Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #106
Cover Date: Aug 77
Title: "Dark shroud of the past!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo & Chris Claremont - Writer
Bob Brown & Dave Cockrum - Penciler
Tom Sutton - Inker

Review/plot:
You kids today with your Essentials and your Milestones and your torrents don't appreciate the fact that this story was basically out of reach to those of us growing up in the 80s and 90s due to the fact that it wasn't reprinted in Classic X-Men.

The reason it wasn't reprinted is because it's a fill-in. Dave Cockrum was running late, so a fill-in by Bill Mantlo and Bob Brown was run with a quick framing sequence showing Professor X in the throes of a nightmare that he's been having lately, while Firelord, Misty Knight, and Jean Grey's parents look on.

This story was created a while back as a "just-in-case" fill-in, but published only a few weeks after Bob Brown passed away, and Claremont writes a tribute to him in the lettercol.

The flashback story, an incident that Xavier is remembering while having his dream, features the new X-Men in a Danger Room sequence and resisting efforts by Cyclops to train them.

Suddenly the original X-Men appear...

...attacking the new team. It eventually turns out that the original X-Men are illusions created by an evil side of Professor X, who manifests in a very overt form.

The real Xavier eventually gains control of the original X-Men and has them attack the evil version.

The story is a bit clumsy - Professor X having an "evil side" didn't have to be so literal - but the idea that Xavier does have an evil side is a point that will be returned to.

There are also a couple of good insights regarding the new team. First, there's Banshee observing that the new team is older than the previous X-Men, and composed mainly of loners.

Second, while fighting the evil doppelgangers, Cyclops notes that while the new team has more raw power, the originals were better at teamwork.

This story has some parallels with the X-Sentinel story in issue #100, but these original X-Men are in their early uniforms and it's very clear from the beginning that we're not dealing with the real thing.

Not great, but definitely more character detail than one would expect for an inventory fill-in.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - evidence of Xavier having a dark side (first Onslaught?)

Chronological Placement Considerations: The framing sequence is a direct continuation of the story from #105 and continues directly in #107. The flashback story here takes place soon after Uncanny X-Men #96.

References:

• It's said that Moira MacTaggart arrived at Xavier's mansion in Uncanny X-Men #96 to help Xavier with the dreams he'd been having.
  
• Wolverine complains that Cyclops has been "ridin' us all" since Thunderbird died in Uncanny X-Men #95.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I actually remember something like this in the 90s animated series, where we get an episode during the Phoenix saga of an "evil Xavier", more or less with his mind very distressed with all that was going on with Lilandra's contacts with him. I guess in a way that episode probably took inspiration from this fill-in and they sort of made it work for their version of the Phoenix saga.

Amazing Heroes Preview #5 actually did state that #106 and #110 were to be reprinted in Classic.

It's double ironic that this wasn't reprinted in Classic.

The first, of course, is that Xavier's dark side will come back in the mid-90's and for those who had never read this issue it seemed like a new idea, when in fact, it was clearly grounded in this issue.

The second, is that in the first issues of the Dark Phoenix Saga, Scott basically says to Xavier all the same things Banshee says to him here. It's clear that Scott agrees with Banshee, whereas Xavier simply sees this as a form of failure on Scott's part.

Two key things that were passed over because this fill-in wasn't included in Classic.

Comic speculation anecdote. I've owned an original copy of this issue since the late 80s. When Onslaught came out, I waited patiently for the day I could sell this and retire early. I'm still waiting....

I remember being so frustrated that this was not in the Classic and upon reading it in the Essential wishing that it hadn't been included there either.