New Mutants #9: "Arena"

Summary
The Legionnaires march the New Mutants through a tunnel to reveal Nova Roma, the legendary Roman city we heard about last issue.  The city is nestled in a cloud-covered valley.  A half-naked Sam exposits the clouds hide the valley from flights and the tunnel is the only entry into the valley.  When Rahne expresses regret Bobby's mother isn't there to see it, Bobby notes she might be injured "...or worse."  Bobby (not unreasonably) wonders why they're allowing the Legionnaires to march them into the city, instead of defeating them and searching for his mother.  Dani responds they're not in any shape to fight.  (Really?  They can defeat two Sentinels, but they can't take down five spear-wielding Legionnaires?)  She notes the Legionnaires (somehow) speak English and expresses hope they know where Bobby's mother is.  However, Amara whispers to Sam (who's carrying her) that they shouldn't resist the Legionnaires as "much more [is] at stake than [their] lives."  Sam expresses surprise she's conscious, accusing her of playing possum, and she tells him she's trying to blend with his party; if he betrays her, she's doomed.

Dani's hopes are dashed when a Legionnaire throws them into a cell, telling them their fates will be determined the next day.  Dani asks Rahne to check for eavesdroppers via the space under the door, and she confirms they're alone (and that the place smells).  Bobby demands answers from Amara, and she introduces herself as Amara Juliana Olivia Aquila, the daughter of Lucius Antonius Aquila, the first senator of Nova Roma.  She apologizes to Bobby about his mother and prays she's alive.  But, when Bobby asks if she could be in the city, Amara responds she'd likely be in the dungeon with them if she were.  Sam tries to comfort Bobby, but he asks to be left with his rage.  Meanwhile, Dani seems a little perturbed by Amara's brown-face act, and she asks why she's so scared if she's a Senator's daughter.  Amara exposits that much of the city is descended from Incans who fled there during the Spanish conquest.  She claims the Incans seek to overthrow the Nova Roman republic and replace it with an Incan absolute monarchy, as they are accustomed to having.  Amara is part of the opposition to that group.  If her "activities" are revealed, it could damage her father politically.  Bobby asks why they were following his expedition, and Amara says it's because of their general wariness of strangers.  She stresses Nova Roma has existed for so long because of its isolation.

Amara sits in the corner while the New Mutants confer, with Rahne saying she doesn't trust her and Bobby agreeing.  However, Sam defends her, saying she might be too scared to reveal the whole truth to them.  Rahne doesn't disagree, but she stresses Amara is, in fact, holding back the "whole truth" because she can sense it.  Dani wishes that Professor X were there or that she were a telepath when she suddenly pulls Amara's greatest fear from her mind, of a woman in a robe throwing her into a pit of flames.  Sam screams at Dani for scaring Amara silly, and Dani stammers that she didn't mean to do so.  Amara murmurs to herself about the "black priestess" and her "pit of fire" where so many have died.  Sam decides it's time for them to blow the joint and starts charging up his power.  But, Dani (uncharacteristically) counsels caution, because they need more information before they can act.  Bobby stops Sam, telling him his power is unfocused.  Instead, Bobby uses his powers to break the door.  Amara warns him not to do so, but she's too late, as the door shatters and poisoned darts hit the kids, paralyzing them and knocking them unconscious.

At the Senatorial baths, the statuesque Marcus Domitius Gallio enters.  The more rotund Senator Aquila calls for him from where he's getting a massage, and Gallio tries to rush past him, stating urgent state business as the cause.  Aquila asks if it's about the captured outlanders, and Gallio's Legionnaire escort expresses surprise Aquila already has the information.  Aquila mentions they're children, and Gallio compliments him for his spy network.  Aquila asks his intentions, and Gallio reminds him the law is clear and makes no provision for age:  the boys will go to the arena and, if they survive, they will become slaves.  Aquila announces his approval.  After Gallio leaves, Aquila exposits that Gallio would prefer him in the arena, since he's the only thing between Gallio and his ambition.  He darkly notes he's willing to sacrifice children to stop him.

In his villa, Gallio is in full rant when his wife Selene (!) enters.  He tells her about the children, noting he would be invincible if he could press them and their abilities into his service.  He blames Aquila for forcing him to send them into the arena instead, and Selene offers to off Aquila.  Gallio refuses, saying his death will come from his hand not her "black arts."  Selene tells him one day her black arts will save him.  At that, she leads Gallio into the catacombs under their villa, telling him she has other ways of helping him if he won't let her use her black arts.  She causes a blank wall to transform into a door and leads him to Castro, the guy who attacked the kids on the boat last issue. Castro tells them that his "great lord" wants to exploit the "natural wealth" of the land.  He proposes an alliance:  Gallio will give Emanuel da Costa mining rights, and Emanuel will give Gallio weapons.  Intrigued, Gallio has Selene free Castro from his prison so they can talk in a more civilized setting.

Meanwhile, in the house where the female slaves are kept, the other slaves give the girls baths.  Rahne complains her hair never grows longer than it is and envies Dani's hair, though Dani warns her about tangles.  They splash water at each other, and one of the other slaves gives them wine.  Amara warns Dani it's drugged, but she doesn't listen, and soon Dani and Rahne are incoherent, wondering if Professor X would punish them for being "naughty girls."  Behind the scenes, the slave who administered the wine tells Melantha, the woman who seems to run the house, that she gave the girls an extra dose of the drug.  Melantha tells her to administer another dose at breakfast so they'll be right there cheering with the crowds as their "companions" are forced to fight to the death.  Amara is unable to do anything, as she's panicked she'll be discovered.  As she creeps through the halls later that night, she exposits that her father sent her from Nova Roma while he tried to ascertain the identity of the "black priestess."  Amara is amazed at how brave and unafraid the New Mutants are, because she's scared half to death.  Confident her father will protect her, she tries to wake up Dani and Rahne to no avail.  (She also warns them that they'll spend their lives in the fields as slaves and they better hope their master doesn't find them attractive.)  Pleased her sip of wine didn't leave her drugged, Amara tries to escape but suddenly feels dizzy and weak, a feeling she's previously had.  She thinks no one's heard her, but she suddenly comes face-to-face with Selene, who pledges to make us of her, gift of the gods that she is.

Beneath the circus, Bobby and Sam have been stripped to loincloths and are hanging from chains attached to the wall.  Bobby laments not being able to use his powers.  One of the shirtless gladiators sparring in front of them exposits that it's because of a drug that makes them weaker, keeping them from causing mischief before the games.  Bobby asks what happens then, and the gladiator takes his chin and tells him he fights.  If he survives, he'll become a slave, though the gladiator's sparring partner says, if he's lucky, he might get a chance to become a citizen one day.  Sam notes it's hardly a fair fight if he's drugged, but the original gladiator laughs, telling him they'll be ready after the "lanista" has finished his work.  Later, the circus is completely filled and Gallio arrives, accompanied by Selene as well as Dani and Rahne dressed as princesses.  But, they're still drugged, believing themselves to be in a dream.  Under the circus, Bobby and Sam have been dressed in slightly less skimpy outfits; at least now they've got chest plates.  Two gladiators restrain them as the lanista pours drugged wine down their throats.  The lanista informs Sam they'll be consumed by an "irresistible berserker fury" in a few moments to compensate for their lack of skill.  They'll only stop fighting if they're maimed, killed, or victorious.  Sam encourages Bobby to resist the drug, telling him they're not killers, but Bobby tells him to speak for himself.  He activates his powers, saying he'll prove right all the people who called him a monster, and takes out two gladiators.  People in the stands start wagering on him as Sam realizes the lanista and his cronies didn't realize they have powers and worries they could inadvertently flatten the place in a rage.  He figures they deserve it for making them slaves and realizes the drugs are affecting him.  Seeing the girls enjoying the show, Sam decides to give them one, destroying a Mad Max-esque tank coming his way.  The boys show little care when some of the gladiators are trampled as the horses pulling the tank run free.

Bobby notices a chariot coming his way and decides to duck under it, despite his powers not giving him invulnerability.  The crowd cheers and gasps (including Dani and Rahne) as they think he's trampled, but he appears on the other side and hurls the chariot into the air.  Meanwhile, Sam takes out the other tank, but slams into Bobby in the process.  Gaius whispers to Gallio that he's concerned the "barbarians" could turn against the crowd, but Gallio assures him he's got the situation in check with his 60+ archers on standby.  Bobby is enraged at Sam hitting him, recalling how Sam struck him from behind when they met in "Marvel Graphic Novel" #4.  Sam asks if he wants to make something of it, and the two slam into each other, knocking themselves for a loop.  Depowered by the shock, they start fighting with their bare hands, with Rahne egging on her "love," Sam.  Sam has the edge as he's bigger than Bobby, but Bobby begins to regain his powers and starts to win, prompting Rahne to try to save him.  Gallio's guards try to restrain her, but she transforms into a wolf.  Something about the activation of her psychic connection with Rahne in her wolf form awakens Dani, and she summons an image of the Professor to bring the other three to their senses.  (She says it's the first time she's ever summoned a specific spirit form.)  Noting that she would've loved to have the Professor on had to see her big moment, she also thinks they probably need his help.  She rushes to her friends as Sam apologizes for what he said and did.  Bobby tells him to worry about it later as the natives are looking restless (and then hurriedly apologizes).  The crowd dismisses them as demons and calls for the archers to open fire.  However, Gallio announces their most ancient prophesy has come true:  Rahne's short hair marks her as a descendant of Gaius Julius Caesar and her wolf form means she's descended from the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome!  He declares the children as immortal gods and bestows upon them the laurel wreath of triumph.  Dani express hope that means their OK, but Sam says he'll believe it when he sees it.

The Review
This issue kicks of the pretty great Nova Roma saga.  I have mostly minor quibbles here:

- It took me a minute to realize Sam put the red shirt he was wearing last issue around Amara, which explains how she's no longer dressed in a bikini while he's so scantily dressed he looks like he's going to perform in some sort of gay-for-pay video to feed his family.  Conversely, it also looks like Amara had some time to get a blowout at a dry bar off-panel.  At the very least, she seemed to find some gold hoop earrings on the way to Nova Roma.

- I mention Sam's state of dress because it continues a theme of how sexualized the stories Claremont tells are.  Amara implies Dani and Rahne could become sex slaves if their eventual master takes a liking to him, and the sweaty shirtless gladiator grabbing Bobby by the chin certain carried an air of sexual menace with it.  It's pretty hard to believe this sort of stuff got past the Code at the time.

- Rahne commenting to Bobby "If only yuir mother could be with us t' see" when they enter Nova Roma seems...harsh, given he's had about 15 minutes or so to react to her death.

- How exactly do the Legionnaires speak English?  According to Wikipedia, "old English" didn't even come into existence until the 5th century A.D.

- It's taken me several readings, and I'm still not sure what Amara's "activities" with the Incans were.  I think she joined them as a spy, so she could report their activities to her father.  But, in issue #8, one of the Incans called her Lady Amara.  Were they part of the pro-republican Incan faction that opposes the other pro-monarch Incan faction?

- That said, Claremont does a good job of switching perspectives in the issue.  When we first meet Aquila, he seems a fat cat trying to maintain his power against noble Gallio.  But, then Claremont reveals Aquila is actually the one trying to hold the line against Gallio's corruption.

- The twist with Rahne is super clever, from the idea that her short hair is similar to Caesar's to the connection to the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus angle.  I wonder if Claremont saw that connection first and created Nova Roma around it.  Moreover, it gets Gallio access to the children, denying Aquila's plans to have them shipped into the field and far from his influence.