Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #185
Cover Date: Sep 84
Title: "Public enemy!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Dan Green - Inker

Review/plot:
This was my first issue of the X-Men. It's an odd issue to start with, really. No costumes, Storm and Rogue are the only actual X-Men to appear, lots of subplots, and an ending that focuses on the Dire Wraiths, whoever they were.

But like all my early Marvel comics, it intrigued me and did a lot to condition my expectations.

Years later, i went with some friends to a signing with Chris Claremont, and i had this issue signed. It's the only comic i've got signed (except for an issue of Classic X-Men that i bought during the same signing because the store was offering a discount on books that Claremont would sign - and he looked at that Classic X-Men cover like he had never seen it before, which was probably the case, but he signed it anyway). We broke the news to Claremont that they had just killed Illyana Rasputin, which upset him. And then he told us about the whole "Mystique is really Nightcrawler's father" plot that he intended to do, which is well known on the internet at this point but blew our minds at the time.

Anyway, this issue. We've seen that Rogue has not been handling her encounter with Michael Rossi well. This issue, she's run away from the X-Men. Storm follows, and finds her relaxing on a riverside near where she grew up and first discovered her powers. Meanwhile, the government is after Rogue for her break-in to the SHIELD helicarrier. The government team is lead by Henry Peter Gyrich, who has acquired Forge's Neutralizer gun. Mystique, in her Raven Darkholme persona, protests the use of the untested weapon (which was meant to be used against Dire Wraiths), but she's overruled and discovers that Val Cooper agrees with Gyrich.

Mystique goes to Destiny for advice. She's conflicted, because Rogue losing her powers may be a blessing.

Destiny says, "these past few days, my perceptions have become jumbled -- as if the very fabric of time itself has been rent asunder." This seems similar to the warning that Naze gave Forge last issue.

Storm reconciles with Rogue and even shares her powers.

Then Gyrich and his troops show up. Rogue is hit by the gun while on a minimal power setting. She staggers away and loses control of the storm she'd been playing with. Then Storm shows up.

While Storm and Rogue are helping a riverboat survive a storm, Gyrich sets the neutralizer to full power and gets ready to fire.

Forge - alerted by Mystique - shows up, angry that they're using his prototype. He pushes Gyrich, and instead of Rogue, Storm takes the hit.

Rogue disappears downriver.

In a subplot, Xavier is counseling Rachel Summers, or maybe trying to figure out what's going on with her? I feel like between her and Warlock, a lot of people are showing up at the X-Mansion that Xavier is being really casual about dealing with. Both potentially represent real emergencies. Similarly, the revelation that Lila Cheney is a mutant with universe-wide teleportation powers, and she tried to sell the earth to aliens, would have merited a more direct response in the old days. Xavier is mellowing out.

Anyway, while Storm is telling Xavier about Rogue's running away, Rachel tries to give her "father" Scott Summers a call, but she can't bring herself to speak to him.

As i mentioned above, Claremont isn't doing big story arcs in the X-Men right now. Lots of single-issue plots with long intertwining subplots. It makes for a fun read.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 5 - Storm loses her powers.

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The X-Men's break-in to the Pentagon, when they erased all of the governments records on mutants, from Uncanny X-Men #158, is referenced here. At the time, the X-Men fought Rogue but since they are now teammates, Gyrich suspects that the attack may have been a deliberate distraction. While he's wrong about the details, he's right that it was the X-Men, and not the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, that wiped out those files.
  
• Rogue broke into the SHIELD helicarrier to rescue Michael Rossi in Uncanny X-Men #182.
  
• Gyrich leads a team of FBI and Secret Service officers because SHIELD is busy dealing with the Dire Wraiths as shown in "current issues of ROM".
  
• Gyrich uses a device the Avengers built to track Rogue in Avengers annual #10.
  
• No footnote, but Storm asks Rogue if anyone ever shared their powers with her willingly before, and Rogue remembers Wolverine sharing his healing powers in Uncanny X-Men #172-173.
  
• Mystique tips off Storm to Rogue's location and the fact that the government has the Neutralizer gun. The conversation happens off panel, with a reference to "future issues of Marvel Fanfare". It will eventually be depicted in Marvel Fanfare #40.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

In Amazing Heroes #39, Claremont stated that Gyrich wanted to only keep mutants under surveillance, except for types like the X-Men who performed extra-legal activities. Cooper wanted all super-powered mutants under government control, and Gyrich would think that too risky and would fulfill Magneto's fear of mutant exploitation.

The seeds of the X-Men becoming a big convoluted mess begin to be sown here.

Cyclops marries a look alike of Jean Grey, Racheal Summers is his daughter from the future, The New Mutants are running around the mansion, Lila Cheney and Warlock appear.

Right now, things are confusing but easy to follow.

Claremont imho should of shed some of these subplots and get the X-Men back to simpler times.

But we know how that turned out.

@Mark: If Gyrich only wanted to keep mutants under surveillance, what the frell was he supporting Project Wideawake's establishment of "a facility for the containment and extermination of mutants" in New Mutants #2 (p.7)!?

Claremont didn't mention that in the interview, but maybe it was for types like the X-Men?