Team » X-Men appears in 13417 issues.
@oldnightcrawler: I've never heard of the Classic X-Men reprints, was wondering if they are more than just reprints and if they are worth reading.
The Classic X-Men series that ran from 1986-1990 is more than just reprints. It reprints the issues from the late 70's up until the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga, but each issue (except for one?) also has an original 11 page backup story by Claremont, set generally during the same period as the issue being reprinted. There's even a few that don't have titles and just seem like Claremont adding an extra 11 pages to the original stories. They're pretty cool additions to the story, and in most cases really help humanize and add depth to both the main characters and especially the supporting characters. And their a bit darker.. more like how the books got in the 80's (which I guess was also when he was making these additions).I'd recommend reading them over any other reprints of the 70's stuff, personally.
(It's these Classic X-men backup stories I've been doing write-ups of in this thread, if you're curious)..
now, that's not to be confused withX-Men Classic, that ran from 1990-1995. That series picks up where CXM left off, but since it starts around when Claremont left, it didn't have any backup stories at all. It's actually the series that made me love the X-men in the first place, reprinting the stories from the early 80's, but without any extra stories, getting reprints of the original books in trades would probably be better.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #107
Release Date- October 1977
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Dave Cockrum
Major Notes
First appearance of the Imperial Guard and Starjammers
Brief Summary
Where No X-Man Has Gone Before
The X-Men exit through the star gate and are confronted by a team of super beings in front of a giant pink crystal. The team are surprised to hear when the others speak English and when asked to state their business Cyclops states that they are here for Lilandra and Erik The Red. The other team are known as the Imperial Guard and their leader a being known as Gladiator tells the X-Men that Lilandra is a traitor to the Empire and they will not give her up. This causes the two teams to engage in combat.
Jean is still weak from powering the star gate and for the time being will be of no use to the fight. An Imperial Guard named Hobgoblin uses his shapeshifting powers to turn into a giant beast. Nightcrawler sees a way to tackle him and using his image inducer turns into an even bigger version of the beast. Despite the fact that Nightcrawler’s image is for show hobgoblin believes it to be real and transforms back to normal. Nightcrawler takes the opportunity to knock him out.
Meanwhile Wolverine is tackling four Imperial Guards at once. He has the upper hand but he is blasted in the back by a being called Starbolt but it only really causes Wolverine’s clothes to burn off. A being called Oracle laughs thinking that Wolverine has been taken down a peg but the mutant responds by grabbing her and throwing her into Starbolt. He then turns his attentions to another Imperial Guard member named Fang.
Meanwhile a short distance away Lilandra is being held by her brother D’Ken and Erik the Red where she is sentenced to die. Suddenly a creature called the Soul Eater appears and Lilandra cries out in terror and pleas for mercy from her mad brother. Her cries are heard by Cyclops outside and he asks Jean to help Lilandra. But she is still too weak but Nightcrawler teleports inside to help her.
Nightcrawler reappears right next to Lilandra who is terrified of the Soul Eater in front of her. She is too scared to move but Nightcrawler is able to break her chains thus freeing her. D’Ken sees what is happening and orders Nightcrawler’s death. But Lilandra is still too scared to move and Nightcrawler has to resort to teleporting them both away just before the Soul Eater strikes them.
When Nightcrawler reappears by the X-Men with Lilandra and he is greatly weakened by the effort. Cyclops asks Lilandra exactly what is going on and she explains that her brother the Emperor D’Ken discovered the existence of an item of great power called the M’Krann crystal that he wished to possess and use its power. Lilandra caught wind of his plans and started a rebellion to stop her brother, unfortunately it is crushed and she is forced to flee in a scoutbug ship. While she is fleeing the starcrafts she picks up the image of Professor Xavier in her minds and tries to establish contact with him. Unfortunately this is picked up by D’Ken’s telepaths and he commands his agent on Earth Erik the Red to destroy Xavier but first he had to go through the X-Men. All his plans to destroy the X-Men failed but with Fire Lord’s intervention he was able to kidnap Lilandra and take her to this place. She explains that when these nine certain stars are aligned in a certain way that the power of the M’Krann crystal reveals itself.
But when she finishes her explanation Gladiator appears intending to take Lilandra back to her brother. But besides them the battle continues and Wolverine has stolen the clothes of Fang and attacks several Imperial Guards. But as Cyclops tries to defend Lilandra he is stopped by a being called Impulse. His abilities are identical to Cyclops’s and they blast each other but all that is left is two unconscious bodies.
All seems lost as Gladiator has Lilandra. She tries to tell him that D’Ken’s plan will destroy them all but before he can properly respond he is suddenly attacked. The culprits are a team of space pirates calling themselves the Starjammers who are led by a human named Corsair. Other members include a reptile like brute named Ch’od, a humanoid cat named Hepzibah and a Cyborg named Raza. With their help the X-Men are able to turn the tide of the battle in their favour and defeat the Imperial Guard.
After the dust has settled Corsair introduces himself to Cyclops and Jean is able to pick up that he is human and with his accent is an American. She quickly scans his mind and discovers something that truly shocks her.
But before anyone else can truly do anything they see D’Ken standing next to the huge M’Krann crystal. He states that they have all failed as the stars align as a blue white beam shoots down into the crystal releasing its power.
The effects are felt on Earth as Doctor Peter Corbeau at Starcode registers what has happens and reports his findings to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. They know that if the blips that they are reading continue that it could destroy the universe.
My Thoughts
Well this is the epic battle that people have been waiting to see (In 1977 of course), having to wait an extra couple of months thanks to that interlude issue. This story didn’t fail to deliver as we had great action along with a great story unlike many action films that we see nowadays.
The art of issue was once again top notch and just shows the talent of the late Dave Cockrum. He truly had us believing that we were witnessing a battle taking place in another world. To be able to draw that much action and keep consistency is something that is very difficult for any artist and Cockrum did an impressive job. His scenes during the story building parts was also fantastic and made you believe that they were happening (And thanks for the fantastic script by Claremont of course.)
The events of the last few issues practically starting from just after the death of Thunderbird leads to this battle. It is not like we’re suddenly just thrown into it without much explanation, we are given a solid story beforehand it makes the battle that much more enjoyable for readers and the cliff hanger is all that we need to make us want to pick up the next issue.
The Imperial Guard are introduced in this issue and they’re like the bodyguards of the Emperor of the Shi’ar Empire. Their leader Gladiator really reminds me of Superman with his powers and I have no doubts that he was the inspiration behind the character, he even has a cape and a symbol on his chest. But thankfully we haven’t seen a Superman with a Mohican yet so that is one thing we can definitely leave out.
Also stated by the character this is the first time that Nightcrawler has teleported someone along with himself and as shown it was a great strain on him. In the future we will see him perform such feats with minimal effort but this shows that his powers are not yet at their peak and that he has some ways to go yet.
I am surprised to see that they used the words Death Star and remember that this comic came out only a few months after the release of the first Star Wars film but I’m not sure if the timing is too soon to have any effect on each other (Much like the introduction of the X-Men and DC’s Doom Patrol or the British and American Dennis The Menace).
Also we see exactly how mad D’Ken is in this issue and it removes the factor that it might be just sibling rivalry. Also one thing in this comic that reminded me a bit of the Judge Dredd series is that Erik The Red’s face was purposely shadowed so that you couldn’t see it. That shrouds the character in some mystery since the reader doesn’t know what he looks like underneath and it is the same for Judge Dredd and Magneto. For Magneto it was 6 years after his introduction until we finally saw what he looked like under the helmet.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10 for its well-balanced story and fight scenes as well as the cliff hangar.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #108
@hysteria: Gladiator was the only character that reminded you of a DC character in this issue??
Yeah I've just found out that the Imperial Guard is based on the Legion Of Superheroes. I'm surprised that I missed that one.
yeah, when I first read stories with them I didn't really know who the LoS was, so I just thought they were random aliens with generic superpowers.
anyway..
Issue information:
Classic X-Men #14 - What Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of...
Release date: October, 1987
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #107 - Where No X-Man Has Gone Before (October, 1977).
Story Summary:
What Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of...
Lilandra has been taken prisoner by agents of her brother, the mad Emporor of the Shi'ar, D'Ken. Charging her with treason, D'ken's holographic avatar offers her an ultimatum: swear fealty to him and be mercifully exiled, or be executed by his agents where she stands.
Lilandra claims death would be better than life in a galaxy ruled by D'Ken. They speak of an ultimate power that Lilandra has discovered that he thinks will allow him to rule the universe, but before Lilandra is executed, the ship she's being held on is attacked by loyalists to her crown, in a desperate gamble to rescue her.
Knowing her friends were lucky to have the element of surprise, but that they are hopelessly out-gunned, she inflicts further damage to the ship to buy them time as she escapes in a small shuttle. Making contact with her friends, they arrange for a rendezvous.
Suddenly Lilandra is overwhelmed by an intense psionic flash, flooding her mind with the totality of another being, an alien of a species she's never heard of named Charles Xavier. So complete was the transfer of is perspective that both of their minds seem to be existing in her body, both equally confused about who they really are and how alien everything seems.
Outside the window, Lilandra sees the body of her friend floating dead in space, but perceives him also as an alien being whom she's never met. Her legs stop working, and she/Xavier gets herself to the shuttle's medical unit to try to understand what's happening to them. As the two perspectives in her head separate themselves, both seem to understand what's happened, and Lilandra finds herself for the first time in love with this alien creature she's never met.
As her legs come back under her control, she goes to find out how long she lost consciousness for during the psionic flash, and finally realizes that the small fleet that had come to her rescue her have sacrificed their lives for her.
She feels completely alone and defeated, but with no other options she makes a desperate decision to flee to Earth, the home of her new soul-mate, and ask for the help of him and his X-men in saving the universe.
My thoughts:
This is a pretty great story. While the family politics of Lilandra and D'Ken are kind of cheesy and dull, they do serve the plot well enough. But it's the story of Lilandra and Xavier first experiencing each other in the same mind that makes this story really interesting.
As strangely believable as it is fantastic, Claremont does a great job here of showing what made the romance between Xavier and Lilandra one of the most singular love stories in all of fiction.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #108
Release Date- December 1977
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
First issue to feature art by John Byrne
Brief Summary
Armageddon Now!
The X-Men and the Starjammers stare as the M’Krann Crystal beams several rays of light into the sky. At first they are not sure what is happening but, some even consider retreating but Lilandra tells them that there is no where they can hide from the power of the crystal. The other X-Men begin to demand that Cyclops tells them what Lilandra had told them. As requested Cyclops begins to explain everything that he has been told about the crystal and the events leading up to this event.
Back on Earth at Starcode Doctor Peter Corbeau is speaking to the US President, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four all at the same time through a communication server. He explains to them how the very fabric of reality is beginning to break down and that soon the entire universe will cease to exist. With the Avengers Wasp is distressed that the universe might be ending and that she and the rest of the team are powerless to stop it.
But as the X-Men try to formulate a plan out from the crystal itself a small being calling himself Jahf appears. He tells the teams that he is the guardian of the gateway to the M’Krann crystal and that he cannot allow them enter. Wolverine doesn’t feel intimidated and walks up to Jahf thinking that it will be an easy fight. But as Cyclops warns his headstrong team mate Jahf punches Wolverine clear over the horizon before attacking the rest of the teams.
Despite their best efforts none of either the X-Men or Starjammers attacks are having any effect on Jahf. He is unbelievably strong and his strength level rivals that of the Juggernaut. Even though they do try to reason with the being he does state that he can sense truth in their words but that his programming states that all intruders must die. Jean even resorts to pulling down an asteroid from above the planet and slamming it down into Jahf. But even that doesn’t damage him but Banshee realises that Jahf is some kind of robot and figures that his sonic screams can damage its circuits. But when he tries to pass over Jahf the small being jumps and grabs a hold of him. Banshee has to resort to using an extremely tight strong scream destroy Jahf.
The X-Men begin to recuperate but before they can they are attacked by an enormous robot called Modt who claims to be the second guardian. He states that his power is a thousand times that of Jahf and that if he is defeated another guardian will appear who’s power is a thousand times his and so on until both teams are destroyed.
As Modt attacks the teams D’Ken watches from by the crystal. He doesn’t like the X-Men and Starjammers getting in his way but he is noticed by Raza who is able to make his way to him. When Raza reaches D’Ken he picks up the mad emperor and throws him at the crystal itself.
Suddenly a bright light shines upon everyone and they find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings. It is like they are in a city of nothingness with stale air and no living creatures in sight. The X-Men attempt to figure out what is happening since only moments ago they were battling Modt but Jean tells them that they are inside the Crystal itself. There is a sphere in front of them and Jean walks up and touches it telling them that it is the heart of everything and she marvels over it. Reality doesn’t exist within the crystal but before they can examine it a beam of light hits everyone and they begin to experience nightmares.
For D’Ken it is the Soul Eater, for Nightcrawler it is a mob attacking him and for Corsair it is watching D’Ken murder his wife Katherine. Finally for Jean it is what she experienced when she was struck with the solar flare but using her power she is able to disperse the nightmare and free herself. She turns to Cyclops who has seemingly lost control of his optic blasts and when he looks towards her his optic beams strike her. But instead of killing her the beam goes through her as if she were a ghost. But she uses her powers to knock Scott out before he does any damage.
Unfortunately one of his optic beams hit the sphere at full strength and it begins to crack. Jean unleashes her Phoenix Force and tries to enter the sphere as she feels that they are connected. When she enters the sphere the nightmare field around the others disappears but as she goes in deeper she can feel that the lattice of the sphere is alive and that it is also dying. She sees what will happen if it dies and how the universe will be destroyed but will also be reborn although it would take time for life to reappear.
But as Jean tries to repair the damage she realises that she doesn’t have the strength but Storm is there and holds her hand willing to give up her life energy so that she can be an anchor for her. But it still won’t be enough and Jean asks that Corsair helps her, but when he refuses she calls him Corporal Summers he realises that she knows his name. With some reluctance he holds onto her hand and she has the life force that she needs.
Just before Jean goes back inside the sphere she tells Corsair to look after Cyclops. She tells him to look after him since she loves Cyclops and that he’s Corsair’s first born son. As Corsair goes to Cyclops calling him Scott, Jean enters the sphere and begins to repair the damage. She is able to see the entire universe and she begins to panic but she knows that the spirits of the X-Men are with her and she finds the strength to repair the damage and stabilise the M’Krann Crystal itself.
A short time later the X-Men go through the Stargate once again and reappear in New York City. They are confronted by Fire Lord and at first the X-Men think that he is there to harm them. But he explains that Professor Xavier has told him how Erik the Red manipulated him and that he had been guarding the gate until their return. But suddenly Lilandra also comes through the gate and it destroys itself thereafter.
As Lilandra reunites with Xavier she explains that D’Ken has been left in a catatonic state after his experience within the crystal and since he has no heirs that she is next in line for the thrown. She is still branded a traitor but that the Shi’ar High Council understand the reason behind her rebellion and while they are ironing things out that she will remain on Earth with Xavier. They profess their love for one another while everyone tries to come to terms with what has just happened.
My Thoughts
To start with this issue is the start of the world class partnership with Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Definitely a partnership that is amongst the greatest in comic book history and will completely change the X-Men series for both great stories and introductions of characters that remain relevant today. We have already seen this partnership in the Iron Fist series but this is the first time that we see it in the X-Men series. It will last another three to four years and to my knowledge almost every issue in this run is highly sort after by X-Men fans and general comic collectors alike.
The issue itself once again had a good storyline. I did get lost every once in a while but as I read through it again I understood more what was happening. It was fun to see someone like Wolverine get taken to school by a vertically challenged person like Jahf and the fact that after that he basically had no more relevance in the story. Just shows how far Wolverine has gone since then since almost every major battle which involved the X-Men has him at the forefront.
Also in this issue we discover that Corsair is Cyclops’s father although we’re not really given any time for it to sink in. We also learn that Cyclops’s mother was called Katherine and I have discovered something very interesting in that respect. Her full name is Katherine Anne Summers and her name is almost identical to that of future X-Man Kitty Pryde. Her full name is Katherine Anne Pryde and I wonder if this was a coincidence or on purpose and if so I wonder if it has ever been mentioned in the comics.
The art in the issue was once again fantastic and Byrne did an excellent start to his time in the series. I was a little disappointed that Cockrum didn’t finish the story that he had started drawing but I think that he had gone on to draw another series called the Futorians at that point but still I wonder what the art would have been like if he had remained behind on the series which he helped re-launch.
All in all this issue was a complicated but very entertaining end to a storyline which has been building up to this issue and it didn’t disappoint. This is the end for now with what many have dubbed the Phoenix Saga and sometime down the line we will be embracing new and fantastic stories along with the introduction of many new faces that will define the series in general.
One thing I did notice was how the title is very similar to the Vietnam war epic Apocalypse Now. I wonder if that was going to be the original title but changed after hearing about the film being made, it just sounded better than Armageddon Now.
In conclusion another 9 out of 10 for this issue. A great finale and it will stay with the minds of fans for generation to come.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #109
Issue information:
Release date: November, 1987
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #108 - Armageddon Now! (December, 1977).
Story summary:
Starjammers Aloft!
On a faraway alien mining world, Earthling Christopher Summers is a slave. Stripped of all dignity by his captors, he is doomed to toil in subhuman conditions for the rest of his life under the constant threat of torture.
As he's carrying a load of stones, he is run into and knocked over by a fellow prisoner fleeing her captors, a woman of an alien species he's never seen, covered in soft, white fur. As her captors snatch her up and begin to beat her, they say she should feel honored to die in the service of their meal: eaten alive until only her heart remains.
In horror, Christopher cries out, "you ..can't!" and the guard who had been beating her turns on him with his nuero-lash, a whip that inflicts excruciating pain without physically injuring it's victim. It's this pain, and Christopher's fear of it, that has reduced him to a state of complete obedience, a shadow of the daring man he had been before his capture.
As the guards carry the other prisoner away, they mock him and tell him to clean up the mess he's made by dropping his load. He begins to cry, his mind wandering back to the life he had before the mines. He had been a pilot, with a wife, Kate, and two young sons, Alex and Scott. Having just been accepted to the space program, he was taking his family out for an afternoon flight in a small aircraft to celebrate.
As they fly, they encounter a huge, alien spacecraft, which attacks them and begins to pull their small plane towards it. As the plane starts to tear apart, Kate gives the sole parachute on the plane to her sons and tells them to look after each other. Now captives aboard the ship, Christopher and Kate watch as their sons' parachute bursts into flames.
Their captors reveal themselves to be zoologists of the Shi'ar Empire, collecting specimens for the Emperor's collection. When the Emperor becomes abusive towards Kate, Christopher attacks him and is shot with a neuro-blast. To punish him, the Emperor kills Kate right in front of him. He fought hard for his freedom, but without his family he lost the will to live and carried on only for fear of being tortured.
As his awareness returns to the present, he is surprised to be face to face with a large, reptilian man; mistaking him for one of his captors, Christopher recoils in fear, begging not to be hurt. The large man politely explains that he, Ch'od, and his cyborg friend, Raza, mean him no harm, and are simply looking for their friend, describing the white-furred woman he had run into moments before.
Christopher slinks away and mumbles that he didn't see anything. Ch'od and Raza realize that he's lying, and pity him because they know he does so out of fear of his captors. Raza suggests that they should kill him, lest he alerts the guards to their presence. Ch'od admits that that would be logical, but points out that to do so would make them as bad as the slavers. Raza claims that it is a false mercy, since killing him would at least put him out of his misery of no longer being a man.
As the two leave him, their words sink into Christopher's mind and he screams out, "NO!" and decides that if he is to die in this prison, he will die as a man. Walking into the guard's dining area where the white-furred woman is being held in chains. From the shadows, Ch'od and Raza see him and fear they may be caught. But then Christopher stabs the guard with a sharp rock, stealing his whip and using it to fend off the others as he makes his way to the woman.
As he begins to be outnumbered, Ch'od and Raza come to Christopher's aid and easily defeat the guards. While they fight, he releases the woman. Licking his wounds, she says that for risking his life for her, they now have a blood-bond and are comrades til death, though that may not be for long. Ch'od comments that they've managed to evade the slavers so far, but the woman says they'll never be free unless they can get off the planet, and for that they'd need a pilot.
Christopher volunteers his skills, and says that if they'll have him, he would like to escape with them. Ch'od accepts and asks Christopher if he has a name, to which he replies "Call me Corsair."
My thoughts:
man! what an epic origin story, not only for Corsair himself, but for the Starjammers as a group, as well as for Corsairs sons, who we know survive to become Cyclops and Havok.
This was a pretty fun one to reread, and great timing for me, as I've been really enjoying Corsair's recent stories in the current Cyclops series. Something I had never noticed before was that, despite being fairly central to the plot, Hepzibah is actually never referred to by name anywhere in this story. That seems like a bit of a weird oversight, but since I already knew her name, it didn't really distract from the story.
Also, something else I'd never realized is that Havok seems to have named his daughter, Katie Summers, after his mother, Kate. So that was kind of interesting.
Anyway, this is the kind of story that I really loved about the Classic's backups, giving even a relatively minor character like Corsair a rich and interesting origin story.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #109
Release Date- February 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
First Appearance Of James MacDonald Hudson/ Vindicator/ Guardian/ Weapon Alpha.
Brief Summary
Home Of The Heroes
The X-Men return to the mansion from their ordeal along with Lilandra and Jean’s parents. Moira MacTaggart is also there with them and is frightened when Nightcrawler suddenly appears in front of her. While he is apologising to her Banshee gives her a kiss since he feared that he would never see her again.
While the others go about their business Storm flies to her room in the attic to where she has her own garden. Although Moira has been tending to them while she has been gone Storm can see that her plants have missed her so she uses her mutant abilities to create ideal weather for their growth. She feels relaxed and even generates some small thunder and lightning.
Downstairs in sitting room Jean’s father notices the claps of thunder but Jean herself is thinking about how she can tell her parents what has happened. Cyclops is there for her but her mind begins to revert to the end of their drama with the M’Krann crystal. Despite the fact that D’Ken has failed the Imperial Guard intend to carry out his last orders. But Lilandra states that since her brother is incapacitated that she is the next in line for the throne. But a Councillor for the Shi’ar High Council informs her that she did lead a rebellion even though now they know it was for the right reasons. But it will take some time to iron things out before Lilandra is declared Empress
Before the Starjammers and the X-Men leave Corsair requests that Jean not tell Cyclops that he is his father. He feels that it is better for him not to know and Jean agrees with him. But as the Starjammers beam away Storm is there and she knows the truth. She questions the logic of keeping it a secret. But Jean states that she gave her word to Corsair and will have to face the consequences later.
Back in the present Jean knows that she must talk to her parents about what has happened. Cyclops asks if she wants him to be by her side but she prefers that she speaks with them alone. She takes her parents outside so that they can talk in peace. But he notices Moira and Banshee enter the room and he asks her about his brother Havok. She informs him that he and Polaris have gone to Muir Island to recuperate after their mind control and will help Multiple Man run the place for a short time.
But unknown to everyone in the mansion a mysterious figure is locking onto the co-ordinates for Weapon X on his monitor.
In his room Nightcrawler is receiving a phone call off a woman named Amanda and asks to go on a date with her. She says yes and he is so happy that he begins to jump around the room before teleporting away. He teleports to the room of Colossus who is trying to write a letter to his family in Russia. Nightcrawler asks him if he wants to go out with him and Amanda since she has a friend and they could make it a double date. They plan to go and watch Star Wars but Colossus turns the offer down stating that he is going on a picnic with Banshee and Moira.
Nightcrawler then teleports into the sitting room and sees Cyclops looking out to where Jean is talking to her parents. Both men notice that her parents are taking the news hard and Cyclops states that life isn’t all swashbuckling and circus acts. This somewhat angers Nightcrawler stating that his life has not been easy with his appearance and that by feeling sorry for himself Cyclops could push away the people that he loves. But before he can truly connect with Cyclops Banshee and Moira enter the room asking if they want to come along with them on the picnic. Both men respectfully turn him down but Cyclops does have a lot of thinking to do.
A couple of minutes later Banshee, Moira, Colossus and Storm all prepare to leave for the picnic which is taking place a few miles away at a river near the woods. Wolverine wishes to tag along so that he can get a ride there. He wishes to go hunting and Storm immediately thinks that he will be killing animals. He explains that he merely wants to hunt them and not kill them. She apologises for her outburst but Wolverine shakes it off.
Meanwhile a Canadian jet is carrying a certain individual and are planning to strike Weapon X soon. They are invisible to all radar and plan to take Wolverine by surprise.
Sometime later Wolverine is enjoying his hunt. He has been tracking a doe for over an hour but just before he can capture it something spooks it and the doe runs away. Wolverine knows that it was not him and before he can react he is attacked by man wearing a Canadian style battle suit and calling himself Weapon Alpha. He recognises the man as James MacDonald Hudson from the Canadian Government and Weapon Alpha explains that he is here to take him back to where he belongs. Wolverine doesn’t wish to leave and attacks Weapon Alpha. The two slug it out but Weapon Alpha’s suit gives him an edge in the battle.
Meanwhile a short distance away Moira and Banshee are swimming in the river while Storm and Colossus relax on the bank. The pair talk to each other about their homes but their conversation is cut short when Wolverine flies into view. He is knocked out and Weapon Alpha makes his appearance known. Colossus stands in front of Wolverine stating that Weapon Alpha will have to go through him. Weapon Alpha doesn’t take the warning seriously so Colossus converts his skin into metal and punches him.
This stuns Weapon Alpha but he picks up a tree intending to use it as a weapon. But Storm uses a lightning bolt to destroy it before it can be used. He then uses a bolt of energy from his suit and fires it at Colossus but the bolt bounces off of him and strikes Moira knocking her back into the water. Banshee quickly comes to her aid and rescues her before she drowns. Enraged over what has happened Banshee flies to attack Weapon Alpha. But the Canadian intruder sees that he is outmatched and flies away. Banshee and Storm fly after him and he teleports away. Storm creates a huge thunderstorm thinking that he is invisible but he is long gone.
The pair return to the others knowing that Moira needs medical attention. Wolverine explains that this is only the start and that it will get worse before it gets better.
My Thoughts
So this issue is the first indication of the popular Canadian based team Alpha Flight. Although the other members of the team don’t appear in this issue their leader James MacDonald who in this issue goes by the name Weapon Alpha. Judging from the issue itself it would first look like that James is a villain where in truth he is actually a hero and just is very loyal to the Canadian Government. You cannot fault a man for being patriotic but even so, knowing that you would potentially have to fight the X-Men is cause for concern for anyone.
This is also the first indication that Nightcrawler is dating Amanda Sefton. Their relationship has been on again off again for some years but she has definitely been the main love in his life. He has had relationships with other women but Amanda is the one that he is most associated with. We did briefly see her in X-Men #98 and that she won’t be revealed to be somewhat superpowered until X-Men Annual #4 but she is still an important person in the life of Nightcrawler.
Also it was great to see a reference to Star Wars which was enormous at the time and the fact that Marvel actually printed the Star Wars comics and introduced the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Recently Marvel will print the Star Wars comics again but back then the film completely blew people away and is still considered to be the greatest science fiction film series of all time.
The story of the issue itself wasn’t all that bad but nowhere near as epic as the last issue. But you cannot have epic issues every time so you need smaller stories to keep the series glued together and this was a good example of that. It also shows that the Canadian Government’s threat from Giant Size X-Men #1 wasn’t just them blowing hot air and that they were serious. This isn’t the only time that they try to get Wolverine back and next time James will have friends.
Also seen for the first time in this issue is that Storm has her own garden in the attic. When you have someone like Storm something like this is actually very realistic. Having the power to control the weather would make a person a really good gardener and as a pastime it still ranks high amongst many people. If she grew her own fruit I wonder if she would make the team a fruit salad.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. Not as epic as the last issue but definitely one worth reading, especially for fans of Alpha Flight.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #110
Issue information:
Release date: December, 1987
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #109 - Home Are The Heroes! (February, 1978).
Story summary:
Dearest Friend
While hitch-hiking home from a concert in northern Ireland, Banshee is stopped and harassed by a police detective who accuses him of being a south Irish terrorist spy, despite having no evidence whatsoever. Though Banshee soundly denies it, the cop seems confident that he can get a confession out of him back at the police station.
Before Banshee can be detained without charge however, he's rescued by a mysterious motorcyclist already being chased by squad cars. The driver of the motorcycle loses the squad cars by driving off-road, but the detective that had been harassing Banshee continues his pursuit. As he catches up to them on a stretch of road along a high cliff, the cop shoots out the tire of the motorcycle sending the pair hurdling over the edge towards the rocky coastline below.
Before they hit the beach, Banshee uses his mutant power to pull them out of the dive and soar away, eventually landing at the castle that is his ancestral home. Banshee worries that he's frightened the rider, but she punches him and and claims to be furious at the loss of her bike. It's only then that Banshee realizes his savior was a woman. Realizing he's also saved her life, she calms down and he invites her into the castle for a drink.
Inside, Banshee explains that the castle has been in his family for generations, and is then interrupted by the arrival of his cousin, Tom, who explains that, though they are technically of the gentry, the family's been broke for generations. Tom flirtatiously introduces himself, and the woman responds that she is Maeve Rourke, and that she is pleased to meet them both.
After flying her home, Banshee asks Maeve out on a date, despite being self-conscious of Tom's smooth charm and obvious interest in her. She replies that she'd be happy to. As the months go by, Maeve begins to date both men, and both of them fall for her. Banshee can't tell whom she cares for more, but becomes more confident when she asks him to her university's Spring ball.
Driving his motorcycle to pick her up for the ball, Banshee is spotted by the cop who'd harassed him months before. The cop remembers him and hits him with his car, sending him crashing into a wall. As he returns home fairly injured, he tells Tom to go on the date in his place so that Maeve's night won't be ruined as well. He asks him to explain what happened but to tell her not to worry.
Tom, who's also fallen in love with Maeve, sees this as his chance to win her away from Banshee, and picks her up without telling her what happened, allowing her to think that Banshee stood her up. At the dance, Tom realizes that though she's glad that he's come in Banshee's place, she's hurt thinking that he'd stood her up. Though he had no problem letting her think this to win her favor, he feels bad for causing her to feel bad and finally comes clean. He says he understands that she must hate him for his deception, but she says she understands and respects that he told the truth despite his feelings for her.
My thoughts:
Something I hadn't really noticed before is that this story is actually the first of the CXM backups to take place much earlier than the story it was reprinted with, as we see that this is set long before Banshee or Tom become super-villains (or before either of them could properly grow their respective trademark facial hair). Which is kind of nice, to see the rivalry that they had even when they were still friends and simply two young men in love.
While this is a sort of interesting story for Banshee, for me it was much more interesting for Black Tom, who I've always thought was an interesting and fairly believable character compared to most villains. While he obviously cares for his cousin on some level, he was still willing to stab him in the back to get what he wanted, and it was really only his love for Maeve that made him do the right thing. It's this kind of complex loyalty that first intrigued me about the character because of his later friendship with the Juggernaut, which I still think of as a pretty singular relationship among any of the great comic rogues.
It was also pretty interesting to see that the real villain of the story was simply a mean-spirited cop with no qualms about abusing his authority. This wasn't even a police officer bending the rules out of some sort of flawed sense of justice, this really was just a sadistic bully with the authority to get away with it. Truly a scarier villain because of his realism and continued relevance than most super-villains ever seem.
Also, this is one of my favorite alternate/back covers that Bolton ever did for the series; I just love it!
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #110
Release Date- April 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Tony DeZuniga
Major Notes
Only issue drawn by Tony DeZuniga
Brief Summary
The X-Sanction
It is the last day that Moira MacTaggart is staying in New York and the X-Men are enjoying a game of baseball. Nightcrawler pitches the ball at Colossus who bats it away. Jean uses her telekinesis to grab the ball and she throws it to Wolverine who is on the base. He extends his claws as Colossus gets closer and the mutant turns his skin into organic metal and reaches the base. He sits on top of Wolverine and refuses to get off of him until he retracts his claws.
After the game Wolverine once again pulls the lone wolf act but Jean is able to convince him to join the others for a break. But at that time Moira remembers that a man is coming over to deal with the mansion’s phone service. She rushes inside as the man approaches. He knocks on the door and Moira answers, at first she is startled by his appearance but shakes it off and shows him where the main phone junction is. But as they get to the junction the man pulls out a gun and fires a tranquilizer dart at her knocking her out instantly.
The man knows that Moira is a renowned scientist and he moves towards the mansion’s computer. He is there because his master is suspicious of the mansion and wants to find answers. On the screen of the computer he sees the team still playing baseball and he gets to work with his plan. But suddenly he suffers a severe headache and he hears a voice from his master telling him to carry out his commands. The man agrees but swears that one day he will be free and that he will make them pay.
Outside the X-Men finish off their game and go inside. Wolverine asks Jean if she wants to go to the bar with him but the somewhat jealous Cyclops reminds him that they have a Danger Room session to complete. The main team go to the Danger Room while Professor Xavier and Jean go to the upper floors. The pair begin to talk about recent events when they are suddenly confronted by the same mysterious man. Before they can react they are knocked out by his tranquilizer darts.
Inside the Danger Room itself Cyclops receives a mental distress from Jean and he realises that there is an intruder in the mansion. He orders the X-Men to go back up to the upper floors but before they can the door to the Danger Room shuts trapping them. Colossus tries to break the door down but his strength is flung back at him and Cyclops realises that the safety locks have been disengaged and that the Danger Room will kill them.
The X-Men do all that they can to try and save themselves but when Storm goes to save Nightcrawler she is trapped in a net along with him. Colossus and Wolverine use their fastball special to free their teammates but Wolverine is careful not to cut too deep in case he might hurt them. He even sees some flying blades rushing towards Cyclops and he is able to tackle him to the ground so that the blades miss.
Cyclops quickly makes his way to the panic button but he is horrified to discover that the room is still active and throwing everything it has at the team. He comes up with a plan involving Nightcrawler and Wolverine teleporting to the outside of the room and disabling the main power generator for the room. The pair attempt this plan but the strain is too much for both men and when they reappear outside the room both men are unconscious.
Inside the Danger Room Storm is trapped inside a box and tries not to panic due to her claustrophobia. Cyclops and Banshee realise what is happening and try to free her, but the room sets up sound baffles that nullify Banshee’s powers causing him to fall to the ground.
But as Cyclops tries to recover he and Colossus are confronted by a new and improved version of the giant training robot Colosso. But as the Russian mutant punches the machine it sprays a paste on him that glues him down to the ground preventing him from moving.
Outside the Danger Room Wolverine has regained consciousness and begins to slash away at the Primary power generator. But as he does he is attacked from behind by the mysterious man calling himself Warhawk. In informs Wolverine that he is there to take down Xavier and learn about the fighting style of the X-Men for his masters. They engage in battle and Wolverine discovers that Warhawk has metal skin like Colossus and is thrown at the Danger Room door. But both men notice that the door is glowing.
Seconds later the X-Men break through the door and confront Warhawk. The villain realises that he cannot take on the entire team. He goes to grab a gas grenade on his belt but discovers that it is missing. He turns around and sees Nightcrawler with his gas grenade. He is then knocked out by a combination of punches from Nightcrawler and Colossus.
A short time later Warhawk is taken away by the police. Jean reveals that she intends to stay with the team and when they ask why Warhawk had attacked them he states that he has no idea and is worried about Warhawk’s masters. But Wolverine gives the team a speech of confidence as he states that the X-Men are a team and can take on anyone who tries to harm them.
My Thoughts
Well this was a very entertaining issue to read. Although it lacked John Byrne the replacement artist Tony DeZuniga was a good substitute. He had some big shoes to fill but he seemed to do a good job of this issue.
The main villain in this issue Warhawk I believe was first associated with Iron Fist and had been transferred to this series for a couple of issues. He was a somewhat good B villain but he is definitely someone who you wouldn’t think would make a forefront villain. As was stated in the issue itself he is a cheap version of Colossus and wouldn’t be all that difficult for an accomplished superhero to
take down.
One fun thing that we saw for the first time in this issue was seeing the X-Men playing baseball. Out of all the sports baseball is the one that the team frequently play most and maybe if they weren’t a superhero team maybe they should consider forming a professional team and joining MLB.
The issue also marks the official return of Jean Grey to the X-Men. Before she had been fighting alongside them but had not actually been a member since she left after the events of Giant Size X-Men #1. It is nice to have another female member of the team and since she is already an established character there is no need for a new character. She has been reinvented but in all she is basically the same person.
Watching the Danger Room turn against the X-Men was a story that I expected to see at some point but no less entertaining. Watching them fight for their lives in their own training facility only shows that the Danger Room does have its name for a reason. If any normal person had gone in there they would have been killed instantly and full marks must go to the team not only for lasting as long as they did but the fact that they were able to escape as well. It took teamwork and it just shows that the X-Men are coming together better and that they are on their way to super stardom.
Also in this issue is the first hint that Wolverine is in love with Jean. He states that he has never loved before but in various stories since he has had plenty of relationships before his time with the X-Men. But at that time it would be a good three decades before these stories are brought forward so it is understandable why they aren’t mentioned. But it is the love that will cause a rift between the two most recognisable X-Men. It is one of the factors that makes the X-Men one of the top series in comic history.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A great little story that was entertaining from start to finish.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #111
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #111
Release Date- June 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
Return of Mesmero, Magneto and Beast
Brief Summary
Mind Games
Former X-Man and current Avenger Beast is at a carnival in Texas. He is wearing a raincoat and a hat to hide his appearance and he is shocked to see Banshee as the carnival barker and behind him are pictures of the X-Men but starring in various acts. Beast wishes to investigate to see if these are indeed the X-Men or just lookalikes. He sees Nightcrawler and Wolverine as part of the freak show and also sees Storm who is a Jungle Girl.
He remembers the events that led him to come to the carnival. Polaris frantically called him at the Avengers mansion after her lover Havok was kidnapped and she couldn’t contact the X-Men. Beast goes to the X-Mansion and discovers that no one is there and with the mail on the floor of the front door it looks like the mansion has been empty for some time. He goes to the kitchen and finds the table has many half eaten breakfasts on them. Confused with what he is seeing Beast reactivates Cerebro and is able to locate their signatures to the carnival.
As Beast’s mind reverts back to the present and he goes to the Big Top where a woman looking like Jean Grey is doing her performance. She is on the high wires and when her partner doesn’t catch her everyone thinks that she will fall to her death but she quickly spreads her cape and floats safely to the ground. Banshee calls her Miz Destiny but Beast knows better.
A few minutes after the show Beast is able to locate her in her trailer. He asks her if she is Jean Grey and she does admit that it is her name. But she doesn’t seem to recognise him at all. After Beast’s questions begin to pester her she calls for her bodyguard to remove him from her trailer. Beast recognises the bodyguard as Cyclops and when he tries to remove him Beast’s disguise comes off. Cyclops is initially frightened and Beast takes the opportunity to knock him away.
Immediately more carnies go after Beast but he is able to fend them off with some success. But he begins to realise that he is outnumbered and retreats to the freak show tent so that he can formulate a plan. But as he has his back to the tent a strong metallic fist breaks through the fabric and knocks him on the back of his head. This stuns Beast and he falls to the ground. Quickly the carnies gang up on him and are able to knock him senseless before dragging him away. This whole event is seen by Wolverine who is chained up to the wall but he is coming back to his senses.
Beast is taken to another trailer and there he sees the villain Mesmero. His mutant abilities have hypnotised the X-Men and how easy it was for him to get to them. He believe that no one can stop him and he immediately turns his talents onto Beast.
In the freak show tent Wolverine is able to break out of the chains that are holding him. He is able to take one of the carnies out by surprise and he uses his claws to be able to get information from him. Wolverine knows that it was his instincts that allowed him to break Mesmero’s hold on him and that he needs to free the others.
A couple of minutes later Jean is still in her trailer along with Cyclops. But Wolverine breaks in and knock Cyclops out. He turns his attentions to Jean demanding that she snap out of it. She doesn’t respond well to this and Wolverine knows that he must get to react through instinct and break out of Mesmero’s control. He resorts to slapping her hard across the cheek and this causes the Phoenix Force within her to break free and she strikes Wolverine down. But now she is free from Mesmero’s hold and begins to realise what is happening. She tends to Wolverine but now the cat seems to be out of the bag.
Inside Mesmero’s trailer the villain is still trying to hypnotise Beast but he is resisting with all of his might. Suddenly two carnies come inside telling him that the X-Men have broken free and this is the distraction that Beast needs to free himself. But before he can take on Mesmero he is knocked out from behind by a shadowed figure who Mesmero seems to recognise and is fearful of.
Outside the restored X-Men are taking down the carnies that help keep them captive. With their superhuman abilities it does not take them long to defeat the carnies outright and they make their way into Mesmero’s trailer. There they see Beast is unconscious but otherwise unhurt. They see Mesmero stand in front of them but before they can get any answers from him the villain slumps down onto the ground unconscious. They then hear a familiar voice from a man sitting behind a desk in the shadows. As he turns his chair the X-Men see that it is their greatest foe Magneto. The Villain stands up and declares that he will have his final victory over the X-Men.
My Thoughts
Another thoroughly enjoyable issue this one was. To actually see the X-Men as carnival performers did make me laugh a little. I remember there being a story similar to this in Wolverine And The X-Men (Comic Series that is), but this is the original go at the idea and I sometimes wonder what would have happened if they were just side shows.
It was very nice to see Beast make another major appearance in an X-Men book. He has appeared in the series a couple of times since the relaunch but they had all been minor appearances that only lasted three panels at best. I do somewhat miss him in this series but with all the characters in there at this moment in time it would ask a lot to add him there. It was nice that none of the other Avengers got involved since I think it would have made Beast’s role seem less significant and is definitely a good issue for the character.
The issue also marks the return of Mesmero who hasn’t appeared in the X-Men series since before the original one was cancelled. I felt that he was brilliantly written although I do question how he was not able to get his powers through Beast properly. But I could see the whole plot as something that he would do. Rather than killing the X-Men he probably take more satisfaction in watching them basically bend the knee to him and he even makes some money off of them.
Magneto’s appearance at the end of the issue was very surprising when I first read it and it just shows that despite everything that the team have been through that there are new threats lurking around every corner. I’m not sure exactly what he has to do with everything that has happened and if he somehow manipulated Mesmero into doing all this but I suspect that will be explained in the next issue.
The personas that the X-Men had been given while they were hypnotised did fit into their characters. Seeing Wolverine as a wild man and Storm as a jungle girl did make me think that there was some realism to the whole issue. I definitely couldn’t see Banshee or Cyclops being any of those kind of acts so having them as a barker and a bodyguard did fit and since Cyclops was the bodyguard for Jean it made it that much more believable.
The ending of the issue definitely made me want to read more and there was good news for fans at that time. From the next issue the series would be released monthly rather than bi-monthly and this just shows the X-Men rising in popularity and that they will soon be at the top of the heap.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. Not as epic as the conclusion to the Phoenix stuff but definitely a must read for any X-Men fan.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #112
Issue information:
Release date: January, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #111 - Mindgames!(June, 1978).
Story summary:
A Taste for Vengeance!
Jean Grey walks down a crowded New York street in the sweltering summer heat. Feeling telepathically overwhelmed and fatigued by the crowd, she uses her new Phoenix powers to dampen her own telepathic abilities. This, however, leaves her vulnerable to an attack by the sinister Mesmero, who catches her unaware from out of an ally.
Hypnotizing her, Mesmero takes Jean back to his apartment where he has other female victims under his thrall, but as he tries to take advantage of her, he finds he is blocked by the Phoenix power; he can't physically touch her without risking losing his hypnotic control of her. Instead, he decides to use her to bring the other X-men under his control.
Gaining all the information he needs to grant him access to the X-mansion from Jean, Mesmero infiltrates the mutants' headquarters and one by one brings each member of the team under his control. As he gains control of Storm, however, she blasts a lightning bolt through the skylight of her attic greenhouse. From a forested hill near the mansion, Wolverine sees the blast and returns home expecting trouble.
As he approaches the house, Wolverine is telekinetically snatched up by Jean's Phoenix claw and brought inside to find Mesmero with all of the other X-men under his control. Mesmero tries to do the same to Wolverine, but finds the X-man's will is too strong, and his mind too fractured, to be properly controlled as the others have been. He sets the other X-men against Wolverine to break his will, but though Wolverine has to be careful not to seriously hurt his friends, he's able to withstand hours of their abuse without breaking.
Frustrated, Mesmero eventually gives up on trying to control Wolverine and comes up with another plan: seeing a picture of Nightcrawler performing on the wall, he hypnotizes the X-men into believing that they are circus performers. Thus he can both humiliate the team for his own amusement and make some money off of them at the same time. Mesmero laughs, pleased with his own brilliant plan.
My thoughts:
The conclusion of this story really wouldn't make any sense if it weren't included as a backup story to The X-men #111, because it doesn't even really explain how making the X-men think they're circus performers helps Mesmero defeat Wolverine, only that he gets bored with watching them fight. From the main story we know that Wolverine is chained up as a wild-man, but even this isn't shown in this story.
So, it's not the most complete story in itself, but it does do a few things to explain the main story, most notably explaining how Mesmero was able to bring Phoenix under his control in the first place, which I'm sure always seemed incongruous to many readers.
Mostly it just shows how indomitable Wolverine's will is, and gives us a little more sense of what a creep Mesmero is. Reading the first part of the story made me think that it was probably Bendis' inspiration for how he would later use thePurple Man in Jessica Jones' 2001 Alias series, as there's really very little difference between Mesmero and the Purple Man.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #112
Release Date- August 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
Start of series monthly release opposed to bi-monthly.
Brief Summary
Magneto Triumphant!
The X-Men along with former member Beast are being confronted by Magneto inside of Mesmero’s carnival trailer. Cyclops commands Wolverine not to be aggressive before he orders the team to get outside. Nightcrawler teleports ahead but suddenly the team hear him scream in terror. Colossus opens the door and sees that the trailer is several miles above ground and flying through the air. Nightcrawler is holding onto the steps that lead up to the door. Colossus is able to save his teammate before he loses his grip and pulls him back inside the trailer. Wolverine intends to attack Magneto but is stopped by Cyclops who admits that the villain is currently the only thing keeping the team alive.
Magneto agrees with this and begins to explain that a short time before that he had gone to the X-Mansion to take his revenge on the team. He was surprised to find that they weren’t there and before he was able to investigate Beast arrived so he hid himself. He followed Beast to the carnival and was surprised to see the X-Men as freaks. When Beast was being attacked by the carnies Magneto stayed in the background. When he was captured Magneto saw that it was Mesmero who was responsible for the X-Men’s predicament. But he had been easily able to take him down and he also explains that if the team hadn’t of snapped out of their hypnosis he would have done it for them.
Cyclops is confused to why Magneto would knock out Mesmero when he had been loyal to him. Magneto reminds him that the Magneto that Mesmero had served was a robot and that the two had never met. He then uses his magnetic abilities to lift Mesmero out of the trailer and lower him towards the ground.
Outside the trailer a fighter pilot has seen the trailer and also Mesmero floating down towards the ground. At first the X-Men think that Magneto has killed him but he reminds the team that his will is allowing Mesmero to land on the ground alive.
Eventually the trailer comes over a volcano in Antarctica and it lowers inside it. Through Magneto’s will they travel through the lava and into an underground base that is called Home. When they are safely inside Magneto destroys the trailer and there is an explanation that the base is self-sufficient and is a technological marvel.
Now that the X-Men are safely on the ground Cyclops blasts Magneto who is able to lift a magnetic shield to protect himself. Colossus attempts to attack him but since he is in his metal form he is lifted into the air by the villain. Beast is the next to try his luck but is taken down by a powerful static shock. Storm tries to freeze Magneto using her blizzard but this only strengthens Magneto who takes her down with a magnetic pulse. Nightcrawler jumps from the shadows but is forced up by Magneto while the villain brings Colossus down from the air. At the rate that they are raising and falling Nightcrawler will be killed if Colossus stays in his metal form. Quickly the Russian mutant reverts to normal and the impact knocks them out.
Next Banshee tries to use his sonic screams but the walls around him bounce the sound back at him and knock him out. Cyclops continues to use his optic blasts on Magneto but while the villain shields himself he strikes Cyclops with a metal pole knocking him out. Jean Grey is the last X-Man to face Magneto and at first her Phoenix Force takes him by surprise but she is surprised to find that she has reached her limit and soon his counterattack knocks her out.
Unseen to Magneto Wolverine comes up behind him and tries to slash him but can only rip his cape. Magneto responds by manipulating Wolverine’s claws and making them come close to the hero’s face. But when Wolverine punches himself his claws are retracted since Magneto wants to keep them alive. As the villain sees that all the X-Men are defeated he gloats his victory.
Sometime later when the X-Men wake up they find themselves trapped in a strange contraption that prevents them from moving, speaking and using their powers. Magneto introduces them to a robot called Nanny who is programmed to serve their every need. He wants the team to feel the same helplessness that he had felt when he had been turned into an infant and unable to properly move or speak. He sees it as a living hell and he intends the team to remain like this for the rest of their lives. The X-Men are as helpless as children and this is Magneto’s ultimate victory.
My Thoughts
Another great issue that shows that Magneto is truly one of, if not the greatest villain in comic book history. The fact that he was able to take down the X-Men and rather than killing them chose to keep them alive but in a living hell state is pure genius on the parts of Claremont and Byrne. It is definitely a side of Magneto that shows just how calculating he is and how much he hates the X-Men.
I do feel that the team probably would have beaten him if they had attacked as a team rather than individually. Even Magneto would have struggled against fighting enemies on multiple fronts but it is hard to focus on a team attack in a comic book in that style. But how he took each of the X-Men was written and drawn very well and also very believable. It is obvious that Claremont and Byrne have their done their research before they wrote this issue.
I was somewhat confused with how Magneto was able to use the trailer the way that he did since it is made out of wood. But I guess that there is plenty of metal parts within the trailer that would allow him to manipulate them. I did see some metallic lining on the wall at the end of the previous issue so I guess that this is the explanation to this.
Also I don’t think that there has been a decision on Wolverine’s Adamantium skeleton. It might have been referred to earlier but from the looks of this it seems that it is still mainly focused on the claws rather than the metal on his entire skeleton. Also there has been no mention of his healing factor yet and to any fan at the time they wouldn’t think that he had that ability.
I felt that it was good that there was a mention to the whole Mutant City arc back in the 60s and it just shows that although the series is a relaunch that the writers haven’t forgotten about the classic comics. I admit that it isn’t a memorable arc that it definitely was worth mentioning since Mesmero appears in the issue. He isn’t the most memorable of villains but he still deserves a small mention.
Also starting with this issue the series is now released monthly and it is definitely a big step into becoming a great series. At the time relatively unpopular or new series came out bi-monthly but the fact that Marvel decided to make it monthly again shows that the relaunch was a big success and that they see potential in the characters.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. A great fight with a surprising end to it all.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #113
Issue information:
Release date: February, 1988.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #112 - Magneto Triumphant! (August, 1978).
Story summary:
Stalking Life
Jean Grey sits alone in the forest, contemplating how calming it is to not be overwhelmed by the thoughts of others, and how much better she feels because of it, unaware that not far away she is being stalked by an unseen threat.
As she decides to make some coffee, her pursuer attacks, narrowly missing her as she ducks for the kettle at the last moment. Her stalker now revealed to be Wolverine, she changes into her Phoenix form and questions him on why he was following her. He says that he was worried about her and wants to know what it is she's becoming, and she responds that she doesn't know and that's what frightens her. Wolverine says that whatever it is, she doesn't need to go through it alone.
She compliments Wolverine on his ability to clear his mind enough to get the jump on her, and then telekinetically pulls Banshee from a bush where he's been hiding. She explains that while she's getting more and more used to the amount of power she now wields, she's worried about losing control of the more subtle aspects of her powers and hurting someone. Banshee comments that even startled by their presence, she had the control to not lash out in a way that would hurt them. Jean replies that that was this time, implying another time might be different, but Wolverine argues that her thinking she can't control it could be what leads to her not being able to.
As they talk, Jean offers to make coffee. But when she fetches the water, she lifts the entire contents of a nearby lake high into the air, as an example of the unlikely amount of power she has to contend with. As the other two X-men look on in awe, she explains that to her, fetching a quart of water by itself is actually harder than lifting the whole lake because it requires more specific control.
Wolverine reminds her that she actually does have control in this moment, and that what she has to worry about is focus from distractions, but just as he finishes his sentence, Nightcrawler teleports right in front of her. Startled, Jean accidentally drops the entire lake in his direction.
Jean blames them for distracting her and apologizes, but says that surely she must have the power to put the lake back, which Banshee agrees with, noting that it seems like a good practice of the kind of control she was looking to exercise. Jean concedes and returns the lake, but says she should have made them do it since it was really their fault. Then they all have a good laugh and she gets back to making the coffee.
My thoughts:
..zzz..
zz-huh? oh, man, that Jean Grey, huh? she sure can pick up a lake, what? -and, and that Wolverine, dang he be a good tracker, trackin' that telepathic lady in the forest, oh geez..
this is a cute little story though, even if it is basically just an illustration of the X-men training their skills. Some really nice art in this one, too, especially this beautiful back cover >>
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #113
Release Date- September 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
Return Of Asteroid M.
Brief Summary
Showdown!
Magneto strikes an aerospace research facility in Australia and there is nothing that can stand in his way. He destroys the facility so that the scanners cannot be used and he has also possibly stolen some items as well. A news reporter at the scene hours later states that superhero teams have not been able to tackle Magneto since the Fantastic Four and the Champions have disbanded and the Avengers are under house arrest. The only other team left is the X-Men who have seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet.
Meanwhile in the Cyclades Islands near Greece Professor Xavier is enjoying some time away from the X-Mansion with his new lover Lilandra. She finds the place beautiful although the planet in general is not as advanced as she would like. She sees Xavier in some discomfort and when she asks him what is wrong he responds that he has lost telepathic rapport with the X-Men. Lilandra believes that it is a natural occurrence but Xavier fears that something is very wrong.
Inside Magneto’s underground base in Antarctica the robot known as Nanny begins to tend to the helpless X-Men and she treats them as if they were mere toddlers. She spoon feeds the team and even grooms them before going away for a short while to tend to other duties. Storm has been studying Nanny’s routine over the last couple of days and realises that she has a few hours to try and escape. When she was six months old her nervous system was quite developed for her age and she tries to use this to her advantage. By moving her head she is able to knock her headdress off and grab one of the lock picks hidden within with her mouth.
As Storm attempts to pick the lock that traps her she remembers the training that she underwent when she was a girl and how she became one of the finest lock pickers in all of Cairo. But unfortunately due to her lack of movements and the complexity of the lock the pick accidentally falls onto the floor. This alerts Nanny who returns and puts Storm’s headdress on her. The X-Man feels helpless and as Nanny moves away she begins to cry.
A thousand miles above the Earth Magneto has been able to rebuild Asteroid M after it was destroyed years before by the original team in their early days. The systems on Asteroid M reveal to Magneto that there has been a minor system malfunction in his Antarctica base. He wonders why Nanny hasn’t repaired it and decides to go down and investigate himself since his work on the Asteroid is complete and he doesn’t want to take any chances. He doesn’t believe that the X-Men could have escaped since he has placed several alarm systems that would alert to such an action taking place.
As Magneto descends onto the base he knows that his months of planning are close to fruition and at this point he is most vulnerable to attack. He makes his way through the lava and the dome and enters the facility. The first thing he sees is Nanny going around in circles and all the lights have gone out. He knows that the X-Men have escaped but acts like nothing is wrong and waits for them to make the first move.
Instantly Magneto is attacked by a great force and he is able to shield himself but he still goes down. Wolverine goes to attack but is stopped by a telepathic command from Cyclops. There is a plan in motion and Jean is using her telepathy to link the minds of the team so that they can work better as a team. Storm increases the humidity of the room while Banshee attacks Magneto from behind. She also reveals that she was able to use a second lock pick to free both herself and the other X-Men.
Wolverine is the next to attack who slashes Magneto with his claws but he is knocked away. Jean also unleashes the Phoenix Force and knocks Magneto back and partially damages the base itself. Magneto is surprised with how Jean is letting loose and how she has changed. But as he tries to recover from the attack he is struck by Colossus repeatedly. Although the Russian mutant was supposed to stay on the side lines his attacks are keeping Magneto off guard and is breaking some of his ribs. Beast and Nightcrawler work together to remove Magneto’s helmet.
Suddenly the team discover that lava is leaking through the roof. The injured Magneto reveals that Jean has destroyed the systems within the base and that the dome is beginning to open. The team begin to dodge the falling lava while Magneto retrieves his helmet and makes an escape. Beast grabs onto Jean while Cyclops tries to think of a way out. But the roof continues to come in and the team look to be doomed.
Magneto is able to get out of the volcano but his injuries mean that his plans will have to wait until he recovers. This annoys him greatly but with the belief that the X-Men are dead he doesn’t mind all that much. But no sooner does he leave the Phoenix Force flares out of the volcano as Jean and Beast reach the surface. The strain was too much for Jean who fall unconscious. Beast knows that she needs to go to a hospital but they are in the middle of Antarctica and that there is a blizzard taking place. He tries his best to take her to safety but can only go a hundred yards before he too falls unconscious due to the extreme cold.
My Thoughts
Once again another very well written issue with both great action and story. It further shows that Magneto is a great villain and that he is beautifully written by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. You can definitely see the influence that Byrne brings to the series and I only wish that this partnership would have lasted forever. But alas all good things must eventually come to an end.
One thing that did raise my eyebrow a little was the fact that the Fantastic Four have disbanded and the Avengers are under house arrest. Obviously there is a lot of things happening in those series and it is nice that it is touched on in this issue. It would explain why they didn’t tackle Magneto during these attacks on the facilities in Australia and New Zealand. Although the reason behind these attacks aren’t explained most likely it is so that whatever he’s doing on Asteroid M won’t be seen by unwanted eyes. The events of the Avengers’ house arrest must take place after Beast left to investigate the X-Men’s disappearance or else he would have been kept down as well.
It was also great to see the team actually working together to take down Magneto. Jean using her telepathy to link all the minds up of the X-Men is something that I wondered why they had never done this before. It is definitely the best tool for something like this since Cyclops can communicate to all of his team at once and also since he doesn’t need to speak his commands cannot be heard by his enemies.
The issue also showcases Storm’s talents that go beyond her mutant abilities. I thought that it was clever to show that she had developed more at a young age in comparison to other children and she actually used that to her advantage. I do wonder how she was supposed to know that since it is unlikely that she would have remembered from that far back. Maybe her parents mentioned it to her before they died or something like that. It is the only logical conclusion in my mind. Seeing her childhood was also interesting and shows more of her background. It is important to developing her character and making her amongst the most recognisable X-Men in the franchise.
One thing I was actually glad to see that the X-Men didn’t destroy Nanny. I know that she helped keep them captive but she did take good care of them and in a way she was not a villain of any kind. Destroying her would have actually made me a little sad but most likely she was destroyed when the base began to fill with lava.
The ending of the issue really leaves the reader on edge as they don’t know if the X-Men have survived. Beast and Jean escaped but look sure to die in the frozen wasteland of Antarctica and the others look to have perished as well. It leaves the reader wanting to buy the next issue so that they can learn the fate of their beloved heroes.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue another 9 out of 10. Another great story that leaves the reader wanting more.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #114
Issue information:
Release date: March, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #113 - Showdown!(September, 1978).
Story summary:
I, Magneto!
Somewhere in South America, after the end of the second World War, Nazi soldiers have established a base to evade justice for their war crimes.
Out of the surrounding jungle emerges a lone, unarmed figure whom the guards open fire upon. As bullets bounce off the figure, he raises his hand causing the outer walls of their fortress to crumble. As more soldiers open fire on him from a tank, the man scoffs at their efforts, for he is Magneto, the master of magnetism!
Seeing his objective, Magneto hurls the tank at a high tower and levitates himself inside to confront it's inhabitant: a former German Bannfuhrer, Hans Richter, who Magneto has hunted to bring to trial for his crimes. As the two argue, Magneto is overcome by incredible pain; his powers are still new to him, and part of him worries that his recent endeavors have taxed them too much. Recovering, he tears opens Richter's office safe to reveal his spoils of war and further condemn him before telephoning someone he calls Control to establish that Richter has been caught.
Weeks later, on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Magneto is reading a newspaper article about his friend Charles Xavier. Though he sees Xavier as too politically idealistic, he respects him as a doctor and is interested to hear that he's opened a school, thinking that perhaps he would have some insight into the pain that he's been having when accessing his powers.
He's joined by his friend Isabelle, a physician with whom he's starting to have an affair, and the two retire to a hotel room. As they embrace, Magneto apologizes that he is still not over his wife. Though she abandoned him, he understands why and is not fully able to move on. Suddenly he again suffers the pain brought on by his powers. He and Isabelle talk about the pain he's been suffering, and she gives him a massage. She starts giving a theory about what could be causing it, but before she can finish it she's cut across the throat from behind by an unseen assailant.
Magneto rises to see the hotel room has filled with assassins lead by the man he'd been reporting to: the mysterious Control. Control informs Magneto that his last mission, capturing Richter, was unsanctioned and as such, he himself must be stopped. Magneto argues that Richter was a Nazi and a war criminal, but Control explains that he's not seeing the big picture, that the Russians are the enemy now, and that Richter was an asset to be used just as mutants are.
Magneto, furious at this abuse of his trust, lashes out, but Control wears a special vest that turns Magneto's power back at him. Magneto, refusing to be killed by a man like Control, blows up the top of the hotel. His men dead and his vest broken, Control cowers below Magneto. Magneto tells him he's had it with humanity and that now he sees his true path: to conquer humanity in the name of the more evolved mutantkind.
"It is I who shall lead my people to the glory they deserve, I, ubermensch, I, Mutant, I, Magneto!"
My thoughts:
This is a pretty interesting side of Magneto's story that seems often forgotten. That, even after his terrible childhood in Auschwitz, even after witnessing the death of his child, and being abandoned as a monster by his wife, Magneto is still trying to work within the system to achieve justice. Though he is hunting down Nazi war criminals (as we see him do in the X-Men: First Class film), he's not just killing them, but rather delivering them to face trial for their crimes.
Claremont seems to imply with this story that it's only after trying to work alongside the justice system that Magneto becomes disenchanted by it's corruption, and, blaming that corruption on all of humanity, seeks to supplant it with is own new form of revolutionary government.
It's a small detail in Magneto's story overall, but Claremont must have seen it as especially relevant considering he gave the story (basically) the same title as Magneto's first major turning point from the 1981 story, I, Magneto.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #114
Release Date- October 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
The return of Sauron and the Savage Land. First appearance of the word ‘Uncanny’ in the title.
Brief Summary
Desolation
Beast has been able to regain consciousness and is trying to get himself and the still unconscious Jean to safety from the Antarctic blizzard. But he knows that nothing short of a miracle will save them. He notices a light in the sky and realises that it is a helicopter. He shouts and waves to it but he knows that he won’t be seen in the darkness and the snow. He does everything that he can to wake up Jean so that she can signal the helicopter. He is successful in his attempt as she comes back to the world. But rather than a small light show Jean unleashes a huge amount of her Phoenix Force as she attempts to rescue the other X-Men. But her attempts are fruitless since they are some distance from the volcano but the helicopter has spotted them and is closing in. Beast is ashamed to reveal that the X-Men have perished.
Time passes and the X-Men tunnel themselves through a wall and are glad to be in fresh air once again. They have been tunnelling for some time and they are surprised that they are not freezing. The team look in shock at the landscape that they see, rather than being in a frozen wasteland they are seeing a lush tropical jungle. Cyclops introduces the landscape as the Savage Land.
Banshee notices that Storm has been on edge due to her claustrophobia and he suggests that they both fly in the air to clear their heads. Storm is more than happy to be in the open air. They both soar up and are enjoying their freedom but Banshee lets his guard down and is grabbed by a giant pterosaur. He and Storm are too weak to fight it so on the ground Colossus and Wolverine perform a fastball special. Wolverine is thrown into the air and strikes the pterosaur. This causes the creature to release its grip on Banshee and as Wolverine continues to slash at it the creature falls to the ground. The team quickly make their way to where the creature is fallen. They are relieved to see that Wolverine is unharmed by Cyclops is still not happy that he took the risk. But as Banshee reaches the ground he reveals to the team that there is a village twenty miles away and they decide to head that way. But unknown to them a man watches them in the shadows who recognises Cyclops and can sense that the others are mutants.
A week and a half later at the X-Mansion Jean Grey and Beast arrive and are met by Lilandra. She begins to speak with Beast as Jean makes her way into the mansion. She walks to the study of Professor Xavier and she sees the man himself in there. He is at a loss for words over the loss of his students and Jean tries to comfort him as much as she can.
That same time at the Savage Land the team have been at the village for some time and have adjusted themselves to it. They are wearing attire more fitting for the environment although Banshee wishes to leave. It is a sentiment that is shared amongst the team but he marvels over the beauty of Storm. She states how the Savage Land reminds her very much of Kenya and that she is going for a swim. But as she walks away she thinks about Jean and how she was unable to save her since it was her that was able to cool the lava using her blizzard abilities and allow the team to tunnel out.
Some distance away Cyclops is looking into a pool as he is having a shave. He is thinking that Jean and Beast have perished not knowing that they have survived. He wonders how he will explain it to Xavier and is surprised that he isn’t mourning Jean as much as he should. He feels that she is different since the incident with the space shuttle. But as he continues to shave he sees himself with a moustache and realises that he looks like Corsair. He remembers the incident with the M’Krann crystal where Corsair had held him and called him Scott. Memories begin to flood back about the day that he and his bother Havok were involved in a plane accident that he thought had killed his parents.
Cyclops’s train of thoughts are interrupted by Storm who has come to swim. He tells her about his thoughts Jean and how he is not really mourning her. Storm tells him that they are both not teenagers anymore and are adults. While she makes her way to the water she realises that she was harsh on him but sees Colossus and Wolverine.
Colossus has a few admirers from the local women. He asks Wolverine if he wants to join them in taking a look around the village but he turns them down. When they go away Wolverine takes a picture of Jean out of his pocket and thinks of how they could have been together and how he was going to open up to her. But he too thinks that she has died and scrunches up the photo.
Storm is swimming in the pool and feels free. She comes from to the bank to relax but suddenly someone grabs her from behind and begins to absorb her energy. At first he didn’t want to do it but his hunger drove him to it. But as he absorbs her energy he begins to transform.
There is a loud crackle of lightning takes the team by surprise and quickly they make their way to Storm. When they get there they are surprised to see that an unconscious Storm is in the clutches of the thought to be dead villain Sauron.
My Thoughts
Another great issue in a fantastic run that has not disappointed me since the relaunch of the series. We are getting great issue after issue with no fall in quality. It just shows that Claremont is a fantastic writer and with recent co-plotting with Byrne the series is just going from strength to strength. So far there has been no story in this relaunched that I haven’t liked (Not including the Marvel Team Up Annual).
The story was really great once again and the emotions shown as both sets of people think that the others have been killed makes these people more than just drawings. They make them seem like they’re real people dealing with a great loss which almost everyone can relate to (Not the whole superhero business I just mean losing someone close to them).
It was great to see the Savage Land once again since it is such an interesting place and has more links to the X-Men than any other Marvel team or hero (Well except for Ka-Zar and his bunch but you know what I mean with that). Also it was good have they reintroduced Sauron who has been a thorn in the X-Men’s side for some time and with his seeming death some time before it was nice to see him back again.
There are a couple of issues with costumes that I did pick up. The first was that when Sauron was watching the team from a distance he states that Cyclops’s costume is different but his voice is the same. When he last fought the X-Men Cyclops was wearing the exact same costume, the only difference is the visor but even then he basically looks the same so this shouldn’t have happened. The second is at the start of the issue the team’s costumes are in tatters but when they went to Storm’s aid they were all mended. I’m not sure how this could have been since I doubt that the people of the Savage Land have the right materials to repair their costumes. Remember that they are made out of unstable molecules so regular fabric wouldn’t work with it.
I also believe that this is the first time that we’ve ever seen Wolverine actually kill another living being. He has fought against living beings before but as far as I know he had never killed them until this issue. It makes me feel that the series is beginning to shift into the more darker stories that the title will be most remembered for. It is a step in the right direction in my books although I would not enjoy seeing an animal killed in real life.
A few more pointers is that this is the first issue of X-Men to have the world ‘Uncanny’ in the title. It will last with them all the way to the present day but the series itself is still called X-Men and will continue to do so until issue #142 which came out just over two years later. The second is that this is the first of what I believe to be the three times that the X-Men have believed to be dead (In all I think it happened within a decade of each other) and it is something that does make things interesting but I felt that it should only have been done once.
It was great to see both the X-Men along with Jean and Beast survive since at the end of the last issue they were both staring death in the face and to see them all come out at the end of it did make me feel happy. I do somewhat question what a helicopter was doing over the Antarctic but I’m not complaining.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It could have been as good as the last one but those plot holes did lose a couple of points for me.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #115
Issue information:
Release date: April, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #114 - Desolation(October, 1978)
Story summary:
Mother of the Bride
Storm stands at an alter as a bride, about to be married to an unnamed man with a mustache. In the church are her friends and family, the X-men. As the priest declares that the groom may now kiss the bride, he lifts the veil covering her face.
With the veil lifted, Storm now sees her groom as an undead ghoul and recoils in horror. Then she is surrounded on all sides by him and the other X-men, who are also now ghouls, and flies out through the top of the church to escape.
She wakes from the nightmare with a start, and finds herself in a dark shack with a mysterious wound on her upper arm. Confused by the dream and delirious from her wound, she tries to remember how she got here, but as she does, an actual ghoul bursts through the door of the shack. As she tries to evade him, more ghoulish hands burst through the walls, armed with gardening tools, and as they overtake the shed she sees with them the man she was marrying from her dream and begins to remember how she came to this.
After an especially stressful mission with the X-men, Storm had taken some time to recover at a beach-side resort. While relaxing by the pool, she notices another, older woman who seems visibly distraught. Upon inquiry, the woman, Alice Norton, tells Storm that she was awarded her vacation by her late husband's former employers, the Twelvetrees chemical company, after an accident at work had claimed his life. The company had said that his insurance alone was not enough compensation for the loss of Jack, her husband, but despite this gesture, she still missed her husband and was suspicious that they had never let her see the body.
Deciding to investigate for herself, Storm meets with the head of the company, Richard Twelvetrees, who does his best to assure her that, though Jack's death was obviously tragic, it was unfortunately the kind of industrial accident that sometimes happened, and that they hadn't released his remains out of sensitivity to Alice. As he begins to show Storm the miraculous new compound that they are working on, they are intruded upon by a ghoulish looking factory worker. Twelvetrees tries to pass off the ghoul as a mentally handicapped employee, but seeing that Storm recognizes him as Alice's husband, Jack, and has now seen too much, he orders the ghoul to kill her. Storm escapes by flying out a window into the jungle, but not before the ghoul has bitten her on her upper arm.
As the story returns to the present, Storm is being overwhelmed by the ghouls that the unrepentant Twelvetrees is still ordering to kill her. Too weak to fly, and having sworn never to take a life, not even ones as pitiable as the ghouls, Storm prays to mother nature to save her. Suddenly, lightning strikes everyone in the immediate area except for her, which she simply accepts as nature's will.
My thoughts:
The end of this story really sort of makes it seem like Storm wasn't using her control of the weather to kill Twelvetrees and the ghouls, that it was either her prayers being answered by a higher power or a complete fluke of nature.
But given that controlling the weather is her power, it seems just as likely that she did actually just kill them all, even if it was by some subconscious impulse. Pretty ambiguous, in that way. I guess if lightning had simply struck everyone in the area, she would have still been unaffected due to her resistance to electrical charge, so it's really impossible to say what happens here.
From one perspective we could look at this as being one of the first examples of Storm taking a life, though she herself seems to simply accept it as the will of nature, of which she is merely a servant. But does that make it not her doing? Not that I'm judging Storm either way in this case, I just wonder where personal accountability would fall in this something like this..
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #115
Release Date- October 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
First appearance of Garokk and Zaladane
Brief Summary
Visions Of Death
Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Banshee confront Sauron who has Storm in his clutches. Despite Cyclops attempts to calm the situation Wolverine lunges at Sauron intending to save the unconscious Storm. But before he can do any damage Sauron is able to use his hypnotic abilities to hypnotise Wolverine into believing that the other X-Men are demons.
Quickly Wolverine goes to attack his teammates but his is blasted by Cyclops before he can get very close. After that he commands Banshee to fly into the air and with one high pitch scream he is able to stun Sauron.
On the ground Nightcrawler is tending to Wolverine who knocks him out as he still believes that he is a demon. As Wolverine gets up he sees Cyclops attacking Sauron but in his mind he is seeing Jean being attacked by a demon. Wolverine tackles his leader to the ground and goes to attack him. But he begins to remember that Jean is dead and this gives Cyclops the distraction that he needs to blast his teammate.
Sauron goes to attack Cyclops who has just gotten back to his feet. But suddenly the villain is attacked from behind by Banshee. Cyclops also attacks Sauron and this drains the energy that the villain has. Quickly Sauron flies away knowing that he will change back to human form if he doesn’t find mutant energy soon. He flies to where he left Storm and sees Colossus there tending to her. Without hesitation he grabs Colossus and begins to absorb his energy. But the Russian mutant converts into his metal form and repels Sauron.
A short distance away Wolverine comes back to his senses and sees Sauron land on the ground. He runs over to him intending to kill him but by now Sauron has reverted back to Kyle Lycos. Before Wolverine can deliver the killer blow he is confronted by Ka-Zar and Zabu. He informs him that Kyle is his friend and under his protection. Wolverine is ready for a fight but the other X-Men arrive and Cyclops is able to calm the situation. Ka-Zar also explains that he requires the X-Men’s aid.
Sometime later at the Council House in the village Kyle begins to explain to the team how he survived his last encounter with the original X-Men. He had attacked the father of the woman that he loved and then fled to an Antarctica to try and be at peace. When he fell off the cliff into a bottomless pit he had actually fallen onto a ridge a few metres below and survived. Using a tunnel system he was able to make his way down to the Savage Land where he felt at home. Over time his wounds healed along with his mind and he fed his hunger by absorbing the life energy of small creatures. He was at peace but that ended when he witnessed a ritual to a god named Garokk. A priestess named Zanadane performs the ritual in front of a stone with a carved face. There is man who is being sacrificed so that Garokk can live. She covers him with blessed oil and the man transforms before the eyes of those watching. When the transformation is complete the man has become petrified and now he calls himself the god Garokk.
A short time later the pair are viewing what looks to be a city in the Savage Land but with a mere blast with an optic beam the city disappears. It seems to be a trans dimensional warp since it was an alien city in another part of the galaxy. Ka-Zar begins to explain how recently he had felt something like that during one of his adventures and that he was returned to the Savage Land a short time later. They needed to wait until they had healed until they could attack Garokk and his followers but by then it was too late. Garokk had already built a great metropolis which he intended for all of the Savage Land people to dwell in. Anyone who defied this was killed.
Wolverine and Banshee are more than happy to help but Cyclops has to turn Ka-Zar down for now. He knows that Magneto most likely survived the volcano eruption as well and will go after Professor Xavier. He states that the team’s first priority is to Xavier but that as soon as they have dealt with Magneto that they would return and help Ka-Zar. Ka-Zar agrees to this although Wolverine doubts that it will happen.
The next day Ka-Zar leads the team through the jungle so that they can find a way out of the Savage Land. They approach one of the exits of the Savage Land and realise that it is unusually cold. A nearby river has frozen over and it begins to snow, at first the team don’t think much of it but Ka-Zar knows that something is very wrong. Garokk’s appearance has disrupted the environment balance of the Savage Land and that it will soon become a frozen wasteland like the rest of Antarctica.
My Thoughts
Another good follow-up to the last issue. Not quite as epic as some of the other issues but still a very good read nonetheless. It has a small battle and a lot of explanations. I know that explanation issues can be a bit boring t times but they are necessary. This one was pulled off very well.
The issue introduced the characters Garokk and Zanadane who are minor villains in the X-Men series. They don’t appear very often but I’ve never heard a bad word against them so maybe they’re villains who because they’re not used very often don’t have the opportunity to be written poorly. I think Zanadane has a link with Polaris somehow but I can’t fully remember what it is but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.
Garokk is a god like character who again doesn’t have too many appearances but when he does appear the stories are good quality. I still remember him from the X-Men Animated series from the nineties. He reminded me a little of the Living Diamond from Cyclops’s somewhat mediocre origins. His body has that complexion but his is solid rock rather than diamond. In a way you could say that Garokk is similar to Colossus but with additional god like powers.
The fight between the X-Men and Sauron was very well done. Having Wolverine hypnotised in that manner was well played. The only thing that did get me a little was that I thought that Banshee needed his costume to be able to fly since it gave him the flaps that allowed his screams to keep him airborne. But it seems that he can fly without them so I guess that’s a little fact that I got wrong or is different in the films.
I did notice that Xavier and Jean didn’t make a proper appearance in this issue. I somewhat wonder what would have happened if they had done a quick page involving them still dealing with the X-Men’s apparent death. But I’m sure we have that in future issues so it would probably have been unnecessary in this issue. But I also wonder how Moira would react to hearing that Banshee was dead.
I didn’t realise at the time that Ka-Zar had his own series at the time but since it has not been going for some years I can more or less say as a matter of fact that the series didn’t do as well as the X-Men. Recently in various animated series Ka-Zar is linked to the Marvel Universe in general. But in my mind he will always be most associated with our merry band of mutants.
In conclusion I’m giving this issue a 7 out of 10. A good read but not as epic as some of the last issues.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #116
Issue information:
Classic X-Men #21 - Visions of Death; First Love;
Release date: May, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #115 - Visions of Death! (November, 1978)
Story summary:
First Love
Colossus is hanging out in the Savage Land going bananas about how hot it is and wishing he was back in Siberia where it was nice and cold.
Away in the distance he thinks he sees his brief love Anya and his sister Illyana waving to him. Not only is he astounded that either of them are in the Savage Land to begin with, but what's more his young sister looks about ten years older than he remembers her ever being. Rubbing his eyes he realizes that it was just a trick of the light brought on by the extreme heat, and actually just some of the Fall People waving to him on their way into the forest.
His thoughts drift back to Anya, his feelings for her, and the disappointment he felt when she rejected him for being a mutant. But suddenly he hears screams coming from the direction that the Fall People went, and runs to investigate.
He finds that the Fall People have become the prey of a giant tyrannosaurus and instinctively tries to change into his mutant metal form, only to find that he cannot. Not willing to leave the villagers to the fate of the tyrannosaurus, he hurls a boulder at the dinosaur and hits it in the face. The dinosaur responds by whipping him with it's tail into a nearby bog, and as he recovers, he sees that one of the three girls has run out to distract the beast from the others. Not wanting to see her hurt, Colossus races up a tree and leaps onto the dinosaur's head, but not before it can grab the girl in it's great mouth.
Colossus howls in horror and bashes the beast in the eyes and face with an ax, eventually throwing it's balance off enough to topple it into the bog. When the beast doesn't rise, he goes to check on the girls; two of them are fine and they thank him for his bravery, but tragically he could not save the third that had been snatched up by the tyrannosaurus' bite.
That night, the tribe holds a funeral pyre for the girl, to release her spirit back into the jungle. Afterwards, Colossus tries to sleep, but is haunted by nightmares. He awakes to find the two girls he saved, Fahe and Nereel have come to visit him, saying that there is one more ritual he must help them perform in honor of their fallen friend.
As they lead him out into the moonlight, they pass Wolverine, sewing on a rock. Colossus invites him to join them, but Wolverine slyly declines, saying that he doesn't want to crimp Colossus' style. This only seems to baffle Colossus, and he continues to let the girls lead him to a small boat and then a small island, near where he felled the tyrannosaurus. The girls tell Colossus that the final ritual is for him to simply be with them, which at first he doesn't understand, but when he does he becomes shocked, thinking it disrespectful on the night of their friend's death. They reply that it is the most respectful course, arguing that where life ends, new life should be given a chance to form.
Colossus contemplates this different cultural perspective, but still doesn't feel right about it. Suddenly, the tyrannosaurus emerges from the bog and attacks. Colossus tells the girls to run, that it's him the beast wants, though he's terrified to face it again, this time without any rocks or his ax to use as weapons. But as the beast snatches him up, he finally is able to change into his metal form, snapping it's jaw.
Hearing the shock in the girls' voices at the sight of his mutant form, his thoughts return to Anya, and he fears they too will reject him. As he finishes the beast off with his bare hands, he muses "by Lenin, would that I could put an end to such unreasoning fear.. as easily as I do ..this beast!"
Returning to the girls, he's surprised that they do not reject him. He explains what happened with Anya, and they tell him that she was a fool. He says that when the X-men leave, he must go with them, and Nereel replies that they must then make this time count. The three embrace on the jungle floor, and for the first time in his young life, Colossus knows romantic love.
My thoughts:
well, that's basically the story of how Colossus loses his virginity on his first trip to the Savage Land. I actually think it's one of the better stories out of these backups, despite that it's about Colossus.
I have to give Claremont some credit for the tact and maturity he employs in his execution of the subject matter. Despite being a story that's about sex and death, Claremont never sensationalizes it to the point where it would be inappropriate for children.
Longtime fans may know that it's later revealed that Colossus' encounter with Nereel would indeed bare a child, though Colossus seems to never really realize this.
This story is also a rare example of Colossus having superhuman strength even when not in his armored form, as we see him throw a large rock with enough force to hit the tyrannosaurus in the face. That thing was at least three stories tall, and the rock at least as big as Colossus' torso, so well beyond the reach of a normal human throwing something that large that far.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #116
Release Date- December 1978
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
To Save The Savage Land
Ka-Zar leads the X-Men on top of a ridge and when they all get to the top they see the futuristic city that Garokk has created. It is enormous and Cyclops begins to ask just how he could have built something like this so fast. But before he can get a proper answer the team are attacked by men on the back of pterosaurs. The team attack these men but Cyclops is the first to be carried away. Next Colossus is captured along with Banshee and Ka-Zar. The pterosaurs fly away since they have as many prisoners that they can carry. Wolverine fears that they will return but Storm reassures him and Nightcrawler that she will use her powers to make it impossible for them to return. He then tells his remaining teammates that they will go into the city and rescue those who have been kidnapped. The only one who really has anything to say is Ka-Zar’s sabretooth cat Zabu. But after a quick stroke from Wolverine and a command to go back to the village and bring back reinforcements Zabu runs into the jungle. Storm is amazed with what she has just witnessed before the remaining three mutants make their way down the ridge.
A few minutes later the team secretly approach an entrance that is being guarded by a single guard. Wolverine is able to take him down and even possibly kill him. With the coast clear the team move into the city but as they enter Wolverine is attacked by a small predator but a simple use of his claws puts the dinosaur down permanently. But there are more of these creatures but Storm is able to use her abilities to blow them away.
The three mutants make their way through the tunnels of the city and eventually make their way to a vast arena where they see Garokk with Zaladane. Their missing teammates are tied to poles and are going to be executed to show what happens to those who oppose Garokk’s rule. Colossus is lit on fire but he is in his metal form so he isn’t harmed. The bonds that keep him tied up are made out of vibranium so he cannot break free. Although he isn’t harmed the fire will eventually melt through the metal of his skin.
Quickly Nightcrawler teleports down to the arena floor and removes the restriction to Cyclops visor. With his powers now free Cyclops blasts the pole that is keeping Colossus hostage and the mighty Russian is finally able to break free. Next Banshee’s gag is removed and he uses his sonic screams to free himself while Wolverine and Storm come down to assist the escape. But as they fight the guards Cyclops and Ka-Zar are still tied up but a quick lightning bolt from Storm solves that problem. But with the tied of the battle going against Garokk he attempts to flee but is chased by Cyclops.
The chase leads Cyclops to a set of stairs and he runs up them for what feels like an eternity but when he reaches the top he finds himself on the dome of the city itself. There he is confronted by Garokk who fires laser beams from out of his eyes. Cyclops counteracts this by firing his own optic beams. The battle causes the city to begin to break apart but those inside are able to escape. But the dome itself begins to collapse and both men begin to fall. Cyclops is saved by Banshee and Storm flies down further to try and save Garokk. But since they are going down towards a lava pit the heat begins to rise but Storm still continues in hopes of saving him. But when she is close to reaching him Storm sees something Garokk’s eyes that causes her to hesitate. By now she is too close to the lava pit and flies back up saddened that she failed to save him.
As everyone gets out of the city they are worried about Storm but they see her fly out and land some distance away from them. At first Banshee wants to go to her to see if she is alright but Wolverine tells him that she needs some alone time. He knows that she wasn’t able to save Garokk and it is something that she’ll have to deal with by herself.
A couple of weeks later the destruction of the city has caused the environment of the Savage Land to be restored and the river finally thaws. Ka-Zar and Karl Lycos say their goodbyes to the team who leave in a wooden boat. But as they get to the open seas the boat is trapped within a violent storm and it seems that the X-Men have little chance of survival.
My Thoughts
Ok this is another issue that I think is good but in comparison to some of the other issues in the current run is actually a little wanting. Don’t get me wrong it was still a very good issue by many standards but in comparison to the Phoenix business and the battle and capture of the X-Men by Magneto this one wasn’t quite as good as those ones. But still an entertaining read.
It is not the first time that we’ve seen Cyclops go toe to toe with a being who has similar powers to him. We saw it before during the X-Men’s battle with the Imperial Guard but both times I’d say that they ended in draws. I think he could have been able to defeat them if he had taken off his visor and unleashed his full power but obviously that is a very risky choice since he could commit acts of unimaginable destruction.
This was a great issue for Wolverine since it shows that he’s not just a savage man and that there is a lot more to him. Also I believe that this is the first time that we’ve ever seen him actually kill another human being. We know that over his forty years that he has killed many people but this is the first that we see him doing it in the pages of a comic book. Also for the first time we get the first hint that Wolverine has his healing powers. After he was attacked by the small dinosaur he commented that he healed fast so now we know that his healing abilities are much greater than any normal person. But what isn’t indicated is just how much faster they are.
I wasn’t sure entirely how the city disrupted the environment of the Savage Land but I’m guessing that the generators that it used is what caused the problems. I think at one point that the Savage Land did become a frozen wasteland but that it was eventually restored back to its original form. To my knowledge this is also the team’s third trip to the place but it will be somewhere where they frequently visit on a regular basis.
The issue did the whole Storm feeling bad about not saving Garokk pretty well. We all know that he got exactly what he deserved but it doesn’t make her feel any less guilty. Seeing her sad that he couldn’t save a person did make us see that she is indeed a good person and one that will remain with the X-Men for many, many years. To my knowledge since she has been with the team she has never left.
The ending to the comic also left us on the edge of our seats as we don’t know if our favourite characters are going to survive their trip back to civilization. From the looks of it they are as good as dead. But then there has been close to 500 issues of the series since this and numerous other titles so we know that they will survive… somehow.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. A good read but not quite up to standard with some of the other issues.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #117
Issue information:
Classic X-Men #22 - To Save The Savage Land / Solace
Released: June, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #116 - To Save the Savage Land (December, !978).
Story summary:
Solace
The X-men awake in the village of the Fall people to find that Storm is gone. They find a note from her saying that she needed some time to herself and that she would be back before they left. Ka-zar thinks they should go after her, saying that he knows the dangers of the Savage Land and that it's no place for a lone woman, but Wolverine says Ka-zar doesn't know Storm and that they should trust her judgement. And Cyclops actually agrees with Wolverine.
In another part of the Savage Land, Storm is flying high above a lake. She's considering how some of the situations she's come into into since being with the X-men have made her have to confront what she considers to be her core values, most recently the fate ofGarokk, who she still wonders if she could have saved, and she's worries about how it's changing her. As she dives into the lake, she's surprised by the appearance of a huge, aquatic dinosaur rushing towards her.
She narrowly evades the beast, but is still injured. As the dinosaur turns to attack again, Storm notices someone caught on the back of it, tangled in a harpoon lash. As she swims in to save them, they motion for her to save herself, but Storm refuses and frees them in spite of the danger. As the beast seems to dive deeper, Storm becomes disoriented feeling that down in leading her back to the surface. The beast leaps forth from the water with Storm in tow, giving her the opportunity to attack with a lightning bolt; though this seems to fell the beast, Storm herself collapses on the shore.
Unconscious, Storm's mind torments her with her fears, twisted versions of her memories, and ominous premonitions. She is a child again: at one moment safe in her mother's arm, then lost from her in a wave of fire; she runs down desperate ally ways, chased by a skeletal version of the dinosaur; her powers fail her, and she feels completely lost. Out of the darkness, a hand reaches out to her and she takes it.
She wakes in a bed to find a woman in a strange headdress trying to calm her and tell her she is safe. The woman says her name isM'Rin, and she believes that Storm is from another world, explaining that just as Storm had dived into a lake that seemed to have two surfaces, so had she, and that they had come up on her surface. It's then that Storm realizes that M'rin was the one she saved in the lake, and as she processes what M'rin says, she wonders if she will be able to return home.
The two walk out onto the deck of M'rin's ship, and Storm is astonished to see that it flies, and even more so that it is carried by a giant, flying silver fox --that can speak! The fox replies that it's more astounding that such intellect can be found in one so small as her; he introduces himself as C'Jime, and says that for saving his mistress, M'rin, he is now forever Storm's servant, as he is to her.
In the days and weeks that follow, the three become fast friends. In this world, M'rin is the lord of the sky, and her crew hunt savage sky-pirates. Storm becomes M'rin's right-hand-man, fighting alongside her in battle and tending to the wounded of both sides. She sees that M'rin is a even fair judge of her prisoners, and develops a great respect for her as a leader. But as time passes, Storm begins to wonder if she will ever return to her own world, her own life. She senses that her time with M'rin has awakened a wildness in her personality, but she feels duty bound to return to her friends.
One day, walking through the ship, Storm comes across a statue of M'rin and notices that it is a depiction of her with a child she has never mentioned. Confronting her, M'rin confesses that her daughter became the leader of the sky-pirates; though she knows it's selfish of her to want Storm to stay, she feels that Storm has been more like a daughter to her in spirit than her own ever was. Storm recognizes that the feeling is mutual, and is thankful for the time she's spent on this world, but says she still must return home. As M'rin agrees, the two embrace once more as surrogate mother and daughter.
My thoughts:
There's a lot of story here, crammed into these 11 pages, but it's a lot of interesting stuff that ties into where Claremont would take Storm's character through the 80's. Through her relationship with M'rin, we get a sense of where her distinct sensibilities as a leader came from, but we also see the relationship that seems to have informed her role to characters like Kitty, Rogue, and Jubilee, with whom she was like a surrogate mother, despite not really growing up with one of her own.
Something else I noticed was that during Storm's fever dreams, Claremont retcons in a premonition of how Storm would later lose her powers, something that would be especially central to her character development later on.
This is actually the second premonition that he includes in these Savage Land back ups, as Classic X-Men #21 - First Love, Colossus also has a vision of the future when he sees his young sister Illyana as a teenager.
Anyway, not a super-essential X-men story, but certainly an interesting one for any hardcore Storm fans (like me :v)
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #117
Release Date- January 1979
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
First appearance of Amahl Farouk aka Shadow King
Brief Summary
Psi War
The X-Men are trapped within a storm in the Drake Passage which is between Antarctica and South America. Their wooden boat will not last long in the storm and the team are running out of ideas. The X-Man Storm uses her abilities to try and calm the weather as much as she can but even she has her limits but as she flies in the air she notices a ship over the horizon.
The ship itself is from Japan and is called the Jinguchi Maru and the crew pick up both radar and visual contact with the ship. The majority of them think that their mission is too important to pick up castaways but the Captain reminds them that it is there duty to help those in need.
Minutes later the X-Men are picked up by the Jinguchi Maru and as the team forms on deck Cyclops thanks the captain for rescuing them. He asks if they can use the ship’s radio but the captain tells him that they are on a Government mission and that they cannot make unauthorised radio contact. It means that the X-Men cannot communicate with the outside world until the ship returns to Japan.
Six thousand miles away at the X-Mansion Jean is leaving but before she leaves she is approached by Lilandra. She reveals that she is leaving because there is too many memories in the mansion and she still believes that her lover Cyclops and the rest of the team are dead. The pair embrace in a hug before Jean leaves in a waiting taxi.
As Lilandra prepares something to eat for Professor Xavier she thinks of how he has stolen her heart but she is worried since he has withdrawn into himself since the X-Men have gone missing. She knocks on the door of his study and tells him that she has made lunch. He states that he is not hungry and she tried to comfort him as best as she can. But he tells her that he wonders what would have happened if he had never formed the X-Men and allowed the team to be at peace.
Xavier’s mind flashes back to his past. He remembers falling in love with Moira MacTaggart and how they were going to marry but he was drafted to serve the army during the Korean War. But while he was on his tour he received a letter from Moira telling him that she had broken the engagement and would return to Scotland without an explanation. This caused Xavier to have a small breakdown and he began to become a nomad bumming around the Mediterranean.
Eventually when he became more able minded he moved to Cairo. One day he was walking through one of the City’s main Bazaars when his wallet is stolen by a young girl. He gives chase and only thanks to his telepathy that he was able to keep up with her. When he got close enough to her he stopped her with a gentle force bolt that makes her stand exactly where she was. Xavier would later call upon this girl to join his X-Men as this little girl was the young Storm. But after retrieving his wallet he is suddenly struck by a mental attack that knocks him down.
When Xavier wakes up he senses that the attack had come from a nearby saloon. Before he enters the saloon itself he puts up his mental barriers to guard himself from a future attack. The attack itself was a warning but as he sits down at a table he sees a man enter from one of the back rooms and as soon as they locked eyes they became bitter enemies. The man sits at a table on the other side of the saloon and instantly there is a mental connection between the two men.
The man introduces himself as Amahl Farouk and calls himself the master of the Thief Quarters of Cairo. Farouk senses great power within Xavier and offers him an opportunity to join forces with him so that he can show Xavier the true joy of their abilities. But Xavier senses much evil within Farouk and refuses. This doesn’t go down well with Farouk as Xavier demands that he be brought to justice for his crimes. Their entire conversation has been through telepathy and no one around even knows that they are communicating with one another.
Instantly both men project their astral forms and begin their battle on in a realm called the Astral Plain. Xavier is afraid like his first patrol in Korea and this is picked up by Farouk who changes his form to look like a Samurai warrior. He goes to attack Xavier who is able to dodge the impact. Xavier then changes his form into a Gladiator like warrior and the two engage in battle. But as the battle progresses Farouk gets the upper hand and begins to taunt Xavier. One of Farouk’s attacks strikes Xavier in the back and in the real world a burn appears on his back as if he had been lit on fire.
On the Astral Plain Xavier realises that it is not a battle that can be won by fighting but matching raw power. He reverts to his original plain form as Farouk transforms into a giant monstrosity. Xavier clears his thoughts of anything unnecessary a Farouk grabs him and is about to destroy him. But Xavier unleashes a powerful mental bolt at the brain of Farouk and then the battle is over.
In the real world Xavier gets up from his chair and walks away while Farouk slumps forward while people try and see exactly what is wrong with him. Xavier remembers Farouk’s last words as his mind reverts back to the present.
Due to his battle with Farouk Xavier dedicated himself to educating young mutants so that they wouldn’t fall into the clutches of monsters like Farouk. But after he has finished talking to Lilandra she believes that he should come to the Shi’ar Empire with her and rule by her side. At first he is reluctant but eventually he agrees to go the Shi’ar Empire with her.
Later that afternoon at Kennedy International Airport Jean is checking in when she is met up by her roommate Misty Knight. Misty is taking a flight to Tokyo to help her
friend Coleen who is in trouble over there while Jean is going on a quick vacation. But they do not have time to properly chat as Misty needs to board her plan.
Half an hour later Jean watches as Misty’s plane flies away and for the first time in years she is truly alone and it scares the hell out of her.
My Thoughts
So this issue is a small breakaway from the general plot of the series. Rather than focusing on the main X-Men team their mentor Professor Xavier was the focus of this issue and to tell you the truth it was a nice little filler. Since the last few issues have been mainly focused on the main team and had nothing to do with Xavier, Lilandra and Jean Grey it was nice to see one that focused on one of these characters. It took an interesting look into the past of the man who brought the X-Men together.
The issue introduces what I call one of the X-Men’s mid-range villains. Shadow King is not as well-known and popular as people like Magneto and Apocalypse but definitely more well-known than early villains like Unus and the Vanisher. He is definitely someone who is most associated with Charles Xavier more than the X-Men in general. He is possibly one of the very few characters who telepathic abilities rivals that of Xavier. His firm hatred of Xavier has led to many interesting stories over the years but this issue was where it all started. And although it is believed that he died during this battle he actually resurfaces during the 80’s against the New Mutants. He is definitely a villain that has not lost his edge over the years and is still considered a good villain.
The issue also touches a little more on the early years of Storm. This is the first indication that she and Xavier had actually met briefly before she joined the X-Men. It was interesting to see her on the streets and showed a little more of what was introduced a few issues ago. It shows more of her early years when she was a thief on the streets of Cairo and is an important part of what drives the character in the rest of the series. I do wish they had focused on her a little more on her but it wasn’t like her appearance was any less important.
Seeing Storm at the start of the issue it was well written in showing that despite her powers that she can’t fully control the weather as much as others believe. I think that if it was written with the Storm of nowadays she probably would have been able to stop that storm in its tracks. But it just shows that she still has some way to go before she truly masters her abilities.
Also at the end of the issue it looks like that we won’t be seeing Xavier for a while since he is going to leave Earth with Lilandra, the X-Men are going to have an adventure in Japan while Jean goes and tries to find her purpose in life. These are all things that the series seems to be promising.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A more entertaining issue than the last but not quite as good as some of the others.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #118
Issue information:
Released: July, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #117 - Psi-War! (January, 1979)
Story summary:
Nightcrawler's High Adventure!
Waking up covered in bruises and beached alone on a tropical island, Nightcrawler mentally recounts how he arrived in such a dire situation.
The night before he had been aboard a Japanese freighter with the other X-men; the weather they found themselves in so bad that even Storm could barely keep it from capsizing the ship. As he tried to sleep through it in his cabin, he saw someone fall overboard from his window. Instinctively teleporting outside the ship to rescue the woman, Eiko Shimura, he's hit with a giant wave before he can teleport back, and loses sight of the ship.
Thinking that since Eiko was with him until he blacked out, and may now be on the island, he goes to look for her, concerned for her safety. After hours of searching the beach he sees something shining distinctively in the mountains above the jungle, figuring that if Eiko had seen it as well, she may have already gone to do the same. Swinging through the jungle on vines, he eventually comes to the abandoned wreck of an old freight plane and decides to investigate. Inside the wreck he finds a waterproof chest that he figures has been sealed since the 40's; in it he finds some clothes that almost fit, a pistol, a flare gun, and a telescope. As he gets dressed and inspects himself in the mirror, he catches a glimpse of a grim sight behind him: a human skull mounted on a spear!
Outside the wreck, he considers the owner of the skull most likely did not die of natural causes, and that the fetish may be a sign that he and Eiko are not alone on the island after all. Then, as if on cue, he's attacked by an ape-like creature with a sword; he tries to scare it away with the pistol, but it's too old and doesn't fire. So he teleports behind him and kicks it into the trunk of a tree, knocking it unconscious.
Inspecting the creature, he sees that it's wearing Eiko's life preserver under a metal girdle. He also notices that the girdle itself is emblazoned with an image of the island's mountain peak, and decides that's a good place to look for Eiko.
Investigating the mountains, Nightcrawler finds that one of them is an active volcano with a temple built into the side. He finds that Eiko has been taken to use as a human sacrifice. She struggles against the beast-men, but becomes complacent under the hypnotic gaze of their high priest. Nightcrawler teleports down to the alter to rescue her, punching the priest in the face and using the beast-men's strength against each other to knock them out; but he becomes hypnotized by the priest as well, and is laid down on the alter with Eiko.
The priest then continues with the ceremony, but just as he's bringing a crystal blade down on the pair, Nightcrawler teleports away to the outside of the mountain. Now with Eiko out of harm's way, Nightcrawler fires the flare gun he prayed would work and waits for the two of them to be rescued. As they wait, Eiko hugs Nightcrawler, saying that he is her handsome hero, and asks how could she ever repay him. Nightcrawler slyly replies, "oh, I'm sure we'll think of something.."
My Thoughts:
Man, Nightcrawler didn't get high even once on this adventure.
:v
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #118
Release Date- February 1979
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
First appearance of Mariko Yashida
Brief Summary
The Submergence Of Japan
After six weeks of being on the ship Jinguichi Maru the X-Men arrive in Tokyo bay only to see a firestorm overtake the city. The captain does not wish to get any closer to the city since he has to help refugees. Instead Nightcrawler is ordered by Cyclops to teleport to the port and check if everything is alright. The German mutant does what he is asked and is amazed that he can now make the journey in one jump.
The coast it clear and the X-Men fly over to the port but Nightcrawler informs them that they must move quickly before the fire traps them. Cyclops tells the team that they have to meet up with former team member Sunfire since they have no passports or money to be able to get back to the States.
The team make their way through the streets of Tokyo and eventually come up to the residential district of the city. They can still see the blaze and Wolverine picks up a newspaper and reads that an Earthquake was responsible for this. Most of the people had already been evacuated thanks to a warning about a big quake. Cyclops is amazed that a quake like that could strike without any pre or aftershocks and the fact that Wolverine can read Japanese. But this makes Cyclops think that the earthquake was unnatural and now more than ever he wants to get to the ancestral home of Sunfire.
In Earth’s orbit a Shi’ar ship is taking Lilandra and Xavier away back to the Shi’ar Empire. Xavier marvels over the beauty of Earth. But he begins to have second thoughts since many of his original students are still alive but Lilandra reminds him that they have their own lives now. The pair kiss as the ship flies away.
A short time later in Japan the team have reached Sunfire’s home. His family has a lot of influence in Japan and they spot several government limousines pull into the estate. Cyclops decides that it is best to suit up so that Sunfire will know who they are. Storm creates some fog to hide their approach but as they enter the outer court they are suddenly surrounded by dozens of armed guards. They were discovered due to a sudden bright light and the culprit is Sunfire himself. Cyclops tries to state that they are there in peace but Sunfire still wants them arrested. But then Misty Knight appears stating that the Prime Minister wants to see the X-Men. Sunfire is at first against it but he knows that he cannot override a command from the Prime Minister and lets them in. No one realises that a truck has parked outside the manor and that the two men driving are preparing to strike at midnight.
A few minutes later Cyclops witnesses the meeting between Sunfire, Colleen Wing and the Japanese Prime Minister. Sunfire is not happy that she is there and believes that he alone can save the city. Cyclops cannot understand a word which is being spoken since the conversation is in Japanese. Instead he walks over to a nearby phone and sees Misty Knight calling Iron Fist. The hero is unfortunately too busy to come so they will have to deal with the situation by themselves.
Cyclops eventually uses the phone but all the numbers that he has been given are no longer in use at the request of Professor Xavier. After that he sees Banshee come up to him and is told that Colleen wants to see him on a matter of urgency. He doesn’t realise that Colleen has actually taken a liking to him.
Outside at the truck it is fifteen minutes before midnight and the two men ready themselves for the strike. They open the back of the van revealing a couple of suits that they intend to use.
In the garden at the manor Wolverine is walking through trying to clear his head. He thinks about the last time that he was in Japan. He sees a beautiful young woman in the garden and when he approaches her he scares her. He quickly apologises for frightening her and she states that the fault is with her. The pair begin to talk and she tells him that her name is Mariko. Wolverine is just about to tell her his actual name but suddenly an earthquake rocks the garden. Wolverine has to save her from a falling tree.
The Manor house crumbles and the X-Men protect those who are inside. But as they make their way outside they are confronted by two men wearing metallic suits. The suits that they are wearing are called Mandroids. The men are there to take the Prime Minister away but Sunfire attacks them. He is quickly put down and Cyclops recognises the suits as ones that the Avengers once fought against.
Quickly he commands the X-Men to attack but their attacks seem to be ineffective. Cyclops notices that there is a weakness in the suits as they vibrate to deflect attacks. Banshee uses a scream which is at a different frequency to the suit, it causes the suit itself to literally shake itself apart. The second Mandroid is heated up by Sunfire before Storm unleashes freezing rain which causes the metal to break.
With the Mandroids defeated the two men flee back to the truck and drive away. But while they are escaping Colossus reappears and stops them. As he carries them back to the team a holographic projection appears of a man calling himself Moses Magnum and gives the Prime Minister an ultimatum. The Prime Minister must surrender the entire country of Japan or Moses will sink the island into the ocean.
My Thoughts
Well another fairly entertaining issue featuring the merry mutants that we all know and love. But it seems that as soon as the team gets back to civilization that something else is going down which forces them into action. They don’t seem to get a break but we don’t read comics to see the characters have downtime. We read them so that we can see them in action and kick some ass.
The issue introduces the secondary character Mariko Yashida who will play a big role in the life and character of Wolverine. She is one of the four women that he has truly loved over his long life. She is a somewhat interesting character over the years but unfortunately she and Wolverine do not live happily ever after.
The issue is also the first indication that Wolverine has heavy links to Japan. In truth it is much like a second home to him and it is a deep part of his character. He also continues to surprise his teammates as he was shown to be both an animal lover in one of the previous issues and now we see that he is fluent in Japanese. He is definitely a man that is full of surprises and that is why he is the most popular X-Man in history. But as we shall see in the future much more will be revealed about him and this issue is the first hint of what will be the original Wolverine Limited Series.
The villains who appear in this issue aren’t ones who have first appeared in this issue. The Mandroids have fought against the Avengers as it was stated during the issue and Moses Magnum first appeared in a Spider-Man comic book. From what I’ve researched about him he has the ability to basically create earthquakes and this is something that we will see in future X-Men villain Avalanche. Both the Mandroids and Moses Magnum are nothing more than B villains who have been mostly forgotten by the most readers.
It was nice to see Sunfire again although he still seems to be as pompous as ever and just nails the reason why he left the team. Sunfire at this point in time is definitely not a team player and would prefer nothing to do with the team although as Mariko stated to Wolverine that he does have a high level of respect for them. It is the classic I don’t like you but I respect you angle and I can see it working for someone like him.
There are two power businesses that I have noticed this issue. The first is that Nightcrawler seems to becoming more powerful since he was able to make such a big teleport jump and that it didn’t tire him out. But I also noticed that Storm seems to be able to detect natural earthquakes, I wasn’t sure exactly how this could be but I don’t think it is something that is picked up by most writers.
The story itself was well written and the characters were well placed and now it even seems that we won’t be seeing Xavier anymore. All in all Claremont with Byrne is a winning combination and it was such a shame when their run together ended. But still not all good things last forever.
One other thing that is hinted in the issue is that Colleen Wing is attracted to Cyclops and I believe that in the near future that they might be having a relationship but I cannot properly remember so we’ll have to read and find out together.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue another 8 out of 10. A great way of seeing the characters and leaves me wanting the next issue.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #119
Issue information:
Released: August, 1988
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #118 - The Submergence of Japan!(February, 1979)
Story summary:
Vacation
Believing that Cyclops and the X-men are dead, Jean Grey finds herself in the south-east islands of Greece for vacation. While admiring the scenery on the Kirinos waterfront, she's pushed into the water by a group of delinquents who steal her bag. Without it, she has no money or passport, and has to wait some days for them to be replaced, leaving her legally stranded.
Outside of the local police station, she meets a man who introduces himself as Nikos. He tells her that he overheard her talking to the police and would like to help. He invites her out to dinner and as they eat he invites her to stay with him until she can get her affairs in order. Though suspicious at first, Jean is convinced that the offer is genuinely benevolent and accepts.
What she doesn't realize is that it was under Nikos' orders that the delinquents stole her bag in the first place, for in fact he is actually the X-men's old adversary Mastermind, working under the glamour of a fabricated identity.
As Nikos, however, he is hospitable, spending all of his time showing her the sights of Kirinos. As he spends the next few weeks entertaining her, she begins to be charmed and their relationship starts to become romantic. But, though he's flirted with her all along, she tells him that she recently lost the man she loves and is not ready to move on yet. Encouraging her to embrace the vitality of her own life rather than morn her dead lover, he convinces her to go clubbing with him.
After some drinks and dancing, they go for a moonlit stroll to some ruins overlooking the city. Nikos talks to her about how the ancient gods lived, high above the concerns of humans, doing as they pleased, and how mutants, as modern-day gods, could themselves do the same. As he talks, Jean considers how she might have saved the X-men had she embraced her god-like powers, and the Phoenix part of her personality starts to emerge. But as the Phoenix embraces and revels in godhood, Jean reigns it back in and refuses to accept that that is who she is.
As she runs off confused into the night, Mastermind reflects on how truly fragmented her mind has become, and is pleased that his part in the corruption of her personality is going so well.
My thoughts:
It's not really ever explained how or why Nikos is supposed to know that Jean is a mutant. Obviously he knows because he's Mastermind, but she doesn't know that, so when he starts talking about how mutants could live as gods, it seems to just come out of nowhere. And seems especially incongruous in that she doesn't seem to question it at all, even after reigning the Phoenix personality back in.
I gotta give some props to Mastermind in this story; as a villain, he's really done some homework creating this Nikos persona. Sure, he has the benefit of having powers that Jean doesn't realize because she's dampening her own telepathy with the Phoenix force, but even there he has to be totally in-character for several weeks, in a role that must have taken months of research and planning to craft. Truly one of the more artful and sinister acts of villainy to come from the any of the X-men's rogues.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #119
Release Date- March 1979
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne
Major Notes
Banshee becomes a secondary member of the team after receiving an injury
Brief Summary
T’was The Night Before Christmas
Storm is carrying Nightcrawler over the Kuril Islands just north of Japan. It is the location of Moses Magnum’s base of operations. When they are at the desired position Nightcrawler teleports inside the base even though he was more scared than he liked to admit. Unfortunately he has reappeared on top of the complex and must make his way inside. Along the way he knocks out a guard and he can’t believe that someone would be so willing to murder the entire population of Japan.
Nightcrawler remembers how the Prime Minister’s aide went over a briefing with the team on how it was possible to destroy Japan thanks to the fault lines underneath it. The earthquake in Tokyo was a demonstration of what Moses was capable of. The villain had been believed to have been killed twice but both times he had survived. The last part of the briefing is about Moses’s location that was found thanks to the detective work of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. Already Moses has stated that any sign of attack will lead to the destruction of Japan.
As Nightcrawler continues his journey through the complex he radios to Misty Knight that he is inside. Above the complex Storm and Banshee are in the air ready to play their part. Banshee uses his sonic screams to disrupt the base’s scanners while Storm generates a thunderstorm. The base goes into alert as they think an attack is impending. Storm takes out a few of the guards while Banshee takes out a sonic disruption cannon.
One hundred feet below the sea floor Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus and Sunfire tunnel their way towards the base. But before they can enter they need Nightcrawler’s signal so they know exactly where they are tunnelling. On the surface Nightcrawler does find an ideal place for the team to come up but when he activates the homing beacon something grabs his attention and he looks in shock.
With the beacon activated Cyclops and Sunfire blast their way to the surface. Colossus is the first to make it out of the tunnel but he is instantly attacked by Moses from behind and thrown through a wall. Colossus is able to use his strength to stop himself from falling off the island but grabbing onto the ground beneath him and stopping the momentum. He is glad that he was able to stop himself but isn’t happy with the fact that he has more or less been a punching bag for the last several weeks and re-enters the base determined to earn his keep.
Inside Cyclops, Wolverine and Sunfire battle Moses Magnum. They are surprised to see that he has super strength and can fire energy beams from his hands when the reports had stated that he was a baseline human. But after Wolverine is knocked down Cyclops tells Sunfire to make a hole in the roof so that Storm and Banshee can enter the battle. But this leaves Cyclops by himself for a few moments and Moses rather than destroying him unleashes two more upgraded Mandroids. But before they can attack Cyclops Colossus re-enters the battle and takes both Mandroids on by himself. His determination helps him to defeat them both while Moses flees to activate his machine that will destroy Japan.
Banshee sees Moses flee but he cannot stop the villain. He remembers being told that the machine Moses will use an energy beam to cause the earthquakes. He figures that it is a longshot but he can actually be the only X-Men who can prevent Moses from succeeding. Quickly he flies out of the room and orders the X-Men to flee.
Inside the machine known as the Magnum Force, Moses begins to power it up by using the new powers he has gained after his battle with the hero Power Man. But as Moses prepares to fire the Magnum Force Banshee is outside creating a wall of sound around it to nullify the energy and force it back upon itself. The two men continue their struggle as Banshee pushes his powers beyond their limits, the sound is deafening for everyone around and eventually the entire island shatters.
A full day later a rescue plane discovers the X-Men who are on a small rock. The island system that had been there previously has completely disappeared but since the battle Banshee has been in a coma and needs urgent medical attention.
Ten days later it is Christmas Day and Banshee arrives at the home of Sunfire. He had been in a coma for three days and can barely speak. He is surprised that none of the X-Men came to see him leave the hospital despite the fact that they had been there for his entire treatment. But when he enters the house he is greeted by his teammates who are throwing him a surprise coming back/Christmas party. He wishes he could tell them how thankful he is but he still cannot speak.
During the party Wolverine finally gets some time alone with Mariko and Storm notices how gentle he has become. She also realises that the X-Men are like her family and she gives Nightcrawler a kiss. She sees Colossus standing out on the balcony. He reveals to her that he misses his family in Russia.
Meanwhile in Scotland Jean Grey arrives at Edinburgh station. She has been in the Greek Islands for six weeks and meets up with Moira MacTaggart, Havok, Polaris and Multiple-Man. They plan to stay in the city for a few more days so that they can take in the sights and enjoy Christmas before heading back to Muir Island.
At Muir Island itself a man named Angus MacWhirter breaks into Moira’s research facility so that he can destroy the place. His hovercraft had been accidentally destroyed by the X-Men some months ago and although he has been paid in full for it he still wants revenge. But before he can place the charges he passes a door labelled Mutant X and suddenly something comes up to him from behind. Angus screams in terror but at that moment his life has ended and a new nightmare begins.
My Thoughts
Well another fine issue in an amazing run. Not my favourite issue in the run but definitely one worth reading. It had drama, plenty of action, great character development and a cliffhanging conclusion. That is mainly what you want in a comic book and this one didn’t fail to deliver.
The X-Men’s attack on the base was well co-ordinated and well thought out. It didn’t seem to be overly complicated like some of the big plans in the series and was easy for me to understand. Each X-Man had their own bit to play, well nearly everyone besides Wolverine and Colossus but I can see them being there as the muscle and back up for the impending battle with Moses Magnum. Crippling sensors is always the first thing someone would do when wanting to enter a place undetected and this was well played out.
Moses Magnum was actually a capable villain in this issue since he did actually keep the X-Men at bay and he would have followed through with his threat if he had not been stopped. This is all the hallmarks of a good villain since it wasn’t incompetence or humanity that prevented him from carrying out the deed. And once again it looks like he’s been killed but we all know that he will most likely return.
One character who had some focus on in this issue was Colossus. I agreed with him that he had been punched around too much in recent issues but the fact that he took down two Mandroids by himself shows just how powerful he actually is. And seeing him at the end of the issue showed us that he is more than a two dimensional character. He shows all the hallmarks of being one of the greatest and most beloved members of the X-Men. One thing I did notice was that Colossus needed a breathing apparatus while going through the tunnel but I thought that he didn’t need to breathe in his armoured form, unless it is a precaution or a later development in his mutant abilities.
Also focused on in this issue as Banshee and this is unfortunately the last time that we will see him as an active member of the team for quite some time. But in this one act he has saved the lives of millions and millions of people and the majority of the world won’t even know that he has done it. He has come a long way from his first appearance in the original X-Men comics.
Also we see the team as more of a family rather than a group of individuals and this is only further proof that the team are coming together more. In their timeline they have been together for over a year (Since the starting business with Phoenix took place exactly a year before) and shows that they are becoming one rather than just a group of individuals. This is something I feel that this is what the Avengers lack and what made the Fantastic Four so great. That the team members weren’t merely friends but more like a family.
The ending to the comic has us on the edge of our seats as we see that Mutant X has seemingly escaped. I do admit that Angus probably deserved what was coming to him but this will all lead to the final arc of the decade before ushering the 80’s, the decade that truly put the series on the map.
One minor thing for me is that this issue is the last issue in Essential X-Men volume 1. Next I’ll be starting with Volume 2 which will feature the introduction of new and long lasting X-Men characters (cough Kitty Pryde, cough Emma Frost) and have some of the most popular stories of the entire franchise (cough Dark Phoenix Saga, cough Days Of The Future Past). Right now we have gone through 4 essentials and have another 24 to go (Unless anymore is released in the time).
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A great finish that leaves the reader wanting to see more.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #120
Issue information:
Released: September, 1988
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: John Bolton
Relevant notes:
Retroactive backup story to The X-Men #119 - Twas The Night Before Christmas...(March, 1979).
Story summary:
Just don't look in it's eyes
Continuing to do black-ops work for the organization known as Central, even after establishing himself among the X-men, Wolverine finds himself bombing an isolated outpost on their behalf. However as the outpost explodes, Wolverine himself is caught in the blast and has his costume destroyed leaving him naked in the wilderness with only his mask on.
As he makes his way naked through the snow, his tracks are followed by a hunter believing he's stumbled onto some evidence of an abominable snowman, a belief that is not convinced wrong even upon seeing Wolverine's movements through the scope of his gun. Though the hunter believes he's stealthily tracking Wolverine, Wolverine's heightened senses make him acutely aware of his presence, and he considers stealing the man's clothes.
Suddenly, Wolverine is attacked by a large grizzly bear and left with no choice but to put the beast down, though he still wishes he didn't have to. He muses to himself that though he is a killer of men, those men chose their fate by being evil, while the bear was simply as desperate to survive as he now is.
The fight with the bear has given the hunter a chance to gain some ground, and as Wolverine turns, sensing his arrival, the hunter shoots an arrow at him. Wolverine catches the arrow and throws it back at the hunter, embedding it in his leg.
As Wolverine shambles off to be alone in the wilderness, the hunter is baffled, still not understanding how he was outsmarted by a simple beast.
My thoughts:
well, though this story is a generally noteworthy example of Wolverine's perspective on killing in general, the story itself isn't really that interesting. The character of the hunter, while pretty authentic-feeling, isn't really interesting in himself, so Wolverine's non-verbal response to him just seems sort of pointless.
It was interesting how this story established that Wolverine was still engaging in black-ops assassinations even after joining the X-men, since that's something that isn't really touched on much.
Also, a pretty solid example of Wolverine's enhanced reflexes and speed is seen here, when he catches the arrow, which is another thing a lot of fans seem unaware of about the character.
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