Mazdyn - 22 - she/her - lesbian PP: mutuna-x-blog A side Tumblr blog (main blog: giraffe-lesbian) for my DC and Marvel musings + maybe fanart at some point...
My name is Mazdyn, and this is essentially my blog where I'm just going to post my live reactions/thoughts on the comics I'm reading and keeping up with.
I have been into DC for a while and continue to read some DC titles but don't follow it as extensively as I used to. I'm currently knee-deep in Marvel, though, and have been reading lots of X-Men. Batwoman is my favorite DC character, though I love BoP, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, and the Gotham Sirens as well! Emma Frost is (unsurprisingly) my favorite Marvel character, but I love pretty much every female X-Man I've encountered, especially Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Jean Grey, etc! I've also come to really enjoy Layla Miller as a character while reading X-Factor, hence the Layla profile picture, haha!
This fluctuates a lot, but currently I'm reading:
MARVEL
Excalibur (1988)
Magik (1984)
Emma Frost (2025)
Krakoa Era X-Men (jumping around as of right now)
DC
Gail Simone's Wonder Woman Run
Absolute Wonderwoman
Cheetah & Cheshire Rob The Justice League
I'm also very much looking for people to talk about X-Men with, so please reach out! I'd love to chat! :D
One sort of a parallel moment that I noticed and really enjoyed with Exceptional X-Men (2024) was the way that Emma introduced the exact same tactic she used in Astonishing X-Men (2004) to scare the shit out of the Xavier kids and to, ultimately, remind them that the world will never truly accept them for being mutants. In both cases, she orchestrates some sort of major threat to ultimately support that conclusion.
[Marvel / Astonishing X-Men (2004) Issue #1]
However, the key difference in these extremely similar moments is Kitty's response.
Kitty in Astonishing, who inherently never trusts Emma yet begrudgingly works alongside her, is clearly pissed, yet she holds her tongue...
But Kitty in Exceptional speaks her mind and lets Emma have it! She immediately lets Emma know that she not only doesn't agree with what Emma did, but she is also willing to put a stop to everything if Emma continues.
(And to be completely frank, I was a little disappointed when this argument was interrupted for the introduction of Bobby into Exceptional. No shade to Bobby or anything, but I was disappointed because I would have loved to see where this argument would have gone between the two of them. Though, this is obviously to the surprise of no one - I love seeing Emma and Kitty interact, and I'm a sucker for good dialogue, especially a moment like this one.)
To me, while this isn't a particularly riveting or revolutionary moment for these two characters nor does it reveal all that much, especially in the grand scheme of things, what I do love is that this moment is a testament to the way their relationship has changed so much over time and - in my opinion - for the better. In Kitty's frustration, I actually see someone who is willing to stand up and call Emma out - something that a lot of characters aren't willing to do! And I think having that repertoire really solidifies the recent past development of their relationship with Marauders while also simultaneously paving the way for the future of their relationship as well.
And of course, it helps support the growth of their relationship - and, by extension, Emma's relationship to others - throughout the rest of series. Which might be a little bit of a reach, but considering how you /really/ see Emma change in the way she manages her relationships with others throughout this series (which, imo, is the main character development she has throughout this series), I think this stands as an example in that list.
[Exceptional X-Men (2024) Issue #6]
This is just one of the examples I can think of and could easily find, but there are more. And I don't know about you, but these are definitely the moments I really appreciate for Emma's character. It's also something that I do think is important development for a character who, you know, is supposed to be a teacher and who is supposed to really enjoy working with kids (which is also something I'd love to eventually touch more on, especially when we consider the often sexist stereotyping that surrounds making a female character have those desires - which is not what I think is happening with Emma, but I do think it is important to ask those questions for her character in particular) ... But that is a whole other soap box that I do like to get on - and should probably be its own whole post - for another day!
Finally, finally finished up X-Factor (2005) Monday night. I have to admit, I absolutely loved this series. I just loved the humor and the real focus it had on developing the characters all through its long run. It has definitely cemented Layla Miller and Monet St. Croix as favorite characters of mine, and it has definitely made me more curious about going back and reading more about others like Polaris and Rahne Sinclair... Gonna have to add New Mutants and X-Factor to my list of to-read!
Now it's on to giving Excalibur (1988) a whirl! Where I am sure I will fall in love with Kitty all over again and every other female character who graces those pages! <3
[DC] Also happy to say I finished the Zatanna (2025) mini series today. I ended up deciding to go back and re-read the earlier issues because I just could not remember what happened, and I'm really happy I did because it definitely gave me a greater appreciation for the series as a whole.
To the surprise of no one, I still preferred Mariko Tamaki's Zatanna: Bring Down the House (2024) - y'all it really is just that good - BUT Zatanna (2025) is actually a really enjoyable mini series with good Zee moments and an interesting premise. I loved the challenge the sword posed for Zatanna, the way she worked through it, and how much her past continued to spring up and interweave with the story. I also loved Lady White and definitely hope to see her in the future; she was such a neat character!
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where her next ongoing will go and if this mini will play any role in that!
I finished up Exceptional X-Men this past Friday but am only now just getting around to getting to share my feelings about it. It wasn't as strong as the first arc, but I still found it thoroughly enjoyable and really liked the implications it had for Kitty's character development, especially as she learns to trust their students. I really, really loved issue #13 for that reason (and little Kitty is just cute too <3)
Unsurprisingly, though, my favorite aspect of this run was Emma's character development. Ewing really recognizes the multitudes that are Emma's character, and I feel like those multitudes really get a chance to shine in this particular run. In my opinion, the changes she undergoes are ones that Emma's character has really needed, and I think it's just such a good reflection on what Emma truly wants for herself and, by extension, mutant kind to some extent? Either way, I certainly hope it's not forgotten by future writers, especially in the new upcoming era.
(And also, I would love love love to see Exceptional X-Men continued into the new era, but unfortunately, it wasn't announced :^// which is a real shame.)
However, I was tickled when Ewing had Emma of all people saying "Heavens, no!" Definitely a new favorite Emma panel.
[Marvel] The moments between Emma and Kitty in Excpetional X-Men #9 were absolutely delightful.
First we've got the chin touch, which is, of course, an instant classic.
(Which, I do love that Emma still refers to Kitty as Katherine, which is a lovely nudge to Marauders and the relationship they built and had together there. Ewing could have easily just had Emma call her Kitty and we wouldn't have really thought much of it, especially with how much her name has bounced around in recent years, but Ewing specifically intended for Emma to refer to her as Katherine, not Kitty.)
But I especially love this moment, which I showed my dear friend @odd-cats and they said "why are they playing gay chicken and losing," which made me laugh. It's not wrong!
(Though it's a fun moment too because Kitty is very clearly "thinking" and speaking directly to the audience in that delightful way that Ewing has all the characters do, but I love that Emma can not only hear it, but she engages with it! She answers Kitty directly! Which is such a delectable little tidbit when you think about it, especially in light of their ever evolving relationship. Of course, it still is a coy, teasing Emma quip and moment, but it also subtly validates their dynamic and subsequent relationship. They're a team!)
[Marvel] Also, I have to confess something. I know I need to pick up reading Krakoa Era X-Men again because I know it's so very important for current X-Men context, but I'm also lowkey... dreading it...
Just because there's soooo many titles and the reading guides are so very long and have you jumping from series to series, and there's just. So. Much. And like most things, I know some of it is just bound to be unentertaining or something I like to call Dumb Superhero Shit, which is what I call series with plots that are just kind of mind-numbingly stupid or boring. I just know it's going to happen, I just know it...
I've always kinda hated jumping around a bunch of different titles to piece together one coherent story, and while I'm willing to put up with it to some extent, Krakoa just seems like a whole other beast. Nor do I care that much for Big Events that aren't incredibly plot relevant (like, I'm sorry, but I just do not care about some random sword tournament or Wolverine having multiple lives and going off doing lord knows what.)
I suppose I would rather just pick up titles that sounded interesting and that be enough, which is kinda what I've done, but alas... Everything in Krakoa bleeds into everything else that is Krakoa...
That being said, I'm sure I will eventually stop being a baby about this and pick it back up again. Do any of y'all have series that you liked in Krakoa that shouldn't be missed?
