#clare5

[gaknar]

Review: Claremont’s Final Chapter

Well this is it. This is the last review I’m going to write for this blog. It covers the last chunk of Chris Claremont’s original run on Uncanny X-Men, along with the crossovers and spinoffs that accompany it. I was thinking that this was going to be a lot more comics, because I completely forgot that I already wrote a review covering the big three X-Men crossovers from the 1980s (Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants, and Inferno). How does that happen? How do I just completely forget that I did bunch of work on a review that’s barely two years old? I’ll tell ya how. Early onset Alzheimer’s. Or maybe I’m busy and not as focused on this blog as I used to be. Nowadays it’s all I can do to keep my queue from emptying out while doing one post a day. I’m a shadow of my former hilarious self. But I still want to tie a bow on what I’ve been doing here for the past seven years, and I guess that’s kind of what this is. I set out with a goal, to read every X-Men comic ever written. How that was to be defined, I didn’t know, but at the very least it was going to include everything up to the end of Claremont’s big run, which I have now accomplished. I’m anxious to keep reading, but I think I’m done writing for now, and maybe indefinitely. I dunno. I haven’t decided yet and I don’t want to speak in absolutes. Only a Sith speaks in absolutes.

I mean how am I gonna be reading this and not be sprinting to my blog to shit post about it. It’s just not possible. I can’t call my mom and troll. “Yeah ma and then they did that shit where they smash the cake in each other’s faces and I puked all over everything! No ma, this was in a comic! A comic!”

For posterity sake, this reading and review cover the following:

Uncanny X-Men #244-279 New Mutants #74-100 X-Factor #40-70 Excalibur #8-25 X-Force #1-4 X-Men Volume 2 #1-3 Days of Future Present Crossover Kings of Pain Crossover 

This collection of comics is the most nostalgic for me. I didn’t start collecting Uncanny X-Men until around issue #250. I was a late comer. I had already missed the best stuff. But the X-Men were still at the top of their game, and this particular run represents the exact set of comics that captivated me as a child. I’m biased toward them. This is generally considered to be the weakest part of Chris Claremont’s 17 year long run, but I cannot find the objectivity to agree with this statement. And during this reading, where I actually got to read everything that lead up to this point in time for the X-Men instead of being cluelessly dropped into the middle of it and not even knowing how to pronounce a lot of the characters names, I found these stories to be even more enjoyable.

When I was a kid, I thought Psylocke was pronounced Pisey-locke. I thought Rogue was Roe-goo. One of my older brother’s friends heard me saying that shit and he laughed his ass off at me.

Tell me what’s wrong with this story. The X-Men have become legends, both in story and in real world pop culture, but then their team is decimated. Storm is killed. Colossus, Rogue, Psylocke, Havok, and Dazzler are consumed by Siege Perilous. Wolverine is captured and broken by an alliance of villains he personally carved into cyborgs during his previous adventures. And Longshot is . . . well nobody remembers what happened to Longshot. And with growing threats rising from all over the world, it’s left to the X-Men’s fourth string, students, and attendants to continue the fight. This was a dire time for the comic, and I think for many it deviated too far from what they had grown comfortable with. These characters were real for a lot of people, and they had been scattered, their family destroyed. There was a sense of tragedy and trauma. A great loss of safety and security for characters that were written so intimately they felt like close friends you visited once a month. But I loved it. These were my first X-Men stories. I was only beginning to form my bonds with these characters, and that process was aided by the narrative drive to see them reunited. For a kid in the 4th grade, this was Shakespearian.

And then Jim Lee came along and ruins everything.

No I didn’t cover the swimsuit issue. I mean, this is it. Here, I’m covering it. Look, Logan’s a never nude. 

I mean, how can I say that. I actively concede that Jim Lee is the best X-Men artist. And that comes after years of maintaining this blog and meticulously reading every X-Men comic that was released, and falling in love with the work of Barry Windsor Smith.

Bill Sienkiewicz

Paul Smith.

Marc Silvestri.

And John Byrne was ok I guess.

In my opinion, as much as I love all those other artists, none of them can touch Jim Lee’s work on X-Men. They are all phenomenally gifted, but Jim Lee was somehow transcendent on a whole other level. And when his talent swirled with the particular aesthetic of the Uncanny X-Men, magic happened. Something new came into existence that permanently imprinted itself onto our pop culture. 

From the characters themselves to crazy alien space-tech, you just can’t beat Jim Lee.

How is it then, that these were the comics, the last issues of Claremont’s run, that killed my interest in the series when I was younger? Claremont was still writing the scripts, but it was clear that something catastrophic had happened behind the scenes. Something was terribly broken. And as much as I wanted to assume that it was all in my head, that there couldn’t have been any hurt feelings because Claremont would return some day, and he would even go on to work with Jim Lee again on other projects, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. I just watched the Comics In Focus documentary about Chris Claremont, and he tearfully describes his feelings at the time as being “betrayed.” You can feel that in the writing, and it does not make for good entertainment. The final few issues of this run are conflicted and strained, and tedious in their pacing. So unlike the effortless storytelling the series had become known for.

Reading these comics again all these years later brings back memories of why I quit collecting in the first place. By the very end of Chris Claremont’s run, after his narrative plans had been derailed by Jim Lee and their editors, the Uncanny X-Men weren’t stunning anymore. They didn’t stick in my brain and leave me awake at night with a mind full of wonder. They only left me with apathy. This is in contrast to how I felt when I first started reading the series and every issue was a revelation. But I can distinctly remember attempting to read X-Force #1 a second time, searching for some hook to keep me engaged, and there was nothing there. It was an empty, shallow experience that made me question whether I had outgrown the hobby. X-Men Volume 2 reinforced those concerns.

“The writer.” He can’t even be bothered to invoke his name. I’m just going to transcribe this part of the documentary and make some observations. “Comics were boring. Even Marc Silvestri, he’ll admit, he got bored.” This motherfucker thinks the X-Men were just dull as shit until he came along and saved the whole fucking thing. JFC. “Marc had already done the book for like, four or five years. And, but it’s not a job you, you don’t leave that job. It’s the best-selling comic.” This motherfucker thinks THE BEST SELLING COMIC, THE COMIC MORE PEOPLE WERE READING THAN ANY OTHER COMIC IN EXISTENCE was boring until he came along and saved the whole fucking thing. “And the writer had been on it for 15 years. You don’t think he’s burned out?” No Rob, it’s clear he wasn’t burnt out, and you deprived us of another 3-5 years of amazing comics. “It was like hey, the X-Men girls go shopping.” Hey I liked that issue. “In the next issue, the guys go to the mall.” That didn’t even happen! You drew that god damned book and you can’t even remember what it was about!! “And you’re like, this isn’t the X-Men I grew up loving! Where’s Magneto, where’s the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!? Where’s the stuff that’s gonna psyche me out?” Oh, like fucking Strife and Strobe and Thumbellina? Did that shit psyche you out Rob??

I have given up on X-Men three different times in my life. The first was in 1992, a direct result of the conflict that arose between Claremont and these idiot artists who would stick around for less than a year for abandoning the franchise completely, leaving it in shambles. Looking back at my collection, I made it to issue #7 of X-Men Volume 2 and I was done. The buildup to Onslaught brought me back in 1996, in particular the famous cover proclaiming someone had stopped the Juggernaut which I found in a back issue bin. But I did not last long, only seeing that storyline through and losing interest again by the time Heroes Reborn got underway and it was clear that the clowns in charge didn’t actually have any interesting story ideas past the initial Onslaught concept. Finally, in 2001 it was the one-two punch of Grant Morrison’s new X-Men and Claremont’s own X-Treme X-Men that brought me back one more time. And this time I stuck with it for a good 10 years before a combination of Brian Michael Bendis and Marvel’s agenda to bury the X-Men killed my interest in modern X-Men comics to this day. 

I could not stand the idea of the original teenage X-Men becoming the main characters again. There was no blander, more basic concept in my opinion. Other than that shit Rob Liefeld came up with in X-Force.

Despite this on again off again relationship, the X-Men have always been with me. I have always wanted to stay engaged with what was going on in their lives. And that led to the creation of this blog. I wanted to start reading again, but the only way to do that was to start at the beginning and go from there. And I’ve loved reading almost every comic I read for this blog. Analyzing and summarizing each issue allowed me to recreate the experience of reading these comics as a kid, when I read each comic 5 or 6 times through the course of the month as I anticipated the release of the next and finally moved on. That reading pace is very hard to emulate in the age of collected editions, where we might instead read several issues in a single sitting and never look back again. It’s a completely different experience.

But going forward, I don’t think it’s going to be so important. I’m not going to want to linger on Scott Lobdell’s writing, or Rob Liefeld’s garbage artwork. I’m not going to want to struggle to think of something interesting to say about comics I’m apathetic toward. I’m going to keep reading, but I don’t know to what extent, if any, I’ll comment on them here.

Again, I don’t know how I’m going to be reading this shit and not need someone to talk to about it. So don’t completely give up on me. 

I recently read through Sandman for the first time, in tandem with reading X-Men comics for this blog. It was obviously very good, but it was also very dense and challenging, and it took forever since I was splitting my comic book time with blog tasks. Then I finally read the deluxe volumes of Saga I’ve owned for years but haven’t had time to read. Compared to Sandman they were a light, breezy walk through a sunny, petal soaked field. It made me excited to read some more of the independent books I've collected over the years. Oh and there’s also these.

I’m way overdue here. I bought all these books and have yet to crack any them open. But every single day they call to me. But of course I can’t start with these. I’m going to read Hickman’s Fantastic Four first, and then his Avengers, and then Secret Wars, and THEN I’ll read these. The time has come for me to start reading modern X-Men again.

In case you can’t tell, this review is also serving as a retrospective for this blog in general. Sorry to spring that on you. I really, really appreciate those who read along with me, corrected my mistakes, offered better insights than I could come up with, and explained the shit that went straight over my head. It wasn’t like reading these comics in a vacuum like I did when I was a kid. It was like being part of an awesomely nerdy reading group. I appreciated every single like and comment you made, and those who stuck with me for an extended period. I saw every engagement you made, even if that wasn’t obvious. I don’t know if this will be my last post, but this is it for now. Thanks everyone.

#xmfbte #clare5 #review

[gaknar]

You know what, all these big budget early 90s super hero comics have in common? Training scenes. X-Force did this exact same shit like 2 issues ago. There’s even a feral member of the team getting out of control.

Aw what am I bitching about. It’s not like training scenes are anything new. I’m just anxious for them to get to the story!! Enough with the sexy training scenes! (X-Men Vol. 2 #1 – Oct 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #xmv2n1 #cyclops #professor x #wolverine #jean grey #psylocke #gambit #colossus #archangel #rogue #iceman

[gaknar]

Well this is it. This is Chris Claremont’s final issue of X-Men. Not counting when he comes back later. That’s not this Chris Claremont. That’s a different Chris Claremont. More importantly, this is the dead end halt of his 17 year run on the X-Men comic series, and the end of a meticulous long line of storytelling. It’s rushed. It’s abrupt. And you can tell there was a lot more in the hopper that gets unceremoniously dropped in the garbage bin with this issue. I’ve finally read it all, with the conclusion of this issue. This is actually going to be the last comic I cover for the ol’ blog for a while, but more on that later. For better or worse, let’s just read and enjoy this last issue, as if we have no idea it’s bringing everything to an end, much like I did when I was 12 years old. (X-Men Vol. 2 #3 – Dec 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #covers #psylocke #jean grey #the beast #colossus #rogue #cyclops #wolverine #storm #gambit #xmv2n3

[gaknar]

The X-Men are fighting themselves again. The X-Men have, in my opinion, the best rogue’s gallery of any comic ever. It’s like Batman’s rogue’s gallery, but with a more relatable edge. So it’s a shame to see this last bunch of Claremont’s X-Men stories recycle the tired trope of the X-Men battling evil versions of themselves. We’ve been doing this since the beginning of Claremont’s run. And this comic right here was Claremont’s last kiss goodbye. It would have been nice if he had dropped one last epic villain on us before he left. And no, the Acolytes don’t count.

You’d think they would have saved this big X-Men A-team vs X-Men B-team fight for some big climactic story, but with Claremont leaving so quickly I guess they didn’t have time to build up to anything. “Chris, set up the biggest selling comic book series of all time, and then GIT ALL YOUR SHIT AND GIT OUT!!” I wonder if that’s what it was like. “AND DON’T FORGET YOUR CARDBOARD BOX OF BALL GAGS.” (X-Men Vol. 2 #3 – Dec 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #psylocke #iceman #gambit #forge #cyclops #jean grey #professor x #colossus #xmv2n3

[gaknar]

Jim Lee sure knows how to draw that square jawed, five-o-clock shadow look doesn’t he. That could be Bruce Wayne from Hush underneath that helmet for all I know. Ok ok focus Gaknar, what’s going on here. Fabian Cortez and his Acolytes are low key manipulating Magneto into being a terrorist again and Magneto is barely attempting to resist the urge, and the X-Men are there to fight them and other than Rogue they are barely resisting the urge to be a bunch of unthinking maniac vigilantes.

Man the X-Men sure go down easy in this fight, and Magneto’s heart is barely in it. How did they get those shackles on Wolverine and Cyclops?? I guess that’s what needs to happen when we are moving at the speed of plot.  (X-Men Volume 2 #2 - Nov 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #xmv2n2 #magneto #wolverine #cyclops #rogue #fabian cortez #chrome #psylocke #the beast #gambit

[gaknar]

Alright here we go with this shit. It’s a little weird that most of the members of X-Factor got relegated to the background for this new “team” shot. Anyway, I don’t know whether to get sentimental about getting to the final Chris Claremont issues from the definitive run of comics from my childhood, or to bitch some more about how badly the comic book industry ripped us all off when we were 12 years old by making us buy 6 copies of this thing (one copy of each cover to be preserved along with a reading copy). You know what, I’ve already bitched, and I honestly don’t remember a god damn thing that happens in this story so I’m not going to do either. Seriously, I can remember just about every single X-Men story from my childhood, but this one is a complete blank, which tells you the kind of impression it had on me. With the context of the entire series behind me now, I will look at it with different eyes. Let’s just see if it even makes any sense, after everything that has happened, that the X-Men are fighting Magneto again. One other comment here. God damn it, the team has never looked better than in this artwork right here. (X-Men Vol 2 #1 - Oct 1991)

#x-men #covers #xmfbte #clare5 #magneto #storm #iceman #psylocke #rogue #colossus #gambit #professor x #the beast #xmv2n1

[gaknar]

At the end of this story, the X-Men snap out of their brainwashing, no neural inhibitors needed, because apparently using their mutant powers counteracts the genetic modification that was altering their behavior. Somehow. Which means that Magneto’s behavior since he got turned into a baby was actually not altered, and he’s been acting of his own accord this whole time. His turn as the Xavier school’s steward and the New Mutant’s guardian was authentic, as was his slow descent back into the realm of extremist. You know what, after the last couple of stories, I’m beginning to seriously question Moira’s scientific credentials. Did she know this was happening? Well whatever, let’s just finish this story off.

Faced with this revelation, Magneto kind of turns good again, the X-Men escape, and Magneto and the Acolytes (minus Fabian Cortez) stay aboard Asteroid M as the governments of Earth blow it to shit with their super laser. And that’s the end. This three issue jump start to the second X-Men series is kind of a dud. It’s flashy, but there’s very little here in terms of narrative relevance. I suppose it ties a knot on Magneto’s arc that resulted from Xavier trusting him with the school and the leadership of the New Mutants, but clearly Magneto’s not dead here, and the state of things isn’t really any different than before. I dunno. There’s just been so many more imaginative X-Men stories before this.

And unfortunately, this is going to be the last post from me for a while. I’m going to write a review for this reading, which will encapsulate everything I read since my last review, everything since Inferno, but I don’t know how long that’s going to take to write and get posted. After that, I guess we’ll see. I’m still going back and forth on whether to continue making new posts on the X-Men material that follows this. Right at this moment, I think I need a break. I just finished reading Sandman for the first time ever, which of course was excellent, but very dense, and now I’ve started Saga which feels like a dainty breeze in comparison, and I’m just kinda jazzed about reading a bunch of stuff without being concerned about summarizing it. I don’t want to make any decisions right now, so if I see ya, I’ll see ya. And if I don’t, I’ll at least be back to say goodbye. Because I really appreciate those who followed me for all this time. I saw your likes, and I appreciated your comments. Especially the ones that explained the shit I didn’t get or corrected my mistakes. Thanks for taking the time to be here. (X-Men Vol. 2 #3 – Dec 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #xmv2n3 #professor x #magneto

[gaknar]

Holy shit Forge and Banshee are still on the team? I had no memory of this, likely because they, like Jubilee, were left out of the iconic 5 variant cover of X-Men Volume 2 #1, which I had assumed included every member of the team (there were 5 different covers for crying out loud, and they couldn’t fit these guys on there??). I mean, even X-Factor were allowed on those covers, way in the background. How disrespectful! Man, getting on those covers must have been like some kind of reality TV show popularity contest. Anyway, it’s fitting that this story ends in the upper atmosphere, where so many of Chris Claremont’s climactic X-Men moments took place. Is it just me? Or is there a bittersweet sense of regret in these pages, subtly placed there, perhaps unintentionally. Oh to be a fly on the wall at Marvel during the genesis of these changing times. (X-Men Vol. 2 #3 – Dec 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #bond forger #gambit #storm #jean grey #xmv2n3

[gaknar]

Are you telling me we just spent 70 some odd issues waiting for Professor X to return to Earth only for him to get killed right away? I had to look up what “pyrrhic” means because it looks like a fart onomatopoeia, but it’s an actual real word that means victory at too great of a cost. So unless Scott loses his other testicle in this issue I’m going to assume they are talking about Professor X dying. I mean, he’s got to be around by the time we get to Age of Apocalypse doesn’t he!? Now that I think about it though . . . I can’t remember if he’s even in X-Men Vol2 #1 so maybe he does die! He certainly wasn’t on any of the covers. Was he? Friends, I’m telling you, I cannot remember SHIT anymore. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and I literally forgot how old I am. I thought I was turning 45 but I’m actually turning 44. So in this instance, my degraded memory actually bought me another year of life so I can’t complain about that, but it still sucks! (Uncanny X-Men #280 – Sept 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #uncannyxmen280 #covers #cyclops #professor x #rogue #wolverine #jean grey #colossus

[gaknar]

Ok I like this cover. I like when they go overboard with the Juggernaut. Even though he sorta looks like he’s doing a bird dog. That makes this the second piece of Rob Liefeld art I have ever liked. The other was this one. This old heart is softening. (X-Force #3 – Oct 1991)

#x-force #xmfbte #clare5 #xforce3 #covers #juggernaut #cable #warpath #domino #cannonball #shatterstar #spider-man

[gaknar]

Meanwhile, at the Muir Island Hunger Games, things are getting hilarious. All of the X-Men have come under the influence of the Shadow King which has brought forth their more corrupt natures (not the first time this has happened), which has led them to act more violent toward each other as we see here when Gambit beats the complete shit out of Jubilee. And of all people, Wolverine is able to restrain himself. I mean, do you remember how obnoxious Jubilee is when she’s NOT possessed? And it’s Mr. Berserker Rage that’s the voice of reason? Gambit’s over here punching kids in the face and Wolverine’s got the patience of the Dalai Lama. Per usual, Forge then saves the day.

Forge really has the best power. You need something? Here give me that broken Atari 2600 and I’ll make it for you. Can you imagine how stress free home owning would be if you had this power??? Leaky faucet? Pssshh. Loose cabinet door? No problem. Full dryer link trap? I’d be able to fix all that shit! (Uncanny X-Men #279 – Aug 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #uncannyxmen279 #jubilee #wolverine #gambit #forge

[gaknar]

This comic services a lot. We’ve radicalized Magneto again, met a new team of villains, caught up with the reformed X-Men who are now split into two separate teams, had a bad ass training mission, fought Magneto, fired some nuclear missiles, ended up back in Genosha for the first time since the events of X-Tinction Agenda, and there’s still time at the end of this comic for the X-Men to fight Magneto’s new henchmen, the Acolytes (who, if I’m being honest, have no business fighting the X-Men). 

It was a packed comic book, maybe too much, as none of these plot developments had very much punch to them,. For being the biggest selling comic book of all time, it’s a below average X-Men comic in my opinion. Not one that I’d recommend to anyone starting out with the series. It’s Claremont going out with a fizzle, and it’d be interesting to hear some candid interviews from him reflecting on this period of his career. I wonder if such things exist. (X-Men Vol. 2 #1 – Oct 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #xmv2n1 #magneto #wolverine #fabian cortez #psylocke #rogue

[gaknar]

I love how these panels start with “At roughly that moment, elsewhere in the huge asteroide” when literally the previous panel was

How can Fabian Cortez be having a pool party with the X-Men if he’s on the other side of the asteroid putting Magneto to bed! God damn it Jim Lee. Anyway.

This is like the 5th or 6th time the X-Men have been brainwashed or possessed that I can think of just off the top of my head, and it’s literally the 3rd story IN A ROW where the X-Men have been brainwashed or possessed. We went from the Shi’ar storyline where everyone got body snatched by Skrulls (ok technically not brainwashing or possession, but essentially the same narrative), straight to the Shadow King Muir Island story in which everyone would still be under the Shadow Kings influence if it weren’t for Forge and his neural inhibitors. And now this. Magneto is altering everyone’s genetic code so they follow his orders. The X-Men fighting brainwashed X-Men is a dead horse at this point and it’s no wonder these first comics of the second X-Men series seem a little stale already. (X-Men Vol. 2 #3 – Dec 1991)

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #wolverine #gambit #rogue #fabian cortez #other fabian cortez #xmv2n3

[gaknar]

We get some exposition here, which is welcomed, considering how confused I was when it seemed like Val killed Mystique but then Mystique showed up under the guise of Val to betray the Shadow King. But god damn it, it’s one of those “don’t think about the continuity” sorts of situations. 

So Mystique called Nick Fury for help after Val almost offed herself in resistance to the Shadow King’s brainwashing, but wasn’t Rogue with Nick Fury in the Savage Land when all that was going down? And then Mystique was hypnotized to actually think she was Val in order to fool the Shadow King’s mind control. How do these sorts of hypnotizings work? You can’t just convincingly insert and entire persona into the brain of another person through hypnotization. Unless the Shadow King’s telepathy is so pathetic that he can’t tell the difference between a real person and a hypnotically assumed knockoff. Well whatever. This is probably Gaknar worrying too much about these things again. I didn’t complain when Metal Gear did it so I guess I shouldn’t complain about this either. 

No one even knew you were alive, Rogue!! You’ve been pretending to be dead yourself for the last 5 years!!!

Oh it’s one of those, it’s different when I do it sorts of situations. Blah.

Well Mystique and Rogue are friends again. I guess we’ll see how long this lasts. (X-Factor #80 - Sept 1991)

#x-factor #xmfbte #clare5 #xfactor80 #rogue #mystical #nick fury #valerie cooper

[gaknar]

When this comic was published in 1991, it was the biggest event that had ever taken place in my life. I bought 6 copies of this comic when I was 12 years old. Why did I buy 6 copies? Because it was the biggest event that had ever taken place in my life, and the comic book industry and my local comic book store owner (his name was Al . . . Big Al, and I’ll never forget him) had us all convinced that, much like the first issues of comics released in the 1960s, each copy of X-Force #1, each of the MILLIONS of copies of this comic that they sold, would eventually be worth thousands of dollars. They actually poly-bagged this comic with one of five trading cards in order to make us feel like we HAD to buy multiple copies, like it would be financially irresponsible of us NOT to, and this was the first time in the history of such bullshit that they ever did that. So, of course, I bought five bagged copies which I did not open, and a reading copy, because that is what I had to do. And I still have them to this day.

Do you know how much these comics are worth today? Less than what I paid for them. Do I carry any animosity which I unfairly take out on Rob Liefeld on my Tumblr blog which is nearly as pathetic as buying six copies of this comic when I was 12? Yes. Yes I do. Waitwaitwait... I just found two more copies under the sink in the bathroom.

Does anybody want to buy these off me? (X-Force #1 - Aug 1991)

#xmfbte #clare5 #xforce1 #x-force #covers #mybooks #cable #boom boom #feral #warpath #shatterstar #shattybuns #cannonball

[gaknar]

Ok now I’m annoyed. I couldn’t tell for sure in the last issue if the X-Men were living in a magically re-built mansion or if it was part of a Danger Room simulation, but here we get confirmation that yes, somehow, the mansion has been magically rebuilt. How can that possibly be!! It’s been blown up for the last 40 issues. Cable and the X-Force were just living in the basement for the last 5 issues of New Mutants, and now the thing is back up and operational? Where have all the contractors been! Charles has been out in space for the last 87 issues, does he even have any money anymore?? Who payed for all this?? You’d have to re-furnish the entire mansion! Hmm maybe he invested in Apple before he went to space. I dunno. In all seriousness, this is quite annoying, and it’s another sign that Jim Lee and the Marvel editors didn’t give a fuck about the continuity Claremont had going. Jim Lee wanted to draw a certain aesthetic he was nostalgic for, and that’s what he did. And I believe this is to blame for a large part of my apathy toward these issues, and it does not bode well for my excitement toward what follows. (X-Men Volume 2 #2 - Nov 1991)  

#x-men #xmfbte #clare5 #xmv2n2 #forge #banshee #professor x