Uncanny X-Men #170

"Dancin' in the Dark"
Published June 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
Picking up after their defeat last issue, the shorthanded X-Men have been captured in their attempt to rescue Angel from Callisto and the Morlocks.  Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler try to brawl their way out of their mess, but the Morlocks are too many and are too unknown to the X-Men for them to really have a chance; while Nightcrawler easily defeats Callisto by teleporting her around Morlock Alley...

he and Colossus are forced to surrender when Plague infects Storm and threatens to kill her.  Meanwhile, Kitty's Plague-induced sickness gets worse, and Caliban brings her to the rest of the Morlocks and the X-Men.  As critical as her condition is, though, Callisto will not allow anyone to take Kitty to get medical help.  The only way Callisto's decision can be overturned is by challenging her to one-on-one physical combat, to the death.  Storm, weakened by Plague's sickness as she is, still decides that she should be the one to challenge Callisto.  Despite Callisto's experience and physical prowess, Storm wins the fight by stabbing her in the heart like a bad-ass.  After winning the fight, Storm declares herself leader of the Morlocks, invites them to live in Xavier's mansion, and frees the X-Men. 

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor are interested in each other, romantically-speaking.  Cyclops confesses his two biggest secrets to Madelyne: the fact that he's a mutant, and the fact that Madelyne appears to be an exact duplicate of his late girlfriend, Jean Grey.  Madelyne is okay with both secrets.

- In her hurry to help the X-Men, Kitty promises Caliban that she will stay with him and live in the Morlock tunnels.

- Mystique has a nightmare featuring Jason Wyngarde and Jean Grey.  She awakens in a surprisingly nice house, where fellow Brotherhood of Evil Mutants member Destiny is already awake, having foreseen the nightmare's occurrence.  Mystique is certain that the dream was an attack on her, but Destiny convinces her that Charles Xavier is not the cause; according to Destiny, the person responsible for the nightmare is an entity that "operates on fundamental levels of space and time." 

- Rogue has run away from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  But to where...?

Writing!
I can't say that I'm a fan of starting the issue with a B-plot (Scott and Madelyne) instead of with Storm's team in peril, but whatever.  Claremont makes up for that, in my mind, by putting together Storm's finest moment yet: her duel with Callisto.  This is the first noticeable change with her character in years and, while there have been some hints in recent issues that she's getting tougher, this is a shocking scene. 

The idea of Storm leading the Morlocks and the X-Men is an interesting one that could open the door to a lot of atypical plots (the obvious bigotry ones, but also social issues and street-level crime, etc.).  If memory serves, Claremont doesn't really do that, but it's an interesting broad idea, nonetheless.  I do think that having none of the Morlocks choose to live at the mansion was just poor and lazy writing, but whatever.

I'm starting to get wary of the "powerful unknown psychic" subplot.  The logic of it (put the White Queen in a coma, but give Mystique a bad dream?) doesn't really work, and neither do the targets.  I really, really hope this pays off well soon.  I'm pretty sure that it's going to be Mastermind --- who else would make Mystique dream of his Jason Wyngarde persona? --- but I'm really hoping it's not.

Art!
I'm not a big fan of Paul Smith's rendition of the Morlocks --- I much prefer John Romita Jr.'s more grotesque take --- but he did one hell of a job making Storm look like a bad-ass in this issue.  She had never really seemed all that tough (formidable, per haps, but not tough), but this 3-page sequence was just fabulous:

 The knife toss-and-catch was pretty cool --- and very well-conveyed --- but Callisto's surprise was just priceless.  The next page shows how well Smith can do action scenes:

...and then we have Storm's "drop the mic" moment:

She just stabs Callisto and walks off the panel, the winner.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the most interesting moment in Storm's entire history, and a lot of that depends on how Smith drew it.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Madelyne Pryor is the hardest person in the world to frighten.  She learns that her boyfriend-to-be is a mutant with dangerously destructive and difficult to control powers and she learns that his last girlfriend looked exactly and creepily like her, but she barely bats an eye.

- I know this isn't what Chris Claremont was going for, but it would have been extremely funny (to me) if Paul Smith drew Madelyne Pryor differently, and the X-Men just thought she looked like Jean Grey because they can't tell the difference between redheads.

- The Morlocks, who fought against Colossus and Nightcrawler in an all-out brawl, seem ill-prepared to keep them contained.  Maybe you can make the excuse that the X-Men played possum the first time, and surprised the Morlocks:

The second time, though, with the exact same situation and exact same results is just shame on them.

- So the person who gave Mystique a bad dream "operates on fundamental levels of space and time," eh?  I don't remember who wound up being responsible for this, but I'm going to go ahead and call bullshit on that one.  That is just overselling a character's power set to an unbelievably comic degree.

- The Morlocks have been invited to live in the X-Mansion, but Caliban refuses on their behalf.  So you're telling me that not even one of them would rather live in a mansion than in the sewers of New York City?

 - This issue was published a year before Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" single was released.  We'll just pretend that this is proof that Bruce was reading X-Men that year.

Worth Noting:
- Storm is now leader of the Morlocks and the X-Men.  I wonder which she will spend more time with?

Daredevils #5

"Executive Action"
Published May 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
A group of mercenaries, the Special Executive, have been hired to bring Captain Britain somewhere.  They successfully execute a plan to breach the highly defended Braddock Manor, neutralize the psychics that are currently living there, and confront Captain Britain while he is in bed.  A fight ensues, but only because the Special Executive didn't explain the matter properly; they have been hired by Saturnyne to bring him as a witness for her trial defense.  Of course, Saturnyne is the one who left him stranded in an alternate reality to face certain death, so Cap isn't too keen on helping her cause.  That doesn't stop the Special Executive, though...

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Betsy Braddock is apparently romantically involved with her fellow psychic, Thomas Lennox.  Personality goes a long way, I guess, but the pairing of a fashion model with a guy who looks like this feels like a fanboy fantasy.

- Heeey, looks like we haven't left the dimension-hopping reality-bending from the previous volume of CapBrit stories.  The return of Saturnyne means the return of alternate Earths, which will probably lead to the return of the Fury.

- According to Special Executive member Cobweb, their leader, Wardog, seems to be getting the group some lousy jobs.

Writing!
The idea behind this story is a pretty simple one, but I like the way it's presented.  It could have been a few scenes of Wardog giving exposition, followed by several pages of his plan being enacted.  Moore spiced the story up by using Wardog's exposition to explain the plan while it was in action.  It's a simple device, but it worked very well here.  I'm a little surprised to see Moore returning to the more cosmic themes of the Fury storyline already, having spent the last few issues establishing a new status quo for the Captain.  There's nothing wrong with that, of course, it just seems like Moore is changing directions at this point.  I guess we'll see how the story progresses. 

Art!
As the artist introducing the Special Executive to the story and (probably) to the reader, Alan Davis is tasked with showcasing the abilities of the team members.  This group has some members with unusual superpowers, and Davis does a pretty great job illustrating them.  It's got to be tough to visually explain the concept of Fascination's power set...

...and that pales in comparison to a convincing image of Cobweb being psychically in tune with all her future and past selves.  I like it when Davis is given the chance to get creative like this.

Retroactively Amusing:
- The Special Executive first appeared in 1981's Dr. Who #51, and some of its members are from Gallifrey.  That means that, licensing issues or not, the Doctor Who Universe is the Marvel Universe.  That is very cool.

- I'm not judging, but it's interesting that Brian and Betsy Braddock both sleep naked, especially since the British are supposedly the more conservative audience.

Meanwhile, American audiences are treated to a lot of pajamas in the X-Men books.

New Mutants (Vol. 1) #3

Quite the coloring job, Marvel.  Was "pitch black" too difficult?

"Nightmare"
Published May 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Bob McLeod
Inker: Mike Gustovich

What's Going On?
Dani's having nightmares about the creature that attacked her in the Danger Room last issue, to the point where her screams wake the entire house.  "It's okay," the other New Mutants assure her, "It's just a dream..." except for the fact that the knife she stabbed the creature with in her dream is covered with blood!  Gasp!  Dani takes the knife to present as proof that she is not crazy to Professor Xavier, but he is already on the phone with Moira MacTaggert, explaining how crazy Dani is, and how he doesn't know what deep, dank hole to put her in.  For whatever reason, Dani dismisses her own proof to the contrary and decides that she must be nuts.  But maybe she's not!  Dani gathers the New Mutants together to help her decide if she's nuts, when their entire world goes topsy-turvy.  The evil Brood creature appears and attacks the team, but when they fight back, the creature vanishes!  The entire grounds of Xavier's school transform into a nightmarish landscape, where the New Mutants don't know what is real and what is not.  That is because the Brood creature is using Dani's powers against the entire team, without her knowledge.  Eventually, Dani realizes that her powers are the key to defeating the monster and has Sam knock her unconscious.  This wins the day, and the New Mutants are left wondering what happened to them that day...until Magnum, PI is on TV, which heals all wounds.


Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Banshee witnesses Illyana singing a song of tribute to missing friends; he assumes she is referring to the X-Men, but she is really singing her tribute to the friends she lost in Belasco's dimension --- the story of which has not been told yet, because her limited series hasn't been written yet.

- Cannonball still has trouble making sharp turns when he's "blasting."  At what point will that stop being the defining factor with his powers?  (Best guess?  After Chris Claremont leaves the title.)

- Is that Sunspot holding Wolfsbane's hand I see?  Woo-woo!  Romance on the horizon!  Or not...

Writing!
The further I get into this series, the less impressed I am with the writing.  Why?  Because this issue is obviously crap.  Let's ignore the fact that this issue takes place chronologically between two much better issues of Uncanny X-Men that have already been published.  On its own merits, this is still a poorly written comic.

Let's start with Dani's dream; I am okay with the "death" scenes she imagines for her friends, but the actual nightmare creature was just...boring.  The fact that is was a bear wearing a mask just made it seem ridiculous instead of scary.  Worse than that is how Brood Xavier handled the New Mutants.  I can understand the Broodling wanting to get rid of Dani, since she has psionic abilities.  I do not understand why she was the sole target, when Karma also has psionic powers.  I also don't understand why the Brood Xavier ever made a physical appearance when attacking the team; it is apparent that the Broodling is forcing the New Mutants to fight apparitions.  What is less obvious is the fact that sometimes --- especially when Dani stabs the Brood when she is dreaming --- the Brood is actually fighting and getting injured.  If it has access to Xavier's mental abilities and Dani's illusion abilities, why would the Broodling ever need to put itself in danger?

Worst of all: this issue does not actually ever explain what is going on!  I get it; Xavier has become possessed by a Brood that is using his mental powers.  But if I was just reading this title, I would definitely not know any of that.  New Mutants has not explained that Xavier has been possessed by an alien, it has not explained what the hell a Brood is, and it sure as hell didn't explain that Brood Xavier was manipulating Dani's powers in this issue; there's a hint at the end of the issue, but not enough to satisfy readers that aren't keeping up with the X-Men.  Did that all need to be spelled out?  Not necessarily, but this comic isn't making it easy to be a casual reader.


Art!
I'm sure that this is just me seeing a trend where there really isn't one, but there seems to be an awful lot of dudes beating on women in these first few issues of New Mutants.  The first issue has Roberto giving Xi'an a full forehand smack, and here he is, using his super-strength against her ribcage:

And how does the issue climax?  With Sam rocketing his fist into Dani's face!

These images may have been taken completely out of context, but I think we can all agree that Bob McLeod is good at drawing women getting knocked out.

Keep in mind that this comic is probably aimed at an audience younger than that of the X-Men.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Apparently, a Demon Bear "murdered" Dani's parents.  In case the word "Demon" didn't clue you in that this is an unusual bear, the fact that she uses "murdered" instead of "killed" is a nice hint.  Also, how hilarious is it that the monster in her dream was wearing a mask, revealing a bear's head underneath?

- Dani takes the blood-stained knife to Xavier as proof that she's not crazy, and yet none of the artwork after that first scene supports her claim.  Yay, Comics Code!  The lack of blood on the knife doesn't at all make her look batshit crazy when she contemplates suicide a few panels later...

That's right...Dani shouldn't be allowed to live and we shouldn't be allowed to see blood

- When Dani screams herself awake from her nightmare, Sam and Roberto are immediately at her door.  That implies that their rooms are next to hers.  That seems like a poor arrangement on Xavier's part; I'm not saying that these are not well-behaved kids, but that's an awful lot of faith to put into horny teens not trying to have sex in the middle of the night.

- Moira MacTaggert does not want to have children with former X-Man Banshee, because her last child turned out to be a murdering bastard.  Good point.

-  Sam brings up an excellent point; why doesn't Xavier just expel Dani, if the Brood Xavier is that worried about her?  Does there need to be a solid reason for him to get rid of her?  Hell, Illyana went to Europe with Moria MacTaggert because...um...reasons.  Why couldn't Dani get shuffled off in a similar fashion?  This entire issue is a waste of time!

- Karma tries to possess Brood Xavier in this issue and is defeated by Brood Xavier's mental ickiness.  Thank goodness she tries the exact same thing, minutes later, in Uncanny X-Men #167.  Just because she's the oldest doesn't mean she's the smartest.

- According to Brood Xavier, it is well within Dani's abilities to turn her psychic projections into physical apparitions...if only she had trained more!  Wah-wah!  Too bad this is never mentioned again.

Worth Noting:
- The first page of this issue helpfully points out that this story takes place between Uncanny X-Men #166 and #167.

- This is the first mention of the Demon Bear. 

- For all intents and purposes, this is the end of the first story arc of New Mutants.  This is the 80s, of course, so this wasn't being written for the trade, but this is the effective end of the storyline that led to the formation of this team.  The New Mutants were gathered because Xavier has lost the X-Men, and has decided to teach a new generation of mutants.  Now that the X-Men have returned (in-between this and the next issue), the theoretic dynamic will shift.  Theoretically, there should be less pressure on the New Mutants to

Uncanny X-Men #169

"Catacombs"
Published May 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
When former X-Man Angel is kidnapped from his ritzy apartment by forces unknown, the X-Men are ready to track him down.  The team is shy a few members at the moment --- Wolverine is in Japan for his limited series and Cyclops has retired to Alaska --- so it is up to Storm to lead Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Kitty Pryde to hunt down their friend.  The trail leads the team to a vast network of underground tunnels (or "catacombs," if you want to swipe the issue's title), filled with hostile natives.  These humanoid underground dwellers (no telling yet if they are cannibalistic or not) call themselves the Morlocks.  Their leader, Callisto, had Angel kidnapped to serve as her trophy husband.  Naturally, the X-Men fight to save their friend, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the opposition.  Things don't look good for these X-Men, and it doesn't seem like help will be on the way.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The White Queen has been struck down by an unknown psychic attacker, and is now in a catatonic stupor.  Her fellow Hellfire Club member, Sebastian Shaw, admits that only Charles Xavier could have done such a thing, but seriously doubts that Xavier would act like a villain.

- Xavier mentions some psychic interference that prevents him from keeping in contact with the team as they enter the Morlock tunnels.  This appears to be unrelated to what happened to the White Queen.

- Kitty hates her code-name, Sprite.  With yet another costume debuting here, is it time for a new code-name as well?

- Storm is having difficulty handling her emotions as leader of the team.  She is forcing herself to be cold and detached, which is disturbing her teammates greatly.

- Kitty winds up getting extremely sick, thanks to Plague, and is found and cared for by Caliban.  Caliban is still super creepy and wants to keep Kitty with him, underground, forever.

Writing!
This issue is a bit uneven.  There are things that I really like --- particularly the objectification of Angel in this issue (he doesn't even get any dialogue!), which turns the tables on your typical comic book gender roles.  I also liked Nightcrawler's naked trek across town; it was a fun use of his powers that shows both how far he has come in mastering them and an unintended disadvantage to being able to leave places immediately.

I was not crazy about the Morlocks, though.  I understand their appeal from a writing perspective --- mutants, like the X-Men, but not lucky enough to have "sexy" powers --- but I really think Claremont went in the wrong direction, introducing them this way.  Having an overly aggressive outsider culture --- they kidnap Angel and throw his girlfriend, Candy Southern, out of a skyscraper --- makes them automatically unsympathetic.  When you combine that with Callisto's ridiculously verbose introduction and her rapist undertones, this issue has a lot more "ick" than your typical X-Men issue.

Art!
Paul Smith does a good job making the Morlocks ugly in this issue, and the fight scenes look pretty good.  I like Kitty's new uniform better than anything she's had since her original outfit.  Domino masks are cool.

But when I think back on this issue, the one image that keeps popping into my head is a helpless Angel wearing what appear to be cloth diapers.  Was he not wearing underwear when he was kidnapped?

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Amanda Sefton comments that her mother taught her how to care for dragons, when Kitty leaves Lockheed in her care.  Ignoring the fact that Lockheed is an alien that may or may not match up with our understanding of "dragons," how does she say that and not have anyone react?  I know, her mother's a sorceress, but still...!

- With Angel kidnapped and Wolverine on leave, Storm asks if she can use borrow Wolfsbane to act as a tracker.  Xavier tells her absolutely not --- the New Mutants are not to be taken on "missions."  The message is that the New Mutants are to be kept out of danger.  Keep in mind that this is one month after they fought mutant-hunting Sentinels.

- Check out what Xavier is reading in bed:

Yes, that's an Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe gag.  Ha ha?

- Apparently, all it takes for Plague to make you deathly ill is for her to infect a single molecule on your person.  Yay, ridiculously over-powered characters!

- Callisto takes out Storm with a slingshot.  A SLINGSHOT.  Way to lead the team, Storm.

Worth Noting:
- This is the first appearance of the Morlocks, specifically Callisto, Masque, Plague, and Sunder.  Caliban made his first appearance back in Uncanny #148.

- Callisto's bravado reminds Storm of someone from her past that apparently wanted to rape her...

Pictured: six eyes, zero pupils

... which is a bit of a downer.  I believe this gets retconned by Claremont later on to explain why Storm doesn't kill, but it seems that the first take on this story is that she ran away.

Daredevils #4

"Killing Ground"
Published April 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
It's an all-out fight issue, as Captain Britain takes on Slaymaster.  Despite Captain Britain's personal force field and vast strength, Slaymaster is a far better fighter.  It takes all CapBrit has, and a tiny bit of help from his sister and her pal, to take out the villain.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Captain Britain invites Betsy Braddock and her two remaining psychic friends to live with him at Braddock Manor.

- When Slaymaster is defeated, Vixen calls up Arcade to complain.  Apparently, Arcade was Slaymaster's trainer.  Arcade vows to finish Slaymaster's job, if only to settle a personal grudge against Captain Britain.

Writing!
I like that the issue begins with some bits of inner monologue, instead of the typical superhero fight banter.

I don't normally think of "fight choreographer" when I think of Alan Moore's strengths, but he's actually quite good.  He updates Slaymaster into a legitimate threat that, in his next appearance, will be a legitimate cause for excitement; despite Captain Britain's nigh-invulnerability and strength, Slaymaster is a capable opponent here.  I almost rolled my eyes when Slaymaster started his spiel about ninjas --- there isn't much more 80s and overused than ninjas, right? --- but his conclusion that his hand isn't much use, except for cutting, was pretty great.  In fact, the only misstep in the whole issue (and a subjective one, at that) was having Slaymaster and CapBrit face off within arm's reach, completely unprepared for battle, when they are in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight.

It sets up that great line about cutting, but why wouldn't you have them looking like they were ready to hit each other here?  It's such an odd choice that it had to come from the writer and not the artist.

Art!
Alan Davis is getting better with each issue.  The sketchiness from the previous issue is almost entirely gone.  Now, we are treated to some gorgeous and graceful-looking fight scenes!  Life is good.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Alan Moore takes some time to ridicule superhero comic fans.  It won't be the last time.

The "Coming Soon" sign is a bit of an Easter Egg, too.  We'll be seeing Saturnyne and the Special Executive in the next issue.

- Either Captain Britain knows how to program the hologram of Braddock Manor so that select people can see the building for what it is, or he is going to have some confused roommates soon.

Worth Noting:
- Inspector Dai Thomas makes his return in this issue.  Apparently, he used to hate costumed heroes.  Given how friendly he was with Excalibur, I'm curious as to when that changed.

New Mutants (Vol. 1) #2

"Sentinels"
Published April 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Bob McLeod
Inker: Mike Gustovich


What's Going On?
Stevie Hunter takes Rahne, Roberto, Sam, and Xi'an to the mall to see "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" in the theater.  They are secretly monitored by agents of Project Wideawake, under the orders of Henry Peter Gyrich.  The idea is for the agents to detain the students because they are mutants (that makes sense, right?).  While the agents are making their move, Stevie receives a surprise encounter from Michael Rossi, from Air Force Intelligence.  Rossi alerts Stevie to the abduction of the students, and they (and the kids) manage to fight off the Project Wideawake agents.  That's when the gigantic, mutant-hunting robot Sentinels arrive.  The New Mutants manage to defeat the three Sentinels that were trying to capture them, but they also wrecked the mall in the process.  All's well that ends well, though, as the Project Wideawake agents get arrested and the kids return back to Xavier's school.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Remember how last issue ended, with Dani in a very dangerous Danger Room module?  Yeah, that doesn't really go very far in this issue.  Dani avoids some danger, is confronted by a gigantic Brood, and she gets knocked unconscious.  This somehow saves her from the Danger Room program and the Brood.  When the rest of the team finds and wakes her, Dani doesn't think anyone believes her tale.  However, Stevie knows that only three people can activate the most dangerous Danger Room sequences; Stevie was in town with the other students, Moira was in Europe, and Professor Xavier was at home, without an alibi.  Hmm...

- Sebastian Shaw is the man ultimately responsible for sending the Sentinels to attack the New Mutants (I guess?  More on that later...).  Shaw's plan is to make the kids ultra-paranoid, "suspicious of everyone, save their own kind;" once Xavier is "eliminated," Shaw plans to swoop in and have the kids willingly join the Hellfire Club. 

- After Roberto made a vaguely sexual comment about Rahne at the end of last issue, it is implied here that she has a crush on him.  I don't recall that ever being a major sub-plot in this series, so I'm curious as to when this is abandoned.

- Sebastian Shaw realizes that Roberto's father is a member of the Hellfire Club.  Not the evil, power-hungry Inner Circle, but the fancy high society club.  Shaw plans to use the older DaCosta to bring his son to the Hellfire Club.

Writing!
Woof.  This is a poor issue. 

Pushing the cliffhanger ending of last issue to the background of this issue feels unnatural, from a pacing perspective.  Having the situation resolve itself by having Dani get knocked unconscious and then not coming to more serious harm when she was utterly defenseless makes absolutely no sense and undermines the danger she was originally in.

As for the main plot, the Sentinels show up because...um...okay, fine, there is no clear cause-and-effect.  Bringing back Michael Rossi seems absolutely random.  On the bright side, it is fun seeing the kids' powers in action against the Sentinels, but they should be out of their league against Sentinels.  The small character moments in the story came across decently well, but Claremont's attempts at teenager dialogue don't feel very natural.

And then there are the thematic problems.  Just last issue, it was stressed that the New Mutants would not become a team of superheroes.  The very next issue, they are fighting giant robots in public.  Even worse, they do this without masks!  For some unknown reason, the team uniforms that they seem to wear under their street clothes --- because they're not a super-team that would need to switch into their disguises en route to hero-ing --- do not include even the most basic masks.  These costumes are based on the classic original X-Men uniforms (which all had masks) and the modified original Kitty Pryde uniform (which also had a mask).  And what about their lack of training?  None of the New Mutants who defeated these supposedly deadly Sentinels passed even the most basic Danger Room training sequence, and yet they easily defeat one of the X-Men's major enemies?  I'm not saying that I want the kids to die, but don't you think that maybe this win should have been a little less dominant?  Already, it feels like the focus of this title is being pulled in different directions, and the end product is suffering for it.

Art!
I like Bob McLeod's action sequences in this issue; I think he portrays the awkward bulk of the Sentinels very well.

...But there are some serious storyboarding problems.  There are slightly goofy, but annoying problems, like having the kids wearing their New Mutants uniforms under their street clothes --- including the long gloves and boots that they clearly were not wearing under their clothes.  That's a little silly, but not a big problem.  I'm more annoyed by the kids changing their clothes between panels, as they fight for their lives; that just seems like a misuse of time in an emergency. 

My biggest problem is sloppy storytelling.  Take this scene:

Roberto is inside a parking garage, when Sentinel hands block his way.  His only way out is to desperately break through a wall to the outside.  And yet, the last panel shows Roberto breaking through a wall one story beneath the Sentinel's attack. 

Or how about this? 

What happened to the Sentinel that was holding onto Sam?  It clearly was not shown crashing into Sentinel #3.  Did it just let go, and quit?

Retrospectively Amusing:
- The kids watch "E.T." in the theater and of course have to discuss whether or not E.T. is a mutant.

- Local teens go out of their way to introduce themselves to the New Mutants, because the locals haven't seen them around before.  That's pretty nice, I suppose, but it's not like Westchester is a small, remote village where everyone knows your name; the county has almost a million people in it in 2014, with dozens of schools.

- Sebastian Shaw's student recruitment plan is a bit overcomplicated, especially when you consider that the Hellfire Club eventually decides to recruit its own students at the Massachusetts Academy.  "Wait...you mean we can get kids to be on our side without creating a conspiracy?"
 
- Michael Rossi has been pretending to be dead for the past several years as part of Air Force Intelligence?  The Air Force?!?  Not the FBI or CIA?  Not SHIELD?!?  Unless I missed out on a rich history of Marvel using the Air Force as ultimate spy badasses in the 80s, this is a bizarre choice.

- You've got to love Project Wideawake's camera and microphone network.  It's not like they would have set up their own gear at the ice cream shop that the New Mutants visited on a whim, so that means they have the ability to hack the security cameras at the mall (which apparently also transmit audio?).  I would *LOVE* to hear a technical explanation for that, especially one that uses 1983 technology.

- Project Wideawake has its motives spelled out in this issue, and they essentially boil down to this: since mutants are not a nation-specific resource, it is possible that other countries are creating their own elite offensive unit of mutant soldiers and specialists.  That is a legitimate and sympathetic motivation.  So what is Project Wideawake supposed to do?  Um.  Well.  Be bigoted bad guys, I guess?  It's not very clear.

- According to Henry Peter Gyrich, he is under direct orders from the President to keep Project Wideawake a secret for as long as possible.  And now the Sentinels have publicly battled children and wrecked a shopping mall.  Oops.  Don't worry, though; I'm pretty sure this debacle is not mentioned again and has no lasting repercussions to the program.

- The Sentinels get called in as the "contingency plan" when the Project Wideawake agents encounter resistance.  Henry Peter Gyrich, head of Project Wideawake, said that he would never use Sentinels to apprehend children, only the most dangerous adults.  Which is right?  Did the agents have the okay to call in the Sentinels, or are we to believe that Sebastian Shaw has several Project Wideawake agents on his payroll?  And if that's the case, wouldn't they be found out and punished pretty damn quickly?

- The New Mutants and the Sentinels wrecked the local mall.  You would think that would be a big deal, but the kids get to go back to school at the end of the issue, scot-free.

- The "Professor Xavier has a Brood egg in him" sub-plot continues, even though the story got a resolution last month in Uncanny #167.  Looks like somebody is still getting the hang of publishing multiple related titles per month, eh Marvel?

Worth Noting:
- Michael Rossi was believed to have been dead before his return in this issue.  I believe his death was in Uncanny X-Men #96 at the hands of Sentinel master Stephen Lang, but I'm not 100% sure, since he did pop up in a few issues of  Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) afterward; it looks like those appearances were only in flashbacks, but I can't be certain.

- The computer screen in Project Wideawake headquarters shows the ages of the New Mutants.  Roberto is 13, Rahne 14, Sam 16, and Xi'an 19.  I'm pretty sure that Roberto is not portrayed as the youngest in the group in any other issues, so this may be retconned quickly.

- Sunspot falls three stories and lands on a car, but does not seem to be hurt.  A Sentinel observes "evident by-product of enhanced strength is increased physical resilience."  So a three-story fall barely hurts him, but Wolverine can knock him out without any trouble in Uncanny #167.  Good to know.

Everything 80s:
- There are a few house advertisements for "Blip" magazine, Marvel's attempt to capture the attention of video gamers.  The attractions are things like video game-themed comic strips, "video games of the stars," and "visual appeal."  It lasted seven issues.

- As someone who went through a major First Wave Punk phase, this just made me groan:

Uncanny X-Men #168

"Professor Xavier is a Jerk!"
Published April 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek


What's Going On?
After being demoted from the X-Men to the remedial New Mutants team, Kitty Pryde is understandably upset.  After discovering that throwing a tantrum and pouting failed to change Professor Xaver's mind about the matter, Kitty tries a number of other tactics.  In the end, though, all it took was Xavier seeing Kitty in action to change his mind.  Kitty is an X-Man once more!

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- A new twist has been added to Xavier's psychosomatic walking pain sub-plot: when he tries to walk, the pain is so great that he cannot use his psychic powers.

- Lilandra plans to leave Earth with the Starjammers and try to reclaim her rightful place as ruler of the Shi'ar.  Xavier plans to remain on Earth and recruit/train more mutants.  It may be a bumpy road ahead for these lovers...

- Storm has trouble reconnecting with Mother Nature.  The narration implies that she knows the reason why, but does not spell it out for the reader.

- Cyclops and Nightcrawler visit their girlfriends, Lee Forrester and Amanda Sefton, respectively, for some Christmas romance.

- This issue begins the mystery of Madelyne Pryor.  Who is she, and why does she look and sound exactly like the late Jean Grey?

Writing!
This may be my favorite issue of this run.  There is so much going on in this issue, and yet my mind always focuses on the first page:

It's so pure, so simple, and so effective!  Kitty-centric issues are usually good, but this is probably my all-time favorite, for its blend of humor, teenage angst, and overall business.

While I think Kitty's age and what team she is on are natural fodder for stories, now that the New Mutants are around, I ultimately think this issue demeans the junior team; they don't really get out from under the "X-Babies" idea until X-Force is formed.

Art!
As per usual, Paul Smith does a good job with the action scenes in this issue.  What really makes this issue stand out, though, is how engaging the rest of the story is.  I love his take on Kitty, whether she is pouting or kicking ass.  And how awesome are his teaser panels for Lockheed?  Extreme close-ups with severe shadows rarely look this good.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- What does it take to be promoted from the New Mutants to the X-Men?  Apparently, all you have to do is kill some aliens with your space dragon.  How hard is that?

- Stevie Hunter and Illyana apparently only exist for Kitty to bounce ideas off of.  How many issues will go by before either does anything meaningful in this title?

- Kitty complains about putting on her old black-and-yellow uniform, which she hasn't worn in "ages."  For the record, she wore the damn thing in Uncanny X-Men #166. 

- It's a Christmas issue!  With an April publication date!

- For his romantic Christmas date, Nightcrawler lights some candles, pours some champagne, and puts on...his superhero uniform?  Whatever makes your lady happy, I guess.

- It appears that Xavier's mansion was rebuilt with a room specially made for Sidrian Hunter eggs.

- The last page of this issue is dedicated to some fan-created costume designs for Kitty Pryde, submitted before her code-name was changed from Sprite to Ariel.  It's not the designs that I find amusing here; it's the fact that they gave the page a title that can be abbreviated "KKK" for a Jewish character.

A+, editors.

Worth Noting:
- Wolverine leaves the country this issue for the events that took place in Wolverine (Vol. 1).

- Cyclops is now semi-retired for X-Mannery, as he plans to spend time with his newly discovered family in Alaska.

- Lockheed gets his name in this issue.  This appearance also means that he did not die on Sleazeworld.

- This issue marks the first appearance of Madelyne Pryor

Everything 80s:
The back cover has a video game ad, illustrated by Mad magazine's Jack Davis.

 Only in the 1980s would there be a video game about avoiding a nuclear meltdown.  And only in the 80s would kids have their mind blown by multi-colored squares on the screen.