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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

X-amining X-Men #125

"There's Something AWFUL on Muir Island!"
September 1979

In a Nutshell
Mutant X makes his move on Muir Island while the X-Men learn Beast and Phoenix are alive. 

Author/Co-Plotter: Chris Claremont
Penciler/Co-Plotter: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
On Muir Island, Moira tests the limits of Phoenix's power, both women unaware they are being watched by the possessed, decaying form of Angus MacWhirter. Meanwhile, the X-Men are training in the Danger Room while, on Asteroid M, Magneto is recuperating from his last battle with the X-Men, thinking of his late wife and planning his next move. In Scotland, in a town near Muir Island, Jason Wyndgarde ruminates about his recent manipulation of Jean and his desire to mold her into the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Back on Muir Island, Moira studies the test data on Phoenix, and realizes Jean still has access to god-like power, while on the Shi'ar Imperial Center, Professor X studies the record of Phoenix's actions inside the M'Kraan crystal, and realizes for the first time the true extent of her power, deciding he must return to Earth at once.


On Muir Island, Moira discovers that Mutant X has escaped from his cell, and Phoenix, sensing her terror, flies to help. Rounding a corner, she suddenly finds herself in an 18th century mansion, dressed as a noblewoman, but snaps out of the hallucination when tackled from behind by MacWhirter. Coming face to face with him, she screams in terror. Meanwhile, in New York, Beast arrives to check out the security at the X-Mansion, finding it disabled. He is attacked by Nightcrawler who, upon recognizing Beast, teleports away, frightened and believing he saw a ghost. Responding to the intrusion, Cyclops and comes face to face with Beast, and the two are overjoyed to learn the other isn't dead after all. Beast quickly tells Cyclops Jean is alive as well. The X-Men prepare to depart for Muir Island, agreeing to wait for Beast to return his Avengers Quinjet. But when Cyclops phones Muir Island, he reaches Polaris, in the midst of a search for Moira and Jean. She fills Cyclops in on the situation, and he agrees to leave at once, but before Lorna can finish, she screams and the line goes dead.  

Firsts and Other Notables
The whole "believed dead" business finally comes to end in this issue, as Beast returns to the X-Mansion and discovers the very much alive X-Men living there. He reveals that Phoenix survived as well (the reunion between the X-Men and Phoenix is held for next issue), putting the entire thing to rest.

 
After being alluded to in earlier issues, Mutant X makes his first appearance, in the shadows, though as he's possessing the body of Angus MacWhirtier, it's not much of an "appearance".


Jason Wyngarde begins his seduction of Phoenix in earnest this issue, and Jean experiences her first "timeshift", in which she suddenly finds herself in the guise of an 18th Century noblewoman. We also see her dressed as the Black Queen for the first time.


Lilandra appears as Empress of the Shi'ar for the first time. 

Finally, this issue also establishes that Magneto is the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. One month after the publication of an Avengers issue (also drawn by John Byrne) which revealed Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's birth mother to be a woman named Magda, here it is revealed that Magneto was once married to a woman named Magda who bears a resemblance to the Scarlet Witch. The connection was meant to remain that subtle, but later writers made it more overt.


As such, this issue also reveals that Magneto was once married, and its portrayal of Magneto recovering from his wounds (inflicted in issue #113) and missing his late wife is the first, albeit small, step towards the deepening of his character that Claremont will more fully embark upon once Byrne has left the book. 

A Work in Progress
Jean notes that using her power doesn't tire her out as quickly as it used to, and that, if anything, it makes her feel good. Moira wonders if it makes her feel good enough to want to use it again, but doesn't elaborate. It's also made clear that Jean's current power as Phoenix is much greater than her power as Marvel Girl.


Moira later deduces that the sudden power loss Phoenix experienced while battling Magneto in issue #113 was a result of an "instinctive psychic circuit breaker" she subconsciously activated to bring her cosmic powers back down to a more manageable level, but that the potential for greater, even god-like, power still exists within her.  


Apparently the Danger Room was repaired between the annual and this issue, as the X-Men are back at it (though Banshee and Cyclops are controlling it from within the room itself, so perhaps the control room is still damaged).


A frustrated Wolverine storms off after the Danger Room session to grab a beer.


In a scene I've always liked, Cyclops notes that the new X-Men may never mesh as well as the original X-Men did, but that he's not sure that's even a desirable goal anymore. 


Professor X, who was never properly debriefed about Phoenix's action inside the M'Kraan crystal following issue #108, reads the Shi'ar account of the events, and realizes just how powerful Jean has become, motivating him to return to Earth.

It is revealed that Jason Wyngarde has been at Jean's side since she "left the safety of Xavier’s mansion", appearing to her, aside from as himself (in issue #122), in various guises such as a priest and a hunky vacationer, in order to get to know her better and instinctively gain her trust, so that he can eventually turn that trust into love.


After twenty issues, Moira learns that Mutant X's cell has been breached, as shown in issues #104, and that he has escaped. 


One last grumbling about the "believed dead" plot: this issue makes it clear that, through Jean, the other Muir Island residents believed the X-Men to be dead. While we could assume their grief was addressed off panel, both Havok and Moira seem little broken up by the deaths of their brother and boyfriend, respectively.  


That 70s Comic
In the Danger Room, Nightcrawler is bombarded with a sonic blast, which is so disruptive that he can't teleport, or even think. So Nightcrawler is thinking about how he can't think...


Aboard his high tech orbiting asteroid base he built himself, Magneto is watching old footage of his battles with the X-Men via reel-to-reel tape.


Claremontisms
More German expressions from Nightcrawler, who is quickly outpacing Banshee and Colossus in the field of "random expressions that denote the character's nationality": "mein freund" (my friend), "ein geist" (a ghost), and "das Bestie" (the Beast).

More fun power usage: Jean telekinetically changes clothes, and later uses her telekinesis to keep herself warm.  


Artistic Achievements
Inker Terry Austin, an avowed Popeye fan, sneaks the sailor into the background of a gathering on the Shi'ar Imperial Center. 


Young Love
With her brief appearance as one of Arcade's captives last issue past, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight's presence as supporting members of the book's cast comes to end. Coupled with the looming reunion between Scott and Jean, so too has Cyclops and Colleen's brief romance ended. 

It's in the Mail.
The letters page details a media storm that sprang up in the wake of issues #120-121. 

John Byrne on why Misty Knight never mentioned seeing Jean to Cyclops
"This question has been asked many times, and my answer is always the same: 'Why would she?' Misty Knight would not have any way of knowing Scott and the others thought Jean was dead."

Nickerson, Al. "Claremont and Byrne: The Team that Made the X-Men Uncanny." Back Issue August 2008: p6.

Chris Claremont on Misty Knight and Colleen Wing's involvement in X-Men
"Misty and Colleen's appearances in The X-Men were for reasons that had nothing to do with the X-Men. I was bounced off Power/Fist [Power Man and Iron Fist]. Ed Hannigan didn't want either of the women in the book, and I said, 'Fine, can I take them to X-Men?,' and he said 'Sure.' You see, I pretty much created them. But Jo [Duffy, later Power Man and Iron Fist writer] - quite rightly - demanded them back."

Sanderson, Peter. The X-Men Companion. Stamford: Fantagraphics Books, 1982. p120

John Byrne on coming up with the idea that Magneto was Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's father
"The first time I drew Magneto with his helmet off it struck me that that he looked like Quicksilver and looking back over all the years at all the stuff that happened between them, it suddenly seemed a more logical thing, since I hated the Whizzer thing. So I said, "Why don't we do this?" It began with Mark Gruenwald and me kicking things around for a Quicksilver Marvel Premiere, and of course it ended up being in the Avengers and one page of the X-Men. And it was never supposed to be flat-out that that was the relationship."

Sanderson, Peter. The X-Men Companion II. Stamford: Fantagraphics Books, 1982. p94-95

Editor Roger Stern on who came up with the idea to establish Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's parentage
"It's been so long ago, but either John Byrne, Mark Gruenwald, or Steven Grant - or some combination of those folk - suggested that Magneto was the father Wanda [Scarlet Witch] and Pietro [Quicksilver]. It was my intent that the readers, but never the characters, would know ... and we've all seen how long that lasted."

Nickerson, Al. "Claremont and Byrne: The Team that Made the X-Men Uncanny." Back Issue August 2008: p5.

Teebore's Take
I've always had a fondness for these types of issues, and this is one of the best. Like issue #122, it is another "quiet" issue, and another quintessential Claremont story, one without a real plot of its own, but rather an assemblage of character moments and subplots that serve to wrap up or setup existing or future plots. Here, Claremont and Byrne not only bring to an end the X-Men's protracted belief that Phoenix and Beast are dead (and vice versa) and setup the next story, but they also continue to lay the groundwork for the story after that. Though the villains of the next two stories appear, other than a few training sequences, there's little action to speak of. In many ways, it is the last chance for the X-Men to catch their breath, and the last chance for Claremont and Byrne to put all the pieces on the board before their big epic. It is the quiet before the storm, a storm that will rage, almost nonstop, for the next twelve issues. When it's done, the X-Men, and superhero comics, will never be the same. 

Next Issue
The debut of Proteus!

17 comments:

  1. I agree with you that this is one of the best issues of its kind. It's kind of a template for how the majority of the 90's X-comics seemed -- a little action in the form of a Danger Room sequence, and tons of subplots and character stuff. Since I like this issue so much, I have a lot to say about it -- more than one post can contain...

    As I've said a few times, I love the joyful reunion between Cyclops and Beast. All too often, I feel like comics gloss over moments like that. These guys have known each other since they were teenagers; they should each be elated to learn that the other is alive, and we should get to see that elation. I always feel a little cheated when there's a chance for a scene like this and it's skipped.

    I believe I talked about the Byrne/Magneto/Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch thing once before, so I'll just reiterate that I liked his (and/or Stern's) belief that the characters should never have learned. I like "open secrets" like that. At the very least, it should've remained a secret longer than it did.

    "...the first, albeit small, step towards the deepening of his character..."

    What's kind of funny is that I'm sure Byrne thought of this as just a "check-in" scene to remind us that Magneto is still out there, and to further his own story about Magneto's family. I wouldn't be surprised if, as co-plotter, this scene was Byrne's idea for just that reason, and he intended nothing more to come of it. But to Claremont, this was clearly the beginning of something much, much bigger. It's possible he didn't even realize it at the time, though.

    I always thought that shot of Banshee and Cyclops running the Danger Room from inside it was odd. From now on, I'll use your suggestion that the control room was damaged to justify it. Also, I've always found it funny that Banshee still wears his costume, even though he has no powers at this point (though if I recall, he ditches it after they get to Muir Island and go Proteus-hunting).

    To Be Continued...

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  2. Part 2:

    "Cyclops notes that the new X-Men may never mesh as well as the original X-Men did..."

    Which is yet another sticking point for Byrne. He has often complained that even when he drew the X-Men doing just that -- meshing and using teamwork -- Claremont scripted it like they were just barely pulling it off. I tend to agree with Claremont on this point; it gives the team more character if they have trouble working together, but still manage to do it.

    "After twenty issues, Moira learns that Mutant X's cell has been breached, as shown in issues #104, and that he has escaped.Havok and Moira seem little broken up by the deaths of their brother and boyfriend..."

    As has been pointed out on Not Blog X, when Havok is believed dead following X-Factor #149, Cyclops never has a scene where he finds out or grieves either, so I guess it's just a Summers thing. Come to think of it, did he have any reaction when his father died a few years ago? Or does he even know yet?

    On the other hand, when Moira was killed off, Banshee went on a long drinking binge and formed a paramilitary X-team, so at least he cared...

    "So Nightcrawler is thinking about how he can't think..."

    Isn't this more a case of "That Claremont Comic"? He did that sort of thing a lot, well beyond the 70's!

    It's weird that Colleen and Misty just vanished from the comic like they did. Claremont's explanation tells us why it happened behind the scenes, but in the context of the story, the just vanished off the face of the Earth!

    "Misty Knight would not have any way of knowing Scott and the others thought Jean was dead."

    Shenanigans! But even if I play along, there are still too many other holes to make it work. I feel like Byrne has to realize they didn't pull this idea off, and I wonder if that's why he's always so casually dismissive of criticism. At least Claremont has admitted that they didn't get it right. It's still a great premise, though.

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  3. Okay, last one, I promise:

    "Jason Wyngarde begins his seduction of Phoenix in earnest this issue..."

    I wanted to comment on this separately. It may be common knowledge, but it's all new to me. I think I mentioned before that I was reading Chris Claremont's run on Ms. Marvel from the 70's. Essential Ms. Marvel collects every issue of her series, plus the final two issues, which were never originally published.

    I guess Ms. Marvel was cancelled with issue #23. Issue #24 was completed, cover and all, and tossed in a drawer. Issue #25 was plotted, and drawn, and possibly even scripted, and also shelved. Years later, Marvel published the two issues in some kind of "Marvel Super Heroes" special or something. Issue #25 had additional artwork added to complete what would have been a cliffhanger. The additional pages were scripted by Simon "Transformers" Furman. Possibly the original pages were also scripted by him; there seems to be disagreement on this point.

    The additional pages introduce Rogue, but since they weren't completed till many years later, I don't know if anyone's aware if she would have appeared around that time or not.

    Ms. Marvel was bimonthly, so issue #24 would've been published in June of 1979, and #25 in August of that year.

    In issue #25, Ms. Marvel goes in search of Mystique, who has murdered her potential love interest. She runs into Pyro and Avalanche (which would have made this the first appearance of Mystique's Brotherhood, predating their eventual appearance in "Days of Future Past" over a year later).

    But what is of interest here is that Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce, and Tessa all appear in the story. Since they eventually appeared in X-Men #129 from January of 1980, this would have been the first appearance of the Hellfire Club, too!

    And beyond that, there's a scene where Ms. Marvel has a psychic vision of herself in the 18th century, becoming the Black Queen! So it seems that the Dark Phoenix storyline was intended by Claremont for Ms. Marvel, but he moved it to Phoenix instead after her book was canceled! I was blown away by this revelation, especially since the "lost" Ms. Marvel issues were published about 20 years ago, and I'd never heard anything about this till just now.

    By the way, in the other "lost" issue, #24, she fights Sabretooth, which I found interesting too.

    There's a pretty nifty write-up of all this Ms. Marvel stuff, along with timelines and such, here. I've found others, but this one may be the most informative. I just used it to refresh my memory and get the dates right when I wrote the above.

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  4. I'm back... I made a slight mistake in my second comment. That's what I get for not proofreading!

    When I quote this:

    "After twenty issues, Moira learns that Mutant X's cell has been breached, as shown in issues #104, and that he has escaped..."

    It was not supposed to run into the thing about Havok and Moira's lack of grief. I mean to insert this witty zinger:

    But still no sign of Dragonfly.

    Then it was supposed to go into the Havok/Moira quote.

    I'm totally spamming your blog today. Slow day at work...

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  5. ha! Matt's comments were awesome (i hear you about slow work day)

    What i can't figure out is who drew Moira walking like that in the one panel- straighlegged. is that even possible?

    Also- how does Mags even HAVE footage of his battles with the xmen? does he hire a videographer anytime he's going out for a rumble?

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  6. i gotta say, i don't think dressing telekinetically would be easier or faster than just doing it manually. I mean, why bother? Might as wel use your power for something more badass, like not walking.

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  7. How does Jean Gray stay in shape when she's too lazy to use her muscles to dress herself?

    'Why would she?' Misty Knight would not have any way of knowing Scott and the others thought Jean was dead."

    Yeah, cause Lord knows when someone loses a loved one they make sure to make no mention of it whatsoever to anyone.

    Anyway, when they decided to go back to Muir Island, did Banshee say, "Yeah...I guess I should go see Moira..."

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  8. @Matt: I always feel a little cheated when there's a chance for a scene like this and it's skipped.

    Me too, though a big one will get skipped next issue. I'm pretty sure I even have a Claremont quote discussing it. But we'll get to that soon enough.

    I liked his (and/or Stern's) belief that the characters should never have learned.

    Having always read comics knowing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were Magneto's kids, I have no strong opinions on the matter. I know I've always enjoyed knowing that, but I don't know how much that enjoyment stems from the characters knowing it too.

    I wouldn't be surprised if, as co-plotter, this scene was Byrne's idea for just that reason, and he intended nothing more to come of it.

    Yeah, I know Byrne is pretty anti "Magneto as an antihero", so I agree that he never intended for that scene to be anything more than you describe. But it's interesting to think that maybe Claremont hadn't caught the idea yet, either.

    Also, I've always found it funny that Banshee still wears his costume, even though he has no powers at this point

    I wonder if that was a Shooter edict? Probably not, since, as you say, he ditches it pretty quickly in "Proteus", but it is kinda funny.

    it gives the team more character if they have trouble working together, but still manage to do it.

    Agreed. I've always viewed it less as "the new team is worse than the original team" but just that the new team is good in a different way; they are stronger, older individuals, so their skills as a team come less from fluid teamwork honed from growing up together.

    so I guess it's just a Summers thing

    Ha! Must be. I *think* there was a scene of Scott reacting to Corsairs death at some point after Professor X and company returned home bearing the news, but I honestly don't remember it that well, so it's possible that got blown by just like the Havok "death" did.

    Isn't this more a case of "That Claremont Comic"? He did that sort of thing a lot, well beyond the 70's!

    You're probably right; I just think of it as more a convention of the genre at the time. Writers other than Claremont did it, and you don't see it much anymore (since you don't see thought bubbles much anymore...), so I put it in the "of the time" category.

    At least Claremont has admitted that they didn't get it right. It's still a great premise, though.

    Byrne strikes me as the type who would refuse to admit anything turned out poorly for any reason other than ones outside his control (like editorial interferences).

    And you're right, it is a great premise; it was just poorly executed in this case.

    So it seems that the Dark Phoenix storyline was intended by Claremont for Ms. Marvel, but he moved it to Phoenix instead after her book was canceled!

    That is pretty mind-blowing. Unsurprisingly, I have a TON of outside source material talking about the Dark Phoenix saga, so it will be interesting to read that with this in mind.

    Thanks for sharing all of that, btw. I've got that Essential Ms. Marvel but haven't read it (I'd noticed the "unpublished" issues, but hadn't paid very close attention to them). I'm definitely going to have to give it a closer look now.

    But still no sign of Dragonfly.

    Zing!

    I'm totally spamming your blog today. Slow day at work...

    Ha! No worries. Your comments are always welcome, in any volume.

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  9. @Anne: how does Mags even HAVE footage of his battles with the xmen? does he hire a videographer anytime he's going out for a rumble?

    If you were Magneto, wouldn't you? Presumably he pilfers it from the TV networks covering his escapades.

    More importantly, how is there video footage of any of his battles at all? You'd think with all the magnetism he's flinging around to fight the X-Men, those old school tapes would get all kinds of messed up!

    @Sarah: i don't think dressing telekinetically would be easier or faster than just doing it manually. I mean, why bother?

    I probably should have been more clear: she's using her power to telekinetically rearrange the molecules of her clothes into new outfits. You ask me, that's pretty badass.

    @Dr. Bitz: How does Jean Gray stay in shape when she's too lazy to use her muscles to dress herself?

    Why do you think Scott is so in love her? Lots of "exercise".

    cause Lord knows when someone loses a loved one they make sure to make no mention of it whatsoever to anyone.

    Yeah, his explanation is complete hogwash, and comes across as someone who screwed up and is trying to pretend it was meant to be that way.

    And, like Matt, said, that's just one of SEVERAL holes in that plot anyway.

    when they decided to go back to Muir Island, did Banshee say, "Yeah...I guess I should go see Moira..."

    Oddly enough, Banshee is pretty quiet on the subject. Which, I guess, isn't so odd, since he hasn't bothered to call her yet.

    When Cyclops announced that the X-Men were going to Muir Island, I would have liked Banshee to say, "crap! Moira's going to kill me for letting her think I was dead. I'm staying here. You boyos never saw me..."

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  10. ok, rearranging molecules to make clothing is totally something i would do.
    That's straight up badass

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  11. "I have a TON of outside source material talking about the Dark Phoenix saga..."

    Hopefully some of that includes Claremont and Byrne's statements on how they would have proceeded if Phoenix hadn't died. Their original plans for issue #150 sounded very interesting.

    "Does he hire a videographer anytime he's going out for a rumble?"

    Dr. Doom's armor records everything he says for posterity, so it's not that much of a stretch.

    And good point about the tape, Teebore -- I never thought of that! Going even further, how often did Magneto fight the X-Men in public, where cameras would be around, to begin with? I feel like it rarely ever happened.

    "...she's using her power to telekinetically rearrange the molecules of her clothes into new outfits."

    Magneto, on the other hand, literally does use his power to get dressed, at least in his costume, which I've always thought was really cool, especially when it's depicted (and described) as the individual chain-mail links separating, flowing onto his body, and reassembling.

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  12. Great writeup, as usual, Mr. T...

    I've been staying more-or-less current with the reading, in bunches, but it's been hard to keep up with your posts. Now that I have a relatively stable Internet connection at long last, if not necessarily world enough and time, I'm hoping to get current on reading / replying as quickly as possible — because we're just blasting off on the Dark Phoenix saga with this issue, one of my two favorite periods on the series (not that I haven't really enjoyed what's come before).

    Excelsior!

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  13. @Falen: That's straight up badass

    Yeah, I've always thought that was particularly cool.

    @Matt: Hopefully some of that includes Claremont and Byrne's statements on how they would have proceeded if Phoenix hadn't died.

    Definitely. I have a copy of that "Phoenix: The Untold Story" they released sometime after the original saga concluded, which has some of the original pages and tons of interviews about the original plans and why they were changed.

    I'm still trying to decide the best way to address that material when the time comes. There's SO much written about the Phoenix Saga as is that I don't want things to get too crammed by also talking about what DIDN'T happen. So I'm thinking of doing an "Untold Story" post all it's own, maybe after issue #138 or thereabouts.

    Going even further, how often did Magneto fight the X-Men in public, where cameras would be around, to begin with?

    Good point. Other than issue #1, and maybe some of the other early Lee/Kirby issues, most of their run-ins were at the mansion/Magneto's various headquarters.

    especially when it's depicted (and described) as the individual chain-mail links separating, flowing onto his body, and reassembling.

    I LOVE that panel in #150 where Magneto's costume basically pours onto him.

    @Blam: Now that I have a relatively stable Internet connection at long last, if not necessarily world enough and time, I'm hoping to get current on reading / replying as quickly as possible

    Huzzah! Blam is back! We've missed you.

    the Dark Phoenix saga with this issue, one of my two favorite periods on the series

    What, pray tell, is your other favorite period? Or would you rather wait 'til we get there to reveal it?

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  14. No one has pointed out yet that Lorna is way too young in this story for Magneto to have been involved when he was leading the Brotherhood when you consider she was first introduced in 1968 in her late-teens (and the Brotherhood had been formed only 5 years before).

    PAD would have been much better off to reveal that Zala was the older half-sister who discovers her mother's affair with Magnus and so sabotages the plane with the aim of setting him up as the one who brought it down because she is jealous (because she hadn’t developed mutant powers like her mother but Lorna was more than likely to given she is the offspring of an Omega level mutant).

    There is still some interesting stuff to be worked out when it comes to Lorna Dane though. It’s moot in the present-day Marvel Universe because they did the (stupid, in my opinion) thing of saying she IS Magneto’s daughter, which is so very problematic. But going back to Claremont and pre-Claremont versions of the character, she is fascinating. There is an interesting tidbit dropped by CC in his earliest Shi’ar stuff about how “Eric the Red learned about the X-Men through Lorna. But he did not say how he learned of *her.*” There is something weird there; a never-explained connection between Lorna Dane and the Shi’ar’s undercover agent on Earth (Davan Shakari) The very fact that, as his super-villain identity, Davan chose “Eric the Red,” is a strange thing. It goes back to when the X-Men met Lorna back circa X-Men #51, and begs the question of how Eric knew about that, and why he chose that as his identity.

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  15. @Nathan: It’s moot in the present-day Marvel Universe because they did the (stupid, in my opinion) thing of saying she IS Magneto’s daughter, which is so very problematic.

    I totally agree with you there. I've never been a big fan of the idea that Lorna actually is Magneto's daughter.

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  16. You have to admire Magneto's prep work. He's like the Bill Belichick of supervillians. The records of his battles (done magnetically, of course) remind me of the Secret Wars panel when Doom reveals to Klaw, proudly, that he records all of his own utterances for posterity.

    Jean Grey can wear a bathing suit. Moira MacTaggert, on the other hand, is apparently always ready for the Negative Zone.

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  17. No mention of the Phantom Stranger who is also in the panel with Popeye? **sad** he's right next to that purple hand, just left of center.

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