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

^ Well, THAT was disappointing!

Wow you can post? My above review is epic but didn't go through. It's saved at work though, and I can post on Monday. I spent like 30 min on it!

Evidently I can post too.

What did you review? Did you jump the gun on X-Men?!?!

I was lucky to get Essential X-Men volumes from my local library a few years ago. The stories hold up pretty well, though his perchance for being relevant means some of it is dated. He might have influenced my writing a bit, as I try to be relevant.

I jumped the gun only in a teaser way. I read the issues before Wein is fully gone.

It was a ploy to amp you all up. Yet I was foiled.

Are those volumes still accessible to you? If so, would you consider joining the re-read?

Yes, those volumes should still be there (they hardly ever give away/resell their books). It would definitely have to be after the holidays though, I still have shopping to do.

So I’ve gone ahead and begun rereading the legendary run of All-New, All-Different X-Men. I have to say its going way slower than I would have thought. I’ve just been crazy busy, as I’ve been for some time now. But I figured I’d so a little tease and review the issues before Chris Claremont officially came on as sole “writer”.

I’m not sure how we want to do this, but the way I envisioned it was I would do read a run off issues that fit together and then review a bunch at a time. Does that make sense?

Disclaimer: I love all of the All-New X-Men. Each one of them is a personal favorite, and that basically stays the same for the first 100 issues. I intend to bask in that love throughout this project. I also tend to love just about every single issue from now to #200, so get ready for that love fest mentality to be ongoing.

I may, for shits and giggles, write an essay on the creation of the All-New, All-Different team. Would anyone mind if I posted that here? It will probably be totally over-worded and self-serving but the people in this thread are the ones who usually appreciate those kind of posts.

Giant Sized X-Men #1
Giant-Sized X-Men #1 is one of the great post-Silver Age issues in comic book history; it’s held in really high esteem and with good reason, considering it kicked off one of the top comic book franchises to dominate comic books thereafter. It also helps that it’s a really excellent issue that is better than most of its counterparts in the 1970’s.

What sets it apart, first and foremost, is that it is a tour de force of Dave Cockrum’s incredible art style. Fresh off of his Legion stint, Cockrum was just rocking and rolling. He could do it all: great costumes, great dramatic interaction, great action, sexy cast and a general sense of adventure and fun. Every element shines through here and its likely because Cockrum had plenty of time to work on this issue and get it done. It’s this fresh new art style, which was at the forefront of a movement in the mid-70’s, that made the series start to catch fire.

The man who came up with the concept of All-New, Len Wein, is no slouch either. Len’s involvement in making the X-Men great is not quite as monumental as Chris Claremont or Cockrum or Byrne, but he still should get credit where credit is due. He is the one who took the idea of an X-Men revival and twisted it around so that it would mirror the Blackhawks in being an international assemblage only now applicable to superheroes. That in and of itself is a moment of genius and helped add a huge layer to the X-Men in that they always remain united as mutants despite (and perhaps encouraged by) their immense diversity in nationalities. It’s a great analogue when replacing the word “mutants” with “human beings”. Len was one of the great scripters of the 70’s too which is shown time and time again; this line when Professor X recruits Storm is what I consider one of the most beautiful bits of dialogue in X-Men history: “You have land, Ororo—and people who adore you. I offer you a world—and people who may fear you, hate you—but people who need you nonetheless. The world I offer is not beautiful. But it is real. Far more real than the fantasy you’re living now.” That line almost makes me tear up. The fact that Storm choose to join the X-Men is an act that in and of itself feels incredibly heroic.

With great art and great writing enhances every page, the story is further enhanced by the pacing and structure itself. It opens with each new X-Man getting an introduction as they are recruited, and in every seen you get an immense amount of characterization (except perhaps with Banshee, though he was already established in the MU). It then moves to finding out the mystery behind why they were recruited in the first place and an awesome introduction of Cyclops. From there, we get the mission on Krakatoa and then the twist on what Krakatoa really is. Each section of the story works well and accomplishes what its supposed to.

And then, of course, is the characters themselves, which define the X-Men. It’s really Claremont and his later compatriots who would take the “method acting” approach to extremes which created some of the most robust personalities ever in comics. But even with this first story each one of the X-Men, including Prof X & Cyclops, show incredible depth. It’s enhanced by the constant bickering and tension between them. This was always something Marvel could proudly proclaim it had done from Fantastic Four #1 onwards. But with the A-N, A-D X-Men, it was even more extreme and even more exciting. Between the abrasive personalities of Sunfire, Wolverine, Thunderbird and even Cyclops to the hang-ups that Storm and Nightcrawler have, and the wry humor of Banshee and naivette of Colossus, there is just so much to work with.

When putting down Giant-Sized #1, it’s clear the potential here is almost unlimited. You can’t help but want to know more.

X-Men #94 – 95
Following the formation of the new team, there was supposed to be a Giant-Sized X-Men #2 to follow in the next quarter. However, the era of Giant-Sized comics was coming to an end after Marvel declared what was originally a success in 1974 was now a failure in 1975. They were replaced with reprints and instead Marvel chose to resurrect the recently cancelled X-Men story, spreading out the next story over two issues at a bi-monthly pace (which was better for Dave Cockrum). There was also the problem of Len Wein having overreached himself in a major way, and the continuing chaos at Marvel editorially. Just like he would pull a fast exit on his run on Iron Man in a few months, Len had to bow out, as he took over Amazing Spider-Man had a brief interlude as Editor-in-Chief. This allowed for Chris Claremont to step in as scripter for this two-parter and eventually become full time writer. Though, it should be clear, this was done Marvel style, so this was really Dave Cockrum’s story; Len just helped out plot wise and Claremont supplied the dialogue. Len’s contribution is clearly the inclusion of Count Nefaria and the Ani-Men who he liked to use.

This story is unique for the above and a few other things, the most notable being the shocking death of Thunderbird. Never knowing how long this series might last, they decided to not wait and get right to the death of a member—and what a shocker it was! It helped set the pace for the X-Men, that anything could happen…and usually did. By 1975, heroes had died many times in comics but Thunderbird’s death is unique in that it never was reversed and had a continued and lasting effect on the series. Thunderbird dies in such a way that Professor X, Cyclops and Banshee—really the three mentor-type characters—are each left reeling in their own way, setting the stage for their own self-doubt and mourning.

The threat within the story itself mirrors the first X-Men’s battle against Magneto in X-Men #1 in the Silver Age, and that is a nice nod to the past. While it’s exciting, the real meat of the story though is again how the characters interact and what’s going on when they are not facing a threat. We see the original X-Men, sans Cyclops, exit the issue. Claremont would not be done with Jean (and even Havok and Polaris) but clearly Len & Dave were at the time. Sunfire also cuts out in a way that is totally true to his three prior appearances in Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and X-Men which showed his characteristic abrasiveness. The willingness to have him leave the series on such a sour note is another way this series is different than the others; it’s clear there *has* to be another story in which the X-Men meet him again and now I’m left anxious to read it.

This story also reaffirms a few of the things that were central to the X-Men prior, such as the Danger Room & training sessions. The groundwork is laid for ongoing tensions between Cyclops and the others and the sense that the X-Men do not gell well as a team. This last one is a common trope in superhero team comics but it’s never done better than these early issues of the X-Men that show them first unable to work together, then becoming a team , then utilizing advanced strategies, and then Cyclops admitting that having a team of 5 individuals first who can coordinate as a team may be superior to five cogs in one machine as the original X-Men were.

X-Men #96
Chris Claremont officially begins as writer with #96, joining Cockrum as the two start gelling together. With Claremont comes a great deal of the things he is most famous for, right from the beginning, which further serves to give the book its own identity, rather than being just another superhero team comic, of which Marvel had far more than they needed. First and foremost is the subplot with the Sentinnals which will culminate in #100 – 101, as Claremont smartly choose to highlight the core concept of mutants and the X-Men being hunted by the people they are always saving. This factor is reinstilled into the series and becomes the central theme hereafter.

Claremont also brings in the X-Men’s first non-mutant cast member, which was something he liked to do, with Moira MacTaggert. Though she’s introduced as the housekeeper when we first see her, by issue’s end she’s wielding a machine gun. There’s obviously more to her than meets the eye.

We get hints at Storm’s past in Cairo and fear of enclosed space and hints of Wolverine’s inability to overcome his feral nature. Already, the characters are gaining that extra bit of back story and depth. There’s so much we don’t know about them still, and it’s incredible how Claremont took his time in providing us the back story. All the while, their personalities become so crystal clear, you feel like you know them more than many characters that had been around for decades.

The N’Gari demon itself is a bit generic, though Cockrum’s artwork renders it to be pretty gruesome and breath taking at the same time. I wonder if that was Dave’s idea, or Claremont’s? It seems like Dave simply drew up the monster and they created a backstory to use it, though I’m curious. It sets the stage for the awesome second N’Gari story with Kitty Pryde 45 or so issues later.

With Claremont & Cockrum securely the creative team, the series is about to explode towards its first story arc and then onwards to the second with some good smaller ones in between. I'll wait until everyone else is ready to start rereading, but am hopeful this teaser will get everyone more excited!

It will be after the holidays so please do!

Emily, as Cobie said, it is after the holidays. Welcome aboard.

Cobie, great review. You have indeed gotten me even more excited about the re-read than I already was.

No worries! I anticipated this being a lovefest--in my case at least thru the point where "the band is broken up" or shortly before. If I had any doubts how it would all hold up, those were assuaged by my re-read of GS1 thru issue 100 earlier this year/late last year. I loved the hell outta them! It, along with the "Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle" read and FF Visionaries w/John Byrne, just made me more nostalgic for the great comics of the '70s and '80s and for that general method of storytelling that has been done away with in modern comics.

Okay.....so my full participation in this X-Men re-read may be in jeopardy. I attempted to seek out my run from the attic today, and it appears to be missing. The search wasn't exhaustive, but I don't think the box I'm looking for is up there. I think there's a possibility it's been stolen. There've been a number of contractors up there over the years for A/C and other work, many of whom have commented on the volume of comics up there. My fear is one of them may have known what to look for and took some when the opportunity presented itself. I could be wrong, but it's a strong possibility.

I do have those three Masterworks volumes I mentioned earlier, plus a trade of the Phoenix saga. Beyond that, I may be sunk.

I hope you find them! That's always the biggest fear as a collector.

Lardy, my heart sank when I read your post. I'm so sorry to learn that your X-Men floppies appear to have gone missing. And if they have, and if the reason is the one that you fear, then my opinion of humanity will sink even lower, if that's possible.

If worst comes to worst, at least you'll be able to join us for the early part of the re-read.

GOOD NEWS!!!! This was bothering me SO bad that I did a truly exhaustive search and found the box I was looking for!!! Turns out I had transplanted them from a longbox to another cheaper type of box I used the last time I did a huge attic transfer around the time we were doing my younger son's room, which had been our "junk room" previously!

Sorry for the angst by proxy I caused!

A quick survey shows I have some holes around the Proteus saga as I suspected. I may have to buy another Masterwork volume to be complete. That's certainly MUCH better than replacing most of my collection due to some phantom thief's actions!

Huge relief! I know that must have been bothering the shit out of you!

Whew! that's good news Paladin.

Definitely a relief! I feel pretty stupid now for jumping to that conclusion and possibly causing Fickles to lose her faith in humanity.

Meanwhile, I've decided to set the tone for the upcoming re-read project by re-reading my reprints of the great Roy Thomas/Neal Adams run that closed out the original line-up's run on the book before it went into reprints prior to GS #1. It seems like a perfect warm-up as Claremont revisits many elements therein very early in his run, including the Sentinels, Sauron, the Savage Land and Magneto. Clearly, what Adams and Thomas did influenced Claremont's first couple of years heavily. (Anyone who's never read those issues should do so whenever they get the chance! )

Lardy, I'm overjoyed that you found your X-Men floppies. And I'm sorry for being such a drama queen and saying I was losing my faith in humanity.

I also echo your recommendation of the Thomas/Adams X-Men run -- Claremont's favorite X-Men run other than his own, BTW.

So now that it's the new year, when are we going to officially start the re-read? How about this weekend?

Well, Cobie already started....

I figure we can start anytime. I haven't gotten the feeling that we'll be structuring this very tightly. So if we're all in the same general range, it should work out.

I plan to read GS #1 possibly as soon as tonight, after I finish the latest Darwyn Cooke Parker GN.

The Adams/Thomas X-Men run was an absolute HOOT to re-read! The similarity in tone, content and style to the earliest Claremont issues is undeniable. Also, the pre-furred Beast has always been a favorite of mine, and he really shines during that run.

Sounds good to me. Weekends are best for me, so I'll chime in either this Saturday night or Sunday morning.

How far do you think we will get during this time period? Is there any chance we will get to the New Mutants? I read a bunch of those comics in a box my father had in the garage. Illyana is one of my favorite characters.

Em, I anticipate that we'll eventually get to the era in which the NM originates. I don't know if we'll expand into spin-offs, though.