0084. Uncanny X-Men #280, September 1991, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Andy Kubert and Steven Butler
Astral plane, blah blah blah.
My Score: 7.1
0082. Uncanny X-Men #279, August 1991, plotted and scripted by Chris Claremont and Fabian Nicieza, plotted by Jim Lee, penciled by Andy Kubert
A couple of notable things about this issue:
1. This is Chris Claremont’s final issue of Uncanny X-Men. This isn’t made note of at all, most likely because everyone assumed he would stay on board as the writer of the soon-to-launch X-Men series for a while. But nope, he’d be gone by issue #3 of that series. So here, it’s odd to note that the series that he pretty much built from the ground up doesn’t acknowledge his departure. And it’s mid-storyline, no less! But here it is, after 16 years, his 186th and final issue of the title.
2. This is Andy Kubert’s second time drawing an X-Book (his first being the previous year’s X-Factor #57) and his first time drawing characters he would become known for during his run as Jim Lee’s successor on X-Men. His art is super 90s here, more gritted teeth than real emotion, and he does look to be copying his own work as a number of poses turn up in his early work again and again. BUT there’s something superstar about his art. He’s much more competent than all of the fill-in crap on Excalibur right now and much more energetic and captivating than the hum-drum 80s hanger-ons that were on X-Factor a couple months ago. It’s obvious he was bound for stardom, and it’s weird that he’s still a year away from getting a regular title.
My Score: 7.9
0081. Uncanny X-Men #278, July 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Paul Smith
Paul Smith does a guest fill-in art job and it’s pretty solid. I mean, nothing can top his original run (which is my favorite run in this title’s entire over-46 year history) but this is fine. I love this roster, and I love the Muir Island X-Men. Not really based on anything they’ve done, but I love seeing Siryn and Multiple Man before Fabian Nicieza and Peter David really made them who they are. So this is a fine issue, but I tend to roll my eyes every time Claremont uses mind control. Seriously, 70% of his output involves mind control.
My Score: 8.3
0074. Uncanny X-Men #277, June 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Jim Lee
Still way too much fun. I’m bummed that this awesome set up is already ditched, just five issues in. Claremont, Lee, Psylocke, Wolverine, Gambit, Forge, Banshee, Jubilee and Storm, such a great team! Maybe it’s because the newness and excitement of Psylocke, Jubilee and Gambit hadn’t worn off yet. Contrasting them with stalwarts like Wolverine, Storm and Banshee has been fun and I love reading Storm trying to explain who Jubilee is to Professor X. It’s just well done. And plus, Gambit is so cool. I know people hate him for being vaguely mysterious and all that, but I find it very charming in these early issues. He shows up, says little, and gets the job done. Of course what he does say is cocky and awesome, to me.
This was a fun story with excellent art. I’m sad that this is getting cut short so the X-Men can fight Shadow King (and Claremont can get off on writing a WHOLE CROSSOVER ABOUT MIND CONTROL!!!!) and then get shuffled around. But eh, I do enjoy the blue/gold setup if I recall correctly, so good stuff is still ahead.
My Score: 8.7
0065. Uncanny X-Men #275, April 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Jim Lee
This is why I love reading comics. This issue is just fun in every way. Jim Lee’s art is impeccable. It’s so ’90s, yes, but it’s so good. The detail, the energy, his page layouts, he just draws the crap out of every page. This issue just screams “I am working on a book I love, and loving every minute of it.” And then Claremont, who I might be convinced is the only person to ever write Jubilee correctly, just knows how to tell a grand story. I buy Magneto and Rogue’s relationship even if it does only last two issues. I buy Magneto’s slow turn back to villainy. I love what Claremont is doing with this ragtag group of mutants, and I love just how new and cool they feel. I mean, characters like Gambit and the Asian Psylocke were well-established when I first started reading comics, but reading these issues in order…they really capture a sense of danger and surprise. The X-Men consists of a whole mess of completely untrustworthy people, and that is made both fascinating and entertaining.
I think I love this roster, and I think I’m going to be upset when it’s derailed in six months for the Blue/Gold setup.
My Score: 8.9
057. Uncanny X-Men #274, March 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Jim Lee
Man, Jim Lee is so ’90s and so good. Women are scantily clad inexplicably, guns are huge, men have mullets and dinosaurs are abundant. And it’s so awesome. I think Lee’s actual talent for layouts and detail are what make his cheesecake factor tolerable. He’s a great artist and a very solid storyteller. That last page with Deathbird is just so frikkin’ cool, it makes me wish I was 8 again.
I also with this roster had had more time to develop. I’m developing a soft spot for this random assortment of mutants.
My Score: 8.4
0053. Uncanny X-Men #273, February 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Whilce Portacio, Klaus Janson, John Byrne, Rick Leonardi, Marc Silvestri, Michael Golden, Larry Stroman and Jim Lee
And this issue falls into one of my favorite categories: the post-crossover quiet issue. And with the huge cast of new characters the three books have accrued over the last year (Cable, Gambit, Asian Psylocke, Jubilee) it’s great to see them interact with each other. I love the old guard’s reaction to Cable’s overtly militaristic ways. I love seeing Gambit meet adult Storm for the first time, and seeing him fight Wolverine in the Danger Room. I love the call back to Boom Boom’s time with X-Factor by her pranking Iceman. I love that we’ve dealt with Psylocke not calling up her twin brother yet. A lot of stuff that needed to be addressed is addressed. And when a new solid X-Men roster finally comes together on the last page after almost two years apart, it feels big.
But some nitpicks. A hologram of Lady Deathstrike in the Danger Room says something in response to a thought Wolverine has in the previous panel. I don’t think holograms are telepathic. And I also hate that for a lot of the exposition we are hearing Claremont talk and not the characters. Like when Cable is rattling off casualties, he mentions Cypher, a kid who died a very long time before he came along. And later Jean Grey mentions worrying about Rogue, Longshot and Dazzler, three characters that she has never met (although she did absorb Madelyne Pryor’s memories of them, so I guess that’s not a stretch). Yeah, both of these things can be explained but it feels more like Claremont saying “I have to cite these examples to prove my point, whoever is saying them be damned.”
My Score: 8.4
0034. Uncanny X-Men #272, January 1991, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Jim Lee
My Score: 8.4
0026. Uncanny X-Men #271, December 1990, written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Jim Lee
Jim Lee’s pencils are so on-point right now, it’s baffling. He’s become such an industry standard that it’s hard to imagine a time when he wasn’t around. His artwork has just become such a part of comics and this issue alone features a handful of iconic poses for Wolverine, Psylocke and Jubilee. Seriously, the Uncanny issues of “X-Tinction Agenda” are leaps and bounds better than the others so far, just because of art.
My Score: 8.5
