Thoughts

In my opinion the best Claremont issues manage to balance a number of distinct stories within the limited page count. They won’t just include action and excitement, but quiet, personal moments. As the reader we’ll learn something about the characters, maybe when one of them makes a decisive decision – and the characters themselves might learn something about each other. There’ll be a touch of romance, melodrama and a genuine sense of threat and death. For all these reasons, I think this is one of my favourite issues.

Also the best issues have Mystique and Destiny in it. Another plus for this one.

And finally the issue will dangle a brand new idea/concept that the title will go on to develop, and which is genuinely inventive and intriguing.

From the first page to the end, this is a great issue.

Fun Panel

Paul Smith’s creative visual use of “Bamf” as Nightcrawler attempt multiple teleports is subtle, yet striking.

Any Googling

This issue tells the story that Rogue has run away from Mystique and Destiny. As a member of their Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, she’s only featured in the comic before, when Carol Danvers and the X-men come across her on an espionage mission in the Pentagon.

This blog has also taken in her appearance in Avengers Annual 10, primarily because its such an important development for the character that is so important to who she is during the Claremont Run.

But, as the text boxes make clear, this is only a fraction of Rogue’s story up to now. In the Avengers Annual 10 blogpost I mentioned the planned issues of Ms Marvel that were to see Rogue attack Carol Danvers and steal her powers (we only seem the aftermath in comics published at the time). This time I went and researched the Dazzler issues pointed to in this issue.

It’s fascinating to explore this early Rogue history. Especially in issues not written by Claremont. It’s hard to see any indication of Rogue’s upcoming repentence here. She’s a hot tempered bad girl, in a comic that frequently feels incredibly dated in its visuals and dialogue. Dazzler is the fifties Good Girl, conventionally good looking and charming to everyone. Rogue the angry fifties beatnik who (gasps) doesn’t even seem to like men.

It’s slightly surprising that all these early Rogue appearances do not appear to have ever been collected into a single volume. Or even been a time periods that a subsequent writer has decided to do a flashback mini series about. They make for interesting reading, and probably do belong in a completists collection.

One aside from reading the Dazzler issues is that we learn that Rogue is only after Dazzler to get to the X-men. And that she is (briefly) placated by being told that the X-men (currently out on their Brood space adventures) are Dead. Alongside the origins of the New Mutants, the suggestion that the X-men are Dead seems to be important here. Which is curious because its something that you don’t get the impression that anyone thinks the X-men are really dead if you just read Uncanny X-men. They’re off on an adventure. I guess the dead angle was more useful for those other stories – and wasn’t really needed in the main one.

Anyway – here’s the last of Rogue from the Dazzler title. Finally defeated, apparently, by Alison – and dumped into a car and returned to Destiny and Mystique. The next thing she does is flee and get on a bus heading for Westchester…

Thoughts

The big Epic Brood saga definitely positivey really we-mean-it honest ends with this issue – which also sees the X-men return to Earth and meet the New Mutants. And take on seemingly the last of the Brood, inhabiting Professor Xavier himself.

The issue moves at a fantastic pace, and milks the Brood for a few final creepy moments. Not least the seemingly final transformation of Xavier. When he slumps in his chair, it seems like a terrible irreversible moment.

It turns out to be not only reversible bit the beginning of a reinvention of Xavier, taking him out the wheelchair. One of the mantras about comics – being an ongoing medium that has spanned decades is that the stories should give the “illusion of change”. But one of the fascinating features of the Claremont Run is that he makes change seem real. The characters are so well defined that any developments feel important. Xavier stands up (briefly) here and it feels big.

Alongside the defeat of the Brood, the issue is full of brilliantly written tiny moments that help define the characters of the X-men and the New Mutants. I could pick half a dozen, but I’ll just focus on this one that says so much with so little and some striking Paul Smith Pop Art.

Fun Panel

All Hail The Fantastic Paul Smith Point

None More Claremont

Another beautiful Paul Smith drawing, capturing some lovely Claremont moments. These aren’t the sort of grim/gritty heroes that were to become popular in the Eighties. Nor are they the earnest heroes of the golden age. These are just sweet characters you’d want as friends.

Thoughts

Paul Smith begins his all-too-brief but incredibly influential run on the Xmen mid-story. But what a story! Claremont is building an intriguing and inventive sci-fi tale here, while never losing sight of the fact that the X-men seem doomed.

The writing here is especially strong for Storm. She gets a tale where the events are driven by her ideology. By her reaction to a dilemma. A reaction that feed nicely into a Big High Concept Sci-Fi Idea. While at no time ever feeling po-faced or as if we are being lectured by the narrative.

I do wonder whether the film Solaris was the inspiration behind Storm’s attempts to manifest to the crew. It’s a great sequence though, where the mystery of it all drives another beautifully paced issue.

Away from the focus on Storm, we get to see all the X-men face what might be there death. As ever, Claremont uses this to build bonds between characters and we get more of the friendship between Wolverine and Nightcrawler. Some comic writers make their characters friends by having them dwell on what they have in common, but I think this friendship is so affecting because thats not the route Claremont goes down here.

It all builds to a great cliffhanger, setting us up for the finale in a special Double Sized issue.

Fun Panel

Paul Smith’s art impresses from the off with his simple, colourful designwork. If there’s a minor criticism it is that a few of the panels where characters interact feel strangely static. Not this one though – a beautifully energetic yet dark moment captured perfectly.

None More Claremont

Claremont returns to the teen romance of Kitty and Collossus here, as we see them face the prospect of Death together. This issue goes straight to the heart of their relationship and what feels awkward to read about it. Facing death, Kitty effectively propositions Colossus. If they are going to die, why not? Colossus says No, due to the age difference.

To have a character who is still, in the comics, thirteen years old talk in this way feels like new ground – but new ground that it feels troubling that the comic is breaking into. It’s not an easy moment to read and yet, character-wise it feels utterly genuine. There is nothing unrealistic here, and it feels like it gives us an insight into both characters that could not have been illustrated any other way.

This isn’t treating the matter coyly – or even trying to nudge nudge wink wink to the audience something that would not have aged well at all. Just a genuine scene of human emotions.