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X-Men #94
August, 1975
Chris Claremont - Writer |
Plot Synopsis:
"The Doomsmith Scenerio"
Prof. X summons the team (new and old), to congratulate them on their battle with Krakoa. Before he can say much more, Sunfire interrupts to announce that he has no intention of staying with the team. This causes Prof. X to ask whether the rest of the new team feels the same. Though they each agree to stay (at least for the moment), the calm is shattered once more by Angel and Marvel Girl announcing that the old team has grown up and feels it's time to leave.
After a brief good-bye, followed by a montage in which we see the new team enduring weeks of training in the Danger Room, we cut to the Norad control center, where Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men manage to teleport in to the base with a sophisticated technological device and quickly seize control. Nefaria reminisces on escaping from prison after his first encounter with the X-Men (X-Men #22-23), as well as his recent creation of the half animal Ani-Men using Maggia science. He demands a hefty ransom to the world in a televised announcement that The Beast (former X-Man now with the Avengers) relays to the X-Men, and the new team is off to the rescue in the blackbird. Nefaria quickly launches Norad's defenses at the blackbird, and the X-Men find themselves falling to their doom.
TCXR Review:
X-Men #94 (not called "Uncanny X-Men" until later), marks the first original story in this title since #66. The X-Men title had previously been so unpopular that Marvel had resorted to reprinting earlier issues in #67-93, saving its creative resources for more popular projects. Marvel had gambled that Giant-Size X-Men #1, with its stunning cover and debut issue, would bring new attention to the X-Men. The gamble seemed to have worked with Giant-Size's sales, and thus X-Men #94 featured an original story with the new team, and the title even moved up from quarterly to bi-monthly release.
At the same time, X-Men #94 marked the begining of the creative transfer of the new X-Men team from Len Wein to Chris Claremont. Wein, who was Marvel's Editor in Chief at the time, had planned to step down from his position and take over the writing of Marvel's core titles; namely Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor. Somehow, he hoped to write for the new X-Men team he'd created at the same time, presumably writing for both X-men and Giant-Size X-Men. However, X-Men's shift from quarterly to bi-monthly release pushed Wein's work threshold, and he was forced to start pulling away from X-Men (which passed to Claremont), and Giant-Size X-Men (which quickly fell into oblivion).
Though Wein remains as editor and plotter for this and the next issue, Chris Claremont begins writing for the title at this point. Wein took a dying team and infused it with fascinating new characters. As is evident in the next two issues, he clearly had more changes, evolutions,and all out surprises up his sleeve. Had any other writer replaced him, Wein's leaving might now be viewed as a tragedy. But who, at the time, would have suspected that Chris Claremont, Wein's Associate Editor, would go on to write the title (as well as most of it's spin-offs) for an unprecedented one hundred and eighty six issues, plot one hundred and eighty four issues, and shape the X-Men into the world's most popular superhero franchise?
The significance of the actual comic book issue aside, the story within the issue has it's share of importance, as well. X-Men #94 brings us a new undertone of drama and reality for the team. Claremont's haunting narration at the begining of the issue: "It begins...with an ending--and, perhaps the breaking of a man's heart..." sets a new standard for the X-Men, distancing it entirely from the campy and utterly safe conflicts and resolutions of the previous issues (including Giant-Size #1). Indeed, Wein's plotting will back this up, flooring us by breaking Xavier's heart when the old team randomly and arbitrarily announces their retirement (Okay. Not well executed, but...). Amazingly enough, those prophetic words will strike us even harder at the culmination of the following issue, leaving us to wonder which of the two tragedies they were originally intended for.
With the old team (rather too conveniently) eliminated, the new X-Men immediately begin to take form. Sunfire is instantly weeded out, perhaps only intended to be devil's advocate to Xavier in the prior issue. Banshee (Oh no. Oh please no...!) is talked out of doing the same. Nightcrawler begins to show his tender side in reaching out to Cyclops and attempting to form a friendship amidst a team of strangers. Wolverine begins to show more of his berserker fury with Ice-Man, as well as with Banshee in the blackbird. And Cyclops shows us a whole new side of frusteration and anger in being torn between his priorities to the school and to Jean Grey, ultimately realizing that his cursed eyes have already taken the choice away from him. From that moment on, Cyclops is a new, harsher, unyeildingly authoritative leader, giving the X-Men the pushing that they need in order to become a more formidable force than the original team. Unfortunately, this unyeilding persistance also unlocks Thunderbird's angst toward such men (as well as himself). This tension will explode in the next issue.
Unfortunately, even all of Wein's careful and innovative work developing this new team so quickly isn't enough to make up for his typically camp approach to Count Nefaria who, while actually a throwback from the original X-Men run, truly and severely feels like one. His unoriginally malicious goals, his unnecessary need to verbally explain everything he's done, and his ability to make century-wide leaps in scientific advancement and pervert them toward his evil goals, make him far too much to tolerate. Regrettably, it will be a few issues before the X-Men get to face off against a more worthy challenge.
As a side note, the ill-fated Strato-Jet is now a blackbird in this issue, and has a Mach 4 engine. Makes you wonder how it took them two hours to fly to Krakoa just last issue...
Notes on the Classic X-Men Edition:
Retold in Classic X-Men #2. Pages 7-8 expand upon one original page of Danger Room training. This page is almost identical to the new ones, except that no "deep-rooted concern" by Cyclops is ever mentioned.
Pages 10-12 are entirely new and should be omitted. Rahn Sinclair will not make her first appearance for several years to come, and Moira MacTaggert is still a few issues away.
As a general rule, these minor revisions will be standard for the first few Classic X-Men issues, but will eventually phase out.
Pages 23-32 are entirely new material, and should be omitted unless you're curious. This will hold true for all back-stories included in future Classic X-Men issues.
Key Character Developments
|
Angel: xangel |
Quits X-Men. |
Cyclops: xcyclops |
Remains as only original team member. Begins clashing with Thunderbird. |
Havok: xhavok |
Quits X-Men. |
Marvel Girl: xjean grey |
Quits X-Men. Last appearance as Marvel Girl. |
Lorna Dane: xlorna dane |
Quits X-Men |
Sunfire: xsunfire |
Quits X-Men |
Thunderbird: xthunderbird |
Becomes reckless, resentful.
Begins to pull away from team. |