Joel Phillips
Sep 8, 2003, 12:53 pm
<a href="http://pages.sbcglobal.net/harahap/top40xs3.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://pages.sbcglobal.net/harahap/top40xs3.gif" align=left alt="Top 40 X-Stories"></a>Greatest 40 X-Stories of All Time, Part 2: #30-21
Edited and assembled by Joel Phillips
Our 40th anniversary celebration continues with stories 30 through 21 on our Top 40 X-Stories countdown. Here's the list so far:
Read the full Part 1 here! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21443)
#40: The Ties that Bind
#39: Exit Wounds
#38: Muir Island Saga
#37: Absolute Progeny
#36: Going Through the Motions
#35: Healing Factor
#34: He'll Never Make Me Cry
#33: Trial of Magneto
#32: The X-Cutioner's Song
#31: A World Apart
Now, stories 30 through 21:
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/newxmen127.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/newxmen127t.jpg" align=right alt="New X-Men #127- Of Living and Dying"></a>#30: Of Living and Dying
New X-Men #127
Written By: Grant Morrison
Art By: John Paul Leon
If some of the other stories in this list could be compared to great literature, Greek tragedies or spanning epics, this quiet tale focusing on Xorn is a poem.
Xorn is possibly one of the most intriguing and fascinating characters introduced in years, yet up to this point we knew very little about him. He barely appeared or spoke in his very first appearance (New X-Men 2001 Annual). His assistance during the Imperial arc showcased his vast powers, his eagerness to learn about the world he was sheltered from and the friendship he feels for Cyclops, yet we still knew next to nothing about him. With a solitary line on the first page, a splash shot of Xorn kneeling over a dead horse on a street bathed in red light and blood, we know all we NEED to know.
"If I could save every life, I would do it."
From there we learn even more of Xorn's powers and character as he investigates an alleged "monster" who's been running loose, drawing blame and suspicion on to the newly established ghetto of Mutant Town. He speaks to Professor Xavier on the nature of humanity to gather in tribes and how that creates conflict now that we are all living under the same tent. He encounters a shopkeeper who hails from the same province of China, who calls him a great man of peace...and when Xorn looks "over this man's shoulder into time," he sees two of their ancestors meeting in China. He overhears a pair of cops talking about the self-imposed separation of minority groups in the city (highlighting Xavier's earlier talk of "tribes"). And finally he comes upon the "monster" himself...a twelve-year-old mutant being nursed by his mother. In order to protect her brutish looking son from persecution and death by lynching or Sentinels, she gives him half a bottle of pills and takes the other half herself. Xorn naively informs her that the pills are killing her as she falls unconscious, causing the boy to go on a rampage, seeking "med-sunn" to "mak bettuh." Xorn realizes the boy is still in a transitional state as the police surround him, using guns and flamethrowers against a child.
"In ten days he would have become something new and wonderful. Something never seen before. Something rare. Unique...Ten days. In ten days it would have been all right. He would have awakened to his potential."
Afterwards, Xorn attempts to help heal those injured in the young mutant's rampage...and as the city streets are soaked with rain ("Clouds recycle water molecules onto the concrete"), the old shopkeeper he had met brings him rice. They sit and talk as Xorn's journey comes to the simplest of conclusions: Life goes on.
The beauty of this story lies in its intimacy, an intimacy that is highlighted by John Paul Leon's deft line work (inked by the always brilliant Bill Sienkiewicz). There's an energy that crackles on each page, but it takes on a rather subdued form, slowing down time so that we are both carried through the story and yet focused on each individual moment. As Xorn investigates and is exposed to the world and the people in it, this visual technique (combined with the darker, more shadowed hues) allows us to discover with wonder and confusion as he does.
Woven into the poetry of this issue is a furtherance of Morrison's more political take on a world filled with mutants, where the X-Men have become minor celebrities. We first see a riot in the new ghetto of Mutant Town (where one human rioter rather poignantly demands that they get Phoenix's autograph and then burn her), one of the many peripheral concepts Morrison has injected into the book. We are treated to a sampling of philosophies ranging from Xavier ("...we can all be guilty sometimes of mistaking our ideas for things") to a regular beat cop ("Let's all just drink the same damn beer...that's MY idea of global culture"). But in all the touching on politics and philosophy, the story never ventures far from Xorn's investigation, introspection and journey to learn and accept this strange new world.
Xorn is a Zen Buddhist. As a Buddhist, he would probably say that it does nothing to speak of the beauty of this story...one must experience it for one's self. I wish I could express it to you, even in this meager writing, "but these lines and curves are not much like thoughts or feelings at all." Experience and meditate upon this tale for yourself.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/194/xforce128.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/194/xforce128.jpg" align=right alt="X-Force #128 - Someone Dies"></a>#29: Someone Dies
X-Force #124-128
Written By: Peter Milligan
Art By: Mike Allred & Darwyn Cooke
The title says it all. In typical Milligan fashion, this arc took an aspect of the superhero genre (in this issue... a hero dies!) and twisted it, telling a story with an added bite. Milligan's era is the era of the Internet, of spoilers and teasers and previews, where everyone knows what's coming months in advance. We knew well ahead of time that one of the X-Forcers was going to die by the end of this arc. Those of us who were paying close enough attention even had a fair idea of who it might be... but it was at best a suspicion, something we couldn't face up to. We couldn't accept the subtle signs for what they were, so when the truth jumped up and slammed us in the chest it hurt twice as much.
I could go into the plot a bit, discussing the Bush Rangers or the role played by the aftermath of the Paco Perez scandal, but truthfully that's not the point. Plot, in this story, is window dressing: something shiny Milligan waves around in front of us with his left hand so we don't see the fist he's making with his right. What makes this story particularly good, though, is how well those dangling bits of plot all tie together into such an effective façade. At no point do we feel manipulated, even though we are being actively jerked around. Milligan tears us from one cliffhanger to another, as each issue falls over into the next. We think we know who's going to die, but then... no, false alarm, take a deep breath while we quietly suck some more air out of the room.
There are two things in particular that make this arc such a fascinating study. The first is the Spike, and how he dies. The second is how U-Go Girl, the fan favorite, dies... and how we should have seen it coming.
The Spike, a relative newcomer to the team, had made himself an annoyance to teammate the Anarchist. As a character, the Spike was really just a massive red herring, someone to stand around and give us reason to suspect that the Anarchist was the one who was going to die. When the final issue of this arc comes around, the Anarchist is the one who is stuck out in space, and it seems clear that he is the one who's going to go. Of course Milligan changes the rules mid-game, and the Anarchist is saved. Then the Spike emerges, revealing that the Spike that has been standing right beside the team is an imposter, one of the Bush Rangers.
What happens next is what the entire arc has been leading up to. The Bush Ranger, impersonating the Spike, kills the Spike. Now that the cards are all on the table, the Anarchist is safe and the moment of the final revelation is at hand, the Spike is no longer required. The red herring disposes of itself. Before the Bush Ranger is himself killed by X-Force, he hurls out a spike, impaling U-Go Girl. This single detail is the bit that makes the piece genius, as that big old red herring, that thing that made us so sure we knew who was going to go down, literally skewers us, and Edie, for buying what Milligan was selling.
This arc, though not the greatest story ever told, is a delightful exercise in the conventions of the comic medium. Milligan shows us with this arc that even when you know things aren't what they seem, that doesn't help you know the way they really are.
This entry written by Joel Phillips
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen254.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen254.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #254 - All New, All Different... Here We Go Again"></a>#28: All New, All Different...Here We Go Again
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #253-255
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Marc Silvestri
What didn't happen in this arc? Lady Deathstrike was at her best, both in terms of honor and old-fashioned slicing and dicing. One of the best X-battles took place here (more on that later). Polaris is rescued by Banshee as he reenters the superhero fold, readers seeing his sonic scream for the first time since Proteus was alive. Polaris, however, is... different. She has lost her magnetic powers and now has powers akin to the She-Hulk, and the body to represent her new abilities. She is also having a strange effect on others who are near her. They seem to be... different. Storm returns for the first time since her faked death in Uncanny X-Men #248, but she's... different (catching on to the theme?). For some reason she is a child now, and a mysterious stranger is out to get her. Callisto is sent back to the mansion to safeguard it against intruders since Mr. Sinister's attack, during Inferno, has left it vulnerable, and she has a run in with an old friend. Legion ends up making his presence known, and no one can tell which side he's on, because he's always... different. Destiny gets a spotlight of sorts as some visions of the future are revealed with regards to some Mystique and Forge. And last, but definitely not least, the reader sees British Betsy for the last time.
Remember that battle mentioned above? Well, it consisted of a makeshift group of X-Men (mainly former X-Men and associates) taking on the Reavers. What makes this battle so special is that the Reavers don't just rush in: they have strategy, and it works. The "X-Men" are taken down, but not without a wonderful effort. Even better is when Mystique's government sponsored Freedom Force (well, half of them) come in as reinforcements, with Forge aboard as well. They almost even the playing field, but Freedom Force ends up suffering even greater casualties. The Reavers are repelled, but not defeated. Marc Silvestri did an excellent job of giving the reader some action packed pages of a truly brutal conflict.
As seen above, the seeds for many plots are laid out in this arc. There are too many to go into them all here, but one particular thread needs to be addressed: part two of Magneto's journey takes place in this arc (see Trial of Magneto & Crossroads). He and Moira debate philosophy, and the reader can see the weight of his perceived failures in regards to the New Mutants and X-Men on his conscience (the X-Men at this time are thought to be dead). Unfortunately, the reader can see him starting to seep back into his less scrupulous ways of thinking.
This arc acts as a starting point for many plots that end up keeping the X-Men busy for years to come. Even other writers utilized some of the stuff started here. Chris Claremont expanded the X-Men's notoriety because of his reader-friendly use of continuity, and if anyone wants to read how to start multiple threads of plots properly, then try this out. Because folks: this is how it's done!
This entry written by Tan K.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen150.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen150.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #150 - I, Magneto"></a>#27: I, Magneto
Uncanny X-Men #150
Written By: Chris Claremont
Art By: Dave Cockrum
Kindly define "epic" for me.
Despite the main action of this story taking place completely in one double-sized issue, the stakes for both the characters and the world are immense, the action intense, the emotional pathos practically dripping from both hero and villain as all are ready to give their lives for their differing dreams of a better world (and some almost do). All of these factors give I, Magneto... the kind of literary weight and gravity to make it worthy of its titular predecessor, I, Claudius, Peter Graves' acclaimed novel about the Roman Emperor. THAT'S the level this story works on, folks. The epic, the iconic, the historical.
From a makeshift fortress, risen from the depths of the ocean, Magneto places his most daring plan for world domination into effect: demanding that all political control on Earth be ceded to him, and that all nuclear powers disarm in one week. His "guests" during this venture are Cyclops and his lady friend, Lee Forrester...shipwrecked, taken in and completely powerless to stop the master of magnetism. The X-Men fly in to investigate, only to have the Blackbird disabled and their powers negated within Magneto's energy field, almost leading to Colossus' death underwater when he unexpectedly reverts from steel to flesh. Reunited with their former leader, the X-Men have to find a way to defeat their oldest nemesis (who at this point had already handed the new team their butts on two separate occasions), and they have to do it without any of their powers. Sabotage, psychic combat, and a lot of mutants falling from great heights only to be saved at the last minutes drive the story to the final battle, a melee of incredible scope and action with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Truly, the stuff that great superhero battles are made of. The final victory comes in the form of the newest X-Man, Kitty Pryde. She is able to disrupt Magneto's machinery, bringing her in direct conflict with Magneto himself, who almost kills the young girl. The sight of her limp body, the thought that he has slain an innocent child quells Magneto's fury, leading him to understand that all such innocents would suffer should he continue his war with humanity. He flees, leaving the X-Men to believe that they had won a draw...but having in truth won a supreme victory. Not by trouncing Magneto or putting him behind bars, but by perhaps changing his attitude and outlook.
Up until this issue, Magneto was a rather standard villain, his only saving graces being his tyrannical nature and ability to truly challenge the X-Men in combat. The threat came not from his beliefs or opposition to Xavier, but from his great power. This issue changed a lot of that, changing him into a more sympathetic character. His actions, even when violent, take on a twisted nobility. He sinks a Russian submarine in retaliation for its firing upon him, and then causes a volcano to erupt in Russia itself...but does so in a lightly populated area and with enough time for the citizenry to be evacuated. He offers grief for Phoenix upon hearing of her death, and displays an antagonistic respect for all of the X-Men, going so far as to slightly lament when he believes he has killed Storm. His description of a utopia, free from the evils of the world's governments but ruled by mutant kind, is so enticing that Claremont has to remind us through Cyclops WHY Magneto's vision would never work. Now, that's the sign of good writing: when you've made your villain's case so convincing that you have to remind the audience that it's wrong. Magneto's range of emotional depth strikes on Shakespearean levels here as well...from haughty and regal when speaking to world leaders, to foolishly idealistic when contemplating his new world. From outraged at the opposition of the X-Men at every turn, to completely distraught and willing to die in recompense at Kitty's "death." The ghosts of the past quite clearly haunt him at every turn, and the theme that he has become so like the Nazi monsters in his battle to stop those same kinds of atrocities is first introduced here. This is the issue that defined the character of Magneto for years...until Claremont left the books for the first time. Since then, much of Magneto's characterization has returned to the one note megalomaniac of old. And as Jean's "resurrection" somewhat weakened the impact of Dark Phoenix Saga, so too does Magneto's reversion to form dull the edge of this story. More's the pity, as this represents a truly tragic tale of one man driven mad by power and the certainty of his righteousness.
Of course, the book is still primarily about the X-Men, and our heroes certainly get their chance to shine. Deprived of their powers, the team must use their own talents and skills to infiltrate and try to defeat Magneto (as Cyclops lists these skills, he manages a subtle dig at Wolverine that always makes me chuckle). Though each of the team gets their moment to shine, Storm steals the show, holding her own against Magneto time and again. Her mental anguish over whether or not to kill a sleeping Magneto is a moment of true quiet intensity. And this story burns with intensity, thanks in great part to the artistic mastery of Cockrum's pencils, and the inks and finishes of Rubinstein and Wiacek. The panels move the story along so tightly that even during quiet moments the page crackles with energy. Action scenes are beautifully kinetic, and so much is communicated through the characters' facial expression and body language that Claremont's brilliant writing is not just enhanced...it's sometimes supplanted.
I, Magneto... Epic, defined in two words.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/193/xfact071.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/193/xfact071.jpg" align=right alt="X-Factor #71 - Cutting the Mustard"></a>#26: Cutting the Mustard
X-Factor (Vol. 1) #71
Written By: Peter David
Art By: Larry Stroman
Cutting the Mustard is the first issue of Peter David's new take on X-Factor: a team of mutants working for the government to face mutant threats. David's now legendary run would force his cast to deal with issues like governmental interference, public relations and the celebrity of superheroes... topics so far ahead of their time that twelve years later they are just now being brought to the front of the major mutant titles.
I could go on and on about David's X-Factor run, but that's not what this is about. This is about its beginning, a story which, simply put, has everything.
It's funny. This would be a hallmark of David's run, particularly with cut-up characters like Multiple Man and Strong Guy around. This issue features the team, with all their super powers, struggling unsuccessfully to meet a difficult challenge: opening a mayonnaise jar. By the end of the issue, the jar is opened (by the team's government liaison, Val Cooper, of all people), and we learn that it was a trick jar brought in by a very amused Jamie Madrox. While Jamie sits at home, amused by his prank, the doorbell rings and he answers it... and is then shot and killed.
The sudden shift in mood is something few do as well as Peter David, and there would be many great examples of this throughout his X-Factor run. This particular instance, of course, is a fake out: by next issue we learn it is merely a multiple who was killed. (Of course David doesn't let it lie that easily: Jamie is unable to reabsorb the dead dupe, leading him on to the eventual conclusion that his duplicates are real people to a greater extent than he was previously willing to admit.) Still, the shocker at the end of such a light-hearted and purposefully goofy issue makes the cliffhanger all the more effective.
The thing about Cutting the Mustard that makes it worth inclusion is the fact that it almost single-handedly defines most of the characters it contains. Though none of the team members are David's creations, his version of them has become THE version of them, the version that future writers go by when using the characters. And the groundwork for it starts right out of the gate, with this issue. Folks like Multiple Man, Strong Guy and Val Cooper had history before Peter David came along, but he's the one who gave them their true personalities. Still other characters, like Havok and Polaris, were made to grow, to move forward as characters in a way all writers strive for and few truly accomplish.
No, Cutting the Mustard doesn't involve any earth-shattering events. There are no villains to be fought, and no stakes to be won. All it does is present itself as the perfect read: funny, bright, well-written, and the first in a series of steps you know going in are gonna be great.
This entry written by Joel Phillips
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen297.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen297.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #297 - Up and Around"></a>#25: Up and Around
Uncanny X-Men #297
Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Brandon Peterson
In the wake of the events of The X-Cutioner's Song, readers were treated to two epilogues in the pages of Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor. While Up and Around is the lesser of the two, it remains a strong story on its own merits. One night in the lives of six X-Men, dealing with each other through peripheral events of the crossover rather than the Summers family drama. A wise choice, as it highlights the humanity of these characters and their wants and needs much greater than a plot driven epilogue could possibly hope to.
The story is divided into three sections. We start with Beast and Archangel flying into the devastated ruins of Harry's Hideaway, recently demolished by Caliban at the beginning of The X-Cutioner's Song. Intending to repair the ruins of their collegiate hang out, the two original X-Men begin reminiscing and joking about their school days (the symbolism of rebuilding one's past leading to nostalgia isn't exactly a subtle one), leading to a bit of wistfulness for those days and melancholy for the present on Warren's part...which Hank quickly dispels with some sage words and a time honored noogie.
We shift from blue mutants to a mutant with the blues. Rogue, sitting alone atop a roof and recovering from injuries from a recent battle, broods over her personal life...only to be joined by the recent object of her affections, Gambit. He starts out flirtatious as usual, but when Rogue reveals she has genuine feelings for him he tries to reach out, offering tenderness instead of flip remarks and double entendre. Rogue lashes out at him, sending him on his way, because no matter how much she may want him and vice versa, it can't and won't ever be. As usual, she's afraid to let anyone in...doubled by the fear that Gambit will use her heart like one of his trademark playing cards. He departs without a word, just a sullen look on his face. And returns with a blanket, wrapping it around Rogue. A gesture of warmth and comfort, and the promise that everything will be fine. Up to this point, Gambit and Rogue shared a sexual tension and flirtation that many found charming...but this issue upped the ante for their romance.
The final story deals not with friends or lovers...but teacher and student. As Jubilee roller blades across the campus, she quite literally stumbles across Professor X: standing tall, walking. An apparent side effect of his short-term exposure to the techno-organic virus, he has temporarily regained the use of his legs (Lobdell wisely sidesteps the scientific or medical reasons for this plot device, essentially saying to the reader "just go with it."). This momentary blessing allows Xavier to open up more and be vulnerable to Jubilee, revealing that he would sometimes rather have the use of his legs back than all of his vaunted psychic gifts. Jubilee uses this bonding experience to convince Xavier to join her for a rather hair-raising venture into the world of roller blading...that is, if he had hair to raise. After some coaxing (and Xavier revealing to Jubilee where his will is kept, just in case), Jubilee is able to get Xavier to trust her enough to close his eyes... and then asks him to forgive her as she leads him straight into a lake. Drying off, she in turn opens up to him, dropping her careless façade a little to let him know she appreciates him and what he does. Xavier thanks her and rises to go, but with his first steps begins to stumble. Stubbornly, he presses on as Jubilee barely holds back her tears and whispers a silent prayer:
"Look, whoever up there is in charge of these things...? Give the dude a break, huh? It's only a few more steps...Please?"
Her prayer is answered, as he stumbles a few more steps. She rushes to help him the rest of the way, just to be there for him in his time of need.
Lobdell knows how to write tearjerkers as well as one-liners, and both are at work here. The balance is sometimes a bit off, but overall very endearing. And the intercutting of the three stories makes each of them stronger, not only by pacing them each out but by serving as foils, complementing and enhancing themes in each, allowing the whole to come across as much stronger than its component parts. Peterson, while his panels can come off as rather static and stiff at times, has a great gift for facial expressions and uses that skill with great warmth and depth to convey emotion all through this issue. His use of light and dark also serves the story, as we progress from latest night until sunrise.
Each of these stories comes across with the same message. That in the end, we have to rely on each other and be there for one another. And more often than not, that's more than enough. A fitting coda to an X-Cutioner's Song.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen175.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen175.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #175 - Phoenix"></a>#24: Phoenix
Uncanny X-Men #175
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Paul Smith & John Romita Jr.
A while back in one of my columns, I called Uncanny X-Men #175 the greatest Cyclops story ever created... and I meant it.
Thousands of X-Men readers were incensed when Jean Grey, the Phoenix, died on the moon in Uncanny X-Men #137. It wasn't so much the death itself that angered readers as much as the fact that Jean apparently wasn't going to be resurrected. After all, everyone in comics gets resurrected... except Bucky.
And then, just when the readers were starting to forget Jean, Claremont introduced us to Scott's new love interest, Madelyne Pryor. She didn't just resemble Jean... she didn't just remind you of Jean... she looked exactly like Jean. Speculation immediately ran rampant that Jean was back, that the Dark Phoenix had a new, evil plan to destroy the X-Men. But Scott didn't care; he loved Madelyne, and he planned to marry her in Uncanny X-Men #175. But just one month before the blessed event was to occur, she apparently showed her true colors.
In the cliffhanger ending to the previous issue, the X-Men had been utterly defeated. The villain, standing over them, was Madelyne herself... wearing a Dark Phoenix costume. And throughout the opening pages of this issue (entitled Phoenix), we all knew that we were right... Madelyne was Phoenix all along. We knew Maddie was Phoenix, the Professor knew Maddie was Phoenix, the X-Men knew Maddie was Phoenix... but Scott himself knew better.
Scott alone had figured out that Maddie wasn't Phoenix resurrected; instead, they were all being manipulated by the Jean-obsessed villain Mastermind. Mastermind made the X-Men think that Scott himself was Phoenix, which meant that Cyclops had to fight the combined might of the X-Men single-handed, before he could ever even get close to the true villain.
And alone, Cyclops beat the X-Men. He thrashed his teammates, defeated Mastermind, saved Madelyne, and was married by issue's end. Uncanny X-Men #175 wrapped up the ongoing Scott/Madelyne plotline in a big way: with a fantastic battle, numerous emotional moments, and the ever-so-rare X-wedding. It established Scott Summers for years to come as the X-Universe's premiere hero and leader, showed just how capable the longest-serving X-Man had become, and set up a whole new array of plots and subplots that would run on into the new X-Factor series, and all the way through Inferno.
Strong characterization, respect for Cyclops, a great plot, and beautiful art by Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. combine to make this issue a must-read in our list of X-stories.
This entry written by Jim Lemoine
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/337/origin2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/337/origin2.jpg" align=right alt="Origin #2 - Origin"></a>#23: Origin
Origin #1-6
Written By: Paul Jenkins, Joe Quesada and Bill Jemas
Art By: Andy Kubert
An expansive Victorian household, high atop a lush hill, haunted by memories and loss. Two families, separated by class, brought together in unrequited love, betrayal, grief and abuse. The hope of the younger generation. And our lone narrator, venturing into this melodrama to grant us the merest glimpse of this tragedy that has been building for years. I mean, really… how can you NOT love Wuthering Heights?
Yet, while these are the elements of Emily Bronte’s classic book of gothic romance, they also serve as the springboard for another tale of loves and losses, of families torn apart. With Origin, Paul Jenkins abandons the conventions of standard superheroics to reveal to us the earliest years of Wolverine’s life. Instead, he chooses to invoke elements from classic literature, granting the story a kind of heightened air that charges the characters and events.
We begin, as I said, with a house on a hill. The Howlett estate, which we are told in the very beginning “was built on a foundation of tears.” Young Rose, having been orphaned, has been requested to come and be playmate to the Howletts’ only living child: a sickly dandy of a boy named James. His father John is a kindly man, who treats everyone with great patience and respect… a difficult task given the sullen withdrawn mood of his wife, Elizabeth, and the disapproving glowers and rants of his father. And then there are the Logans (which as we know from present day continuity is the only name Wolverine has ever known), a drunken abusive servant and his rambunctious son, Dog who for all appearances at first could well be the young child version of Wolverine. Dog, Rose and James become fast friends (this trio of young companions, the rebellious outsider, gentle girl come to live with the wealthy family and sickly child is seems to be an homage to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden… which along with the Bronte influence led many to believe this story to be set in England at first instead of Wolverine’s native Canada) until they are torn apart by class and the elder Logan’s drunken abuse of Dog. The cycle of violence and retribution ends with the deaths of the three parents and a revelation that shifts the focus of the entire series. It is James, and not Dog, who pops the trademark claws of Wolverine in a fit of rage at his father’s murder, killing Logan and scarring Dog’s face. The trauma leaves him slightly amnesiac and he and Rose soon find themselves on the run, fleeing the aristocratic isolation of the Hill for the savage life of a mining camp.
Here, the story takes a turn from the works of Bronte and Hodgson and straight into the survivalist/coming-of-age tales of Jack London (of course, with requisite wolves in tow). Rose gives James the pseudonym of “Logan” to start out their new lives. The newly dubbed mutant begins developing in body and mind, awakening his innate animal instincts under the pressures and abuse of both the camp and the wilderness, growing from sickly frightened adolescent into a self assured and able young man… along with awakening a growing attraction and love for a girl who has cared for him for years. While he restrains himself at camp, suffering the unrelenting abuse of the unpopular Cookie and only surviving by coming under the wing of the camp leader, Smitty, he finds release at night in the woods with the wolves, the moon, and the hunt. After proving himself time and again, the young Logan is finally able to win victories in both of his worlds, over Cookie and the pack leader of the wolves, only to suffer a great defeat as he learns that Rose and Smitty have fallen in love. Meanwhile, the now fully-grown and still scarred Dog is sent on the trail of Logan and Rose. All of the events and characters come to a head as Logan fights Smitty in a cage match, professing his love for Rose… before giving her up to Smitty and taking a dive to allow them their new life. After the match, Logan is ambushed by Dog, a brawl that ends with Logan on the edge of victory only to have Rose pushed on to his claws by the surrounding mob. Logan surrenders his humanity to the wilderness, shutting himself off from Smitty, who had been like a father to him. Our final look into this world is the diary of Rose, our source of narration throughout the tale and the possible answer to many of Wolverine’s questions of his past, burning to ashes.
What Jenkins does best here is telling a different kind of story with the character of Wolverine. Rather than opting for a straight action or adventure piece, or even the kind of sly espionage tales we’ve seen in the past, Jenkins goes the way of tragic romance. What’s more, he makes it work. As you find yourself being drawn into the characters’ lives, you also feel the impending doom awaiting them at the end and are driven to that end along with them. The catharsis of Rose’s death, of Smitty’s plaintive cry to his proverbial son in the barren snowy wastelands, of Logan’s final decision to abandon himself to the savage wild is the beauty of all tragedy as we are pulled through grief and loss into a kind of transcendent relief.
If the story has any weaknesses, they are rather minor. The influence of classic literature lends it that heightened air, true, but it also makes itself rather known, which distracts from the work itself. Instead of its own strengths and merits, it seems at times to stand upon what has come before. Also, it almost tries to explain too much while it explains too little: Logan’s penchant for memory loss, love triangles, and his attraction to redheads take on a certain kind of subconscious logic given the traumatic events surrounding them here, but the procurement of the name “Wolverine” and implications that Dog is Sabretooth seem a bit unnecessary at times. But I guess some people were having a little trouble realizing this was indeed a Wolverine story, and so needed little nods to present continuity to keep up.
Andy Kubert is at his finest here. His inkless pencils, colored by the equally brilliant Richard Isanove in wistful hues, convey both the age and weight of this story. The beauty of nature infuses every panel, whether it be the desolate beauty of winter or the lush landscapes of the spring, the setting becomes its own character through the collaboration of Kubert and Isanove. Any faults the story might have are easily countered by the visual storytelling and gorgeous art at work here. Words aside, Origin is a visual feast for the eyes, a true masterpiece.
The greatest strength of Origin is that it can stand on its own, a great comic book story in its own right, with or without the involvement of the mystery man known as Wolverine.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/196/xmen-025.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/196/xmen-025.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 - Fatal Attractions: Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist"></a>#22: Fatal Attractions: Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist
X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 & Wolverine (Vol. 2) #75
Written By: Fabian Nicieza & Larry Hama
Art By: Adam Kubert & Andy Kubert
I'm in Junior High and I'm both loving and hating the fact that the X-Men are in another crossover. This one would feature the return of Magneto (whom I thought had died in X-Men (Vol.2) #3... I had yet to learn the cold hard facts about death in comics) and Cable (who had been missing since X-Cutioner's Song). Standard run of the mill stuff, eh? Return a few favorites, slap a hologram on the cover, and expect kids to pay a big cover price from their pitiful allowance.
That all changed when we got to the meat of the story, the two part Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist. Everything had built to this moment, when Xavier would take his team to finally confront Magneto on his home turf. The X-Men's greatest adversary had gone way too far this time, and it was time to put an end to the madness. Maybe it was the relative freshness of being a collector before the invent of the Internet as a mainstream tool of spoilage. Maybe it was youthful enthusiasm or ignorant bliss. Maybe it was all of the above. But I didn't see it coming. I don't think ANYBODY did, at least in my circle of boyhood chums.
It had never really sunk in before: here we have the X-Men, and the furry, sawed-off little runt Wolverine. Countless times they had fought Magneto, countless times they had won. Had the authors, predominately Chris Claremont, ever stopped to think: "You know, Wolverine DOES have a metal skeleton..."? I guess the combined think-tank of writers and editors involved in the project must have reached that conclusion, because there it was, X-Men #25, and the most popular, the most dangerous, the unstoppable Wolverine was getting the adamantium skeleton ripped out through the pores of his body. Not just gently tugged. Not just partially bending the claws back. None of that. Oh no... he was getting killed, right there, right in front of us.
Like I said, I didn't see it coming. Just like I didn't see Xavier's retaliation coming. Just like I didn't see the aftermath of Wolverine's struggle with life and death coming. It was a shock that is rare in comics today, and it left a lasting impression for years to come.
Beyond the battle and fight for life that followed, the repercussions from that battle are what made this story one of the greatest. Not only did it set the stage for events to be played out in Wolverine's own title for the next few years, it set the standard for the evolution of Xavier as well, and defined a classic villain for the new era of readers. For the first time, we saw Wolverine as a beatable opponent. There would be no quick rebound from this battle for Logan, and it injected a life into the character that had grown stagnant as "the best at what he does". Now, when we read a story with him in it, we actually feared for him and his life. No more healing factor. No more adamantium. Bone claws?? How could this hero still go toe-to-toe with the bad guys of the universe? Simply put: he couldn't, or at least he didn't think he could. And thus he left the team, which in itself changed the dynamics of the group: could the X-Men survive without Wolverine? Could the sales of the title?
And what of Xavier, mind-wiping Magneto? Even his prized student Jean Grey wouldn't help him do that, leading her and other core X-Men to question Xavier for years to come, the seeds of Onslaught planted on that day. Out of every single crossover/event of the time, this story had the most long lasting ramifications, and thus transcended the usual crossover fare. X-Continuity literally hinged on this moment, making it an essential read for any fan.
This entry written by Anthony Lucynski
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen239.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen239.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #239 - Inferno"></a>#21: Inferno
Uncanny X-Men #239-243, X-Factor (Vol. 1) #36-39 & New Mutants (Vol. 1) #71-73
Written by: Chris Claremont & Louise Simonson
Art by: Marc Silvestri, Walt Simonson & Bret Blevins
Inferno gave the readers of the X-universe one of the most long-awaited, eventful, and shocking resolutions in the history of comic books. There were three major plots addressed in this arc: the Illyana/Magik/Darkchylde entity, the mystery of the Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor/Phoenix relationship, and the issues surrounding Scott Summer's past. And oh, yeah: there was also the small matter of a demonic attack and transformation of New York City.
Illyana: Illyana's transformation from Magik to Darkchylde was aggravated by the influence of two demons, S'ym and N'astirh, causing her to mutate even further into a true demon-like creature. After being tricked by N'astirh, Magik opened a portal through which demons began flowing into New York. While the New Mutants fought to save both Illyana and the city, Wolfsbane discovered a seven-year-old Illyana in Limbo (due to the strange time properties of both Limbo and Illyana's powers). Ultimately Magik threw her Soulsword into the demonic portal and sacrificed herself, resulting in the demons being sucked back into Limbo and leaving the young, untainted Illyana in her place.
Jean/Madelyne/Phoenix: At the start of Inferno, Madelyne has struck a deal with N'astirh and has become the Goblin Queen. Upon meeting Mr. Sinister, he reveals that he created her from tissue samples of Jean Grey, and that Madelyne's first moment of life was at the exact moment of the Phoenix's death. Madelyne was created for the sole purpose of producing a baby with Scott Summers, whom Sinister would take as his own. When Jean returned from the dead, Sinister ordered Madelyne's death.
N'astirh finds baby Nathan and gives him to Madelyne, who is now planning on revenge against Scott. She plans to sacrifice Nathan, which will also increase the demonic hold over New York. The X-Men and X-Factor meet, and after some initial tension they regroup and go after Madelyne. Eventually Madelyne commits suicide and psychically latches on to Jean. In order for Jean to escape death, she must fully accept the Phoenix's essence and all that comes with it, including the combined memories of Phoenix and Madelyne. Reluctantly, she accepts.
Scott: It is revealed that Scott and Alex were put into an orphanage belonging to Mr. Sinister. Sinister became aware of them when Scott used his optic blast after the plane explosion that Scott thought cost his parents their lives. Sinister tried to harness Scott's power, but his optic blasts were uncontrollable. The year Scott was supposedly in a coma was actually the year that Sinister was in contact with him: his memories were blocked out by Sinister. It turns out that Sinister is vulnerable to something in Scott's optic blasts, and in the final confrontation Cyclops annihilates Mr. Sinister completely. For the first time Scott, Jean, and baby Nathan are all together.
This definitely is one of the most influential and entertaining arcs in the history of the X-canon. What makes it more of a masterpiece is that Chris Claremont was against the return of Jean Grey from the dead. Despite this he was able to adapt and, along with Louise Simonson, was able to craft an intricate story that feels nearly seamless. Inferno did not feel like some contrived and convenient tale placed within the X-titles to create a crossover or get rid of dangling threads. But it DID get rid of dangling threads, and made sense while doing it. This is the first time the X-Men had seen Jean Grey since her death, and as a result of Fall of the Mutants, X-Factor believed the X-Men to be dead. The Beast also dubbed Angel, "Archangel," during this arc. And this is where Mr. Sinister made his name and was placed in the upper echelons of X-Men villains.
So even though being #21 is a great accomplishment, why isn't it higher? What is ironic is that one of Inferno's greatest strengths is also, to some, a great weakness: continuity. Unlike some of Claremont's other works, where the reader did not require the back issues to receive the full impact of the story, the level of payoff in Inferno was directly proportional to their back knowledge. Theoretically, this story began with Uncanny X-Men #137 (Jean/Phoenix's death), Uncanny X-Men #168 (Madelyne's first appearance), or Fantastic Four #286 (Jean's resurrection). The impact of these events were felt so much more by those who had been around for those early tales, as opposed to someone who just picked up Inferno by itself. Another issue that some people had a hard time with was the retconning of Jean Grey's death, since for many people Jean Grey died on the moon, and anything else was an abomination.
In the history of the X-world, this is arguably one of the most important storylines that has ever seen print. The cleansing of so many plots, the manner in which they were done, and the number of ripples that came out of this arc are proof of that. Combine all of this with the wonderful images that artists Marc Silvestri, Walt Simonson and Bret Blevins created, and you hold in your hands an incredible work.
This entry written by Tan K.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
Be sure to check back next week for Part 3, #20-11! For more special articles, features, and columns celebrating the 40th Anniversaries of the Avengers and X-Men, click here! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21464)
Edited and assembled by Joel Phillips
Our 40th anniversary celebration continues with stories 30 through 21 on our Top 40 X-Stories countdown. Here's the list so far:
Read the full Part 1 here! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21443)
#40: The Ties that Bind
#39: Exit Wounds
#38: Muir Island Saga
#37: Absolute Progeny
#36: Going Through the Motions
#35: Healing Factor
#34: He'll Never Make Me Cry
#33: Trial of Magneto
#32: The X-Cutioner's Song
#31: A World Apart
Now, stories 30 through 21:
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/newxmen127.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/newxmen127t.jpg" align=right alt="New X-Men #127- Of Living and Dying"></a>#30: Of Living and Dying
New X-Men #127
Written By: Grant Morrison
Art By: John Paul Leon
If some of the other stories in this list could be compared to great literature, Greek tragedies or spanning epics, this quiet tale focusing on Xorn is a poem.
Xorn is possibly one of the most intriguing and fascinating characters introduced in years, yet up to this point we knew very little about him. He barely appeared or spoke in his very first appearance (New X-Men 2001 Annual). His assistance during the Imperial arc showcased his vast powers, his eagerness to learn about the world he was sheltered from and the friendship he feels for Cyclops, yet we still knew next to nothing about him. With a solitary line on the first page, a splash shot of Xorn kneeling over a dead horse on a street bathed in red light and blood, we know all we NEED to know.
"If I could save every life, I would do it."
From there we learn even more of Xorn's powers and character as he investigates an alleged "monster" who's been running loose, drawing blame and suspicion on to the newly established ghetto of Mutant Town. He speaks to Professor Xavier on the nature of humanity to gather in tribes and how that creates conflict now that we are all living under the same tent. He encounters a shopkeeper who hails from the same province of China, who calls him a great man of peace...and when Xorn looks "over this man's shoulder into time," he sees two of their ancestors meeting in China. He overhears a pair of cops talking about the self-imposed separation of minority groups in the city (highlighting Xavier's earlier talk of "tribes"). And finally he comes upon the "monster" himself...a twelve-year-old mutant being nursed by his mother. In order to protect her brutish looking son from persecution and death by lynching or Sentinels, she gives him half a bottle of pills and takes the other half herself. Xorn naively informs her that the pills are killing her as she falls unconscious, causing the boy to go on a rampage, seeking "med-sunn" to "mak bettuh." Xorn realizes the boy is still in a transitional state as the police surround him, using guns and flamethrowers against a child.
"In ten days he would have become something new and wonderful. Something never seen before. Something rare. Unique...Ten days. In ten days it would have been all right. He would have awakened to his potential."
Afterwards, Xorn attempts to help heal those injured in the young mutant's rampage...and as the city streets are soaked with rain ("Clouds recycle water molecules onto the concrete"), the old shopkeeper he had met brings him rice. They sit and talk as Xorn's journey comes to the simplest of conclusions: Life goes on.
The beauty of this story lies in its intimacy, an intimacy that is highlighted by John Paul Leon's deft line work (inked by the always brilliant Bill Sienkiewicz). There's an energy that crackles on each page, but it takes on a rather subdued form, slowing down time so that we are both carried through the story and yet focused on each individual moment. As Xorn investigates and is exposed to the world and the people in it, this visual technique (combined with the darker, more shadowed hues) allows us to discover with wonder and confusion as he does.
Woven into the poetry of this issue is a furtherance of Morrison's more political take on a world filled with mutants, where the X-Men have become minor celebrities. We first see a riot in the new ghetto of Mutant Town (where one human rioter rather poignantly demands that they get Phoenix's autograph and then burn her), one of the many peripheral concepts Morrison has injected into the book. We are treated to a sampling of philosophies ranging from Xavier ("...we can all be guilty sometimes of mistaking our ideas for things") to a regular beat cop ("Let's all just drink the same damn beer...that's MY idea of global culture"). But in all the touching on politics and philosophy, the story never ventures far from Xorn's investigation, introspection and journey to learn and accept this strange new world.
Xorn is a Zen Buddhist. As a Buddhist, he would probably say that it does nothing to speak of the beauty of this story...one must experience it for one's self. I wish I could express it to you, even in this meager writing, "but these lines and curves are not much like thoughts or feelings at all." Experience and meditate upon this tale for yourself.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/194/xforce128.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/194/xforce128.jpg" align=right alt="X-Force #128 - Someone Dies"></a>#29: Someone Dies
X-Force #124-128
Written By: Peter Milligan
Art By: Mike Allred & Darwyn Cooke
The title says it all. In typical Milligan fashion, this arc took an aspect of the superhero genre (in this issue... a hero dies!) and twisted it, telling a story with an added bite. Milligan's era is the era of the Internet, of spoilers and teasers and previews, where everyone knows what's coming months in advance. We knew well ahead of time that one of the X-Forcers was going to die by the end of this arc. Those of us who were paying close enough attention even had a fair idea of who it might be... but it was at best a suspicion, something we couldn't face up to. We couldn't accept the subtle signs for what they were, so when the truth jumped up and slammed us in the chest it hurt twice as much.
I could go into the plot a bit, discussing the Bush Rangers or the role played by the aftermath of the Paco Perez scandal, but truthfully that's not the point. Plot, in this story, is window dressing: something shiny Milligan waves around in front of us with his left hand so we don't see the fist he's making with his right. What makes this story particularly good, though, is how well those dangling bits of plot all tie together into such an effective façade. At no point do we feel manipulated, even though we are being actively jerked around. Milligan tears us from one cliffhanger to another, as each issue falls over into the next. We think we know who's going to die, but then... no, false alarm, take a deep breath while we quietly suck some more air out of the room.
There are two things in particular that make this arc such a fascinating study. The first is the Spike, and how he dies. The second is how U-Go Girl, the fan favorite, dies... and how we should have seen it coming.
The Spike, a relative newcomer to the team, had made himself an annoyance to teammate the Anarchist. As a character, the Spike was really just a massive red herring, someone to stand around and give us reason to suspect that the Anarchist was the one who was going to die. When the final issue of this arc comes around, the Anarchist is the one who is stuck out in space, and it seems clear that he is the one who's going to go. Of course Milligan changes the rules mid-game, and the Anarchist is saved. Then the Spike emerges, revealing that the Spike that has been standing right beside the team is an imposter, one of the Bush Rangers.
What happens next is what the entire arc has been leading up to. The Bush Ranger, impersonating the Spike, kills the Spike. Now that the cards are all on the table, the Anarchist is safe and the moment of the final revelation is at hand, the Spike is no longer required. The red herring disposes of itself. Before the Bush Ranger is himself killed by X-Force, he hurls out a spike, impaling U-Go Girl. This single detail is the bit that makes the piece genius, as that big old red herring, that thing that made us so sure we knew who was going to go down, literally skewers us, and Edie, for buying what Milligan was selling.
This arc, though not the greatest story ever told, is a delightful exercise in the conventions of the comic medium. Milligan shows us with this arc that even when you know things aren't what they seem, that doesn't help you know the way they really are.
This entry written by Joel Phillips
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen254.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen254.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #254 - All New, All Different... Here We Go Again"></a>#28: All New, All Different...Here We Go Again
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #253-255
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Marc Silvestri
What didn't happen in this arc? Lady Deathstrike was at her best, both in terms of honor and old-fashioned slicing and dicing. One of the best X-battles took place here (more on that later). Polaris is rescued by Banshee as he reenters the superhero fold, readers seeing his sonic scream for the first time since Proteus was alive. Polaris, however, is... different. She has lost her magnetic powers and now has powers akin to the She-Hulk, and the body to represent her new abilities. She is also having a strange effect on others who are near her. They seem to be... different. Storm returns for the first time since her faked death in Uncanny X-Men #248, but she's... different (catching on to the theme?). For some reason she is a child now, and a mysterious stranger is out to get her. Callisto is sent back to the mansion to safeguard it against intruders since Mr. Sinister's attack, during Inferno, has left it vulnerable, and she has a run in with an old friend. Legion ends up making his presence known, and no one can tell which side he's on, because he's always... different. Destiny gets a spotlight of sorts as some visions of the future are revealed with regards to some Mystique and Forge. And last, but definitely not least, the reader sees British Betsy for the last time.
Remember that battle mentioned above? Well, it consisted of a makeshift group of X-Men (mainly former X-Men and associates) taking on the Reavers. What makes this battle so special is that the Reavers don't just rush in: they have strategy, and it works. The "X-Men" are taken down, but not without a wonderful effort. Even better is when Mystique's government sponsored Freedom Force (well, half of them) come in as reinforcements, with Forge aboard as well. They almost even the playing field, but Freedom Force ends up suffering even greater casualties. The Reavers are repelled, but not defeated. Marc Silvestri did an excellent job of giving the reader some action packed pages of a truly brutal conflict.
As seen above, the seeds for many plots are laid out in this arc. There are too many to go into them all here, but one particular thread needs to be addressed: part two of Magneto's journey takes place in this arc (see Trial of Magneto & Crossroads). He and Moira debate philosophy, and the reader can see the weight of his perceived failures in regards to the New Mutants and X-Men on his conscience (the X-Men at this time are thought to be dead). Unfortunately, the reader can see him starting to seep back into his less scrupulous ways of thinking.
This arc acts as a starting point for many plots that end up keeping the X-Men busy for years to come. Even other writers utilized some of the stuff started here. Chris Claremont expanded the X-Men's notoriety because of his reader-friendly use of continuity, and if anyone wants to read how to start multiple threads of plots properly, then try this out. Because folks: this is how it's done!
This entry written by Tan K.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen150.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen150.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #150 - I, Magneto"></a>#27: I, Magneto
Uncanny X-Men #150
Written By: Chris Claremont
Art By: Dave Cockrum
Kindly define "epic" for me.
Despite the main action of this story taking place completely in one double-sized issue, the stakes for both the characters and the world are immense, the action intense, the emotional pathos practically dripping from both hero and villain as all are ready to give their lives for their differing dreams of a better world (and some almost do). All of these factors give I, Magneto... the kind of literary weight and gravity to make it worthy of its titular predecessor, I, Claudius, Peter Graves' acclaimed novel about the Roman Emperor. THAT'S the level this story works on, folks. The epic, the iconic, the historical.
From a makeshift fortress, risen from the depths of the ocean, Magneto places his most daring plan for world domination into effect: demanding that all political control on Earth be ceded to him, and that all nuclear powers disarm in one week. His "guests" during this venture are Cyclops and his lady friend, Lee Forrester...shipwrecked, taken in and completely powerless to stop the master of magnetism. The X-Men fly in to investigate, only to have the Blackbird disabled and their powers negated within Magneto's energy field, almost leading to Colossus' death underwater when he unexpectedly reverts from steel to flesh. Reunited with their former leader, the X-Men have to find a way to defeat their oldest nemesis (who at this point had already handed the new team their butts on two separate occasions), and they have to do it without any of their powers. Sabotage, psychic combat, and a lot of mutants falling from great heights only to be saved at the last minutes drive the story to the final battle, a melee of incredible scope and action with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Truly, the stuff that great superhero battles are made of. The final victory comes in the form of the newest X-Man, Kitty Pryde. She is able to disrupt Magneto's machinery, bringing her in direct conflict with Magneto himself, who almost kills the young girl. The sight of her limp body, the thought that he has slain an innocent child quells Magneto's fury, leading him to understand that all such innocents would suffer should he continue his war with humanity. He flees, leaving the X-Men to believe that they had won a draw...but having in truth won a supreme victory. Not by trouncing Magneto or putting him behind bars, but by perhaps changing his attitude and outlook.
Up until this issue, Magneto was a rather standard villain, his only saving graces being his tyrannical nature and ability to truly challenge the X-Men in combat. The threat came not from his beliefs or opposition to Xavier, but from his great power. This issue changed a lot of that, changing him into a more sympathetic character. His actions, even when violent, take on a twisted nobility. He sinks a Russian submarine in retaliation for its firing upon him, and then causes a volcano to erupt in Russia itself...but does so in a lightly populated area and with enough time for the citizenry to be evacuated. He offers grief for Phoenix upon hearing of her death, and displays an antagonistic respect for all of the X-Men, going so far as to slightly lament when he believes he has killed Storm. His description of a utopia, free from the evils of the world's governments but ruled by mutant kind, is so enticing that Claremont has to remind us through Cyclops WHY Magneto's vision would never work. Now, that's the sign of good writing: when you've made your villain's case so convincing that you have to remind the audience that it's wrong. Magneto's range of emotional depth strikes on Shakespearean levels here as well...from haughty and regal when speaking to world leaders, to foolishly idealistic when contemplating his new world. From outraged at the opposition of the X-Men at every turn, to completely distraught and willing to die in recompense at Kitty's "death." The ghosts of the past quite clearly haunt him at every turn, and the theme that he has become so like the Nazi monsters in his battle to stop those same kinds of atrocities is first introduced here. This is the issue that defined the character of Magneto for years...until Claremont left the books for the first time. Since then, much of Magneto's characterization has returned to the one note megalomaniac of old. And as Jean's "resurrection" somewhat weakened the impact of Dark Phoenix Saga, so too does Magneto's reversion to form dull the edge of this story. More's the pity, as this represents a truly tragic tale of one man driven mad by power and the certainty of his righteousness.
Of course, the book is still primarily about the X-Men, and our heroes certainly get their chance to shine. Deprived of their powers, the team must use their own talents and skills to infiltrate and try to defeat Magneto (as Cyclops lists these skills, he manages a subtle dig at Wolverine that always makes me chuckle). Though each of the team gets their moment to shine, Storm steals the show, holding her own against Magneto time and again. Her mental anguish over whether or not to kill a sleeping Magneto is a moment of true quiet intensity. And this story burns with intensity, thanks in great part to the artistic mastery of Cockrum's pencils, and the inks and finishes of Rubinstein and Wiacek. The panels move the story along so tightly that even during quiet moments the page crackles with energy. Action scenes are beautifully kinetic, and so much is communicated through the characters' facial expression and body language that Claremont's brilliant writing is not just enhanced...it's sometimes supplanted.
I, Magneto... Epic, defined in two words.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/193/xfact071.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/193/xfact071.jpg" align=right alt="X-Factor #71 - Cutting the Mustard"></a>#26: Cutting the Mustard
X-Factor (Vol. 1) #71
Written By: Peter David
Art By: Larry Stroman
Cutting the Mustard is the first issue of Peter David's new take on X-Factor: a team of mutants working for the government to face mutant threats. David's now legendary run would force his cast to deal with issues like governmental interference, public relations and the celebrity of superheroes... topics so far ahead of their time that twelve years later they are just now being brought to the front of the major mutant titles.
I could go on and on about David's X-Factor run, but that's not what this is about. This is about its beginning, a story which, simply put, has everything.
It's funny. This would be a hallmark of David's run, particularly with cut-up characters like Multiple Man and Strong Guy around. This issue features the team, with all their super powers, struggling unsuccessfully to meet a difficult challenge: opening a mayonnaise jar. By the end of the issue, the jar is opened (by the team's government liaison, Val Cooper, of all people), and we learn that it was a trick jar brought in by a very amused Jamie Madrox. While Jamie sits at home, amused by his prank, the doorbell rings and he answers it... and is then shot and killed.
The sudden shift in mood is something few do as well as Peter David, and there would be many great examples of this throughout his X-Factor run. This particular instance, of course, is a fake out: by next issue we learn it is merely a multiple who was killed. (Of course David doesn't let it lie that easily: Jamie is unable to reabsorb the dead dupe, leading him on to the eventual conclusion that his duplicates are real people to a greater extent than he was previously willing to admit.) Still, the shocker at the end of such a light-hearted and purposefully goofy issue makes the cliffhanger all the more effective.
The thing about Cutting the Mustard that makes it worth inclusion is the fact that it almost single-handedly defines most of the characters it contains. Though none of the team members are David's creations, his version of them has become THE version of them, the version that future writers go by when using the characters. And the groundwork for it starts right out of the gate, with this issue. Folks like Multiple Man, Strong Guy and Val Cooper had history before Peter David came along, but he's the one who gave them their true personalities. Still other characters, like Havok and Polaris, were made to grow, to move forward as characters in a way all writers strive for and few truly accomplish.
No, Cutting the Mustard doesn't involve any earth-shattering events. There are no villains to be fought, and no stakes to be won. All it does is present itself as the perfect read: funny, bright, well-written, and the first in a series of steps you know going in are gonna be great.
This entry written by Joel Phillips
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen297.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen297.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #297 - Up and Around"></a>#25: Up and Around
Uncanny X-Men #297
Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Brandon Peterson
In the wake of the events of The X-Cutioner's Song, readers were treated to two epilogues in the pages of Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor. While Up and Around is the lesser of the two, it remains a strong story on its own merits. One night in the lives of six X-Men, dealing with each other through peripheral events of the crossover rather than the Summers family drama. A wise choice, as it highlights the humanity of these characters and their wants and needs much greater than a plot driven epilogue could possibly hope to.
The story is divided into three sections. We start with Beast and Archangel flying into the devastated ruins of Harry's Hideaway, recently demolished by Caliban at the beginning of The X-Cutioner's Song. Intending to repair the ruins of their collegiate hang out, the two original X-Men begin reminiscing and joking about their school days (the symbolism of rebuilding one's past leading to nostalgia isn't exactly a subtle one), leading to a bit of wistfulness for those days and melancholy for the present on Warren's part...which Hank quickly dispels with some sage words and a time honored noogie.
We shift from blue mutants to a mutant with the blues. Rogue, sitting alone atop a roof and recovering from injuries from a recent battle, broods over her personal life...only to be joined by the recent object of her affections, Gambit. He starts out flirtatious as usual, but when Rogue reveals she has genuine feelings for him he tries to reach out, offering tenderness instead of flip remarks and double entendre. Rogue lashes out at him, sending him on his way, because no matter how much she may want him and vice versa, it can't and won't ever be. As usual, she's afraid to let anyone in...doubled by the fear that Gambit will use her heart like one of his trademark playing cards. He departs without a word, just a sullen look on his face. And returns with a blanket, wrapping it around Rogue. A gesture of warmth and comfort, and the promise that everything will be fine. Up to this point, Gambit and Rogue shared a sexual tension and flirtation that many found charming...but this issue upped the ante for their romance.
The final story deals not with friends or lovers...but teacher and student. As Jubilee roller blades across the campus, she quite literally stumbles across Professor X: standing tall, walking. An apparent side effect of his short-term exposure to the techno-organic virus, he has temporarily regained the use of his legs (Lobdell wisely sidesteps the scientific or medical reasons for this plot device, essentially saying to the reader "just go with it."). This momentary blessing allows Xavier to open up more and be vulnerable to Jubilee, revealing that he would sometimes rather have the use of his legs back than all of his vaunted psychic gifts. Jubilee uses this bonding experience to convince Xavier to join her for a rather hair-raising venture into the world of roller blading...that is, if he had hair to raise. After some coaxing (and Xavier revealing to Jubilee where his will is kept, just in case), Jubilee is able to get Xavier to trust her enough to close his eyes... and then asks him to forgive her as she leads him straight into a lake. Drying off, she in turn opens up to him, dropping her careless façade a little to let him know she appreciates him and what he does. Xavier thanks her and rises to go, but with his first steps begins to stumble. Stubbornly, he presses on as Jubilee barely holds back her tears and whispers a silent prayer:
"Look, whoever up there is in charge of these things...? Give the dude a break, huh? It's only a few more steps...Please?"
Her prayer is answered, as he stumbles a few more steps. She rushes to help him the rest of the way, just to be there for him in his time of need.
Lobdell knows how to write tearjerkers as well as one-liners, and both are at work here. The balance is sometimes a bit off, but overall very endearing. And the intercutting of the three stories makes each of them stronger, not only by pacing them each out but by serving as foils, complementing and enhancing themes in each, allowing the whole to come across as much stronger than its component parts. Peterson, while his panels can come off as rather static and stiff at times, has a great gift for facial expressions and uses that skill with great warmth and depth to convey emotion all through this issue. His use of light and dark also serves the story, as we progress from latest night until sunrise.
Each of these stories comes across with the same message. That in the end, we have to rely on each other and be there for one another. And more often than not, that's more than enough. A fitting coda to an X-Cutioner's Song.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen175.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen175.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #175 - Phoenix"></a>#24: Phoenix
Uncanny X-Men #175
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Paul Smith & John Romita Jr.
A while back in one of my columns, I called Uncanny X-Men #175 the greatest Cyclops story ever created... and I meant it.
Thousands of X-Men readers were incensed when Jean Grey, the Phoenix, died on the moon in Uncanny X-Men #137. It wasn't so much the death itself that angered readers as much as the fact that Jean apparently wasn't going to be resurrected. After all, everyone in comics gets resurrected... except Bucky.
And then, just when the readers were starting to forget Jean, Claremont introduced us to Scott's new love interest, Madelyne Pryor. She didn't just resemble Jean... she didn't just remind you of Jean... she looked exactly like Jean. Speculation immediately ran rampant that Jean was back, that the Dark Phoenix had a new, evil plan to destroy the X-Men. But Scott didn't care; he loved Madelyne, and he planned to marry her in Uncanny X-Men #175. But just one month before the blessed event was to occur, she apparently showed her true colors.
In the cliffhanger ending to the previous issue, the X-Men had been utterly defeated. The villain, standing over them, was Madelyne herself... wearing a Dark Phoenix costume. And throughout the opening pages of this issue (entitled Phoenix), we all knew that we were right... Madelyne was Phoenix all along. We knew Maddie was Phoenix, the Professor knew Maddie was Phoenix, the X-Men knew Maddie was Phoenix... but Scott himself knew better.
Scott alone had figured out that Maddie wasn't Phoenix resurrected; instead, they were all being manipulated by the Jean-obsessed villain Mastermind. Mastermind made the X-Men think that Scott himself was Phoenix, which meant that Cyclops had to fight the combined might of the X-Men single-handed, before he could ever even get close to the true villain.
And alone, Cyclops beat the X-Men. He thrashed his teammates, defeated Mastermind, saved Madelyne, and was married by issue's end. Uncanny X-Men #175 wrapped up the ongoing Scott/Madelyne plotline in a big way: with a fantastic battle, numerous emotional moments, and the ever-so-rare X-wedding. It established Scott Summers for years to come as the X-Universe's premiere hero and leader, showed just how capable the longest-serving X-Man had become, and set up a whole new array of plots and subplots that would run on into the new X-Factor series, and all the way through Inferno.
Strong characterization, respect for Cyclops, a great plot, and beautiful art by Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. combine to make this issue a must-read in our list of X-stories.
This entry written by Jim Lemoine
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/337/origin2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/337/origin2.jpg" align=right alt="Origin #2 - Origin"></a>#23: Origin
Origin #1-6
Written By: Paul Jenkins, Joe Quesada and Bill Jemas
Art By: Andy Kubert
An expansive Victorian household, high atop a lush hill, haunted by memories and loss. Two families, separated by class, brought together in unrequited love, betrayal, grief and abuse. The hope of the younger generation. And our lone narrator, venturing into this melodrama to grant us the merest glimpse of this tragedy that has been building for years. I mean, really… how can you NOT love Wuthering Heights?
Yet, while these are the elements of Emily Bronte’s classic book of gothic romance, they also serve as the springboard for another tale of loves and losses, of families torn apart. With Origin, Paul Jenkins abandons the conventions of standard superheroics to reveal to us the earliest years of Wolverine’s life. Instead, he chooses to invoke elements from classic literature, granting the story a kind of heightened air that charges the characters and events.
We begin, as I said, with a house on a hill. The Howlett estate, which we are told in the very beginning “was built on a foundation of tears.” Young Rose, having been orphaned, has been requested to come and be playmate to the Howletts’ only living child: a sickly dandy of a boy named James. His father John is a kindly man, who treats everyone with great patience and respect… a difficult task given the sullen withdrawn mood of his wife, Elizabeth, and the disapproving glowers and rants of his father. And then there are the Logans (which as we know from present day continuity is the only name Wolverine has ever known), a drunken abusive servant and his rambunctious son, Dog who for all appearances at first could well be the young child version of Wolverine. Dog, Rose and James become fast friends (this trio of young companions, the rebellious outsider, gentle girl come to live with the wealthy family and sickly child is seems to be an homage to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden… which along with the Bronte influence led many to believe this story to be set in England at first instead of Wolverine’s native Canada) until they are torn apart by class and the elder Logan’s drunken abuse of Dog. The cycle of violence and retribution ends with the deaths of the three parents and a revelation that shifts the focus of the entire series. It is James, and not Dog, who pops the trademark claws of Wolverine in a fit of rage at his father’s murder, killing Logan and scarring Dog’s face. The trauma leaves him slightly amnesiac and he and Rose soon find themselves on the run, fleeing the aristocratic isolation of the Hill for the savage life of a mining camp.
Here, the story takes a turn from the works of Bronte and Hodgson and straight into the survivalist/coming-of-age tales of Jack London (of course, with requisite wolves in tow). Rose gives James the pseudonym of “Logan” to start out their new lives. The newly dubbed mutant begins developing in body and mind, awakening his innate animal instincts under the pressures and abuse of both the camp and the wilderness, growing from sickly frightened adolescent into a self assured and able young man… along with awakening a growing attraction and love for a girl who has cared for him for years. While he restrains himself at camp, suffering the unrelenting abuse of the unpopular Cookie and only surviving by coming under the wing of the camp leader, Smitty, he finds release at night in the woods with the wolves, the moon, and the hunt. After proving himself time and again, the young Logan is finally able to win victories in both of his worlds, over Cookie and the pack leader of the wolves, only to suffer a great defeat as he learns that Rose and Smitty have fallen in love. Meanwhile, the now fully-grown and still scarred Dog is sent on the trail of Logan and Rose. All of the events and characters come to a head as Logan fights Smitty in a cage match, professing his love for Rose… before giving her up to Smitty and taking a dive to allow them their new life. After the match, Logan is ambushed by Dog, a brawl that ends with Logan on the edge of victory only to have Rose pushed on to his claws by the surrounding mob. Logan surrenders his humanity to the wilderness, shutting himself off from Smitty, who had been like a father to him. Our final look into this world is the diary of Rose, our source of narration throughout the tale and the possible answer to many of Wolverine’s questions of his past, burning to ashes.
What Jenkins does best here is telling a different kind of story with the character of Wolverine. Rather than opting for a straight action or adventure piece, or even the kind of sly espionage tales we’ve seen in the past, Jenkins goes the way of tragic romance. What’s more, he makes it work. As you find yourself being drawn into the characters’ lives, you also feel the impending doom awaiting them at the end and are driven to that end along with them. The catharsis of Rose’s death, of Smitty’s plaintive cry to his proverbial son in the barren snowy wastelands, of Logan’s final decision to abandon himself to the savage wild is the beauty of all tragedy as we are pulled through grief and loss into a kind of transcendent relief.
If the story has any weaknesses, they are rather minor. The influence of classic literature lends it that heightened air, true, but it also makes itself rather known, which distracts from the work itself. Instead of its own strengths and merits, it seems at times to stand upon what has come before. Also, it almost tries to explain too much while it explains too little: Logan’s penchant for memory loss, love triangles, and his attraction to redheads take on a certain kind of subconscious logic given the traumatic events surrounding them here, but the procurement of the name “Wolverine” and implications that Dog is Sabretooth seem a bit unnecessary at times. But I guess some people were having a little trouble realizing this was indeed a Wolverine story, and so needed little nods to present continuity to keep up.
Andy Kubert is at his finest here. His inkless pencils, colored by the equally brilliant Richard Isanove in wistful hues, convey both the age and weight of this story. The beauty of nature infuses every panel, whether it be the desolate beauty of winter or the lush landscapes of the spring, the setting becomes its own character through the collaboration of Kubert and Isanove. Any faults the story might have are easily countered by the visual storytelling and gorgeous art at work here. Words aside, Origin is a visual feast for the eyes, a true masterpiece.
The greatest strength of Origin is that it can stand on its own, a great comic book story in its own right, with or without the involvement of the mystery man known as Wolverine.
This entry written by Jordan T. Maxwell
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/196/xmen-025.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/196/xmen-025.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 - Fatal Attractions: Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist"></a>#22: Fatal Attractions: Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist
X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 & Wolverine (Vol. 2) #75
Written By: Fabian Nicieza & Larry Hama
Art By: Adam Kubert & Andy Kubert
I'm in Junior High and I'm both loving and hating the fact that the X-Men are in another crossover. This one would feature the return of Magneto (whom I thought had died in X-Men (Vol.2) #3... I had yet to learn the cold hard facts about death in comics) and Cable (who had been missing since X-Cutioner's Song). Standard run of the mill stuff, eh? Return a few favorites, slap a hologram on the cover, and expect kids to pay a big cover price from their pitiful allowance.
That all changed when we got to the meat of the story, the two part Dreams Fade and Nightmares Persist. Everything had built to this moment, when Xavier would take his team to finally confront Magneto on his home turf. The X-Men's greatest adversary had gone way too far this time, and it was time to put an end to the madness. Maybe it was the relative freshness of being a collector before the invent of the Internet as a mainstream tool of spoilage. Maybe it was youthful enthusiasm or ignorant bliss. Maybe it was all of the above. But I didn't see it coming. I don't think ANYBODY did, at least in my circle of boyhood chums.
It had never really sunk in before: here we have the X-Men, and the furry, sawed-off little runt Wolverine. Countless times they had fought Magneto, countless times they had won. Had the authors, predominately Chris Claremont, ever stopped to think: "You know, Wolverine DOES have a metal skeleton..."? I guess the combined think-tank of writers and editors involved in the project must have reached that conclusion, because there it was, X-Men #25, and the most popular, the most dangerous, the unstoppable Wolverine was getting the adamantium skeleton ripped out through the pores of his body. Not just gently tugged. Not just partially bending the claws back. None of that. Oh no... he was getting killed, right there, right in front of us.
Like I said, I didn't see it coming. Just like I didn't see Xavier's retaliation coming. Just like I didn't see the aftermath of Wolverine's struggle with life and death coming. It was a shock that is rare in comics today, and it left a lasting impression for years to come.
Beyond the battle and fight for life that followed, the repercussions from that battle are what made this story one of the greatest. Not only did it set the stage for events to be played out in Wolverine's own title for the next few years, it set the standard for the evolution of Xavier as well, and defined a classic villain for the new era of readers. For the first time, we saw Wolverine as a beatable opponent. There would be no quick rebound from this battle for Logan, and it injected a life into the character that had grown stagnant as "the best at what he does". Now, when we read a story with him in it, we actually feared for him and his life. No more healing factor. No more adamantium. Bone claws?? How could this hero still go toe-to-toe with the bad guys of the universe? Simply put: he couldn't, or at least he didn't think he could. And thus he left the team, which in itself changed the dynamics of the group: could the X-Men survive without Wolverine? Could the sales of the title?
And what of Xavier, mind-wiping Magneto? Even his prized student Jean Grey wouldn't help him do that, leading her and other core X-Men to question Xavier for years to come, the seeds of Onslaught planted on that day. Out of every single crossover/event of the time, this story had the most long lasting ramifications, and thus transcended the usual crossover fare. X-Continuity literally hinged on this moment, making it an essential read for any fan.
This entry written by Anthony Lucynski
<center><hr width=75%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/media/188/uxmen239.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen239.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #239 - Inferno"></a>#21: Inferno
Uncanny X-Men #239-243, X-Factor (Vol. 1) #36-39 & New Mutants (Vol. 1) #71-73
Written by: Chris Claremont & Louise Simonson
Art by: Marc Silvestri, Walt Simonson & Bret Blevins
Inferno gave the readers of the X-universe one of the most long-awaited, eventful, and shocking resolutions in the history of comic books. There were three major plots addressed in this arc: the Illyana/Magik/Darkchylde entity, the mystery of the Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor/Phoenix relationship, and the issues surrounding Scott Summer's past. And oh, yeah: there was also the small matter of a demonic attack and transformation of New York City.
Illyana: Illyana's transformation from Magik to Darkchylde was aggravated by the influence of two demons, S'ym and N'astirh, causing her to mutate even further into a true demon-like creature. After being tricked by N'astirh, Magik opened a portal through which demons began flowing into New York. While the New Mutants fought to save both Illyana and the city, Wolfsbane discovered a seven-year-old Illyana in Limbo (due to the strange time properties of both Limbo and Illyana's powers). Ultimately Magik threw her Soulsword into the demonic portal and sacrificed herself, resulting in the demons being sucked back into Limbo and leaving the young, untainted Illyana in her place.
Jean/Madelyne/Phoenix: At the start of Inferno, Madelyne has struck a deal with N'astirh and has become the Goblin Queen. Upon meeting Mr. Sinister, he reveals that he created her from tissue samples of Jean Grey, and that Madelyne's first moment of life was at the exact moment of the Phoenix's death. Madelyne was created for the sole purpose of producing a baby with Scott Summers, whom Sinister would take as his own. When Jean returned from the dead, Sinister ordered Madelyne's death.
N'astirh finds baby Nathan and gives him to Madelyne, who is now planning on revenge against Scott. She plans to sacrifice Nathan, which will also increase the demonic hold over New York. The X-Men and X-Factor meet, and after some initial tension they regroup and go after Madelyne. Eventually Madelyne commits suicide and psychically latches on to Jean. In order for Jean to escape death, she must fully accept the Phoenix's essence and all that comes with it, including the combined memories of Phoenix and Madelyne. Reluctantly, she accepts.
Scott: It is revealed that Scott and Alex were put into an orphanage belonging to Mr. Sinister. Sinister became aware of them when Scott used his optic blast after the plane explosion that Scott thought cost his parents their lives. Sinister tried to harness Scott's power, but his optic blasts were uncontrollable. The year Scott was supposedly in a coma was actually the year that Sinister was in contact with him: his memories were blocked out by Sinister. It turns out that Sinister is vulnerable to something in Scott's optic blasts, and in the final confrontation Cyclops annihilates Mr. Sinister completely. For the first time Scott, Jean, and baby Nathan are all together.
This definitely is one of the most influential and entertaining arcs in the history of the X-canon. What makes it more of a masterpiece is that Chris Claremont was against the return of Jean Grey from the dead. Despite this he was able to adapt and, along with Louise Simonson, was able to craft an intricate story that feels nearly seamless. Inferno did not feel like some contrived and convenient tale placed within the X-titles to create a crossover or get rid of dangling threads. But it DID get rid of dangling threads, and made sense while doing it. This is the first time the X-Men had seen Jean Grey since her death, and as a result of Fall of the Mutants, X-Factor believed the X-Men to be dead. The Beast also dubbed Angel, "Archangel," during this arc. And this is where Mr. Sinister made his name and was placed in the upper echelons of X-Men villains.
So even though being #21 is a great accomplishment, why isn't it higher? What is ironic is that one of Inferno's greatest strengths is also, to some, a great weakness: continuity. Unlike some of Claremont's other works, where the reader did not require the back issues to receive the full impact of the story, the level of payoff in Inferno was directly proportional to their back knowledge. Theoretically, this story began with Uncanny X-Men #137 (Jean/Phoenix's death), Uncanny X-Men #168 (Madelyne's first appearance), or Fantastic Four #286 (Jean's resurrection). The impact of these events were felt so much more by those who had been around for those early tales, as opposed to someone who just picked up Inferno by itself. Another issue that some people had a hard time with was the retconning of Jean Grey's death, since for many people Jean Grey died on the moon, and anything else was an abomination.
In the history of the X-world, this is arguably one of the most important storylines that has ever seen print. The cleansing of so many plots, the manner in which they were done, and the number of ripples that came out of this arc are proof of that. Combine all of this with the wonderful images that artists Marc Silvestri, Walt Simonson and Bret Blevins created, and you hold in your hands an incredible work.
This entry written by Tan K.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
Be sure to check back next week for Part 3, #20-11! For more special articles, features, and columns celebrating the 40th Anniversaries of the Avengers and X-Men, click here! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21464)