We’re celebrating Mother’s Day here at S&FwM with an appearance by the mother of the greatest fictional character of all time!
Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of the lost years of Excalibur, in the middle of the 90s when Lobdell was trying to force Excalibur to be closer to the other X-Titles but at the same time, keeping an awkward distance between this team and the others.
Here is hoping that with this reread, it is a better comic. We’ll get around to reviewing parts two and three, at some future date.
Zero is narrating the issue, to an off screen character. Zero, who is part of a crossover, I want to say, I’m sure the comic will tell us. He sent a distress signal and this mystery character answered it.
Zero and the character is in Maine. Zero is on the run from droid destroying drones that Stryfe has sent. Stryfe’s big crossover was X-Cutioner’s Song but that was two years ago. This is issue 78 and issue 82 is Excalibur’s tie-in to Phalanx Covenant – which I honestly thought it came before this issue so that would have been the answer. Maybe he’s just been running for two years. Though this three parter will set us right to the Phalanx Covenant.
With a page turn, we see Douglock! Naked Douglock. He has the memories of Doug Ramsey but he has the powers of Warlock. This is Douglock’s third appearance, after appearing in Uncanny X-Men 313 – which I own, and will also review one day.. His second appearance is issue 77 of Excalibur. Douglock is confused by the questions regarding Doug.
Zero and Douglock are going to go on a soul searching mission.
Meanwhile, not that far away. Britanic (Captain Britain back from the timestream, after swapping places with Rachel), Meggan and Kitty are in a plane, hovering over some trees. Britanic felt compelled to fly to this spot and now they are waiting to see what caused that. Meggan, at this time, has dark eyes and talks in fun word balloons. She’s responding to Brian’s increase in power levels. Brian came back in issue 75, thanks to the handy editor note.
Since they have time to kill, Kitty decides to call her mother, Theresa. A character we haven’t seen or heard from since Uncanny X-Men Annual 6, in 1994, Uncanny X-Men’s Annual was 18. In 1995, Marvel switched from the long standing numbering system and switched to naming the annuals after the year they were published.
Kitty calls the South Chicago Clinic, where her mother works. I’m not sure if we ever knew what she did for a living. We always knew her father was a banker.
Clearly these two talk, as Theresa knows Kitty lives in the British Isles. Apparently Moira doesn’t have good phone connections on Muir Island. Probably because they are always using the computer to communicate.
Theresa hasn’t heard from Carmen in months, so she isn’t going to provide any leads.
The art isn’t all that bad with these pages, I’m not that familiar with Royle but I liked him.
Kitty starts crying as she lies to her mother about how her father isn’t missing. Kitty plans on visiting, once things settle down, but we won’t see or hear from her until issue 107 – which, spoilers, should be the issue we review next year. 107 – 78 is 29 issues, so over two years later.
Kitty recalls how her life never really settles and that takes her back to the classic days of the X-Men.
Brian gets frustrated, with all of this waiting. Meggan tries to help by sensing for life, and finds a family of four camping. Brian is sure that the family isn’t who he is looking for. Brian knows that the stakes are higher than a single family or them in the plane – but involves the entire planet!
Muir Island, Scotland. Moira is researching the Legacy Virus, as Rory Campbell enters the room. I get the impression that Rory is new to the research center. Neither one understands why the other is dedicating so much time to researching the Legacy Virus, it isn’t really in either’s field. Rory was sent by Xavier, and he implies the Legacy Virus will be the death of Moira. Cryptic!
Moira is having a dark thought, about how her time may not be enough. Xavier overhears the thought, as he is always listening. They hug, like old friends. Xavier left the X-Men in Hank’s hands, as seen in X-Men 32. I don’t own that issue, so I’ll take Xavier at his word. So I should be killing myself for his foolish dream, any day now.
Woods of Maine. We check in with the family that is camping. There is the mother, older son Davey and younger daughter, Courtney. Courtney needs to use the woods and goes out but runs into Zero. They share quick moment, no one gets hurt. Douglock believes that Zero should have deactivated the girl, as she now knows their location. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t taken the name, Douglock yet. He’s more machine than man. Zero is trying to instill humanity into Douglock. He’s more Phalanx than Doug. Zero unlocks the memory of Doug sacrifices himself to save Rahne, in the classic New Mutants 60. Douglock has no emotional connection to that memory.
Stryfe’s droids are attacking the family and Zero charges in the direction to save them. Before Zero can get there, Brian is making short work of the droids. One of the droids looks like it blasts a hole through Courtney but don’t worry, Kitty was there to phase their bodies so the blast doesn’t hurt them.
Kitty continues to keep Courtney safe. Meggan is also laying into the droids. Douglock arrives and Kitty instantly recognizes the techno-organic nature of the giant arm. What does surprise her, is the face of her dear friend, Doug, covered in techno-organic flesh.
Issue ends with Zero tired of people fighting his fights for him and he shuts down the droids. Hundreds are coming, so the threat isn’t nearly over.
Production Chris Claremont & John Byrne & Terry Austin
Aided and Abetted by
Letterer Tom Orzechowski
Colorist Glynis Wein
Cover Dated March 1980
This is the last issue of the Dark Phoenix Saga that I own. One day, I need to own Uncanny X-Men 132 but one of these days. Today, we are celebrating Mother’s Day with Terri Pryde’s third appearance.
This is also Kitty’s third appearance, not that much of a coincidence.
Issue opens with Kitty on the run from the Hellfire Club soldiers in Chicago.
Luckily for Kitty, she was able to call Nightcrawler in New York City (as the team split in two, one team for Kitty and the other team for Dazzler). Poor Kitty has been running for a few hours now. She collapses to the ground. Phoenix appears and demolishes the soldiers’ car. Seeing this spectacular display of power, scares Kitty and she tries to run away again. Nightcrawler teleports in front of Kitty, grabs her and crawls up the wall. As it is seen on the cover.
Cyclops and Dazzler catch up to Phoenix. Cyclops can’t believe Phoenix destroyed the car but she feels justified due to how scared Kitty was. Kurt signals to the rest of the team that he is on the roof. Phoenix lifts all three up to the roof. Kurt reveals that Kitty phased through the roof.
Phoenix tracks Kitty and finds her. We get the classic hug from Phoenix and Kitty, the only real interaction Kitty has with her. The moment is recreated in All New X-Men 6 and 11, where Kitty hugs the teen Jean Grey.
Dazzler can’t believe how different her life is, just within the 24 hours. Cyclops bandages Kitty’s cuts. Phoenix reads one of the guard’s mind and gets caught up on what has been happening behind the scenes. The X-Men make up a plan of action.
The guards bring in a tied up Phoenix and Dazzler. Emma is messing with Storm’s mind. So great seeing how this rivalry begins.
Kitty works her way to where the last place she saw the X-Men that brought her. Wolverine and Colossus are still in those hanging cages. It looks like Kitty is wearing a genetic version of a Fantastic Four uniform. Blue pants and shirt, white belt with matching gloves and boots. Cyclops gave Kitty a list of priorities. Save Storm first, then Wolverine. Storm isn’t there so she frees Wolverine. Even Cyclops knows how useless Colossus is.
The cages are meant to keep the X-Men dopey. Kitty tries to get Wolverine on his feet, while she is trying that, some jerk guards blast Kitty with a stun ray. This makes Wolverine quite angry, and no one likes him when he is angry.
Back in the car, Phoenix is using her powers to make it seem like the X-Men are prisoners but they are not. Dazzler creates a blinding light and the rescue plan is a go! Not only do we get Storm and Emma, the Phoenix also confronts Emma. By confronting, I mean, Phoenix completely shuts down Emma and leaves her like how she will eventually leave Mastermind. Emma’s mind is a wreck after this, for quite some time.
Wolverine and Colossus, who is carrying Kitty, finally end up with Cyclops and Kurt. Cyclops checks on Kitty, she’s okay now.
The team is finally reunited. They head back to the Pryde home.
I love the above panel so much! It just captures my imagination. When I first saw it, I just kept moving my eyes over each character. Such a great job with the stances and poses.
Dazzler turns down Xavier’s offer to join the team. Where was Xavier during all of this?
Kitty’s parents are so glad to see their daughter again. What did Xavier tell them had happened? Its been days since they saw their daughter. They were suppose to just get some ice cream. I’m sure there was news reports on the attack at the malt shoppe. Carmen is in his full right to be angry. Then he just calms down and agrees to have Kitty join the school.
Phoenix straight up pulled a Classic Xavier and did some mind manipulation. Which is pretty insane as, essentially, the X-Men just kidnapped or stole Kitty from her parents. Where is that What If where Kitty just stays home?
Issue ends with the X-Men needing to take the fight to the rest of the Hellfire Club. Storm mentions how there is a dark side to the Phoenix.
Letters Page had letters from Phillip Albinus from Kings Park, New York and David Stallman from Covina, CA.
Back cover ad is for the original Star Trek Motion Picture, it isn’t very good.
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Happy Mother’s Day to my wife, my own mother and all of mothers out there! None of us would be here, without you. Literally
What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to review a comic with the greatest fictional character of all time’s mother? And I don’t mean Claremont, or Byrne (pending on how you view it).
This is Theresa ‘Terri’ Pryde’s first appearance. It is also so many others’ first appearance.
So rare, outside of a first issue, that so much world building or character creation will happen within one comic.
I remember buying this comic at Wizard World Philly 2006. Then, it was only thirty dollars. I thought I was practically stealing it at that price.
This is, of course, Kitty Pryde’s first appearance. Some magazines will state it is Emma ‘White Queen’ Frost’s first appearance, listing her first – or worst, only listing her. Nowadays, with Morrison having put Emma back in the spotlight and Whedon using both characters, this comic will cost someone around one hundred dollars.
Those two ladies are not the only ones marking this their first appearance. Carmen Pryde, Kitty’s father, is another one.
Then there are the villains. Emma Frost shows up, so this is also the first appearance of the Hellfire Club. In the shadows are – Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland and Donald Pierce.
The Massachusetts Academy is mentioned for the first time. Naturally, this is the first time we see the Hellfire Soldiers and the Hellfire Knights. I’m not sure if the knights really appear much outside the next few issues.
Like I wrote above, this comic really adds to the mythos like few comics before or after it.
This is by far, my favorite comic. Without it, I wouldn’t even be a fan of the X-Men. If it isn’t my favorite comic, then it is at the very least, the most significant comic in my collection. My most prized comic. If all of my comics burned up, a recurring nightmarish thought I’ve had for years, I would have to buy this comic first, if I were ever to rebuild my collection. Which I probably wouldn’t do. That is essentially the danger of collecting paper as a hobby. I don’t quite worry about flood or water damage as I do fire.
On Comixology, I own the Paul Smith nine issues and this issue. Along with several other Marvel comics that were free when Marvel ran that promotion that practically crashed Marvel.com and Comixology.
Onto the issue :
Inside front cover ad is for Crossman Airguns.
Issue starts with the X-Men leaving Muir Island. The X-Men having just defeated Proteus.
Bsnshee was injured in the fight, thus needs to heal. He will not be returning to the States.
Moira lost both her husband and son in the fight, so now she is susceptible to Sean’s charm.
Since they are down one member, Cyclops offers Multiple Man a place on the team. He feels he is just a Kansas farm boy at heart, not a superhero so he will stay behind to stay on as an assistant. Imagine if he had joined? In this bold new era the X-Men are about to enter.
I forget to mention before, so this is where my X-Men collection begins. I have Giant Size X-Men 1, but none until this issue. All that came before Uncanny 129, doesn’t matter unless it is repeated post this issue.
Cyclops turns to Alex and Polaris, before he can offer, Alex turns him down. They just want to be normal people.
Tough day for the X-Men Recruitment Office.
On the Blackbird, back home, the X-Men are – Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm and Phoenix who is fooling people into thinking it is Jean.
Colossus is being a big baby about how he had to kill Proteus. Instead of thinking that he was being a bro to Banshee. Also, Proteus was going to kill everybody.
Their plane passes another, this one has Jason Wyngarde. Which also reminds me. This is the first part of what will be known as The Dark Phoenix Saga. It begins here with the mind games on Phoenix. I have always been more of a fan of the first half dealing with the Hellfire Club rather than the second half dealing with the Shi’ar. The trade collects 129 to 137. I have never understood why it doesn’t collect 138, the entire aftermath issue. So the X-Men go from the Proteus Saga to the Dark Phoenix Saga. In the comic, it isn’t billed as part one or anything, that comes after all of the fan reactions.
Wyngarde, who is secretly Mastermind, reestablishes contact with the Phoenix. Apparently this was happening in the previous storyline as she was contributing it to Proteus.
There is an ad for Hubba Bubba bubble gum.
Now Jean believes that it is the Phoenix’s vast power, for some reason, transporting her to an ancestor. Roger Stern, the editor and Avengers legend, lets us know this happened twice before – issues 125 and 126. These editor notes are the reason I fell in love with Tom Brevoort over with Kurt Busiek’s Avengers run and those satellite titles. I wish we still got those today.
While Phoenix is exploring this new world, a nice gentleman comes along that reminds her of Scott, as Scott is checking in on her. Scott discusses how much he misses her when he thought she was dead, back in issue 113. They discuss his brief relationship with Colleen Wing. Scott states that all of his life, he has been losing people. He doesn’t mention that they all come back, except his mother.
When he thought Jean was dead, he couldn’t even function. They make out.
They get back to the mansion. The plane registers an intruder. The X-Men come barging in to find Xavier.
There are ads for rock shirts, whoppers and ROM action figure.
Days pass. Phoenix has read Xavier’s mind. He is there has he is concern about her increase power and her ability to control it.
Phoenix and Scott are walking when Wolverine comes out of the Danger Room complaining about Xavier’s training methods. Xavier is treating these latest X-Men as if they were the fresh face Original Five X-Men.
Scott knew this would happen, he didn’t expect it to be this fast. Scott confronts Xavier, explaining how Scott treats the team like peers, but he is the field leader. Xavier tells Scott that his intensity is for shit and he is a weak leader.
Scott tries to think of another tactic when Cerebro detects two mutants.
There are ads for a Marvel Holiday Special offer and an ad for Bubble Yum.
Page 14. We see that the Hellfire Club has a camera inside of Cerebro. Also, we get the three members in shadow. The last panel is Emma’s first appearance.
Shaw’s plan is to contact the two new mutants and try to recruit them.
Next, history is made!
Page 15, I become a lifelong fan of a character, Kitty Pryde. She is living in a suburb of Chicago, Deerfield, Illinois. Deerfield is twenty-five miles northwest of Chicago. The Prydes live on Central Avenue. She is introduced as Katherine Pryde. Kitty is thirteen years old. It is summer time and about noon. Kitty is coming home from a dance class.
The day before, the Prydes must have received two calls and didn’t mind double booking the two school institution.
The Prydes conclude their meeting with Ms. Frost. I wonder why they suspect two schools all of a sudden want to recruit their young daughter to live on the east coast. Did they send out feelers?
Terri Pryde wonders why Kitty is home so soon. Kitty states that she’s been having those headaches again. Terri
Kitty goes to her room, and starts thinking. Her parents must be serious about splitting up, if they are considering sending her to an out of state school. She doesn’t like that idea as she has friends here. I wonder how many and if she has secretly kept in touch with them, this whole time. I doubt it as one rule with joining the X-Men, is that you have to give up everything outside of being an X-Man.
Kitty doesn’t like Frost, she gave her the creeps. Frost looked at her like she was something to eat.
There is a two page ad for Star Wars action figures.
Kitty lays down. Starts getting another headache, and falls through the floor and lands in the living room.
The Prydes and Frost come inside right then. Terri is embarrassed. Kitty makes up the excuse that her shoe got snagged on the carpet and she tripped.
Carmen calls her, Kitten, as she runs upstairs, she claims she has homework.
The Prydes walk Emma to the door, apologising for their daughter’s odd behavior. Emma tells them, she understands as Kitty is young and in an awkward phase.
Emma passes Xavier and three X-Men, all in civilian clothes – Wolverine, Storm and Colossus. Wolverine takes note of Emma, that she looks good but makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. And that guy has a bunch of hair back there, so that is stating something.
The Prydes welcome the X-Men inside. Kitty sees them and they look like an odd grouping to her. Except for the big farmer boy, he looks good to her.
For some reason, Carmen thinks it is a good idea to send Kitty off with three adults to the local malt shoppe. Also, that she should be the only student under the age of 18 at this school, at least Emma’s school has students her own age. Emma’s school is training future mutant terrorists, so you lose some.
At the Malt Shoppe. Logan is reading some magazines, and by reading, I mean looking at Pentahouse and Colossus is standing too close to him. The owner doesn’t like Logan reading them as this isn’t a library. It must also be when the magazines were not sealed in a bag.
There is an ad for Elastic Hulk and Spider-Man that the Hulk one was featured on an episode of Comic Book Men.
There is another ad for ROM the comic by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema.
Ororo and Kitty are at a booth. I really like the two panels on top of the page with Kitty’s face all bright eyed and full of wonder and Ororo being amazed with how much life Kitty has. Ororo asks if Kitty has heard of the X-Men, she has and she thinks they are awesome superheroes. Kitty then figures out that she is amongst the X-Men! Xavier told Storm it was okay to let Kitty in on the secret. Kitty is so excited. Ororo can’t help but love the child, when she was at that age, she was making her way across the desert.
Kitty also comments on how beautiful Storm is, with her white hair and blue eyes, she is a wonder to look at. As far as Storm knows, she is one of a kind. I’ll say!
As everybody is enjoying themselves, minus the store owner, Hellfire Knights come crashing through a wall! One of them unleashes a flamethrower onto Colossus, who just turn to steel seconds prior. The flame is so hot that he can still feel it. Another Knight is attacking Wolverine, whose claws can’t cut it as it has a force field. The Knights are built to attack each X-Men individually.
Kitty gets scared from the violence and starts trying to back away, while still in the booth. She backs away so much that she phases through the wall. This is the first time she has done it with her eyes open so she knows how she keeps doing that now. Kitty passes out, as her powers drain her energy.
Wolverine, in classic comic book wisdom, decides they need to switch up opponents. The three X-Men make short work of the Hellfire Knights. Storm wonders what happen to Kitty, but figures she left when everybody else did. Just then, they all get zapped by a psychic attack. We keep hearing how much the X-Men are trained against such attacks, but I wonder if that comes after this issue. We will have to keep track of that. We know by 141, that only Kitty hasn’t received the training yet, thus making Days of Future Past possible.
The X-Men are knocked out. Emma Frost and Hellfire Club soldiers show up to clean up. The soldiers wonder what should happen to the knights. Emma tells them that the knights know the price of failure as their armors explodes. Those fellas are dead.
There is a Hostess ad starring Human Torch in the Icemaster.
In the hovercraft, Emma tells the soldiers to strip the X-Men of their costumes and to check for hidden items, as they know Storm keeps hidden lockpicks hidden in her headdress and cape. Clearly the Hellfire Club knows a great deal regarding the X-Men. They are prepared for them. What I really like about this panel, which is huge in the middle of the page is that Emma gives the order but we are shown that the soldiers are already doing it. Wolverine and Colossus’ shirts are off and Storm’s cape is being removed.
Emma isn’t worried about Kitty, as they know where she lives.
Issue ends with a hero in the making. Kitty has summoned the courage and mastery of her powers and has phased through the hovercraft’s wall. She is going to try to save the X-Men!
Back cover ad is for Lego, which apparently got the back cover to many comics during the 80s.
Such an amazing debut of two important characters into the X-Men Mythos!
I am planning on covering issue 130 for Father’s Day unless I do it before then so come back!
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On this Mother’s Day, I want to send out a special shout to a few mothers.
First, my own mother, Diana, for delivering me and being the best mother I could ever ask for.
Second, my lovely and beautiful wife, Kristie, who was pregnant with our son last year, so we had a small Pre-Mother’s Day but gets to enjoy her first proper mother’s day. Thank you for the self-sacrifice for the past year as being pregnant wasn’t a fun experience, most of the time. Thank you for our son, Walker Dennis Klein, we sure did make a cute baby! We only have him as you made it possible as you did all of the hard work and the easy work. Thanks for letting me feel like I did anything even if it was small tasks.
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Also, don’t forget husbands – Every Mother’s Day needs a Mother’s Night! A lyric I can’t stop having repeated in my head. Thanks YouTuber thelonelyisland for hosting the video!
Shadow and Flame with Magik 