New Mutants (Vol. 1) #12

"Sunstroke"
Published February 1984
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Tom Mandrake
Cover Artist: Tom Mandrake

What's Going On?
After their Nova Roma adventure, the team takes some time to unwind in Rio de Janeiro.  Unfortunately, Amara gets heatstroke on the beach while she is unwinding, and gets lost in the city while losing control of her lava powers.  The team has to track her down and get her under control.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Roberto confronts his father, Emmanuel, about his attempts to have hired thugs derail his mother's expedition into the uncharted Amazon.  Emmanuel does not try to defend himself, and the two simply argue and part on bad terms.

- Emmanuel DaCosta accepts Sebastian Shaw's offer to join the Hellfire Club.

I love the halo of light surrounding Emmanuel in this scene.  It sure makes this seem more important than it ever turns out to be.

- While praying, Rahne mentions that she still has feelings for Sam, but that he seems to have a crush on Amara.  Rahne fears for her immortal soul for simply being a mutant.

- Nina DaCosta has chosen to stay in Nova Roma for...you know, reasons.

- Amara's father is now the top politician in Nova Roma.

Writing!
It looks like I spoke too soon, proclaiming last issue as the final part of the Brazilian tour.  While I will admit that the Roberto/Emmanuel scene had to happen, I don't think we really needed an issue justifying why Amara is joining the team.  She had minimal control over her powers in Nova Roma, so this story felt redundant.  But hey!  At least now the team has someone who needs to be taught how to control her powers!  Ever since Cannonball learned to turn mid-flight, that focus has been missing in this title.

Art!
Sal Buscema and Tom Mandrake's art has settled into consistently acceptable work.  That may seem like faint praise, but...well, it is.  It's not particularly splashy or exciting, but it certainly is not bad, although some of the contemprary style choices for the characters are questionable.  Nice sunglasses, Dani!

To be fair, this art team hasn't had many exciting things to draw, except maybe the occasional Magma scene.  Even that scene is less impressive in this issue.  Again, nothing is wrong, it just isn't good.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- I've noticed several scenes in this title where one of the female characters is easily defeated in a physical battle.  This is the first time the issue of consent has popped up.  Not surprisingly, it is not exactly an opportunity for a feminist manifesto.

- Sunspot has super-strength.  Cannonball can fly and is strong enough to carry Sunspot.  Therefore, Cannonball is strong enough to carry Sunspot while he is carrying a truck.  Sure, that logic checks out.

- Wolfsbane is unhappy with the team seeming to only include her when they need her to track someone, and she is upset that Sam has a crush on Amara.  Immediately after mentioning this, she is asked to track Amara.  She indicates no reluctance or annoyance when asked, and when the whole episode is over, she appears to have accepted Amara as a friend.  Because that is how teenagers work.

- When Amara passes out in the street, some kids find her and bring her home to help her recover.  That was nice of them.  Why, then, did it sound like they were going to sexually assault her?

- Amara's heart's desire is the death of her and the entire New Mutants team.  I'm reasonably sure this is never mentioned again.

 I do like that the random bystander knows who the New Mutants are.

- Amara has caused several volcanic eruptions within the city limits of Rio.  How worried are the New Mutants about being held accountable for millions of dollars worth of damage?  If you answered "So worried that they make a joke about it and laugh it off," you are correct.

- One of the fan letters in this issue laments how frequently and easily Rahne gets beaten in this title.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one noticing these things.  In my defense, I haven't used the phrase "Liberated Woman."

Uncanny X-Men #178

"Hell Hath No Fury..."
Published February 1984
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inkers: Bob Wiacek and Brett Breeding
Cover: John Romita Jr. and Dan Green

What's Going On?
It is X-Men vs. the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants time!  After doing harm to Colossus last issue, the Brotherhood (Avalance, Blob, Destiny and Pyro) try to ambush Nightcrawler and his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton.  Storm and Wolverine act as the cavalry and manage to subdue the Brotherhood with surprising ease.  Surprising, that is, until Blob reveals that their attacks were just a distraction to allow Mystique to attack Professor Xavier.

Meanwhile, Rogue convinces Mystique that she joined the X-Men of her own free will in an effort to learn to control her powers; this helps convince Mystique to not kill Xavier.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Cyclops has sent the Professor a letter from his honeymoon; his (and Madelyne's) post-X-Men plan is to work for his grandparents' airline in Alaska.  But who took this photo of them in their honeymoon bed, and why did Scott send it to his father figure?

- After the attack last issue, Colossus is still a chunk of frozen metal.  Kitty Pryde breaks into the Baxter Building to grab one of Reed Richards' inventions that could help Peter, but something surprises her as she tries to escape; it appears as though she fell from the roof of the building and died.

- Callisto has Masque alter the body of a dead junkie.  From their conversation, it sounds like he is going to create a doppelganger for Kitty Pryde.

- Xavier suffers another strong psychic blow, although this one is foreshadowing the Beyonder and Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars. 

- Mystique seems to accept Rogue's claim that she is willingly trying to learn control over her abilities under Xavier's tutelage.  I'm reasonably sure this is the last time Mystique's Brotherhood acts as (potentially) deadly enemies of the X-Men. Sure, they later become Freedom Force and are still enemies, but from this point forward, Mystique's team is usually trying to arrest instead of murder.

Writing!
Chris Claremont does a good job making Mystique out to be a legitimate threat.  I liked the tactics and attitude of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; they showed teamwork that X-Men villains rarely display, and I liked the joy Blob seemed to get out of Colossus' injury.  It is interesting to see Claremont starting to round out Mystique's character; his run is famous for his evolving treatment of Magneto, but this change with Mystique feels kind of like a dry run for that.

Art!
The very first page shows off the difference between the inking styles of Bob Wiacek and John Romita Sr.; compare the roughness of Colossus on this page and compare it to the final page of last issue. 

Personally, I think Romita Jr.'s pencils look better with inks that leave the art looking a little rough, so I actually like this change quite a bit.  Romita Jr. still has a couple of panels where he gives the female characters some unfortunately prominent cheekbones, but that is something he will continue to do for the rest of his career.  Overall, though, I think JRJR is a great action artist, and this issue plays to his strengths well.  Something I particularly liked was how he drew Amanda Sefton's magic spells.  How has he never drawn a Doctor Strange series?!?

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Apparently, when Wolverine shows up to a danger room session, he brings his jacket and a six pack of beer.

- Angel answers the letters page in this issue.  Keep in mind that Angel has not been an active team member since the All-New, All-Different team was launched.  It seems like a weird choice, but the last words on the page are a reminder to X-fans to check out Angel's further adventures in the pages of The Defenders, so I guess that explains that.

X-Men and the Micronauts #1

"First Encounter"
Published: January 1984
Writers: Chris Claremont and Bill Mantlo
Penciller: Jackson "Butch" Guice
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Cover: Jackson "Butch" Guice and Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
In the Microverse, the Micronauts (Commander Ranin, Huntara, Acroyear, Bug, Fireflyte, Marionette, and their sentient spaceship, Bioship) are responding to reports of battle on the fringes of their dimension.

Apparently, an unknown force is decimating entire planets, and the threat is so dire that the Micronauts have teamed up with their hated enemy, Baron Karza.  The Micronauts head into battle against their unknown foe --- leaving Baron Karza and Bioship behind as reinforcements --- and are immediately overwhelmed by their foe; the enemy admits that his motivation is his own amusement and explodes an entire planet with the snap of his fingers, but he chooses to allow the Micronauts to survive.  Karza and Bioship escape...but to where?

Meanwhile, the X-Men are enjoying some downtime in the X-mansion.  Storm and Nightcrawler are hanging around the pool, Kitty and Illyana are studying, and the New Mutants are undergoing a Danger Room exam.  Suddenly, they find themselves under attack by the action figure-sized Baron Karza; Karza and Bioship tracked the source of their enemy's power to Professor Xavier, and have decreed that Xavier must die so the Microverse can live.  Baron Karza is able to defeat the New Mutants with relative ease, but he is outmatched and outnumbered when the X-Men join the fray.  In the skirmish, Kitty phases through Baron Karza, in an attempt to disrupt his armor.  For some reason, phasing managed to have the unintended side effect of switching their minds; Karza found himself in Kitty's body, and Kitty was trapped, unconscious, in his.  Karza (somehow controlling his own body, as well as Kitty's) convinces the X-Men to join him in saving the Microverse, as it seems that there is a connection between the enemy and Xavier.  They join Karza and Bioship, shrinking down for adventure in the Microverse dimension.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Lockheed is aggressive toward Baron Karza, when he is trapped in Kitty's body.


Writing!
So.  Much.  Exposition.  In a normal X-Men issue, this plot would only take up half of an issue, max.  With another ensemble cast to juggle, though, it takes a while to get anywhere.  And where do we wind up?  The X-Men agree to team up.  The end.  Maybe the most exceptional writing moment is when it was decided that Kitty's mutant power would act like it never has before, for the sake of advancing the plot.  That part sure was goofy.

Art!
While "Butch" Guice does not do anything too spectacular here, it is solid work.  There are a lot of characters in this issue, and the Microverse is a crazy place to draw.  I don't think any of the characters look too flattering, but I will admit that the storytelling was pretty respectable, especially given how much exposition was needed in this issue.

One thing I was not too excited to see was yet another example of Psyche's powers being manifested by neon inks, which don't show up especially well on the page.  I would really like to see someone come up with a new way to show off her power.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- I love that there is supposed to be a mystery over who the unknown enemy is.  The energy trail of the enemy leads directly to Xavier, and it looks just like Xavier's astral projection did when he fought Amahl Farouk (back in Uncanny X-Men #117); the mystery only exists for readers who have not read that particular issue of Uncanny.  Here is the mystery villain in this issue:

Here: is the armor in Uncanny #117:

It's not just me, is it?  It's obvious.  Granted, it makes sense for this to be a mystery to the characters; neither the X-men nor Micronauts have ever witnessed Xavier in full battle armor on the astral plane.  Still, I would have liked it if the writers made a little more effort with this mystery.  I have a feeling that the eventual reveal will feel like it's taking forever to happen. 

- Cannonball recognizes Baron Karza as an action figure.  That was part of the pitch with the Micronaut toys; the diminutive action figures were supposed to be life-sized.

- I love that the New Mutants are not mentioned in the title.  This is really The X-Men (and New Mutants) and the Micronauts.

- Kitty Pryde's intangibility can now apparently trigger mind transfers?  That is hilariously convoluted, and I am 90% sure that never happens again after this series.

- It sure is a good thing that nobody in the Marvel Universe (except maybe Reed Richards or Hank Pym) gives two craps about the Microverse.  I am absolutely certain that I have never seen a character reference the Microverse planets that totally-not-Xavier destroys in this issue.  It's a big deal for Dark Phoenix to have caused the destruction of a planet of broccoli people, but this?  This is outside of Shi'ar space, so it's okay to slaughter innocents here.

Worth Noting:
- This is the second instance (the first is in Uncanny X-Men #106) of Xavier unconsciously creating a psychic construct that becomes an enemy. Let's see how many more instances pop up before the Onslaught storyline!

Paying Tribute to My Namesake: