Issue(s): New Mutants #21
Published Date: Nov 84
Title: "Slumber party!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Bill Sienkiewicz - Penciler
Bill Sienkiewicz - Inker

Review/plot:
Professor X is out of town and he's given the girls the ok to throw a party with the state schoolers while he's away. It turns into a rather large slumber party. It's a test of Sienkiewicz's still during the downtime moments, and of course he can still be normal when he wants to.

(That's former editor Louise Simonson holding the People magazine.)

The boys went to catch a Yankees game. On their way home, they see a meteor, which will turn out to be Warlock, who we saw last issue fleeing from his father.

Warlock is inert when they bring him in, but he wakes up and begins exploring the premises. Since there are so many civilians around, it's difficult for the New Mutants to contain him. Plus he's really powerful - any organic thing he touches turns into techno-organic material which he can then drain the lifeforce from. He derezzes one of Illyana's demons this way (this way Inferno lies).

Warlock actually doesn't know what he's doing. He's going around talking to the appliances (he's impressed with the refrigerator's idea of storing organic materials inside of it for later use) and assuming that all the organic forms attacking him are just the guardian-slaves of the place.

Unable to stop him or communicate with him, the New Mutants decide to make some big revelations to their neighbor Doug Ramsey. First, that they're mutants. Second, that he's a mutant, with the ability to decipher languages. Third, they've got an alien in their basement for him to talk to. Using the Danger Room computer, he's able to talk with Warlock, learning his backstory.

The New Mutants decide to help Warlock.

When Xavier arrives home, he takes the mess from the party in stride. But Warlock is something else. However, he decides to trust his students and invites him to join the school

As Warlock arrives on Earth, he passes Magneto's Asteroid, destroying it. Surprisingly, this is never followed-up on. Regardless of Magneto's current uneasy truce with the X-Men, you'd think he'd follow up on a UFO that destroyed his fortress and nearly killed him (granted he winds up floating in the ocean after this appearance until he's rescued by Lee Forrester in Uncanny X-Men #188).

Warlock still uses the proper pronoun "I" in this issue. But it's all internal thoughts. Once he starts speaking out loud more, we'll see the "self" business starting up. And i think from that point on, it's "self" even in his thoughts.

During the slumber party scene, Rahne is particularly uncomfortable with all of the teen debauchery (which is all completely G rated) due to her religious upbringing. But she submits to a makeover, and then gets mad when Sam doesn't recognize her.

Good characterization for her.

Overall, an interesting and fun issue. But i do think the Warlock stuff is dropped way too quickly. Last issue, Xavier was thinking about bringing in Dr. Strange to understand the Demon Bear better (not that he actually did that, it seems). After this issue, i think Warlock will basically just hang around in the background until his father shows up in the X-Men comic. You'd think Xavier would be a lot more proactive, bringing in Reed Richards to inspect Warlock or just getting more prepared for this upcoming attack. It just feels like Claremont was trying to juggle too many plots at once and things are getting dropped.

Anyway, great art!

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Warlock joins the New Mutants

Chronological Placement Considerations: Warlock's arrival on Earth here needs to take place before Marvel Team-Up annual #7, where the Collector detects him on Earth.

References: N/A

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

One panel in the slumber party depicts Michael Jackson, Tom Selleck, Sting and a 4th guy I can't remember right now(Sylvester Stallone?).

The destruction of Asteroid M is followed up on(sort of) in Avengers Vs. X-Men.

Belatedly answering Mark here, looks like the fourth guy is John Travolta. Added the scan.

Hunks one and all, for sure.

No way would teenage girls be drooling over Travolta in 1984, despite the movies he was in then. At that point, he was just considered some leftover 1970s joke. Not sure what Claremont was thinking...

I hated the characterization of Illyana in this issue. She went from "They laugh so easily, while I've forgotten how to cry. I want to play but don't know how to ask." to this party obsessed girl who makes slumber parties no one else wants. There was nothing shown previously to suggest that the others had gotten over their fear/distrust/hatred of her that would have it make sense for her to feel comfortable enough to do what she does in this issue.

It was totally random, yea. It's kind of forgotten because this issue is so iconic.

Magik/Illyana was captured best in her debut as Magik, New Mutants 14 (or was it 15?), which she narrates. It's pretty much the perfect take on the character.