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X-Men #95
October, 1975
Chris Claremont - Writer |
Plot Synopsis:
"Warhunt!"
Through their first real team effort, the X-Men manage to get to the ground safely. From there, Nightcrawler teleports into the Valhalla base, takes on Croaker, and wins his first battle, enabling him to open a missile hatch and let the rest of the team in. After being gassed and attacked by brainwashed soldiers and superhuman Ani-Men alike, the bulk of the team manages to get to the Doomsmith Device, which has only nine minutes until detonation. Banshee and Thunderbird are left behind, knocked out from the battle, only to come to in time to see Count Nefaria making an escape.
Prof. X calls to Cyclops, informing him (rather impatiently) that the Doomsmith was already (conveniently) disabled by their battle, and that an X-Man is in danger outside. The team makes it out there in time to see Thunderbird wrestling Nefaria's get-away jet in mid-air, taking it apart, piece by piece. Banshee and Xavier attempt to get Thunderbird off the plane, but his reckless pride proves to be unrelenting. A moment later, the jet is destroyed, taking Nefaria and Thunderbird with it.
TCXR Review:
Part of Wein's plan to set a new tone for the X-Men was to have a member die early on, proving that the X-Men title would go places no other comic had attempted. Apparently, Thunderbird had been designed, from the start, to die early on. Perhaps the most troubling, though realistic aspect of this is that it comes out of nowhere. Contrary to the steadily building tension the Classic X-Men edition tries to add (see the notes below), we'd only scraped the proverbial iceberg in understanding Thunderbird's internal struggles when he suddenly lept on a Harrier Jet and tore it to pieces. Was it Cyclops' fault for pushing him too hard, or for not pushing him hard enough to be more careful? Maybe John Proudstar was so used to being the best around that he couldn't handle the competition. We never really know, and that's part of the beauty and tragedy here. Even though talk of Thunderbird's death will pass after just a few issues, the new level of risk and excitement it adds to the title is lasting. The X-Men title will never be "safe" again.
Some interesting side-notes here. Cyclops opens fire full force on Dragonfly at point blank range. One would assume this would necessarily kill her, but no mention is made of this, and she's shown to be alive once more in X-men #104.
The fate of the remaining Ani-Men is never stated. To the best of my knowledge, they never resurface, yet Nefaria (now dead) was their only hope of being restored to human form.
Cat-Man seems to be under the impression that Wolverine's claws are not real. This suggests that Wein and Claremont still intended for Wolverine's claws to be part of his gloves at this point. Otherwise, Wolverine probably would have corrected him.
Once again, Wolverine's mutant abilities remain unnamed.
Storm apparently has the ability to create weather rather than simply control it at this point, as is obvious when she floods the base with water that came from nowhere. This will change in later issues.
Nightcrawler apparently possesses superhuman strength in this issue, as is shown when he takes a blow from Croaker that was "hard enough to flatten a dozen men," and then hits Croaker with similar might. This power is never explained, nor mentioned again. This is also the first issue in which Nightcrawler makes his trademark "Bamf!" noise while teleporting.
We do learn in this issue that Nightcrawler maintains momentum when he transports, thus preventing him from transporting to the ground after a long fall. However, he is able to blindly transport into Valhalla base in this issue; an ability that's corrected in the Classic X-Men edition (again, see notes below).
Notes on the Classic X-Men Edition:
Retold in Classic X-Men #3. This issue includes an unusual number of revisions and additions.
Pages 2-3 replace one original page in which the previous issue's plot is recounted. The talk between Nefaria and his Ani-Men is not originally included, nor does it seem particularly necessary.
Pages 6-7 change the events of one original page. In the original version, Night Crawler does as Cyclops asks without objection, rather than stating that he cannot blindly transport. Similarly, Banshee does not use his scream as a sonic sonar.
Page 9 adds Storm's thinking about her claustrophobia, which was not originally introduced in this issue. It seems like an appropriate addition, considering the tight spaces within which they must be readied for battle in this issue.
Page 12 is completely new. It's yet another attempt to explain Thunderbird's final actions.
Pages 22-32 are entirely new material, and should be omitted unless you're curious. This is not the real first appearance of Warpath.
Key Character Developments
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Colossus: xcolossus |
Can apparently survive any fall. |
Cyclops: xcyclops |
Can automatically trigger his visor by opening his eyes.
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Nightcrawler: xnightcrawler |
Maintains momentum when teleporting. |
Prof. Xavier: xprof. xavier |
Is inside Thunderbird's head when he dies. |
Thunderbird: xthunderbird |
Dies while madly tearing apart Count Nefaria's jet in mid-air. |