Polite Dissent

New Excalibur #17 “Fallen Friend, part 2”
Chris Claremont, writer
Scot Eaton, penciler

As the issue starts, Talia (Nocture) can barely move her right limbs. In addition, she is having trouble remembering her teammate’s names, as well as difficulty speaking and understanding what others are saying.

(I think the listening and speaking difficulties are supposed to be aphasia — damage to language center in the brain– but it wasn’t made entirely clear by the script. She could also be having some dysarthria — trouble controlling the speaking muscles.)

Within the first couple of days after the stroke, Talia’s memory and communication problems have cleared up, but she is still struggling with right hemiparesis (weakness of the muscles of her right side) at the end of the issue.

Medically, this is a good representation. As the issue begins, Talia has two things going wrong within the brain. The first is the damage from the stroke itself. This damage is responsible for the right hemiparesis. With time and aggressive therapy and rehabilitation, these symptoms can sometimes improve. Frankly, complete recovery from a stroke is rare and the majority of patients who suffer strokes will continue to show symptoms for the rest of their life.

Talia also has swelling and inflammation of the brain. This can be seen after some strokes, particularly hemorrhagic strokes (which is what I speculated she suffered). It is this inflammation that is causing her aphasia and memory problems. As the swelling and inflammation resolve — usually in the first couple of days after the stroke — those problems should improve.

What strikes me the most with this storyline is the clear parallel between Talia and the writer, Chris Claremont. Last year he suffered a serious heart problem that required significant rest and rehabilitation. And now in his first story back, the focus is a character who suffers a debilitating cardiovascular disease that also requires extensive rest and rehabilitation. While Claremont’s was a heart problem and Talia suffered a stroke, they are related diseases with similar causes. I don’t think it’s a wish fulfillment or a Mary Sue situation, but just Claremont bringing some of his own recent experiences into the comic. It will be interesting to see how the storyline progresses (and if it is ever explained why Talia suffered the stroke).