Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Re-Reads (Now Reading: Swamp Thing: 1971 through 1985)

Ah, is that the Sebastian Shaw link to the Sentinels. I had wondered.

X-Men 101-105

These are all very good issues. I like the battle against Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy (the latter, as Lardy said, was Claremont's first really inspired original villain). Not crazy about Storm's origin, though...I would have preferred something more fanciful; plus, sometimes Storm seems rather unworldly for someone who was forced to grow up as fast as she was. And while the outcome of Sean and Tom's one-on-one battle is very effective, I wish Claremont had dealt more with the effects it should have had on Sean (who, in an earlier issue, declared himself to be against taking a life). There's too much going on for a mere 17 pages an issue.

Around 104-105, Cockrum looks to me like he's burning out (after a fill-in in 106, he'll rally himself for a spectacular farewell in 107), but Claremont's really picking up steam. The battle against Magneto is breathtaking and shows that Claremont had a special understanding of Magneto from the start. Even more breathtaking is the Phoenix's battle against Firelord, an inspired choice of opponent.

Finally, it's worth noting that Claremont rescued his creation Madrox from oblivion (he first appeared in a rather uninspired Giant-Size Fantastic Four story) by making him Moira's assistant. Otherwise, Peter David would never have been able to do all the wonderful things he did with Madrox.

X-Men 103

This was a really action-packed issue that allows each of the X-Men to shine. I especially absolutely loved the bit where Nightcrawler posed as Professor X to buy his pals some time to recover. Loved how Tom and Juggy are momentarily dumbfounded by an apparent mobile and leaping Xavier. Though the ruse doesn't get him too far, it says a lot about Kurt's daring swashbuckler core more than anything we'd seen of him so far. His Errol Flynn disguise hinted at it, but here, we really see it in action.

Meanwhile, there's the thing with the 'leprechauns' that I don't think we ever see revisited. One could argue that this is probably for the best, but I was left with some curiosity and more than a few questions. Were they truly the leprechauns of legend? Or were they a little more down-to-earth? And what was their connection to Cassidy Keep and especially its caretaker? It seems like there was story there, one I'd wager that Cockrum would like to have told.

I like that the new X-Men defeated Black Tom and Juggernaut before Cyclops and Professor X arrive as last issue heavily implied would be the case. We would be spared yet another helmet removal/Xavier mindblast defeat of the Juggernaut. Though their defeat of Juggy isn't definitive, the X-Men prove to be worthy adversaries.

X-Men 104

But the X-Men still have a long way to go as they prove no match for Magneto, even with Cyke finally arriving. This group has proven particularly badly matched against ol' buckethead, given the nature of Colossus' power and of Wolverine's claws (eventually, shown to be his entire skeleton).

Just as Nightcrawler got a particularly good moment to shine last issue, I thought Banshee looked great against Magneto here. Again, it was a very brief sequence, but Banshee proves to be the only one among the newbies to give the big bad any kind of a problem. In fact Magneto pretty much cheats, using an application of his powers I'll bet we've never seen before, to take Sean down.

I don't know if I'd qualify it as a complete victory for Magneto the way Cobie does, though. Cyke took him out of the fight for a moment, and the X-Men had to leave to save their mentor. Maggie seems pretty impressed, though!

I love how Cockrum drew Magneto, though, especially that full-page splash where he's revealed! The pencil work and the heavy inks by Grainger are really striking and memorable for such a big moment. Cockrum will have another chance to draw Magneto in issue 150, a story I've always loved and look forward to finally experiencing again.

Claremont's characterization of Maggie, though, barely foreshadows the great work Claremont will do with him. Here he's little more than your standard villainous megalomaniac. I'm curious to read his next appearance in a few short issues to see if there's any progression at all or if that will all have to wait for the storyline that culminates in 150.

Kind of an amusing episode with the hovercraft rental guy. Maybe it's as simple as his knowing their track record (already) with trashing vehicles? Didn't take long for them to prove him right, if so! Presumably he gets reimbursed.....

Finally, this issue reminds me of two more (in addition to the Avengers stories that featured Magneto and the Sentinels) X-Men-related stories I've never read that appeared in the interim of the X-Men's cancellation and relaunch: the FF annual that introduced Madrox and the Defenders story that reduced Magneto to a child. Of course, Cobie and Fickles seem to think that I didn't miss much, judging from their references....



X-Men 105

So Lilandra finally arrives, the whole Eric the Red storyline comes to a head....and Phoenix takes on Firelord, former herald of friggin' Galactus! The latter is an effective means to showcase the souped-up version of Jean Grey and highlight that she is just as surprised as everyone else by what she can do. All of the others get squashed, but Jean more than holds her own. This clearly illustrates why Jean and the others will have to be separated for a long, else their adventures will become unentertaining routs with her in tow!

Lilandra and the Shi'ar race is another signature design of Cockrum's. Not terribly exotic for aliens but very memorable and just iconically Cockrum in style. There's a thru-line to the design of some of his creations that is just unmistakably his. It's harder to define than, say, the Kirby dots, et al, but it's there. I wonder if anyone else can distill what it is that recurs in his character and costume designs?

Hm. The Eric the Red reveal was pretty underwhelming. I guess that's why I couldn't remember who he really was...because there was nothing to remember! This must have been maddening to those who'd been following the book on its contemporary bi-monthly schedule. It seemed to me that somewhat of a mystery surrounding his identity was being set up, especially given Cyke's reference to having been Eric the Red himself in a prior adventure. (We'll see if we get an explanation for that particular coincidence.)

There's also a bit of a disconnect between the cliffhanger of Eric, Polaris and Havok lurking outside of Jean's apartment poised for attack last issue and the encounter Eric describes where he tricks Firelord into taking Alex and Lorna out to prove the X-men's hostility. With those sequences taken into account, either Alex and Lorna regrouped with Eric and waited for Firelord to attack but never themselves intervened when Eric did, or an extremely complex sequence of events happened between issues. Or maybe there was a No-Prize awarded?

I wonder, whenever Havok and Polaris reappear, if we'll get any kind of explanation for what happened next with them? If not, it'll be kind of a disappointment, given the length of time they spent under thrall.

Rumor has it another comic book forum that Claremont wasn't allowed to show Jean beating Thor, so he used Firelord instead. I want to note that these issues are still relevant to comics being published today. The Phoenix stuff was the basis of Avengers vs. X-Men. It is also the premise behind the New X-Men/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover.

Oh, no doubt they're still relevant. Marvel built an empire off Claremont, Cockrum and Byrne's creations during this era and going forward.

As I'm reading the reviews, I realize I have no memory of X-Men 103-105 . . . not even the Magneto issue, which everyone appears to have loved!

I do remember being underwhelmed by the reveal of Eric the Red's identity. He was set up to be a major villain back in 97; however, events happened at such a rapid pace there was little time to be concerned. By the time of the Shi'ar issues, things really got to rocking.

X-Men 106

A very odd issue in the midst of a classic run. Yes, it's obviously a fill-in issue, either one hastily done to meet a deadline or, more likely, an inventory story that was filed in the editor's drawer and brought out when Cockrum needed more lead time on his next issue. Even so, Cockrum provided the framing sequence to make it fit (though rather awkwardly) into the cliffhanger for last issue.

The main reason I think it was an inventory story is from my main criticism of the story: we basically just got the same concept of Original vs. All-New X-Men in issue 100! Sure, they're not identical, but both deliver the same basic premise of our heroes facing dopplegangers of the originals. In 100 they're X-Sentinels, and 106 they're basically projections generated by the evil side of Prof X's psyche.

At least there are some minor differences. This time, the originals are dressed in their black and yellow costumes, whereas we saw their costumes as seen in the years prior to their cancellation, plus Prof X, Havok and Polaris duplicates in 100.

If I'm reading the credits correctly, this assumed inventory part of the story was actually written solo by Bill Mantlo. This would make sense as it would make little sense for Claremont to write two such similar stories, especially when this one takes place prior to 100 in continuity as captions and references specifically point out. I know it's a terrible nitpick, but the OCD part of me is thinking, "well why didn't someone cry 'not again' in 100 if something like this already happened or why didn't they suspected duplicates sooner?!?" Yeah, I know. I know.

But, yeah, if this story had been used at a time less close to the other's publication, it wouldn't have grated so badly because it was otherwise pretty decent. If nothing else, it's significant for introducing the idea of an evil side of Prof X, which would be revisited in the X-Men/Micronauts mini, and in the popular Onslaught epic (though I've never read that one).

The artist Bob Brown does a decent, if not particularly definitive, job of portraying all of the characters. The only glaring thing was that Cyke's visor looks entirely too big. His style is reminiscent of Dick Giordano's with a thicker line to it. I don't know if Brown did much comics work as I don't recall his name on anything I've read. It's worth noting, however, that Marvel Wiki mentions this issue was published posthumously for Brown as he had recently passed.

Bob Brown was a veteran comics artist whose career stretched back to the '40s. For me, he is best remembered as the artist of The Avengers in during the Swordsman/Mantis era.

X-Men #105
With X-Men #105, the Cockrum era really starts to take off and gains momentum story-wise, though art-wise there is definitely the odd sensation that all wasn’t totally kosher in the series. Mainly, you can tell Cockrum was feeling under the gun to reach his deadline, which is made more obvious by the disruptive fill-in the following issue. Yet, within, the story remains very sharp in places, showing hints of the grandeur to come. This “odd sensation” is seen in a few ways: first, the quick writing out of Havok and Polaris which feels odd since it appeared they had a much bigger role to play. We wouldn’t even see what happened to them other than an off-comment in one panel in #109 that explains they went to Muir Island; it would only be later in Marvel Team-Up that Claremont & Byrne tied this loose end up (by again referencing their beloved Thomas / Adams run in doing a Living Sphinx story). They wouldn’t show back up in X-Men until the Proteus saga. Also, I get the feeling that starting the issue in media res was done because Cockrum was feeling under the gun to meet his deadline; there’s really no reason for it, especially after the start of the Magneto issue and its an odd place to start.

As things are about to go more cosmic, Cockrum & Claremont bring in Firelord to get the ball rolling. In the 1970’s, Firelord was actually quite a popular character and his presence is a nice way to get readers of other series to check out the X-Men. Firelord was created almost single handedly by Gerry Conway in Thor’s series, and is an obvious prototype for his later creation, Firestorm. He’s really the second great herald of Galactus, and he had a whole series of stories in Thor by Conway and others. He works well here since he’s such a mega-powerful character that he immediately shows readers just how powerful Phoenix really is. This issue really starts the build-up of Jean as Phoenix in that regard, and its fun to watch.

In fact, I like how Claremont choose to combine the stories of Lilandra, the Phoenix and Eric the Red all into one, giving the sense that “all roads lead here”. This was surely the plan all along, but seeing it come together works wonderfully. That build-up in plot mirrors the grandiose scope of Phoenix & Firelord.

It’s also nice that just as Jean is becoming incredibly cosmic, her parents start to play an important role in the series, giving her another anchor back to Earth. The Greys actually appear quite a bit over the years—especially in relation to other X-Men’s non-powered family members.

One scene I really like is the Shi’ar coming to Earth and then turning around right when they realize Earth has fended off Galactus four times in the recent past. It’s a wonderful nod to Marvel’s past history and it shows the reader that the Shi’ar have a very real and proper place in it which we just haven’t seen. Again, this is a classic way to use continuity as an advantage without dwelling on it.

X-Men #106
And suddenly just as things are about to explode, we get a fill-in. This is a classic Bill Mantlo inventory issue, which he did numerous times for Marvel. Legend has it there are several that have still never seen the light of day. Mantlo, for the longest time in the 70’s, was the utility writer for Marvel that helped keep things afloat. He was actually a great writer, which would later be seen. His best inventory issue, IMO, is Iron Man #78, which is the be-all, end-all story about Tony Stark’s decision to stop being a weapon’s manufacturer (a critical aspect in the evolution of the character over time). I highly recommend everyone read that issue someday.

X-Men #106, however, is only okay. Like Lardy says, it’s obvious this was written well before it was published, and its not helped by the fact that we just had the old X-Men versus the new X-Men in #100. We also see the idea of “evil Professor X”, which I don’t like at all. We’ll later see this exploited again and again until it reaches and then exceeds its full potential.

Artist Bob Brown did the art, as HWW mentions. Claremont gives a very nice memorial to him in the lettercol, as he had passed away in between the creation of the issue and its publication.

Claremont is able to provide a nice wrap around for the issue which, in typical fashion, addresses a multitude of things: it resolves Firelord’s lingering status in the story; and it again gives heavy hints of the Moira / Charles past, as we get more and more insight into the character of Moira MacTaggart.

X-Men #107 – 108
The culmination of the Shi’Ar Saga explodes—at long last, as proclaimed by the letters pages—in #107 – 108 and it is the most magnificent thing to happen in the X-Men so far. Here, we see a level of grandeur achieved in few other places at Marvel since the end of the Silver Age, and the introduction of fantastic new character / idea after another. After spending the last few issues reestablishing classic X-Men elements, Dave makes sure his final issue introduces all the characters he’s been saving up, while Chris ensures each one is unique and special.

Of course, what’s most noteworthy about this story is the transition from Dave Cockrum to John Byrne (and Terry Austen). In an interview I read with Claremont once, he said he liked that the transition occurred mid-story, as if the torch was purposely being passed with great confidence. Cockrum would do that again with Paul Smith in the wonderful first Brood Saga. Although Cockrum had been a little rocky in #105, he absolutely delivers in a major way in #107 which is simply stunning from start to finish. A whole slew of characters, a wonderfully complex plot and an epic scope in far space make this issue stand out among all the others thus far. And thus, as the series was slowly being pushed to a monthly series, Dave makes his exit. There aren’t really words that can express how important he was to comics in general for what he accomplished on these initial X-Men issues, so I won’t try to; but I can’t help but echo others to say its nothing short of magnificent. Cockrum, of course, would return for a second run (which I never quite liked as much as the first though it was still enjoyable).

Which then leads into #108, which I’m pleased to say I own with two signatures: John Byrne and Terry Austen. Not a bad piece for the collection. In this issue alone, Byrne and Austen show why they are a contender for the greatest art team ever in comic books. The artwork is explosive—full of energy and dynamic from start to finish. Byrne is obviously not afraid to be creative in his panel layouts and action sequences. And his linework is just generally really attractive and nice to look at; he’s almost like the quintessential superhero artist. Austen’s inks, of course, play a major part, as he adds various touches that either soften things up, or add in moody shadow work, or just allow Byrne to shine through. Already with their first issue, I felt like “yes…this is the X-Men.”

The story itself benefits from Cockrum’s introduction of The Shi’ar Empire; the Imperial Guard; the Starjammers; the M’Kann Crystal and its guardians; D’Ken; the monster D’Ken feeds people to…whew!! It’s non-stop, especially when you consider the Imperial Guard and Starjammers is like 30 characters! Cockrum’s sense of design is ever present as each one just looks so dammed cool, too. We’ve spoken at length of the Imperial Guard on Legion World for like 15 years so its hard to get into all that again, other than to say the concept in general is nothing short of awesome. I remember the first time I realized that if the Guard was an obvious nod to the Legion…than Gladiator is actually a Superman analogue! It hadn’t occurred to me at first and that just made Gladiator all the more awesome in my mind.

The Starjammers too are an awesome addition to the X-Men mythos. Totally alien looking in a Cockrum way, they each have their own respective personalities which is vintage Claremont. And between Ch’od’s witty banter, Raza’s badass-ness and Hepzibah’s odd quirks, they can’t help but mesmerize your interest. Naturally, Corsair emerges as the lead and this is made by the awesome decision to make him Cyclop’s father. Even more awesome is that this bit of knowledge is held back from Scott for so long—the subplot goes on for YEARS! To me, that is one of the best subplots of the X-Men, and its made all the more interesting by the fact that Jean and Ororo both know about it. By the end of the story, you can’t help but immediately want to see the Starjammers again ASAP.

As always, it’s the character beats that make the entire story so amazing. In short order we get: Wolverine’s rage, temporary new costume which obviously inspires the later one and then being put in his place; Nightcrawler teleporting with two people for the first time and then later his secret fear of the other X-Men turning on him because of how he looks; Banshee taking down the Guardian using his wits; Raza vengefully throwing D’Ken into the crystal; Ororo’s support of Jean as we at last get to see the two being best friends; and just so much more.

For the first time, we also see that Cyclops’ power acts like the reverse of others, in which he has to actively turn it off. This adds a major new element to him, and explains his seriousness and aloofness. It’s such a small, yet critical part of who Cyclops is and what makes him so full of depth.

The real star, of course, is Phoenix, as Claremont showcases something unique to the Marvel U, and Byrne provides incredible and epic depictions of how she saves the universe. The entire sequence of how she saves them is incredibly abstract and difficult to relate to, yet Claremont constantly shows Jean winning the day by putting in terms that are as down to Earth as possible: “don’t panic”; “be strong”; “believe in yourself”. We get to understand the human part of Jean while she’s doing things as Phoenix that are mind-blowing. This is why it works and why she was such a hit as Phoenix. The ending is one that has been duplicated many times but it works very well here.

Byrne also shows his penchant for acknowledging the rest of the Marvel U in a series of panels. Despite all the bad things you read about him, it’s clear that in 1977 he knew the MU and DCU better than most and truly loved those characters. I also am glad to see Peter Corbeau back again in this story, as he remains an important part of the X-verse for so long.

Lilandra emerges with the heroes back on Earth, which I didn’t remember. This is good as thus far we are told about her connection to Charles but we haven’t really seen anything to make us believe it. I know she isn’t a character I love like many others, but eventually enough solid writing is done to make me believe they love each other.

I also like the throwback of Lilandra becoming aware of Charles via his defeating the Z’noxx. It feels as if it totally ties together the new X-Men with the old X-Men’s final run making it all feel seamless. From here on, there is no longer any “all-new, all-different”; rather, these are simply The X-Men.

All in all, two great artists showcasing what they have in a goodbye and a debut, with a writer that is firing on all cylinders.

X-Men #109
With #109, we see the full extent John Byrne’s impact hit the X-Men and all the positives that go with it. Fresh off his incredible debut, we get a nice “in between” issue that focuses purely on character bits, subplots and a small little story that will eventually blossom into a larger story. And much of that comes from Byrne.

It’s easy to forget that Marvel up until the 1990’s had an entirely different writing process than other companies past or present. The “Marvel style” saw the penciler actually plotting the issue with the writer eventually scripting the panels—all of this done after presumably a plotting discussion beforehand. That really makes Claremont a co-plotter / scripter, and Byrne a co-plotter / penciler. Byrne is notoriously a heavy influence in the actual plotting, and Claremont himself has acknowledged that many of the quiet, “downtime” moments during the run were Byrne’s idea. Claremont would take what Byrne laid out and deliver in spades—as evidenced by this issue—and he eventually incorporated this into his own method of writing, so that he would insist other artists do the same.

Thus, we get an issue that spends the entire first half (and more) tying up loose ends and focusing entirely on character. Byrne spends so much time showing the downtime, that it allows Claremont to add in elements he had only hinted at and also tie up loose ends. Byrne introduces the concept of Ororo’s attic, which hereafter becomes a major recurring element of her character; he also keeps the tradition of her preferring to be naked alive and well. Jean’s parents continue to play an important role as they—like Scott and the readers—get used to her new status. Jean and Ororo’s common knowledge of Scott & Corsair’s real history is hit on; Alex and Lorna’s status is quickly tied up; in one panel Claremont resolves the controversy of Colossus’ parents that was raging in the letters pages by establishing they exist; and later, the weird Colossus / Storm implied romance is discarded completely allowing for a wonderful sibling type friendship to develop.

Where the two really meet, and showcase their synchronicity, is the scene with Cyclops and Nightcrawler. This scene is, thus far, the single best sequence of the era. Byrne provides the set-up and Claremont knocks it out of the park; here, Kurt tries to lighten the mood around Scott who lashes out and Kurt gives him some tough medicine in an attempt to get him to stop feeling sorry for himself. In this sequence, they are able to show both Nightcrawler and Cyclops as fully realized characters while at the same time hit on the most important theme of the entire franchise. And it is done in such a way that clearly any two X-Men could have a similar scene that showcases both characters with deeper implications for the series at large.

In general, the issue is a big success. Claremont is at his best as a wordsmith without being overly burdensome, while Byrne’s art is terrific. Austen’s inks are brilliant, and the coloring is wonderful throughout. In fact, the coloring of this team, which includes Phoenix and Banshee with their wonderful green / gold, just works wonderfully with the rest of the team’s blues, yellows and reds.

The second half of the issue gets to what Byrne really wanted to do: focus on Wolverine in an attempt to take a much loathed character (though Cockrum and Claremont clearly loved him) and make him a fan-favorite, since after all they’re both Canadian. And even more, open up the initial plotline on Alpha Flight by introducing Weapon Alpha, who is eventually Vindicator. This is incredibly well done and establishes Logan’s love of nature as well as his penchant for not killing innocent animals while he “hunts”; it also shows Wolverine feeling as if he’s judged and a loner in the group. He says he doesn’t care what Ororo or any of them think—when all I can see is that he does. Thus begins the rehabilitation of Wolverine into fan favorite.

Weapon Alpha is a good villain too because he’s clever and smart. When shit goes sideways, he gets the hell out of there. The hints of a larger Alpha Flight threat make you interested in the follow-up, and the hints of a long history with Logan make him all the more interesting. The X-Men is good at providing a one-off story that is quick & easy, but sets up a much bigger story down the road.

It’s noteworthy that Byrne clearly was THE major influence on the entire wave of Image artists in the late 80’s (followed closely by Frank Miller). Todd McFarlane, particularly, has an art style that is very similar to Byrne’s at times, as inked by Austen.

Aside…
FYI, between #108 and 109, there is a side bar into Iron Fist #15 which takes place right as the X-Men arrive home (though probably between panels in #109 somewhere). It’s the first major appearance of the X-Men in another series and appropriately enough its by none other than Claremont and Byrne. Not to mention Dave Cockrum doing the cover, and even having a cameo with his wife Patty. In the story, we see Misty and Jean’s role as roommates used as a way to create a misunderstanding. Wolverine is actually in the Imperial Guardsman Fang’s costume still on the cover.

This is actual the last Iron Fist issue. Claremont & Byrne were also doing Marvel Team-Up along with X-Men at the time, and thus, they spill the issue into MTU #63-64 to tie up their plotlines. From there, they set up Iron Fist, Misty and Colleen to join Luke Cage in his title that very month (#48, Dec 1977) starting a story that ends with #50, as the series becomes Power Man and Iron Fist. And what many people forget is that Claremont and Byrne also did those issues as well. As you can see, they loved Iron Fist and the Daughters. The reason they gave up Iron Fist in the first place, of course, is so that they could focus on making X-Men monthly in a few issues.

BTW, the issue of Iron Fist prior to the X-Men guest appearance is, #14, the first appearance of Sabertooth.

I love, love, love that Iron Fist X-Men appearance. Storm getting the potato salad to the face was a classic scene, and I'm always surprised to remember that it wasn't actually in an X-Men comic!

X-Men 107

I will preface this review by saying that I think this issue is, hands down, the very best story thus far in the All-New, All-Different era. (I've gotten thru #110 in this re-read project, so you can put me down for it being the best of the first 18 stories, including GS 1.) To me, that's saying something because there's not been a real stinking dud in the batch...well, maybe 106 was close, but it was a fill-in.

Where to start? Well, how about that beautiful splash page? Masterworks Vol. 2 actually uses the image, without lettering and blown up to fill the entire page without borders, on the page opposite the contents page for this edition. I can't blame Marvel for that choice at all because, to me, this image is Cockrum's best team group shot of his great initial X-Men run! (That awesome 2-page splash of X-Men vs. X-Men in 100 was his best action splash, imo.) As Fickles implied in an earlier post, this was an immediate sign that Cockrum was saving his best for last!

Turn the page and there's another awesome 2-page expertly-drafted splash with the X-Men to the far left, the Imperial Guard filling up the right side and spilling into the X-Men's space on the left and the M'Krann crystal dominating the middle background with D'Ken, Lilandra, Eric the Red and some intriguing supporting critters to their flanks. What a way to set up a fight and a big, cosmic story!

I found it amusing that Cyke tries for, like, a panel to talk and reason with the Guard but then immediately fires the first shot! And he kinda randomly takes out the Mentor character before we can really get an idea of what the character can do and exactly how much of a Brainiac 5 homage he is!

Actually, I kind of like how we don't get any explanation/introduction to many of the characters, unlike the trend of the time. There were just so many characters that Claremont just lets the action speak for itself. I mean, there's plenty of dialogue where you can infer a lot about their names and powers but no introductory captions or hammy expository dialogue like, "I am ______, and I shall now use my power of _____ to destroy you!" It's just balls-to-the-wall action, and the reader is taken for a wild ride. Maybe you don't learn who all of these characters are and exactly what they can do, but you find you're surprisingly okay with that!

My favorite bits in the fight belong to Nightcrawler. More than any of the others, he uses his wits and everything at his disposal against the Hobgoblin. Using his image inducer was a stroke of genius. I also loved how he found his opponent's power "wunderbar" and laments that he couldn't explore a friendship with such a fantastic opponent.

Then, he effects that spectacular rescue of Lilandra. Appropriately, Kurt comes off very Errol Flynn-like here, rescuing the damsel in distress. We see him pull off his first 2-person 'port here and see it take its toll. He'd eventually get better at this, but it's nice to see that his power is far from deus ex machine here.

I also enjoyed Wolverine throwing Oracle into Star-bolt to take them both out. It's a refreshing change from how we normally see male heroes fight a female foe....and very Wolverine!

Lilandra finally catches her breath long enough to fill us all in on the basics of her story and what kind of threat our heroes are facing. As I feared, though, no real explanation as to why Eric the red used an identity that Cyclops himself one used. I guess it's not important and can be chalked up to the research the character did as he plotted his course of action. I suppose he used the costume to confuse Cyclops and make it harder to realize the nature of the threat. But it still harkens my general disappointment that there was no splashy reveal behind the mystery.

Wolvie actually looks pretty cool in Fang's costume! One wonders though, how Logan took him out in such a way that the costume is left pristine without any claw marks! And I guess Wolverine just left him nekkid out there somewhere...

And just as the X-Men are starting to wear down against the sheer numbers of their opponents, enter another great group of Cockrum creations: THE STARJAMMERS! More than even the Imperial Guard, I think the Starjammers represent just pure Cockrum imagination and flair at their core. I think, had he wanted to or had gotten the greenlight, Cockrum could have ran with an ongoing Starjammers series and turned it into his quintessential concept that would showcase everything he would ever want to accomplish in his career. I think Cockrum was Nightcrawler and the Starjammers in his heart of hearts and just shined when he told stories centering around those characters. He would have more opportunities with those characters in the future, but I wish there could've been even more. It's simply the kind of thing he was born to do, imo.

It's well-documented on this site how the IG was a love letter/homage to the Legion. I won't make all of those comparisons, but it was lovely to spot them again and think, "Ah! That's _____!" over and over again. There were even a few that I wasn't so sure about as far as their Legion relevance and didn't even remember, like Astra for example.

Overall, just a great "kitchen sink" ending to Cockrum's run that left me in awe and wanting for more. And as good as next issue's conclusion is and how Byrne remains one of my all-time favorites, I'm left with a great appreciation of what Cockrum did for the foundation of this classic run. When I was a lot younger, I used to think Cockrum was pretty *meh* compared to Byrne, but I know better and am much wiser in my old age. I will savor this chance I had to rediscover what a great storyteller and creative force Cockrum was and look forward to his eventual return to the book after Byrne leaves his unforgettable stamp.

X-Men 108

I've loved me some John Byrne art for a long, long time. In fact his was the first style that I ever recognized over time and the first creator who I began to follow from project to project simply because he was doing it. So his arrival here on the book that made him a star is a very significant milestone in comics and for me.

And it's an auspicious debut. It had to be at least somewhat daunting for him for his very first issue to be the conclusion to a multi-part epic and following a run in which an artist revived a concept and made it so distinctively his own. But Byrne's talent was undeniable from the beginning, so if anyone could follow a master like Dave Cockrum, it's lucky for the fans that his successor would turn out to be another master himself.

That said, Byrne still had a daunting task this issue, even beyond following in Cockrum's shadow. The heart of that task is that the climax of this epic is just so metaphysical for a comic book! How does one begin to depict such a high concept as the Phoenix, with the support of her team, preventing a neutron galaxy from emerging and destroying and replacing our own? Honestly, I don't know if Cockrum or any of his or Byrne's contemporaries (or, for that matter, if even any modern artists, complete with an arsenal of coloring technology light years ahead of the time) could have depicted such a concept and the process described that prevented it. I think Byrne did the best he could with what he had, but I just don't know if this scenario translates all that well to the comic book medium, the limited 2-D visual beast that it is. It was a brave, mind-blowing choice of a threat, and not one that I'd ever suggest re-writing after the fact, but it's undoubtedly one that doesn't translate incredibly well here.

But what choosing such an epic, mind-blowing threat does succeed in is establishing what a cosmic, ultra-powerful bad-ass our girl Jean Grey has become practically overnight! I suppose that's why the creative team decided to go so devastatingly high-concept with what the X-Men faced here. I mean, what better way to established that Phoenix is so much more than just Marvel Girl souped up, right? Mission accomplished in that regard!

Otherwise, Byrne just does a great job in both maintaining the look of Cockrum's designs and concepts while also adding his own flair. I think the biggest thing that stands out here as even, dare I say, an improvement over Cockrum is how Byrne draws Wolverine without his mask. I think Byrne immediately makes Logan his own here and adds a lot of attitude and spunk to Logan's established features. He literally only draws Logan's face in three panels in this issue, but I already see the Logan I grew up with and loved here for the first time. This is not to belittle Cockrum's design and efforts on the character at all; he provided an awesome blueprint. I just think Byrne adds so much dimension and expression to his features right off the bat that takes the character to another level. In those panels I can immediately see all the great adventures to come for the character in a way that Cockrum only hinted at. No disrespect intended!

So a great start for a legendary artist stepping into the shoes of another legendary artist, albeit one saddled with a concept nearly impossible to depict in his debut. It's a short list, I'd wager, of two artists passing the baton so smoothly and with such a legendary pedigree left behind for the ages as Cockrum to Byrne did!

X-Men 109

And so we have Byrne's second issue, and it feels like the book is taking kind of a different direction already. From what I'm seeing, it's an excellent evolution from the foundation that's already been expertly laid by Cockrum. What feels most different is the extended look at the X-Men during their downtime. We'd gotten pages here or there in previous, but this one is almost completely dedicated to getting to know these guys better, something that would become a staple of Claremont's run in the years to come. It's a perfect palette cleanser after the virtually non-stop thrill-ride that the book had been on from issue 98 and the beginning of the Sentinels saga. If Byrne is indeed responsible for this, as Cobie says, then we fans owe him a lot; for ultimately, it's the kind of character development we see here that really endures us to the long, classic run more than anything else, I believe.

I thought it was interesting that after having shown the X-Men arrive at the end of last issue, Claremont and Byrne decide to flashback to some events preceding their arrival and fill in some important blanks. The bits explaining Lilandra's status were some what extraneous, as they basically dramatize what she explained at the end of last issue in her dialogue, but I suppose they serve the purpose of either reminding the reader of what's up with her or filling in any new or lapsed readers of such.

The most important bit of the flashback is the explanation for why Cyke hasn't been filled in on Corsair being his dad. These stories reminded me that readers had been clued into the truth about Corsair from the beginning. I incorrectly thought the readers found out when Scott did. Honestly, though, this secret being kept from Scott seems unnecessarily soap opera-y. I just don't see why the woman who loves Scott would ever keep such a monumental secret from him, promise or not. It's a plot device, plain and simple, and the explanation is feeble at best. But as I've heard said often, "Comic books are soap operas, and soap operas are comic books." I'll chalk this up to being another example of at least half of that statement being true.

Though we saw her topless in Kenya when Prof X recruited her in GS 1, I believe the scene in Ororo's attic apartment is the first in a long series of similar scenes showcasing nekkid Ororo watering her plants and generally being a nudist in her spare time. Here, we see Byrne strategically placing wafts of hair to keep this book safe for all ages. In the future it will entail a mixture of hair, wind and rain to preserve her modesty. How could teenage Lardy NOT have gotten into a book where a hot lady unwinds by frequently taking her clothes off, I ask you?

Lots of other great character bits, all of which were outlined by Cobie, so I won't repeat all of that here. But I will say Wolverine's take on hunting without harming the animal has always been a nice bit to his character. A good counterpoint and about face from what the reader would expect from such a character.

I also think that Byrne's drawing of Storm and Ororo (along with Sean and Moira) on their outing in their bathing suits was really well-done and sexy. Flipping through the story, I was expecting some development of Peter's crush on Storm in that scene, but there really is no sexual tension there. I mean, you can read into it that maybe Peter's playing it cool and trying to be casual with her, but you expect at least a stray thought bubble from him, especially considering how smoking HOT she looks in that bathing suit! If Cobie's assessment is correct and the two have already moved into their more familiar brother/sister dynamic, it's interesting that there's no on-panel resolution to the ongoing subplot. Maybe I'm not far offbase thinking someone in editorial pooh-poohed it for being a little too taboo for the time?

Finally, Byrne makes an immediate impact by introducing James MacDonald Hudson and planting the seeds for one of his great creations, Alpha Flight. There's a lot there already and much evidence for what is later built upon, including establishing that Logan and James were friends. It's a quick battle, one so short that it almost seems like something obligatory to make the issue fit what readers expect in a comic book after what was mostly a talky series of pages. But given all the great character moments and the significance that this weapon Alpha has in the future of the Marvel Universe, this was simply an outstanding issue! I'd put it in second place (behind 107) among all the adventures of the All-New X-men thus far in the re-read.

Aside: I'm bummed to never have read Iron Fist 15. I kinda wish the Masterworks people had included it, as the DC Archives people probably would have for the Legion if it was a significant enough appearance.

X-Men 110

And Masterworks Vol. 2 comes to an end with a story illustrated by veteran artist Tony DeZuniga. As he is best known for his western comics, particularly for being the creator of Jonah Hex, it seems odd to see his work adorning the pages of an X-Men comic. But like many artists of the time, he probably was used to diversity of subject material and was available to pinch hit when needed (much like Bob Brown of 4 issues ago, I'd wager).

DeZuniga is the first to illustrate another of what would become an X-Men tradition: the baseball game. I'm not sure how many instances of this appeared during Claremont's long run (I'm guessing not nearly as many as most would think), but it's cool to see the very first one. And, as I recall with the later ones, the X-Men never seem able to keep their powers out of the game at hand. But apparently Peter can knock the ball much, much higher than a normal man can, even when not armored up?!? I'll chalk it up to jean exaggerating for comical effect, but it does somewhat challenge my conventional thought that he's completely normal in his regular form if I think about it too much...

So here we have Warhawk as our obligatory threat. He's kind of an anomaly reading this as I can't recall whether he ever appeared again. I will assume he will somewhere at some point, but I honestly don't know. Of more pressing concern is just who hired him to test the X-Men. I honestly can't remember, but given how we've already begun to see evidence of Claremont's trademark long game plotting, the mind races with possibilities. For some reason, I'm thinking Hellfire Club, but I'm probably wrong. That's assuming this one doesn't dangle unresolved forever.

Another thing of note is the reference to Moira leaving. It isn't said exactly why she is or where she's going, but one has to assume she's returning to Muir Isle (which wasn't named in its first appearance, iirc) now that Charles is no longer ill. Lilandra is also conspicuous by her absence. This could have been an opportunity to develop her a little more in a casual setting.

Otherwise, there's not much to stand out in this issue. The plot is overall pretty generic and it feels like a placeholder while Byrne gets an issue off. DeZuniga's art is competent, but I like the darker, more stylized art he's known for. It's clear here that he's trying to tone it down to fit this genre and the book's style a little better. So kind of a "B" issue in the run and an easily skippable one if one is inclined to (just as 106 was) but not without its charms and some small significance in the form of the baseball game.

X-Men 106-110

This block of issues is like a sandwich where the bread is stale but the filling is exquisite.

My attitude about fill-ins has always been, if that's what it takes for the regular creators to do their best work, then so be it. And that's just what Claremont & Cockrum do in #107, a superb issue wherein, to paraphrase Lardy's perfect metaphor, they throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

I love the Imperial Guard and the Starjammers. I've written fanfics with all those characters in the past, and I hope to return to them one day. The one thing I don't love about this issue is Wolverine in Fang's costume. I've always adored the bright yellow spandex, I think it's an ideal counterpoint to Wolverine's machismo, and I'll be sorry to see it disappear towards the end of the Claremont/Byrne run and not come back til the early 90s.

Byrne does a thoroughly professional and respectable job in his conclusion to the cosmic saga in #108, but it's in #109 that he first shows how good he really is for the X-Men (I haven't read Iron Fist #15). And not just the much-discussed character scenes. The panel of James MacDonald Hudson bursting out of the ground to Wolverine's shock is one of my favorites of all time. The battle is worth noting for its sense of real danger and emotion (Hudson being in over his head, and Sean's rage at Moira's accidental injury.)

After such a great issue, #110 was almost doomed to be a letdown, and it is. I don't think even Byrne could have saved this story. In answer to Lardy's question, I don't think Warhawk was ever seen again and I don't think we learned whose orders he was following, although if anyone at Legion World knows for sure, it's Cobie.

Lardy sums up #110 quite nicely so there isn't much to add. I'll say Tony DeZuniga does a nice job stepping in with some beautiful art; but by now in hungry for more Byrne / Austen and can't quite forget that during the issue. Of course, the whole reason for the fill in was to give Byrne a little extra time to get ahead of schedule to take the title monthly (all the while doing Marvel Team Up and finishing his Iron Fist run). One thing DeZuniga does is draw attractive women--that Jean! Wow!

Love seeing the first X-Men baseball game, a tradition I dearly love. The tempo has been set for steady characterization by now so we get more Wolvie pining for Jean, Moira's exit to a more proper status quo and even more hints to Proteus, the ongoing framework for Banshee to make his eventual exit (which to be fair was laid down in X-Men #94) and other nice bits.

Warhawk is pretty run of the mill. Claremont would perfect the same motif with a better enemy in the form of Arcade, whose flare for the dramatic and bloodthirsty nature make him so much more interesting.

FYI, one can see the paid circulation is up from 100,000 ave about 12 issues earlier to 125,000 ave. The title is still below the radar but picking up steam. The latest issue was 130,000, so we can see the series is steadily climbing with great momentum.

On Warhawk
Like so many other characters that weave in and out of the X-Men's world, Warhawk is part of a larger Chris Claremont tapestry. Claremont loved using the same characters again and again, even though many only ever appeared a few times or even once in X-Men. Warhawk was created by Claremont as an Iron Fist villain when Fist was still in Marvel Premiere in 1975 or 1976. Claremont used him again during his brief run on Black Goliath in #2-3, which incidentally are two comics I finally bought (along with the rest of the brief run) a year or so ago at a small convention though I haven't read them yet. He next appears here, in X-Men, and from here battles Iron Fist once more after the hero has joined Luke Cage as a co-star. At that point Byrne had already moved on, and it may have been Claremonts final Iron Fist story (or close). Warhawk appeared one more time in the post Claremont years during the era Marvel was milking anything X-related, in a Maverick backup by a then Liefeld-cloned Mark Texiera.

And yes, Fanfie is right--it is indeed the Hellfire Club who hired Warhawk. I believe that is actually confirmed by Shaw in the coming issues.

You can see Iron Fist was an important comic to X-Men in the early days, as was Marvel Team-Up. Later, it would be Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman and Dazzler. Claremont liked to bring in characters he invested in earlier; Tigra is another one of these, as he worked on her solo adventures pre-Avengers.

*ahem*



So, yeah, actually it was Lardy....

But I think you hit the nail on the head about what makes the recent fill-in art by DeZuniga and Brown so disappointing: When the regular artists were Cockrum and Byrne, it's tough NOT to be let down!

We'll agree to disagree there. I miss Wolvie's brown and tan costume and disapproved when they brought back the yellow and blue. It may be simply because that's what he was wearing when I discovered him.

I like the both but I've been pining for the brown and tan one for a long time now.

Btw, I see we forgot to mention a pretty major X-appearance which took place around #101. Nightcrawler had a major 2 part guest stint in Amazing Spider-Man in a story they also featured the Punisher, and in an era when ASM had very few guest stars. By Len Wein and Ross Andru, it's a fantastic story and the first time I ever "met" Kurt or any of the all-new X-Men. He comes across awesome in ever way from personality to powers to look to all else that makes him so special. I guess this is probably the earliest major guest shot for any of them.

Really?!?! What issues did Kurt guest in? Don't recall that at all!

I believe it's ASM #161-162. It's the third Punisher story (in Spidey at least).

Hm. I looked it up, and you remember correctly. Can't recall if I've ever read this one before, either in the originals or in a Marvel Tales reprint. I'll be sure to check when I go thru the attic more this summer.....

It's interesting, though, that the ASM appearance occurred before the X-Men's popularity took off. Of course, Wein being the writer explains it.