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Collecting Giant-Size X-Men #1, X-Men #94-110, Iron Fist #14-15, Marvel Team-Up #53, 69-70 and Marvel Team-Up Annual #1.
Giant Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Professor Xavier recruits an All-New All-Different team of X-Men from around the world. Nightcrawler looks like a fuzzy blue demon and has the power of teleportation. Wolverine is from Canada and has metal claws and a healing factor. The Irish mutant Banshee has a sonic scream. The Kenyan Storm has control over the weather. The Japanese mutant Sunfire has fire-based radiation powers. The Russian mutant Colossus can change his skin into super-strong metal. Finally, there is Apache mutant Thunderbird, who I guess is super-strong. It is revealed that Professor Xavier has recruited these X-men because his original team have been captured by the living island Krakoa and must rescue them with the only remaining original X-Man, Cyclops.
Maybe it's me being nitpicky, but I don't really think we can call these X-Men the All-New All-Different X-Men as several of them have been seen before. First of all we have original X-Man Cyclops. Then there's Banshee, who first appeared during Roy Thomas' run on the X-Men. Sunfire first appeared shortly before the original X-Men comic was cancelled. Then there was Wolverine, who first appeared in the Incredible Hulk's comic. Don't mind me though, I'm just being a pedantic nerd.
Chris Claremont shares co-writing duties with Wein on X-Men #94. With Krakoa defeated, most of the original X-Men depart. Cyclops anguishes over the decision whether he should stay or leave, but soon decides to stay and starts to train the new X-Men. Some time later, Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men take over the Valhalla military base in an attempt to hold the world to ransom. The story concludes in X-Men #95 as the X-Men fight Nefaria and the Ani-Men. Unfortunately, not all of the X-Men will make it home.
It's a pity that Thunderbird was killed off before we really got to know him. He was a typical angry Native American stereotype, but the same could be said of Dani Moonstar in her earliest appearances. Dani mellowed out thanks to character development, so maybe Thunderbird could have done the same if the creators decided to have him stick around. Thunderbird's younger brother James (who would go on to call himself Warpath) would start off the same, but he would eventually mellow out as well.
Claremont shares co-writing duties with Bill Mantlo on X-Men #96. Upset over the death of Thunderbird, Cyclops lets loose with an optic blast and inadvertently destroys a mystical cairn in the grounds of the X-Mansion. This releases a demon by the name of Kierrok and it is up to the X-Men to defeat Kierrok and reseal the cairn to stop the flood of demonspawn from entering into out world.
It seems weird to see the X-Men fighting demons. That always seems to be more of a thing Doctor Strange has to deal with. It would turn out that Kierrok is part of a demonic race called the N'Garai. They wouldn't appear again until 1981 and Uncanny X-Men #143, when Kitty Pryde is left alone in the mansion and has to fight one of the demons herself. They would appear several more times after that though. Kierrok himself wouldn't appear again until Wolverine Annual '95. This issue is also notable for being the first appearance of longtime X-Men ally Moira MacTaggert. It first seems that she's just a harmless housekeeper, but she soon shows her true colours when Kierrok attacks and runs out blasting it with a machine gun. Yeah, Moira MacTaggert is awesome.
Claremont takes over sole writing duty on X-Men #97. Professor Xavier is haunted by nightmares of two fleets of spaceships doing battle. Xavier decides to take some time off to clear his head and leaves the running of the X-Men to Moira MacTaggert. Meanwhile, Havok and Lorna Dane are attacked by an intruder and are brainwashed to attack the X-Men.
Stories where heroes get brainwashed into fighting other heroes usually bore me to tears, but this issue was pretty fun. The main threat was some guy called Eric the Red. It will turn out that he's an agent of the Shi-Ar Empire, but more on them later. Lorna Dane starts calling herself Polaris here too and even gets a neat new costume.
A happy Christmas for the X-Men is interrupted by the Sentinels in X-Men #98 when they capture Banshee, Wolverine and Marvel Girl. Professor Xavier is also captured while on vacation. The remaining discover that their teammates have been captured by the mad Steven Lang and are being held on his orbital platform in X-Men #99. It's a battle of the X-Men as the All-New All-Different X-Men take on the original X-Men in X-Men #100. It isn't another tiresome mind control plot though as these phoney X-Men are all part of Lang's Project Armageddon. The story concludes in X-Men #101 as Jean Grey takes command of a failing space shuttle that is carrying the X-Men back to Earth.
I always enjoy a good robot fight in the comics. The robots aren't really alive so the heroes don't have to worry about killing anybody and are actually able to cut loose and use their full powers. There are some neat cameos in X-Men #98 as well. Look out for appearances from the likes of Matt Murdock and Nick Fury. Then there's Stan Lee and Jack Kirby commenting how Scott and Jean never used go go around smooching when they were working on the comic. This story arc is probably most notable for Jean becoming Phoenix. Of course, this being the comics, Jean's story isn't that simple, but that's another story for another time. For now, let's just say that Jean Grey isn't a simpering love interest any more.
The X-Men pay a visit to Banshee's ancestral home of Cassidy Keep in X-Men #102, but find the place occupied by his villainous cousin Black Tom and his partner the Juggernaut. The story concludes in X-Men #103. in which the X-Men discover that Black Tom and the Juggernaut have been hired to capture them in order to lure Professor Xavier into a trap.
As cool as it was to see the X-Men fighting Sentinels in space, I have to say that I liked this story more. It was a Juggernaut story and I always love them. The fight doesn't even end in a decisive win for the X-Men. They only managed to survive because Black Tom got knocked off the castle battlements into the sea and the Juggernaut leapt in after him. I doubt the X-Men could have won any way. Jean Grey was still recovering after the events of the last issue, so the team was down a telepath to knock out the Juggernaut even if they did manage to get his helmet off him.
The X-Men receive an urgent summons from Moira MacTaggart in X-Men #104 and travel to Muir Island, but find Magneto instead. The story concludes in X-Men #105 as the X-Men return home, only to be attacked by the former herald of Galactus known as Firelord. Meanwhile, Professor Xavier finally meets the figure that has been appearing in his nightmares. THe stranger reveals herself to be Lilandra, princess of an alien race known as the Shi'Ar. Unfortunately, explanations are cut short as a villain by the name of Erik the Red has been sent by Lilandra's insane brother D'Ken to capture her.
This is two story arcs in a row that involve the X-Men fighting a big name villain. No fighting losers like the Locust for these X-Men. I'm not sure if I prefer Magneto as a villain or an ally to the X-Men. There have been some great X-Men stories with Magneto as a villain, but I also fondly remember when he reformed and became the New Mutants' headmaster. Magneto still has a few more appearances as a villain yet, so we have a fair while until he becomes a good guy.
X-Men #106 is a fill-in by Bill Mantlo and Bob Brown (there is a framing sequence by Claremont and Cockrum where Professor Xavier recounts the issue's events). Professor Xavier is tormented by visions of the present team of X-Men fighting copies of the original X-Men brought to life by his evil side.
That was a pretty forgettable fill-in. I shouldn't be too surprised as most fill-ins are forgettable. It was another case of the X-Men fighting phoney versions of the original X-Men. This sort of thing was done much better in X-Men #100, with Steven Lang's robot X-Men. Not some nonsense about copies of the X-Men brought to life by Professor X's evil side. Professor X's evil side would go on to give the X-Men trouble again some time later with all that Onslaught mess. I may or may not read the Onslaught story line, I haven't decided yet.
Normal service resumes in X-Men #107, where the X-Men find themselves in space once more. It is revealed that Linandra wants Professor Xavier's help in stopping her insane brother from destroying all reality. However, Emperor D'Ken isn't without his own super-powered minions and sends the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard after the X-Men. John Byrne takes over art duties for X-Men #108. D'Ken tries to use the M’Kraan Crystal to reshape all reality and in the process of trying to stop him, the X-Men find themselves trapped inside the crystal doing battle with its two guardians. Fortunately, a band of space pirates called the Starjammers are on hand to help.
Seeing all the members of the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard, you can understand why Dave Cockrum was late in delivering his art and a fill-in issue was needed. The Imperial Guard are supposed to be based on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes. I haven't ever read Legion of Super-Heroes, so I don't know who is supposed to be based on who. It didn't really spoil my enjoyment though. It was a cool couple of issues with the X-Men in space again. We also find out that Corsair of the Starjammers is also Cyclops' long-lost father, but Cyclops doesn't find that out himself until the Dark Phoenix Saga, I think.
A change of pace with Iron Fist #14 by Claremont and Byrne. Iron Fist and Colleen Wing find themselves in the Canadian Rockies being pursued by mercenaries being led by a villain named Sabretooth. Iron Fist meets the X-Men in Iron Fist #15. Jean Grey is throwing a party for the X-Men to help them relax after a string of stressful missions. Wolverine mistakes Iron Fist for a burglar and gets into a fight.
I don't really understand why Iron Fist #14 was included in this Epic Collection. I get why Iron Fist #15 was included, because it has an appearance from the X-Men and the whole deal with the Epic Collections is collecting the heroes' appearances in order. Iron Fist #14 might have been included because it was the first appearance of Sabretooth, I don't know. The other issues of Iron Fist are on my read list, so I'll get around to them eventually.
Normal service resumes in X-Men #109. The X-Men try to return to normal after their adventures in space, but Wolverine's former employers in the Canadian government aren't best pleased about him quitting and joining the X-Men. The Canadian government dispatch Weapon Alpha to bring Wolverine back by any means necessary.
I never particularly cared for Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian or the rest of Alpha Flight when i first read about them in comics. They all seemed like jerks that wouldn't let Wolverine get on with his life. Thankfully, my opinion changed when I started to read more about them. John Byrne's work on the early issues of Alpha Flight's own ongoing series was a particular highlight. I'm getting ahead of myself though, this story only concerns Weapon Alpha. We won't get to see the rest of Alpha Flight for a while. I'll talk about them more when we get to meet them proper after the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Another break with Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. A group of scientists from around the world are meeting in a jumbo jet flying across America to discuss mutation. Reed Richards is unable to attend so sends Professor Xavier in his stead. The X-Men also accompany Professor Xavier. Peter Parker is there covering the event for the Daily Bugle. The X-Men must team-up with Spider-Man when the meeting is attacked by a group of scientists that have been given super-powers from exposure to radiation and have taken on names from Hindu mythology.
Marvel Team-Up always seemed a bit slight to me. The few issues that were actually memorable to me were Marvel Team-Up #65 66, the issues that introduced Captain Britain to the American comics, and Marvel Team-Up Annual #6, where Wolfsbane and Sunspot were injected with the same drugs that gave Cloak and Daggers their powers. The annual only sticks in my mind because the events would continue in the main New Mutants series.
More team-up shenanigans in Marvel Team-Up #53 by Mantlo and Byrne. The Incredible Hulk finds himself in the New Mexico town of Liberty. Unfortunately, his peace is disturbed by a being called Woodgood. Meanwhile, the X-Men and Spider-Man are on their way home from their previous adventure when they are pulled into the Hulk's fight with Woodgod.
Another disposable Marvel Team-Up story. The X-Men leave the story fairly early on and Spider-Man as the deal with the Hulk and Woodgod in his own. Woodgod doesn't seem like a very interesting character. He has goat legs and that's about it. We don't actually get to see the resolution of the fight either. The second part of the story isn't included in this collection. It's no great loss, I suppose. I wasn't all that interested in the story any way.
One final issue of the X-Men in X-Men #110, another fill-in, this time written by Claremont with Cockrum and Tony DeZuniga on art. The X-Men take some time off playing baseball, but soon find their tiem off being interrupted by a man named Warhawk, who takes control of the Danger Room an uses it to attack the X-Men.
This was another fill-in that was intended to get the series back on schedule, but it was planned before John Byrne took over on art. It's always fun to see the X-Men take time off and having them play baseball would go on to be a recurring time-off activity for them. Warhawk is another pretty boring character though. It turns out that he is being employed by Sebastian Shaw of the Hellfire Club, so I guess it is every-so-slightly important to future events.
We finish off with two more issues of Marvel Team-Up with Marvel Team-Up #69-70 by Claremont and Byrne. In Marvel Team-Up #69, Havok and Polaris are attacked by the minions of the Living Pharaoh and Havok ends up getting captured. Meanwhile, Spider-Man stumbles upon a burglary by the Pharaoh's men. Spidey catches up with the rest of the Pharaoh's men an frees Havok. However, the Living Pharaoh himself arrives and turns into the Living Monolith. Thor arrives in Marvel Team-Up #70 and gets involved in the fight with the Living Monolith as well.
These issues of Marvel Team-Up were actually pretty good. I guess that's what comes with a writer like Claremont. Claremont writes a good Spider-Man. It's a pity he didn't write more Spidey, apart from a run on Marvel Team-Up of course. Claremont writes a good Thor as well. The guy obviously knows what he's doing.
This was a really good collection of stories. Claremont and Byrne hadn't quite hit the heights of their later stories, but reading the stories was still an enjoyable experience. This collection also included behind the scenes material like character sketches. I was interested to discover that Dave Cockrum orginally pitched Nightcrawler to DC as part of a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off. DC rejected the idea, so Cockrum brought the idea with him when he joined Len Wein to reinvigorate the cancelled X-Men series. It turns out that Storm is a mix of two other rejected Cockrum characters. Her powers were taken from a guy named Typhoon, and her overall look was taken from a lady called Black Cat (not the thief and sometime Spider-Man love interest, this one could change into a cat).
My rating: 4 stars.
Giant Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Professor Xavier recruits an All-New All-Different team of X-Men from around the world. Nightcrawler looks like a fuzzy blue demon and has the power of teleportation. Wolverine is from Canada and has metal claws and a healing factor. The Irish mutant Banshee has a sonic scream. The Kenyan Storm has control over the weather. The Japanese mutant Sunfire has fire-based radiation powers. The Russian mutant Colossus can change his skin into super-strong metal. Finally, there is Apache mutant Thunderbird, who I guess is super-strong. It is revealed that Professor Xavier has recruited these X-men because his original team have been captured by the living island Krakoa and must rescue them with the only remaining original X-Man, Cyclops.
Maybe it's me being nitpicky, but I don't really think we can call these X-Men the All-New All-Different X-Men as several of them have been seen before. First of all we have original X-Man Cyclops. Then there's Banshee, who first appeared during Roy Thomas' run on the X-Men. Sunfire first appeared shortly before the original X-Men comic was cancelled. Then there was Wolverine, who first appeared in the Incredible Hulk's comic. Don't mind me though, I'm just being a pedantic nerd.
Chris Claremont shares co-writing duties with Wein on X-Men #94. With Krakoa defeated, most of the original X-Men depart. Cyclops anguishes over the decision whether he should stay or leave, but soon decides to stay and starts to train the new X-Men. Some time later, Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men take over the Valhalla military base in an attempt to hold the world to ransom. The story concludes in X-Men #95 as the X-Men fight Nefaria and the Ani-Men. Unfortunately, not all of the X-Men will make it home.
It's a pity that Thunderbird was killed off before we really got to know him. He was a typical angry Native American stereotype, but the same could be said of Dani Moonstar in her earliest appearances. Dani mellowed out thanks to character development, so maybe Thunderbird could have done the same if the creators decided to have him stick around. Thunderbird's younger brother James (who would go on to call himself Warpath) would start off the same, but he would eventually mellow out as well.
Claremont shares co-writing duties with Bill Mantlo on X-Men #96. Upset over the death of Thunderbird, Cyclops lets loose with an optic blast and inadvertently destroys a mystical cairn in the grounds of the X-Mansion. This releases a demon by the name of Kierrok and it is up to the X-Men to defeat Kierrok and reseal the cairn to stop the flood of demonspawn from entering into out world.
It seems weird to see the X-Men fighting demons. That always seems to be more of a thing Doctor Strange has to deal with. It would turn out that Kierrok is part of a demonic race called the N'Garai. They wouldn't appear again until 1981 and Uncanny X-Men #143, when Kitty Pryde is left alone in the mansion and has to fight one of the demons herself. They would appear several more times after that though. Kierrok himself wouldn't appear again until Wolverine Annual '95. This issue is also notable for being the first appearance of longtime X-Men ally Moira MacTaggert. It first seems that she's just a harmless housekeeper, but she soon shows her true colours when Kierrok attacks and runs out blasting it with a machine gun. Yeah, Moira MacTaggert is awesome.
Claremont takes over sole writing duty on X-Men #97. Professor Xavier is haunted by nightmares of two fleets of spaceships doing battle. Xavier decides to take some time off to clear his head and leaves the running of the X-Men to Moira MacTaggert. Meanwhile, Havok and Lorna Dane are attacked by an intruder and are brainwashed to attack the X-Men.
Stories where heroes get brainwashed into fighting other heroes usually bore me to tears, but this issue was pretty fun. The main threat was some guy called Eric the Red. It will turn out that he's an agent of the Shi-Ar Empire, but more on them later. Lorna Dane starts calling herself Polaris here too and even gets a neat new costume.
A happy Christmas for the X-Men is interrupted by the Sentinels in X-Men #98 when they capture Banshee, Wolverine and Marvel Girl. Professor Xavier is also captured while on vacation. The remaining discover that their teammates have been captured by the mad Steven Lang and are being held on his orbital platform in X-Men #99. It's a battle of the X-Men as the All-New All-Different X-Men take on the original X-Men in X-Men #100. It isn't another tiresome mind control plot though as these phoney X-Men are all part of Lang's Project Armageddon. The story concludes in X-Men #101 as Jean Grey takes command of a failing space shuttle that is carrying the X-Men back to Earth.
I always enjoy a good robot fight in the comics. The robots aren't really alive so the heroes don't have to worry about killing anybody and are actually able to cut loose and use their full powers. There are some neat cameos in X-Men #98 as well. Look out for appearances from the likes of Matt Murdock and Nick Fury. Then there's Stan Lee and Jack Kirby commenting how Scott and Jean never used go go around smooching when they were working on the comic. This story arc is probably most notable for Jean becoming Phoenix. Of course, this being the comics, Jean's story isn't that simple, but that's another story for another time. For now, let's just say that Jean Grey isn't a simpering love interest any more.
The X-Men pay a visit to Banshee's ancestral home of Cassidy Keep in X-Men #102, but find the place occupied by his villainous cousin Black Tom and his partner the Juggernaut. The story concludes in X-Men #103. in which the X-Men discover that Black Tom and the Juggernaut have been hired to capture them in order to lure Professor Xavier into a trap.
As cool as it was to see the X-Men fighting Sentinels in space, I have to say that I liked this story more. It was a Juggernaut story and I always love them. The fight doesn't even end in a decisive win for the X-Men. They only managed to survive because Black Tom got knocked off the castle battlements into the sea and the Juggernaut leapt in after him. I doubt the X-Men could have won any way. Jean Grey was still recovering after the events of the last issue, so the team was down a telepath to knock out the Juggernaut even if they did manage to get his helmet off him.
The X-Men receive an urgent summons from Moira MacTaggart in X-Men #104 and travel to Muir Island, but find Magneto instead. The story concludes in X-Men #105 as the X-Men return home, only to be attacked by the former herald of Galactus known as Firelord. Meanwhile, Professor Xavier finally meets the figure that has been appearing in his nightmares. THe stranger reveals herself to be Lilandra, princess of an alien race known as the Shi'Ar. Unfortunately, explanations are cut short as a villain by the name of Erik the Red has been sent by Lilandra's insane brother D'Ken to capture her.
This is two story arcs in a row that involve the X-Men fighting a big name villain. No fighting losers like the Locust for these X-Men. I'm not sure if I prefer Magneto as a villain or an ally to the X-Men. There have been some great X-Men stories with Magneto as a villain, but I also fondly remember when he reformed and became the New Mutants' headmaster. Magneto still has a few more appearances as a villain yet, so we have a fair while until he becomes a good guy.
X-Men #106 is a fill-in by Bill Mantlo and Bob Brown (there is a framing sequence by Claremont and Cockrum where Professor Xavier recounts the issue's events). Professor Xavier is tormented by visions of the present team of X-Men fighting copies of the original X-Men brought to life by his evil side.
That was a pretty forgettable fill-in. I shouldn't be too surprised as most fill-ins are forgettable. It was another case of the X-Men fighting phoney versions of the original X-Men. This sort of thing was done much better in X-Men #100, with Steven Lang's robot X-Men. Not some nonsense about copies of the X-Men brought to life by Professor X's evil side. Professor X's evil side would go on to give the X-Men trouble again some time later with all that Onslaught mess. I may or may not read the Onslaught story line, I haven't decided yet.
Normal service resumes in X-Men #107, where the X-Men find themselves in space once more. It is revealed that Linandra wants Professor Xavier's help in stopping her insane brother from destroying all reality. However, Emperor D'Ken isn't without his own super-powered minions and sends the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard after the X-Men. John Byrne takes over art duties for X-Men #108. D'Ken tries to use the M’Kraan Crystal to reshape all reality and in the process of trying to stop him, the X-Men find themselves trapped inside the crystal doing battle with its two guardians. Fortunately, a band of space pirates called the Starjammers are on hand to help.
Seeing all the members of the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard, you can understand why Dave Cockrum was late in delivering his art and a fill-in issue was needed. The Imperial Guard are supposed to be based on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes. I haven't ever read Legion of Super-Heroes, so I don't know who is supposed to be based on who. It didn't really spoil my enjoyment though. It was a cool couple of issues with the X-Men in space again. We also find out that Corsair of the Starjammers is also Cyclops' long-lost father, but Cyclops doesn't find that out himself until the Dark Phoenix Saga, I think.
A change of pace with Iron Fist #14 by Claremont and Byrne. Iron Fist and Colleen Wing find themselves in the Canadian Rockies being pursued by mercenaries being led by a villain named Sabretooth. Iron Fist meets the X-Men in Iron Fist #15. Jean Grey is throwing a party for the X-Men to help them relax after a string of stressful missions. Wolverine mistakes Iron Fist for a burglar and gets into a fight.
I don't really understand why Iron Fist #14 was included in this Epic Collection. I get why Iron Fist #15 was included, because it has an appearance from the X-Men and the whole deal with the Epic Collections is collecting the heroes' appearances in order. Iron Fist #14 might have been included because it was the first appearance of Sabretooth, I don't know. The other issues of Iron Fist are on my read list, so I'll get around to them eventually.
Normal service resumes in X-Men #109. The X-Men try to return to normal after their adventures in space, but Wolverine's former employers in the Canadian government aren't best pleased about him quitting and joining the X-Men. The Canadian government dispatch Weapon Alpha to bring Wolverine back by any means necessary.
I never particularly cared for Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian or the rest of Alpha Flight when i first read about them in comics. They all seemed like jerks that wouldn't let Wolverine get on with his life. Thankfully, my opinion changed when I started to read more about them. John Byrne's work on the early issues of Alpha Flight's own ongoing series was a particular highlight. I'm getting ahead of myself though, this story only concerns Weapon Alpha. We won't get to see the rest of Alpha Flight for a while. I'll talk about them more when we get to meet them proper after the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Another break with Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. A group of scientists from around the world are meeting in a jumbo jet flying across America to discuss mutation. Reed Richards is unable to attend so sends Professor Xavier in his stead. The X-Men also accompany Professor Xavier. Peter Parker is there covering the event for the Daily Bugle. The X-Men must team-up with Spider-Man when the meeting is attacked by a group of scientists that have been given super-powers from exposure to radiation and have taken on names from Hindu mythology.
Marvel Team-Up always seemed a bit slight to me. The few issues that were actually memorable to me were Marvel Team-Up #65 66, the issues that introduced Captain Britain to the American comics, and Marvel Team-Up Annual #6, where Wolfsbane and Sunspot were injected with the same drugs that gave Cloak and Daggers their powers. The annual only sticks in my mind because the events would continue in the main New Mutants series.
More team-up shenanigans in Marvel Team-Up #53 by Mantlo and Byrne. The Incredible Hulk finds himself in the New Mexico town of Liberty. Unfortunately, his peace is disturbed by a being called Woodgood. Meanwhile, the X-Men and Spider-Man are on their way home from their previous adventure when they are pulled into the Hulk's fight with Woodgod.
Another disposable Marvel Team-Up story. The X-Men leave the story fairly early on and Spider-Man as the deal with the Hulk and Woodgod in his own. Woodgod doesn't seem like a very interesting character. He has goat legs and that's about it. We don't actually get to see the resolution of the fight either. The second part of the story isn't included in this collection. It's no great loss, I suppose. I wasn't all that interested in the story any way.
One final issue of the X-Men in X-Men #110, another fill-in, this time written by Claremont with Cockrum and Tony DeZuniga on art. The X-Men take some time off playing baseball, but soon find their tiem off being interrupted by a man named Warhawk, who takes control of the Danger Room an uses it to attack the X-Men.
This was another fill-in that was intended to get the series back on schedule, but it was planned before John Byrne took over on art. It's always fun to see the X-Men take time off and having them play baseball would go on to be a recurring time-off activity for them. Warhawk is another pretty boring character though. It turns out that he is being employed by Sebastian Shaw of the Hellfire Club, so I guess it is every-so-slightly important to future events.
We finish off with two more issues of Marvel Team-Up with Marvel Team-Up #69-70 by Claremont and Byrne. In Marvel Team-Up #69, Havok and Polaris are attacked by the minions of the Living Pharaoh and Havok ends up getting captured. Meanwhile, Spider-Man stumbles upon a burglary by the Pharaoh's men. Spidey catches up with the rest of the Pharaoh's men an frees Havok. However, the Living Pharaoh himself arrives and turns into the Living Monolith. Thor arrives in Marvel Team-Up #70 and gets involved in the fight with the Living Monolith as well.
These issues of Marvel Team-Up were actually pretty good. I guess that's what comes with a writer like Claremont. Claremont writes a good Spider-Man. It's a pity he didn't write more Spidey, apart from a run on Marvel Team-Up of course. Claremont writes a good Thor as well. The guy obviously knows what he's doing.
This was a really good collection of stories. Claremont and Byrne hadn't quite hit the heights of their later stories, but reading the stories was still an enjoyable experience. This collection also included behind the scenes material like character sketches. I was interested to discover that Dave Cockrum orginally pitched Nightcrawler to DC as part of a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off. DC rejected the idea, so Cockrum brought the idea with him when he joined Len Wein to reinvigorate the cancelled X-Men series. It turns out that Storm is a mix of two other rejected Cockrum characters. Her powers were taken from a guy named Typhoon, and her overall look was taken from a lady called Black Cat (not the thief and sometime Spider-Man love interest, this one could change into a cat).
My rating: 4 stars.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 78 x 120px
File Size 16 kB
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