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.

Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans

Front Cover

"Apokolips...Now!"
Published: September 1982 (I think)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Terry Austin

What's Going On?
Does it really matter?  This is a company crossover, so it's not like anything important is going to happen here.  This isn't even set in the normal Marvel Universe (Earth-616), it is part of the rarely used Earth-7642, a world where the DC and Marvel characters coexist.  Still, the creative talent makes this one worth checking out.

The New God Darkseid was doing his thing, trying to channel the power of The Source, when he had an idea.  Why not try to manipulate the powerful cosmic power of the Phoenix to make this happen?  One problem, though...the Phoenix is dead, having perished when Jean Grey/Phoenix committed suicide at the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga in Uncanny X-Men #137.  That's only a slight problem for a megalomaniacal space tyrant, as it turns out.  Darkseid harvests the memories of the Dark Phoenix from the X-Men while they sleep, which is the first step toward harnessing her power.

DRAMATIC LETTERING!

To recreate the rest of her power, Darkseid must build machines in places special to Jean Grey, in order to harness more echoes of the Phoenix power.  One of the Teen Titans, Raven, has a precognitive dream about the Phoenix, while one of her teammates, Starfire, recognizes the threat the Phoenix Force can represent.  To nip that threat in the bud, the Titans decide to attack the X-Men, because team-ups always need a manufactured misunderstanding to fight over.  It doesn't take too long before they kiss, make up, and take on the true threat of Darkseid.  And Deathstroke, if only because both teams need a villain they can try to punch.

Yeah, a line seems the most natural way for groups to mingle

Art!
To this point, Walt Simonson was probably best known for his Manhunter work in Detective Comics.  He hadn't quite developed his classic style yet, but it is interesting how close he is here.  On his earlier Thor work in the 1970s, Simonson was an adequate artist.  Here, though, we see panels where his true potential can be seen.  Take this one, for instance: how many artists, aside from Jack Kirby, can pull off a panel like this?

It is also neat to see Simonson's pre-X-Factor take on some of the X-Men.  While his X-Factor work isn't as iconic as his Thor run, I have always been partial to that run.

Writing!
This one-shot, like everything X-Men at the time, was written by Chris Claremont.  I have to say that I'm surprised that he got the job here.  That's not because he was too busy, although this did come out at roughly the same time as he was writing the Wolverine limited series, as well as Uncanny X-Men, and was planning the launch of The New Mutants.  I'm surprised because this is a surprisingly dense issue; it has 62 pages with no ads.  Granted, this issue cost $2.00, compared to a normal comic's $0.60, but this could have easily been a dumb cash-in on two wildly popular comics.  Instead, we get one of the hottest writers in comics at the time with an up-and-coming artist, and they team up to make two street-level teams (let's be honest) play on a cosmic stage.  Looking back, that seems like an unlikely choice, but I'm pretty impressed with how legit the final product turned out. 

By the way, was Darkseid even a Titans villain at this point?  Or ever?

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Wolverine is relegated to the back cover, behind Beast Boy.  There really was a time when he wasn't the face of Marvel Comics!

- I love how serious the characters on the front cover look when you compare them to the goofy smiles of Kitty and Gar on the back cover.

- When the hell was this published?  This issue was published in January, 1982, according to the usually reliable Marvel Wiki.  The cover was clearly signed and dated in May, 1982, though.  And the September '82 Bullpen Bulletins lists this on their monthly checklist of issues to buy.  I went with that date, but then I saw an in-house ad in Uncanny X-Men #163 saying that this would be on sale August 8.  It doesn't matter in the big scheme of things, but I find it odd.

Paying Tribute to My Namesake:
They don't actually use the term "fastball special" here, but...well...it is.

Hint of Things to Come?
I thought giving Cyclops the power of the Phoenix is Avengers vs. X-Men was pretty clever, but that idea had apparently already made the rounds a few decades ago.