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Uncanny X-Men #123-124Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #123, Uncanny X-Men #124 Review/plot: I'm a little disappointed by the fact that Colleen Wing, a samurai, doesn't manage to escape her trap package and extract a little vengeance. I'm with Wolverine on this one. I should note that issue #123 has the scene with Storm coming out of the shower where, in the b&w Essentials, her nipple is clearly drawn, but it was covered up in the original colored books (and my Classic X-Men reprint). No need to reproduce the images here; you can see it at Comic Book Legends Revealed if you are interested. The Classic X-Men backup in #29 has Colossus going back to the USSR to visit his family... ![]() ...and he ends up being accused of being a traitor. The KGB lets him go. ![]() ![]() Apparently the use of enhanced power beings in the armed forces is illegal based on a treaty with the US, so it's easier to let Colossus remain a part of the outlaw X-Men (although we know that both sides are in fact in violation of the treaty). The back-up is by Claremont, and it's pretty good. Colonel Alexei Vazhin is a minor repeat character, but his hair isn't usually colored red (which makes him look a lot like Henry Gyrich here). Issue #30's back-up is by Nocenti, and it's not very good. It's got Arcade being attacked by his own Murderworld program which he apparently set in his sleep. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Quality Rating: B- Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? P - (Classic X-Men Reprints add new scenes) My Reprint: Classic X-Men #29, Classic X-Men #30 Inbound References (4): showCharacters Appearing: Alexandra Rasputina, Amanda Sefton, Arcade, Banshee, Betsy Wilford, Colleen Wing, Colonel Alexei Vazhin, Colossus, Cyclops, Magik, Mariko Yashida, Miss Locke, Mr. Chambers, Nightcrawler, Nikolai Rasputin, Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine CommentsThat's Dr. Strange's house in the background of the garbage truck panel. The title to #123 refers to a 1960s Avengers TV episode. Posted by: Mark Drummond | September 4, 2011 4:10 PM "Issue #30's back-up is by Nocenti, and it's not very good." ..."Nocenti" and "it's not very good" in the same sentence is redundant, IMO... Posted by: BU | July 28, 2014 3:52 PM This is probably the story that provided the inspiration for the "Spider-Man & X-Men in Arcade's Revenge" video game, but I'll try not to hold that against the comic. Posted by: TCP | October 9, 2014 9:39 AM "I been waiting months for a rematch with the Hulk." And that, right there, is why there is the sliding timescale. Because that battle happened before Wolverine joined the X-Men and we had Christmas in #99 and Christmas again in #119. Years is more like it. Posted by: Erik Beck | April 15, 2015 10:16 AM Interestingly, Uncanny X-Men 124 might be one of the first official mentions of the sliding Marvel time scale. In the letter's page, an editorial response to a letter notes that at Marvel, the staff operate under the assumption that only 5 to 6 years have passed since Xavier formed the X-Men, instead of the approximately 15 years of actual publication time. Roger Stern, who was the series editor at the time, probably wrote the response. Posted by: Aaron Malchow | September 13, 2015 6:26 PM We've known Logan's claws are adamantium, but is page 6, panel 4 of #124 the first reference to “Wolverine’s unbreakable bones”? Posted by: Matthew Bradley | December 3, 2016 12:51 PM In issue 116, Wolverine says "The beast ain't been born that can break my bones". Posted by: Michael | December 3, 2016 12:58 PM Ah, forgot about that--thanks so much. Posted by: Matthew Bradley | December 4, 2016 1:04 PM Probably the worst issues of the Claremont/ Byrne run, though #114-116 might take it. You've gotta try pretty hard to be a worse villain than Mojo, but Arcade accomplishes it. Posted by: Michael Booth | July 16, 2017 1:57 AM Byrne has said he and Claremont felt they could toss off a silly story (not his exact words) because they knew the big, heavy storylines they had coming up. I remember reading this in real time. I had enjoyed Arcade's first appearance in Marvel Team-Up, but I felt a second story would be repetitive, and it would be ridiculous if a team of heavyweights like the X-Men couldn't beat Arcade in ten minutes. I was right on both counts. But of course the worst of the Claremont/Byrne X-Men is still way above almost anything else at the time. Posted by: Andrew | July 16, 2017 9:13 AM Comments are now closed. |
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