Issue Information

Title- Special Edition: X-Men (Volume 1) #1 (Second Story)

Release Date- February 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Dave Cockrum & Hilary Barta

Major Notes

Kitty Pryde turns 14

Brief Summary

A Day Like Any Other

Kitty Pryde is training in the Danger Room on a set of bars. She is suffering a small amount of depression and there are no X-Men within the mansion so she is training to blow off some steam. Unfortunately she misses a bar and falls to the ground, her friend Illyana Rasputin is there to help her but she isn’t injured.

Illyana is a little intimated with the size of the mansion and she accepts a tour from Kitty. First Kitty phases her way up to the Danger Room controls and shows Illyana that the room can change in an instant as she makes it look like they’re on a far away planet.

After they are finished Kitty explains a little more about the mansion and they go up an elevator and arrive on the ground floor. There they see Professor Xavier’s study and she explains a little more about the device Cerebro.

Next the pair move up to Storm’s attic where they both marvel over the plants that the X-Man has been growing. They also see Storm’s personal effects from her trip across Africa. They also travel to the rooms of Jean Grey and Cyclops.

The next room they visit is Wolverine’s and they are surprised with how elegant it looks as it has a Japanese style to it. The next room they visit is Nightcrawler’s which houses a lot of memorabilia of swashbuckling films. They then visit Colossus’s room which has several paintings that he has done himself.

The next room the two girls visit is the dorm that they share and they both change into their bathing suits and make their way down to the mansion’s lake house. Along the way they go past the swimming pool and the girls don’t realise that they are being watched.

Eventually they make it to the lake house and Kitty is a little saddened about the divorce of her parents but they then dive into the water with their scuba diving gear and swim through an underwater entrance to the hangar. There they see the X-Jet and Kitty explains a few of its capabilities to Illyana. They then dry themselves off and get changed into a spare suit. Kitty then goes to the controls of the computer inside the hangar and pulls up three dimensional images of the mansion and its location on the map.

Suddenly there is an intruder alert and Kitty phases through the ground to make headway. Illyana is forced to go through a door and they meet up at the cable car. They then quickly make their way back to the mansion as Kitty explains her battle with the N’Gari on Christmas Eve. She realises that Illyana has missed half of her childhood thanks to being trapped in Limbo.

When they reach mansion Kitty creeps up to a door to listen to what’s on the other side. Illyana pushes her through and Kitty is surprised to see the X-Men, Starjammers, Stevie Hunter and the New Mutants throwing her a surprise birthday party.

Kitty is overjoyed by this and blows out the candles of the cake. She then thanks everyone for their efforts and everyone has a nice time. She realises that Illyana had been keeping her distracted while the others got the party ready and the two friends hug one another.

My Thoughts

Now we get to one of the X-Men one shots that I believe was recently reprinted in a recent re-release of Marvel Masterworks X-Men. Anyway the main gist of this issue is that it reprinted Giant Size X-Men #1 which famously introduced the New X-Men and completely changed the face of the comic book industry. For this blog post I am only focusing on the second story since I have already reviewed Giant Size X-Men #1 and it is pointless (And very time consuming to do it again).

The story mainly focuses on the growing friendship between Kitty Pryde and Illyana Rasputin and it is a friendship that stays strong in the comics, even to this day. The story also gives us an insight of the X-Mansion and the exact layout and functions of the different facilities. It was interesting to see the X-Men’s rooms and how other rooms in the mansion had their purposes.

The story is written by regular scribe Chris Claremont and is drawn by veteran X-Men artist Dave Cockrum and new artist Hilary Barta who to my knowledge has never drawn an X-Men comic before this issue. It was a good thing to have Cockrum on board for this story since he did draw Giant Size X-Men #1 which is the first story printed in this issue so there is a sense of consistency.

The story seems to take place between Uncanny X-Men #167 and #168 since it is after the X-Men have returned to Earth after their dealings with the Brood and meeting the New Mutants. It seemingly takes place before Kitty discovered that Lockheed followed her back to Earth although there is a very realistic looking model of him in her room. Either way this story takes place a little after where the X-Men series is right now.

The reason for the X-Men throwing Kitty a birthday party is that she missed her last birthday while the team were in space and fighting for their lives. It is nice to see that despite the fact that the X-Men are a super powered team dealing with fantastic situations almost every day of the week that they can actually do things that are considered to be normal. It just makes the series a little more realistic.

I did like Illyana’s role in this comic as she seems to be a little naive about the mansion (I think mainly to keep Kitty distracted). But there are hints to events that took place in Limbo that we will see eventually. Her friendship with Kitty seems to be growing and is definitely a high point of the series.

I was surprised to see that Nightcrawler was keeping a small pterosaur in his room. I don’t think it was ever picked up before or since but I think it would have been fun to see him letting it out of its cage and allowing it to fly around the room. But I guess we had Lockheed to do this so the tiny pterosaur was more or less forgotten.

In conclusion I’m giving this story a 7 out of 10. I would score it higher but since it is really only an explanation story that is as high as I’ll score it.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #167

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #167

Release Date- March 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

The X-Men meet the New Mutants.

Brief Summary

The Goldilocks Syndrome! (or: Who's been Sleeping in my Head?)

It is night time at the X-Mansion and the New Mutants consisting of Cannonball, Sunspot, Mirage, Wolfsbane and Karma are watching TV. Suddenly four X-Men including Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus and Nightcrawler burst into the room. Cannonball flies right into Colossus sending them both out onto the mansion’s grounds. No one notices Kitty Pryde making her entrance as she phases upstairs so that she can reach Professor Xavier’s office so that she can take him down since he is a Brood Queen.

The New Mutants battle the X-Men but the older team get the upper hand and as Wolverine tries to go upstairs Karma attempts to possess him but he is able to resist her powers.

In Xavier’s study Kitty phases her way inside and she is carrying a weapon of Shi’Ar origin. She sees Xavier at his desk and she hesitates to fire. Xavier laughs at her for hesitating and she finally fires her weapon.

At the battle Sunspot tries again to take down Wolverine but he is overpowered by the Canadian mutant. Nightcrawler is able to take down the women of the New Mutants but before they can make another move they see Kitty get thrown through the doors of Xavier’s study and she lands on the ground floor. This knocks her out and Xavier makes his appearance, to their horror they watch as he transforms into a Brood Queen.

The X-Men attack and it sends the Brood Queen outside onto the mansion’s grounds. There Colossus is already waiting and he engages in battle with the creature. The remaining X-Men and New Mutants make their way outside just when Colossus is thrown to one side. Wolverine is the next to try his luck and he is able to slice off part of the Brood Queen’s tail. Mirage tries to use her powers to create an image of the Brood Queen’s fear but she senses the evil within the creature and recoils in horror.

Seeing that it is outnumbered the Brood Queen attempts to fly away but is knocked back down thanks to Binary and as it is falling Storm also makes her appearance and unleashes a powerful wind. As it hits the ground the remaining teams surround it but the X-Men are reluctant to kill their former mentor. With his last ounce of humanity Xavier begs for them to kill him but there is a small chance of saving him and rather than killing him they decide to take the chance.

Sometime later on the Starjammer ship Cyclops is waiting outside the medi-bay along with his father Corsair. Doctor Moira MacTaggart steps out with the ship’s medic Sikorsky and although the transformation is irreversible they think that they can clone Xavier’s body using tissue they have in storage and then transferring his mind into the clone body.

Elsewhere Kitty wakes up from her fall and sees Colossus and his sister Illyana Rasputin by her bedside and she hugs them. Storm is watching from a distance and she is happy to see that Kitty is making connections with others rather than just herself. She does feel alone however and she walks away.

Storm finds Nightcrawler on the observation deck where they begin to talk. The New Mutants are looking at the view of space but they have yet to accept Nightcrawler’s demonic like appearance. Storm tells him that they will accept him in time like Kitty did earlier.

At another part of the ship Cyclops and Corsair continue to talk and Corsair reveals that Earth is no longer his home and that soon he will be leaving. Cyclops wants to leave with him but Corsair also reveals that his own parents are still alive so he offers to take Cyclops to see his long lost grandparents. They then hug to further re-establish the bond between them.

This little reunion is broken up when Hepzibah and Raza enter with the commander of the Imperial Guard Gladiator. He is not happy to be on the ship and he demands to see Lilandra as soon as possible. Corsair is not happy with Gladiator’s tone but allows him to see the former empress.

A few short minutes later Gladiator discovers Lilandra looking at a computer screen. Gladiator tells her grave news how the Shi’Ar Empire is beginning to crumble under Deathbird’s rule. Worse still recently the cosmic being Galactus came to Earth to die but was saved by the Fantastic Four. Lilandra is greatly angered by this news.

At the Baxter Building it is still night time and the Fantastic Four are in bed. In the room of Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Woman a hologram of Lilandra appears in her Empress Armour. This wakes up the couple and Lilandra angrily informs them that Mr Fantastic will pay for saving Galactus and if he consumes another world that Mr Fantastic will be held accountable. She then disappears before the team get a chance to respond.

On the Starjammers ship Lilandra steps out of the hologram projector and she thanks Corsair for allowing her to use it. Colossus, Kitty, Illyana, Moira and Professor Xavier now in a cloned body of himself enter the area. Xavier demonstrates that in this new body that he can walk once again but as he stands up he feels incredible pain and keels over. He is suffering from the phantom pain of his injuries and he is helped back into his chair.

Xavier is thankful to see his old students return alongside his new students. He makes a speech about them all being together. But he also states that Kitty will be joining the New Mutants since she is closer to their age and she doesn’t have a say in the matter.

My Thoughts

And we are back with the Uncanny X-Men with what is officially the end of the Brood arc. The X-Men return to the mansion and meet up with the New Mutants and battled a Brood Xavier. The issue was very entertaining from start to finish and it is the start of a new era for the series.

This issue I count as being the second death of Professor Xavier as his original body transformed into a Brood Queen. Technically he never died since his mind was transferred into a new body. I was thinking that something like that could be used to achieve immortality since a person can just clone their own bodies and then transfer their minds into the new body. Potentially a person can do that indefinitely since they can clone their bodies to the prime of their lives and just keep living through that. It makes mortality somewhat irrelevant.

It was great seeing the X-Men teaming up with the New Mutants and they even fought one another at the beginning. Sunspot tried to take down Wolverine but he was showed just what happens when a newbie tries to fight a veteran hero like Wolverine. Cannonball had a good go against Colossus but I don’t think he did as well as he had hoped. Their battle was mainly cut off but from Colossus’s words I’m guessing that he won.

Watching Xavier transforming was somewhat unexpected since I had expected to see the X-Men somehow saving him before the transformation had taken place. It did seem a little too perfect that the transformation took place right when the X-Men returned to the mansion. Maybe he his mind had changed before and he was just waiting until the best time to transform. That would make more sense and also makes me question the whole transformation stage with the Brood.

The ending with Kitty Pryde being told that she has to join the New Mutants is something that did make sense and I know it leads to one of the most famous quotes in comic book history. If she had joined the team a few months before she would have joined the New Mutants but since the team didn’t exist at the time of her inclusion to the series she was thrown in with the X-Men.

With this issue everyone now knows that the X-Men are alive although this has been the second time that the X-Men have believed to have perished (The last time before this was after their battle with Magneto in Antarctica). But it will not be the last time that the team are believed to be dead and almost every time that the team are believed dead something else springs out from it. This time is the formation of the New Mutants and next time Excalibur is one of the new teams formed to honour the memory of the X-Men.

I did like Nightcrawler and Storm’s scene since they have been through a lot together and they feel like they can tell themselves almost anything. The X-Men seem more than a simple team and more like a family. Saying that Cyclops discovers that he has more blood related family than he thought and it is almost like he is getting a new family.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A fitting end to the Brood arc and lightens the way to a bright future.

Next Issue

Dazzler (Volume 1) #25

@hysteria: You know I love you man, and I love this thread, but your reading order is so wacky....There is at least 3 issues of New Mutants that transpire before this, isn't there? Then, isn't the Wolverine mini that you finished supposed to come after this??

@cattlebattle:

Yeah but I am doing it in order of the months that they were released. I found it somewhat hard to understand myself why Marvel would release Wolverine LS several months ahead of when it actually happened. New Mutants is the same but I am starting that series in the next couple of days.

Issue Information

Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #25

Release Date- March 1983

Writer- Steve Grant

Artist- Marc Bright

Major Notes

Last issue to be released monthly

Brief Summary

The Jagged Edge

Dazzler is taking part in a photo shoot which she doesn’t think is a very good idea. Even her manager Harry Osgood doesn’t think that it is a very good idea but it is Lance Steele’s idea. She goes through with the photo shoot but isn’t too happy with it.

Later Dazzler is getting changed in her changing room when Lance knocks on the door. When she answers it he gives her a box containing flowers. At first Dazzler thinks that it is his way of apologising but it turns out to be from a fan who has also left a note for her. She finds it sweet but Lance warns her against people like that. Harry enters the room and agrees with him and Dazzler believes that she shouldn’t act better than others. She then leaves the changing room and tells them to put her secret admirer on the backstage list.

Dazzler is unaware that she is being watched by a man named Karl Fredericks from atop of a roof. He realises that she will walk past his place of work soon and he runs to the ground floor and crosses the busy street. He arrives at his work with a couple of minutes to spare but his boss is unhappy with the fact that he is late and gives him only one last chance.

Later Karl returns home to his mother. He has missed a check up at the veteran’s hospital and as he goes to his room he has a collection of guns on his wall. He doesn’t want help from the veteran’s hospital and he has posters of Dazzler on his wall. Unfortunately he sees his military uniform hanging up. Enraged he takes it down and throws it at his mother who put it there. He never wants to see the uniform again.

That night Dazzler performs at a small venue and Karl is there to watch. He tries to go backstage but is stopped by security. He tells the security guard that he sent the roses and he is allowed backstage.

Karl walks down the corridor and finds Dazzler in her dressing room. She greets him with kindness and when he asks her out for dinner she accepts although she needs a couple of minutes get changed. When she is ready she walks out with Karl and even Lance thinks that it is a bad idea. They get into a cab and drive away into the night.

Minutes later they arrive at a fancy restaurant and they begin to talk. Karl mentions that his father left his mother while he was in Vietnam and Dazzler can relate since she has had trouble with her own father. They talk for hours but eventually Dazzler wants to leave, she goes to hail a taxi cab but Karl doesn’t want her to leave. He grabs her and tries to kiss her, Dazzler resorts to creating a flash to separate them. Karl tries to apologise but Dazzler steps into a cab and tells him that she never wants to see him again. This angers him and as she drives away he swears revenge on her.

The next morning Dazzler goes to the office of Harry Osgood but discovers that it has been ransacked. No one is hurt and the only things that are missing are promotional photographs of her. She is puzzled by this but when she receives a phone call at the reception desk it is Karl on the other end. He tries to apologise for the previous night but before he can finish his boss pulls the plug on the phone. For using the company phone for a personal call Karl is fired on the spot and as he leaves he swears revenge on his boss as well.

Harry offers to call the police on Dazzler’s stalker but she turns him down and leaves to go to her apartment. When she arrives she discovers a box of roses on her sofa along with a note. She reads the note and Karl threatens to destroy a man who has harmed her in the past. She realises that she needs to change the locks to her apartment but she soon realises that Karl was able to enter her apartment without forcing entry so it means that he was able to forge a key. It means that he works as a key mason.

Quickly Dazzler goes to the local key cutter and discovers Karl’s boss on the ground. He has been shot and he is still conscious. He tells her that Karl is responsible and through the company records she is able to learn where Karl lives. She wants to talk to him but she does contact an ambulance for the shot man.

Minutes later Dazzler arrives at Karl’s apartment and when she knocks on the door it is answered by his mother. When she tells her, her name Karl’s mother states that she is Karl’s fiancé. She is allowed inside and when she goes to Karl’s room she discovers his shrine to her and also that a handgun on his wall is missing. She also discovers pictures of her own father and the words ‘must die’ written on them. She now knows that Karl intends to kill her father and she quickly leaves.

Dazzler drives to the courthouse where her father Judge Carter Blaire is attending a trial. She parks up and is told that she will be getting a ticket if she stays there. She doesn’t care at this moment in time and when she races inside she discovers that the court has been adjourned.

Carter himself is in his office looking over a schedule when Karl enters the room with a gun. He intends to kill Carter but at that moment Dazzler enters the room and produces a bright light which blinds both men. She then fires a light beam which vaporises the gun in Karl’s hand. Karl then flees as security enter the room, Dazzler also makes her exit but Karl is not happy with what has happened and he realises that Dazzler was responsible for his failure and that she needs to be dealt with.

That night Dazzler is performing again in the same venue as the night before. Karl is also there and since the guard doesn’t know what has been happening he allows him backstage and he goes to Dazzler’s dressing room to wait for her return. When Dazzler does go to enter she opens the door slightly before Lance distracts her for a moment. She then sees Karl in the room waiting for her and he tries to shoot her. She ducks down and is able to disarm him but he pushes her away.

As Karl tries to attack her she takes out his legs but as she gets up Karl has his gun again. She has no sound to absorb so she resorts to smashing a mirror behind her, this gives her the sound that she needs and she is able to produce a light blast that knocks him out. When it is all over Lance and the security enter the room to see what is happening.

Later Karl is arrested and Lance is there to comfort Dazzler. She is saddened by what has happened, she feels responsible for pushing him over the edge but Lance says that something else would have done it instead. She feels like she needs to watch over her shoulder all the time and there is no easy answer to that.

My Thoughts

We are now back with Dazzler with an entertaining issue that also marks the end of the series being published on a monthly basis. Due to the sails being particularly low Marvel decided to make the series a bi-monthly series and it will be like this until the series eventual cancellation.

The first thing I noticed about this issue is that the writer/artist behind it are different this issue. Rather than having Danny Fingeroth and Frank Springer instead we have Steve Grant and Marc Bright at the helm. This is a little unusual but from the next issue it is Fingeroth and Springer again. It does make a bit of a change and it did give us an opportunity to see Dazzler by a different creative pair.

The basic story to this issue is something that many, many celebrities have to deal with at some point in their career. Many celebrities have had the horror of having a fan turn into a stalker. It has happened to many famous people such as Madonna and in this issue Dazzler had to deal with the same thing. Karl Fredericks seems to have suffered PTSD from his time in Vietnam and it caused him to act this way. In a way you do feel sorry for him but it definitely doesn’t give him the right to do what he did.

Once again I have seen a bit of an inconsistency with Dazzler’s height. In this issue she towers above her manager Harry Osgood and is roughly the same height (if not slightly taller) than Lance Steele. I don’t know if she’s had a growth spurt or if it is down to the artist. She looks to be at least 6 feet or more in height in this issue even though I know that she’s several inches shorter.

Dazzler tactics in this issue shows that she tries to be more humane, instead of calling the police straight away she actually tries to talk to her stalker. In many ways this is the worst thing a celebrity can do as we evidently saw but just the fact that she tried shows that she tries to be a good person.

It is a shame to see the series go down to bi-monthly. I have been enjoying it and although the series will last another close to three years it will only have an additional seventeen issues where before it would have had almost thirty six in that time. There was a Limited Series and an original graphic novel before its cancellation but it makes me think that this is the beginning of the end for the Dazzler solo series.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a really good read and was a step away from the traditional superhero vs. supervillain angle.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #1

Steven Grant, the writer of this issue, had previously wrote "The Hardy Boys"

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #1

Release Date- March 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Bob McLeod

Major Notes

First issue of the New Mutants series. First mention of Legion

Brief Summary

Initiation!

The New Mutants are watching as Karma is having her hair done by Stevie Hunter. Karma is not happy about this but Wolfsbane comments that her own hair doesn’t grow. Sunspots compliments her beauty and kisses her on the hand while Mirage begins to walk around and have a laugh. Unfortunately Mirage accidentally pulls out an image of the death of Karma’s parents, this greatly angers Karma who lunges at Mirage and tries to kill her. Stevie tries to break them up but Karma possesses her. Her connection is broken when she is slapped by Sunspot. Mirage tries to apologise about what happened but Karma isn’t listening and even threatens to kill her. Mirage has no choice but to leave for a short while and Sunspot feels sorry for her since she cannot control her powers and he knows that Karma was very serious about the threat.

Mirage walks down a corridor and enters a messy room and finds a picture of Kitty Pryde, Illyana Rasputin and Colossus at the swimming pool. She thinks about being a mutant and how the fate of the X-Men. She then goes up to Storm’s attic and discovers that the plants are dying due to lack of water. She begins to water them and it is a way for her to calm down. But she suddenly sees an astral image of Professor Xavier who tells her and the others to report to the Danger Room for their first session.

In London Doctor Moira MacTaggart and Illyana arrive at the Israeli embassy. They go inside and meet Gabrielle Heller who has summoned them there. She tells them about her autistic son and she fears that he is actually a mutant. She believes that Moira can help them but Moira tells Gabrielle that her work is theoretical and that she needs to see Xavier. Gabrielle doesn’t want Xavier to be involved and after a little pushing she tells the two women that Xavier is the father of her mutant son.

At the X-Mansion the New Mutants arrive at the Danger Room control room in their costumes. Xavier demonstrates the Danger Room by activating the gym protocol. The New Mutants are somewhat impressed but when he activates the room’s hologram systems the team are surprised to see that the room now looks a jungle. A predator seems to dive towards them but Xavier shuts off the holograms before anything can happen. Sunspot asks if they are to be like the New X-Men and Xavier somewhat angrily tells him that there will be no more X-Men and that they will simply be learning how to use their powers. The first task for the individual members of the team is to cross from one side of the Danger Room to the other.

Cannonball is the first to try but as he fires up and flies through the air a wall pops out of the floor and stops him. He tries again but is sucked up a pipe and is thrown across the room. Wolfsbane is the next New Mutant to try but she is sent down a trap door as she transforms and when she escapes she hits the ground hard.

In the control room Mirage realises that it is her turn and she is afraid. She goes to the entrance of the Danger Room and she realises that it is the perfect opportunity for Karma to kill her over what happened earlier. Mirage decides to flee instead.

Several minutes later Mirage is sitting in the Mansion’s grounds and is found by Wolfsbane who approaches her in full wolf form before transforming to her normal self. She explains that in her wolf form that she was able to track Mirage and that she smells nice. Mirage isn’t happy with her own powers and explains how it caused her friends to desert her and how she accidentally showed the death of her parents. She lived as a hermit in the mountains until she was recruited by Xavier.

The pair continue to talk but they then hear the horn of a car. Stevie has driven up with the other New Mutants. They return to the car and drive away but they are unaware that they are being watched. From another car they are being watched by two Government agents who are communicating with Henry Peter Gyrich. He orders them not to react until further orders.

A short time later Mirage is at the controls of the Danger Room and she tries to get over her fear of the room. She decides to face her fear and she activates the Danger Room session. When she enters the room itself she is attacked by robots and she knows that her powers won’t work on them. She is able to use her natural agility to get past them and she makes her way to the exit. But an energy beam suddenly strikes her an knocks her out.

In the control room a mysterious person shuts off the Danger Room’s safety protocols and activates a more dangerous session. The Danger Room transforms into the jungle once again and the giant predator makes its way towards Mirage intending to kill her.

My Thoughts

And now we begin with the New Mutants with a series that has been well remembered by fans for many years and introduces characters that will be forever remembered with the X-Men. This is the start of the first true X-Men spin off series, Alpha Flight might have come out before this series but this is the first one to be directly linked with the X-Men. This goes to show how popular the X-Men series has become at this point in time and it is a trend that continues on to this day.

One significant thing to mention about this issue is that it has the first mention that Xavier has a son. Although he isn’t named in this issue the son is a mutant known as Legion who is a very powerful mutant. I can’t fully remember what his mutant abilities are but I know that he has great mental abilities and also has multiple personalities in his mind (A bit like Moon Knight). He will be the reason behind one of the most well remembered X-Men storylines in comic book history but for now the details about him are surrounded in mystery.

Although the New Mutants had a very significant role in this issue I feel that Mirage or should I call her Danielle Moonstar had the largest role in this issue as we saw that she was afraid of the Danger Room and to some degree afraid of Karma. We also learned that Mirage is seemingly immune to Karma’s powers which is unusual.

This issue takes place a couple of months before the current Uncanny X-Men issue since the X-Men returned from space and the New Mutants had been together for a short time. I do question why Marvel did this but I guess that it is difficult to get the continuity exactly right but at least they do a better job back then to what they do nowadays.

This issue also has the first hint towards Project Wideawake that was said to be in motion at the end of the Days Of The Future Past storyline. For a couple of years we haven’t heard anything from it but now it seems that it is coming into effect. There is also a chance that one of these government agents might be responsible to what happened to Mirage in the Danger Room but we have to wait until the next issue to find out exactly who is behind it.

Wolfsbane did have an important role in the issue as well since she was the one who found Mirage and tried to talk her out of her depression. This shows great development from a character who originally thought that her powers were a gift from Satan himself. She still has some insecurities about her powers but she will learn to accept them.

Karma’s reactions were somewhat expected but there was still no right for her to do what she did. Maybe she didn’t know that Mirage had done it on an accident but to threaten to kill her in that manner was completely uncalled for. Karma does need to learn some self-control but then again she has had a very hard life.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was an entertaining beginning to a very popular series.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #168

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #168

Release Date- April 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

Lockheed comes to Earth. First appearance of Madeline Pryor

Brief Summary

Professor Xavier Is A Jerk!

Kitty Pryde steps out of the X-Mansion and turns to her friend Illyana Rasputin and shouts ‘Professor Xavier is a jerk!’ She isn’t happy that Xavier is forcing her to leave the X-Men and join the New Mutants. Illyana wants to help but is a little annoyed about Kitty’s constant complaining but the two girls race to the bus stop so that they can get to their dance class. Neither realise that an alien being is watching them from inside the mansion.

Inside the mansion itself Wolverine prepares to leave for a short time. Nightcrawler is there and they both discuss about Kitty’s transfer. Nightcrawler believes that Kitty would be better suited with the New Mutants but Wolverine states that she has proved herself with the X-Men and that she deserves to be on the team.

In the Danger Room Xavier tries to use a beam to balance himself and walk. Lilandra is watching on and as Xavier stands up he is overcome by the phantom pain of what had been a broken spine. In his new cloned body he is the picture of health but the pain is too much and he collapses. Lilandra runs to his side and helps him back to his chair. She can see that he is in pain but she also tells him that she is leaving to restore the Shi’Ar Empire. She asks Xavier to come with her but he refuses stating that he is needed on Earth and how when last he left it resulted in Jean Grey becoming Dark Phoenix.

A short time later Kitty is going through a dance routine at Stevie Hunter’s dancing class. Kitty is not performing the dance well even though she has done it several times before. Kitty’s mind is not focused and she snaps at Stevie but quickly apologises. She tells Stevie about the situation at the mansion and Stevie convinces her that she can change Xavier’s mind and allow her to re-join the X-Men.

The following morning just before dawn Storm walks out onto the mansion’s grounds. She feels good to be back on Earth and she begins to use her powers. Suddenly a storm appears and she is unable to stop it, she feels the cold for the first time and when the storm dissipates. She wonders what has happened to her and what it means.

Over the next few days Kitty tries to convince Xavier to allow her to re-join the X-Men. She uses her intelligence, then her passion, then she is co-operative and finally she uses flattery. Unfortunately none of it works and Kitty thinks that her efforts are for naught.

In Florida Cyclops returns to the port where he first met Aleytys Forrester. She finds her working on her boat and she is happy to see him. They walk along the beach and he tells her about the X-Men’s recent adventures. Aleytys admits that her life when she was with Cyclops was a roller-coaster and that she could never get used to the life of a hero. She gives him a choice with his life, stay with her or the X-Men.

In New York City Amanda Sefton opens the door of her apartment and discovers that it has been lit up by candle light. She enters cautiously and discovers Nightcrawler lying on her sofa along with a stuffed toy of Bamf. He is there to give her a good evening and she seems to be happy to see her.

In her room Kitty realises that her efforts aren’t working. Colossus and Illyana walk past her window and invite her to come with them to chop some firewood. She turns the offer down so that she can concentrate on her grades. They walk away and she goes on her computer to scan the mansion just so that she can see everyone on the screen. She also picks up a strange reading and she knows that it isn’t a glitch. She gets changed into her costume but she doesn’t feel the same connection to it as before since it is the same costume that the New Mutants wear and she phases down to the subbasement where the strange readings originate.

When Kitty arrives in the subbasement she discovers a cable has been chewed. She uses her thoughts to communicate with Xavier but he cannot pick up any other thoughts. Eventually Kitty comes across the dragon that she met on the Brood home world and she is very happy to see him. She feared that he had perished when the planet was destroyed. She picks him up and gives him a love.

Suddenly she notices a small group of Sidrian Hunters coming her way. Xavier tells her to run but she is hit by an energy beam from one of the Sidrians. This makes her unable to phase for a short time but she uses the fighting skills that Wolverine taught her to gain the upper hand. The dragon now being called Lockheed helps Kitty in the battle. She is knocked down again and she seems to be in trouble but before she is blasted again an armoured Colossus gets in the way and destroys the Sidrian. She hugs him and when they turn around they see Lockheed leaving a storeroom after burning the Sidrian nest that located there.

A short time later Kitty explains to Xavier what had happened and she wishes to keep Lockheed. Xavier allows her to and above all he sees that her skills are beyond her age. He allows her to re-join the X-Men much to Kitty’s delight.

In Anchorage Alaska Cyclops is with his father Corsair and they wait for the arrival of his grandparents at a small airstrip. A plane lands and it is carrying Cyclops’s grandparents but much to his surprise he meets the plane’s pilot. It is a woman who introduces herself as Madeline Pryor and she has an uncanny resemblance to the deceased Jean Grey.

My Thoughts

Now we are back to the Uncanny X-Men with what is one of the most famous quotes in comic book history. The very first page is a full size panel with Kitty Pryde calling Professor Xavier a jerk. I think she is probably the only person who has gotten away with something like that without having her brain turn into mush.

The most focused on X-Man in this issue was definitely Kitty as she tried to convince Xavier to allow her to be with the X-Men rather than the New Mutants. Although she got what she wished the outburst caused a rift between her and the New Mutants which will be somewhat focused on in the New Mutants series. This is also the last issue where Kitty uses the codename Sprite as her actions promoted her to being a full X-Man and have the right to an individual costume.

Lockheed more or less joined the X-Men in this issue as he somehow travelled through the endless gulf of space to the X-Mansion. Maybe he had a ride on the X-Men’s ship but even at this point in time we see that he has a deep connection with Kitty and it is a partnership which has been ongoing for over thirty years.

Wolverine leaving the mansion is him going off to Canada and Japan that was the focus of the Wolverine Limited Series. This shows that the events took place just after this issue and it also means that Wolverine will be absent from the X-Men for the next few issues and it will be a good opportunity to see how the team get on without him.

The issue also marks the first appearance of Madeline Pryor who for the next several issues will become an important support character to the series and will actually become Cyclops’s first wife. There will be a lot to do with her over the next few years but I will speak about that later on.

The part with Storm did raise a few questions, what exactly is going on with her and it is something that I believe that we’ll find out over time. Are her powers beginning to lose touch or is it something else entirely.

There was a moment with Xavier and Lilandra that was very thought provoking. Xavier actually turned down her offer even though he had only just gotten her back from the business in space. He sees that his work on Earth isn’t completed and that he must help many more mutants. He is sacrificing his happiness so that he can help others, that is something that many people can’t do.

Cyclops’s scenes in this issue were great to read and it was nice to see him reunited with Aleytys Forrester. Their walk together was somewhat sad in a way and I don’t believe that they meet again.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. A great issue that should be picked up by any X-Men fan.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #2

fump

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #2

Release Date- April 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Bob McLeod

Major Notes

Return of the Sentinels

Brief Summary

Sentinels

Inside the Danger Room Mirage is running away from a giant predator in a jungle setting. She is running for her life and she trips in a swamp but she keeps going. She is able to run up a rock formation which saves her from the predator. She is tired and looks over the horizon, she is surprised that the jungle is a simulation but as she climbs higher up on the formation she runs into a giant Brood. It says that she has sensed its presence and so she must die. Mirage is then pushed off the rock formation and she crashes through the jungle canopy and hits the ground hard. It is enough to knock her unconscious.

At the Salem Centre Mall Stevie Hunter and the remaining New Mutants step out of a cinema after watching E.T. The New Mutants stop off to get ice cream while Stevie goes to find a phone so that she can call the mansion. While they are getting ice cream a group of local teens walk up to the New Mutants. At first there is tension between the two groups but eventually they begin to get along.

No one is aware that the New Mutants are being watched by Henry Peter Gyrich and Sebastian Shaw. Both begin to discuss the mutant threat even though Henry isn’t aware that Sebastian himself is a mutant. Henry fears that a small nation with a mutant army could be a threat to the United States and it is why Project Wideawake was created. They have created Sentinels which they plan to use on adult mutants. Sebastian states that he wants them to fight the New Mutants but Henry disagrees and believes that a team of agents will be enough to apprehend the New Mutants.

At the mall Stevie has called the mansion but she hasn’t had an answer. She finds this odd but before she can decide what to do she is grabbed from behind by a man and taken into a storeroom. He states that he is a friend and when he unhands Stevie he introduces himself as Colonel Michael Rossi. Stevie has heard of him through Carol Danvers but he is supposed to be dead. Michael says that it has worked to his advantage and that he needs her help.

In the ice cream parlour the New Mutants have sat down with the local teens when two government agents come up to them. They demand that the New Mutants come with them, the team are distrustful of them. The local even begin to stick up for the New Mutants but the team decide to go with them so that they avoid violence.

As the agents take the New Mutants away when they arrive at the parking lot Michael along with Stevie come out of hiding and he fires at the agents. The team realise that something is wrong and use their abilities to attack the agents. After a short skirmish they are able to easily defeat the agents.

As they round up the defeated agents the roof begins to cave in as a giant robotic hand comes through. It is a Sentinel and it uses a gas cloud to knock out Michael. Cannonball responds by rocketing into the Sentinel and taking it outside. There he sees two more Sentinels and he realises that the team are in trouble.

Sunspot runs to try and help Cannonball but is stopped by a giant hand. His energy is low after the fight with the agents but he is able to generate enough power to transform and burst through the wall. This causes him to fall several feet and he crashes down into a car but in this form he survives without injury. The Sentinel tries to attack but Sunspot grabs its foot, unfortunately the Sentinel falls the wrong way and crashes into mall itself. Thankfully there are no casualties. With the Sentinel down Sunspot rips its head off effectively disabling it.

Outside Cannonball rockets towards another Sentinel but it stops him with a freeze beam. It then grabs the frozen Cannonball and flies away. On the ground Wolfsbane and Karma has seen what has happened, to save Cannonball Karma uses her abilities to possess him and force his powers to activate. This frees him from his icy tomb and sends the Sentinel flying with him.

Due to the distance Karma needs all of her concentration to keep the mental link between herself and Cannonball. The last Sentinel fires an energy beam that just misses her but she is unable to move. Wolfsbane is commanded by Michael to find the head agent so that he can stop the Sentinels. She transforms into her wolf form and leaves but they realise that their situation is dire as Michael fires at the Sentinel without much effect. Stevie feels helpless since she has no powers and even with Sunspot by her side she still thinks that they are in danger.

In the air the link between Cannonball and Karma breaks. This allows Cannonball to gain his mind but he realises that he is in the sky with a Sentinel still holding onto him. In his panic he rockets down towards the ground and goes into the last Sentinel destroying them both.

A short time later the agents are being arrested by the police. Karma is possessing the head agent and forcing him to confess. When the link is broken the agent is surprised to find that he is being arrested. Karma herself is distrustful towards Michael and she doesn’t want to use her abilities like her brother did.

When the New Mutants return to the X-Mansion they discover Mirage on the ground in the Danger Room. They go to her aid and she begins to wake up, Stevie scolds her for using the room without adult supervision but Mirage says that she was attacked outside the room and she describes the Brood that she saw. Stevie finds it strange and she knows that there is only three people who could have disabled the safety protocols. These people are herself, Doctor Moira MacTaggart and Professor Xavier. No one is aware that while Xavier sleeps that he has a Brood egg inside of him that is close to hatching and transforming him into a Brood Queen.

My Thoughts

And now we are with the second issue of the New Mutants. Normally right after the Uncanny X-Men I would review an issue of Dazzler but since that series has become a bi-monthly series this month there is no Dazzler.

I’ll start off with Mirage in this issue as she fights for her life and is almost killed by what turns out to be Professor Xavier being controlled by the Brood egg within him. It seems that her mutant abilities allow her to sense the egg within him and thus the Brood saw her as a threat and tried to eliminate her. It is an understandable motive that almost worked but she was able to survive.

The business with Project Wideawake is something that I think will develop over time. Sebastian Shaw being at the forefront of it only shows how cunning he is as he disguises the fact that he is a mutant. Henry Peter Gyrich seems not to entirely hate mutants but he sees him as a threat to humanity and to the United States itself. The pair seem to be at odds since Sebastian sent the Sentinels behind Henry’s back. This I think will lead to a lot of friction between the pair.

Colonel Michael Rossi I believe was actually engaged to Carol Danvers aka Ms Marvel and that he was apparently killed by Steve Lang in one of the earliest issues of the Uncanny X-Men to feature the new team. He seems to be similar to Nick Fury and I can definitely see him seeing an advantage to people believing that he is dead. The X-Men will use a similar advantage in the future.

The battle between the New Mutants and the Project Wideawake agents and then the Sentinels was beautifully written by Claremont and drawn to page by Bob McLeod. It showed that the New Mutants can work together well but I could see that they still needed some training. It was only really the boys that could physically take on the Sentinels while the two girls couldn’t really help all that much. This is because Wolfsbane’s wolf form isn’t much use against a Sentinel and Karma’s powers only work on people. Karma did show her usefulness as she helped free Cannonball but that is about as much use as she could have been in the fight.

Stevie has more or less become a teacher for the New Mutants and this is something that I found a little surprising since she is a baseline human and unlike Moira MacTaggart has had almost no contact with mutants before meeting the X-Men. I believe that Karl Lykos aka Sauron was actually considered to be a member of staff but he was never used. At this point in time he is cured of Sauron.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was an interesting issue that showed some development and had plenty of action.

Next Issue

Obnoxio The Clown vs. The X-Men (Volume 1) #1

Issue Information

Title- Obnoxio The Clown vs. The X-Men (Volume 1) #1 (First Story)

Release Date- April 1983

Writer- Alan Kupperberg

Artist- Alan Kupperberg

Major Notes

Features Obnoxio the Clown. Only appearance of Eye-Scream

Brief Summary

Something Slimey This Way Comes!

Obnoxio the Clown arrives at the X-Mansion intending to perform at a birthday party. He is unaware that he is being watched by a mutant who is hiding behind a nearby tree. Obnoxio is not in the best of moods and makes his way towards the front door.

Inside the mansion Professor Xavier is near Cerebro when it begins to sound. When he checks it out he sees that a mutant has been detected nearby. He hopes that it doesn’t interfere with the surprise that he has planned for Kitty Pryde’s birthday. Suddenly the console of Cerebro explodes knocking him unconscious. Cyclops then runs into the room to see what is happening and discovers Xavier’s unconscious body. He knows that they will soon be under attack and the X-Men will be waiting.

Outside Obnoxio rings the door bell and suddenly a trap door below him opens sending him down a chute. Cyclops gets the X-Men ready for an attack but they don’t realise that the mutant calling himself Eye-Scream is using his ability to transform into any flavour of ice cream to sneak in the mansion.

Inside his small prison Obnoxio gets up and takes an explosive out of his bag of dirty tricks. He uses it to blast a hole and get himself out. When he does he is confronted by the X-Men who believe that he is the threat. No one notices Eye-Scream sneak into the Danger Room, he plans to kill the X-Men since their powers are not as embarrassing as his.

The X-Men and Obnoxio are inside the Danger Room and the team attack the clown. Obnoxio is able to take on the X-Men using a unicycle, hand buzzer and sneezing powder. Eye-Scream uses the Danger Room’s controls to activate the room. This causes a metallic hand to grab Obnoxio and seal him up in another room. Cyclops tries to break through the door but his optic blasts can’t get through.

Inside the room Obnoxio is attacked by flamethrowers and laser beams. He is able to avoid them but suddenly the room begins to fill with water. He quickly finds himself submerged in water but outside the door Wolverine uses his claws to free him. The water rushes out and Wolverine grabs him and goes to stab him but a mental command from Xavier stops him in the nick of time.

The X-Men and Obnoxio travel to the control room where they see Xavier with a frozen Eye-Scream. He explains that Eye-Scream was the real enemy and that he was able to lower the temperature in the room to freeze him. He also explains that Obnoxio is here as a birthday treat for Kitty. She is thrilled by this but when she asks him to entertain at her party he squirts water in her face and walks away. He isn’t willing to stay around after what has happened and the X-Men do nothing to stop him.

My Thoughts

Ok now we are with a one shot comic that did feature the X-Men but I somewhat question whether it is in continuity with the Uncanny X-Men series. I can definitely tell that it takes place some time before the X-Men comics at the time since it has Angel on the team. This means that it takes place after Uncanny X-Men #139 and #148. This was after Kitty Pryde joined the team and before Angel left.

The first person to mention in this issue is Obnoxio the Clown who is used in parody comics at the time and seems to be a foul tempered clown. He seems to be able to perform the impossible as he was actually able to hold his own against the X-Men. His appearance makes people think that he is a hobo and he constantly has a cigar in his mouth, something that I don’t think would be allowed today.

This issue also marks the only appearance of Eye-Scream who has the mutant ability to transform into any flavour of ice cream. Judging from this comic he is not supposed to be a villain who is taken seriously so the fact that he has such a stupid power I can overlook. If he had been introduced as a real villain I would put him having the worse powers I have ever seen in a comic book character but again since he isn’t to be taken seriously I can let it slide.

The overall story wasn’t too bad since it again is not really to be made serious but I definitely think that by the end of it Xavier would scold his students for not performing better. I do also question how Kitty didn’t recognise Obnoxio since he is supposed to be her favourite clown. If she had spoken up at some point maybe the whole thing could have been avoided.

One other point to make in this issue is that it throws a wrench into Kitty’s age business since it is supposed to be her birthday in this issue. In the Uncanny X-Men series her birthday took place during the Brood arc and the birthday before was before her mutant abilities activated. Not too sure whether it is an early birthday present from Xavier or something but as I said it kind of throws a wrench in the works.

This issue is written and Alan Kupperberg meaning that this is one of the few X-Men comics at the time to have absolutely nothing to do with regular X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. This is something that you could definitely tell in this issue but it did give someone else an opportunity to write an X-Men comic even though it was a parody of sorts.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It was somewhat entertaining but plot holes did spoil it a little.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #169

Those comics remind me of when I was little. It reminds me of my older brother. I wonder if he still got those since we've been apart.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men #169

Release Date- May 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

First appearance of Callisto and the Morlocks

Brief Summary

Catacombs

Candy Southern enters the Manhattan penthouse of Angel. She discovers that he is nowhere to be seen and she begins to look around. When she reaches his room she discovers feathers on the floor along with blood. She hears someone downstairs and she rushes to the phone to call Professor Xavier. He answers the phone moments later and she tells him that Angel is missing and that she is about to attack. She feels a hand on her shoulder and when she turns around she is confronted by an enormous man calling himself Sunder.

Meanwhile at the apartment of Amanda Sefton Nightcrawler is enjoying a bath with the woman that he loves. They are having a nice time but an astral image of Xavier appears in front of him telling him to tell him about the emergency. Immediately Nightcrawler teleports across the city to get to Angel’s penthouse and he spots Angel being taken down into the subway. He is instructed to go help Candy and when he gets to the penthouse she is thrown out of the window and he saves her from falling by teleporting her back to Amanda’s apartment and dropping her in the bath.

Sebastian Shaw arrives at the Hellfire Club headquarters walks through a secret passage that leads down into a secret basement. There Tessa is waiting for him and she takes him to an unconscious Emma Frost. She had arrived an hour earlier with a message that was only for Sebastian’s ears but she fell unconscious before he came. She is in a catatonic state and it is evident that it was a psionic attack. He suspects that Xavier might be the culprit but he doesn’t believe that he would do something like this. His only conclusion is that someone else is responsible and is sending him a message.

The rest of the X-Men minus Wolverine who is in Japan arrive at Amanda’s apartment. Candy begins to explain what has happened, the X-Men know they have to rescue Angel and Amanda offers to go with them. Storm doesn’t think it is a good idea since Candy could be attacked again so she thinks that it is best that she stays with her. Storm communicates with Xavier and wishes to use Wolfsbane to track Angel since they are without Wolverine but he refuses stating that the New Mutants are students and not to go on missions. Instead she is to use a mini cerebro device to locate Angel. Kitty Pryde decides to leave Lockheed behind as well although he is not too happy about it. There is much the X-Men don’t know about him but Amanda is up to the task of looking after him while they are gone.

The X-Men travel to the subway station where Nightcrawler had seen Angel be taken but there is no sign of him. They continue into the tunnels but Xavier cannot maintain his psionic link with the team, there is some force interfering with the X-Men. Suddenly a train goes past and the X-Men are able to get out of the way and Storm is somewhat uncomfortable due to her claustrophobia.

The X-Men continue on and their mini cerebro leads them to what seems to be a wall. Kitty phases through it and discovers that it is a door. They are able to open it and they go down a series of steps but they are soon attacked by a hoard of what seem to be homeless people. The X-Men are able to hold their own and Storm commands Kitty to scout ahead to see if there is any danger.

Not too far away three unknown mutants along with Sunder know that the battle is taking place and they know that the X-Men are their enemy. Kitty phases through a nearby wall and hears what they say. The woman leading the group smells her and immediately another woman named Plague tries to grab Kitty but she phases through it. Kitty flees but rather than chasing her they decide to let her go since if any part of Plague’s disease has touched her then she is doomed.

Meanwhile the other X-Men continue on in their battle but Storm ends it with a powerful gust of wind. The homeless people scatter and they realise that Kitty has not returned. They begin to worry about her and Storm doesn’t seem to be all that concerned. This surprises Nightcrawler and Colossus but deep down Storm is very worried about her. They ask whether they should get some reinforcements but Storm states that there is no reinforcements so they continue on.

Elsewhere Kitty has seemingly escaped but she seems to be very sick. She falls unconscious in the water but she is seen by Caliban. He is overjoyed to see her but he sees that she is very sick. He knows that Plague is responsible for her illness and he takes her away so that he can treat her. He is still in love with her and believes that they will live happily ever after.

Eventually the other X-Men find themselves in a very large tunnel but they are soon blinded by some bright lights. They hear the voice of a woman and Storm states that they are the X-Men. When their vision adjusts to the light they see Angel shackled with a woman standing next to him. She introduces herself as Callisto and that she leads a group of mutants known as the Morlocks. She has taken Angel since he is handsome and she wants him for her own. It reminds Storm of a moment from her own childhood but when Callisto begins to forcefully remove some of Angel’s feathers the X-Men attack to try and save him.

Suddenly a hoard of Morlocks attack the X-Men and they are soon overwhelmed. Callisto is able to take Storm down using a slingshot while the other Morlocks simply overwhelm the mighty Colossus.

Elsewhere Kitty wakes up and finds herself in a bed in a strange room. She throws up and realises that she is very sick. She tries to get out of bed and find the other X-Men but as soon as she does she falls to the ground and is knocked out. Caliban quickly goes to her aid and he realises that his remedies are not working. She is burning up and he knows that if he doesn’t do anything soon she will die.

My Thoughts

We are back with the Uncanny X-Men with an important issue that introduces the Morlocks who are side characters in the X-Men franchise but still important nonetheless. They are basically a group of mutants who live in the tunnels of New York. Their outward appearance they cannot pass as normal humans unlike many members of the X-Men. It is like they are living in a self-imposed exile.

The Morlocks are led by a woman named Callisto who’s mutant abilities is that she has enhanced senses (See in the dark etc). Other Morlocks introduced is Sunder who has super strength but is very slow witted, Masque who can alter the facial appearance of anyone besides himself and finally Plague who can infect people with viruses. Over the years numerous more Morlocks will be introduced. They are named after the race of people in H.G Wells’ The Time Machine. If they were named after the race from The War Of The Worlds then they would be called the Martians but that would be a little silly.

The issue also features the return of Caliban who evidently is still in love with Kitty Pryde and will do almost anything for her. I do feel sorry for him with the fact that he more or less lives alone and that all he wants is to be loved in return. This is something that many people can relate to and he wishes to spend the rest of his life with Kitty. Sadly his desires will ultimately fail.

The scene with Nightcrawler in the bath with Amanda was pretty funny, especially when he drops Candy Southern into the water. It is the most screen time that Amanda has in an X-Men comic since the fourth annual that came out three years before this issue. It was fun to see that she can actually look after a dragon but I don’t think Lockheed will like her as much as Kitty.

Storm in this issue showed that she is a capable leader but she is second guessing herself and the fact that she is claustrophobia was making her very uncomfortable. She shows that she has leadership skills by the fact that she recognised that Candy needed to be protected and that Wolfsbane would have been an ideal replacement for Wolverine if she had been available.

One other thing to mention in this issue is that this is the first issue in the series to have Kitty Pryde as Ariel rather than Sprite although a few characters do call her by that. The costume did first appear in the God Loves, Man Kills OGN but this is its first official appearance in the Uncanny X-Men series. It is a persona that she will continue on with until the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine LS.

Angel seems to have gotten back with Candy Southern before this issue so it seems that he has abandoned his courtship of Dazzler and decided to go back with her. I think it would have been nice to see it on paper before this issue. He is in a dire situation as he has had many of his feathers ripped off. I guess this is one of the few times that his looks have actually gotten him into trouble.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was pretty good but I think there was room for some improvement.

Next Issue

Dazzler (Volume 1) #26

Issue Information

Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #26

Release Date- May 1983

Writer- Danny Fingeroth

Artist- Frank Springer

Major Notes

First issue to be Bi-Monthly. Final issue written by Danny Fingeroth

Brief Summary

Against the Wind

Dazzler is performing at a sold out venue but she notices that a trio of thugs are harassing the manager for tonight’s proceeds. She tells her band to play louder so that she can absorb the sound and tackle the crooks. She skates off stage for the moment and uses her powers to blind the crooks and save the manager. She then returns to the stage and states that there will be a short break due to technical issues.

Backstage the manager thanks Dazzler for saving him while the police arrest the crooks. Harry Osgood, Lance Steele and Cassandra Ferlenghetti also arrive to congratulate her and also comment that the concert is going well. But Dazzler’s sister Lois London also arrives and states that she isn’t feeling well. She fears that she will have another fainting spell so she decides to leave but not before having a hug from her sister. After all this Dazzler returns to the stage and carries on giving a wonderful performance.

Meanwhile Lois leaves the concert venue and makes her way home. She is lost in thought when she is grabbed by a homeless man. She is terrified of him and he doesn’t want her money but a kiss. She tries to fight him off but he is too strong, suddenly her hand begins to glow and she touches the homeless man causing him great pain. It is enough to give him a heart attack and he falls to the ground and dies. Lois realises that the man is dead and runs away in tears knowing that she is now a murderer.

Hours later Dazzler is at her apartment calling around to try and find Lois. There is no sign of her but suddenly the door opens and Lois comes in. Dazzler hugs her sister but Lois is very upset, she explains that she has just killed a man and at first Dazzler thinks that she is exaggerating. Lois becomes angry and states that she did kill him and she realises that she is in fact a mutant. Dazzler knows that Lois acted in self defence but since she is a mutant she will likely be found guilty of murder. She calls up her boyfriend Ken Barnet for legal advice. He tells her that as a lawyer that Lois should turn herself in but as a friend that they have to make the decision themselves. Dazzler thinks that it is best to go on a trip until they can decide what to do with Lois.

The next morning at Washington DC word of the Homeless Man’s death reaches Henry Peter Gyrich who is the head of Project Wideawake. His agents tell him that a mutant is responsible for the man’s death and he unleashes the Mutant Hunters to track down the mutant responsible for the man’s death.

At that time Dazzler and Lois are on a bus bound for Pittsburgh. Lois is still guilty over what happened and the fact that she is a mutant. Dazzler tries to give her some words of advice but Lois is still saddened and the fact that she is now on the run.

When the two women arrive in Pittsburgh they check into a sleazy hotel and they rent a room for two under false names. Lois is still depressed about the situation but Dazzler thinks that a trip to the cinema will cheer both women up.

A few hours later the women go to the cinema to have a nice time. Unfortunately someone in the queue recognises Dazzler and asks for her autograph. Soon she is swamped by fans and after signing a few autographs decides that she and Lois must leave since their cover has been blown. They go into a taxi and go back to the hotel room.

Lois remains at the hotel room while Dazzler goes out to buy a wig and other accessories to use to disguise herself. At the hotel room Lois hears a faint knock on the door and when she opens it she sees the hotel owner’s cat. She allows it to come in and she even talks to it a little since it makes her feel better. She even has the cat try and do a high five but it scratches her hand. This angers her and her hand begins to glow again and she grabs the cat itself. The cat dies due to her touch and she is horrified that it has happened again.

Downstairs Dazzler arrives in her disguise and the hotel manager doesn’t recognise her. This makes her feel happy since it shows that the disguise has worked but when she goes back up to the room she finds Lois very upset. She sees the dead cat and Lois admits that she killed it. Dazzler realises that they have to move on after calming her sister down but in truth she realises that her sister is a ticking time bomb.

The next morning two Mutant Hunters burst into the hotel room expecting to find Lois. Their research has led them there but when they find the dead body of the cat they know that she was there. The cat has actually been transformed on a molecular level. Dazzler and Lois are unaware of what has happened as they are on another bus that is heading westbound.

My Thoughts

We are back with Dazzler in what is the first issue of the series as a bi-monthly series. I still think that it is a shame that it has come to this but at the time it wasn’t getting the numbers to make it monthly. Funnily enough nowadays it would be considered a huge success due to the number of people reading it but back then they just weren’t enough.

The most significant thing to point out in this issue is that it is the first time that we know for sure that Lois London is a mutant. Her mutant abilities seem to be something like she can transform a living being on a molecular level but it kills them in the process. This was shown on the homeless man although I don’t think he was transformed. I think the shock of it all and the touch that he felt was enough to give him a heart attack. We can try and feel sympathy for him but he was trying to sexually assault Lois but still, it is not a good reason for him to die.

Dazzler shows her sisterly love as she basically drops her entirely life so that she can help out her sister. I’m not sure about too many siblings who would do this, especially one with a rising singing career like Dazzler. She seems to be simply unlucky in this manner but whatever she’s going through Lois is getting it a whole lot worse.

This issue also marks the last issue to be written by regular Dazzler scribe Danny Fingeroth. I did enjoy some of his issues that he wrote and he didn’t do too bad of a job. Maybe we’ll get a good writer replace him but since I know that the series only lasts another sixteen issues after this issue I don’t think it happens. It is a shame to see him go but all things must come to an end.

Henry Peter Gyrich makes an appearance in this issue and it shows that Project Wideawake is quite far reaching since it has been mentioned in the Uncanny X-Men series and the New Mutants series as well. I’m not too sure how the newly introduced Mutant Hunters were able to track Dazzler and Lois but I have a feeling that we might find out very soon. No one had seen Lois kill the homeless man so how exactly they tracked her to me is still a mystery.

I think this issue also might be the beginning of the end of Dazzler’s singing career since she has up and left to help her sister. I know that they tried to revamp the series to keep it going and it included making her a more conventional superhero. I think that this was probably the start of it.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was pretty good and worth the read, the question with the Mutant Hunters did knock it down a little.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #3

I think in the original Morlocks story not all the Morlocks are supposed to be mutants. Some of them are just deformed humans/vagabonds......in fact, I don't think Callisto is supposed to be a mutant initially. If she is, she doesn't mention it.

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #3

Release Date- May 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Bob McLeod

Major Notes

First mention of the Demon Bear

Brief Summary

Nightmare

There is a storm that night as Mirage wakes up in her bed. She looks out of her window and sees the face of a Brood. She takes her knife from its holder and looks out of the window. There is nothing but when she turns around a huge shadowed figure bursts through the window. It grabs her and she is able to stab it, she then runs out of the room calling for the other New Mutants but when she arrives at their rooms she sees that each of them are dead. The figure then grabs her and as she struggles to free herself she removes its mask and sees the bear that killed her parents.

Mirage wakes up screaming as the New Mutants and Professor Xavier coming rushing into the room. Xavier examines her and finds that physically that she is fine and that what happened was in her mind. The New Mutants are concerned for her but Xavier reassures them that she is fine and that they will talk about her dream in the morning.

After they have left Mirage believes that her dream was real and when she takes her knife out of its holder she finds blood on it. Convinced that her dream was real she rushes to Xavier’s study but before she enters she hears Xavier talking on the phone to Doctor Moira MacTaggart. He says that he thinks that Mirage is suffering from a mental illness. This makes Mirage herself feel very low and she starts to believe herself that she is crazy.

On the other end of the phone on Muir Island Moira doesn’t believe that Mirage is crazy and when Xavier states that he hasn’t mind scanned Mirage she puts the phone down with some anger. Banshee comes up behind her to try and comfort her. She noticed that Xavier didn’t seem to be himself and she hasn’t had the hear tot tell him about his son that he doesn’t know that he has. She begins to talk about her own son and Banshee suggests that they can have their own child and be married. But after her marriage with Joe and what happened to her son she can’t risk it.

A short time later Banshee walks around the island and sees Illyana singing as the sun rises. It is the birthday of her best friend Kitty Pryde and she is singing for her lost soul. Banshee goes up to her and tells her that the X-Men will be back. As they walk back to the facility Illyana knows that she was actually singing for the X-Men she had met in Limbo who all died and some at her hand.

In the morning at the X-Mansion Mirage dives into the swimming pool. The water is cold but she finds it refreshing but as she reaches the other side of the pool Karma is there with a towel in her hand. Mirage dries herself off and the two girls talk and Mirage reveals that she has had a bad feeling since she came to the mansion and that she feels that Xavier is somehow behind it.

In the Danger Room Cannonball is testing his abilities as he flies straight into a crash bag. It staggers him a little but Xavier instructs him to practice his flight while shooting forward. Cannonball does this and goes through the first practice with some ease but strikes the second hoop as he tried to shift his direction. Xavier is a little disappointed with the results but Cannonball continues to practice.

Afterwards Cannonball begins to shave when he suddenly feels himself possessed by Karma. When he comes to he sees that a message has been written on the mirror out of shaving foam. It tells him to meet them at the boat house.

A short time later Cannonball arrives at the boat house and he isn’t happy that Karma possessed him. The other New Mutants are there as well as Karma had possessed both Sunspot and Wolfsbane as well. Mirage begins to explain how her dream seemed real and about the conversation that Xavier had with Moira. She believes that Xavier is also trying to force her out but Cannonball isn’t convinced. He goes to walk out but as he opens the door he sees that the outside has completely changed. It now looks like an alien planet.

Rather than going outside to investigate the New Mutants decide to try and reach the mansion through a tunnel that is underneath the boat house. They go down to the tunnel and when Mirage goes to open the door tentacles grab her and pull her inside. When the New Mutants make their way inside they see Mirage has been captured by a Brood Queen. It gloats a little as Karma tries to possess it but she senses its evil and it causes her to scream. Cannonball fires straight into it after Wolfsbane has attacked and it disappears as if it was never there.

The New Mutants try to recuperate but as they look down the tunnel they see that it has transformed, it now looks more like a burrow. They consider going back but they think that the Brood Queen might be making its way to Xavier and they decide to carry on to ensure his safety. As they continue on they notice that things are becoming more distorted the closer they get to the mansion and they wonder if it is simply a Danger Room simulation.

Suddenly a tree root grabs Sunspot but he transforms and frees himself. But before they can realise what is happening the Brood Queen reappears and grabs Mirage from behind but the New Mutants themselves are confronted by demons. Mirage feels her head aching even worse and she eventually falls unconscious.

When Mirage wakes up she finds herself in Xavier’s study. She is wrapped up in a strange material like a fly in a web and the Brood Queen is in front of her. It can read her thoughts and as she thinks that the New Mutants will help her the Brood Queen shows an image of the team transforming into Brood themselves. Mirage feels another headache and she notices that it is the same feeling as when she uses her powers. The Brood reveals that it has been augmenting her powers and that everything that has happened has been of her own creation.

Suddenly the New Mutants burst in and the two boys attack the Brood. Mirage commands Karma to possess her and when Karma tries the Brood is able to hijack the link and forces her to attack Sunspot. He is able to wind her with ease and he notices that the Brood is gone. It reappears above them and grabs Wolfsbane. Mirage realises that she is the one responsible for what is happening and tells Cannonball to knock her out. He fires towards her and punches her and knocks her out.

The environment around them reverts back to normal and they want to take Mirage to the infirmary since she has most likely received an injury from the punch. They also hear the mental command of Xavier who demands an explanation for what they are doing.

That night Mirage sits on the porch as Sunspot comes out to see how she is. They begin to talk and Mirage fears that she is the weak link but Sunspot is there to help her. She is very glad about this and they spot a shooting star in the sky. Suddenly Cannonball comes outside to tell them that Magnum PI is on.

My Thoughts

And we are back with the third issue of the New Mutants in what is the last issue of the series before the X-Men return. Overall it was a pretty good and unpredictable issues of the series. It did keep us guessing to exactly what is happening.

The main character in this issue is Mirage as we get a little more in-depth with her history and we also see for the first time the Demon Bear that will cause her much heartache soon. She is definitely the most interesting member of the team at this point in the series and since I am not all that familiar with her I am looking forward to seeing where her character goes.

The scene with Illyana Rasputin singing for the souls of the X-Men that died in Limbo is a teaser for the upcoming Magik Limited Series which came out at the end of 1983/beginning of 1984. It gives us a little hint of what happens in the series and that she has heartache twice for Kitty Pryde. Not just the mainstream Kitty who is seemingly dead in space but also the Kitty that she met in Limbo who we haven’t seen yet.

I did feel sympathy towards Banshee for the fact that he loves Moira a great deal but because of her relationship with her ex-husband Joe and how monstrous her son became that she cannot risk marrying him and having another child. He does have a daughter already but I think I he had a child with Moira that it would make them both extremely happy. Unfortunately prior events seem to have destroyed any chance of that coming to pass.

The New Mutant’s struggle against the supposed Brood Queen was great to read and since the unpredictability of Mirage’s powers kept the team on their toes. Obviously they didn’t know that she was behind it but there was definitely something else fueling her powers. I think that it was most likely Professor Xavier himself since he is infected with a Brood Egg and very soon it will hatch and turn him into a Brood Queen himself. The constant shifting of the environment definitely kept the reader wondering exactly what is going on.

The ending directly linked to the Uncanny X-Men #167 that came out a few months before. It makes me wonder if the shooting star that Mirage and Sunspot saw was actually the X-Men returning to Earth after their epic battle in space.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was good and I’m wondering where the series will go now that the X-Men are back.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #170

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #170

Release Date- June 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

None

Brief Summary

Dancin’ In The Dark

It is night in Alaska and Cyclops is dancing with Madelyne Pryor in a Chalet. They have been travelling together for a few weeks and have gotten close to one another. They have been dancing for hours and Cyclops fears that the owners might throw them out. Madelyne has no fear of this since she saved the life of the owner’s son last year. They could stay in the fanciest room if they wanted to but Cyclops is still saddened. When Madelyne asks him what is wrong he tells her that he had been in love with Jean Grey and when he shows her a picture of her she realises that she looks just like Jean. Madelyne needs a little time to think and Cyclops thinks that she will leave him but she returns, she wants them to know each other more and to dance.

In the sewers of New York Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus have been captured by the Morlocks. They are tied up and they watch Callisto kiss Angel, she is wearing a wedding outfit as she intends to marry him. Storm shouts to try and disrupt the wedding but she is struck for her efforts. This causes Nightcrawler to teleport out of his bounds and Colossus to break out. Nightcrawler grabs Callisto while Colossus knocks out Sunder. Storm creates a lightning bolt that disperses the rest of the Morlocks. Nightcrawler teleports Callisto multiple times until she is dazed.

Nightcrawler holds Callisto up and demands the Morlocks to release Angel and the X-Men or else he will kill her. Storm knows that Nightcrawler is bluffing but is touched by Plague causing her to suffer from a fever. Plague shouts to Nightcrawler that Storm will live but another touch will kill her. Nightcrawler has no choice but to release Callisto and the X-Men are bound. Callisto reveals that if the situation was reversed she would have killed him in an instant. She also tells the X-Men that the Morlocks are mutants who are runaways and due to their appearance can’t live amongst normal humans. She found them using a mutant who can sense other mutants.

Elsewhere Caliban is still nursing Kitty Pryde who is still very sick. She begs him to help the X-Men and if he does she promises that she will stay with him and if he doesn’t she’ll hate him forever. Caliban wrestles with his thoughts but when he turns to Kitty he sees that she has tried to get out of bed but has fainted.

In what seems to be eighteenth century England Mystique is being chased by Mastermind who is on Horseback. She leaps into a river but she is captured by the dogs. Mastermind grabs her but doesn’t kill her, instead he allows his lady friend to do the deed. This woman is Jean Grey who then slashes Mystique’s throat.

Mystique wakes up and realises that it is a nightmare. She gets out of bed and realises that her ankle hurts, in her dream she had broken her ankle. She goes downstairs and finds Destiny sitting in the kitchen with tea. She offers Mystique tea and the two begin to talk. Mystique thinks that Professor Xavier might be responsible but Destiny knows better and that the person responsible uses a fundamentally different level. Suddenly she senses that Rogue is in danger. Mystique races up to Rogue’s room and discovers that it is empty and that her clothing is gone. They don’t realise that Rogue is on a bus heading out of Washington.

In the Morlock’s tunnel the X-Men are tied to stakes and Masque begins to manipulate the face of Storm. He hates all beautiful people since he can manipulate every face save for his own. He reveals his hideous face and goes to manipulate Nightcrawler’s face but is commanded by Callisto to leave them alone. She offers Nightcrawler a place with the Morlocks due to his courage and appearance. He turns the offer down however.

Suddenly Caliban arrives on the scene with an unconscious Kitty. This causes Colossus to armour up and break free of his bonds and Nightcrawler to teleport to freedom. The Morlock have a healer but his abilities are focused on injuries rather than illnesses. Callisto refuses to allow the X-Men passage to the surface so that they can get Kitty to urgent medical attention. Caliban quietly tells Nightcrawler that the only way they can free themselves is if he challenges Callisto into a trial by combat.

Nightcrawler takes the advice and demands a trial by combat against Callisto but she tells him that it is to the death. Storm instead states that she will fight Callisto since she is the leader of the X-Men. She is still suffering from Plague’s effects but she is still serious about the fight. Callisto accepts the fight despite the fact that Nightcrawler and Colossus try to convice Storm not to take part.

A few moments later Storm and Callisto stand opposite each other. Mutant abilities are not allowed in this fight and a blade is thrown towards Storm which she catches with ease much to the surprise of the other X-Men. The two engage in combat and Callisto is the first to draw blood but Storm uses her cape to bring Callisto close to her. She then stabs Callisto in the heart and walks away as she falls.

With the fight over Storm is the new leader of the Morlocks and as she frees Angel she offers the Morlocks a chance to leave the sewers but Caliban states that this is where they belong. Callisto is still alive since the healer was able to get to her before she died and Nightcrawler is extremely surprised that Storm stabbed Callisto in the heart. Storm knew what had to be done and it had been unexpected.

In Alaska Cyclops and Madelyne have been sleeping together. The sun is bright and Madelyne goes to grab Cyclops’s glasses but he rebuffs her, accidentally hitting her in the process. She becomes angered about this and confronts Cyclops with the fact that he never takes his glasses off and that an eye condition can’t do this to him. With some reluctance he demonstrates his optic beams and states that he can’t switch them off. Madelyne is honoured that he told her and the two embrace each other.

My Thoughts

We return to Uncanny X-Men in the second part of the Morlock’s first story. It was a very good issue as we saw what Storm would resort to, to save those that she truly cares about. To tell you the truth when I first read it I was very surprised myself.

The most talked about part of the issue is of course the trial by combat between Storm and Callisto. I admit that it wasn’t as good as the trial by combat between the Red Viper and the Mountain in Game Of Thrones but it was still very well done. We see how Storm can operate in a fight without her powers and that she is ruthless where need be. She didn’t even hesitate in stabbing Callisto square through the heart. We could say that she knew that Callisto would have been healed but still, there was a chance that Callisto could have died and yet Storm went through nonetheless.

Another important part of the issue was the interaction between Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor as we see him falling in love again after losing Jean Grey. He seems to be a lot more comfortable around Madelyne since he was able to reveal to her about Jean the fact that he is a mutant. I’m thinking that due to her appearance that it makes him feel more relaxed and open.

The whole business with Mystique I believe to be linked with whatever happened to Emma Frost. It seems unlikely that something like that could have happened to both women and for them not to be linked. The other important thing to mention about all this is that this is when Rogue actually leaves the Brotherhood and in the next issue of the series actually arrives at the X-Mansion.

Also something else that will pop up later in the series is that Kitty Pryde actually agrees to stay with Caliban if he helped the X-Men. In truth Caliban did help them by telling them about the trial by combat. He has held his end of the bargain and yet Kitty has left so that she could receive medical attention. It is not her fault that she left but in the end she has not held her part of the bargain and she will suffer for it later.

One last thing I would like to mention is that I really loved the page where Storm stabbed Callisto through the heart and she slumps down while Storm walks away. There was no dialog or captions in that single page and it was beautifully brought to life by artist Paul Smith.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was an overall great issue and didn’t suffer without Wolverine.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #4

Important issue for Storm. Pretty much her rise to prominence from here on out.

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #4

Release Date- June 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

First issue to feature art by Sal Buscema

Brief Summary

Who’s Scaring Stevie?

Stevie Hunter receives another threatening call from an unknown caller. She angrily puts the phone down as Karma enters the room. Karma knows that it is the caller again but Stevie tells her that it is pointless calling the police since they have already told her that there is nothing that they can do. She doesn’t think the X-Men or New Mutants should get involved but as they walk through the dance studio they spot Peter Bristow sitting at a piano. The door had been opened so he had come in to tidy up. Karma then leaves so that she can return to the mansion.

At the X-Mansion the New Mutants are playing Frisbee while using their mutant abilities. Wolfsbane uses her wolf form to catch the Frisbee and Cannonball accidentally rockets into a tree. Suddenly the astral form of Professor Xavier appears telling them to meet him in his study immediately. The New Mutants think that they might have done something wrong but they go inside anyway.

When they are inside the mansion they meet Lilandra who tells them that there is refreshments for them when they have finished speaking with Xavier. They go into his study and they have to wait a few moments for Karma to arrive. When she does Xavier explains that his reason for forming the New Mutants was so that the Brood could have mutant hosts but he still believes that bringing the together was the best course of action. He apologises deeply for trying to kill them and he understands that they might be reluctant to trust him. Mirage speaks out and tells him that they know it wasn’t their fault and that they will stay.

Xavier also picks up that there is something troubling Karma. She tells the group about Stevie’s stalker and she wishes to help her in any way she can. The other New Mutants also want to help her and Xavier allows them to and even uses it as a sort of training exercise. Mirage is against that idea but Xavier explains the merits of the idea and also that he is not her enemy.

Afterwards Lilandra brings refreshments in for him and they discuss a little about Mirage’s rebellious attitude. Lilandra does speak on Mirage’s behalf and Xavier revealed that when he was infected with a Brood egg he did use his telepathy on her but he refuses to do it again. He knows that he has to earn the trust of the New Mutants and he kisses Lilandra as they take comfort in each other’s company.

At Stevie’s apartment the New Mutants install a phone tracer into Stevie’s phone system. They wait for the caller to call again and there are a few false alarms before the caller finally calls.

They are able to trace the call to a payphone and when they reach it Wolfsbane transforms and sniffs out the phone booth. At first she is disgusted by the smell but she overcomes it and is able to pick up a scent. The caller is a boy of their age and they follow the scent to a high school where there is a dance taking place inside. The New Mutants were invited to this dance at the mall a few weeks ago.

Cannonball and a transformed Wolfsbane go to one of the windows and she is able to see the aura of the people inside. The rest of the New Mutants go inside to join the dance along with Stevie. They plan to use her as bait and they are wearing normal clothing. They meet up with the teens that they met in the mall but outside Wolfsbane picks up the aura of and scent of the caller. Mirage feeds on this information and they discover that the caller is Peter Bristow.

Peter realises that he has been found out and panics. He runs outside as Wolfsbane chases after him. The other New Mutants also give chase but Peter reaches his car and speeds away. Cannonball rockets forward to keep up with him but he notices a mother and young daughter crossing the road unaware of the approaching car. Rather than trying to stop Peter he flies further forward and grabs the pair before they are struck by the car. He continues to fly forward and sees that he is moments away from crashing into a building. With all his strength he is able to change his direction so that he flies directly up and with help from Xavier’s mental commands he lands on the ground safely with the mother and child unharmed.

Peter crashes the car into a construction yard and he continues to flee. The other New Mutants are not far behind him but Stevie’s knee gives in and Sunspot has to stay with her. The girls head towards the in construction building while Sunspot pulls the burning car away before it explodes. Unfortunately the hut that the car crashed into is filled with explosives and the fire will soon cause them to explode. With Xavier’s help he is able to broadcast the warning to the other New Mutants.

Inside the building Mirage and Karma pick up the warning and decide to find Peter first. They hear Wolfsbane scream and when they find her they see that Peter has struck her with a blunt object knocking her out. Karma possess him as Cannonball flies in and picks up Wolfsbane and the explosions outside cause the building to begin to crumble. They rush outside but they are slower than usual but Sunspot is able to hold the ceiling up so that they can just about get out.

A short time later at Stevie’s apartment Stevie along with the New Mutants try and get answers out of Peter but he isn’t talking. When Stevie mentions about telling his parents he instantly becomes terrified. Xavier isn’t able to mind scan him so Mirage uses her own powers to delve into his mind. She conjures an image of Peter kissing Stevie but as she delves deeper she produces an image of Peter’s parents striking him with a belt.

Angered by this Peter lunges forward at Mirage and tries to attack her. Karma possess him before he can harm her and his clothing is ripped in the process. They discover lash wounds on his back that are both recent and old. Peter cries telling them that his parents love him and he has just been a bad boy. Stevie had been nice to her and since she didn’t punish him he thought that she was being mean so he started the calls. He apologises for what he has done and Stevie hugs him.

Later Peter is taken away in an ambulance. Xavier tells the New Mutants that Peter’s mental scars might not recover but there is still a chance of being cured. He congratulates the New Mutants for their efforts but he wants a report for the morning on what could have gone better. The New Mutants accept but they are happy that they were able to help a vulnerable person.

My Thoughts

And we are back with the New Mutants with a story that was somewhat similar to that I read in Dazzler which came out a few weeks before. It features a villain of sorts who isn’t your standard super villain who plans either world domination or to become rich. They are vulnerable people who have a fixation on a particular person.

This is the first issue of the New Mutants that takes place after the X-Men have returned from space and it was revealed that Xavier had a Brood egg within him. It did make sense for Xavier to think that the New Mutants might not trust him. The fact they still do show that they have some respect for him and that training with him is indeed the right thing to do.

Mirage continues to be the most interesting member of the team as she seems to be the most rebellious. This is something that you could say that she has in common with Wolverine. She is definitely the character that readers should keeping their eye on. So far Claremont has written her the best out of all of the New Mutants and I am looking forward to seeing her character development since I haven’t read too many New Mutants comics.

Rather than regular artist Bob McLeod we have Sal Buscema providing the art in this issue although McLeod did finish it up. I do believe that Buscema has drawn some X-Men related comics in the past since his name does ring a bell. I think it was a fair while ago that he drew for the X-Men in anyway.

Peter Bristow did seem to be a very unfortunate character as he did more or less stalk Stevie Hunter. When first reading about him the reader would feel no sympathy to him but after you learn what his parents have been doing to him you can understand why he cracked. It is unfortunate for any child to go through something like that. It doesn’t give him the right to do what he did but it still gave the reader a small amount of sympathy towards the character.

The New Mutants also seem to be a little more in control of their abilities as we saw Cannonball change direction, Mirage willingly pulling images out, Wolfsbane’s senses and more. This shows that their training is coming along and they have each come some way since their mutant abilities manifested. They might not have mastered them just yet but it shows that they are on their way.

In conclusion I’m giving this issue an 8 out of 10. It was a good issue without the traditional superhero vs supervillain angle.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #171

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #171

Release Date- July 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Walt Simonson

Major Notes

Rogue joins the X-Men. Guest art by Walt Simonson. First appearance of the Soulsword

Brief Summary

Rogue

Storm declares herself as the leader of the Morlocks and she has accepted their decision to stay within the tunnels. She also commands them to never harm humans again and although they are against this they concede when they realise that they don’t want to face Storm. She then checks on Callisto who is up when she should still be resting after being healed. She is still bitter over the loss and Storm commands Sunder to take Callisto back to bed so that she can recover. Nightcrawler watches over what has happened and he is very concerned about Storm, she is changing before his eyes and she doesn’t seem to mind.

In Alaska Madelyne Pryor is asleep and she suddenly wakes up screaming. Cyclops rushes in to see how she is and she breaks down in his arms. She begins to explain how she was involved in a plane crash and how she was the only survivor. He tries to comfort her but when she tells him the date when it happens he realises that it was on the same day that Jean Grey died.

Carol Danvers is visiting her parents. She says goodbye to her parents before stepping out and she begins to think about what she is going to do next. She still doesn’t have her memories and doesn’t feel too much love towards her parents because of it. She transforms into Binary and flies towards the X-Mansion.

At the X-Mansion itself Kitty Pryde is throwing a tantrum when she thinks that the New Mutants have lost her computer disks. Illyana Rasputin is there with her and comments that the disks are exactly where Kitty had left them. Kitty herself feels like a jerk for her outburst.

In the mansion’s gym Professor Xavier is exercising his legs. Lilandra is there to help him but to block out the pain he has to shut off parts of his mind. This allows him to pick up the thoughts of everyone around him and he senses Kitty’s tantrum. He sees himself as being weak but Lilandra reassures him of his strength and even offers to examine him to see the root of his pain.

Upstairs Colossus is trying to cook when he receives a mental command from Xavier telling him that there is a guest. He quickly goes to the front door and when he opens he armours up when he sees Rogue standing there. She falls down in fear and begs for him not to harm her, she isn’t there to fight and she desperately needs Xavier’s help.

A short time later the X-Men have gathered in the sitting room. Rogue is a nervous wreck and she begins to explain how having Carol Danvers’s memories in her head along with her mutant abilities being out of control is taking a heavy toll on her. The other X-Men don’t believe her sincerity but Xavier believes that Rogue does need help. Storm in particular speaks out against Rogue after what the villainess has done in the past but Xavier wants them to leave the room so that she can properly examine her.

The X-Men are forced to wait outside and they eventually decide that a Danger Room session could be what they need to clear the cobwebs in their heads. Colossus, Nightcrawler and Storm are in the Danger Room while Kitty and Illyana are in the control room. Illyana has rigged up a new program and when she starts it they see the villain Belasco and the dimension of Limbo. This causes Illyana to flip and Kitty is forced to switch off the program. She tries to talk to Illyana but she seems to be distant. Suddenly Illyana now wielding an energy blade lunges at Kitty and is able to cut her even though she is phasing. Kitty is able to disarm Illyana whoever and with the sword gone she reverts to normal and states that she remembers. The other X-Men go to the control room to see if she is alright but Kitty is there to comfort her and the two girls need time for themselves.

A little later Storm is in her attic and notices that one of the plants are dying. She thinks about Illyana and also her own problems. She creates a small raincloud to feed the thirsty plant. She begins to think about her fight with Callisto and the events of that morning. Her transformation is making her a better leader although it is costing her morals. Suddenly she notices that her raincloud has become a full on storm. She is able to dispel it and the plant is destroyed in the process. She knows her powers are reflected on her emotions and when she sees an astral image of Xavier commanding her to come downstairs she throws a knife at it blaming him for what is happening to her.

A short time later the X-Men return to the sitting room. Xavier reveals that after his examinations that he thinks that Rogue is indeed being genuine and not only has given her a place at the mansion but also on the team. Storm is instantly revolted by this statement and claims that as leader of the team that she should have a say.

At that moment Binary arrives at the mansion and when she goes inside she punches Rogue so hard that she flies up into the air and goes so high she almost reaches the moon. She flies back down the Earth where Binary is waiting for her but she punches Rogue again. Colossus tries to stop Binary from harming Rogue. Xavier does arrive and is able to calm things down but Rogue doesn’t recognise Binary. When she reverts to normal Rogue realises that it is Carol Danvers. Rogue is under the protection of Xavier but Storm and Nightcrawler claim that if she stays they will leave. Xavier reminds them that Wolverine was given the chance even though Angel had been against it and he will not give up on her. The other X-Men agree to stay including Nightcrawler. Binary however refuses to accept her and flies away.

Storm also needs time to think and as she walks around the grounds she takes both Xavier’s and Carol’s points of view. She does want to leave but her duty is making her stay but she refuses to stay the same and as she walks back towards the mansion she doesn’t know what will become of her.

My Thoughts

Now we are once again back with the Uncanny X-Men in what is a somewhat sort after comic book since it is the issue when Rogue joins the X-Men. She is definitely one of the most popular members of the team and with this issue she has started her transformation from villain to X-Man.

As I’ve stated this is the issue where Rogue joins the X-Men even though from her appearances in Dazzler I would have said that the change was sudden. Under normal circumstances I’d say that it is fitting that she joins and she is genuinely sorry for what she has done. She is the second villain turned X-Man in the series with the first being Changeling back in the 60’s. It is not unheard of since Hawkeye of the Avengers was originally a villain and now he is a full on Avenger.

Besides Rogue joining the team there are a few other interesting developments in this issue. The first that I’ll touch on is that this is the first time we see the Soulsword. It is Illyana’s weapon of choice. It is an important part of her character and will eventually fall to a couple of other characters to carry it. The soulsword is powerful but also corrupts as we will see later on and one other thing to mention about its power is that it can cut Kitty Pryde while she’s phasing. That is something that is definitely note worthy and we will see more about this in the upcoming Magik LS.

The second thing to mention is that we see more of the inner turmoil of Storm as she seems to become more angry and violent. She is definitely evolving into a different character than she was when she first appeared. This is something that has made the character very popular and we seem to be seeing an entirely different side to her. We will soon see a completely different Storm.

The battle between Rogue and Binary was quite good and it was fun to see Binary punch Rogue so far into space. It is lucky that Rogue is invulnerable or else she would have not survived. I do wonder who would have won if the fight had gone all the way. It would have been one for the ages.

The issue is actually drawn by Walt Simonson rather Paul Smith. It was a nicely drawn issue but to tell you the truth I do prefer Smith. His art is fantastic and I only wish he still drew an X-Men series today.

One thing to mention as well is that the issue touches on the rivalry between Kitty and the New Mutants. She doesn’t like them at all and it is seen later on in the New Mutants series itself. She sees them as X-Babies and she made a big fuss about staying with the X-Men rather than joining them.

Xavier also showed some backbone in this issue as he stood by Rogue and his decision to keep her at the mansion. He could have turned her away but he showed that he is willing to give anyone a chance regardless of their history. It is a trait that stands out in comics and shows why he started the X-Men in the first place.

Last to mention is that there definitely seems to be a link between Madelyne Pryor and the deceased Jean Grey. Madelyne’s plane crash took place at the same time as Jean’s death and it is too much of a coincidence to be just that.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. It was an overall great story with development and history.

Next Issue

Dazzler (Volume 1) #27

Probably one of the most superlative aspects of the book. The fact that they learn how to use their powers better or struggle with that altogether as the book goes on.

Issue Information

Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #27

Release Date- July 1983

Writer- Frank Springer

Artist- Frank Springer

Major Notes

First issue written and drawn by Frank Springer. Features Rogue and Angel

Brief Summary

Fugitive

Dazzler and her sister Lois London are on a bus destined for L.A. Lois is asleep and Dazzler thinks about everything that has happened to her ever since she tried to start a music career. She thinks about enemies, past loves and her own family. She realises that she has left her watch behind and she taps the shoulder of the person sitting in front of her to ask her the time.

This person stands up and takes off her hood revealing herself to be Rogue. She begins to punch Dazzler but the heroine is able to find a boom box and turns it on to get the sound that she needs to fight back. This causes everyone on the bus to panic and as the two women fight Rogue grabs Lois and holds her hostage. Lois’s hand begins to glow and she goes to grab Rogue with it. Rogue herself sees an opportunity and ungloves her hand to grab Lois. She then begins to absorb Lois’s mutant abilities and she becomes even more powerful.

With her newfound power Rogue grabs Dazzler’s hand causing the heroine tremendous pain. She then grabs Dazzler’s face causing it to become disfigured and in the panic of the battle the driver of the bus drives erratically. Dazzler realises that she is near death and absorbs all the sound around her and fires a powerful light blast. Unfortunately the driver is also blinded along with Rogue and it causes him to drive the bus off a cliff.

Dazzler suddenly wakes up as the driver announces that they have reached their final destination. Lois is there to comfort her and when Dazzler asks for a mirror she sees that her face has returned to normal much to her relief. Dazzler is still exhausted but the two women leave the bus so that they can find a hotel.

They check into a local motel and Dazzler asks Lois if she is sure that the man she killed is actually dead. She is sure and as she picks up an ashtray it melts in her hand. They are not even sure that anyone actually saw Lois do the act and Dazzler tries to reassure her that everything will be fine.

Suddenly there is a knock on the door and when Dazzler answers it there is no one there. She does notice some photos on the ground along with a note. They are photos of Lois killing the homeless man and the note states to call a particular number. With little choice Dazzler calls the number which goes to a payphone. The man on the other end tells her that there is a man that he wants to be murdered and if they do this tasks the photos will disappear and they will never hear from him again. He gives them an hour to think about it before putting the phone down.

The man then calls another number which goes through to a mansion and another mysterious man picks it up. He has been searching for Lois and has paid the other man and if he fails that certain files will be sent to the F.B.I.

Dazzler decides that the only way that they’re going to get any answers is if they play along. She calls the number up again and pretends to agree to the murder. The man on the other side gives her details before putting the phone down. Dazzler then calls the pager of Angel hoping that he is in the area since he has a penthouse in the region. Angel himself picks up the pager but doesn’t know who it is from and considers ignoring it.

Later that night Dazzler and Lois drive in a car and the address that they’re given takes them to a mansion. They enter the mansion and creep upstairs and eventually find the person that they’re supposed to kill asleep in his room. The butler watches them come in and confronts the two women with a gun. When he speaks Dazzler realises that he was the one that called them and as he goes to shoot Angel bursts through the window and takes the bullet for them.

Believing that Angel is dead Dazzler switches on the nearby TV set and absorbs the sounds that it gives off. She then uses a light blast to knock out the butler. With him down she goes to Angel who is still alive but wounded. The man who they were supposed to kill begins to wake up and when he sees Lois the pair recognise each other.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with Dazzler with an issue that half takes place in reality and the other half in Dazzler’s dream. I could be nit-picky with a few things in the dream (Like how did Dazzler feel pain when it is impossible to do so in a dream?) But for now I am just going to roll with it for now.

I’m guessing that this story takes place before the events in the Uncanny X-Men since it has been mentioned in the next issue that Rogue returns as a villain (It was even stated in UXM #170). Her appearance in this issue is purely in Dazzler’s dream and she acts as villainous as ever but since it wasn’t the real Rogue we can forgive her for that. She did put up a really good fight and if she had of really disfigured Dazzler that would have definitely been the end of her career there and then.

The whole blackmail part of the issue seems a little confusing since it seems that the man that is supposed to be killed is the man who hired the butler to find Lois. I think there needs to be more explanation which I believe we’ll see in the next issue. Who exactly is this man and how does he know Lois. I have a sneaking suspicion to who it might be but for now I am not going to say.

Angel’s appearance in this issue seemed to be very sudden and I do wonder how he was able to find them. Maybe Dazzler did leave some kind of message and we saw for absolute certainty that he is not bulletproof (although no one ever asked if he was).

The issue did give us a quick recap of everything that had happened to Dazzler since her series began. I do question why they missed out her appearance in Uncanny X-Men but maybe there was only so much that could be drawn on paper and that just had to go. It was something good for new readers and those who might have missed those first few issues of the series.

One other question that I hope to be answered in the next issue is how exactly the butler got the photos in the first place. Had he been tracking Lois since New York, that would mean that she is being tracked not because she’s a mutant but because of just her. That raises even more questions.

Last thing to mention that I find a little funny is that it says to tune in next month. There will be no Dazzler next month, it’ll be two months so it should have said something like ‘Next in Two Months, or maybe in Sixty Days.’ Just so the reader actually knows when the issue comes out since this is before the internet.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It was alright but there were too many questions for my liking.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #5

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #5

Release Date- July 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

Features Silver Samurai, Viper and Team America

Brief Summary

Heroes

Professor Xavier is in his study and he cries out in pain as he falls to the ground. Lilandra rushes in to help him, he was trying to walk and collapsed due to the pain. He can’t conceive why it is happening and Lilandra suggests that the pain might not be mental but physical. Xavier then realises that his mental link with the New Mutants has been severed.

Miles away at a funfair the New Mutants are attending with Stevie Hunter. They go on the rides and play the games while Mirage and Sunspot have a ride in a stunt plane. Sunspot admits that his father has bigger planes but none as fun as this.

A little later the New Mutants see the stunt performers Team America preparing for their show. Sunspot is a big fan of them. The team disbanded a few months back but they are performing at the fair to raise money for charity. Cowboy signs an autograph for Sunspot but Wolf is not too happy with him being there. Cowboy and R.U. Reddy are happy to be in their old uniforms although Wolf only cares about how they perform and not how they look. No one realises that they are being watched.

A short time later on the field a crowd of people including the New Mutants watch as Team America go through a series of death defining stunts. The crowd is overjoyed to see this and for the finale the three bikers intend to have a race. But just as they begin they are attacked by a group of mercenaries who are there to capture them.

The New Mutants know that they must help Team America despite the fact that they don’t have their uniforms. Cannonball rockets forward to take on the mercs while Team America somewhat recover and go on the offensive. Karma possesses a merc and uses him to fire at his colleagues. Sunspot and Wolfsbane also go on the offensive but from a distance the shadowed figures of Viper and the Silver Samurai comment on how only half of Team America are there and that there is no Dark Rider. They intend to put down the New Mutants so that they can get to Team America.

The Silver Samurai then appears behind Stevie and Karma and demands that they step aside. Karma tries to possess him but in her weakened state she can’t and he knocks her out. Cannonball rockets towards him but he is able to use his sword to deflect him causing him to fly into the stand. Wolf picks up a gun and threatens to use it even though he doesn’t know how to use it but the Silver Samurai uses a Shruiken to destroy the gun.

Suddenly the being known as the Dark Rider appears and drives straight towards the Silver Samurai. He is able to take off one of the wheels with his sword but the Dark Rider is able to stay on the bike. It is only when the Silver Samurai destroys the bike entirely that the Dark Rider is defeated. He goes to his fallen enemy and when he takes off the Dark Rider’s helmet he sees that it is Mirage. He grabs her as Sunspot and Wolfsbane tries to come to her rescue but he teleports away before they get the chance. The team then try to recover but Karma is unconscious and Mirage has been taken.

Later in an unknown location Mirage wakes up in an open room not unlike the Danger Room. She has no idea how she got there but she does notice a motorbike in the room. Suddenly three giant spiked rollers head her way and she knows that her only means of escape is with the bike. Unfortunately she has no idea how to drive it or even start it. She has to jump out of the way as one of the rollers destroys the bike and she uses her own agility to avoid it. She hits the ground hard and sees a roller coming towards her, she thinks she is about to die but the roller then stops and the Silver Samurai enters telling her to follow him.

Mirage is led to another room where Viper is waiting for her. Viper can see that Mirage had absolutely no idea how to operate the bike and she even asks what Mirage’s connection with Team America. Mirage tells her that she has no connection with them but in her anger she accidentally produces a three dimensional image of Viper’s past. Viper then attacks Mirage and she is willing to kill her.

At the X-Mansion the remaining New Mutants have returned with Team America. Xavier has heard about Mirage being the Dark Rider and he finds it very unlikely since she has never demonstrated the skills before. He also goes over files of Viper and the Silver Samurai. Xavier uses Cerebro to try and get the answers that he needs for the mysterious Dark Rider and when he is finished he discovers the answer.

In Washington DC fellow Team America member Honcho is in bed but he is suddenly awoken by Viper and the Silver Samurai. Viper tells him that she wants Team America to break into a fortress in Mexico. If they don’t she will kill Mirage and she refuses to give any proof of her. She gives the team twenty four hours to complete the task or else Mirage will die.

A short time later the rest of Team America rendezvous at Honcho’s home and they begin to discuss their next move. They are unwilling to risk a life but Wolf doesn’t believe that Viper has a hostage. Suddenly the lights go out and there is a knock on the door. The door opens and Xavier rolls in on his wheelchair along with the New Mutants. There is still bad blood between Sunspot and Wolf but Xavier begins to explain that the Dark Rider is the combined abilities of Team America transferred into the body of another person. It is a form of possession and at the fair it had been Mirage who had been the host. Wolf still believes that they don’t need help and Sunspot reacts angrily.

Xavier tells Team America that he will train them to use this ability but it is also the team’s fault that Mirage was possessed in the first place. Due to the friction between Wolf and Sunspot Xavier tells the New Mutants to leave and reluctantly they go outside.

Outside the New Mutants are disappointed with Xavier’s actions. They believe that he seems to care more for Team America rather than Mirage. An astral image of Xavier appears telling the team that if Team America are successful it’ll give them time to summon the X-Men and take the fight to Viper. Sunspot confronts him about Mirage and Xavier states that he has done what is necessary. The New Mutants realise that if they wait for Team America or the X-Men it’ll be too late for Mirage. They intend to confront Viper and the Silver Samurai themselves and rescue her. Xavier is aware of their plan and realises that they are in deadly danger and that he will do anything that he can to help them.

My Thoughts

Once again we are back with the New Mutants in the fifth of what will be a hundred issues (Plus annuals and a couple of specials). So there is plenty more of this enjoyable series to go before it becomes the very popular X-Force series.

The first thing to mention is that this comic is the first appearance of Silver Samurai in an X-Men related comic. He first appeared in an issue of Daredevil nearly a decade before the release of this comic but nowadays he is more well known for being an enemy of Wolverine. It is stated that he uses an energy sword in this issue but in truth he has the mutant ability to charge up his sword so that it can cut through anything (I don’t think it works on Adamantium though). He is one of Wolverine’s constant foes but he has also been his ally from time to time as well.

Viper also makes her first appearance in an X-Men related comic as well. Although she is more well known as an enemy of Captain America and the Avengers she has had a few run-ins with the X-Men from time to time. She is most well known in the X-Men franchise as being the wife of Wolverine although I think that their marriage was not out of love. It was enough for her to be included as one of the main Villains in the recent Wolverine film and although she is a baseline human her skills and intelligence along with her ruthlessness makes her a capable villain. In fact before this issue was released Viper was believed to have died.

When I saw that Team America was in this issue I thought I would be seeing a team of puppets taking on terrorists and the leader of North Korea. Instead we get a team of stunt bikers that is more or less based on real life daredevil Evel Knievel. They had their own series that lasted twelve issues before cancellation and the most interesting thing about them is this Dark Rider. I’m assuming in their own series that he was always a mysterious person with this issue of the New Mutants actually shedding light on what the Dark Rider truly is. The fact that they haven’t been seen for a number of years makes me think that they have mainly been forgotten.

The issue itself had a pretty good story and there is a hint of mystery to why Viper and the Silver Samurai want Team America to break into the Fortress in Mexico. I believe that this is something that’ll be revealed next issue.

The two main New Mutants to point out in this issue is Mirage and Sunspot. For Mirage first she was the unfortunate host for the Dark Rider and once again continues to be one of the most used members of the team in this issue. I am also seeing a common trait that when she accidentally pulls images out of peoples mind that they attack her and even try to kill her. I guess she has no luck there and in this issue I just think that she was incredibly unlucky.

For Sunspot he met his heroes in the form of Team America and he especially looked up to Wolf who turned out to be a complete ass. It reminds me of the phrase ‘Never meet your heroes because you’ll always be disappointed.’ That phrase rung true in this case as Sunspot learned that Wolf wasn’t the great hero that he thought and the two even get close to punching each other. In a fight Sunspot would win in my book.

Xavier also played a pivotal role in this issue as he was able to discover more about Team America and it also shows that he is still trying to walk despite what happened to him. He did seem to care more about training Team America rather than helping Mirage but I believe that he would never allow her to be killed and that he was protecting the New Mutants since he still doesn’t think that they’re a mission based team like the X-Men. I can see his point of view but I definitely see why the New Mutants decided to go and try to rescue Mirage themselves.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a good issue and makes me want to see what happens next.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #172

The X-Men comics had good sales at this point, so unfortunately they constantly get bogged down with having to promote new characters, mini series, and new titles. The Micronauts was one, here in New Mutants we have "Team America", whose concept reminds me of Japanese Sentai if I am to be honest, The New Mutants also have to promote Cloak and Dagger later on, the X-Men have to promote Power Pack, Rom the Space Knight.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #172

Release Date- August 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

Return Of Wolverine, features Silver Samurai and Viper

Brief Summary

Scarlet In Glory

The X-Men arrive at the home of Mariko Yashida ahead of her wedding to Wolverine in Tokyo. The Canadian X-Man himself is there to greet his team-mates and even gets to meet Kitty Pryde’s dragon Lockheed. After Wolverine has greeted his teammates Mariko appears informing him that there is another X-Man waiting to enter. This X-Man is Rogue and Wolverine is very distrustful of her after their meeting in the Pentagon. Storm informs him that Professor Xavier has welcomed her to the team and Mariko greets Rogue as a guest.

Outside the conversation is being listened to by the Silver Samurai. He plans to kill the X-Men and thinks that after their trip that they will be tired. He doesn’t realise that the assassin Yukio is behind him and she is able to strike him with what would have been a killer blow. His armour protects him however and he attacks her. The battle is heard inside the building causing Wolverine and Nightcrawler to investigate. Wolverine tries his luck against the Silver Samurai but he teleports away sending Wolverine off the edge. Only the quick actions of Nightcrawler save him from falling.

When both X-Men recover they notice that Yukio is also gone. She is leaping from building to building but unfortunately she loses her footing and falls. Luckily Storm comes to her rescue and lands her safely. Yukio is thrilled with the experience and Storm is surprised how the fact that she almost died hasn’t affected Yukio. The assassin is able to laugh it off as she moves away but not before thanking the X-Man. Storm stands there and she wishes that she could laugh more herself.

The X-Men regroup at Mariko’s home and they discuss about the Silver Samurai. He has recently fought the New Mutants which led to the death of one of them. Wolverine knows that this is due to Mariko’s father Shingen’s links to the criminal underworld. At first the X-Men think that they can question Shingen about this but they soon discover that Wolverine has already killed him.

In another room Mariko thinks over everything that has happened. She has received a note and as the head of her clan she must respond. She has told her maids that she must not be disturbed as she leaves.

Elsewhere in the house one of Mariko’s maids is knocked out by the villainess known as Viper and she is there to make sure that the X-Men don’t interfere with what she has plans. She steals the maid’s outfit and brings tea to the X-Men. Wolverine and Storm are talking about how much each of them has changed and how it is unbelievable that he is marrying someone like Mariko. He also talks about Shingen’s former criminal empire and how it runs deeper than either he or Mariko ever suspected. Suddenly Wolverine notices a strange taste in the tea and he realises that it is poisoned. Storm has not drunk any of the tea but the other X-Men have and have fallen unconscious.

Outside Mariko gets into her limousine and tells the driver to take her to a warehouse on the waterfront. She doesn’t realise that the driver is actually Yukio.

In Alaska Cyclops is going through the files at the headquarters of his grandparent’s company. Havok arrives and begins to question what he is doing. He is looking for files on Madelyne Pryor as he wants answers. Havok claims that it is just a coincidence that she looks like Jean Grey and that they should be happy together. Cyclops states that things seem to be too perfect between them and the plane crash that Madelyne was involved with not only happened on the day that Jean died but at the exact moment.

Back in Tokyo Mariko arrives at the warehouse where the Silver Samurai, Viper and an elderly man named Nabatone Yakuse are waiting for her. The Silver Samurai believes that he should run Shingen’s empire since he is his only living son. Mariko knows that he is as evil as her father and that he will bring shame to the clan. She renounces his claim causing him to become very angry.

Nabatone realises that she is not Mariko and with that she pulls off her disguise revealing herself to be Yukio. She then attacks the Silver Samurai as Viper realises that the real Mariko is still in the limousine. She goes to the limousine which is parked nearby but as she opens the door a gust of wind pushes her back causing her to fall unconscious. Storm steps out of the limo but she was only supposed to stun her and not harm her. She then tells Mariko to flee just before she flies to where the fight is taking place.

At the battle itself Yukio is doing well but she is no match for the Silver Samurai. Storm arrives and unleashes a lightning bolt but she realises that she is using too much power. Nabatone seems to be happy about this and states that his plan is coming together. The lightning bolt strikes a case of explosives and as Yukio looks up she sees Storm glowing like the Phoenix. Knowing that she must escape before everything blows up she jumps up and grabs Storm sending her into the nearby sea. This reverts Storm to normal and as they both surface they watch the warehouse explode.

The two women recuperate on the shore and Storm envy’s Yukio for her happy go lucky spirit and also that a part of herself has seemed to have been lost to her recently. She hopes that this is the reason for her loss of control.

Both women don’t realise that the Silver Samurai has survived. He picks up the unconscious Viper and he swears vengeance on both Storm and Yukio. Both women leave the area as well not realising that they’re being watched by Nabatone.

The X-Men have been taken to a hospital where they are being treated. Due to Wolverine’s healing abilities he recovers first and wants to go and take down the Silver Samurai. Mariko wants to stop him but realises that she can’t. Rogue has also recovered thanks to what she absorbed from Carol Danvers and wants to go along with him. At first Wolverine refuses but he knows that he needs the help since he hasn’t fully recovered. He agrees but she must follow his lead.

My Thoughts

We’re back with the Uncanny X-Men in the first issue to take place after the Wolverine Limited Series that was actually published almost a year before this issue was released. From this issue it seems that three months have taken place between this issue and issue #168. That’s a lot of time for a comic book series.

The issue also features the Silver Samurai and Viper who are both currently in the New Mutants series as well. This issue takes place after that story and also reveals that the Silver Samurai is in fact Mariko’s half brother. Most likely he is Shingen’s base born son since he doesn’t have the Shingen name. In truth normally when it comes to that a house with the history of clan Yashida would not allow a base born son to be the head unless there was absolutely no one else to take over.

Also in this issue we had the first of many fights between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai although you can’t really call it that much of a fight. It was just Wolverine lunging and the Silver Samurai teleporting away. It wasn’t much but it was the first in a long rivalry between the two characters.

One of the highlight characters of the issue was Storm who met Yukio for the first time. They will develop a strong friendship and also we see Storm’s powers going more out of control and I can imagine it being very scary for the character. Especially since she is such a powerful mutant, there is no explanation yet although I have my suspicions (which link to the mysterious Nabatone Yakuse) but for now I’m keeping it quiet. She played a very important role in this issue and it will do well towards her transformation which is taking place. The whole Phoenix part was weird but I think that if my theory is correct then it will all make sense.

Cyclops’s search for answers in this issue did give pause for thought. It did seem like too much of a coincidence between Madelyne Pryor and Jean Grey but it could be down as just that. The fact that her plane crash took place the exact time that Jean died is too big of a coincidence for my liking.

I did notice as well how Rogue seemed to keep away from the other X-Men. This is a clear indication that she doesn’t yet feel accepted with the team. When they were all sitting down about to have the spiked tea I noticed that most of the X-Men were sitting on a sofa together while Rogue sat on a stool some distance away. Also the fact that she was reluctant to enter Mariko’s home only furthers the sentiment that she is yet to feel welcome amongst the team.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a great issue to read and a nice follow up to the Wolverine Limited Series.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #6

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #6

Release Date- August 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

Features the Silver Samurai and Viper

Brief Summary

Road Warriors!

The New Mutants burst into the luxury apartment of Karma’s uncle Nguyen Ngoc Coy who is crime czar. His two lady bodyguards go to shoot the team but Karma possesses them as Wolfsbane transforms and takes him down. Karma demands that he tell her about Viper but he refuses and she is forced to possess him. She forces him to walk to the edge of the balcony and then releases him. He is terrified to see that he is on the edge and she threatens to force him to walk off and fall to his death. Nguyen calls her bluff knowing that she won’t kill despite everything that he has done to her. The team have no help from Professor Xavier who is focusing on Team America and Karma cannot bring herself to kill him. Nguyen agrees to give the team the information about Viper for a price. He demands that Karma come into his service for a year, knowing that it is the only way to save Mirage Karma accepts.

In Sonora Province New Mexico Team America members Wolf and R U Reddy are racing across the ground but a series of hills sends Wolf off of his bike. Reddy laughs at his teammate as the rest of the team catch them up. Suddenly an astral image of Xavier appears who angrily reminds them that Mirage’s life is at stake and that they’re acting like children. After the image as disappeared Honcho tells the team exactly what is at stake and how they must focus.

Xavier is located on the California bank of the Colorado river in the X-Jet and communicating to both Team America and trying to focus on the New Mutants is making him tired. Lilandra is there to try and comfort him. The plan is that Team America locate the crystal that Viper wants while the New Mutants try and rescue Mirage.

Mirage herself is located in a cell inside Viper’s compound on the Big Sur. She tries to figure a way out of the cell and she thinks that her mutant abilities will help. There is also a camera watching her, she can be seen on a screen by an armourless Silver Samurai who isn’t in the best of moods. As Viper enters the room and asks him what is wrong he reveals that his father Shingen has died. At first Viper thinks that he is entitled to Shingen’s criminal empire but he reveals that his half sister Mariko Yashida has taken the empire and will also marry Wolverine. Shingen had promised the empire to him but Viper is willing to help him take what they think is his. They agree that after their business is done here then they will travel to Japan and take Shingen’s empire.

Team America has reached the secret base where the crystal is located. Wolf and Reddy are tired after the trip and they agree with each other that they need to use more teamwork. When Cowboy checks up on them he discovers that both men have fallen asleep. An astral image of Xavier appears telling him that he is responsible and it gives him a chance to hone their mutant ability.

Inside the base Honcho and Wrench have snuck in and stolen the suits of two A.I.M scientists. The base is owned by the organisation and with Xavier’s help the pair are led to a locked door. Wrench tries to pry the lock but this causes an alarm to sound alerting the base of their presence. Honcho is able to hold off the attacking A.I.M personnel as Wrench finishes prying the lock and is able to open the door. He then grabs the crystal that is there and as they run the base explodes as miles away Xavier suffers from a telepathic attack from an unknown mutant.

At Viper’s base of operations the New Mutants quietly make their way towards it. Karma leads the team and even uses her mutant abilities to take down a guard. Originally they were going to wait for word from Xavier but he has not responded leaving the team no choice but to act. Karma begins to hear a voice in her head and at first she thinks that it is Xavier but she soon realises that it is something else entirely. This causes her to scream in terror and this alerts the nearby guards of their presence.

The team is attacked by guards and the two groups engage in combat. During the battle a wall in Mirage’s cell is damaged allowing her to escape. She uses her mutant abilities to incapacitate two guards and as she goes to flee she discovers Wolfsbane on the ground injured. She tries to tend to her but is confronted by the armoured Silver Samurai who is responsible for Wolfsbane’s injuries.

In Northern Mexico Team America are fleeing the base and Honcho and Wrench have survived the explosion most likely due to the crystal. A.I.M hovercrafts are chasing them and with their superior firepower they will eventually kill the team. A couple of the members are knocked off their bikes and Wolf calls out for the Dark Rider. He states that what Sunspot told him rung true and he knows that it is the only way to save themselves.

There is a flash of light as Wolf transforms into the Dark Rider and uses his bike to jump onto the hovercrafts (That under normal circumstances would have been impossible). He is able to destroy the hovercrafts and save the team. Wolf admits that he has never felt so invincible and confident but he sees that more hovercrafts are on their way.

At Viper’s base the Silver Samurai is about to strike down Mirage when Cannonball rockets through the wall and knocks him outside. There Sunspot is waiting for him but before he can strike the villain he teleports away.

In another room Karma is trying to possess Viper but the villainess resists with all of her might. The Silver Samurai teleports into the room causing Viper to be distracted allowing Karma to possess her. A possessed Viper threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t drop his sword, the Silver Samurai responds by knocking Viper out which causes Karma to be stunned. He then teleports himself and Viper away so that the villainess can kill Karma at a later date.

Sunrise at the X-Jet and Xavier begins to recover from the mental attack. Team America are there and they have brought back the crystal. They begin to discuss about the mental attack and why Viper wanted the crystal in the first place. Xavier notices that there are two members missing but on the screen he spots Wolf carrying Reddy towards the jet.

At Viper’s base the New Mutants reunite but they discover that Wolfsbane is hurt. Her wound is healing fast so they think that she’ll be fine. The team are also not too happy with Karma for agreeing to her Uncle’s terms. An astral image of Xavier appears somewhat annoyed that they didn’t tell him what they were doing. As he talks his image begins to change before Karma’s eyes and what she sees truly terrifies her.

Offshore the Silver Samurai activates a detonator which causes the base to explode. Xavier feels his mind link with the New Mutants cut off and he realises that something terrible has just happened.

My Thoughts

We once again return to the New Mutants in a very entertaining issue that not only left us guessing what happened to our favourite team of teenaged mutants and also set us up for the events in the Uncanny X-Men series.

The first thing to point out is that for the first time in the series we get to see Karma’s uncle who seems to be a really nasty piece of work. I believe that he first appeared in Marvel Team Up #100 along with Karma herself and he seems to be the kind of guy you most certainly wouldn’t want to meet. He is responsible for Karma’s position (no other family besides her twin brother and sister) and most likely will be a thorn in the side of the New Mutants in the future.

There is also several unanswered questions in this issue, the first is exactly who was the mutant who was responsible for the mental attack on Xavier and for causing Karma to become so terrified? I think this will eventually be answered but for the moment it is shrouded in mystery.

One thing I think was never revealed was exactly why Viper wanted the crystal and I don’t think we ever learned exactly what it did or how because of it Honcho and Wrench were able to survive the explosion. I guess these are things that we’re just going to have to wonder for the rest of our lives.

The standout member of Team America in this issue is Wolf who actually transformed into the Dark Rider for the first time I believe. He seems to be the character that if Team America had of carried on for longer would have become the team’s Wolverine. Sadly after this stint in the New Mutants I think we do see the team a couple of more times before they more or less disappear altogether.

The part with the New Mutants assaulting Viper’s base was pretty well done and also made us wonder if all the members of the team would make it out alive. We do also learn that Wolfsbane has healing abilities and I believe that it might be the first time that we see Karma possess two people at once. I do find it funny that Mirage and Karma hugged each other and were genuinely happy to see each other even though Karma tried to kill Mirage in the first issue. I guess they’ve gotten past that now.

The explosion at the end of the issue does make us think that the New Mutants might have been killed. Even Xavier’s reaction was enough to make us think that the team are truly gone but from the events in Uncanny X-Men #172 we know that only Karma is the one that is believed to have been killed and that is a shame in a way.

The Silver Samurai and Viper once again play the roles of villain of the story pretty well. We are also seeing them in the Uncanny X-Men series which is good if you really like the characters. It is mentioned again that the Silver Samurai is Shingen’s father and the half brother of Mariko. Does this mean he’s related to Sunfire in some way as well?

In conclusion I’m giving this issue another 8 out of 10. It was entertaining and well worth the read.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #173

Bumps.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #173

Release Date- September 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

First appearance of Storm’s Mohawk look. Features Viper and the Silver Samurai

Brief Summary

To Have and Have Not

In a bar in Tokyo Wolverine holds up a gangsta. He demands to know the location of crime lord Nabatone Yokuse. The gangsta is no willing to talk, Rogue tells the gangsta that he should talk. She is unaware of another gangsta behind her who tries to stab her with a sai but due to her invulnerability the blade bends and she throws him to one side. Wolverine pops out his claws and forces the gangsta to talk. He tells Wolverine Nabatone’s location and he is then knocked out. Wolverine and Rogue move to Nabatone’s location since they know that he will lead them to Viper and the Silver Samurai.

Elsewhere Yukio and Storm try to find sanctuary with a friend but he refuses to let them in since they are both marked for death. They begin to wonder their next move when they notice a group of assassins heading their way. Despite being outnumbered Yukio is looking forward to the battle which Storm is very surprised to see. She even accepts that they must fight and she herself is somewhat looking forward to it as well.

Wolverine and Rogue make it to Nabatone’s estate just outside of Tokyo. They enter carefully and they notice that there are no guards. Wolverine begins to track Nabatone’s scent but as they walk through the corridor Rogue accidentally activates a trap. Wolverine is able to save her from it and the trap causes a nearby statue to be destroyed. Rogue goes to give Wolverine a little kiss for saving her but he forcefully declines. He didn’t use his claws because he knows that she meant no harm.

They eventually enter the room where Nabatone is located. He is sitting behind a table and Rogue notices a strong smell. Wolverine realises that the stench is a decaying body, Nabatone has been dead for a week meaning that the man that was at the warehouse that night was an imposter. He also realises that him and Rogue being there gives Viper and the Silver Samurai a good opportunity to attack.

Elsewhere again Storm and Yukio defeat the assassins. It is the first time that Storm has used her powers to intentionally harm another person. Yukio assures her that the assassins deserved it and Storm welcomes what is happening.

At the hospital where Mariko and the X-Men are being treated a group of ninjas led by Viper kill the armed guards. She commands there to be no survivors but before they can attack Rogue flies in sending them outside. Rogue begins to take out the ninjas one by one but Viper knows that it is giving the Silver Samurai the time he needs.

Inside the hospital itself Wolverine is all that stands between the Silver Samurai and Mariko. The Silver Samurai lunges towards Wolverine and both men engage in combat. Each man is able to cut the other but Wolverine’s skills prevail as he is able to get the better of his opponent. He is even able to break the Silver Samurai’s arm but before he can be killed Mariko steps in saving him from certain death. Viper makes his appearance and as the Silver Samurai staggers towards her he falls to the ground unconscious.

Viper is greatly angered at the state of her champion and goes to fire her hi-tech handgun at the couple. Rogue flies in and is able to shield them before the energy bullet hits. Wolverine dives with Mariko into another room and Viper continues to fire at Rogue. Even with her invulnerability the energy shots still harm her. Viper fires so many times that her gun overloads and blows itself up. She then teleports away with the Silver Samurai as Wolverine tends to a wounded Rogue. She seems to be done for but he kisses her so that she can absorb his healing abilities and survive.

A week later at the Ancestral seat of house Yashida Mariko is looking upon a statue of Buddha in the gardens. She looks to her ancestors for guidance and she proclaims her love for Wolverine. She turns to see another person who claims to be a friend and she walks off forgetting that she has met him.

The X-Men are ready for the ceremony while more guests arrive like Professor Xavier, Lilandra, Cyclops, Havok, Corsair and Madelyne Pryor. When Lilandra sees Madelyne she thinks that she is Phoenix reincarnated and reacts angrily. She is calmed down eventually but they notice someone flying in the sky. Moments later Storm lands on the ground sporting a new Mohawk hairstyle and leathery clothing. Kitty Pryde sees Storm’s new appearance and runs away crying and Storm too is surprised to see the resemblance between Madelyne and Jean Grey.

A short time later everyone is inside the estate awaiting for the wedding to begin. Since Kitty is basically the maid of honour she gives Madelyne a bag containing Lockheed so that she can look after him. Madelyne accepts and when she opens the bag she expects to see a cat but instead she sees that Lockheed is a dragon. She begins to question Cyclops exactly who these people are and what he has brought her to.

After sometime of waiting Mariko enters in her bridal dress. Wolverine is already at the alter awaiting her but she suddenly stops stating that the wedding will not take place. When Wolverine asks why she responds that he is not worthy. Without muttering a single word she leaves the ceremony as Wolverine stands there and he sheds a tear. There is someone else watching what is happening.

My Thoughts

And we come again to the Uncanny X-Men in what is their second trip to Japan. This was a great issue and did showcase quite a bit on Storm’s transformation and Rogue’s more or less acceptance into the X-Men.

The first thing to really highlight is that this is the first appearance of Storm’s new look. She had looked more or less the same since her first appearance in 1975 and this look is remembered fondly by fans. It definitely gives her a more edgy appearance and takes a step away from the whole goddess business and make her look more kick ass so to speak. I would say that her Mohawk hairstyle is probably what’s most remembered and even after she has stopped using this costume. Also the fact that she didn’t really mind harming the assassins only shows that she has indeed changed and her friendship with Yukio also cements the change.

One other point to make out is that this is the first time that we’ve really seen Rogue actually perform like an X-Man. Her team up with Wolverine was definitely one of the highlights of the issue and we got to see her actually not act like a villain like she has in almost all of her previous appearances and she showed that she is changing by taking the bullet for Wolverine and Mariko. If she was still villainous she could have let Viper shoot the pair, we all know that Wolverine would have survived but unlikely that Mariko would have though. This showed to me that she truly is changing and that there is room for redemption within her.

The battle between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai was beautifully drawn by the talented artist Paul Smith and the fact that there was no speech during the battle only added to the realism. We could see every strike that was taken and the tolls that it took on the fighters as each panel was beautifully brought to life. From this issue I can definitely see why Paul Smith is held in such high regard by X-Fans.

One thing I did find funny was when Kitty Pryde passed Lockheed’s bag over to Madelyne Pryor. The seemingly normal woman expected to see a cat or at least a puppet and her surprise that Lockheed was actually a dragon did get a chuckle out of me. It just shows that when you’re involved with the X-Men, truly fantastical things are practically common place like a teenage girl having a dragon for a pet.

The shocking end to the issue with Mariko ending the wedding there and then was a great shock to reader and the characters themselves. Something seems to have happened to her in those moments between her at the statue of Buddha to her going to the wedding itself. It hurt Wolverine more than any wound that he has ever suffered and it was enough for him to shed a tear. He must truly be broken if a man of his calibre and ferocity is more or less reduced to tears.

The revelation that the Nabatone Yokuse that was at the warehouse in the last issue was actually an imposter only adds more to the mystery although from what we saw of the mysterious individual I think that I’ve worked out who it is and if I’m right I do want an explanation.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. A brilliant issue with many moments that will be remembered for a good long time.

Next Issue

Dazzler (Volume 1) #28

Issue Information

Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #28

Release Date- September 1983

Writer- Frank Springer

Artist- Frank Springer

Major Notes

Features Rogue

Brief Summary

Vendetta!

In the basement of her home Rogue is training herself in a hyped up gym so that she can exact her revenge on Dazzler. She is being watched by Mystique and Destiny and they have some concern. Destiny can sense the hatred within Rogue and the young mutant recounts her last encounters with Dazzler and how when they meet again that she’ll destroy her.

In Los Angeles Dazzler and her sister Lois London are in the room of a rich man after a blackmail attempt by the butler has gone wrong. Angel is still recovering from being shot and as Dazzler looks at the rich man she recognises him as Nick Brown who is Lois’s biological father. Father and daughter seem to be happy to be reunited.

The Butler begins to tell how Nick had sent him to find his long lost daughter. He had been a detective and had been following her for some time. He had photographed the attack on Lois by the homeless man and he planned to use the photos to blackmail the two women. Dazzler isn’t happy with what has happened and how the Butler went about his work. Suddenly the police show up with Ken Barnett with them.

A little later Dazzler, Lois, Nick and Ken are in a limo right after dropping Angel off at a hospital to be treated. Ken informs them that after reviewing the photos that were taken of the attack he has no doubt that a court or judge would throw the case out since Lois was acting in self-defence. The official cause of death was a heart attack so things seem to have worked themselves out but Lois knows what truly happened and still feels guilty.

As they continue to drive one of Dazzler’s songs comes on the radio and when Nick realises that she’s a singer he tells her that he can hook her up with a big time singer. He practically owns the singer and as they go through the gates into Nick’s grounds Rogue flies in front of the car and uses her tremendous strength to stop it in its tracks.

Rogue pulls Dazzler out of the car before she begins to wreck it with the other occupants still inside. Dazzler runs to try and find something on the grounds that she can use to her advantage. She finds the garage and discovers that the only car there with the keys is an old vintage car. With little choice she drives the car as Rogue flies towards her. Dazzler is able to blast her with a light beam but she doesn’t have enough power to inflict any real damage. She continues to drive but Rogue is able to grab the rear bumper but it tears off under the strain.

Rogue is able to hold onto the car and due to her strength she is able to hold on despite Dazzler’s best efforts. Eventually she drives the car right next to a tree which then strikes Rogue stunning her for the moment. Dazzler takes the opportunity to drive through a metal fence into Nick’s private airstrip. She drives towards two motionless planes as Rogue flies right towards her. Dazzler slams on the break and toots the horn which gives her enough sound to generate a light beam that stuns Rogue.

As Rogue begins to recover Dazzler steps out of the car and makes her way into one of the planes. She is able to figure out how to start it but Rogue then jumps onto the plane and removes the glass cover so that she can get to Dazzler. The sound which is created is more than enough for Dazzler to blind her. The two women begin to engage in combat as Dazzler gets the upper hand.

Dazzler uses a series of lights to completely daze Rogue but she notices that her enemy is frighteningly close to the air intake of the plane and without thinking of her own safety she saves Rogue from it by tackling her to the ground. This knocks Rogue out and Dazzler puts her into the car and drives back to the limo. As she is driving she thinks about what she will do in the future and how she is feels no sense of victory making her think that she isn’t cut out to be a heroine.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with Dazzler that at this point in time has been reduced to a once every two months book rather than once a month which is the norm. That is a shame but when you don’t have the numbers for it to go monthly there isn’t much that can be done about it I guess.

The issue itself once again features Rogue in her final appearance in the Dazzler series. Recently she has been considered to be a recurring villain in the series but with her now joining the X-Men and turning over a new leaf this the last time she will bother Dazzler as a villain. Their rivalry won’t be going anywhere though since when Dazzler does eventually join the X-Men they have a few choice words with one another.

Since Rogue is in this issue as a villain it is obvious that this issue takes place before the events of Uncanny X-Men #171. Maybe it was supposed to be released before that comic but because the Dazzler series got shunted down to once every two months it released a few months afterwards.

The overall feeling of the story was trying to tie up a few loose ends with Dazzler’s run from the law with her sister basically over (Although we do have the business with Project Wideawake) and also finishing off her feud with Rogue. It seems to signal the start of a new era for Dazzler as she goes to focus on her career again and it seems that Nick Brown will set her up for life.

The issue also reintroduces Nick Brown to the series and I’m just wondering how a deadbeat alcoholic man can amass a fortune like that. It makes me think that he either won a hell of a lot of money on the lottery or he has been doing something very shady. I think it is most likely the second choice, he seemed to be a very violent man when he was married to Dazzler’s mother and most likely he has used that somehow to amass his riches. He seems to be very nice in this issue but I sense that there is much more to him that we have yet to see.

I do question how Dazzler was able to start up the plane but I guess we can put it down to dumb luck. I guess when you push enough buttons something is going to start in a plane and she was just lucky that it was the engines. If it had not worked for her she would have been creamed by Rogue.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It was alright but lacked a certain quality seen in other books.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #7

Madelyne had a wonderful reaction, when she saw Lockheed!

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #7

Release Date- September 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

First appearance of Sunspot’s mother and Axe. Features the X-Men

Brief Summary

Flying Down To Rio!

Sunspot is standing by the shoreline of the Big Sur thinking about what has happened to the team over the last few days. After the New Mutants’ victory over Viper and the Silver Samurai they had been in good spirits but an explosion had spoiled all of that. Most of the New Mutants seemed to escape with their lives but Karma is missing and he fears that she has been killed.

The other members of the team catch up with him to see how he is and he is told that the X-Men are continuing the search for Karma. There has been no sign for her and they begin to think that she is indeed dead. Wolfsbane refuses to believe that she is gone and the entire team leave so that they can go back to Professor Xavier.

When they reach Xavier Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler are also there helping with the search. Wolfsbane is once again put off by Nightcrawler’s appearance and they wish that Wolverine was there since his keen senses would be a great help. When Sunspot asks Xavier why he has summoned him he sees that his mother has arrived. The two embrace in a hug and she knows that he is a mutant. He asks why she wasn’t with him sooner and she says that she was on a dig. Sunspot feels that she loves her archaeology more than him and his father.

She is about to lead an expedition into the Amazon and she has invited the New Mutants to go along with her. Xavier has agreed to this but Sunspot refuses since Karma is still missing. Xavier confronts Sunspot and it turns into a war of words which leads Sunspot to quit the team. Colossus asks Xavier if goading Sunspot was the right idea, Xavier states that it was and that Karma’s disappearance isn’t normal. He can feel a strange energy in the area and he is more than certain that she is still alive.

A short distance away Sunspot is venting out his anger on trees and rocks and after he has powered down the other New Mutants come to his side. Cannonball tells him of how he felt when his father died and he had to provide for his family. At first Sunspot feels no better but as the others comfort him they promise that they will remember Karma and they go to his mother.

A week later the New Mutants arrive at the Da Costa mansion and are welcomed inside by the butler. A little later the team sit down for a meal with Sunspot’s parents. They begin to talk but as the dinner goes on Sunspot’s parents begin to argue about the expedition along with a few other topics. This makes the team feel uncomfortable and after being annoyed by his wife too long Sunspot’s father angrily leaves so that he can go to bed.

The next morning the New Mutants are on the streets of Rio as a huge festival takes place. The team begin to get into the swing of the party and Mirage asks Sunspot if everything is alright at home after what they witnessed at the dinner. He states that he can only pray for a miracle.

To fit in more with the festival the team go into a nearby costume store along with Sunspot’s mother. They each pick out a different costume and Sunspot’s mother is told that there is a chauffeur waiting for her outside. She believes that it is from her husband but when she gets outside she is grabbed by two Hellfire Club goons. They throw her into a car and begin to drive away.

Cannonball rockets out of the store and flies towards the car but an axe strikes him causing him to divert into another building. The other New Mutants go out to see what is happening and they are confronted by a mutant calling himself Axe. He defeats Sunspot and Mirage while Wolfsbane seemingly runs away. Cannonball is powerless but to watch Axe get away.

A short time later the three members of the team regroup to decide their next move. Mirage’s mental link with Wolfsbane activates and she realises that the Scottish mutant has transformed into her wolf form and tracked the scent of the kidnappers.

The team meet up that night outside an abandoned house. Sunspot wants to avoid what happened to his girlfriend. They do have some time before his mother’s fate is determined and as they talk Sunspot thinks of an idea.

Inside the building the occupants hear a howling sound. One of the Hellfire goons is particularly spooked and Axe tells him to search the area if it makes him feel any better. The goon does this and he spots what seem to be three beautiful women at the top of the stairs. They call up to him and he is attracted by their beauty but as soon as he reaches them they transform into demons which sends him falling down the stairs.

Mirage is responsible for this hoax and as the other goons attack she uses all of her effort and to use her mutant abilities to make them see their worst fears. In their panicked states they are easily defeated by Mirage and Wolfsbane. Sunspot is takes on Axe and is able to defeat him fairly easily. The building begins to fall down, Cannonball saves Sunspot’s mother as it crumbles Sunspot finishes off Axe.

A few days later the New Mutants board a plane with Sunspot’s mother. They are going on the expedition and the team vow to keep the older woman safe. They don’t realise that they’re being watched from a nearby limo. Inside Sunspot’s father is speaking with Sebastian Shaw, he is being offered a place in the Hellfire club and he was also behind the kidnap. He doesn’t want his wife’s expedition to succeed and steps have already been taken to ensure that it fails.

My Thoughts

We are back with New Mutants in an issue where we discover that Karma is dead and we also get to meet Sunspot’s parents (Although we met his super rich father in Marvel Graphic Novel #4)

The issue marks the last we will see of Karma for some time as she has seemed to have been killed in the explosion that took place last issue. I think it would have been nice to have some kind of flashback to see exactly what happened but we don’t get anything like that. This is most likely because of space since a standard comic book only has around 20-24 pages an issue. I am sad to see her leave the team and I think she should have been kept on for a little longer before being seemingly killed off.

The issue also marks the start of the New Mutants saga in Brazil. It might just start as a simple kidnapping plot in this issue but over the next few issues the mutants will go on an unexpected adventure in a place that was supposed to be thousands of miles away. They will meet a new mutant that will join their team and another mutant who will become a villain and most possibly the oldest mutant on the planet.

The minor villain Axe is introduced in this issue and he seems to be a mutant who has super strength and is very handy with an axe. He is one of those characters who appeared a few times over the space of about three decades and was then killed off. I think he could have been a decent thorn in the side of the New Mutants but it seems that he was more or less dropped.

One thing that is touched upon is something that many children have to go through in their lives and that is watching their parents argue and drift away. With all the fantastical scenarios that take place in almost every issue it is nice to see something that a lot of people can relate to. I always think that parents arguing like that is a real shame but it is something that happens everywhere in the world.

This issue also features three members of the X-Men and their roles were minor and didn’t belittle the New Mutants’ role in the book at all. I did find it funny seeing Wolfsbane’s reaction to Nightcrawler. It reminds me of how Kitty Pryde was around him and I think she will eventually warm up to him. They are both devout Christians although one is a catholic while the other is a protestant. In the future they will both serve on the UK based Excalibur team.

There is further proof that the New Mutants are gaining better control of their powers as Mirage showed that her skills are improving. Sunspot took on a mutant who was as strong as he was and yet he still came through. It is good to show things like this since it shows development in power.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was quite good and did its job to set up the arc.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men At The Texas State Fair (Volume 1) #1

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men At The Texas State Fair

Release Date- September 1983

Writer- Jim Salicrup & David Kraft

Artist- Kerry Gammil & Alan Kopparberg

Major Notes

Special promo comic

Brief Summary

Battle at the State Fair of Texas

The X-Men are taking part in a training session within the Danger Room as Professor Xavier and Kitty Pryde watch from the control room. The room puts the team to the test and as it ends the Xavier telepathically commands the team to report to the control room. Kitty is already there and after watching the session she thinks that her own mutant abilities pale in comparison. Xavier reminds her that she will get her chance when she gains the same experience as the other X-Men.

When everyone reaches the control room Xavier tells them that a new mutant has been detected in Texas and he wishes to recruit this new mutant to the X-Men before Magneto locates him or her instead. The mutant is located at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.

At the fair itself a mysterious man enters the horse barn where a young man named Daniel Wiley who is tending to the horses. He takes him to one of the kiosks to buy some food and the mysterious man tells Daniel that he knows that his father was a scientist. Daniel confirms this and recounts how his father quit and opened a ranch. Daniel would tend to the horses and one night he transformed into a winged Centaur. He admits that he is too scared to transform again.

A short time later Magneto plans at his secret ship not too far away. He was the mysterious man and he plans to recruit Daniel to his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants so that he can rule the world.

A little later the X-Men arrive at the fair. Xavier splits them up into teams and so that they can search more ground. They go past of the Big Tex statue and Xavier stays with Colossus and Kitty. There is too much to cover this day and Xavier admits that there is too much ground to cover and that they must return the next day.

The next day Magneto in disguise takes Daniel to the Cotton Bowl and at first he doesn’t realise that Xavier, Colossus and Kitty are also there. As Xavier begins to sense him Magneto tries to make an escape with Daniel and he tells him that the X-Men are evil and want to kidnap him. Kitty chases after them as Xavier tells the other X-Men what is happening through telepathy.

Kitty is able to catch up with Magneto and Daniel and she is attacked by Magneto. She is able to phase out of the way. Magneto makes his escape while Kitty follows Daniel back to the horse barn.

A short time later in the barn Magneto is in his costume ready for the X-Men along with Daniel. Xavier enters the barn with the X-Men intending to talk to Daniel. Magneto uses his powers to make it seem like the X-Men are attacking him. This causes Daniel to transform and he attacks the X-Men intending to defend Magneto. Nightcrawler has no choice but to attack Daniel while Magneto uses his powers to fight Wolverine. He also faces Colossus and Cyclops with great success.

Daniel takes down Cyclops as Magneto makes Colossus fly up into the air. He then brings the big Russian mutant right down towards Xavier. Nightcrawler is able to save Xavier before Colossus comes crashing down. The fight is causing damage to the barn and Daniel is concerned about the horses. Magneto doesn’t care for them and Daniel realises that Magneto is the one who is actually evil. He forces him out of the barn and Magneto flies towards the Big Tex statue. Storm attacks and Magneto is kicked by the statue.

Later that day Daniel thanks Xavier for the offer of joining the team but he prefers to stay with the horses. He is going to show the X-Men around the fair. Daniel comments about how Storm made the Big Tex statue kick Magneto but she reveals that it wasn’t her. The statue itself winks although no one notices.

My Thoughts

Now we come to an unusual comic in the X-Men franchise. This is technically a non-canon comic and because of this it hasn’t been reprinted and can only be found in this little promo comic. This issue wasn’t available in comic stores and was instead an advertisement for the Texas State Fair. The comic came with the Dallas Times Herald and thus is quite rare and somewhat sort after.

It is hard to place this issue in the Uncanny X-Men series since it features Wolverine who left the X-Men for Japan just before Kitty Pryde began to use her Ariel persona and before Storm’s new look. I would make a bigger point of this but since it is non-canon it doesn’t matter at all.

The issue features a one time mutant named Daniel Wiley aka Eques who is never seen again after this comic book. He basically has the mutant ability to transform into a winged Centaur from Greek mythology. He seems to care more about looking after horses rather than using his mutant abilities and I can understand his decision not to join the X-Men. I can’t say that he is a character that will be missed however.

Magneto’s role in the comic was somewhat funny and I could definitely tell that he wasn’t written by regular X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. I don’t think that he has ever called the Brotherhood, evil mutants. To him they wouldn’t be evil but instead simply doing what nature intended. I can’t see how Daniel would have been all that much of a use to him in comparison to other mutants. I guess he wanted to ride him if he was too tired to use his own mutant ability.

The overall story was alright but as expected it wasn’t up to the same standard that we get to see in the Uncanny X-Men series. Since this is only an advertisement I guess it did its job and wasn’t the worst advertisement stunt I’ve seen in comic book history. It did have some quality.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was alright and it was a pretty good read for what it was.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #174

It was weird that it always seemed like every writer outside of Claremont just wanted Magneto to be a perpetual X-Men villain. I never even knew this thing existed.

@cattlebattle: In the nineties Harras ordered to take back Magneto in the role of villain and Xavier at the head of the school. But in my opinion Magneto is that kind of character whose best qualities shine, when he plays the ambiguous role of villain, that can act like an hero and with whom the heroes can form a temporary alliance when it is need.

Same thing for Emma: in my opinion also she is better in the role of villain/ally. Exactly the role that she played in Mutant Massacre and it would have been interesting see Emma in the role of White Queen of the Hell Fire Club and occasional of the X-Men, interact with Selene (who instead is a arch-enemy them) and fight for the supremacy in the Inner Circle.

I am aware of that actually. I had thought it was in the very late 80s when they made Magneto reveal he had his mind tampered with or whatever....but yeah, Bob Harras had thought it "emasculated" him so he had Louise Simonsons change it. Which was just another of many things that had made Claremont eventually quit.

I loved the whole X-Men aligning themselves with the Hellfire Club angle. I'm saddened that iy was forced to deflate due to other writers ignoring it. However, in my own opinion, I am still never able to accept Emma Frost as an X-Man. She has done, by far, way too many petty, evil acts. Trying to kidnap and brainwash kids too many times, she even killed Firestars horse, burned down a stable and attempted to murder the girls father to get her to join the her school. Characters like Magneto were at least more politically charged and usually acted out of self defense in their villainy, Emma Frost was just a straight up evil slime ball.

@cattlebattle: I agree about Magneto and Harras. In fact Claremont, Lee, Liefeld, Portacio, Silvestri, Nicieza left the Marvel for the same reason: Bob "the dictator" Harras and in my opinion saying this I have said everything.

Yes, I agree also about Emma.

I don't say it is impossible her redemption, but she was wonderful in the role of clever, ruthless, manipulator enemy, but also such shrewd and pragmatic to became ally of her enemy. Instead now with Emma who inherited the role of Jean, Scott who inherited the role of Magneto, Wolverine and after him Storm who inherited the role of Xavier, Sabretooth who inherited the role of Wolverine, Teen Jean who inherited the role of Jubilee (the whining teenager of the X-Men), the Phoenix Force who inherited the role of the Uni-power, Mystique who inherited the role of Lilandra: the Xavier's wife (why Bendis, why?), to me seems they have changed everything to not change nothing.

Obviously, I was (partially) joking about Mystique, Teen Jean and the Phoenix Force.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #174

Release Date- October 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith

Major Notes

Return of Mastermind

Brief Summary

Romances

Cyclops has taken his new lover Madelyne Pryor onto the Starjammer space ship. They look upon the view of Earth and they kiss. At that time Corsair arrives with Hepzibah and after a short chat Corsair offers to give Madelyne a quick tour of the ship. Cyclops speaks to Hepzibah for a short while and he admits that Madelyne is a dream come true for him.

A short time later Cyclops and Madelyne are on the bridge where they meet the other Starjammers. Carol Danvers is there as well as she is joining the Starjammers. She comments that there is nothing left for her on Earth and she feels truly at home in the stars. Corsair states that they have to leave soon and he wants to know if Cyclops is still coming with him. Cyclops himself is unsure.

At the X-Mansion Lilandra has derived that the source of Professor Xavier’s pain is physical and not mental. She believes that he will be able to walk again but she also tells him that she has to go home soon. The Shi’Ar Empire is in disarray due to the madness of her sister Deathbird and she has to return to set everything right. She asks Xavier to come along with her but he states that his place is on Earth with the X-Men and New Mutants. They also speak about Madelyne and Xavier reveals that her mind is closed to him. He also comments that Cyclops is madly in love with her but he has been asking questions. Xavier even begins to ask if Madelyne is Phoenix reincarnated and Lilandra kisses him as they are both in love.

Back on the Starjammer ship Cyclops is thinking about the similarities and coincidences between Madelyne and his dead former lover Jean Grey. He couldn’t find any records of Madelyne before the plane crash and it has been eating him inside. Madelyne herself then arrives and they embrace each other and talk a little about her plane crash. He also asks her if he goes to space if she will come with him.

In Japan Wolverine returns to the grounds of the Yashida Clan seat. He demands to speak with Mariko but several guards stand in his way. Mariko makes her appearance and demands the guards to lay down their weapons. Wolverine demands an answer from her for why she backed out of their marriage and she continues to state that he is not worthy. Wolverine lifts up the Honour Sword that she had given him and states that if he isn’t worthy of her he also isn’t worthy of the sword. The Silver Samurai is commanded by Mariko to pick up the sword and when he does he taunts Wolverine. With the sword returned Mariko commands Wolverine to leave and never return.

At the X-Mansion Kitty Pryde is reading a Star Wars comic along with Lockheed. She enjoys it so much that she wishes to take it to Colossus. Lockheed gets a little jealous but she places him to one side and goes to Colossus’s room. She finds him painting but he is having some difficulty transferring his emotions from his head into the painting itself. She states that she has something to show him and they have to go up to Storm’s attic. At first Colossus is reluctant but he eventually goes along with her.

When they reach Storm’s attic Kitty tells Colossus to keep his eyes closed. When he does she jumps into his arms and gives him a kiss. He is a little flustered by this and is surprised when she tells him that the kiss wasn’t the surprise. He has to close his eyes again and walk forward, as he does this Kitty begins to concentrate and makes them both intangible. He begins to walk through the floor and when he opens his eyes he is in shock and this causes Kitty to lose her concentration. This causes them to fall to the ground.

Kitty reveals that she has been practicing her phasing abilities in the Danger Room. Colossus congratulates her and she admits that it was a little scary. At that moment Storm flies into the attic and sees the two of them on the ground. Kitty tells Storm that they were going to water her plants but she suddenly realises that all the plants in the attic are gone. Storm states that as she has transformed she has changed her home.

In another room Nightcrawler is tending to a still injured Rogue. She still doesn’t feel like she fits in with the team and she wishes that Wolverine would have let her die. Nightcrawler tries to comfort her and she states that she is in Jean Grey’s room and they talk a little about Madelyne. He tells her about Jean and how she became the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. After the explanation he returns to his own room and he begins to think that the Phoenix has been reborn. He then notices a small doll version of his girlfriend Amanda Sefton inside a box.

Later over the skies Madelyne is flying a plane with Cyclops as her co-pilot, he hasn’t decided yet on whether or not to leave for space. She is wearing an engagement ring that he has given him. She is willing to stay with him and Cyclops goes into the passenger area to tell the passengers that they will be landing soon. He walks passed a priest who passes him a photo of Jean Grey that he has seemingly dropped. This catches Cyclops by surprise and makes him think. As he walks back to the cockpit the priest smiles as he knows that he has succeeded in what he wanted to do.

Later that night Cyclops and Madelyne arrive at a house and they don’t realise that Mastermind is watching them. She finds Cyclops in the sitting room looking out at the horizon. He has been thinking and she comes to him and puts her arms around him. He has to ask her an important question and she allows him to. He asks her if she is Phoenix, Madelyne responds by punching him which sends him through a table and knocks off his glasses.

Instantly Cyclops realises that he has made a mistake, he tries to find his glasses but instead uses a spare set which he keeps on his person. As soon as he has those on he goes through the house trying to find Madelyne. He wants to talk to her but he is suddenly knocked down by an energy blast. When he looks up he is horrified to see Dark Phoenix standing over him

My Thoughts

Now we are back with the Uncanny X-Men which I felt was an issue that was more of a set-up rather than being a full on story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and Chris Claremont did do a good job about it.

The main focus is on Cyclops and Madelyne as they officially become engaged in this issue and they have their ups and downs. Cyclops’s doubts seem to be getting the better of him and it even made him ask Madelyne a very hurtful question. Her reaction was believable but the whole thing at the end with her seemingly becoming the Dark Phoenix. This caught the reader by surprise and makes us think that the whole Madelyne/Phoenix connection must be there. There was a lot of love and emotion between the two characters that was greatly done by the creators of this issue.

Mastermind also makes his confirmed return in this issue although I suspect that we’ve seen him a few times in some of the earlier issues. Exactly what he has planned for the X-Men is yet to be determined but I can guarantee that it will not be pretty for the X-Men. Most likely he wants revenge for what happened during the Dark Phoenix saga.

Each of the X-Men have their own little scenes in this comic as Wolverine goes back to Japan to demand an answer from Mariko, Kitty demonstrates her ability to phase other people (she did perform this feat in the God Loves Man Kills OGN), Storm shows that she has gotten rid of her plants, Nightcrawler plays doctor to Rogue and Professor Xavier discovers that the love of his life is leaving. It was nice to have all the X-Men have their little scenes and it dries their character forward. It is these little things that keep the series glued together. Of course readers like to see the heroes go into big battles guns blazing but it is scenes like this that make the series that much better. It could be considered to be what the characters get up to between the battles.

One little thing to mention is that this is more or less the twentieth anniversary of the X-Men series. Officially the next issue will be the double sized anniversary issue but since the X-Men series started in the month of September 1963 so it should have been the previous issue that was the special anniversary issue but I guess Claremont wanted to build the story up more before going into it. I can understand him doing this but technically the anniversary will be two months late.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It is a great set up for the anniversary issue of the Uncanny X-Men.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #8

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #8

Release Date- October 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

First appearance of Magma

Brief Summary

The Road To… Rome?

Wolfsbane is moving through the Amazon Rainforest in full wolf form. She then transforms into her human/wolf hybrid form and climbs a tree. She awaits and sees her fellow teammate Mirage walking beneath her. She jumps down and is able to scare Mirage which causes the Scottish mutant to laugh. Mirage isn’t very happy with Wolfsbane since scaring her could accidentally activate her mutant abilities. Wolfsbane apologises but she faints in Mirage’s arms. The Native American mutant realises that Wolfsbane isn’t used to the heat and humidity and his suffering from heat stroke.

Not too far away Cannonball and Sunspot are also trekking through the rainforest and they are worried that Wolfsbane hasn’t found them yet. They eventually come across the two girls as Mirage has used her abilities to create what seems to be a snow show over Wolfsbane. It is helping to keep her cool, it is giving Mirage a good workout and Cannonball decides to uses his own mutant abilities for a workout. He rockets forwards and zigzags between the trees, unfortunately he strikes one head on and it begins to topple right into the path of the other New Mutants. Sunspot is able to power up and destroy it before anyone is harmed.

After this event the New Mutants contact Professor Xavier who is happy to hear of their progress in their training. They also ask him about the fate of Karma and he tells them that there has been nothing. They ask if they should go back to the mansion but Xavier states that there isn’t room with the X-Men and Team America being temporarily there.

A short time later the team come up to the river and see the boat that they are travelling on. Due to the weather Mirage strips down to her bikini and dives into the water, this is noticed on the boat by a crewmember named Castro. He intends to kill her and throws some slop into the water that attracts piranhas. Mirage doesn’t notice this but she does see the piranhas in the water. She is too far away from shore and as she dives down and sees them coming. She has no choice but to use her mutant abilities that does scare the fish away.

Mirage signals Cannonball to get her out of the water and he rockets forward and grabs her. This sends them to the other side of the river and when they land they are confronted by native warrior women. They attack the pair but after a couple of manoeuvres the women flee but one of them is captured by Cannonball.

On the boat the crew begin to mutiny over what they have seen with Cannonball. The Captain is hearing none of it and Castro steps in to be the voice of reason. They decide that they have to leave before the natives return.

A short time later the New Mutants and Sunspot’s mother Nina try to question the captive girl but she is not talking. The weapons that she is carrying are either too advanced or from a different part of the continent. They are unaware that outside they are being watched by native warrior women.

At his mansion Sunspot’s father Emmanuel hears about the fail attempt to stop the expedition. He is not pleased and Sebastian Shaw is there with him. The attempt has failed but it is not their last and their plan is to cultivate the hidden treasures within the Amazon Rainforest. Emmanuel isn’t concerned with the life of his wife and three women enter the room who are the entertainment.

The next morning on the Amazon the New Mutants see the Maderia Mountains. They are to hike there the next day and the captain tells them about the legend that there is a city there despite the fact that numerous expeditions have tried to locate it.

Wolfsbane takes a tray of food down to the captive girl but as she gets to the room she sees Castro trying to beat answers out of her. Wolfsbane tries to stop him but he knocks her down, in her anger she transforms into her wolf form which scares Castro greatly enough to turn and flee. She is saddened to see the fear in his eyes since it reminds her of how people reacted in her native Scotland. She reverts to normal and unties the native girl. She begins to pour her heart out about her feelings about being a mutant and the girl is able to tell her that her name is Amara. Wolfsbane then goes back up to the deck and sees that the Captain has been killed by an arrow in his back. She is then knocked out by Castro.

When Wolfsbane wakes up she is in a room below decks with the other New Mutants, Amara and Nina. Sunspot transforms and breaks through the door and as he gets to the wheel he realises that the boat is on the rapids. He tries to start the ship up but it has been sabotaged. The boat goes over a waterfall and smashes into a rock causing it to be destroyed.

The crew have already abandoned ship and Cannonball rockets to save Mirage from the water. Sunspot swims towards his mother but is knocked out by a piece of debris. He begins to sink but Cannonball saves him from drowning. Wolfsbane is able to climb some rocks and grabs Amara, the water has washed the colour from her skin and hair revealing that she is a blond Caucasian girl. She even speaks English and Wolfsbane realises that she poured her heart out to her and she could understand every word that she was saying. She feels betrayed but she still saves her nonetheless.

On the riverbank Nina has not been found and Sunspot tries to go back into find her but the current is too strong and it would kill them to try. They are then confronted by a group of men wearing Roman armour and they state that the team are now the slaves of Rome.

My Thoughts

We are back with the New Mutants with an issue that truly kicks off the Amazon arc in my opinion. The previous issue did take place in Brazil but I felt that it was more of a prelude and this was the actual beginning of the arc.

The first important thing I would like to mention is that this issue is the first appearance of the future New Mutant member Amara Aquilla aka Alison Crestmere aka Magma. When we first saw her in this issue she was seen to be a native of the Amazon rainforest but her reveal to look more European definitely throws in several questions that will be answered of the next few issues. I will go over more about her and her mutant abilities as the arc goes on.

I did feel that the lead New Mutant in this issue was Wolfsbane as she had a lot of screen time so to speak and we see that she can have a little fun but we also see more into her fears as well. It makes us think a little more about her as she still somewhat sees her mutant abilities as being from the devil rather than a gift from God. Her religious fears are one thing that drives the character in her first few years. She even admits herself that she has a hard head because several times over the series she has been knocked out. I wonder if she has ever heard of Smithy from the Bash Street Kids? At least she is more intelligent than he is but they both have a very hard head.

The other New Mutants played key roles as Mirage helped Wolfsbane when she was suffering from heatstroke while Cannonball saved a few of his teammates. Sunspot did save the team from the tree and also tried to save the boat although with that he didn’t have a chance. One other thing that we saw with Sunspot as we saw that he was super strong but still has normal durability. This is something that you don’t see too often and I think it makes a nice change.

We truly learn what Emmanuel Da Costa and Sebastian Shaw are planning in this issue. They want to cultivate the riches that are hidden in the Amazon Rainforest and they won’t let anyone stand in their way. This makes them extremely dangerous and the fact that Emmanuel is willing to sacrifice his wife for the riches it just shows what he’ll go through to make more money (Somewhat reminds me of Mr Crabbs or Mr Burns).

The cliff hanger to the issue definitely makes the reader want to buy the next issue to see if Nina Da Costa is actually dead and how there can be Roman Legionnaires in the middle of the Amazon. Will the New Mutants escape them or will they be captured and enslaved to these people?

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a good issue that should definitely be picked up.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #175

All deformed humans are actually called mutants. Freak is another word for it. I think Callisto is a mutant who can sense other mutants.

Yeah. F$ck Bob Harras. lol.

Usually people argue that Emma was reformed over the years she lost her Hellions and was a mentor of Gen X...which I actually call bs on, In the earlier, more well written days of Gen X she was still a conniving witch that you thought was going to betray the team at any point. She just hasn't been a really well developed character over the years, especially with her background, imo. They just kind of stuck her on the team and was like "here, you have to accept this!!"

I don't recall them mentioning that ever but....the Morlock that can sense other mutants is Caliban. Callistos mutant power is later on revealed to be that she heightened physical abilities and senses, like Wolverine.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #175

Release Date- November 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Paul Smith & John Romita Jr.

Major Notes

Double size twentieth anniversary issue. Cyclops marries Madelyne Pryor. Last issue in Paul Smith’s run and first of John Romita Jr.

Brief Summary

Phoenix!

At the X-Mansion the X-Men are disposing of a tree that is dead due to disease. They use teamwork to achieve the task while Rogue and Storm watch on. Storm is somewhat saddened to see the tree go but suddenly they see a flash of light. Above them they see the Phoenix Force and then someone falling. Both women fly up into the air and Rogue catches what turns out to be Cyclops. When they land on the ground he informs them that Dark Phoenix has returned and a astral image of Professor Xavier appears telling them to meet him in his study immediately.

When the X-Men get there Cyclops tells Xavier and the team exactly what has been happening. Before acting hastily Professor Xavier wants to discover more about the situation and attempts to use Cerebro to scan Phoenix’s mind. When he tries there is an electrical feedback which knocks him out instantly. Nightcrawler soon teleports Xavier to the infirmary while Kitty Pryde checks over the control console and discovers that the safety locks were disabled. When Storm questions what exactly happened they are extremely surprised to see Cyclops begin to glow and in an instant Dark Phoenix rises from out of his body.

Colossus and Storm both try to attack Dark Phoenix but she puts them down without much of an effort. Kitty tries to phase through her thinking that it will effect the energy within her body. Instead Kitty is the one that is disabled and Dark Phoenix slaps Lockheed to one side. Rogue tires her luck but is grabbed by the Dark Phoenix and thrown through a wall. Wolverine is the only one left but he doesn’t wish to fight. Dark Phoenix then leaves stating that she has other business to attend to. The X-Men begin to recover and they take Cyclops to the infirmary before they try to contact for help.

Minutes later the X-Men are at the communication console as Kitty tries to contact the Starjammers. There is massive interference but when they get through they see a wounded Corsair. He tells them that the Phoenix attacked and as he talks there is another flash of light and the line goes dead. Next the team try to contact the Avengers and Captain America is the one who picks up. Storm starts to tell him the situation at hand but they suddenly feel an earthquake and there is a flash of light on the screen before the line breaks. When the team look outside they see the Phoenix Force rising into the air right over where New York City is.

Minutes later at the infirmary Nightcrawler and Storm are checking over Cyclops. He seems to be in good health physically but he is seemingly dying. New York City has seemingly been destroyed as well. They don’t see Cyclops’s astral form rising up from his body. Nightcrawler and Storm have no choice but to leave the room so that they can plan their next move against Phoenix.

Cyclops soon finds himself in what seems to be the afterlife he sees a glowing light and he sees a woman there. She seems to be familiar to him and she tells him that it is not his time and to look within himself for the answers. He begins to fall and he soon realises that the woman was his deceased mother.

Cyclops wakes up in the infirmary and notices that despite the attacks he suffered he doesn’t have any injuries. He also knows that too much time passed between what happened in Alaska to what happened in New York. He starts to suspect one person is behind this attack on the X-Men and he runs off to warn the other X-Men but he knows that he has to have some aces up his sleeve for the coming event.

Ten minutes later Cyclops runs into Colossus and Storm but they see him as Dark Phoenix. They attack him and within moments Nightcrawler and Wolverine arrive on the scene. Using his training Cyclops is able to keep them at bay and is even able to avoid Lockheed. He then uses a tactical retreat but Kitty phases through a wall and tackles him down the stairs. Cyclops uses his body to shift the angles making Kitty hit the ground first, she instinctively phases through the ground and they find themselves in the Danger Room. She instantly solidifies herself and he gives her a nerve inch that knocks her out. He lands on an airbag cushion as Nightcrawler teleports into the control room. He tries to activate the room but is electrocuted. Cyclops has rigged a handheld device that has the Danger Room programs. As the other X-Men enter he activates the Danger Room and they find themselves seemingly in the Savage Land.

Rogue and Storm have to save Wolverine and Colossus from falling and they begin to suspect that something is amiss. Storm commands Wolverine to track Dark Phoenix as Cyclops hides in the bushes. He knows that he is outnumbered but he controls the Danger Room so he thinks the odds are even.

Elsewhere Madelyne Pryor wakes up and finds herself in what seems to be hell. She is wearing the costume of the Dark Phoenix and she sees a man sitting on a throne. He introduces himself as Mastermind and he intends to destroy the X-Men. He then uses his abilities to transform the room into something that is more realistic. He goes over his plans and he also begins to talk about the plane crash that she was the sole survivor of. He explains that Jean Grey expanded his mind so that it touched the very cosmos itself. It drove him mad and when he recovered he knew that he could never attain that power again. He can’t take his revenge on her but will do on the X-Men. He demonstrates that he has been manipulating the X-Men for months in different disguises and when he transforms into Cyclops Madelyne believes that it is truly him. He kisses her and much to her disgust he reverts to his true appearance and laughs at her before transforming back to his more handsome appearance.

In the Danger Room Cyclops runs through the jungle and climbs onto a tree branch. He watches Wolverine and Cyclops walk past and he takes Wolverine down with an optic blast as he runs from Colossus. He leads the Russian mutant into a quicksand pit and eventually he comes to a clearing littered with plants He runs towards a cave and he feels that Storm and Rogue are behind him. Storm attacks with a lightning bolt but she feels that there is still something very wrong with the situation. Cyclops is just able to dodge out of the way and he fires an optic beam that knocks her out. Rogue saves her from falling and when she lands on the ground Cyclops uses another beam to fire at the flowers beneath her. The pollen from these flowers knocks her out and Cyclops picks her up and walks away. He leaves the Danger Room and disables the surveillance system in the mansion so that Mastermind can’t see where he’s going.

Cyclops takes Rogue to the infirmary and removes one of her gloves. He uses some smelling salts to wake her up and then places her hand on the forehead of the still unconscious Xavier. She begins to absorb his telepathy and she also begins to hear Xavier himself. She begins to concentrate and as the X-Men burst in she is able to dispel the illusion so that they can see that Cyclops is not the Dark Phoenix. When they begin to question what is happening Dark Phoenix seemingly appears right behind them. This time the X-Men are not fooled and know that Mastermind is behind the attack. There is a real gunshot that strikes Cyclops in the arm. Rogue is able to detect a dead zone within the room where she cannot scan and she knows that is where Mastermind is.

Storm begins to create a typhoon within the room to flush out Mastermind but it is causing some harm to the other members of the team. Kitty is told by Colossus to flee and she does so with some reluctance. Storm continues her typhoon until it knocks out Mastermind and then it subsides. Wolverine goes to kill the villain but Storm stops him as the other X-Men recover. Rogue knows that Storm was willing to kill Mastermind during the battle and even sacrifice the X-Men to do so. Kitty returns with a medical kit but Cyclops notices Madelyne face down in the water. He can’t feel a pulse and has to give her mouth to mouth. She eventually starts breathing again and they embrace in a hug.

A few days later Cyclops stands before the grave of Jean Grey and tells her about the fact that he is marrying Madelyne and he wished that she was still alive. He is wearing his groom suit for his wedding and he soon departs still in love with the woman he lost.

At the X-Mansion a short time later many guests are there to see Cyclops marry Madelyne. X-Men new and old are there along with many allies and family members are there to watch the big day. As the service begins everyone watches on as Madelyne walks down the aisle and the vicar begins the service. Everyone watches on with great happiness at the couple even though Wolverine looks glum. Cyclops and Madelyne kiss to cement their marriage and they hope a happy life together.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with the Uncanny X-Men which is the twentieth anniversary of the series although it is a couple of months late and is the finale to the story that has been building up for the last few months. It was an overall great issue and is a great way to celebrate the X-Men’s twenty years of print.

The first thing to mention is this issue doesn’t have one but two artists. We have Paul Smith who is completing his last issue in his legendary run (and to me too short) on the Uncanny X-Men series and John Romita Jr. who is at his first issue in his run. Both are very talented artists and they did a great job bringing this issue to life. But we wouldn’t have had it at all without Chris Claremont who is writing his round eightieth issue in his run (That will last just over another hundred issues).

The main X-Man in this issue is no doubt Cyclops who not only got married in this issue but also showed that even though he was outnumbered by his fellow teammates he was still able to defeat them. He did have the help of the Danger Room but even so it is still an impressive feat nonetheless. He was the one who first realised that Mastermind was the one behind the seeming reappearance of Dark Phoenix and that the seeming deaths of the Starjammers and the entire population of New York City was merely an illusion. He is also the only character to have a prominent role in both this issue and the very first issue of X-Men from 1963. It was also touching to see him at the grave of Jean Grey and it showed that he still loved her.

Mastermind showed that he is a capable villain once again although as always his plans fell a little short. We know now for sure that he was the one at the docks in Tokyo and that he was the priest on the plane in the previous issue. He had used that guise while he manipulated Jean Grey and it almost seemed fitting that he would use it again. We don’t know exactly how Mastermind recovered after his mind touched the cosmos but I guess that it a little something that we should put to one side for now.

The other X-Men did play a key role in this issue although for a good chunk of it they were trying to destroy what they thought to be the Dark Phoenix. Storm and Rogue were probably the most important X-Men out of the remaining lot since it was Storm who was able to defeat Mastermind (although she was more than willing to kill the X-Men along with him) and Rogue was the one who was able to absorb the abilities of Professor Xavier and see through the illusion. Despite all their training the fact that Cyclops was able to defeat them means that they still have room for improvement.

The end with the wedding was very beautifully done and it was nice to see many former X-Men there along with a few other allies. It is definitely a great ending although I do think Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor did marry a little soon. She was only introduced seven issues earlier, even in real time that is about six or seven months so it would be considered fast. The X-Men were dressed up again and Wolverine was glum most likely since a few issues ago he was supposed to be married but Mariko stated that he was not worthy. I believe that Mastermind was behind that so we’ll see what has to happen there. At least Kitty Pryde got to be a real maid of honour this time round.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. It was very well done and is well worthy of being read by any X-Men fan.

Next Issue

Dazzler (Volume 1) #29

Issue Information

Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #29

Release Date- November 1983

Writer- Frank Springer and Jim Shooter

Artist- Frank Springer

Major Notes

First appearance of Roman Nekobah

Brief Summary

Fame

Dazzler’s career has seemingly begun to take off as she is earning a lot of money and appearing in films. Her albums are selling well and people are giving her free stuff to promote their product.

All this is a dream of Dazzler who is lying by the pool at the mansion of her step-father. Lois London attracts her attention and the two women begin to talk. They talk about everything that has happened over the last week like Lois accidentally killing the homeless man and when Dazzler last fought Rogue. Dazzler admits that she likes being a mutant but Lois hates her mutant abilities. They also can’t believe that Nick Brown is the same man that made their mother’s life a living hell. He claims to have changed but Lois is actually scared of him. He has also arranged a meeting between Dazzler and a top celebrity named Roman Nekobah.

Elsewhere at the mansion of Roman his butler wakes him. Roman is an overweight, short-sighted balding man who seems to be very unattractive. After a few minutes of cleaning himself up he looks like a million bucks and goes downstairs to where his accountant Benson is waiting for him. What the accountant tells Roman is not good news, he is more or less broke but he acts as if nothing is wrong and continues to live in luxury that he cannot afford. This annoys Benson but Roman picks up a magazine with Dazzler on the cover and he knows that they will be meeting soon and that he’ll make her a star.

Sometime later Dazzler is at a photo shoot and as she wraps up the photographer begins to talk to her. He recommends her to drop her current manager Harry Osgood and stick with Nick Brown since he is taking her places.

Outside a limousine pulls up and Roman steps out to the applause of a large crowd. He walks passed the crowd who are all cheering for him and as he enters the building he greets Dazzler who is waiting for him. She is somewhat star struck and he finds her to be very beautiful, he takes her outside and she wishes to have as much advice as she can get to get ahead in her career.

Rather than answering her Roman takes her to a car dealership and he sees a car that he likes. He tells the salesman that he’ll take it and at first the salesman doesn’t believe him due to the price of the car. It isn’t until Roman takes off his sunglasses and the salesman realises who he is and more than happily sells him the car.

Minutes later Roman drives out of the dealership with the car in hand. He tells her as they drive towards his private airstrip how when he was a child he had always dreamed of buying a car and driving it away in that manner. Dazzler is concerned about the speed that he is driving at but he is completely relaxed and tells her that he only lives at one speed. He even tells her that she has the perfect body for film.

They eventually arrive at the airstrip where a private jet is waiting for them. The pilot is a young man named Hack who soon lifts them up into the air when they are both in the plane. Roman talks about her film career but Dazzler is distracted by the beauty of the mountains. He then professes his love for him but Dazzler tries to dispel his advantages and they don’t realise that a military like jet is closing in on them. It is targeting them.

The jet flies extremely close to the plane shoots them causing Hack to use emergency evasive manoeuvres that cause Dazzler and Roman fly around a little inside. When they hit the floor Roman is unconscious and when she asks Hack what’s happening he tells him that a jet is trying to shoot them down.

Dazzler sees the jet through the window and she turns up a nearby stereo system so that she can absorb the sound. She then fires a powerful light beam that destroys the attacking jet and she is thankful to see the pilot eject. She then goes to the cockpit and sees that Hack has been shot and is seemingly dead. She doesn’t know how to fly a plane and she believes that they will soon crash.

My Thoughts

We are back to Dazzler in an issue that disappointed me on some levels. Nothing all that interesting really happened until the end of the issue and even then I was confused more than anything else.

One thing we did learn about Dazzler’s powers is that she can look at the sun without being blinded unlike anyone else. It has also been a year since she first began to realise that she was a mutant but that contradicts the flashback in the first issue of the series where she knew she was different from her teen years. That’s the problem when you have multiple writers.

The issue introduces Roman Nekobah who seems to be a big celebrity personality who has money coming out of his ears but in reality is a fat balding man who is completely broke. It seems that he is living a fantasy in a way since he continues to spend a lot of money that he simply doesn’t have funds to keep up his lifestyle. It is a trait that isn’t unique to him but happens to people in the real world. It seems that he lived in poverty before becoming famous and he is refusing to go back to that way of life. He seems to be eccentric and not the best of characters since he was forcing himself onto Dazzler and although he seems to be able to promote her career I don’t think he is right for her.

Dazzler’s career in this issue seems to be on the up as she is taking pictures for her album cover and Roman even offered her a film career. This seems to be happening really fast for her and I have the feeling that it is all going to fall apart and soon she’ll be worse off than she was at the start of the series. I know that there are around fourteen issues left of the series and we’re exactly two thirds of the way through.

The whole thing with the jet at the end is supposed to be a cliff-hanger with why someone would target the Roman’s private plane. We don’t know whether they wanted to kill Dazzler because of everything that she has done over the series or Roman since he probably owes a lot of people a lot of money. I think it is most likely Roman who is the target and I do question how there wasn’t decompression when Dazzler blasted a hole in the private jet. I guess she can also keep a plane from decompressing.

In conclusion I’m only giving this issue a 5 out of 10. It really fell short in my opinion and I hope the others will be better.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #9

@cattlebattle: The reason I say this was because I remember in TAS, I saw a few Morlocks in the oppression camp when Magneto came to rescued them. So, I was assuming they were mutants.

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #9

Release Date- November 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes

First appearance of Selene

Brief Summary

Arena!

The New Mutants are led down a tunnel by the Roman soldiers and when they get through the other side they see the lost city of Nova Roma which looks just like Ancient Rome. They marvel over its beauty and Cannonball is carrying a seemingly unconscious Amara. She is actually awake and secretly tells him to not tell the soldiers who she is. More than their lives depend on it.

They are taken to a dungeon and it is there that Amara explains that she is the daughter of the first senator of Nova Roma, Lucius Aquilla. Sunspot still wants to find his mother but unfortunately he is told that she is most likely dead. He walks away so that he can brood his rage as Amara continues to explain. Much of the citizens do not come from the original Rome but are Incas who fled after their lands were seized by the Spanish centuries earlier. The City is a republic but the Incas are trying to turn it into a monarchy. Her father is the only thing standing in their way. When they ask her why she attacked them it is simply to keep Nova Roma isolated. The team don’t feel like she’s telling them the whole story and don’t believe her. Mirage is able to pull an image of Amara’s fear, it is her being thrown down a fire pit by a mysterious woman. Sunspot has had enough and powers up and breaks down the wall. Unfortunately they are instantly shot by poisoned arrows and fall unconscious.

Meanwhile at a bathhouse Lucius Aquilla calls over his rival Lord Marcus Gallio. They begin to talk and Lucius knows about the capture of the New Mutants. Marcus isn’t happy about this but does tell him that the boys will be sent to the gladiator pits and if they survive will then be sold as slaves like the girls. As they depart they both think of their disdain for one another.

Lucius travels back to his home and demands wine. As he drinks he is angered that Lucius still stands in his way but his wife Selene goes to him and tells him that she can deal with Lucius with minimum effort. Lucius refuses stating that it will be by his hands and he doesn’t want to use her dark arts. Since he refuses she takes him down to the cellar and with a wave of her hand makes a door appear. As they look through the door they see a dungeon occupied by Castro who had tried to kill the New Mutants on the Amazon. He tells them that the man he works for is interested in cultivating the land and that he will provide Lucius with anything he needs. Lucius takes this into consideration and walks away knowing that he has an advantage over his rival.

At a slave house Mirage, Wolfsbane and Amara are being bathed before they go on sale. Amara is the only one who knows what is happening as the other two girls comment about their hair. After they have both been washed and dressed they are given spiked wine. This makes them act drunk and Amara who only had a taste overhears the house owner speaking about drugging the girls before the gladiator fight tomorrow which will involve the boys.

That night Amara tries to free Mirage and Wolfsbane but finds that they are too drugged to properly respond to her. She begins to wonder why she hasn’t felt the effects of the drugs but she suddenly has a fainting spell. She is able to stay on her feet but she feels severe pain but the attack soon passes. The attacks are gathering pace since this was the longest one yet but when she comes to her senses she finds herself face to face with Selene who knows who she really is.

At the gladiator pits Cannonball and Sunspot are chained to the wall as they watch two gladiators train. They are both too weak to escape and they are told by the gladiators that they will become slaves and possibly earn their freedom through the fights. They will also be drugged so that they will put on a show.

The next day the arena is packed with people awaiting to see the gladiators. Mirage and Wolfsbane are there and they sit next to Lucius and Selene who are in charge of the event. The gladiators walk out into the arena while backstage Cannonball and Sunspot are force fed the drugs that will make them go berserk. They are pushed out into the arena and they ready themselves to face the gladiators.

Sunspot powers up and knocks the two gladiators back. This amazes the crowd while Mirage and Wolfsbane cheer on. More gladiators enter with steamroller like machines and Cannonball rockets towards them and is able to destroy them. A chariot tries to run over Sunspot but he is able to lie underneath it and then pick it up from underneath.

As Cannonball continues to destroy the steamrollers he accidentally hits Sunspot in the back and due to the drug they begin to attack each other in rage. Lucius is not worried about what is happening since if things get out of hand there are numerous archers around the arena who will shoot them dead.

During the fight between the two boys they knock each other until neither can use their powers but they continue to pound each other nonetheless. Wolfsbane continues to cheer on and calls for blood but as the drug inside her wears off she realises what is happening. Two guards grab her but she transforms into a wolf and leaps down into the arena floor. Due to her link with Wolfsbane Mirage also snaps out of her trance and is able to create an astral image of Professor Xavier to stop the boys’ bloodlust.

As Mirage enters the crowd call out for the deaths of the New Mutants and archers draw their bows. Instead of commanding their deaths Lucius commands them to stand down. He states to the crowd that Wolfsbane is the blood of Julius Caesar due to her hair and that by transforming into a wolf she has shown that. He states of how the founders of Rome Romulus and Remus suckled at the she-wolf and he finally states that the team are Gods and welcome amongst them.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with the New Mutants in an issue that continues on with the Amazon saga as I like to call it as we see the lost city of Nova Roma for the first time. It is basically a mirror image of Ancient Rome that has somehow survived for two millennia. Not sure exactly how the Romans got there but I feel that we’ll learn that in the near future. I hope it is a good enough reason.

Most importantly this is the first appearance of Selene who although might not look it is actually thousands of years old. She was actually around when the original Rome existed and she is a mutant although in this issue she seems to just be someone talented in the black arts. She basically has the power to absorb someone’s life force and feed it back into herself. This is what keeps her young and interestingly enough she is actually older than the soon to be introduced X-Men villain Apocalypse making her the first mutant on Earth. Not only that but she is also one of the most evil as well.

Also appearing is Selene’s husband Lucius who is of Inca descent. He seems to want to become King of Nova Roma and will do almost anything to get what he wants. I can see him being a real villain in this arc but I doubt that after this we’ll ever see him again.

The overall story itself was quite well written to say the least as the team were enslaved by these present day Romans. Each member was drugged up to their eyeballs so to speak and also through reading this issue it did make me think. If it truly was a battle to the death who would win, Cannonball or Sunspot? Sunspot definitely has strength and rage on his side while Cannonball is invulnerable when he uses his powers. We saw it go down to a tie but I wonder what would have happened if they carried on.

We got a bit more of the backstory as we understood that there is a small power struggle within Nova Roma as the people of Inca origin try to make the city into a monarchy. We also learned that Amara’s father is a very influential man and that she has a vendetta against Selene. Her dizzy spells show us that there is something not quite right about her and is an indication of what is to come.

It was nice to see the girls dressed up like real Roman ladies and it is something that we’ll probably never see again. It is one of those things that is a little fun to see but something that we don’t want to last.

The ending was a bit of a surprise but I guess that the team would have to be saved somehow or else the series would have ended there and then. If they had of died what would have happened? Would Xavier have recruited more mutants or simply leave it as that?

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was a good read but I couldn’t get into it like I did with some of the others.

Next Issue

Marvel Team-Up (Volume 1) #135

Issue Information

Title- Marvel Team-Up (Volume 1) #135

Release Date- November 1983

Writer- Bill Mantlo

Artist- Ron Frenz & Mike Esposito

Major Notes

Features Kitty Pryde

Brief Summary

Down Deep In Darkness

Spider-Man is riding on the top of a subway train which is being held up by a group of thugs. As they demand money from the passengers Spider-Man smashes through one of the windows and knocks out a thug. The others go to attack but Spider-Man is able to put each of them down, the remaining thug enters the driver’s area and pulls the driver out. He then sets the train at full speed and there is a train at a stationed not too far away. Spider-Man notices this and throws the thug out. He then tries to stop the train but he realises that it is too fast to stop in time.

Spider-Man leaps to the other train and warns everyone to get off before the first train hits. They do what he says and he soon realises that he is directly in the way of the oncoming train. He is just able to leap out of the way in time but as the passengers are seen to by emergency services they don’t see an unconscious Spider-Man get taken away by Morlocks.

Meanwhile at a house in Westchester Kitty Pryde is babysitting twins named Edward and Jeff who are arguing while playing a fantasy board game. Kitty is on the phone to Storm and she is not happy that Professor Xavier sent her there so that she could have normal teenage experiences. A combination of her annoyance at Xavier and the constant bickering between the twins causes Kitty to slam the phone down and she breaks the two up. She snaps at them and then drags them up to bed. When she is done she admits that babysitting is worse than a Danger Room simulation.

Sometime later Kitty falls asleep on the couch and the twins sneak out of their window and make their way down to a housing development close to their home so they can act out their fantasy board game. They find a pit and Edward is the only one brave enough to go down. Jeff stays above and he hears Edward talk about a shaft that leads to a deeper hole. He investigates but something from out of the hole grabs him and he screams for help. This sends Jeff running back to the house.

Five minutes later Jeff returns with Kitty who is somewhat annoyed by what has happened but she knows that she should have kept a better eye on them. They both slid down the pit and they see the shaft. As they investigate they are attacked by Morlocks and although Kitty holds her own Jeff is grabbed and taken down. They leave Kitty alone after that but she phases through the ground and eventually ends up in a tunnel. She sees the Morlocks place Jeff in a space age car and shoot down the tunnel. There is a second car there as well and Kitty is able to

leap over them and drive it away before they can stop her. She shoots down the tunnel chasing after the other car.

A short time later the Morlocks bring Jeff forward to their leader named Stigor. Since he and his Morlocks are human any law decreed by the new Morlock leader Storm doesn’t apply to them. He hates the surface dwellers and decrees that Jeff will never see the surface again.

Jeff is thrown inside a dungeon and he begins to think that he’ll never see his brother again. He then hears a familiar voice and he sees Edward along with an unconscious Spider-Man who is held to the wall by energy chains. They try to free him but they get zapped for their troubles, this also causes Spider-Man to wake up. Spider-Man cannot free himself from his bonds but the boys discover a small bowl and some water on the ground. Edward scoops some water up and throws it at the energy chains. This causes them to short circuit and the flash of light is blinding. But it gives Spider-Man what he needs to break free, he thanks them for this and they begin to explain exactly what is happening.

Just outside the dungeon Kitty leaps off the car and walks down the tunnel. She sees the dungeon but can also see two Morlocks guarding the door. She purposely reveals herself causing them to try and tackle them. She phases through them with ease and they hit the wall knocking themselves out. She has also been able to grab the keys and she goes to open the door. At that exact time Spider-Man kicks the door off its hinges and it goes flying towards her but once again she phases through it.

At first Spider-Man thinks that Kitty is a Morlock but Edward tells him otherwise. For the moment he doesn’t know that she is one of the X-Men but the group run through the tunnel knowing that the Morlocks will soon be onto them. They don’t get far until a hoard of Morlocks attack them. Spider-Man and Kitty attack while the twins pick up some weapons and attack as well. Spider-Man also notices the Morlocks going through Kitty like she was a ghost.

The battle continues and the two heroes know that the longer the fight goes on the more danger the twins will be in. They have to find an exit and she mentions about when the X-Men were last in the Morlock that they need to look for tunnels or ladders that lead up. Spider-Man realises that she is Ariel but for now she wants to keep it under wraps. They also notice Stigor has the twins cornered. They use a fastball special to send Kitty directly into the villain more or less knocking him out. Spider-Man is then attack by a brute and he throws him into a column. The column shatters causing the roof to begin to come down on them. Quickly the group find a ladder and begin to climb up to the surface.

When they get up to the surface they discover that they are in New York City. This is miles away from where Kitty and the twins are supposed to be and Kitty knows she has to contact Xavier to have them picked up. She thinks it’s funny since the cost of picking them up is more than she would have earned babysitting. She hopes that this will make him think twice before having her carry out more typical teenager activities.

My Thoughts

Now we get to the fourth issue of Marvel Team-Up in this blog. The first was the original X-Men (minus Beast), the second was the New X-Men, the third was Nightcrawler and now this one features Kitty Pryde. This was an entertaining issue overall and since it isn’t part of anything bigger we can enjoy it for what it is, a one off team-up issue.

I did notice that the cover had Kitty wearing her Ariel costume although in the actual issue itself she never does. I guess you can’t believe everything you see on a cover. At least the colour scheme was right.

The issue marks the first time that we see Spider-Man teaming up with Kitty Pryde. They have had a couple more team-ups since (Kitty being with the X-Men rather than just her) but it is in the Ultimate Marvel Universe where the pair were actually dating. In that universe they had a real relationship which was popular with fans and even after they split up Kitty became a regular in the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series. Just a shame we didn’t see this in the regular universe.

The villain of the issue is a human Morlock named Stigor who makes his only appearance in this comic book. He reminds me a lot of the Moleman in the fact that he hates surface dwellers but rather than having monsters at his command he has a load of like minded humans. The Morlocks in the issue were humans rather than mutants so this is why they felt that they didn’t have to listen to Storm. That does make some sense but I question how they were able to get those space age tunnel cars that they had. Is one of them an engineer or is it some kind of abandoned project.

We got a little more of an insight into Kitty who thinks that she is above being a teenager due to the adventures that she had with the X-Men. I think she is both right and wrong in that sentiment. Yes she is different to other teenagers but she should enjoy those years as much as she can because when they’re gone she can never get them back.

The fight scene was pretty good and I did enjoy watching Spider-Man and Kitty pulling off a fastball special. It is little things like that which make the series worth picking up every now and again and I think it would have been fun if they teamed up again on a regular basis. Alas it is not meant to be though.

The beginning with Spider-Man was pretty good but I question how the passengers in the first train survived since it was travelling too fast for them to escape and the impact would have killed at least a few of them. I guess this is something that will just have to put into the back of our minds for now. His role in the comic was not too essential since I think Kitty could have saved them by herself but at least he was there to give her a helping hand.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. Not for it being a serious story but one that was fun to read and should be picked up by any fan of either character.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #176

@hysteria: Do you actually own all these issues with guest appearances from when they came out, or did you acquire them somehow? Like how do you have the Texas State Fair issue?? I'd be interested to know more about your collection.

I own all of these issues. The Uncanny X-Men series I have in the essentials while the New Mutants are in the classic volumes. I didn't buy them when they came out (I wasn't born then) and I bought it off EBay. My collection is vast and I'm sharing it with the world so to speak. Saying that here is the latest post.

Issue Information

Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #176

Release Date- December 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- John Romita Jr. and Bob Wiacek

Major Notes

First appearance of Valarie Cooper

Brief Summary

Decisions

Cyclops sneaks a kiss from his new wife Madelyne Pryor who is flying a plane over the South Pacific. At first Madelyne isn’t too happy with this but she still loves him and they are currently on their honeymoon. They talk to each other about their new lives and if they will go to space with Corsair and the Starjammers. As they’re flying Madelyne spots bad weather approaching them. At first they don’t seem to be in any danger but suddenly they find themselves in strong winds and a downpour. They struggle to keep the plane level and they are suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning which short-circuits the plane causing it to plummet from the sky.

In Japan at the ancestral seat of house Yashida Mariko is in bed when she is awoken by something coming into contact with her. When she comes to she sees that it is her family’s ancestral sword and Wolverine is standing over her. She sent it back to him through a messenger and he asks why. She states that he is worthy of it and he thinks it makes him worthy of her. She declines stating that while she was under Mastermind’s power that she re-established links with the Japanese underworld and that she only must severe them. That is so she can show him that she is worthy of him and he understands and leaves.

In the South Pacific Cyclops and Madelyne have been able to land the plane and they are trying to fix the plane’s engines. The weather is calm for now but the storm is coming their way and they have to fix the plane before it hits. Despite what has happened the pair do go for a kiss but Cyclops slips off the wing but is grabbed by Madelyne. At first there seems to be no danger but a shark bursts up from the sea and tries to eat him. Madelyne does pull him up to safety. They hug each other knowing that they have just dodged a bullet but they don’t see the shark beneath the waves being captured by large tentacles.

At the Capitol Building in Washington DC Henry Peter Gyrich arrives. There is a Security Council meeting and he has been summoned. He is allowed inside and as he goes to the meeting he sees that it has already started. He sees a man explaining about the attack on the Russian city of Varykino by Magneto. As Henry sits down a man named Judge Petrie and he introduces him to the security staff along with his assistant Doctor Valarie Cooper. The presentation shows fear of mutants and that if the Avengers were to turn rogue they could overtake the country with ease.

After that presentation has ended Valarie steps up and begins to talk about the X-Men. She states that mutants are a threat and that governments around the world are beginning to mobilize teams made up of mutants and other superpowered beings. She intends for the US Government to have their own mutant team to counter this but Henry sees this as a bad idea. Magneto’s main argument was that mutants would be enslaved and he feels that this will be nailing the point home. Valarie disagrees and states that it is the only way.

In the South Pacific the weather has turned and they try to start the engines. They begin to malfunction again and they are running out of time. Madelyne jokes about if she were the Phoenix she could fly them out. Cyclops doesn’t find this funny and reacts negatively towards it. Madelyne reminds him about the plane crash in which she was the sole survivor and they talk a little about Corsair’s offer. The don’t notice the tentacle coming out of the water.

In the sewers of Manhattan Caliban goes into his room and discovers Callisto, Masque and Sunder there waiting for him. He demands to be left alone and Masque has a picture of Kitty Pryde in his hand. Caliban snatches it away from him while Callisto that they were the founders of the Morlocks and they should stick together. Caliban is heartbroken that Kitty didn’t keep her end of their deal and Callisto vows to make Kitty keep her word. This brings joy to Caliban and she doesn’t care what the new Morlock leader Storm has to say about it.

Cyclops and Madelyne are inside the plane and they are able to start the engines. This brings joy to them but Madelyne has to leave the cockpit so that she can go outside and pull up the anchor. Suddenly a tentacle grabs her and pulls her into the water. Cyclops spots this and tries to rescue her but another two tentacles grab him and pull him under the water. As he is dragged down he sees a giant squid. He unleashes an optic beam at it which causes it to let go of both himself and Madelyne.

Cyclops tries to swim to the surface but a tentacle grabs his face causing his glasses to come off. He opens his eyes and unleashes an optic blast which makes it let go of him. He is able to swim to the surface but without his glasses he can’t open his eyes. He and Madelyne begin to swim back to the plane but the squid grabs him again and drags him down. In a last ditch effort he unleashes a powerful optic beam and then swims up to the surface.

Madelyne helps him back to the plane where he is able to get his mask and visor back on. They then try to start the engines again but they are waterlogged. They think they are done for and kiss each other for luck as they try again. This time the engines start and they are able to fly away safely.

Now airborne the pair take a moment to relax and they are both happy that they have escaped death. Cyclops has also made the decision on whether he will go to space with Corsair. He chooses to stay on Earth so that he can stay with her and the pair cuddle up as they continue their flight to their honeymoon destination.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with the Uncanny X-Men with an issue that only featured two of the X-Men (Three if you count Kitty Pryde being in a photograph). With all the action in the last issue this one felt more like it was at a little slower pace.

The most featured member of the X-Men in this issue was definitely Cyclops who seems to have run into trouble while trying to go on a honeymoon with his new wife Madelyne Pryor (who ten issues ago hadn’t been introduced). We saw a little more about him and he also finally made his decision on whether he would go to space and be with his father or stay on Earth. We saw him happy for once because a lot of the time we see Cyclops (especially after Jean Grey’s death) he has been a very sorrow man. It is nice to see him happy for once and not always brooding.

Wolverine was the only other X-Man to make an appearance in this issue as he tried to have Mariko Yashida as his wife again. I understand her reason for not marrying him just yet, it is not because she doesn’t love him but because she needs to severe the ties to the Japanese underworld that she established while under Mastermind’s control. I think the reader would love nothing more than to see them wed and yet there is always something that prevents this from happening.

The issue is also the first appearance of Valarie Cooper who is a human who is concerned about mutants. I don’t think so much that she wants to see them wiped off the face of the planet and she even becomes an ally to future X-Men spin off team X-Factor. I don’t remember too much about her though so I’ll have to wait and see what happens.

The issue also leads us up to two different things. First is that the government is planning on having their own team of mutants working for them. This is what I believe will lead to the formation of X-Factor although that doesn’t happen to about two or three years after this issue. The second point to bring up is that ousted Morlock Leader Callisto intends Kitty Pryde to uphold her end of the bargain that she had with Caliban. I don’t think that Callisto is doing this out of kindness for Caliban but instead to have some manner of revenge on Storm. I think she is planning on Storm going down there to stop it all and Callisto challenging her to trial by combat once again. She sees it as her only way to become the Morlock leader once again.

The villain so to speak of this issue was a giant squid who we don’t actually know whether it survived its encounter with Cyclops. I guess there can be squids that size living in the South Pacific but we don’t know that for sure. Either way it is fun to have one pop up every now and again although it shouldn’t be used regularly. Then again it was fun seeing Cyclops battling a creature that he stood little chance against and yet still come out on top.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was a good issue for a set up and to show the aftermath of last issue’s wedding.

Next Issue

New Mutants (Volume 1) #10

Issue Information

Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #10

Release Date- December 1983

Writer- Chris Claremont

Artist- Sal Bucsema

Major Notes

Amara’s first appearance as Magma

Brief Summary

Betrayal

The New Mutants are taking part in a parade celebrating Wolfsbane who the Nova Romans think is the blood of both Julius Caesar and the wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus. Senator Marcus rides by them and he is happy that the people love him and he sees his enemy Senator Antonius standing in the crowd. They glare at each other and this is picked up by the New Mutants. Sunspot is still worried about his mother but he tries to put on a brave face.

After the parade the New Mutants are taken to the home of Marcus where they are brought food by slaves. Everything seems to be joyous but the team don’t like the fact that there are slaves. They ask Marcus about his rivalry with Antonius and he reveals that Antonius wants to become the Emperor of Nova Roma. They also learn that Antonius is the father of Amara and after hearing Marcus out Cannonball states that it is not what Amara told them. Wolfsbane reacts angrily to this and brands Amara a liar and a sneak. Marcus uses this to bring doubt upon Amara and Wolfsbane offers their services to him for being their host. Marcus takes this into consideration and walks away as it is late.

When he is gone Cannonball is angry that Wolfsbane offered their services. They don’t know who is good and who is bad. Wolfsbane believes that his affections for Amara is clouding his judgement and the pair continue to argue.

Sunspot doesn’t want to get involved and walks away. As he steps towards a window he remembers the women that he has lost. First his sweetheart Juliana Sandoval, then his teammate Karma and now his mother. He is saddened by this but as he looks outside he sees a woman looking like his mother being led away. Quickly he runs downstairs and tries to go outside. There is a legion of guards who stop him and he powers up intending to go right through them. He then remembers Professor Xavier’s training and realises that this isn’t the right way to use his abilities. He even thinks that he could have been mistaken about his mother and so he apologises before going back inside.

Later that night at the side entrance to the palace Mirage spots two guards by the door. She uses her mutant abilities to create images of two beautiful women. This distracts them enough for her to slip by. She intends to learn more about Nova Roma and since her race looks similar to the Incas she thinks that she shouldn’t draw too much attention to herself. Suddenly a hand grabs her from behind and she is taken away.

At the home of Marcus Wolfsbane and Sunspot are talking to each other. She is worried about Mirage and she also feels ashamed about what she said to Cannonball earlier. Sunspot tries to cheer her up but Wolfsbane admits that she likes being a wolf more than a person and it scares her. Unseen to them there is a man with a gun behind a curtain and he fires a single shot at Wolfsbane. Sunspot is able to block the bullet but is shot in the shoulder. He then falls out of the window but Cannonball wakes up from his slumber and is able to save him from falling Wolfsbane transforms into a wolf and takes down the would be assassin who is in fact Castro.

Moments later Marcus enters with his guards and at first Marcus is refusing to talk. After they threaten to have Sunspot interrogate him he admits that Lucius sent him to kill Wolfsbane. Marcus then orders his guard to go and arrest his rival senator.

Elsewhere Mirage wakes up and finds herself wearing nothing more than a bikini. She is underground and she sees Amara with another young woman. All three of them have been drugged and soon a group of men arrive to take them away. They are led to a magma pit where people are praying to Selene. The woman herself is standing on a platform over the pit and she uses her powers to make the third woman walk up the steps to her. Mirage can only watch helplessly as Selene uses her own powers to block Mirage’s and she also pushes the woman into the pit. As the woman burns Selene absorbs her life energy, with the process done she turns her attentions to Mirage and Amara.

Meanwhile at the home of Lucius, Sunspot, Cannonball and Marcus’s guard break through the gates and overwhelm Lucius’s guards. Cannonball flies Sunspot above the battle and they intend to take Lucius alive and they fear that an accident might take place that will kill him.

Marcus’s guard burst through the door into the home itself and Lucius is there to fight to the death. Cannonball and Sunspot are able to get in the way so that Lucius isn’t killed and at that moment Marcus enters. He is disappointed to see his rival arrive and they begin to talk in Latin so that the boys can’t understand him. He states that his plans will succeed and that there is nothing that can be done to stop them. He doesn’t realise that Sunspot understands Latin and he intends to tell his teammates what was said.

At the pit Amara is going to be the next to be sacrificed. She is on the platform and is powerless against Selene. Mirage knows that she must help and is able to create an image of the guards’ worst fears causing them to flee. She then runs up to the stairs towards Selene but the villainess is able to grab her. Mirage realises that Selene is a mutant and intends to leave Nova Roma to claim the world for her own. She wants the New Mutants to serve her and she uses her powers to tap into Mirage’s soul. This breaks her hold on Amara who tries to attack her, she smacks her away sending Amara into the pit. Suddenly there is an earthquake which is felt all along Nova Roma and when Selene looks she sees that Amara has transformed and riding on lava. She intends to take vengeance on Selene for all those that she has killed.

My Thoughts

Now we are with the New Mutants again in what was a very entertaining issue which reminds me a little of Game Of Thrones in a way. We have a power struggle between two men and we have a woman who sacrifices people to the fire. I would say that this was a blatant rip off of Game Of Thrones but since this came out more than ten years before the books I reserve judgement.

There is basically two different things taking place in this issue. The first is Marcus’s attempts to eliminate his rival and is using the New Mutants to help him. The assassination attempt with Castro was only a tool that he used to try and get the team on his side. Although it isn’t directly revealed but we more or less know that it was Marcus who sent Castro rather than Lucius. But still it worked although the team do have a few little nagging thoughts about it all.

The second is what Selene is up to. Basically she is sacrificing people so that she can continue living. She has killed countless people over her seventeen millennia lifespan, we saw her sacrifice one woman this issue and it is one of the few times in a comic, especially at this time when we see someone get killed like that. Also she even states that this issue is the first time that she ever came into contact with another mutant. So this must mean that Mutant evolution began almost as soon as modern humans appeared.

This issue also marks the first appearance of Amara as Magma. This explains in the previous issue why she was having that spell, it is her mutant powers activating and it seems that when she came into contact with the lava it was the ignition they needed to fully manifest. At first you would think that she’s like the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four but her powers aren’t exactly to do with fire but instead with magma itself. This makes her a very powerful mutant and potentially a very dangerous one as well.

The only explanation I can think for Sunspot knowing Latin is that he is a Catholic and since Catholism still uses Latin when reciting prays it is understandable that he would understand it. Too bad Marcus didn’t know about this.

We also saw a little more insight to Wolfsbane how she doesn’t like being treated like a goddess and feels more comfortable as a wolf rather than a person. Because of her religious beliefs this is causing turmoil within her and the reader can feel some sympathy towards her.

In conclusion I’m giving the comic an 8 out of 10. It was really good and should really be looked up by New Mutant fans.

Next Issue

Uncanny X-Men Annual (Volume 1) #7

Bump.