Rahne Sinclair.com - Wolfsbane of the New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, and New X-Men

Interview with Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir Hello Paragons, Goodbye Rahne?
20Apr05

Click images to enlarge.

Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir have long been working towards maturing Rahne Sinclair through a series of events, some of which have garnished mixed feedback since they took over the character in New Mutants (v.2) #9. One point of distress has been her secret relationship with student Josh (Elixir) Foley. Today in New X-Men #12 it all hits the fan as the relationship becomes public!

The issue also features the debut of the Paragons, Rahne's squad of students. But with Rahne exiling herself from Xavier's Institute, has a beautiful thing ended before it even got off the ground?

RahneFan: The Paragons, Rahne's squad of students, were revealed in New X-Men #12 today. Had you always intended to give Rahne her own squad?

Christina Weir: Yes. It was always intended for Rahne to have a squad. Her journey was to become a teacher. And sadly, just when she discovered she could be good at it, well... that didn't work out so well.

RahneFan: The kids look like Rahne spit them right out of her mouth. Were they chosen specifically for her, or did she simply fill the slot as their teacher?

Nunzio DeFilippis: Funny, we certainly didn't consciously call for the kids to be little aspects of Rahne. But now that you mention it, it does work out rather nicely. We're gonna claim subconscious credit for that, okay?

RahneFan: Can you say something about each Paragon please?

CW: Nicholas Gleason has been an often requested character and often requested in regards to Rahne. He was chosen as a definite mini-Rahne. Megan (the butterfly girl) is a design of Michael Ryan's who just jumped off the page at us. She has a definite innocence about her that reminds of Rahne of the old days. Jessie, the precog, was another design of Michael's that we really dug. She's got a tough exterior and a jadedness about her that we thought would be fun to play with. Hope and DJ were two other Michael Ryan kids. We pretty much picked them because they looked cool and we haven't had a whole lot of chances to flesh them out yet. Hope is an astral projector and DJ controls music. The sixth member of the Paragons is Ben, the flame-headed boy. He's a Carlo Barberi creation. We've always liked him and were looking for a squad to put him on.

RahneFan: Now that Rahne's relationship with student Josh has been revealed, can you tell us if that last breakup was really going to stick? What do Rahne and Josh feel for each other now?

CW: Yeah, this breakup is permanent. And as you can see, Josh had moved on with Laurie. We always saw it that Josh and Rahne genuinely liked each other. He was there for her when no one else seemed to be able to reach her and that created a strong bond. Plus the fact that he gave Rahne her powers back... well, that also strengthened the bond. But despite a small age difference, they are worlds apart. Rahne has seen and done so many things in her life and now she's entered a new phase. So she wants Josh to be with someone his own age that he can really relate to and be happy with. And Josh genuinely likes Laurie. So in the end, it was good that Josh and Laurie ended up together. And it was good that Rahne got her own squad. And well, don't you wish past mistakes didn't come back to haunt you?

RahneFan: Would you say that the reaction of the other faculty will be as forgiving as it has been of other relationships with some age difference (Kitty at 13 with Peter, Paige at 19 with Warren), or does Rahne now bear the mantle of Mary Kay Letourneau?

ND: Well, those other two relationships, from my point of view were infinitely more problematic. Kitty was 13 after all. And the age difference between Paige and Warren was a LOT. Plus the Warren-Paige thing forced a rapid aging on Paige that screwed the whole Marvel timeline. But, all that being said, the Rahne-Josh thing will have the direst consequences because of one fact and one fact alone. Rahne was a teacher at a school where Josh was a student. Yes, she was a teaching assistant, but she was a TA in a class Josh was taking. This is hugely problematic. It can be viewed as an abuse of the authority she had. Now, we wrote it to be a genuine bond, and one that pre-dated her job (albeit by a month or so). But the school (and thus the X-Men) has to respond more severely here.

RahneFan: Can you say at this point how long Rahne will be gone, or if she'll be coming back at all? And in the meantime, who will be watching over the Paragons?

CW: But that would be telling. This isn't the last we've seen of Rahne, but I won't be the one to spoil the final outcome. As for watching over the Paragons, Shan will step in temporarily.

RahneFan: Will Rahne continue to work with Jamie Madrox?

ND: That's where we sent her off to. And as Christina said, we haven't seen the last of her - when we do see her again, that's where she'll be. Now, if we try to bring her back to the school (and there's no way I'm telling you how this all works out just yet), then there's the same issue that's always been there. Peter has plans for Madrox, and Rahne is a part of those plans. Having two books in two different cities can be tricky. Something may have to give (beyond the current job status in our book, that is)!

RahneFan: There's more to this story than you can let on right now, isn't there?

CW: Yup. :)

RahneFan: In the House of M Sketchbook preview, it looks like the original New Mutants are leaping down from the sky, and the front figure, Danielle, seems to be the same age as in current continuity. Will Rahne and the others be reforming the team?

ND: It's hard to answer that without giving major spoilers on what House Of M is going to be about. And that's one story we won't be the ones to spoil. I will say a couple of things, however. 1) The image people are seeing is from New X-Men's House Of M storyline. 2) There are people on that cover who are being seen as original New Mutants who are not the characters the fans are seeing - Sofia, Noriko and Julian are on that cover. 3) In House Of M, anything is possible. And I mean ANYTHING.

RahneFan: Thank you very much.

ND & CW: Anytime.

Explicit - a very special thank you to Nunzio and Christina again for letting me name the Paragons! I'm not worthy. Giddy, but not worthy.

Errors, omissions, and updates may be sent to RahneFan.


History Profile Name Friends Loves Enemies Creators FanFics FanArt Fan Sites Games Desktops Checklist Trading Cards Figures X-Men: Evolution X-Movies	Hello Paragons, Goodbye Rahne? 20Apr05 Click images to enlarge. Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir have long been working towards maturing Rahne Sinclair through a series of events, some of which have garnished mixed feedback since they took over the character in New Mutants (v.2) #9. One point of distress has been her secret relationship with student Josh (Elixir) Foley. Today in New X-Men #12 it all hits the fan as the relationship becomes public! The issue also features the debut of the Paragons, Rahne's squad of students. But with Rahne exiling herself from Xavier's Institute, has a beautiful thing ended before it even got off the ground? RahneFan: The Paragons, Rahne's squad of students, were revealed in New X-Men #12 today. Had you always intended to give Rahne her own squad? Christina Weir: Yes. It was always intended for Rahne to have a squad. Her journey was to become a teacher. And sadly, just when she discovered she could be good at it, well... that didn't work out so well. RahneFan: The kids look like Rahne spit them right out of her mouth. Were they chosen specifically for her, or did she simply fill the slot as their teacher? Nunzio DeFilippis: Funny, we certainly didn't consciously call for the kids to be little aspects of Rahne. But now that you mention it, it does work out rather nicely. We're gonna claim subconscious credit for that, okay? RahneFan: Can you say something about each Paragon please? CW: Nicholas Gleason has been an often requested character and often requested in regards to Rahne. He was chosen as a definite mini-Rahne. Megan (the butterfly girl) is a design of Michael Ryan's who just jumped off the page at us. She has a definite innocence about her that reminds of Rahne of the old days. Jessie, the precog, was another design of Michael's that we really dug. She's got a tough exterior and a jadedness about her that we thought would be fun to play with. Hope and DJ were two other Michael Ryan kids. We pretty much picked them because they looked cool and we haven't had a whole lot of chances to flesh them out yet. Hope is an astral projector and DJ controls music. The sixth member of the Paragons is Ben, the flame-headed boy. He's a Carlo Barberi creation. We've always liked him and were looking for a squad to put him on. RahneFan: Now that Rahne's relationship with student Josh has been revealed, can you tell us if that last breakup was really going to stick? What do Rahne and Josh feel for each other now? CW: Yeah, this breakup is permanent. And as you can see, Josh had moved on with Laurie. We always saw it that Josh and Rahne genuinely liked each other. He was there for her when no one else seemed to be able to reach her and that created a strong bond. Plus the fact that he gave Rahne her powers back... well, that also strengthened the bond. But despite a small age difference, they are worlds apart. Rahne has seen and done so many things in her life and now she's entered a new phase. So she wants Josh to be with someone his own age that he can really relate to and be happy with. And Josh genuinely likes Laurie. So in the end, it was good that Josh and Laurie ended up together. And it was good that Rahne got her own squad. And well, don't you wish past mistakes didn't come back to haunt you? RahneFan: Would you say that the reaction of the other faculty will be as forgiving as it has been of other relationships with some age difference (Kitty at 13 with Peter, Paige at 19 with Warren), or does Rahne now bear the mantle of Mary Kay Letourneau? ND: Well, those other two relationships, from my point of view were infinitely more problematic. Kitty was 13 after all. And the age difference between Paige and Warren was a LOT. Plus the Warren-Paige thing forced a rapid aging on Paige that screwed the whole Marvel timeline. But, all that being said, the Rahne-Josh thing will have the direst consequences because of one fact and one fact alone. Rahne was a teacher at a school where Josh was a student. Yes, she was a teaching assistant, but she was a TA in a class Josh was taking. This is hugely problematic. It can be viewed as an abuse of the authority she had. Now, we wrote it to be a genuine bond, and one that pre-dated her job (albeit by a month or so). But the school (and thus the X-Men) has to respond more severely here. RahneFan: Can you say at this point how long Rahne will be gone, or if she'll be coming back at all? And in the meantime, who will be watching over the Paragons? CW: But that would be telling. This isn't the last we've seen of Rahne, but I won't be the one to spoil the final outcome. As for watching over the Paragons, Shan will step in temporarily. RahneFan: Will Rahne continue to work with Jamie Madrox? ND: That's where we sent her off to. And as Christina said, we haven't seen the last of her - when we do see her again, that's where she'll be. Now, if we try to bring her back to the school (and there's no way I'm telling you how this all works out just yet), then there's the same issue that's always been there. Peter has plans for Madrox, and Rahne is a part of those plans. Having two books in two different cities can be tricky. Something may have to give (beyond the current job status in our book, that is)! RahneFan: There's more to this story than you can let on right now, isn't there? CW: Yup. :) RahneFan: In the House of M Sketchbook preview, it looks like the original New Mutants are leaping down from the sky, and the front figure, Danielle, seems to be the same age as in current continuity. Will Rahne and the others be reforming the team? ND: It's hard to answer that without giving major spoilers on what House Of M is going to be about. And that's one story we won't be the ones to spoil. I will say a couple of things, however. 1) The image people are seeing is from New X-Men's House Of M storyline. 2) There are people on that cover who are being seen as original New Mutants who are not the characters the fans are seeing - Sofia, Noriko and Julian are on that cover. 3) In House Of M, anything is possible. And I mean ANYTHING. RahneFan: Thank you very much. ND & CW: Anytime. Explicit - a very special thank you to Nunzio and Christina again for letting me name the Paragons! I'm not worthy. Giddy, but not worthy. Errors, omissions, and updates may be sent to RahneFan.	Adams Barberi Blevins Buscema Chang Grant Jones Liefeld McLeod Middleton Ryan Sienkiewicz Sook Stroman Other Artists --- Alternates Avatars Team Portraits Classic Scenes Site Splashes