Uncanny X-Men #182

Published June 1984
"Madness"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Dan Green
Cover Artist: John Romita Jr.

What's Going On?
Upon returning to the X-Mansion after flying all the way from Japan, Rogue was supposed to check in on the New Mutants and Kitty Pryde.  Before she can do that, Rogue is distracted by an alarm going off in Professor Xavier's study; it is the alarm to the X-Men's emergency phone line.  Rogue listens to a message from Michael Rossi, stating that his and Xavier's suspicions have been confirmed and that he is on SHIELD's helicarrier.  The message is cut off abruptly, as if he was assaulted.  Rogue leaves to help Rossi without a second thought.

Rossi was caught trying to access SHIELD's files on Sebastian Shaw.  One of the SHIELD agents, secretly on the Hellfire Club's payroll, is instructed to kill Rossi.  Before he can do the deed, though, Rogue breaks into the helicarrier and rescues Rossi.  She then takes him to a safe location to recuperate.  There, it becomes apparent that the reason Rogue was so eager to rescue Rossi was because, after the physical exhaustion of flying halfway across the world, her mental defenses were weak, which allowed the personality of Carol Danvers to assert dominance in Rogue's body.  Michael Rossi and Carol were once lovers and colleagues, so Rogue-as-Carol tries to treat Rossi like a long-lost love.  It doesn't go well.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The misdeeds that Illyana's phone message hinted at are the events of New Mutants (Vol. 1) #15-17.

- The White Queen's cameo sets the stage for an appearance by Sebastian Shaw in the next issue of New Mutants.

- Nick Fury has authorized deadly force to apprehend Rogue, and he wants her caught soon.  The main reason for this is because the secret Hellfire Club mole killed another SHIELD agent right before Rogue rescued Rossi, so the mole framed Rogue for the murder.

Writing!
Rogue had not really exhibited any signs of the craziness that drove her to join the X-Men since she joined the team.  This was a nice reminder of what she was dealing with as a character.  It's also a great showcase of Rogue's power set.  Granted, just about every super hero has broken into the SHIELD helicarrier at one point or another, but I thought that the concept of inflicting damage with a dollar coin was inspired.  Go figure.  Give a character a showcase issue, and you get all sorts of cool moments.

Art!
I think the highlights of this issue are the moments where Rogue's personality begins to clash with Carol's.  They are subtle moments, but I think JRJR does a good job capturing the mood.

This issue also gave Romita and Green to partake in one of their favorite hobbies: making a character ugly.  Not many artists would have made Rossi look borderline Elephant Man after a rough interrogation, but if there is a reason for a character to look lumpy, this is the art team to highlight it.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- I love how Rogue just dismisses Madelyne's worries about Cyclops.  If the X-Men were returned halfway across the globe, maybe Cyclops was dropped in an ocean or is stranded in Antarctica.  Sure, he wasn't (as we saw last issue), but I think his safe return is worth at least a fleeting bit of concern.

- The X-Men were involved in Secret Wars for about a week of Earth-time.  I like that Michael Rossi and the New Mutants apparently both left emergency messages only hours before Rogue returned to the mansion.  Good timing, right?

- Apparently, Rogue is constantly on her guard, trying to keep her personality dominant and Carol Danvers' locked away in her mind.  I say "apparently" because this is the first mention of the problem since Uncanny #171.

- Somehow, Michael Rossi giving Rogue a backhand slap across the face without the benefit of gloves does not cause her mutant power to harm him.

- This month's letter page has Storm answering the fan mail.  As luck would have it, this coincides with the mail from the debut of her new punk look.  The letters are split as to whether or not the change is good, but the more important thing to note is that there were letters written by someone named "Wolf" and someone named "Razorblade."  Edgy!

Uncanny X-Men #174

"Romances"
Published October 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
This is one of those "juggle the sub-plots" issues.  The only "main" plot here deals with Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor.  They get engaged and consider leaving Earth to join the Corsair and the Starjammers in space.  Before they can make that decision, though, Cyclops asks Madelyne point-blank if she is the reincarnation of Jean Grey/Phoenix.

Her response seems pretty definitive, but the illusionist Mastermind made an appearance just before this, so is everything what it seems?  Well, no, probably not.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Carol Danvers / Binary is joining the Starjammers, and will be in deep space with them for the foreseeable future.

- Lilandra and Xavier discuss their future.  She still plans to join the Starjammers in space and he still plans to stay on Earth and run his mutant teams.

- Xavier is still having difficulty walking.  Lilandra confirms that the problem is not mental, but physical.  That seems like an odd and less interesting choice, right?

- Corsair repeats his offer to have Cyclops join him and the Starjammers (last mentioned back in Uncanny X-Men #167), but Scott is having second thoughts, probably (but not explicitly) due to his increasingly serious relationship with Maddie.

- Wolverine confronts Mariko about calling off their wedding.  She basically tells him that she loves Logan the man, not Wolverine the beast.  In addition to insulting Wolverine, Mariko has also forgiven Silver Samurai and he is now her heir.  Since the man vs. beast idea seemed to have been resolved with the Wolverine limited series, I'm a little confused with Claremont's direction here.

- Kitty Pryde and Peter share another kiss, and this time, it's not because they think they will die.  The sexual tension is mounting...

- Storm got rid of all the plants in her bedroom, as yet another "subtle" hint as to her physical and mental change. You might have thought that the mohawk and leathers were the end result of her changes, but apparently Storm isn't done changing yet.

Writing!
Chris Claremont does an impressive job juggling sub-plots here.  The main plot doesn't get much attention until the end of the issue, but there are a lot of quality character beats here.  After the emotional turmoil of last issue, this is a good "calm before the storm" issue, especially since next issue will be an over-sized anniversary event.

Art!
Paul Smith has already shown that he handles character moments well, and this issue plays to that strength.  

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Nightcrawler, who has been shown as a stuffed animal before (back in Uncanny X-Men #168), receives a stuffed version of his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton.  It's a cute idea, but who is making these custom stuffed animals?

- Nightcrawler is identified as the team's medic.  Apparently, Moira MacTaggert and Xavier are not qualified?


Worth Noting:
- Xavier notes that Madelyne Pryor's mind is closed to him.  He comments that it is unusual, but doesn't seemed too concerned about it.  Rogue's mind is closed because she has multiple personalities (one part alien, too) and the helmets of Magneto and Juggernaut protect them, but I don't know if Xavier has ever had trouble reading a supposedly "normal" brain before this.

- Kitty's power set is expanding.  This issue shows her phasing someone else through a wall with her and having them walk on air together.

- Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor get engaged off-panel in this issue.

Everything 80s:
- Kitty is reading Marvel's Star Wars comic in this issue.  The back cover appears to be a Kool-Aid ad.

- Marvel felt the need to take up an entire page of space to justify their change in cover format.  They sacrificed a page of ad space to say, "Look, we have slightly more artwork space now!"  The 80s were a different time...

Uncanny X-Men #171

"Rogue"
Published July 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Walt Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek


What's Going On?
Rogue, a member of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, arrives on the doorstep of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, pleading for help.  Ever since she absorbed the powers and memories of Carol Danvers (back in Avengers Annual #10), her mutant powers have been out of control and she is on the brink of losing her mind.  After examining Rogue, Xavier decides to admit her to the school and into the X-Men.  The team is against this decision because A) she has fought the team as a villain B) she is an active member in a terrorist group that could be using her to set a trap C) she grievously injured their friend, Carol Danvers. 

I love Grumpy Xavier face

Xavier counters with a guilt trip; his argument is that if they believe in Wolverine, who is capable of great good and great evil, why wouldn't they do the same for any mutant?  In the end, Rogue joins the team, Binary shows up to punch her really hard, and then Binary leaves the X-Men (although she was never a part of the team in the first place).

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The X-Men leave the Morlocks in the Morlock Tunnel, with Storm commanding them to leave humans alone or face her wrath.  She also privately challenges Callisto to fight her again.

- No mention is made of Kitty Pryde's promise to stay in the Morlock Tunnels with Caliban, in exchange for his help against Callisto.

- It turns out that Madelyne Pryor is the sole survivor of a fiery plane crash.  The date of the plane crash was September 1, 1980 --- the same day Jean Grey died!

- Carol Danvers visits her parents for the first time since Rogue's attack.  Apparently Xavier has been helping her cope off-panel since then; she has regained most of her memories, but not the emotions that go along with them.  That means that she has no real ties to anyone on Earth, aside from the X-Men.  Way to set up her joining the Starjammers, Claremont.

- Kitty Pryde is still throwing tantrums about the New Mutants, and they are still unwarranted.

- Xavier is still going through physical therapy to try and walk again.  This time, though, Lilandra proposes the possibility that the problem is, in fact, physical and not mental.

- Illyana programs a Danger Room sequence for the team to blow off some steam with, but she accidentally programs a simulation of her time in Limbo, under the power of the demon Belasco.  Seeing the scenario briefly drives her mad, and she attacks Kitty before breaking down into tears.

- Storm is still struggling with emotional darkness.  It seems that the pressure she has put upon herself to become a good leader requires her to cut herself off from her emotions, and this is making her control over the elements.  And, apparently, she now carries a knife with her.

Writing!
Well, we've reached the end of the Morlocks story.  Looking back on it, I think it worked fine as another step for Storm toward a darker, grittier self.  It did not work well for anything else.  Kitty's subplot was completely dropped here (although I recall that it pops up again in a few months) and the Morlocks are left an undefined, unsympathetic mob. 

As for Rogue joining the team, I think this is one of the best examples of Xavier's dream at work.  Does it jibe with the way Rogue was written at the time?  I don't think so --- I would have to start collecting Dazzler to be sure, and I'm not willing to make that sacrifice --- if only because she was an unrepentant thug when the X-Men met her in Uncanny X-Men #158 (her only other X-Men appearance until now).  Still, this is a fairly interesting development for the character, especially since she appears not to have any heroic aspirations, which sets her apart from all the other villains-turned-heroes in the Marvel Universe.

On its own merits, this is a busy issue that juggles a lot of subplots and changes the team dynamic noticeably.  It's not that compelling as a single issue, but at least things happen.

Art!
I love me some Walt Simonson, but this issue is a little disappointing.  There are some pretty great panels, like the opening splash page with Storm:

For most of the issue, though, the art is underwhelming.  Characters look lumpy of unfinished, and Simonson's typically dramatic style is almost nowhere to be seen.  

Above: lumpiness

This could be because he was filling in on short notice, or because he did not want to stand out from Paul Smith's recent work on the title.  Personally, I think it is a combination of being rushed and not being compatible with the inker.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- With the end of the Morlocks storyline, I can now confirm that Angel had zero lines of dialogue in this story, and was completely objectified as a gentleman in distress.  It's not something you usually notice the first time through, and it certainly is unusual in a superhero comic.

- I love the fact that Claremont gives the date of Jean Grey's death.  It's a reminder of another era, when comic companies were not afraid to let their characters age.

- After several hints, this is the first direct reference to Illyana's time in Limbo.  It only took 11 issues for Claremont to get around to this, and we still have a few more months until the Magik limited series.  This is the earliest example of Claremont dragging out a minor subplot for a ridiculous amount of time that I am aware of.

- Claremont does a good job justifying why Xavier accepts Rogue on the team, but this is very different from any other addition to the team.  Rogue is not the first former villain to join the team --- that would be a mind-controlled Banshee --- but she is the first to not repent her evil ways.  Her motivations, while quite believable, are the most selfish I have seen for a super-hero character in this era; she's just trying to save her sanity.

Worth Noting:
- Rogue is now a member of the X-Men.  While it seemed unlikely at the time, she has become one of the team's mainstays for the last thirty-plus years.

- This is the first appearance of the Illyana's Soulsword.  It can apparently cut Kitty Pryde, even when she is phasing.

Everything 80s:
Apparently, Marvel made a promotional Kool-Aid comic.  Because kids love to read about what they drink.  I think the best thing about this ad is that there is a limit of one comic per household.

Uncanny X-Men #166

"Live Free or Die!"
Published: February 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
Instead of following up immediately on the rather confusing cliffhanger of last issue, this issue picks up with Binary, who has been MIA since exploding out of the side of the X-Men's ship.  In the meantime, it seems that she has been taking her frustrations out on the Brood empire, blowing bases and ships to smithereens.  You might think that she will never find her friends again in the vastness of space, but you would be wrong.  It turns out that Storm --- who is now a hologram projected by the consciousness of an alien Acanti that has swallowed the X-Men's spacecraft --- is able to track Binary down fairly quickly.  And the X-Men, who are all incubating Brood children inside their bodies, are all in pretty good spirits, considering that they are all going to die.  But instead of going on a revenge-fueled suicide attack to bring down the Brood, once and for all, they are given an alternative.  Instead of just trying to kill stuff, the X-Men could choose to free the Acanti alien race from the slavery that the evil Brood have imposed upon them.  How do they do that?  Mostly by killing stuff, but they are also going to free a soul from its eternal prison...somehow.  The end result is bye-bye Brood.  Oh, and the Starjammers arrive, just in time to contribute very little to the battle.

Subplots, Oh the Subplots!
- Finally!  We are returning to the subplot introduced in Uncanny #161, where it is revealed that Professor Xavier also has a Brood gestating within him.  Since this has already been used as a surprising twist, months earlier, I don't know what it is being used as a cliffhanger here, but I'm tired of the X-Men fighting aliens and am ready for this storyline to finally end.

- Hey, it turns out that the X-Men didn't completely forget about Binary blowing a hole in the side of their spaceship a few issues back!  Even better, they don't seem to mind at all that one of their friends almost killed them.

- This is the first appearance of Lockheed, although we don't get a name for him just yet.  It's a pretty sweet first appearance, too:

It gets even better when we see the relative size of the dragon:

What a fun introduction to this completely superfluous --- but lovable --- character.


Writing!
It's nice to see the X-Men given a way out of the suicide run that this storyline initially set up for them.  Granted, it's not a whole lot better than suicide, but I suppose the change of intention is worth a lot.  I'm not a fan of the Storm/Acanti subplot, but it was short enough to keep the ridiculousness of it from being irritating.  Really, at this point, I am just happy to have the X-Men coming back to Earth.  This is definitely one of the best "X-Men in Spaaace!" storylines, but I prefer supervillains to personality-free aliens.

One of best moments of this storyline comes in this issue, with the climax of Wolverine's conflict over whether or not to kill his infected friends. 

Yes, Wolverine is a badass for being willing to make the difficult and probably wrong choice here.  And yes, Carol's hair in this scene is pretty funny.

Art!
Paul Smith is clearly still getting used to some of the character designs here, specifically Binary's.  He doesn't seem sure what to do with her, especially when she is in her Carol Danvers form.  It's a minor point, but it still gives a few giggles looking at the various hairdos she has in this issue.  Smith does a solid job with the action in this issue without getting graphic.  I could have done with more alien guts, but that's just personal preference.

One of the cooler visuals in this issue comes when the Brood are crystallized.

Granted, this is a comic that features Iceman on a semi-regular basis, so it's not like the readers have never seen a character looking like this, but it is still well done and pretty cool looking.

Retroactively Amusing:
- Carol's hair.

- I love that Storm's body being regrown inside an alien that resembles a catfish is never really brought up again.

Holy crap, that should be a trauma that sticks with a character for ages, or at least results in her having short hair or something for a while.  But no, Storm's back to business as usual when the X-Men return to Earth.  Oddly enough, this experience isn't referenced as even a possible partial cause to Storm's extreme makeover Uncanny X-Men #173 in a few months time.

Worth Noting:
- This is the first appearance of Lockheed, although he is not named here.

Everything 80s:
Check out Spider-Man hawking a puzzle toy.

Fun fact: this relatively unknown toy is actually a follow-up invention from the creator of the Rubik's Cube.  I don't know if they meant to imply that only criminals would want to play with this toy, but I suppose theirs is an untapped market.

Uncanny X-Men #164

"Binary Star!"
Published: December 1982
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
The X-Men are aboard their spaceship, on the run from the Brood.  Since the X-Men are unwittingly acting as incubators for the next generation of Brood queens, the Brood are at a disadvantage; they need the X-Men alive, but some of the X-Men are willing to kill the Brood to escape.  Actually, we just see Carol Danvers destroying Brood ships without remorse.  When Storm accidentally kills some Brood with her (space?) lightning, she freaks out and stops fighting.  Predictably, the X-Men fight off the Brood and escape to the relative safety of...um...somewhere else in space.  The less predictable part of that escape was the emergence of Carol Danvers' new cosmic powers and code name.  As Binary, Danvers is a heavy hitter, able to take out several spacecraft and fuel another without breaking a sweat.  Once they have a moment to breathe, Storm uses her women's intuition to determine that she's pregnant with evil; she freaks the hell out and takes off in an escape pod.  At that point, Wolverine pretty much has to tell the team about the Brood eggs.  While everyone is furious, only Binary has the power and lack of consideration to blow a hole in the side of the hatch and fly off to hunt some Brood, leaving the rest of the team to experience the joy of explosive decompression.

Subplots, oh the Subplots!
- Well, Carol Danvers' journey to becoming a new superhero was less of a slow burn and more of a "Hey, I've got new powers now!"  One issue of her suffering from a mysterious malady, and the next she has a new power set, uniform, and code name.  Why would she need a new code name?  What part of her new abilities would not make sense with the name Ms. Marvel?

- While the X-Men continue their space story, we check in with Professor Xavier and Colossus' sister, Illyana back at the mansion.  This is the first time we've seen Xavier in this title since the X-Men disappeared; he is understandably depressed, but his attitude is hilarious:

It's like Xavier is a Goth kid who is too cool to care.


Art!
Check out Colossus' "thinking" face:

Did he just admit to being stupid?

Writing!
Kitty Pryde actually utters this line: "Star Wars was never like this!"  Way to tap into the mind of an American teenager, Claremont.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Xavier shows absolutely no signs of having a Brood egg inside him.  This winds up being a major subplot in The New Mutants when that title launches a few months later, so it's interesting that Claremont was not foreshadowing this bit from the start (or hadn't come up with that plot yet).

- The ad for Saturday morning cartoons included a show called Pandamonium, which appears to involve talking pandas and...an evil sorcerer?  How did this show fail?!?