Thoughts

The slightly underwhelming Erik The Red mystery finally gets solved in an issue that does a really good job of getting the X-men into a Space adventure. Which given where they previously were – on the run from Magneto – is some sharp writing.

It opens with Erik The Red facing the X-men before a neat bit of flashback fills in the detail of how he got there. There’s another fun fight, the alien in Xavier’s dream arrive and X-men are whisked off on a rescue mission into Space.

We’ve had a run of issues now where the X-men have squared off against a Powerful Antagonist, and I think its worth mentioning that Claremont and Cockrum do a great job in making them always interesting. Taking advantage of having a team with such different powers, the fact that there’s always new invention in how the fight goes.

And also, while the Erik The Red mystery left me cold, the revelation at the end of Xavier’s dream alien plotline delivers. I did not see sexy bird princess as the face behind the mask when it was first introduced, but I want to know more.

Fun Panel

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love Cockrum’s Space stuff and I think he’s having fun with it too

That Don’t Make A Lick of Sense

Does the Erik The Red mystery really make sense? Given the revelation as to who he is, its hard to quite work out why he did all the stuff he’s done in his previous appearances. Or indeed why he decided to adopt a former Cyclops alter-ego. It seems an absurdly elaborate plan given that all he really needed to do, as he quite successfully does in this issue, is zap the princess and leap through a Space Gate.

I’m guessing he concocted a super elaborate scheme because he’s working on his expenses. The more elaborate the plans and the longer he’s on Earth, the more he can claim from his Employer. Nick on old second-hand Scott Summers costume and claim for a brand new Villain Armour from the boss. Smart.

None More Claremont

The first of a number of cameos. In the days before the internet, the only clue I had about what Chris Claremont looked like came from these little Hitchcockian moments.