Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #145, Uncanny X-Men #146, Uncanny X-Men #147
Published Date: May-July 81
Title: "Kidnapped!" / "Murderworld!" / "Rogue Storm!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Dave Cockrum - Penciler
Josef Rubinstein - Inker

Review/plot:
Storm goes to a ballet with Stevie Hunter, but they're both drugged by Miss Locke. Arcade has been captured by Dr. Doom, and Locke wants the X-Men to rescue him. She's kidnapped a number of people close to the X-Men, including Colossus' sister Illyana, Jean Grey's parents, Amanda Sefton, Candy Southern, Moira MacTaggert, and now Stevie Hunter.

Xavier summons some additional X-Men to help out, including Havok, Polaris, Iceman, and the powerless Banshee.

Havok and Polaris protest, saying that they have retired from the super-hero life, but Xavier says that he has no choice in summoning them. Which isn't true. Earlier, Xavier talked to the Beast at the Avengers information to get more info on Dr. Doom (the Beast says he's in Magneto's class, at least)...

...and the Beast offered the Avengers' help if needed, but Xavier declined. So he must have ulterior motives in bringing the other X-Men back.

These extra X-Men are to be the B-team that goes after Locke's hostages while the main X-Men face Dr. Doom. In contacting the reserves, Professor X realizes that there's been a subtle shift in the Earth's magnetic fields that makes it harder for him to use his powers. He suspects it's the work of Magneto. We've already learned this in some inserted dialogue from X-Men Classic #20.

Apparently Kitty Pryde is sick in bed this arc. Maybe she's supposed to be recovering from her ordeal from issue #143? But she wasn't actually hurt that issue. We'll say she's shook up from handling ROM's Neutralizer gun in ROM #18.

Storm engages in parlay with Doom and she is depicted as being noble and able to speak as an equal with Doom.

That's pretty cool, but there's also an element of attraction between them that seems a little odd.

The other X-Men try to sneak in separately but are attacked by Doom's lackeys in battlesuits.

When Storm sees Arcade walking free...

...she decides she's being played and she tries attacking Doom, but Doom uses a device to convert her to chrome.

The other X-Men make it past the battle-suits but are subsequently defeated by Doom as well.

Doom puts the remainder of the X-Men in Arcade style deathtraps.

Trapped in a chrome form, Storm subconsciously begins generating a wild thunderstorm. Arcade is technically a prisoner of Doom, but for whatever reason, Doom allows him to roam free. He's obnoxious, and in one scene he lights a match on Doom's armor.

That's an action that will have consequences... in a later issue of John Byrne's Fantastic Four, he'll "reveal" that this Doom is actually a Doombot, because the real Dr. Doom would never allow Arcade to get away with that.

The X-Men fight their way out of their traps and force Doom to restore Storm. Doom agrees, partially because he's treating this whole incident as a test of the X-Men, and partially because it's clear the weather is getting out of control. When Storm is freed, it turns out she's gone crazy, and she's treated as a Dark Storm, complete with Phoenix-style dialogue bubbles.

The original cover even teases, "We did it before. Dare we do it again?" But the X-Men manage to talk her down, and luckily that's the end of that potential idea.

Afterwards, she arranges for Arcade to apologize to Dr. Doom. In return, he lets them all go, and makes some overtures towards Storm, which she doesn't exactly reject.

Meanwhile the B-team heads to the old location of Murderworld and fights through more deathtraps to rescue their friends.

Also meanwhile, Cyclops and Lee Forester are shipwrecked at the Bermuda Triangle. Scott's glasses are lost in the storm, and Lee learns about his optic blast. She helps him wrap bandages around his head to prevent him from opening his eyes.

I've never understood how keeping Cyclops blindfolded would prevent his optic beams from going off. Unless they are bound so tight that they are literally sealing his eyes closed...

Storm's out of control weather reaches as far down as their island and when it clears, a strange island castle appears.

Doom certainly isn't treated very majestically in these issues (although it's better than most of his 70s appearances). I can see why Byrne wanted to retcon this appearance out, even if it is spiteful. Overall, this isn't one of the better arcs. Arcade and his deathtraps are a bit tiresome.

A General Fredericks and Colonel Hendershoot appear in these issues, reacting to the out of control weather. They've appeared in the background of various issues in the past going back to Uncanny X-Men #17.

I've never really made note of them; they're just generic army guys reacting to whatever's going on at the time. But this will be their last appearance.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• "Doom" is upset at Arcade for allowing Toad to use his New York castle as a 'Murderworld' and then convert it to the Toadland amusement park, as seen in Marvel Two-In-One #68.
  
• Storm wonders how Arcade could have captured Amanda, the daughter of a powerful sorceress, as revealed in Uncanny X-Men annual #4.
  
• But then she remembers that Arcade once captured all of the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #123-124, (incorrectly listed as #122-123) so it shouldn't have been too hard to capture Amanda.
  
• While confirming that Jean's parents were also captured, Storm takes a look at the holempathic matrix that Llandra gave them in Uncanny X-Men #138.
  
• Banshee lost his powers in Uncanny X-Men #119 (incorrectly listed as #129).
  
• The X-Men's Blackbird hanger is still damaged from Uncanny X-Men #143.
  
• Dr. Doom went crazy in Fantastic Four #200 when he was dethroned from Latveria, but he got better and began planning his restoration in Fantastic Four annual #15.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: X-Men Classic #49, X-Men Classic #50, X-Men Classic #51

I never could figure out how Moira got snatched from under Banshee's and Madrox's noses.

Dave Cockrum's 2nd run on this title didn't last that long because he worked better on bimonthly schedule books(you can see his art needing help in X-Men #150).

In regards the Cyclops/blindfold question, I always assumed the same as you.