Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #308
Cover Date: Jan 94
Title: "Mixed blessings"
Credits:
Scott Lobdell - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Dan Green & Al Vey - Inker
Lisa Patrick - Assistant Editor
Bob Harras - Editor

Review/plot:
Another of Scott Lobdell's post-crossover downtime issues, which are the highlights of his run. This one takes place on Thanksgiving, and has Cyclops and Jean Grey discussing their early days while the rest of the X-Men play football.

In one of the memories, we see Professor X telling Jean Grey that her telepathy was returning thanks to her love of Scott.

This is annoying to me, because it makes no mention of the whole situation where Professor X told Jean Grey that he was transferring his mental powers to her (and Changeling) in preparation for the faking of his death. We learned that Xavier had been "teaching" Jean telepathy in Uncanny X-Men #43, and that pretense continued throughout the run of the original series (because the idea that it wasn't a pretense was a retcon). It's true that Bizarre Adventures #27 revealed that Jean's telepathy was inherent and was suppressed due to mental blocks, and i suppose we have Chris Claremont to blame for being vague about when Jean learned the truth of that. But Lobdell is definitively placing Jean learning that revelation sometime prior to Xavier's faked death. So now the question is why would Xavier and Jean decide to lie to the rest of the team about how Jean developed telepathy. Why not just say, "Hey look, Jean developed telepathy!", just like Invisible Girl learning to create forcefields or something? It doesn't seem to relate to Xavier's plan to fake his death; if anything, showing people that he could transfer his telepathy just made it more likely for someone to realize that he'd replaced himself with an imposter.

Anyway, the trip down memory lane ends with Jean accepting Cyclops' longstanding (going back to X-Factor #53) marriage proposal.

They announce their engagement at dinner.

Yes, get her a codename too.

Professor X has some unspecified reservations about the marriage.

During the autumn fun, Bishop makes mention of 'Emplates (apostrophe intentional?) in his future. We're not too far from the start of the Generation X series, which introduces a villain named Emplate, and a later story will imply a relationship between that character and the creatures from Bishop's timeline.

It wouldn't be a Thanksgiving get together without some racist relatives, so Iceman's parents were invited.

Also in this issue, someone is picked up by the Phalanx Van.

We're told that his name is unimportant, but his briefcase says that his name is "Mauro". That'll be Mauro Camden, and he'll become Harvest.

Decent issue. The dialogue between Scott and Jean sometimes gets a little maudlin, but that and any continuity concerns are outweighed by the fun camaraderie. John Romita Jr. had been looking shaky in the last couple of issues but he's back on track here as well (allowing for his very stylized art).

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Jean Grey accepts Cyclops' marriage proposal. First Harvest.

Chronological Placement Considerations: It's Thanksgiving but i don't track real world holidays too closely due to the compressed timescale. Jean and Scott's engagement is mentioned in X-Men #28 (same cover date), placing this issue before that one. I believe this has the first mention of Sabretooth staying at the X-Mansion in a regular issue; in any event this definitely takes place after X-Men Unlimited #3.

References:

• The X-Men are still recovering from recent tragedies, including the death of Illyana in Uncanny X-Men #303, the defection of Colossus in Uncanny X-Men #304, and Wolverine's loss of adamantium (X-Men #25) and subsequent resignation (Wolverine #75). Professor X opening his doors to Sabretooth in X-Men Unlimited #3 is also put in this category.
  
• Jean's telepathy had to be suppressed after the death of her friend Annie, as shown in Bizarre Adventures #27.
  
• One of the memories Jean and Cyclops talk about is the death of Phoenix from Uncanny X-Men #137.
  
• Scott sent his son into the future in X-Factor #67.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

We're only a couple of years away from Onslaught showing Jean that Xavier had feelings for her during the original X-Men's days (as previously revealed in the 60's). Seems like the obvious source of Xavier's reservations... But I bet you thought of that too, huh?

Does kind of help that this is after the Fatal Attractions mindwipe too, maybe...

Max, we'll find out the reasons for Xavier's reservations next issue.

can't wait for Onslaught. what a clusterf...

I don't think Xavier planned to fake his death way back when. I wouldn't put it that way. He planned to have the Changeling take his place while he prepared to fight off the Z'nox. If he was successful in driving the invaders away, obviously, he'd want to continue his life as before--and the X-Men might never need to know about the impostor. He certainly wasn't planning for the Changeling to get killed by Grotesk. When that situation came about, he and Jean were kind of stuck with it and had to go with a "faked death" scenario, but that wasn't the original plan. The Changeling's terminal illness explains why he gave up being a villain and agreed to help Xavier out. Xavier must have thought Changeling would survive at least until the Z'nox arrived--and note that Changeling didn't die of his illness, he was killed in battle. This was a pretty good plan that went horribly wrong (which makes for a better story). Otherwise Xavier comes across as completely heartless.

@Michael

Oh really? Heh, I'm starting to think I was a bit too confident in my guess now.

I read this issue probably a hundred times as a kid. I loved it so much.

Someone in the Hulk 413 comments mention PAD being the only thing keeping them reading Marvel at this point, and I agree with that, with the caveat of Lobdell's X-Men. I have heard much later that people had issues with Lobdell's writing or personal life or what have you, but honestly, the 7 months each year Uncanny wasn't mid-crossover, when Lobdell got to do some solid character work like this issue, were among my favorite. The crossovers were overly convoluted but the regular issues were great, and pretty much the only thing readable at Marvel until heroes return.