertheless, it’s nice to see Lorna creating force-fields, which are probably stronger than those of her father.
Don’t forget Lorna also shares a link to the earth’s electromagnetic field, drawing
strength from it and being granted a form of immortality. You get the picture :)
Nightcrawler teleported the squad closer to the scene and what they discovered was unexpected.
Multiple Man was multiplying himself into thousands for some reason. It’s seem as soon as they arrived at the scene, Lorna took over from that moment on (as we can see Storm was basically mute and wasn’t even bothering to ask what’s going on; only telling Madrox what he’s doing) as she was the only one who knows Madrox better than anyone else. Polaris and Madrox knew each other for a very long time and were teammates in various incarnations. Jamie loves Lorna, he likes Lorna (I can assure you this in another post).
Suddenly and unexpectedly Multiple Man started acting out where the squad knew what they needed to do without any command.
How wonderful to see Lorna interacting with more characters. This time with Psylocke, where Polaris was commanding her to plant what Betsy stated in Madrox’s mind. That’s what I call a leader despite Jean not giving her the co-leadership (or Storm) card. At least I can give her the credit for stepping up like one. They needed to find the real Madrox in order to stop the madness. I literally agree with Cannonball. How did Storm expect them to find the real Madrox when there are thousands of them? Then she had a second thought. I thought that was silly.
In the end, all the X-Men were defeated, but I’m sure it won’t be for long :)
I can only imagine Cannonball saying they were “overwhelming” due to the fact that there were so many of Madrox. It seems the more they defeat them, the more they come. The fact that there were thousands of them was impossible to defeat or find the real Madrox. Now that’s being overwhelmed, I guess?
I was very happy to see Polaris as part of the X-Men team in Uncanny 1&2. From the locker room scene where everyone was suiting up together, to the battles they faced together, it was nice to see her as an X-Man. I especially liked
the callback to Colossus/Wolverine Fastball move with her and X-23. I’m not quite sure what is going on with Multiple Man, but where did he get all these new powers? It’s as if he absorbed the abilities of… multiple… other mutants and
now has their powers. Including Toad’s tongue, for some reason. Whatever it is, however he got them, he (they) was too much for the collective might of the team in issue #2. Even as Bishop, Jean, X-23, et. all were successfully battling
dinosaurs, Madrox took down Polaris, Storm, and the rest. A feat which shouldn’t be possible for Jamie. From the panels of #3 that are already out there, tho, his victory will be short-lived, and I’m sure that Lorna will be PISSED :)
Uncanny X-Men #1 - “Disassembled” (2018)
written by Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, & Kelly Thompson
art by Mahmud Asrar & Rachelle Rosenberg
remylebeaugambit