Writer Chris Claremont
Penciler Paul Smith
Inker Bob Wiacek
Colorist Bob Sharen
Letterer Tom Orzechowski
Cover Dated May 1983
I wonder if they had Sharen be the colorist due to the issue taking place largely underground.
Issue opens with Candy Southern in Angel’s apartment as Warren is getting captured. She then meets a giant of a man, Sunder. That’s right, ya’ll, this is the first appearance of the Morlocks. Candy calls Xavier, who is reading a book of the Marvel Universe.
Xavier mentally contacts Nightcrawler. Kurt is enjoying a nice bath with his girlfriend, Amanda. I love how mature the creative team handles this relationship.
Kurt makes several teleports to Candy. He left in a hurry, so he is naked and wet in the New York City night air. On his way, he sees Warren being taken down to a subway.
Kurt grabs Candy, and teleports them back to Amanda’s – right into the bathtub. This makes a giant splash.
We cut to Tessa and Sebastian Shaw, as Emma has fallen into a forced coma. So great how Smith gets to draw as many characters as he got to.
The whole team is now at Amanda’s place. Wolverine is not there as he is in Japan, enjoying his first miniseries. Kurt is suffering from a cold, from being outside in the cold and wet.
Kitty has Lockheed around her shoulders. She is wearing her green costume with the orange belt and matching boots and gloves. I really like this costume, except for the green diamonds for a mask. How do they stay on?
The four X-Men are set to go down into the subway with a traveling Cerebro tuned into Warren’s brainwaves. For years I have wondered why they don’t at least bring Amanda with them. I blame not reading or skipping the bottom panel on the left page and getting to the more exciting right page. Amanda is not going so she can stick behind and protect Candy from future attacks – which are not coming.
Storm asks Xavier if they can borrow Wolfsbane, for her tracking skills. Xavier tells her, telepathically, that the New Mutants are students and not a field team. I always thought an awesome What If would have been, what if Wolfsbane and Amanda came on this mission. Or at least, if Amanda was allowed to come.
Lockheed is told he isn’t coming either, he says pfui! It is very cute. Colossus, awkwardly asks if that sound is a da or nyet. What makes it awkward is that he asks that then follows that with, yes or no. Who doesn’t know that da means yes and nyet means no? Especially in that group.
Amanda states she will take care of Lockheed. Kurt says pets should know their place. Storm wonders if Lockheed thinks that of humans.
The four X-Men are now in the subway. They dodge a train. Storm’s claustrophobia starts to kick in. She loses mental contact with Xavier.
Warren’s tracks stopcat a wall. Kitty wants the team to use her codename, but doesn’t like her current one, Sprite. She finds a hidden door and the X-Men are heading down furthet and into an old timey part of the subway.
They get attacked by a slew of Morlocks – we don’t know that is their name yet. Kitty punches a guy out and Storm tells her to scout ahead.
Kitty finds Callisto, Masque, Sunder and Plague. She turns to run and even though she is phasing, Plague still infects her with something.
Meanwhile, the three X-Men are still fighting. Nightcrawler Chris Sims’ face kicks a poor Morlock. Colossus notices Kitty is missing. Storm explains why they can’t stop and look for her or head back upstairs.
Kitty is very ill and phasing through walls, until she passes out in a body of sewer water. Luckily, Caliban finds her and takes her back to his place.
The X-Men come across a grand tunnel. A bunch of lights and a loud speaker throws off their focus. In an incredible page turn reveal, we find …
Callisto with Warren chained. I like how she and Paul Smith have Warren’s knees on some fluffy red pillows. That is nice thought. That is the bigger of the two panels on that page. The smaller one next to it, I enjoy looking at it. The three faces from top to bottom, Colossus, Storm and Nightcrawler. The three of them, don’t have pupils. It could be weird but I find it intriguing.
Callisto rips Warren’s pinfeathers, making him not able to fly. He won’t have to, while living below the surface. Callisto wants to make him her’s. This reminds Storm of when she was 12 in Africa and how men would look at her. Disgusting.
Poor Warren, whenever he is underground, foes mess with his wings.
The X-Men try to rescue him, but the Morlocks have them outnumbered.
Kitty wakes up in a slinky pink dress. Which would look nice, if you don’t think about it. First, Caliban clearly undressed her and then dressed her. He has a massive crush on her, so that adds to the creepiness. Then the dress also looks like it was thrown away for good reason. Caliban knows he must do anything to cure her.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 