Polite Dissent

Mutopia X #5
David Hines, writer
Lan Medina, penciler

Chamayra Ortega, daughter of police detective Ismael Ortega, was accidentally shot by an anti-mutant terrorist in the previous issue. She has been rushed to the nearest hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Doctor #1: The x-rays show severe trauma to the stomach and lungs.

While x-rays are best for bones, they can certainly show lung trauma including pneumothorax (a collapsed lung) and hemothorax (bleeding around the lung). The x-ray wouldn’t show much in the way of detail or specifics, but it would be enough to know that something is wrong.

Stomachs, on the other hand, do not show up well on plain x-rays. The stomach can be successfully x-rayed if some sort of oral contrast — such as barium — is used, but that’s not an option in a trauma scenario.

Doctor #2: We don’t have time for a full CT Scan.

That’s debatable. Her blood pressure is stable and she’s receiving a transfusion, so there would probably be sufficient time to obtain a CT as they’re fairly quick. It’s definitely the surgeon’s call, however; so I’ll leave it up to him.

Nitpicks:

• the blood pressure cuff is too low…it’sover the elbow.
• If she has impaired breathing, she should be intubated and not on a face mask.
• The way her gown is arranged, there is no way the doctors can examine the wound
• That x-ray is way too small for a child her size, and a strange view as well.

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I’m confused about why the doctor was so surprised when he operated on Chamayra and found evidence of gunshot trauma. She was shot just the previous issue.

I suspect that Hine is suggesting that the doctor found evidence of her original wound –when she was accidentally shot by her brother in one of the later issues of District X instead of the wound from when she was shot in Mutopia X #4, but the writing is not very clear on that point.

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That has got to be the ugliest cover ever for any comic. Why would that induce anyone to buy the comic?
“Oh look a rotting and worm infested apple — I have to read that book!”