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This was a nice fill in issue and this is the first time we see the X-Men play Baseball and it won’t be the last. The MVP was Wolverine because if he didn’t recover and keep Warhawk distracted long enough, the team maybe wouldn’t have escaped as they did. To conclude, Warhawk looks like a skinny ripoff of Colossus and after the Marvel Team-Up Issue for next week, we will get into the next major story arc of Claremont’s run and this is when the X-Men truly begin to become the iconic characters we know of today.
Turns out, Wolverine is called Weapon X in his first appearance, Incredible Hulk #180. The thing I do like about Byrne's framing that is different from Cockrum hasn't much appeared yet, but I think it starts to appear in the next few issues. True, Byrne doesn't do a lot of complex angles, but he will frequently begin pulling back his frame, including more of the team and other characters in the compositions. I think the result is that in the Byrne issues the X-men start to be seen moving as a team. That happens much less in Cockrum's issues--Cockrum liked to pack panels really tightly, and so even when there were a number of X-men in a panel, it was hard to tell that they were, for instance, moving in synch, and so forth. So for me, the X-men start to come together as a team during the Byrne era, because of this new approach to panel framing.
This is a really great issue! We get to finally take a peek into Wolverine’s mysterious past as it comes to bite him in the ass literally when Weapon Alpha (Later known as Vindicator in his next appearance) comes to take out main Canuck back to Department H. When Moira got hurt and knocked unconscious, I was worried and when Banshee got mad I thought that “Jimmy Boy” is in for it now. This is the beginning of a trope where someone from Wolverine’s past comes to attack him and the X-Men that make for some amazing Wolverine stories during Claremont’s epic run.
I love your examination of Jean & Misty's mysterious living conditions. I'm wondering if this is the first indication in publication history that Wolverine is into Jean? I believe the first Classic X-men backup story really fleshes this out, along with an explanation of Angel's dislike of Wolverine (it also retcons Jean's attitude towards Wolverine into one of more compassion). But I can't remember it getting called out, really, in an X-men issue before this. I guess when Trask is slapping her around and Wolverine goes ballistic? As for the name Logan, he tells Mariko during the "World Tour" issues, but he doesn't tell the X-men proper until the second Alpha Flight story, where Wolverine and Nightcrawler go to Canada to fight the Wendigo--which is around the end of Byrne's run. Apparently Byrne had models--mostly TV and movie actors--for his X-men characters, and Wolverine was modeled on a guy named Paul D'Amato, who was in Slap Shot, with Paul Newman, in 1977. D'Amato's eyes are very much like Wolverine's in the image where Wolvie breaks down Jean & Misty's door--the later Byrne Wolverine definitely is made a little more smoky, sunken-eyed and handsome with his mask off. There are some other interesting ones. Byrne used Raquel Welch as the model for Phoenix, Max Baer Jr. for Colossus (Jethro on The Beverly Hilbillies), Nightcrawler's model was Robert Walden, from the newsroom TV drama Lou Grant. Kitty Pryde was modeled after Sigourney Weaver. I couldn't find Byrne talking about a model for Storm--he says he based Storm on Cockrum's original character sketches. Cyclops, Byrne says, was based on a French actor he couldn't remember. I wonder if it wasn't Alain Delon, whose jaw and especially his mouth looks a lot like what Byrne is drawing for Cyclops. The funniest ones, I think, are his models for the Hellfire Club. Sebastian Shaw is based on Robert Shaw from Jaws. Harry Leland is modeled after Orson Welles. Donald Pierce is based on Donald Sutherland, and Jason Wyngarde is based on an a actor from British television, called Peter Wyngarde (I looked this guy up; he has a fascinating past, from which I found this interesting tidbit -- he was interned by Japanese forces in a civilian internment camp during WWII, along with author J.G. Ballard, whose memoir, Empire of the sun, chronicles that period. Emma Frost's look is based on Faye Dunaway.Also, a couple of characters he based on people at Marvel. Apparently Henry Peter Gyrich was modeled on Jim Shooter, and Kitty Pryde's mother was modeled after Mary Jo Duffy (who wrote a lot of the most psychotronic Power Man & Iron Fist comics). Thanks for another fun episode. It's really cool to revisit all of these books in this way!
Nice issue. Of course Wolverine would pick a fight with a stranger instead of asking what they’re doing there. When the Potato Salad got thrown into Storm’s face, I thought that Iron Fist was in deep trouble. The ending where Wolverine realizes he has to help clean up the damage to Jean and Misty’s Apartment as he crushes his beer can is hilarious. As for Claremont’s original plan, he initially wanted to eventually reveal Wolverine to be Sabretooth’s Son but future writers instead decided that they would not be related and that the “father and son” memories were false implants given to both mutants by the Weapon X Program. Thought that would be a nice tidbit
I bought this issue off the racks as a kid and I was instantly hooked. The two page spread is my favorite non Jack Kirby spread of all time. I didn’t know any history of the X-Men at all but the art and dialogue quickly got me up to speed.
I bought this issue off the racks as a kid and I was instantly hooked. The two page spread is my favorite non Jack Kirby spread of all time. I didn’t know any history of the X-Men at all but the art and dialogue quickly got me up to speed.
And now the finale of the original Phoenix saga. Thanks for your opinion on John Byrne’s art work, he would rank at # 3 in my top list of X-Men artists during Claremont’s run. I love how Phoenix saves the universe as her friends and Allies offer a bit of their life forces to repair the Universe after D’Ken almost destroyed it in his quest to obtain the M’Kraan Crystal. To conclude, The first guardian Jahff punching a smug Wolverine into orbit is hilarious to me.
It looks like Chuck Patton's most notable work is on the Justice League. He was the artist that drew Gerry Conway's Detroit Justice League era, meaning he created, or at least, drew the initial appearances of Vibe, Gypsy and Steel (the Hank Heywood Steel, not the John Henry Irons one). I had the first four issues of Detroit Justice League as a kid and I treasured those corny comics. It's too bad he didn't do more of the Classic X-men books, because his style seems more than a little inspired by Cockrum's art.
I am sad that Dave Cockrum will not be regular artist on X-Men in your review show, but am excited for John Byrne next issue cause that is when the book gets really amazing. I love the splash pages in this issue and the awesome battle between the X-Men and The Shi’ar Imperial Guard. My favorite part was when Wolverine knocked out Fang (the wolf-man dude) and took his costume as his own when his own x-uniform was burned by the fire guardsman. It had me laughing so hard.
Great stuff! I really enjoyed you two chatting. I really miss hitting up Cons and getting to hear the artists talk about their process or tell stories around it. Your page gives me the fix I need while trapped in the wilds of Alaska, minus the social aspect. Much love to you and Tom!
Well thanks Chunk. So glad you’re digging what’s going on here. Really appreciate you taking the time to say something. Hopefully I can continue to give you that fix till you can come out of the woods and do it in person.
The best part of this issue was how it was a war between Professor X and his dark side. I still wish it was a bit more original than another X-Men vs X-Men fight issue but I suppose you run out of ideas from time to time.
I luv these flip thru's so much! They can't come fast enough. My favorite arc is the Around the World story that starts in 6 issues. That's when the book start firing on all cylinders and doesn't stop until Byrne leaves, it just keeps getting better. So much gold ahead. But these issues before it are a lot of fun too.
I love how the early X-men are not overpowered the way they become later. It really ups the stakes when you don't know if they are gonna survive a scrap.
The fight between Firelord and Phoenix was amazing as it highlights how much more powerful Jean has become and how she instantly opens the Shi’ar star gate to allow the x-men to pursue Erik The Red. This is also the first meeting of Professor X and Lilandra as they will become “Star-crossed” lovers. Eh!
This issue was basically Magneto giving the new X-Men a butt whooping until Cyclops holds him off long enough for them to retreat to save Professor X from Erik The Red. The various plot points seem to be coming together and as usual Wolverine butts heads with Cyclops.
Its funny to think Comics like Fist of the North Star and Akira are in the library's "Kids Graphic Novel" section, and those books are full of violence, drug use, heads exploding, etc. Yet a great looking anthology like this is turned away for some very mild nudity. What are we doing America 😂
Dave, I agree, this is a surprisingly good crossover. Great art from the BOG, some interesting story stuff going on, plus an early appearance by the newly forming 'Australian X-Men'.
Hell yeah, thanks for the shout out, Chris! The Claremont Byrne X-Men run is my favorite mainstream comic run and it's been a real joy watching you guys go through it and super fun watching your first time reaction to reading it. It's right on the cusp of getting great and I look forward to your seeing your reaction and dissection to the upcoming issues.
Thanks for the shoutout man, I appreciate it. Yeah, I don’t think Sal Buscema did a good job drawing the X-Men in their first guest appearance since Claremont took over the main x-book. His best work in my opinion was his run as regular artist on the Incredible Hulk series. This is also Spider-Man’s first meeting with Wolverine and it is ironic how these two did not get along and now they are friends and both would serve as Avengers during Brian Bendis’ run on that team. My favorite part was just as Wolverine was about to threaten that Senator the plane crashes.
In an interview Claremont claims that the additions to the original stories in Classic X-men were to recreate the original scripts prior to the editing Claremont and his editors would do on the book--basically, he says most of the material they added back was originally cut for pacing, though it doesn't seem like that's the case in every altered sequence, and some seem to be conceived after the fact. Claremont also says he and Annie Nocenti originally wanted Byrne and Cockrum to draw the newly-added sections of the books they worked on, but that they couldn't make that happen for obvious reasons, and so they hired Kieron Dwyer to do most of the new interior art.
Nightcrawler rescuing his fellow X-Men by tricking the villains into thinking he is Professor X was hilarious and the appearance of the leprechauns was interesting as they revealed Wolverine’s true name. The other major point I liked was the brief sword/axe fight between Banshee and Black Tom and when Black Tom was falling into the ocean, Juggernaut dived in after his buddy. Still cannot wait for the next issue where the new x-men fight a certain gentleman with a certain “magnetism”.
@@carminedawg9506 I’ve got a huge blond spot for him. Trencher was my introduction and I turned my nose to everything else. I recently found his masters if the u inverse and LOvED it. So now I’m backtracking.
I remember picking JTHM at hot topic in the mid 2000s. My friend group loved Invader Zim. Which he also worked on. I also slightly remember the Amory Wars being in Hot Topic .
@@Chunk_Kelly well lucky for you it’ll be up on the website. Those last two were late editions so we’ll pop them up there after the show. IF we still have them 😉
