X-amining Uncanny X-Men #167

"The Goldilocks Syndrome! (Or: "Who's Been Sleeping in My Head?")"
March 1983

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men return to Earth. 

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Yanchus & Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
The New Mutants are watching Magnum P.I. when the X-Men burst into the mansion, hoping to take Professor X by surprise. The New Mutants fight back, but Kitty manages to sneak into Professor Xavier's study. However, she hesitates firing on him, at which point he transforms into a Brood Queen and attacks her. As the Brood Queen taunts the X-Men, Cyclops blasts her outside. The X-Men give chase, and their combined efforts are enough to allow Professor Xavier's lingering consciousness to briefly take control of the Brood's body. He begs the X-Men to kill him before the transformation is complete, but Cyclops is unwilling to do so, determined to find another way to resolve the situation.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #166

"Live Free or Die!"
February 1983

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men defeat the Brood. 

Scripter: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
On the planet Madrizar the Brood work to enslave another Acanti when an enraged Binary appears and attacks the facility. Storm appears before her, and she brings Binary to the Acanti where the X-Men are waiting. Storm then tells the X-Men how the Brood enslaved the Acanti, including their Prophet Singer, keeper of the Acanti's racial soul. Even after his death, the soul remained captive on the Brood homeworld. Thus, the Acanti are unable to free themselves from the Brood. She explains that the Acanti in which they reside is the first new Prophet Singer in generations, but was born prematurely when it's mother was captured by the Brood. When the Acanti came across Storm's dying form in space, they bonded her consciousness to the newborn, giving him the awareness he needed to survive while his mind developed in exchange for using his natural healing abilities to repair Storm's body. Storm offers her teammates the opportunity to spend their last moments not on vengeance, but fighting to help free the Acanti from the Brood.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #165

"Transfigurations!"
January 1983

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men deal with their impending deaths.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: L. Varley
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
With the hole in the hull of the ship caused by Binary's abrupt departure threatening to suck the X-Men out into space, they work together to seal the breach with a piece of deck plating. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Moira brings Xavier a letter from Reed Richards asking for help with a young Vietnamese mutant named Karma. When Xavier declines, Moira suggests sending the girl to Magneto or Emma Frost's Massachusetts Academy if Xavier refuses to help. After Moira leaves, Professor X accepts that he has a responsibility to help young mutants, and calls Richards. Back in space, aboard a Shi'ar shuttle, Storm drifts through a nebula, trying to decide what to do with the Brood egg growing inside her. Suddenly, she begins to transform into a Brood, but when her ship breaches the nebula, the bombardment of starlight fills her with energy, reversing the transformation. Realizing what she has to do, Storm absorbs as much energy as she can and explodes her ship, killing both herself and the embryo.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #164

"Binary Star!"
December 1982

In a Nutshell 
As the X-Men fight to escape the Brood, Binary makes her first appearance. 

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Dave Cockrum
Finisher: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Janine Casey
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Aboard Lilandra's spaceship, the X-Men are attacked by the Brood, under orders to disable the vessel and capture the X-Men alive. The X-Men fight back using the ship's meager weapons and their own powers, but the Brood manage to damage the ship's warp engine, preventing the X-Men from escaping. As Kitty dons a spacesuit to effect repairs, Carol is overcome by strange sensations. Though wounded by a stray blast, Kitty manages to fix the engine and the ship jumps to warp, though they lose contact with Kitty in the process. Meanwhile, Professor X and Illyana dine together in the newly rebuilt X-Mansion. Professor X worries that he can't read Illyana's mind, afraid she's hiding something, but is still too grief-stricken to press the matter. Back in space, Kitty awakens on the hull of Lilandra's ship to find Carol, transformed into the cosmically-powered Binary, outside the ship with her, and is told the X-Men managed to escape from the Brood. Bringing Kitty inside, Carol uses her newfound powers to recharge the ship's power cells.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #163

"Rescue Mission"
November 1982

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men escape from the Brood home world. 

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
As the Brood experiement on Carol Danvers, performing evolutionary modifications and altering her physiology, Wolverine sneaks into the palace and frees her. Back on Earth, Havok and Corsair teleport onto the grounds where the mansion is being rebuilt, confirming for Moira and Polaris that the X-Men and Lilandra have been kidnapped by the Brood, the price of an alliance which has given Deathbird the Shi'ar throne. Corsair departs with the Starjammers, determined to either rescue or avenge his son. A galaxy away, Cyclops awakens from a dream in which the X-Men transform into Brood to find Storm similarly entranced. He awakens her, and with the Brood's illusion fading, they encounter Wolverine and Carol. Freeing the rest of the X-Men, the team splits up, with half going to rescue Lilandra while the rest try to board Lilandra's starship, docked just outside the atmosphere of the planet.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #162

"Beyond the Farthest Star"
October 1982 

In a Nutshell 
Wolverine fights the Brood solo.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Dave Cockrum
Inks: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Wolverine, bloody and alone, races through an alien landscape. He's attacked by a plant which sprays him with hallucinogenic gas. He imagines himself horseback riding in Japan with Mariko before they are attacked by two Brood warriors. Coming to his senses, he realizes the Brood are real. He fights them off, but gets ensnared in a massive web. As his body is wracked by sudden, tremendous pain, he remembers the party Lilandra had thrown for the X-Men aboard her ship, and being knocked unconscious by the Brood. When he awoke, he was somewhere else, surrounded by the Brood, but the X-Men weren't aware of them, trapped in an illusion. His intellect and his senses in conflict, Wolverine alternately accepted the peaceful scene along with the X-Men and reacted with horror as he and his teammates were seemingly attacked by the Brood.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #161

"Gold Rush!"
September 1982 

In a Nutshell 
A flash back to the first meeting between Professor X and Magneto.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
As Professor X struggles within his mind to overcome the alien evil growing inside him, the Starjammers' medic Sikorsky informs the X-Men that if Xavier loses the battle, he will die. Outside, Cyclops berates Storm for the incident at the Pentagon, pointing to an increase in anti-mutant sentiment in the government as a result. Storm rebuffs him, and he apologies, admitting that Xavier's condition is wearing on him. At his bedside, Lilandra tries to reach out to him, but Xavier's mind is reliving events from twenty years ago, in which he arrives in Israel to help psychiatric patients recovering from the Holocaust. At the hospital, he meets a young Magneto, calling himself Magnus, who is similarly working at the hospital, as well as a young woman named Gabby Haller. Xavier is able to telepathically help Gabby emerge from the catatonic state she entered as a protection against the horrors she suffered in the concentration camp. In the ensuing weeks, Xavier and Magnus debate the growing mutant situation while Xavier and Gabby fall in love, but one night the hospital is attacked by armored troops.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #157

"Hide-‘n’-Seek"
May 1982 

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men and Starjammers defeat the Shi'ar and save the planet.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Don Warfield
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Near Pluto, the X-Men and Starjammers are working frantically to repair their ship when Colossus suddenly collapses, succumbing to the still-healing injuries he suffered at Deathbird's hands. As he's looked after by Sikorsky, Lilandra reveals that she tried to contact Chancellor Araki via the imperial commlink in order to get him to call off the attack on Earth, but while a connection was established, he never answered. Desperate, Professor X establishes a mindlink with Nightcrawler and Kitty, still aboard the Shi'ar flagship, and tells them Lilandra is safe. While doing so, he senses an anomaly within himself, but when he attempts to probe it, his mind shuts down, putting him into a vegetative state. Meanwhile, aboard the Brood's ship, the Brood attack Deathbird for allowing Lilandra and the X-Men to escape, but Deathbird holds them off, promising to deliver the super-powered X-Men to them to be used as breeders for the Brood. Aboard the Shi'ar flagship, Nightcrawler and Kitty escape from their quarters just as Admiral Lord Samedar orders them killed.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #156

"Pursuit!"
April 1982 

In a Nutshell 
The X-Men and the Starjammers pursue Deatbird into space.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Don Warfield
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
As Tigra deals with the police, doing her best to use her status as an Avenger to keep them at bay, the Starjammer arrives above the city and teleports the X-Men aboard before racing for deep space in pursuit of Deathbird's ship. As the X-Men reunite with the Starjammers, their medic begins working to save the life of the gravely injured Colossus. Meanwhile, aboard the Shi'ar flagship, Nightcrawler and Kitty are shown a recording of Deathbird's attack on the X-Men by Admiral Lord Samedar, which ends with Colossus' apparent death, devastating and enraging Kitty. Samedar then contacts Deathbird, revealing a secret alliance between the two. Aboard Deathbird's ship, a captive Professor X awakens from a nightmare beside Lilandra, and learns that Deathbird is her sister. On the Starjammer, Corsair tells Cyclops about the Shi'ar attack that separated their family, and how Corsair witnessed the death of his wife at the hands of Emperor D'Ken before escaping and forming the Starjammers.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #155

"First Blood"
March 1982 

In a Nutshell 
The first appearance of the Brood.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Aboard the Blackbird, Cyclops is arguing with Corsair for abandoning his children when the plane is teleported aboard a Shi'ar Dreadnought. They are shortly joined by the rest of the X-Men and are informed that Lilandra has been kidnapped and taken to Earth, and that Corsair has been implicated. Xavier uses his position as Imperial consort to delay the Shi'ar from invading Earth for 24 hours, allowing the X-Men time to locate and rescue the empress. However, Nightcrawler and Kitty are left behind on the ship as a show of good faith, with Xavier downloading all his knowledge of the Shi'ar into Kitty's brain before leaving. On Earth, the X-Men contact both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers for help, but only Avengers member Tigra is available to help. Back aboard the Shi'ar ship, Kitty tells Nightcrawler that she's been able to use her computer skills and Professor X's knowledge to tap into the ship's primary computers. On Earth, Storm is showing Corsair around New York when they are attacked by Deathbird and an alien Brood.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #154

"Reunion"
February 1982 

In a Nutshell 
Corsair returns to Earth chased by a group of alien bounty hunters.

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum
Inkers: Bob Wiacek & Josef Rubinstein
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: D. Warfield
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Cyclops and Storm are playing handball in the mansion's gymnasium, eventually calling the game a draw as they are too evenly matched. Meanwhile, Corsair races toward Earth, pursued by a Shi'ar Dreadnaught. In the Bermuda Triangle, the rest of the X-Men are moving equipment into Magneto's old island base, Professor X having decided to relocate their headquarters in light of the damage to the mansion and growing anti-mutant sentiment in the country. In space, Corsair nears Earth, but his ship is damaged by the Shi'ar. At the mansion, Storm and Cyclops are having dinner together and discussing their respective desires for leading the X-Men when they're interrupted by Corsair's ship crashing into the lake. They pull him free, and when he awakens back at the mansion, Cyclops demands to know why Corsair has a locket containing a picture of Cyclops and his brother as children. Corsair tells him the children are his sons. Cyclops doesn't believe him, but Storm tells him it's the truth. Just then, a Sidrian Hunter bursts into the room, pursuing Corsair.