Writer Chris Claremont

Co-Plotters

Artist John Byrne

Inker Terry Austin

Letterer Tom Orzechowski

Colorist Glynis Wein

Cover Dated January 1981

Thanks to my dear friend, Matt Platis from the Joe Quesada message board for gifting me this and issue 142, for practically free.  I had commented how I was dreading having to spend like three hundred dollars for two comics.  He need I would keep them, and not resell them immediately and shipped them to me.  Such a great guy!

Uncanny X-Men 141 is by far my favorite comic book cover, hence why I am a nut for any homage of it.  Speaking of such, I added six more comics to my wishlist due to several more homages being created since last I checked.

I may have saw this cover, as my first example of famous comic covers that are homaged, and that this one had the most homages done.

I also own this Marvel Select Days of Future Past Kitty Pryde and Wolverine action figure set –

This issue, changes the X-Men forever – and it really does.  After this, the concept of alternate timelines and time travel appear in X-Titles from this point on.  Also, the most famous and most revisited future is created – Days of Future Past.  Age of Apocalypse might have overtaken it but who is really keeping score?

Inside front cover ad is for Dingo, a type of boot.  OJ Simpson is promoting them, in comic form.

The issue opens in the future.  Kate Pryde is on her way to meet Wolverine.  She steps on a trap door and has to fight off some goons, named Rogues.

Wolverine shows up to help.  He’s been in the Canadian Resistance Army.  In this future, the Sentinels rule America.  If they take one step out of North America, the rest of the world will empty their nuclear weapons onto the continent.

Wolverine gives her the last piece of the device that will turn off the inhibitors that turn off mutant abilities.

An ad for Fun Factory.  If I had twenty dollars and was alive at this point, I would have bought some of these products.

Amazing how much world building Claremont and Byrne do in only twenty pages.

It is the year, 2013.  Americans are broken into three classes.  H, for Human – no mutant gene potential, allowed to breed.  A, for Anamolous – potential mutant genes, forbidden to breed.  M, for Mutant – hunted, killed and imprisoned.

The front Sentinel inquires why Kate is late.  She tells it that she was delayed by some rogues.  The Sentinel can tell she is telling the truth.

Next, she has to go pass a security inspection, that we are told is both exhaustive and intentionally humiliating.  This one sentence, one’s own imagination can run wild with so much horrible potential!

Then, comes the graveyard.  This is the first thing she sees every time she comes back.  The tombstones that she sees are – Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Susan Richards, Charles Xavier, Lorna Dane, Reed Richards, Scott Summers, Bobby Drake, Warren Worthington III, Kurt Wagner and Hank McCoy.

Kate would like to ask them all for their forgiveness but the best they can do is make it so that this living nightmare never occurs.

I like the wording of the captions here, of all the X-Men who ever were.  This of course is not taking account all of the future X-Men that would join over the next 30 years.  Of course, there is no way to know who the future X-Men would be.  The best Claremont / Byrne could do is make up on X-Man, which they do.

Though within the world of the comic, if the Mutant Control Act passed, then there wouldn’t be many X-Men to join so these probably would be it.

The Future X-Men are – Colossus, Storm, along with new comers Rachel Summers (only named Rachel here) and Franklin Richards – who is an adult now.  Then there is an amazing reveal of a gentleman in a wheelchair who approaches.  Once he is out of the shadows, we see that it is Magneto.  Such a fun swap of a character’s fate.

We learn that Rachel and Franklin are dating.  Colossus calls Magneto, Magus, which I believe is the first time that is used as a real name for the character. A  real name that Magneto would give himself.

The stakes are high, the X-Men have to free themselves, escape and get to where they are going and succeed.  If not, the next day, the world will be at war.  Even if they don’t succeed, at least they can’t make matters worst.

Rachel assures the room that she can do what they need.  Kate is tired of waiting.  Colossus isn’t quite ready yet.  He is concern about messing with the very fabric of reality.  Clearly Colossus wasn’t around for the Age of Ultron time travel kill Hank Pym debate.

Kate tells him that she has to see this through as they have lost their loved ones, including their babies.  The plural of baby makes me want to cry.  The Sentinels murdered their babies.

Franklin finishes assembling the inhibitor jammer.

Kate lays down on a mattress and Rachel has Kate come to peace with what is going to happen next.  Their minds become one and the final panel on the page, Kate’s soul is through the time matrix.

In the Present.  Which in the comic, we learn is October 31, 1980.  Today is the final Friday of a close hard fought presidential election.

Kitty has entered the Danger Room.  She thought it was safe to do as the door is unlocked.  Wolverine shouts that the door is always unlocked.  It is a pretty spectacular splash page with all of the X-Men (plus Angel) are in the middle of a training exercise.

The X-Men have to save Kitty and fight off the room as Kitty is frozen in place by fear and confusion.

Kitty’s whole reason being in the room was to tell that that Kurt is going to take a while as he is stuck in the kitchen.

Colossus runs over to Kitty to block oncoming obstacles but he has to revert to human so that he doesn’t crush her.  Opening himself to more hassles.

While the X-Men fight off the room and try to save Kitty, any available X-Man is trying to get to the big red button to shut the room off.

Right before Colossus can armor up, a piledriver comes hammering down on him and Kitty.  Luckily, Kurt has gotten into the room and pushed the button.

Storm is not happy with Kurt at all!  He was cleaning the dishes from earlier but she believes it shouldn’t have taken that long.  I sort of love the idea that these Danger Room sessions are mandatory and you have to either find someone to excuse you from one or tell them in advance.

Kurt was watching the news, as there was a story about Xavier and Moira being at the Senate Hearings regarding mutants.  He lost all track of time.

Storm turns her wrath towards Kitty.  Kurt intercepts, as Kitty’s first official Danger Room session is today and she was overly eager to experience it.

Kitty flinches when Kurt is near her, which he is trying his best to not be offended or turn off by.  He is trying to get her to be at ease around him.  He’s use to this from other people but from a fellow teammate, it hurts.

Storm tells Kurt, once they are in the control room, to be patient with the young lady, she’ll come around.

Over the intercom, Storm instructs Kitty to get ready for her session.  All she has to do is walk across the room.  Wolverine tells Kitty that it shouldn’t hurt … much.

Kitty’s thoughts lets us know that the Danger Room is on a low setting but she is still scared.  And if her eyes were open, she should be scared as if she wasn’t phasing, she could have been seriously hurt.  Her own goal is start phasing and keep her eyes close until she gets to the other side.  Obstacles include – sand bags, metal tenacles, trap doors and and slamming walls.

She makes it to the other side, no problem.  The X-Men in the control room are laughing.  Wolverine reveals Xavier spent weeks working on this test and she passed it with her eyes closed.

Kitty wonders how she did, splendid, Storm informs.

Next, Kitty’s soul is torn from her body and flung to the future.  She screams, but all the X-Men hear is Kitty quietly collapsing to the floor.

Kurt teleports down, grabs Kitty and carries her to the infirmary.

Her vitals are good.  Wolverine comments how her brain scan is the same but more advanced and complex.

Kate wakes up in her younger self’s body.  The first person she sees is Kurt.  He’s been dead for so long that she gives him a big hug.

It takes Kate a moment to realize that the plan actually worked.  I like the implied dialogue of Kate stating the hardest part would be convincing the X-Men of the past, Kate’s story.

Kate gets to the point, later today Senator Kelly, Xavier and Moira will be killed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Kelly’s assassination sets off a course of events that lead to Sentinels ruling America.

Wolverine thinks that she looks like a kid, but stands, talks, moves and smells (smells?) like a woman.

Kate finally tells Storm that they must at least act on the story, as they can’t afford to be wrong about it.  Storm agrees to take Kate and the team to Washington DC.  Once they get there, they will have Xavier read Kate’s mind.  They go there on Warren’s private jet.

Kate goes on to tell exactly what happens after Kelly’s death.  Poor Xavier and Moira, their deaths are not really motivating anything.  Paranoia and hysteria follows.  In 1984, a President is elected who appears to be 70s Stan Lee, is also an anti-mutant candidate.  He passes through the first Mutant Control Act.  The Supreme Court strikes it down as unconstitutional.  So the President reactivates the Sentinel program.  Except these are program to eliminate the mutant menace.

There is no better way to do that except to rule.  The Sentinels don’t stop with mutants, they also start killing superheroes as well.  Heroes who are killed are – Beast, Scarlet Witch, Cyclops, Xavier, Angel, Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Thing, Iceman, Reed Richards, Vision, Doctor Doom, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Invisible Woman, Hulk, Human Torch, Black Panther and Captain America.

Seeing the X-Men young and alive is too much and Kate sobs into her hands.

Kate was chosen due to Kitty, at this point, was not trained against psychic attacks.

Back to the Future.  The X-Men are in a subway tunnel.  Kitty is unconscious.  Must be an odd head space to carry his current wife’s body, while her younger self’s consciousness is in her body.  Colossus is sad that they had to leave Magneto behind.  His wheelchair would have slowed them down.  Also, he is back there, covering their escape.

Sentinels find them and straight kill Franklin Richards.  Rachel loses her mind and starts attacking the giant robots.

There is an ad for Marvel subscriptions.  We can buy four titles for the price of three!

Storm attacks with lightning.  Colossus fastball specials Wolverine.  Three robots down.  More show up, Colossus knocks an entire building down, taking these ones out.

The X-Men are heading towards the Baxter Building, as that is the Sentinels’ continental nerve center.  Colossus wonders how Kate is doing, which transitions us back to the present.

I would have liked to see what would have happened if Kitty had woken up in the future.  Would have helped against the Sentinels.  Plus, the visuals would have changed her outlook.

We find Raven Darkholme, in her position at the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Development.  The captions indicate that she earned this job.  Which I really like the idea of Mystique not stealing a job, but really putting the time and effort into a real cover identity.

She enters an office, transforms into Mystique to join her Brotherhood, all in civilian clothes.  Save from Blob, this is the first appearance of the other three members.  Destiny, Pyro and Avalanche.  Which I didn’t even know that I own their first appearance until I looked it up.  I also own the issues that Pyro and Avalanche die in.  I missed Destiny’s death issue by one.  She died in Uncanny 255.  Avalanche died in Uncanny Avengers’ first issue.  Pyro was one of the many deaths during Dreams End – a pretty decent crossover.

There is a page of ads.  One is for Superhero Pez dispensers.  Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk for Marvel.  Joker, Wonder Woman and Batman for DC.  The other ad is for the Marvel 1981 Calendar, celebrating Marvel’s 20th Anniversary.

Destiny tells Mystique that a new factor has entered her vision, now the future is uncertain.

Destiny also reveals that Blob doesn’t like taking orders from a woman.  Blob was part of the original Brotherhood.  Mystique tells Blob that if he crosses her, she will show him how formidable she can be.

Over at the US Senate, Kelly is laying down a pretty thick speech about mutants.  He really wants a mutant registration act.

The X-Men, apparently changed into civilian clothes on the plane, enter the room.  Xavier can tell something is wrong.  He reaches out to read Storm’s mind.

I really like this caption – overcoming an instinctive flash of reluctance and distaste, Storm does as she’s told.  Even after 48 issues, she still doesn’t like Xavier being in her mind.

One of the news team recognizes Warren as being both a mutant and the financial backer for the Champions.

As Kelly is going on, a crack in a wall forms.  Then collapses.

There is an ad for Hostess Fruit Pies starring Captain America in Fury Unleashed!

I really like the layout of the final page.  It has three panels.  The Brotherhood on the top.  Blob and Avalanche approaches and stopped by lightning.  Final panel has a faceoff between the X-Men and the Brotherhood.

Blob doesn’t recognize these people, besides Angel, as being the X-Men.  Wolverine states that they are better.

I also like Mystique’s goal.  Kelly thinks mutants are dangerous and Mystique is out to prove how right he is.  When she calls themselves, Evil Mutants, she does so with marketing in mind.

Also, fun how this is the All New All Different X-Men versus the All New All Different Brotherhood.

Issue ends with Mystique ordering her team to kill Storm’s team.

I just noticed both teams are lead by women, that’s pretty outstanding!

Comic ends with an ad for Spider-Woman, in her own monthly title by Claremont, Leialoha and Patterson.  I own only issue 37.