Daredevils #11

"But They Never Really Die"
Published November 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
Captain Britain and the Special Executive fight The Fury.  It does not go well at first; Cap and Fascination only give it pause, while Special Executive member Oxo was casually killed by The Fury.  When Zeitgeist finally joins the fight (against his better judgement), the tables turn, and the good guys are able to bury The Fury under tons of rocks beneath Braddock Manor...for now.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!

- The issue ends with CapBrit, Betsy, Tom, Saturnyne, and a traumatized Captain UK deciding to investigate Jim Jaspers, presumably because The Fury came from the reality that Mad Jim Jaspers had ruined.

- Zeitgeist's issues with Wardog's leadership come to a head.  The team has battled The Fury, with Oxo and (eventually) Legion dying, and they were not even paid.  With this battle over (at least temporarily), the Special Executive decides to cut their losses and retreat.  They will not be joining the fight against Jaspers.

Writing!
I am always a fan of when a writer surprises me with a fight scene.  While Moore has shown several instances of each character doing their thing and showing off their powers already, I did not expect Zeitgeist to pose such a credible threat to The Fury.  Well done.

Art!
I thought Davis did a great job showing The Fury's mind being impacted by Fascination, and its subsequent recovery.  There are a lot of ways to indicate disorientation, but I thought this was a cool and creative way to show it visually.

Worth Noting:
- Special Executive member Oxo is killed by The Fury.  Is that worth noting?  Did Oxo ever have any lines?

New Mutants (Vol. 1) #9

"Arena"
Published November 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Tom Mandrake

What's Going On?
The New Mutants have been captured by English-speaking Roman Centurians (along with the mysterious Amara) and brought to Nova Roman, an isolated lost city, surrounded by mountains with heavy cloud cover, deep in the Amazonian rain forest.  After spending some time in a dungeon, the team is split up.  The girls are drugged and primped in preparation for their sale as slaves.  The boys are also drugged, but it is to make them bloodthirsty enough to fight in the arena as gladiators. 

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Roberto's mother is still missing, presumed dead, following the boat crash last issue.

- Amara was disguised last issue because she is trying to hide from someone in Nova Roma.  That "someone" is the mysterious Black Priestess and her evil cult.  Who is the Black Priestess?  Selene.  That mystery is solved almost immediately.

- Amara has been having awful headaches and hot flashes.  I wonder if this will be a precursor to anything?

- While she is drugged, Rahne calls Sam "my love," the first time there has been a hint at romance between the two.

Writing!
To be perfectly honest, this one could be a lot worse.  The concept is absolutely ridiculous (even by the standards of your average Marvel title), but there's enough action to keep the average reader from focusing on it.  So credit where it's due --- this should be incomprehensible garbage, but it's actually kind of fun. 


Art!
If you  think that the artwork looks a little different this issue, that is due to Tom Mandrake taking over the inking duties.  The effect is not drastic; he doesn't add the same level of detail as Bob McLeod did, but he seems to make a special effort in making the team look young.  For some reason, they went back to the hard-to-see neon pink coloring for Dani's illusion toward the beginning of the issue...

but tried a different (and clearer) color combination later in the issue.

They should really give up on the pink inks; they haven't worked well since the higher print quality of the graphic novel.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- So now Rahne has a crush on Sam?  So much for the Roberto/Rahne flirtations from issues #2 and 3.  That didn't last long.

- Both the boys and girls are drugged with wine that makes them aggressive.  The boys immediately notice that they have been drugged by the wine's bitter taste.  The girls, on the other hand...

I guess the lesson here is that the most responsible member of the team and the most innocent member were just waiting for an excuse to get loaded.

- Selene is described here as an "Inca lady."  Typically, if a comic book describes a character by their ethnicity or cultural heritage, they play it pretty broad, to the point of stereotyping.  Either Sal Buscema wanted to acknowledge that not every Incan looked Latino, or he had no idea what "Inca" meant.

Worth Noting:
- This is the first appearance of recurring X-Men villain Selene, as well as the first appearance of Nova Roma

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.