Uncanny X-Men #175

"Phoenix!"
Published November 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Pencillers: Paul Smith and John Romita Jr.
Inker: Bob Wiacek


What's Going On?
Dark Phoenix has returned, and she wants to toy with the X-Men before destroying them.  Last issue, Madelyne Pryor transformed into Phoenix and attacked Cyclops.  This issue, she drops him off at the X-Mansion so he can prepare the team for the battle to come.  When she arrives, she easily defeats the team, but chooses to let them live for a while.  She then decides to destroy the Starjammers' spaceship and the entire city of New York (thus killing the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and most of the other Marvel super heroes).  This convinces the X-Men (minus Cyclops and Xavier, who are unconscious in the infirmary) that they must use lethal force when fighting Phoenix, for the good of mankind.  When Cyclops comes to, though, he puts together some clues and realizes that they are not facing Dark Phoenix, but the illusionist Mastermind.  But how can he convince the team that what they see, hear and feel is wrong --- especially since Mastermind can make Cyclops appear to be their enemy? 

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The culmination of Mastermind's plot also serves as the last tease that Madelyne may actually be Jean Grey/Phoenix (for a while, anyway).

- The whirlwind romance between Scott and Madelyne climaxes with this elaborate evil scheme that also appears to serve as an X-Men wedding rehearsal dinner.  It's nice to see them get a happily ever after.  I wonder if we'll see these crazy kids again...

- With her new, edgy look, Storm admits that she now controls violent weather with greater ease.

Writing!
My favorite thing about this story is how it pits Cyclops against the rest of the X-Men, and how he manages (thanks to clever planning) to defeat them...if only for a limited time.  It's a statement to Cyclops' skill as a strategist and team leader; that is something that is often overlooked in this era of Uncanny, if only because Storm has taken a more active leading role.

I've really been enjoying the Claremont/Smith run so far, and this issue does a good job of finishing off the Mastermind subplot and puts any questions about Madelyne's similarity to Jean Grey to rest (for now).  With regards to just this single issue, though, I was left a little underwhelmed.  I get Mastermind's motivation --- he wants to destroy the X-Men by ruining their precious morality --- but his plan is dumb and his execution sloppy.  And why act now, instead of back in Japan?  It's still entertaining, but the logic is lacking.

Art!
This is Paul Smith's last issue of Uncanny for a good long while, and he goes out on on a high note.  His fight scenes are fluid and crisp, and he handles the illusions well.  I especially like his version of Phoenix, with the glossy long locks.

This issue also marks the first pencils from John Romita Jr. on an X-Men title (EDIT 07/30/2016: JRJR first drew the team in Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 from 1980  My bad).  It is interesting to see the distinct differences between Smith and Romita, because it is all the more stark with Bob Wiacek inking both, and with them both drawing the same characters.  Romita Jr's work is rougher around the edges than Smith's, but it fits the danger in this issue well.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Cyclops has a near death experience after being burned by Phoenix.  However, he was never really injured at all; it was all just an illusion.  So...was he really that close to death, or is his subconscious just overly dramatic?
 
- So it is pretty clear at this point that Wolverine's wedding was ruined due to Mastermind's intervention, right?  Well, maybe for the readers; the X-Men appear to not know that, despite Storm clearly remembering the time she saw a Phoenix image in the Japanese sky.  All we get is Wolverine glaring during Cyclops' wedding ceremony and absolutely no direct reference to Mastermind in Japan.  In other words, Cyclops once again gets the girl and Wolvie gets heartbroken (cue sad trombone).

- I think it's funny how many people come to Scott and Madelyne's wedding, especially given the fact that Scott was raised an orphan and Madelyne has no family or friends.

Worth Noting:
- Paul Smith's next issue of Uncanny X-Men will be #278, more than 100 issues from now.

- Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor get married at the end of the issue.