Thoughts

I’m not an artist so a lot of the incredible behind-the-scenes work that goes on in comics is a hidden art to me. Especially when it comes to the inkers, colourists and letterers and their contribution to the final issue.

You do get some insight into part of that here, as Steve Leialoha comes on to ink Romita Jr’s pencils and makes things look quite different. A lot more, well, Leialoha-ish. It’s not a bad job, and the art is still fun but its striking how different it looks to the issues immediately before and afterwards. An insight for me on how influential inkers can be.

Art aside this is another issue where Claremont is really expanding what the title can be. By this point the title is one of Marvel’s flagship team books and its leading characters recognisable comic icons yet the primary focus of the story is on two characters who have had barely anything to do in the title at all.

To focus the main x-title on a shared New York trip of Amara – recent new mutant team member and Rachel – recent arrival in this timezone feels like such an odd choice. But its atypical nature makes it work. This is what the X-books are now, a growing world of characters. And especially female characters. You have a feeling that editors now (or indeed most editors even back then) would have nixed a main title storyline so focused on two fringe players but Claremont’s got the standing to ask for it, get it and then pull it off.

Fun Panel

It is still jarringly weird to see Xavier up and running around as a team player. In his own costume. I do wish there had been more of this.

None More Claremont

Two young women dress as sexy maids to infiltrate a sexy villain HQ and get captured by a sexy mind control lady wearing virtually nothing, who then puts chains around their necks.

The funny thing re-reading this is I first read this as a child and I was fine with it. None of the subtext-that’s-basically-text was apparent to me. And it never did me any harm!

I think….