X-Men Read Through

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Issue Information
Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #176
Release Date- December 1983
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Romita Jr. and Bob Wiacek

Major Notes
First appearance of Valarie Cooper

Brief Summary

Decisions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Issue
New Mutants (Volume 1) #10

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Issue Information
Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #10
Release Date- December 1983
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Sal Bucsema

Major Notes
Amara’s first appearance as Magma

Brief Summary

Betrayal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Issue
Uncanny X-Men Annual (Volume 1) #7

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Issue Information
Title- Uncanny X-Men Annual (Volume 1) #7
Release Date- December 1983
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Michael Golden & Bret Blevins

Major Notes
Features the Impossible Man

Brief Summary

Scavenger Hunt

The X-Men are playing a game of baseball while Professor Xavier and Lilandra watch on. Colossus hits the ball and it flies up into the air out of sight. They suddenly see something large coming down towards them and Lilandra is terrified when she sees that it is the ship of Galactus. The being himself soon appears and claims to come in peace. Xavier tries to probe the mind of Galactus but a feedback knocks him out. Galactus demands to have the home of the X-Men but the team aren’t willing to give it up without a fight but their efforts are for naught. There is a flash of light and the next thing the team see the X-Mansion is gone along with Galactus and his ship.

Later the X-Men are attempting to track down Galactus as they fly in the X-Jet. They are unsure whether they should be attempting to battle a being of such power but Xavier’s telepathy can pinpoint his exact location. It takes them to the S.H.I.E.L.D hellicarrier although the team are surprised that Galactus can even fit in the hellicarrier.

In the private quarters of Nick Fury he is sharing some personal time with his love Valentina Allegro. They go to kiss as someone tries to grab Nick, Kitty Pryde then phases in through the roof goes to grab the stranger but he transforms into a snake. Nick is very surprised and Lockheed bursts through the wall as the stranger transforms into a wooden Native American and escapes. Kitty realises what is happening inside the room and she tries to apologise to the very unhappy Nick Fury. He demands answers as Nightcrawler teleports in, grabs Kitty and Lockheed before teleporting away. S.H.I.E.L.D agents soon come investigating but Valentina notices that Nick’s eye patch is missing.

A short time later in the Savage Land the X-Men arrive trying to locate this strange person who has stolen the X-Mansion and Nick Fury’s eye patch. They are met there by Ka-Zar and Shanna who ask for their assistance finding Zabu who has been taken. Rogue begins to think that whoever is behind the thefts is performing some kind of bizarre scavenger hunt. The team dismiss this as a silly idea but Xavier thinks that there is some merit to it.

Later at the Avengers Mansion She-Hulk is the only Avenger present and she sees the Fantasti-Car filled with the stolen objects on the screen. The intruder alarm is going off and Avengers Butler Jarvis is there as well. She-Hulk sees Rogue and Colossus right next to the Fantasti-car and she believes that they are the intruders and she runs outside to confront them.

When she reaches outside Rogue and Colossus are looking for the thief who has stolen Wasp’s various costumes and escaped. She-Hulk attacks Rogue and then goes to punch Colossus but he is able to block the punch. Before he can counter he is shot in the back by Iron-Man who is floating above.

At the Sanctum Sanctorum Doctor Steven Strange is looking over a book when Sigil window is suddenly stolen without warning. Without it being there all manner of ghosts and demons begin to escape.

The escape is heard at the Avengers mansion and with She-Hulk and Iron-Man distracted Rogue grabs onto She-Hulk and begins to absorb her powers. Rogue’s costume begins to tear as her muscles expand and Iron-Man tries to blast her with not effect. Colossus then grabs him and slams him to the ground, he isn’t very happy that they were attacked without reason. But before they can fight Kitty phases up through Iron-Man causing him to short circuit. She apologises for causing it to happen but she tells her teammates that they must leave and they quickly do leaving the two Avengers down.

A little later the X-Men break into the basement of the Hellfire Club where they see a still unconscious Emma Frost. For her crimes the X-Men consider killing her in her sleep and Wolverine even goes to perform the act but is stopped by a water pistol suddenly appearing him and squirting him in the face. Sebastian Shaw comes bursting through the door and Rogue goes to punch him. He absorbs her punch and attacks her back almost knocking her unconscious. Nightcrawler tries to distract Sebastian to save Rogue but unseen the thief transforms into a balloon and steals the costume that Jean Grey wore while she was in the Hellfire Club. Storm is particularly angered that the thief has gotten away and creates a tornado that lifts the X-Men out of the room leaving Sebastian in there with the unconscious Emma Frost.

At 575 Madison Avenue the Impossible Man is inside and is disappointed to find that it is empty. He does find a flyer on the ground while not so far away the X-Men travel to his location. Xavier tells the X-Men not to harm the thief and that he is sensing him moving downtown.

At Marvel Comics HQ at Park Avenue staff members Eliot Brown and Editor Mark Gruenwald are just about to enter the elevator when what seems to be Ghost Rider fly through on the back of Zabu. They are very confused but the X-Men then burst in so that they can corner the thief before he gets away again. They burst through the Marvel Comics offices and they eventually find the thief who has transformed into a pop-up head of Stan Lee. When he sees the team the thief transforms into a plane and tries to fly away. Inside another office Michael Hobson and Jim Shooter are having a discussion when they hear the commotion taking place outside.

The team have figured out that the thief is after Stan Lee although he is in California and that the thief himself is the Impossible Man. They merely want to stop him and Rogue figures that her mutant abilities could do the job. She lunges at the Impossible Man as he is jumping around and there is a flash of light that causes her to fall down to the ground. The Impossible Man is angered that she tried to hurt him and Wolverine is up for the fight. When the team call him a monster the Impossible Man states that he is not a monster and that Rogue is still breathing. When she had attacked he had panicked and that the thefts had all been a part of a game. The objects that he has taken are safely tucked away and he is genuinely sorry for what he has done. He takes the X-Men away so that he can show them where the stolen items are leaving a bemused Marvel Comics staff.

The X-Men soon appear in the Gobi Desert where the Impossible Man has hidden all of the items that he has stolen. When he is asked why he stole all the items he begins to explain that after his home planet was eaten by Galactus his people couldn’t decide who should be their leader. This led to the scavenger hunt and the X-Men begin to go through some of the items that were stolen. But as he continues to explain a horde of space crafts flying above them.

Suddenly a small army of aliens arrive on the ground. They demand justice on the Impossible Man and his people for what they have stolen. Wolverine is up for a fight but Lilandra thinks that a more peaceful solution is the best idea. She introduces herself to the aliens who know of her and allow her to speak. She assures them that everything will be returned in the condition that they were taken. At first the aliens still want retribution but the thought of going to war with the Impossible Man’s people is a daunting thought so they reluctantly agree.

Later Kitty and Illyana are sitting by the pool at the X-Mansion with the Impossible Man sitting by them. He is crying after giving up everything that he has stolen and he sees the two girls eating ice creams. He transforms into Magnum P.I and the two girls look at him lovestruck, they hand him their ice creams and as he transforms into Garfield the Cat all three of them exclaim that this is the end of the story.

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My Thoughts

Now we are here at the seventh annual of the Uncanny X-Men series (The fifth original annual since the first two were simply reprints). This is a very odd and whacky story that did confuse me at some points. It features the Impossible Man who is most associated with Marvel’s first family the Fantastic Four. Basically he has the ability to do almost anything hence the name, he can do what is considered to be scientifically impossible (like many Marvel Characters).

I think in this month since the main editors were away the writers were free to be able to write more whacky, self contained stories. I admit that this story is very different to what you would normally see in an X-Men comic, it had its pros and its cons and it is something that you like to see every now and again but not on a regular basis.

The comic also featured other characters that you don’t normally see in an X-Men comic. Like Nick Fury, She-Hulk and more importantly the Impossible Man himself. We also got to see many of the creators of the Marvel Comics that were being released at the time. It is sometimes a little fun to see them appear the odd time in a book, kind of like a director of a film having a cameo appearance but they featured just a little too much for my liking. Although I do think the man himself Chris Claremont did make an appearance. That was pretty cool.

I believe that this is the first time that we see the team playing a game of baseball. It seems out of all the sports the X-Men seem to enjoy playing that one the most although I have seen times when they play football (the American kind) and basketball. I wonder if they have ever played Ice Hockey or football (the one that the rest of the world is familiar with). I think I have seen a couple of them playing tennis though.

This is also an issue that you could consider the team actually break the fourth wall when at the end Kitty, Illyana and the Impossible Man all state that it is the end. You can also see just how popular Magnum P.I was at the time since he has been mentioned numerous times in New Mutants and a few times in the Uncanny X-Men. Just too bad that Tom Selleck couldn’t play Indiana Jones or else his career wouldn’t have stalled.

The overall story was very whacky and I did get a little lost at a few places. It had some things going for it and a few things going against it but it was an enjoyable read. Not up to the same level as the rest of the Uncanny X-Men series but it is still worth reading.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It was alright but not up to the same standards as the rest of the series.

Next Issue
Daredevil (Volume 1) #197 (A little late)

[JackalsIII]

Such a fun issue! Kitty taking out Iron Man and Lockheed being drawn, for the first time, not by Paul Smith. The X-Men are trying to not ruin everything as they run across the globe. Nick Fury's eye patch

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Issue Information
Title- Daredevil (Volume 1) #197
Release Date- August 1983
Writer- Denny O’Neil
Artist- Larry Hama & William Johnson

Major Notes

First appearance of Yuriko Oyama aka Lady Deathstrike

Brief Summary

Journey

Matt Murdock is asleep at his desk and dreams about Bullseye. Foggy Nelson wakes him and also sees that he was writing a will on his typewriter. Foggy assures him that he’ll live for a long time and he tells him that he should take some time off. Matt states that he is going to Japan and Foggy soon leaves so that he can get to his cab. When he arrives he realises that he forgot to tell Matt about one of the corrupt policemen who trashed his home escaped them. He doesn’t notice that the man walking past the cab is the man himself and he is carrying a stick of dynamite.

At the office Matt feels just how tired he is and decides to go home so that he can rest before the flight. As he walks the street at first he doesn’t notice the corrupt cop following him. The cop lights the dynamite stick and throws it at him, Matt is able to hear the dynamite stick coming and he bats it away. It then explodes and although he survives he is still injured.

A little later Foggy is in bed and awoken by a phone call. He is told that Matt is in the hospital and he quickly gets out of bed and goes to see his friend. Thankfully Matt has only suffered a slight concussion and will be fine. Foggy recommends him to stay in bed for a few days but Matt states that he still has to go to Japan.

The next day Matt is on the plane to Japan and as a stewardess asks him if there is anything he needs he thinks about his love Elektra who was killed by Bullseye. He is going to Japan to find the villain and they soon land on the ground.

A short time later Matt has walked to the nearby port where a ship is located. He believes that Bullseye is on the ship but he still has a headache due to his concussion. Before he knows it he is confronted by three thugs. They attack him but he is easily able to defeat all three of them.

With them defeated Matt changed into his into his Daredevil costume and sneaks onto the ship. It is mostly empty and down a corridor he is able to hear someone in the sick bay. He discovers someone in a bed and when he removes the covers he thinks it is Bullseye but it turns out to be a woman.

The woman can speak English and she tells him that she knows where Bullseye is. She is chained up to the wall but with Daredevil’s help she is freed. Before they can leave a guard tries to attack them but Daredevil is able to defeat him. They try to exit the ship but are confronted by more guards but with some effort he is able to defeat them.

They try to flee once again but Daredevil’s concussion causes him to hallucinate somewhat and when he asks the woman where Bullseye is they are suddenly lit up by a spotlight. Daredevil throws a monkey wrench at the light destroying it but more guards attack. In the darkness he has an advantage.

Daredevil defeats many of the guards and spots the woman trying jumping into the water. He jumps in after her and he thinks that she might be a criminal herself and is able to catch up with her when she goes onto shore. She tells him that her name is Yuriko and that she fled because she thought that he was done for. They eventually end up at a rice shop and decide to lay low in there.

Inside the rice shop the pair stop to get something to eat and he starts asking her about Bullseye. Yuriko tells him that he was dropped off before the ship made it to port and that he was taken to an island.

In a mansion just on an island just off the coast Bullseye is beginning to recover from his treatment. A man named Darkwing is there and he is happy to see that the surgery was a success. There is still some way to go and Bullseye must submit his will to Kami who is the God of the household. At the end of it Bullseye will die or make a rapid recovery.

Back in the rice shop Yuriko explains to Daredevil who Darkwing is and how he had been a kamikaze pilot during WWII and that he survived a bombing mission he saw it as a disgrace. He is looking to atone for it but before she can continue thugs enter the shop and attack Daredevil. With help of the shop owner the thugs are defeated and he leaves with Yuriko so that they can locate Bullseye.

Daredevil notices that Yuriko keeps part of her face hidden and at first she refuses to reveal it. She reconsiders however and shows him that she has Japanese letters burned to her face. She thinks that she is ugly but Daredevil disagrees.

My Thoughts

Now we are with the first issue of Daredevil in this blog. Before you ask me, ‘Why the hell is there a Daredevil comic in an X-Men blog?’ well the answer to that is that little Yuriko Oyama is none other than future X-Men (mainly Wolverine) villainess Lady Deathstrike. It is funny to think that a character who is thought to be exclusive to the X-Men actually made her debut in a Daredevil comic.

In this issue we see Lady Deathstrike before she became a cyborg bent on the destruction of Wolverine. At this point she isn’t even considered to be a villain but not quite a hero as well. It is funny to think that after this storyline had finished that it was likely that she would have faded away and never seen again. Instead she was transformed into a character who questionably might be more well known than
Daredevil himself. Her father is Lord Darkwing who is the one who created the process of bonding adamantium to bone which was picked up by the Weapon X project. It is a little fun to see her as what seems to be a damsel in distress before she became an unstoppable killing machine.

The overall comic was pretty good although I did notice that this is after Frank Miller’s run had ended. I haven’t read any comics in his run but I did enjoy his art in the Wolverine LS, never the less it was a good set up for the story although I think I would have understood it a little better if I read some of the previous issues.

Daredevil seems to be pretty good at beating up bad guys much like every other superhero although at the end of the issue he did have a little help from a shop owner. I wonder who would actually win in a fight between him and Wolverine, the answer of course being Wolverine. No offense to Daredevil but he isn’t in the same league as many of the Marvel Characters and many people consider him to be weak. Personally not a fan of the character myself.

Although this wasn’t an X-Men comic I still did enjoy it and it was overall a great Daredevil comic with him trying to track down the man who killed the woman that he loved. He suffers a normal injury although he did receive it in an unusual manner but it just shows that the writers are showing that heroes can come down with things that normal people can suffer from.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. By X-Men standards it isn’t at the same level but it was a pretty good read.

Next Issue
Magik (Volume 1) #1

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Magik (Volume 1) #1
Release Date- December 1983
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Buscema

Major Notes
Features alternate versions of Storm and Kitty Pryde

Brief Summary

Little Lost Girl

Outside the X-Mansion Illyana Rasputin is watching as the sun rises. She thinks about her brother and of Russia. She has the locket that Belasco gave her in her hands and today is her birthday. She is supposed to be eight but instead she is fourteen and she believes that she is eternally damned.

A few months before the X-Men along with Illyana were trapped in Limbo fighting the demonic being known as Belasco. The older Storm is casting a spell that will take them home while Belasco attacks with his demon horde. He is able to grab Illyana but Kitty Pryde is able to grab her other arm and a tug of war begins. Unfortunately Kitty loses her grip and Illyana is in the hands of Belasco. This is noticed by the older Storm who is able to follow Belasco to another part of Limbo.

Belasco casts a spell on Illyana while Storm tries to stop him with little success. He separates her astral form from her body and ages it until she is a teenager. He then turns her astral form demonic and then encases it into a ball of energy. After that he turns the energy into a bloodstone and places it in his amulet. When all the bloodstones are within the amulet he can finally escape Limbo and the Elder Gods will
come forth.

Belasco knocks Storm down and is about to kill her under a throwing star comes right passed him. When he looks he sees an older version of Kitty now calling herself Cat leap down and confronts him. She is armed with sword and tries to attack him but he simply teleports her away. With Belasco gone Cat tends to Storm and they pick up Illyana before teleporting to Storm’s sanctuary.

When they arrive Illyana is put to bed as Storm and Cat discuss about what has been happening. Cat apologises for not coming to her aid earlier but seeing her younger self made her feel ashamed. In their history Illyana was saved and the X-Men were trapped in Limbo while it has happened again but the outcome has been reversed.

Illyana wakes up and gets out of bed. She sees Storm who knows that she is there but Storm is very weak and Cat has to help her to her own bed. Storm wishes to sever the ties between Illyana and Belasco but Cat believes that it is impossible in her current state. The simple solution is to kill Illyana but Storm doesn’t want to do this.

Quickly Illyana returns to her bed as Storm and Cat check on her. Illyana wants her brother and Storm tries to reassure her. She also tells the young girl that she will find her a way to get home but when Illyana speaks about Storm and Cat coming with them Cat herself is greatly angered. Storm then begins the spell that will start the that will hopefully begin to sever the link.

Storm enters the mind of Illyana and finds herself before what seems to be a dark castle. A demonic version of Illyana rides towards her on a horse and attacks her. Storm is able to knock her off of her horse but she is knocked down herself by Illyana’s whip. She is able to use her magic to free herself but demons emerge from the ground to grab her. The demonic Illyana begins to turn Storm more demonic and she is resorted to using her mutant abilities to produce a tempest. This is able to distract the demonic Illyana for Storm to make her escape.

In the real world Storm is weakened but Cat is there to help her to her feet. Storm dives into a nearby pool and they go over their options. She couldn’t rid Illyana of Belasco’s corruption and if she finds a way to return her to Earth Belasco will use her as an anchor. She thinks that it is best to teach her the ways of magic so that Illyana can fight the corruption herself but Cat is strongly against it. She thinks that it is a path that will make her more vulnerable to Belasco and she still thinks that killing her is the best option. Storm is against this but Cat believes that if Belasco died that Storm would simply replace him.

When Storm asks why she believes this Cat removes her mask and glove revealing that she is more cat like thanks to Belasco’s magic. She would rather see Illyana dead than become a sorceress. She then leaves leaving Storm there by herself.

Later Storm walks Illyana through her garden and they stop right next to a large oak tree. Illyana marvels over the tree and asks Storm where Cat is. Storm tells her that she must pass knowledge down to her. As they sit at the tree Storm casts a spell that allows them to enter the astral world. They see the garden in a new life and she begins to explain to Illyana the importance of the realm. They see a bush corrupted by the evil of Limbo and Storm casts a spell to purify it. Illyana is impressed but it is draining for Storm. Illyana wishes to have magic to change things but Storm angrily tells her not to and grabs her arm. This hurts Illyana and as Storm apologises she is told that Belasco never harmed her and that he loves her. Storm assures her that Belasco is evil and as they look within her they see the corruption within Illyana. They look at Storm and see the same corruption but hers is bigger.

When they return to the real world Illyana notices that she has grown. A year has passed and they return to the sanctuary but they fail to notice that the bush that had been healed wither away and die. Storm’s spell failed and she doesn’t know it.

That night Storm is awoken by a sound as an intruder enters the sanctuary. Storm searches the sanctuary and knows that Cat is the intruder. Cat knocks her out and as she falls into the pool Cat saves her since she doesn’t want to kill her friend. Cat then goes to Illyana’s room and awakens her, she offers her a way home but the road will be hazardous. Illyana knows there is evil within Storm and as both girls leave they are unaware that Belasco is watching them. He has a plan to use Cat’s wish to ensure his victory and also damn the entire human race.

My Thoughts

Now we are with what is really the second X-Men limited series (The first being Wolverine). Basically this series takes place over what seemed to be seconds but in the realm of Limbo was actually six or seven years. This series explains what happened to Illyana while she was trapped in Limbo.

The issue takes place within a few moments of Uncanny X-Men #160. In that issue the X-Men lost the toddler Illyana for a few seconds but when they got her back she had aged to around 13 years of age. It was an interesting concept and was a story that has been hinted a couple of times in both the Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants and we have been given a few pointers to what is going to happen.

We see the beginning of Illyana’s path into sorcery that she is probably best known for, (above her mutant abilities). It wasn’t an easy step for her but it is the beginning of a feature that will define the character and make her extremely popular. Unfortunately it will cause her to lose what made her innocent but that is what happens when people grow up and Illyana is no different.

We saw more depth into the Storm that we first met in Uncanny X-Men #160. We see that she is not as pure as she was before and we also meet an alternate version of Kitty Pryde who didn’t appear in Uncanny X-Men #160. She calls herself Cat and has a hatred towards magic due to its corruptive nature and the fact that Belasco mutated her so that she is more cat like. This is most likely because of her name and Belasco saw this as a fitting punishment. She is a skilled warrior and although she is still good friends with Storm they are still at odds. She is definitely more ruthless than regular Kitty Pryde.

Storm’s scene’s with Illyana were thought provoking and you began to think whether she is right or wrong. Would training Illyana make her more susceptible to Belasco or is Cat right. I guess we’ll find out over the next few issues.

Belasco is definitely the villain of the series and his evil seems to have no bounds. His amulet is his key to achieving his goals and Illyana is the tool that he will use. Already we have seen that he is capable of great evil. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of influence he has on Illyana.

In conclusion I’m giving this issue an 8 out of 10. A great start to a must read series for any X-Men fan.

Next Issue
Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #177

[Flight]

always wondering whether i should buy the hardcover of this when i see it cheap on ebay.
ive read it and its great but would i read it again or just buying for completionist sake?

[a0040pc]

always wondering whether i should buy the hardcover of this when i see it cheap on ebay.
ive read it and its great but would i read it again or just buying for completionist sake?

It is a great series and well worth the money. I would go for it my friend

[Flight]

u aint my muvva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[a0040pc]

u aint my muvva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope but Magik is still a good GN to pick up.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #177
Release Date- January 1984
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Romita Jr

Major Notes
Features Arcade. First mention of Doug Ramsey

Brief Summary

Sanction

Mystique is walking through a fairground when she is attacked from behind by Wolverine. She is able to dive out of the way and attack him, he then extends his claws and tries to stab her. She is able to dodge and his claws stab into a ticket booth. He is vulnerable for a moment and she slashes his throat and lets him bleed to death.

Moments later Kitty Pryde arrives and sees Wolverine’s dead body and goes to check on him. She is in disbelief that he is dead but when she checks he has no wounds, that is when she is stabbed in the chest and she falls down dead. Wolverine stands up and transforms back into Mystique but before she can catch her breath Colossus bursts through behind her. He is greatly angered over Kitty’s death and goes to attack Mystique, she is forced to throw a skull bomb into his face which harms and blinds him. As he tries to recover Mystique is blasted from behind by Cyclops. She is hurt and retreats into a house of mirrors.

Cyclops follows Mystique but Colossus has also followed her. They seemed to have lost her but Mystique uses a device to create a hologram of herself. Cyclops blasts the hologram but it goes through her and also goes through several amplifiers that make his beam strong enough to pierce Colossus. Cyclops is in horror that Colossus is dead but Mystique suddenly comes up from behind and strangles him with a metal wire.

As Mystique steps outside she is attacked by Storm. She uses the winds to fling Mystique into the air and then attack her with a lightning bolt. The suit that Mystique is wearing is able to absorb the energy and redirect it towards a fuel tanker right next to Storm. It explodes killing her instantly as Mystique falls through a big top tent.

Mystique is able to use the trapeze bars to safely bring herself to the ground where Rogue attacks her with one of the tent’s support beams. She doesn’t hesitate in using a gun that vaporises Rogue, this greatly saddens Mystique and as she cries out she is grabbed by Nightcrawler. He teleports her around thinking that it will disorientate her but she elbows him in the gut. She goes to stab him but she hesitates and he responds with a powerful punch that knocks her out.

A short time later Mystique is being nursed by Destiny. She is unhappy that she couldn’t kill all the X-Men and how she hesitated with Nightcrawler. Destiny tries to reassure her as Arcade and Miss Locke enter the room. He is impressed with her skills since her fight had been a Murderworld simulation and the X-Men had merely been robots. Although the robots had the same powers and personalities of the X-Men
Mystique knows that they would have fought as a team rather than individuals. She wants him to train her Brotherhood to fight the X-Men and she knows with each victory over the robots Arcade will make the challenge more difficult. She wishes to face the X-Men and bring Rogue back to her, Destiny thinks that Rogue left on her free will but Mystique refuses to believe this and strictly believes that Professor Xavier used his telepathy to manipulate Rogue.

At Stevie Hunter’s dance studio Kitty finishing off her dance class but Stevie has noticed that she isn’t her usual self since her return from Japan. Kitty comments that someone she cares about has changed drastically and Stevie knows that she means Storm. She thinks that it is merely a change in her appearance but Kitty states that it is more than that. Storm herself enters the room at moment and asks Kitty what has replaced her then. Kitty says that she is not the same as she was and walks away to change her clothing, she even phases through Storm’s arm. Stevie thinks nothing of it but Storm fears that Kitty might be right.

Thousands of miles above the Earth the Starjammers ship orbits the planet. Xavier is on the observation deck with Lilandra as they enjoy their last moments together before she returns to the Shi’Ar Empire to take the throne from her mad sister. They believe that they will see each other again but the road will be long and hard.

In the transporter room Corsair says goodbye to his sons Cyclops and Havok. Neither are going with him and in a way he is glad. He is heading to a war and doesn’t want to lose them. They soon teleport down to Earth with Xavier as Corsair and Lilandra talk about their chances of success. They know that they might not survive and rocket away from Earth.

A short time later at Lincoln Centre in Manhattan a few of the X-Men attend the ballet that is taking place there. Colossus and Kitty drive the car around to a space while Nightcrawler walks towards the entrance with Amanda Sefton. He begins to question her about how he was found and who exactly is his real family. Amanda tells him about how he was found in a roadside shelter in the Black Forest and how their mother took him in. He reveals that when he asked Mystique why she looked like him she told him to ask his adoptive mother.

A short distance away Colossus have parked up the car and are walking towards the Lincoln Centre. They are talking and she mentions about her new friend Doug Ramsey. He is good with computers much like her but suddenly a nearby building’s top floors instantly explode. Colossus tells Kitty to call the emergency services while he goes in to find survivors.

Colossus armours up as he runs into the building. It is abandoned and he doesn’t think that there will be many people there. He also finds it strange that there is no signs of fire. As he runs into another room he is confronted by the Blob. Colossus realises that it is a trap but is struck outside the building by the Blob.

Colossus goes flying and as Kitty tries to call the emergency services from a distance away she sees him captured by a flame dragon. Pyro is the one responsible and he heats up Colossus which makes him turn red hot and then white hot. Colossus then falls down to the ground like a meteorite. He thinks that his struggle caused Pyro to dissipate the flame dragon.

Avalanche makes his appearance as he uses his powers to cause five nearby trucks filled with liquid nitrogen to move toward Colossus. Kitty hears the impacts of the trucks and rushes to his aid but much to her horror she sees that he has been frozen to the spot and seems to have been in agony.

My Thoughts

Now we are back to the Uncanny X-Men with a very well done issue although the first half of the comic was more or less a simulation. It was still an entertaining read nonetheless and we got to see how much of a badass Mystique could be and how she would kill each of the X-Men.

The issue is further stating that there is kinship between Mystique and Nightcrawler. It will be a further ten years (maybe less) after the release of this issue until we discover that Mystique is actually Nightcralwer’s mother. It was a question that was looming for a number of years. The reader can understand his frustration about the issue of his real family and it is very understandable.

One thing I did find a little off with the simulation is that Wolverine was killed by having his throat slashed. In future comics he has survived such injuries and even had been stripped down to his adamantium skeleton and he was still able to heal (Because his brain was undamaged). Maybe this was something that Arcade didn’t know and didn’t apply to his robots.

The issue is also the last we will see of Corsair and Lilandra for a short time as they go to fight Deathbird for the throne of the Shi’Ar Empire. I’m not too sure if what exactly happened was actually printed or if it happened off panel but it would have been a great set-up for an LS if it was never printed. It seemed like something that would have been a great story and if it was printed I want to read it.

The material with Kitty was fun to read and you could see that she is becoming more estranged from Storm after her radical new look. We also see her developing relationship with Colossus and the first mention of Doug Ramsey who will become her dear friend and a member of the New Mutants. Whenever I hear his name I think of Ramsey Snow (see if you know where he’s from). Is that normal or am I just making links?

It was great to see Mystique and the Brotherhood in action, it has been some time since they have really threatened the X-Men. Mystique did pop up a couple of times and they even tried to use Angel to try and exact their revenge in the Dazzler series. Ultimately her goal is to bring back Rogue but she is too blind to see that Rogue left on her own free will. It is understandable that she thinks that Xavier is responsible and it is the only way she can conceive of her adoptive daughter leaving her.

The cliff-hanger ending makes us wonder if Colossus has perished at the hands of the Brotherhood. It is endings like that which makes the reader want to buy the next issue so that they can discover what happened to their favourite character. It’s one way to sell comics.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A good issue that should be read by all who love comics.

Next Issue
Dazzler (Volume 1) #30

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Dazzler (Volume 1) #30
Release Date- January 1984
Writer- Ken McDonald
Artist- Frank Springer

Major Notes
Only issue written by Ken McDonald. Last appearance of Lois London for twenty five years

Brief Summary

The Debt

In the stricken plane Dazzler is trying to wake Hack the pilot up but he is still unconscious. She walks over to Roman Nekobah and as she wakes him up she asks him if he can fly the plane. He responds that he can’t and believes that she should melt in his arms since they are doomed. Dazzler refuses to believe this and she straps a parachute to him. She makes him get up onto his feet and helps him jump out of the plane as he knows how to use the chute. She then straps a parachute to herself and the unconscious Hack and jumps out before it crashes. As they descend to the ground she uses her powers to create a flash of light that attracts the attention of nearby policemen.

A short time later Dazzler and the police race into a hospital where Hack and Roman have been taken. She expects to see a scene of sorrow but instead she sees the hospital staff tending to Roman and wanting autographs off of him. He says that Hack will be alright and that he is tied up there. She is told that she will be taken home.

Later the policemen drive her to the home of Nick Brown and as she goes inside she sees the man himself. He isn’t all that pleased to hear that she squandered a publicity opportunity by staying in the hospital longer. He thinks that she could have stayed longer and people would think that she was injured, it would have been an opportunity to progress her career. Dazzler is disgusted with what he is suggesting and Nick states that she could become bigger than Roman and that she needs him. He doesn’t believe that Harry Osgood can progress her career any further and as they argue Lois London enters the room, she knows that Dazzler will be leaving and she heard everything that was said. Even though she knows that her father isn’t a saint Lois still wants to stay with him. She begs Dazzler not to leave but her sister has made up her mind and she walks out of the house.

As Dazzler walks in the streets it begins to rain. She has no umbrella and a car pulls up right besides her. The man inside asks if she wants him to take her anywhere and that although it is not a good idea to accept a ride from strangers he is doing it out of kindness. Dazzler does accept and states that she wants to be far away from LA. He is driving to a comic book convention in San Diego and also introduces himself as Ralph and he is an editor.

Two and a half hours later they arrive in San Diego and Ralph realises that Dazzler has no money. He gives her a twenty dollar bill and although she doesn’t want to accept it but he isn’t taking no for an answer.

Meanwhile miles away in a secret military base the pilot who tried to shoot Dazzler’s plane down arrives and enters the war room. There a general questions how he wasn’t able to bring the plane down, they knew that Dazzler was on the plane and that she was a mutant. The general has to leave for the pentagon and leaves a man named Crespi in charge. He has an idea to use a device to flush out Dazzler as she will be their first mutant victim.

At the Marvel Headquarters in New York a man named Bob waits for Ralph to call him. The editors are away and the writers want to take advantage of the situation. At first he doesn’t want to go through anything without having the authorisation from Ralph but the assistant editors and writers are able to convince him otherwise. He sees the potential of writing comics without editors and rubs his hands in glee.

The next day Dazzler wakes up in her room at a YMCA and is able to make a phone call to her agent Harry Osgood. He is more than happy to renew her contract although his receptionist thinks that she is trouble.

At that moment at the San Diego Comic Convention Ralph arrives and is swamped by people who want autographs and he enters the convention. He hasn’t been able to contact Bob and he hopes that everything is alright. He doesn’t know exactly what is happening in New York.

Outside the military personnel have been able to track Dazzler as she enters the convention. They park up and start to take the boxes of equipment inside. As they take it in they assemble it and they are able to build a large machine with it. It is designed to send out waves that disorientates mutants but is harmless to humans. As they switch it on Dazzler feels its effects and has to use all of her willpower to stop herself from shooting random beams of light.

Unseen to the military personnel at first one of their own soldiers named Zalme is also effected by the waves. They discover that he is a mutant and he transforms into a large lizard like creature. This terrifies everyone in the convention and as they flee Dazzler knows that she has to defeat him so that no one is harmed. The armed forces also attack Zalme but he is able to bat them away. With all of her concentration Dazzler is able to destroy the device which lifts the strange feeling that she felt but Zalme is still transformed.

Zalme attacks her and she responds by using powerful light blasts. She is also trying to reason with him but he is completely mad. During the fight Zalme knocks a support pillar causing the roof to begin to fall. Dazzler has to duck out of the way and is able to find Ralph. She hurries him to safety. She gives him his money back and she also knows that Zalme has most likely reverted to normal.

As Dazzler leaves Ralph makes his way to a phone so that he can call Bob. At that time Bob is going over with the assistant editors all the craziness that will happen in the comics. As he picks up the phone and listens to what Ralph tells him all these plans are dropped and everything will go back to normal.

A short time later Dazzler boards a bus bound for LA. She is determined not to run away again and make her career there as a singer and a movie star.

My Thoughts

Now we are back with Dazzler in an issue where we say goodbye to another character who had been in a supporting role for the last near dozen issues. Yep we say goodbye to Dazzler’s half sister Lois London who will not make another comic book appearance until the Necrosha storyline that will take place a quarter of a century later. It makes me realise that practically all of the original characters from this series hardly or ever appear again when they are finished in Dazzler. When the series itself finally ends only Dazzler really remains and all of her original enemies and supporting characters either stay in comic limbo for some time or are never seen again.

Keep in tune with the Marvel Editors having the month off there is a bit of wackiness in this book like many of the others (Like Uncanny X-Men Annual #7). That was alright but it was something that I felt was really out of place in this series. If there was a Deadpool series at the time it would have been perfect but not for Dazzler.

The issue also marks the only time that we see the penship of Ken McDonald in the series and the only time when we see the mutant named Zalme. Ken McDonald did an alright job with this issue but he did split up two sisters and we will not see Lois for some time now which is a shame. Zalme never made another appearance after this issue and it seems like he is an Hulk like character but when you have a big green guy to compete with I can see why he was never used again. I do believe that he was named after one of the members of staff at Marvel.

I can understand Dazzler’s need to get away from Los Angeles and at least she was able to go somewhere where I’ve always wanted to go to (along with many more people) and that is the San Diego Comic Con. Even after more than thirty years it is still held annually and draws in a huge crowd every year.

I still think that Roman is a bit of a sleaze since even though he was about to die he still wanted Dazzler to hug and kiss him instead of finding a way to save their lives. He seems to be trouble for her and I
can only imagine what’ll happen. He does have his celebrity swagger at least so that did help him out a little.

Now we know that the plane was after Dazzler and not Roman. I think that the military personnel who were trying to kill her were a part of Project Wideawake. I doubt that this is the last that we will here from the program in the Dazzler series and we will most likely see them again in either the Uncanny X-Men or New Mutants.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It wasn’t too bad but it had too much wackiness for my liking in this series.

Next Issue
New Mutants (Volume 1) #11

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- New Mutants (Volume 1) #11
Release Date- January 1984
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes


Brief Summary

Magma

A newly transformed Amara attacks Selene with a beam of molten lava while the villainess shields the attack. She creates two rock giants that catch Amara by surprise and she falls into the lava pit. Mirage cannot believe what she has seen and she sees that Selene has aged exponentially. Using her powers like this has caused Selene to age and she uses her abilities to form rock columns to push her followers into the lava. She is able to absorb their life force and she is able to revert herself to her younger form. She intends to turn Mirage into an energy vampire much like herself and the young mutant is under her spell. Mirage however is able to fight the spell and at that moment Amara rises up from the Magma pit and attacks Selene. The villainess is seemingly defeated and Mirage tries to get to Amara so that she can try to help her. She can see how scared Amara is and she tries to help calm her down even though she accidentally creates an image of Amara losing control of her powers. But before any progress can be made Selene attacks Amara causing her to revert to normal as her life force is drained. Amara falls down seemingly dead and Selene still wants to turn Mirage into an energy vampire like herself.

Elsewhere at the home of Senator Lucius Aquilla the man himself and his surviving guards are being taken away. Marcus looks on in delight as Cannonball and Sunspot are unsure if they did the right thing. They tell him that Mirage is missing so he sends a search party to find her even though he knows that his wife Selene most likely has her. Marcus gives kind words to Wolfsbane but as Lucius is led away he shouts that Marcus will betray her and he gets a strike in the head for his troubles. Sunspot also notices a woman that looks like his mother being led away with the other prisoners and he tries to follow.

A short time later Sunspot knocks a centurion out and steals his armour for a disguise. His hunt leads him to a dungeon with the door left ajar. He peeks inside and sees Castro with his mother chained up to a wall. Castro tells her how her husband and Sunspot’s father Emmanuel plans to exploit the riches of the land, she is not meant to die but he can’t make any promises.

Sunspot enters the dungeon and at first Castro thinks that he is a simple guard. When Sunspot transforms and bursts out of the armour Castro sees that it is him and pulls a gun out on him. Unfortunately for him Sunspot knocks him down before he has a chance to use it. He then frees his mother who explains that she almost drowned but was saved by the amazons. They go to escape and they know to defeat Marcus’s forces they need the amazons, the New Mutants and Lucius’s men. He is also ashamed to learn about his father’s ambitions and what he would do to achieve them.

At the home of Marcus the man himself watches as his enemy Lucius is whipped. Cannonball and Wolfsbane are sitting by his seat and they are disgusted with what they are seeing. In Latin Marcus orders the teenagers killed with poison since they have served their purpose to him. They are about to drink the poisoned wine that they have been given when a transformed Amara bursts up through the ground. Everyone is in shock but Lucius recognises her voice and sees that it is his daughter.

Before Marcus’s guards can react the house is attacked by the combined forces of the amazons and Lucius’s remaining forces. Sunspot has also arrived and the three New Mutants attack Marcus’s guards. They are doing well but when Sunspot further uses his powers he tires and is about to be stabbed in the back but Cannonball is able to save him. Wolfsbane is doing well but is knocked out by a surprise attack by Marcus. He goes to kill her but is stopped by Lucius. The pair then engage in a one on one sword fight which ends when Marcus has a sword stabbed right into his belly. Lucius is the victor even though he seems to be physically inferior to his opponent.

By now Amara has reverted to normal and she tells the team about Selene and what she plans to do with Mirage. She also explains that she had been dead but when she touched the ground it had rejuvenated her and the team know that the tunnel that she has created will take them to Selene’s lair.

As the team along with Amara travel down the tunnel. Wolfsbane is in her full wolf form and is trying to track Mirage but suddenly the tunnel behind them seals shut. The team find themselves trapped in a layer of rock that sprouts from the ground and smothers them. Amara transform to break free while Cannonball rockets his way out. He breaks Sunspot out and he rockets towards Selene’s location.

As they reach their destination the team see Mirage shackled to the wall while Selene is about to start the process. A rock dog is attacking Wolfsbane but Amara is able to destroy it. Selene then uses her abilities to subdue the team and as she gloats Sunspot transforms and tries to attack but is repelled. Mirage focuses her abilities and is able to take Selene by surprise with creating an image of her death. This gives Sunspot the opportunity he needs to stab her in the heart, she doesn’t die and instead grabs him and begins to absorb his life force.

Cannonball creates a hole in the wall that allows the sunlight to enter the chamber. This gives Sunspot the energy he needs to transform again causing Selene to lose her grip on him. Amara creates a magma pit and Sunspot is able to grab Selene and throw her down. The team is horrified with what he has done and he is able to break the rock to cover the pit up. He knows he did what he had to do and he doesn’t think that he has killed Selene but has merely stopped her for now. Amara is still terrified and doesn’t know whether she will become a New Mutant or more like Selene.

My Thoughts

Now we return to the New Mutants which I more or less call the finale to the Nova Roma arc. There is one more chapter but that one is more like an epilogue. This more like a suitable finale since this is where most of the action takes place and the events of the arc have been leading up to this.

Although Marcus seemed to be the main villain of the arc I feel that it was his wife Selene who was the main villainess. She’s become a widow for what is probably the hundredth time at least for her. I’ve seen now that on top of her life energy vampire abilities she seems to have the ability to manipulate rock although the vampire like powers are the ones that she is remembered for the most. Although she seemingly died in this issue she will return very soon.

I would say that the New Mutant who stood out the most in this issue was Sunspot. Not only did he save his mother but he had more panel time than the other New Mutants. He also showed that he was more ruthless than the other New Mutants although the knowledge that he wasn’t truly killing Selene probably does compensate for that. I don’t think that he would intentionally kill someone like that or if he does right now that he’ll progress. He certainly has the biggest temper out of the team and it will get him into trouble over the years.

The whole battle at Marcus’s home was really well done and the one on one fight that he had with Lucius was entertaining to read. You would think that the seemingly more athletic opponent would have won but instead we have the fat and seemingly unfit man win. This shows that you should never judge a book by its cover and that Lucius although seemingly weak is very skilled with a blade.

I wasn’t too sure how exactly Mirage was going to be turned into an energy vampire. Most likely Selene knew some kind of technique that would have allowed the process to happen, I also thought that it would be a bad idea on her part having a fellow energy vampire since most likely in the future they would both come at odds and most likely fight one another. It would be a long fight since they would more or less be immortal and there could a competition for prey if the human race would somehow diminish.

The big question at the end of the issue is what will happen to Amara? Will she try and rebuild Nova Roma or go back to New York with the New Mutants? These are all questions that will be answered in the next issue.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. A great read overall and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Next Issue
Magik (Volume 1) #2

[banky]

Nope but Magik is still a good GN to pick up.

I found the Magik premiere classic HC at a comic shop for $8. It was worth every penny and I already own the original floppies. It's a great story that would probably have been drawn out over 8-10 issues and three different titles if it were written today.


All these issues have me reminiscing of my first days collecting comics as an '80s kid. Props for including DD #197 and that awesome cover by Bill Sienkiewicz. Most of those Dazzler issues from the same time are by Bill S. as well.