Uncanny X-Men #167
My First Comic Purchase. Uncanny X-Men #167 will always symbolize for me what is great about the Marvel Universe in general and the X-Men in particular. It was the first comic I actually bought with my own money - if allowance really counts as one's own money - and is largely responsible for what has turned into a lifelong love of comics. By way of background, I moved to West Newton, MA in the Fall of 1982 just before starting the Fifth Grade and was (re)introduced to comics by a kid named Spike, my best friend in my new neighborhood. After reading his small collection of comics again and again, I found my way to the spinner rack at the local Store 24 ready to buy some comics of my own.
A Whole New World. I don't have any specific recollection of what was else was on the rack that fateful day, but I know that I was very pleased to find an issue of the Uncanny X-Men. I had just recently read issue #162 in which the X-Men were stranded on an alien world fighting the evil Brood, and Wolverine #4, in which Wolverine faced off against Shingen Yashida in final battle to reclaim his honor and win the hand of Shingen's daughter Mariko. To put things in context, it's probably worth noting that at that point in my life I had never seen the movie Alien, never heard of ninjas, and certainly never seen a hero kill a villain in a bloody sword vs. adamantium claw battle. This was pretty intense stuff in the mind and imagination of an 11 year old.
Only 60 Cents! So I paid my 60 cents - maybe it was a whole dollar including a pack of Hubba Bubba - and rode my bike home to read my new comic. I won't pretend to recall exactly what I thought about the comic when I first read it, but I certainly know that it made an indelible impression on me. Looking at the condition of that book today, it's clear that it's been read at least a hundred times. In retrospect, issue #167 was really the perfect first book as a (re)introduction both to the X-Men and the broader Marvel Universe.
Great Storytelling. The combination of Chris Claremont's writing and Paul Smith's art is pure genius. It's fair to say that Claremont did a better job writing the X-Men than anyone that came before him and anyone who has come after him, perhaps including himself. Claremont's talent is evidenced by his ability to write a convincing interstellar alien vs. super-hero epic and then bring it back to earth for a conclusion that combines great action with compelling interpersonal dynamics while setting the stage for key events that would take place both in the X-Men and elsewhere in the Marvel Universe. I can't say enough good things about Paul Smith's art. It takes a talented artist to transform Claremont's intensely complex writing into a good and comprehensible comic and Smith was certainly up to the task. Notwithstanding my love for John Byrne's work, Smith stands out as my favorite X-Men penciler of all time.
The Story Itself. The fight between the X-Men and the New Mutants* is fun. It's essentially high school junior varsity against seasoned professionals with the outcome never really in doubt. The fight inspires awe in the capabilities of the X-Men and endears the characters of both teams to the reader. When the Brood Queen that has possessed Prof. Xavier emerges, both teams unite against the common foe. Claremont does his trademark great job of scripting a fight sequence that communicates the key aspects of each team member's character while they do battle. The story transitions from a fight to a rescue mission without missing a beat as they all beam up to the Starjammer to save Prof. Xavier. The balance of the story is a whirlwind of interpersonal vignettes, guest appearances, and further character and plot development culminating with a more-or-less happy ending. I came away from this comic fascinated with these characters and their universe and with a deep desire to read more about them.
The New Mutants. I love that the story begins with an introduction to the New Mutants. At that age, I thought it was very cool see a bunch of kids not much older than me going to a boarding school for gifted (super-powered) youngsters. The concept of a such a school is one that resonated deeply with me then and has clearly done so with others over time; most notably evidenced by the remarkable success of the Harry Potter stories set at Hoggwarts Academy. "Wow, wouldn't it be great to have powers and go to boarding school with these cool and beautiful people and have great adventures and be away from my oppressive parents!" Escapism looms large with this theme. I bought New Mutants #2 off the rack shortly after this issue and was hooked.
Closure On The Brood Saga. Having read only issue #162, I was acutely aware of the X-Men's conflict with the Brood but in the dark as to most of the details. That issue is largely a Wolverine solo story with lots of flashbacks and hallucinations that set my mind spinning. I was very pleased to have the conclusion to the Brood saga since several of my early comics experiences had left me with cliffhanger endings to which I never had closure.** The fact that Marvel's comics were really an ongoing saga greatly appealed to me as opposed to the "done in one" stories in many of the other comics that I'd read as a kid. This fact whetted my appetite to buy the next issue and to go in search of back issues so that I could fill in the blanks. As a reader and collector of comics, I am to this day both a completist and a bear for continuity.
Lots of Guest Appearances. - Guest appearances and crossovers have always been a hallmark of Marvel Comics and Uncanny X-Men #167 delivers on this theme in spades. In addition to the New Mutants, this comic features appearances by Binary (formerly Ms. Marvel), Lilandra, the Star Jammers, Gladiator, and the Fantastic Four. What's great about these appearances is that they were core to the X-Men storyline and also set the stage for critical events that would take place elsewhere in the Marvel Universe. In particular, this issue sets the stage for the Trial of Reed Richards which unfolds in subsequent issues of the Fantastic Four.
Real Continuity. In sharp contrast to the gratuitous guest appearances and frayed continuity in the Marvel Universe today, continuity was more or less sacrosanct in the 80s. The Marvel editors of that era held continuity in high regard and held their writers and artists to high standards accordingly. As a reader, I liked that guest appearances and inter-title storylines were actually relevant within the context of continuity. I certainly bought a lot of different books because of crossovers since I felt that they were actually relevant to the ongoing story of the core titles I bought regularly. By contrast, I bought a copy of Thing #2 at the comic store last week and found a guest appearance by a business-as-usual Matthew Murdock doing his lawyerly thing. No, he wasn't in court or in jail or on the run. No, he hadn't had his life ruined for the nth time by the forces of evil as he has in his own title Daredevil and elsewhere in the Bendis corner of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, this incongruous and entirely forgettable guest appearance is all too common in comics today. One more reason why the 80s is my Golden Age of Comics.
*No, unfortunately I don't own that double-page set from Uncanny X-Men #167 or any other Paul Smith X-Men art for that matter. I wish I did. Most of Paul Smith's X-Men art seems to be in the hands of a guy by the name of Gary Land in Michigan. Check out his web site http://www.comicart-ltd.com if you want to see more.
** As a follow up to my last blog entry, I should note that I actually went out last week and bought Marvel Masterworks Vol. 53 (Fantastic Four Nos. 82-93) and finally read the conclusion of "A House There Was." Not surprisingly, the Fantastic Four give the Mole Man a good thrashing and send him back to Subterranea with his tail between his legs. That whole Masterworks is great from start to finish. In my brother's words, Kirby was truly hitting the peak of his powers during that era.
