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43 - Uncanny X-Men #174-176 & New Mutants #7-8 – Madelyne Pryor
91 Plays3 days ago
One of the funny things about reading all the X-Books at once is that sometimes they align very well, and sometimes they are so deeply incongruous that it’s head-spinning. This has never been so true as in this episode. In the X-Men, we have an epic conclusion to a thrilling super-villain tale about grief, loss, insanity, and how amazing Cyclops is. In New Mutants, we have a man named Axe who is holding an Axe and his mutant powers are he found an Axe.
BUT at least we start the show with some EXCITING NEWS!!
Topics Discussed:
Cyclops whipped his thing off. Earthrise. The Lahzbees. A surprise kiss… I hate plants now. A familiar priest! “Hey fiancé, are you my dead girlfriend?” Goodbye, Paul Smith. Hello John Romita, Jr! Allegedly electricity. Jazzercise Kitty. GHOST CYCLOPS. A remote control on his hip! Kissing an ugly guy. Disguised as a cave. PHILLIP AND DEBORAH SUMMERS! The Wedding of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor. Claremont the lil’ pervo. “Judge” Petrie. VAL COOPER! Getting revenge on a shark! Nightcrawler’s cocoa. Professor X returns to his old ways. Carnival! A man named Axe holding and Axe and his powers are Axe. My fear is pink goo. A Magnum P.I. Plan: “Do A Plan.” Sunspot beats Axe’s Ass. WHY IS HE TRAINING THE MOTORCYCLE GUYS STILL!? Lots of fish fightin’. Kidnapping a random girl. Is this The Living Pharaoh again? Or Maga Yogi?
Write in to Pat's Email Corner: mutantmenacepod@gmail.com
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/fPv7hRgTeV
Instagram: @mutantmenacepod
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Launch
00:00:01
Speaker
I'm Trish Tobey with W.A.R.C. reporting to you live from Westchester, New York, where there appears to be some sort of mutant menace on the loose.
00:00:37
Speaker
Hey everybody, I'm Matt Aukamp. And I'm Pat Reber. And say it with us, Pete.
Discussing Patreon Strategy
00:00:44
Speaker
Welcome to Mutant Menace. Pat.
00:00:49
Speaker
Matt. i want to talk to you about something. Okay. I want to talk to you about something that you already know about and our listeners don't. o Ooh.
00:01:00
Speaker
No, let's keep it a secret. Oh, all right. Well, nobody's... Pat, nobody's going to subscribe if we keep it a secret. Oh. So, i I mean, do you still... If they you think that's a good idea, i I'll do it, but... No, no, no. i Now that I know what you're talking about, I think you should announce it. Listen, everybody, we are launching a Patreon. that So, you know, ah we have been doing this podcast for a little bit, and it might be a little early to start a Patreon, to be fucking honest. But...
00:01:31
Speaker
We had some ideas and we thought in order to make them come true, we kind of need some help from you guys. And ah we you know, we love doing this podcast. We're going to do this podcast until we hit...
00:01:48
Speaker
the modern day which will be impossible because time keeps moving forward and they keep releasing x-men comics every week patrick they release more at some point do you think we'll just be doing each week's issue i don't think we're gonna catch up i just don't think so we could we've covered 20 years this year you know how ah we could catch up is if our listeners want to support us on Patreon. We'll be launching a Patreon. I don't know if it'll be up by the time this episode is up, but it will probably be up at least before next episode. And we, you know, we don't want to launch this Patreon to like rob our listeners of anything that they already enjoy. And we want it to be a thing that even if you don't have the money to support, it'll add something to your, you know, listening enjoyment of Mutant Menace. so Right. You can at least give us your data and then we can sell it somewhere. So, Pat, we're starting with a... So, let's let's just talk about this. We're starting with a free tier. And, Pat, what are we putting on the Patreon on the free tier? I think the free tier, as recommended by yeah our recording partner, Pete, is going to be our reading list. So, you can... Welcome to Mutant Man. Your timing is so bad here, Pete. Pete, get out.
00:03:08
Speaker
But yeah, it's the reading list for each upcoming episode so that you can, if you do want to read along, can keep up as well as just some little updates, a little probably preview of each episode.
00:03:21
Speaker
You'll be on our mailing list. So, you know, if you want to just if you don't have the money to support us or if it just doesn't seem like a good proposition to you, you can just join the Patreon and then you'll have the reading list. So you always know, especially now that ah we're not just doing X-Men comics. It's ballooning outward to new mutants and eventually it'll be X-Factor and the next caliber and X-Force like it's Wolverine.
Patreon Content and Goals
00:03:45
Speaker
It's going a lot. So ah you'll always know what is coming up.
00:03:49
Speaker
And then there'll be ah basically like a pay what you want level. Right. So however much you want to donate, if it's a dollar, if it's $50, however much you feel like it's worth, um there'll be some bonus stuff on there. First of all,
00:04:09
Speaker
anyone that donates on any level, you're going to get the bonus episodes that we do sometimes of, you know, stuff that wouldn't fit in our normal reading order. You're going get those just, uh, you're to get those about a month early.
00:04:23
Speaker
i think. Is that the plan? month I thought it was a week. Maybe it'll be a week early. I don't know. You'll get it tomorrow. We'll figure it out. Some early episodes, some early communications from us about stuff that we have going on. This is, ah not our only plan,
00:04:41
Speaker
No, yeah, we have we have this idea of doing like little minisodes, maybe monthly little minisodes where it's just like us bullshitting, not even really about the X-Men necessarily, just us bullshitting. We'll put outtakes on there. Yeah, yeah.
00:04:56
Speaker
As well as um some polls. I know there are this is not a democracy, but there are some issues that we want your opinions on, and I think that's something that we offer to our paid subscribers.
00:05:08
Speaker
Yeah, and then... This is this is aiming high. ah If we manage to hit, this is a big, big aspirational goal, but if we manage to hit $500 a month in donations, our plan is to do an exclusive monthly podcast that will only be on the Patreon that you guys get to vote on. We've talked on this show before.
00:05:29
Speaker
ah We've joked about doing a Fast and the Furious ah recap podcast yeah yeah we've talked joked about doing the Drew Carey show what drew carey and yeah any of the Marvel Netflix shows yes so ah if we hit that goal Whenever we hit that goal. If we hit that goal two years from now, we'll still do this. We're setting this out assuming that we won't hit this goal because this is this podcast is enough work for So if we hit that goal of $500 a month, then we're going to start doing this bonus monthly podcast where we'll do something and we'll allow you guys to vote on it. Like we'll put all the options there and whatever you guys want to hear is what we will put up.
00:06:14
Speaker
So, um okay. So to sum up, free tier. reading list any level early bonus episodes some mini episodes outtakes random shit and then if we hit 500 a month which will never happen yeah we will launch a new podcast that will be based on a subject that you guys help us choose and then there's a kicker what Matt, I've added a secret third option to our Patreon. $1,000 a month level. You want to be our our real sugar parent.
00:06:55
Speaker
You have the opportunity. This is people donating at that level are going to get their own personalized weekly five to 10 minute podcast from me and Matt.
00:07:06
Speaker
We will make you your own personal podcast every week for only a thousand dollars a month. Yeah. For only a thousand dollars a month, you guys will get one podcast where we'll just talk. You know, we'll talk about whatever you want us to talk about that week. Well, it'll be short. It'll be a short podcast.
00:07:24
Speaker
Loosely. And frankly, I do not suggest you donate at the $1,000 level.
00:07:35
Speaker
It's not worth it. But also do. That'd be fun. Yeah, yeah. it would be yeah It would be unwise, but who knows? Hey, cool for us. So that's that's our that's our little idea. our big announcement today. Yeah, you guys will see... Little idea, big announcement. Little idea, big...
00:07:53
Speaker
Oh, we got to stop talking about it, though. If you're interested, we'll post a link for you.
Listener Interaction and Feedback
00:07:58
Speaker
But as that music,
00:08:05
Speaker
as the music indicates, it is time for Pat's Email Corner. oh Only the second Pat's Email Corner of 2026.
00:08:17
Speaker
There's only been two. Yeah, that's true. ah Let's start with email Michael. We have a couple emails from him. Number one, titled episode 41 response. Email Michael says, hey, Pat, tell Matt that he is indeed as wrong as is possible about the Green Ranger. Refusing to elaborate, email Michael.
00:08:36
Speaker
I don't think that's true. I think it's 100% true. Nah, I looked it up and actually I'm right. Nope. Uh, also has an episode 42 response. He says, Hey Pat, tell Matt that I'm turning over a new leaf and will endeavor to be only complimentary going forward to reduce the stress and anger he feels when my emails are read.
00:08:56
Speaker
that that's good That's
00:09:04
Speaker
good. He says, while Pat seemed skeptical, i have been in the same boat. Matt mentioned as far as dating someone who looks like an ex and my friends did call me on it. I didn't really know what I could say other than that. I wasn't going to avoid dating anybody who looked like someone else I had dated in the past, though. So I actually totally sympathize with Scott here, maybe for the first time ever. Generally speaking, I neither like or dislike Cyclops. And it took Matt spelling it out for me to get it. That's why you keep listening every week. New perspectives.
00:09:33
Speaker
With newly opened, email Michael. Pat, you got to do it. You got to date somebody who looks just like your wife. Well,
00:09:45
Speaker
I can't. Oh, okay. And I choose not to. It's not it's not just like a... it's actually justly It's not just that you're not allowed and you've been like dying to.
00:09:56
Speaker
Right. It's not like a physical restriction. i e Every day I actively choose not to date anyone but my wife. But if they look just like her. i Up next we go to Kaz. Kaz is back.
00:10:09
Speaker
He also would like asz did clarify how we pronounce his name, which is Kaz. uh subject line ice milk equals straight to jail yeah enough of that uh i got a i got a text message from somebody i know it was like ice milk is the most disgusting thing i've ever heard that's not correct it's not anything you guys too hold up you keep reading emails and i'll see if i got a second one from somebody else okay uh
00:10:45
Speaker
Kaz says, hey, Pat. Hey, Matt. Kaz here. First off, let me say I'm on Matt's side about ice milk. It's a no for me. It seems like it's one of those things you're just not supposed to do, like swimming with a backpack on putting your mouth fully onto the water fountain, or folding at the hips to bend over and tie your shoe. Oh, man. Did you don't know a kid in school who would put their whole mouth on the water fountain?
00:11:11
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. Wild stuff. ah Okay, here's the text message. You can keep reading the email in second. Ice in milk is weird. Some might say it's a capital offense. So... Capital offense? Yeah, I guess you should be murdered. You should be executed by the state. Listen, I i will get worse about this. if you really If everybody really wants to keep exaggerating and drinking warm milk like a baby...
00:11:46
Speaker
I will continue this discussion. i think most adults just don't drink milk. Kaz goes on. He says, anyway, wanted to ask what your thoughts are. did then Their opinion's not valid.
X-Men Discussion: Teasers and Endings
00:11:58
Speaker
Wanted to ask what your thoughts are on the new X-Men Doomsday teaser. And following up, which interactions are you most hoping or excited to see between the X-Men and the greater MCU? Oh, man. Matt, have you seen Avengers Doomsday X-Men trailer? Watching it right now. I've only seen the image Cyclops. I've seen the image so many times. I have not seen the trailer, but I think that's all there is to it, right? It's basically just saying, hey, an X-Man is here.
00:12:28
Speaker
Yeah, it's like, there's okay, so they're showing the X-Mansion, and it's all fucked up. Oh. And Professor Xavier is just talking about, you know, something boring, right? it Looks like he's playing chess with Magneto. And they're holding hands because they love each other.
00:12:46
Speaker
and now Cyclops whipped his thing off while it looks like Sentinels are stomping in the background. He whipped his thing off. So with the going theory, and again, I haven't seen it. I just, I'm just, I'm not going to, they're commercials. Can I, can I get upset about that for a second? These are commercials that you have to watch a commercial to get to.
00:13:10
Speaker
And it's a movie that's not coming out for, what, like nine months? I'm not going to. I've gone through this whole cycle before. You could get pregnant and have a whole baby before that movie comes out.
00:13:24
Speaker
And Matt, you and i went through this. You went through this, Matt, right? With ah phases one, two, and three. It's just, yeah we saw all the movies. We saw them in theaters. I i can't keep doing this.
00:13:38
Speaker
They want us to do it for life. Like, like that is the thing. like these Marvel expects this to be our lives forever. And they expect to keep capturing that same magic every single time. That's impossible. And this, I feel like doomsday is the one where it's going to fucking fall on their faces. I feel like this doomsday is where they're going to be like, ha, look, we're finally giving you what you want. And people are going to be like, I, yeah.
00:14:02
Speaker
Okay. Thanks. I guess. Well, I hope they keep doing them forever. i I think they, I hope they get worse and worse too. I think it's just just like fun to follow the story. Just like comics. they'll They'll go through these extreme highs and lows. But I can't care about them at this point. And I'm not going to watch a bunch of teaser trailers. And there's no offense to anyone that does. I think, like, it's fun to get excited about this stuff. But their Marvel movies are as often bad now as they are good. so like, it's you can't emotionally invest.
00:14:36
Speaker
Right. as And I came back around to my point, which is that, like, we knew the X-Men were coming. It's not a surprise to see the X-Men in this trailer other than to say, oh, this is when they're finally doing it, as far as we know. But everybody said that about Deadpool and Wolverine when that came out. And I have no i have no attachment to it. Like, I saw Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine, right? I saw Wolverine pull on his mask, and i was like, that kind of looks dumb.
00:15:04
Speaker
Right. Like I have no attachment. that was these ah It was a CGI mask. Was it? Yeah. Yeah. That was an entirely CGI mask, which is why it doesn't have any emotional impact. It looks so bad. And you're like, oh, that's why they never put Wolverine in a mask in a movie, because he looks bad. He only looks good. That mask only looks good in comics. It does not look good in real life. It can't. And especially if you're trying to make it look cool instead of dorky.
00:15:29
Speaker
And so when I see Cyclops in the 90s outfit, I'm like, why? What? I don't care. i don't care about that outfit. I don't have so much attachment to that outfit. I need to see the man James Marsden wearing it.
00:15:43
Speaker
I will say... I hope that they don't stick with those X-Men. I hope that this is, that they appear to say goodbye to them and introduce a new league of X-Men.
00:15:56
Speaker
I love James Marsden, by the way. I think that guy's great. Me too, but. He had his run, you know? Yeah. Yeah, and. He's not Cyclops. He's a man named James Marsden.
00:16:09
Speaker
Like, i i don't him I don't feel this sort of deep emotional connection to it. I am excited to see a new, was like, expanding on that, I am excited to see a new crop of X-Men pop up in these Marvel movies. Why is it you think that is going to happen, though? i Like, ah people aren't going to come to watch Dazzler,
00:16:30
Speaker
um you know, hellion, uh, I don't mean an ne yeah a new generation of X-Men. Okay. Like a multiversal reboot version of the X-Men that comes in.
00:16:47
Speaker
And there's, there are rumors that that's what's going to happen, right? There's, and there'll be a new cast. Yes. Yeah. They're just recasting probably a few core X-Men and bringing in a few new ones. Okay, so it's like, okay, so they'll it'll be a multiverse story. We'll see the old X-Men, and then they'll be like, wait, who are you? And the other guy's going to be like, and it's going to be like, uh, uh, Timothy Chalamet again. And he's going to be like, I'm Cyclops. Who are you? And he's going be like, I'm Cyclops.
00:17:19
Speaker
Yes. It's not going to be Timothee Chalamet. It's going to be Timothee Chalamet again. Who's it going to be? Who's your new who's your new Cyclops? So it sounds like, well, with its room they cast Sadie Sink in the new Spider-Man movie, ah Spider-Man 4.
00:17:39
Speaker
And rumor is that she's going to be Jean Grey, the new Jean Grey. Hmm. i There's also rumors about Wolverine. There's rumors about the new Professor Xavier.
00:17:51
Speaker
I heard a rumor about Wolverine. Yeah. I heard it was going to be SNL alum Bowen Yang. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that too on a podcast. And I heard that they're considering Drew Carey for the role of Professor X. You know what i else you know what else I heard in this?
00:18:09
Speaker
I might as well, I was going to save it for X-Men related things this week, but I might as well get it out here in the middle of Kaz's email. Okay. i Bowen Yang is Wolverine. Yeah.
00:18:21
Speaker
Drew Carey is Professor Xavier, and you asked me to help give you a little more, so maybe one or two more castings just to help you wrap your mind around Because you asked me if i if I was seeing your vision yet, and I really am not. I thought Professor x Xavier would, Drew Carey as Professor Xavier would bring us there, but okay Aaron Eckhart, I say, and maybe this helps pull the whole thing together, he should be fbi agent Fred Duncan.
00:18:56
Speaker
Now you see some pieces coming together here. Not even a little bit. Not even a slight amount. I'm further away than I was before.
00:19:08
Speaker
All right. I'll keep trying. Okay. Kaz goes on. He says, happy new year. And here's to a 2026 of X-Men content.
00:19:21
Speaker
P.S. Matt, you're still not fully in the clear, but there have been more people added to the get list before you. And then he does a smiley face emoticon, which I absolutely love. What does that mean? The get list? So the last time Kaz emailed us, he said, going to get you.
00:19:41
Speaker
Oh. Tell Matt I'm going to get him. Oh. Ah! Jesus! I didn't remember that. Now I'm scared. Well, you've moved down on his get list.
00:19:53
Speaker
All right. It's going to take a while for him to get me. It's like it follows. yeah
00:20:04
Speaker
it's he's now he's gonna get a couple He's got to get a couple more people, but then but I'm still on the list. ah Let's keep moving. We have heard from Mikey Chumales. Yay!
00:20:17
Speaker
Two times since last episode. First up, episodes 38 through 42, he's pretty sure, non-X-Men related email. Mikey Two Mails says, Hi Pat, tell Matt I have survived the holidays. Holy snap, it was exhausting, but great episodes during the holidays. it was really fun hearing roses on the show, and it's always nice hearing you all talk about some of the wildest stuff in comic book history.
00:20:40
Speaker
Loving the show. we Hope you are all doing well. Mikey Two Mails. Mikey two males isn't referring to the Wolverine miniseries as the wildest stuff in comic book history. Is he? He might be.
00:20:52
Speaker
It's pretty wild, but it's good. He almost got married. Yeah, that's true. No, I think he's referring to our body of work, but Mikey two males, if you're trying to call us out on something, let us know. Don't be vague about it.
00:21:07
Speaker
And then here's his episodes 38 through 42 X-Men related email. He says, hi, Pat. Tell Matt I said my first exposure to the X-Men was the giant four-person arcade cabinet at Assisi's Pizza. And my aunt finding out and I enjoyed comic books and for Christmas gifting me around 40 issues from the 90s X-Men comics. Yes!
00:21:27
Speaker
i got A full 90s experience of getting to know the X-Men, I think. Yeah, this is very, very close to how... I mean, i saw the I also saw the TV show, but man, that X-Men arcade cabinet in the ground around in Westchester, Pennsylvania was a real formative experience for me. Oh my God. It's so good. It it was such a fun game. I i haven't played it in at least a decade, but I remember it being...
00:21:54
Speaker
an incredibly fun game I would always play as Nightcrawler and I could just teleport around the the screen knocking people out yeah so ah but it would take your health away that was the worst part about it using your mutant powers would take so like I mean it was just meant to eat up your quarters right so like you would just constantly be draining health um I've played it a few times but it many times since it's it's it's a standard if you go to a barcade almost all of them have an x-men o cabinet nobody ever wants to play with me though
00:22:30
Speaker
i played in in lancaster pa mid last year with my all my cousins and all of us took a different x-man but we did not make it very far because it is just meant to eat up your quarters I will say i had a friend who perfected Colossus's power-up noise in that game. And he would do it he learned He figured out how to do it extremely loudly to the point where he would get kicked out of bars for doing it when he had too many drinks and just that's very refused to stop.
00:23:06
Speaker
Can you imagine you guys had been the Barcade era? ah in the baradede era Right. If we had had access to that game and how bad it would have gotten. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Mikey two males. Thanks Mikey two males for your traditional two emails. Good to hear from you. And then we have one more here, Matt from he needs no nickname. Pete.
00:23:30
Speaker
Pete. Pete from the intro says, Hey Pat, tell Matt that you could call the chubby X-Men franchise XL men. That is all. Pete.
00:23:40
Speaker
but He's absolutely right. I promise I will start casting for and scripting men. XL men, chubby X-Men. Well, and yeah, like you do with this podcast, I'll make sure that you get a cut of of anything we make off of it for for naming it.
00:24:08
Speaker
Whew. Oh, right. What an email corner, Matt. Wow. Yeah, that we that was a journey. it It had me thinking, Matt. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm i'm open to listening.
00:24:19
Speaker
Have you, hear me out here, have you done anything X-Men related this week? have I done anything X-Men related this week? Wow, what is what an unexpected question. I think, well, like the X-Men, I've just been kind of hard at work all week.
00:24:32
Speaker
I've been, i've had ah I've had a really rough work week. um And unlike... The X-Men. i don't I don't have a i don't have a ah boathouse to go hang out in.
00:24:46
Speaker
Is that what you do in boathouse? Yeah, sunroom. I don't have a morning room to relax in. So, you know, honestly, Pat, I'm just going to say it.
00:24:58
Speaker
ah This week, I haven't. Oh, I thought the working thing. you Okay, yeah, I worked. I worked. i worked it But that's boring. But it's just boring. I just did a lot of work. I just worked and then I was sleepy. Sorry. How about you, Pat? Next week is more X-Men related. Pat, have you done anything X-Men related this week?
00:25:17
Speaker
I did, Matt. I shot up in bed one night after we recorded our last episode and said, oh, I'm stupid. And was before we read the issues that we're about to talk about today. So I want to put this out there. I had one more theory. You asked me if I had any idea what was going on in regards to the Madeline Pryor situation.
00:25:37
Speaker
okay is At some point last episode. And the thing that I realized after recording that I failed to say, and I won't tell you if it actually happens or not, is Madeline Pryor, in this theory, okay doesn't actually look like that much like Jean Grey. Like, maybe a little. She's probably got same or similar hair and, like,
00:26:02
Speaker
the same nose or something but okay mastermind is manipulating everybody ah to see her exactly as jean gray so when she sees a picture jean gray she's like i i guess i can see it yeah sure but it's like when people compare me to seth rogan yeah so ah yeah so That was the it was extremely X-Men related thing I did. i e I shot up in bed middle of the night and said, how could I have been so stupid? Maybe it's this. Madeline madeline Pryor doesn't actually look like Jean Grey. Okay.
00:26:41
Speaker
ah That's an interesting theory. Pat, yeah honestly, I think we're going to learn the answer to that today. Where? i have it I just have a feeling. Well, Pat. would we even learn something like that I think we might start by learning it, start to learn it. spot i mean i i think we start I think we have a starting point. I think if we started anywhere, it would be Uncanny X-Men number 174, Romances. Ooh.
00:27:08
Speaker
romans Yeah, I know. ah Written by Christopher Claremont. Penciled by Paul Smith. Inked by Bob Wyacek. Glynis Whedon's the colorist. Tom Orsakowski's the letter letterer. Louise Jones is the editor. And Jump Shumpy is the editor-in-chief. Release date, July 12th, 1983. Cover date, October 1983.
00:27:31
Speaker
Space! space you want me take that again? Do you want to try different an alternate take? so yeah give me few space let me hear your best one i'm running out of inspiration space all right well i guess that one's all right space scott and madeline take in an earth rise from the deck of the star jammer and then start making out
00:28:04
Speaker
pretty cool earth rise uh-huh if you don't know is one of the most famous photographs in american history from apollo 8 they took a photograph they were in the moon's orbit so they weren't on the moon but they took a picture of essentially sorry they they took a photo of the earth rising over the moon and that is what these two little kids are looking at and then technically their position between the moon and the earth so i'm not an earth rise but but but yeah sure So then they start making out.
00:28:36
Speaker
ah This is interrupted when Corsair and his lover Hepzibah enter and start teasing them before taking them to chat with the newest star jammer, Binary.
00:28:48
Speaker
Whoa. Yeah. it's a It's Carol Danvers. She's here. Carol Danvers joining the star jammers. This is a really cute yeah scene, too.
00:29:00
Speaker
Hepzibah openly talks about making out with Scott's dad in front of him. Just, like, sees them making out and is like, we should do the same thing right now.
00:29:13
Speaker
Also, we find out that she called, she doesn't mean it disrespectfully at all, but she calls Scott, Scott boy. Scott boy. Carol Danvers and Scott, they relate about not being around the X-Men for a little while, prompting Corsair to remind Scott of his standing offer to join the Starjammers.
00:29:31
Speaker
He thinks on it, and once Madeline and here are alone again, asks if she'd join him in space if he said yes. Ooh. Jeez. Yo. What a heavy, heavy question to ask somebody.
00:29:44
Speaker
How fucking cool would a Starjammers team, like, the current Starjammers that we know, plus Cyclops, plus Carol Danvers... Yeah, would have been how how great I would follow that. That's so.
00:30:00
Speaker
Yeah, I wonder if that getting giddy thinking about it. I wonder if that ever happens in ah the 30 plus years of Marvel Comics that come now. I don't know. I don't know. I wonder if it happens in the ah late 2010s or not. Who knows?
00:30:17
Speaker
I can't get a read on you. Back the mansion, Lalandra has finally made a little progress towards x Xavier's ability to walk. She's identified the problem is physical. What? don't I don't know. i don't know.
00:30:29
Speaker
Why? How? What what physical? brand They give him brand new body. they give him a brand new body and they're like, hey, wouldn't it be funny if we can't? Have we paralyzed his legs again?
00:30:40
Speaker
But she won't have much time to continue helping him. Her sister Deathbird has gone mad with power on the Shi'ar homeworld and civil war is fomenting. She must return to set order to the Empire.
00:30:53
Speaker
Oh. Damn, everyone's going to space. In northern Japan, Mariko Yoshida's like, I'm going to space, Wolverine. Will you come with me? Now, in northern Japan, Wolverine bursts through the gates of the Yoshida compound on her sword in hand, demanding an explanation from Mariko for leaving him at the altar.
00:31:11
Speaker
Mariko offers no further explanation than you're not worthy. And sends her half-brother, Harada. What? What? the silvers The silver samurai.
00:31:23
Speaker
Do you remember him? Yeah. To retrieve the honor sword. They both insult him as he walks back out the gates, head down. It's very, like, the fact that he just doesn't, he doesn't react, right?
00:31:36
Speaker
And there's a there's a part of you reading it where you're like, good for Wolverine for not reacting. But then another part of you that's like, oh, is he just not reacting because he's so fucking heartbroken? Like, did this break him?
00:31:48
Speaker
And I honestly, yeah I don't know the answer. Like, I can't answer that. Is he is he not reacting because of his because of his honor or because of his... Because he's actually just broken.
00:32:02
Speaker
Just broken, yeah. Yeah. Back at the mansion, Kitty is reading a Star Wars comic. She says something fucking weird here. Do you have any idea what she's talking about? which She says, boy, Lockheed, these Lossbees sure have a way with words, you know?
00:32:20
Speaker
Is that like
00:32:23
Speaker
is that like a ah writer? Are those like the writers of Star Wars comics? I'm not familiar with that as a name of like a Star Wars type of alien, right? No, definitely not.
00:32:40
Speaker
No, the Lossbees. Yeah, then maybe it's a maybe it's a writer. Yeah, like I'm looking through and it's like, I do not see anybody named Losby as a person who writes Star Wars comics. i don't know. Maybe I'm missing it. yeah hey Guys, if you... Unispod at gmail.com. Let us know whether or not you know who that is. Who the Losbys are and why they have a way with words. She's loving this comic so much, Pat, that she wants to let she wants to like Colossus... her her her, her, her, her buddy, Peter Rasputin know how good this is. So when she enters his room with a comic, he's painting and Kitty kind of forgets why she came in, in the first place. She grabs Peter by the arm, makes him cover his eyes and starts leading him out of the room to show him a surprise.
00:33:32
Speaker
Once, once they're out in the hall with Peter eyes closed and fully unsuspecting Kitty, uh, Kitty jumps into his arms and shouts surprise as she plants a big kiss right on Peter's lips.
00:33:45
Speaker
Guys, don't kiss somebody as a surprise. Yeah, you can't that. Unless there's somebody you've kissed many times before, just don't kiss somebody as a surprise. do you In response Peter's, and I'm going to, they spell it out phonetically, so I'm going to read it that way. He says,
00:34:02
Speaker
o me ridden gargs you the murin could you do Were you able to translate it? No, no, no. they Usually they provide the translation in the comics. ah they If they put it in whatever he's saying in brackets and they were just like translated from while kissing.
00:34:26
Speaker
Yeah. Lovely Louise. ah He's blushing and uncomfortable and a little angry. i would be too. But that wasn't actually the surprise.
00:34:37
Speaker
So he continues to follow Kitty's instructions while carrying her. Eyes still closed. Suddenly, Peter's feet start lifting off the ground as if he's climbing an invisible staircase. He carries Kitty up into Storm's attic room, asking how close they are to the end of the hall. He gets suspicious, though, opens his eyes and panics when he sees himself a floor up from where he thought he was and three feet in the air. It's like fucking Wile E. Coyote.
00:35:04
Speaker
Yeah. she's well And she's like, I told you not to open your eyes. what How would that affect your ability to make him levitate? I think he starts freaking out.
00:35:18
Speaker
They both fall into a pile on the ground as Kitty explains that she recently learned she can phase people. Whole people. Peter is very proud. Kitty is beaming and their faces start moving closer to each other. Yeah.
00:35:33
Speaker
Outside, Storm flies into her skylight only to find Kitty and Peter full on making out in her room. All right, guys. She starts teasing them and kitty and as Kitty tries to make the excuse that they came up here to water her plant, she suddenly notices that there are no plants in the room.
00:35:50
Speaker
Storm explains that this is all part of her big change. This is this is a little... Also, I don't like plants now. Yeah. Oh, well...
00:36:02
Speaker
if i If I've got a whole new personality, I guess I have to get rid of all my plants. Yeah. Plants are for people who don't have mohawks. Yeah. I think there is definitely... Okay.
00:36:17
Speaker
There's definitely something interesting going on with Storm's change, right? Like, I think there's something interesting about it. She died. Merged with a space god. Right.
00:36:29
Speaker
Was reborn. Right.
00:36:32
Speaker
And ever since her powers started going fucking wild, right? Like completely out of her control. And then she meets Yukio and she's like, damn, i maybe I shouldn't have to control myself all the time.
00:36:45
Speaker
Maybe, you know, like it maybe all this controlling my passion so my weather powers don't go nuts. Maybe maybe it's making me miss out on life.
00:36:58
Speaker
Which is something you might think if you literally fucking died. Yeah. um But you're right. Like some of the ways they're choosing to express this. I even think like I love the storm Mohawk, but I think expressing that as a way to deal with like that kind of trauma. It's like, and I got a Mohawk. Like it's a little silly.
00:37:20
Speaker
Well, i I do think it falls at least consistently with the other things she's been doing. like But it's it's just a little like i Sandy at the end of Grease where she's just like suddenly she's smoking cigarettes and yeah doing other things that are actively bad for her instead of just trying to be a little cooler. What if Sandy at the end of Grease was like, and I might kill people now. Yeah.
00:37:49
Speaker
out A few floors down, Kurt tends to rogue as she recovers from her injuries in Jean Grey's old room. wow She asks why everyone's so reluctant to talk about Jean and why everyone has thoughts on Scott's new girlfriend's appearance.
00:38:04
Speaker
Kurt very concisely recaps the Dark Phoenix saga. Like three panels. and he He nails it. Yeah. And then, to himself, wonders if Jean could have been resurrected after all the recent activity. Ooh.
00:38:17
Speaker
As he thinks about how much he misses Amanda, he notices a package from her. Inside is a little doll of her in a mystic robe and riding a broom. Adorable. Now there's two.
00:38:28
Speaker
So new theory yeah on that Banff doll that she has in her apartment. She must have made it, right? She makes dolls. Because she makes this adorable little Amanda Sefton doll.
00:38:39
Speaker
Up in the air in the ah in the cockpit of a North Star flight headed for Anchorage, Scott and Madeline continue to think over their offer to join the Starjammers as Madeline admires her new engagement ring.
00:38:55
Speaker
woe Scott walks back to the cabin to prepare the passengers for landing and is stopped by a priest who lets him know he dropped something. A picture of Jean Grey from her vacation in Greece that he did not bring on the flight with him. Yeah.
00:39:14
Speaker
I recognize this priest immediately. and His big chubby ah smiling face. And like the third or fourth panel he's in, he reveals that he's some sort of villain. So it's not really.
00:39:28
Speaker
But I was so I was so proud of myself for it was like not proud of myself. It was just very exciting to see that priest and be like, wait, I recognize that priest. yeah And then he quickly reveals himself as ah the same priest that was. ah That met Jean Grey. Yes. Back in the Dark Phoenix saga, who was actually Jason Weingart.
00:39:50
Speaker
Now, Pat. Yeah. I want you to try and remember something else here. okay Okay. How does he have that photo?
00:40:04
Speaker
I don't know. Do you remember Jason Weingart also posed as the hot man on the beach when Gene was in Grease? And offered to take her picture. Yes. Holy shit. yes Yeah.
00:40:22
Speaker
So this is interesting. Oh my God. Okay. Okay. Confused and nervous, Scott tries to play it cool, but Madeline can tell something's up.
00:40:33
Speaker
He's clearly withdrawn into himself. As they pull into Madeline's home that evening, we see Jason Weingard light a cigarette and mutter something cryptic from the distance.
00:40:44
Speaker
As she opens a bottle of wine, Madeline implores Scott to tell her what's wrong. He gets very serious. Oh man, I'm like cringing. I'm like cringing knowing what's about to happen.
00:40:58
Speaker
He gets very serious and asks the question on his mind. Are you the reincarnation of Jean Grey? Are you Phoenix? Jeez, Scott.
00:41:10
Speaker
Come on, man. You can't just ask someone that. You knew this wasn't a good idea. You knew this wasn't the right. And man. Oh, fuck. Okay. A turn of the page and we see her throwing a right hook at Scott, knocking him to the ground and sending his ruby quartz glasses flying. It's a fucking such a good punch. It is. She gets him.
00:41:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. As he scrounges around on the floor for them, eyes closed, he thinks about what a stupid question that was to ask. Of course. Yeah, dude. And of course she's upset. It was a stupid question and her response was justified.
00:41:45
Speaker
He can't find his glasses, so he puts on the spare pair of goggles he always keeps in his pocket. They look like, yeah, they I mean, they look like dollar store. They're sports goggles. Sports goggles. Yeah. Yeah. ah ah a He puts them on only to find that Madeline has stormed off rightfully. Fuck.
00:42:04
Speaker
He goes to find her. But as quickly as he enters her room, he's blasted out in a burst of fire. no. Wait, Pat, are we wrong? Are we wrong that he about him asking her this? I still think you shouldn't ask somebody that. But well in this case. If they are the Phoenix, okay, because emerging from the doorway, smoke rising up from her burning hands, stands the Dark Phoenix.
00:42:30
Speaker
Whoa. To be concluded. Damn, dude. Yeesh. Damn, dude. Damn, dude. Were you right? Was Madeline Pryor the fucking Phoenix all along? Is this Jean Grey? Dark Phoenix, too.
00:42:44
Speaker
We're doing it. Pat, I can't, I can't wait to find out. Well, you don't have to wait long, Matt, because we are getting to Uncanny X-Men number 175, Phoenix. Oh, oh, okay.
00:42:56
Speaker
phoenix oh oh okay It's her. Chris Claremont, writer Paul Smith, pages one through twenty nine and John Romita Jr., pages thirty through thirty eight. Pencillers, Bob Wyacek, finisher Tom Orzakowski, letterer Gwyneth Sween, colorist Louise Jones, editor and gum goopy, gender in chief. in chief.
00:43:21
Speaker
Paul Smith, this is his last issue. um o Yeah, man. it he so I mean, what he said is that he just did not like the direction of the book and that he was constantly arguing with Chris Claremont. It's very much like John Byrne. um
00:43:40
Speaker
They just they had they just have different ideas for what should happen. um And it it makes me really wonder what those arguments were. Like, what did Paul Smith want? Yeah, yeah.
00:43:52
Speaker
And I mean, I guess he starts drawing a space opera. No, I don't even know. No, he starts drawing a space opera and then draws something very down to earth, like very. and and And there's a lot of intimate moments because he's fucking good at them. So Chris Claremont just keeps putting them in the book. But yeah, yeah.
00:44:13
Speaker
I don't know. Like, he's also doing a bunch of crazy stuff. Like, he's he drawing he drew the Morlocks. Now he's drawing Dark Phoenix. Like, what is it that he wanted that's not happening? Did he want more action? Did he want less action? Like, what do you think?
00:44:25
Speaker
it's I have no idea. Like, it seems like it was, they were just perfect compliments to each other. And it also felt like he was getting really comfortable with... the work but I don't know if you remember that's also the same thing that we said about Jack Kirby once he fought like as he was leading the X-Men yeah I mean yeah I just I don't know what else you could have wanted from the X-Men than what he was getting at the time he was drawing the X-Men right like it seems like the X-Men it seems like anything an artist could want again there's these small personal moments and then there's these big fucking cosmic moments what what are you missing
00:45:05
Speaker
Maybe it's just, and this is purely speculative, but maybe it is that he's he doesn't want to tell so many stories at the same time. Like, why plant a seed for something going to have to draw a year and a half from now instead of just focusing on the story at hand?
00:45:26
Speaker
Like, that's got to be, as an artist that also has to be a storyteller, that's got to be a little difficult, right? I guess. I guess maybe maybe he hated. i i mean, I know he originally pitched the Storm outfit as a joke. He pitched a bunch of storm out new Storm outfits to fit her new personality. And this one he pitched as a joke. So maybe it's just, maybe it's that.
00:45:49
Speaker
Maybe it's like, I do not like the new Storm and I hate drawing her. I mean. Oh. Interesting. Yeah, it could even, i don't know. i mean, maybe Chris Claremont is just fucking horrible to work with. I don't know.
00:46:02
Speaker
It's crazy to have done it mid-issue, though. Yes, yeah, exactly. Well, and you can kind of tell it's happening. Like, this issue, that he has some really good art in this issue, but it is sketchier.
00:46:15
Speaker
It is a little sloppier. Yeah, yeah. Some of it is you're unfinished. Yeah, yes, yes. um It's also, we should mention, the 20th anniversary issue for the X-Men.
00:46:27
Speaker
Right, right. But John Romita Jr.'s here. JRJR. Yeah. You a JRJR fan? i he does a lot of great Daredevil stuff. He is definitely a legend in that realm. He had a legendary Spider-Man run that you, and you love Spider-Man.
00:46:47
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. He also, he has a great run on Spider-Man. um is and it's through some ups and downs in that era of Spider-Man. But he's he draws, I think, like my... yeah impression of spider-man not necessarily my favorite but just when i think of spider-man i think about the john ramita jr spider-man release date august 9th 1983 cover date november 1983 the x-men are hanging out in their front yard cutting down a tree when suddenly a burst of light appears in the sky in the shape of a fiery phoenix wait pause already i'm sorry why is it that every time an artist quits the x-men
00:47:28
Speaker
They're cutting down a Not only that, a figure is suddenly plummeting to earth from way up in the air, seemingly out of nowhere.
00:47:44
Speaker
Storm and Rogue fly up to catch them, only to catch Scott Summers, who tells them in a panic, Dark Phoenix has returned. Guys, it is, I mean, this is very dramatic, but it is so funny. You see the phoenix, and then there's just a guy spread eagle in the air and it's so far up you can't tell who it is. It's just like, oh, wait, there's a guy there.
00:48:07
Speaker
It's gotta be you. for Rogan Storm to be like, oh God, there's a person falling from the sky. should go and save them. Oh, look, it's Scott. Scott, we haven't seen you in months.
00:48:21
Speaker
How was Alaska? Professor Xavier summons the entire team to his study and Cyclops tells them about Madeline appearing as the Phoenix. x Xavier is baffled.
00:48:32
Speaker
How could Jean be alive? And why would she attack Scott, heal him, and then leave him to die above the X-Mansion? Yeah. this Yeah. What? What's going on? He he slides on Cerebro to locate her and is immediately thrown back by a massive jolt of what looks like electricity. Why would you say it like that?
00:48:50
Speaker
Why would you say what looks like electricity? really It looks like electricity on the page. Yeah, but you could have just said electricity. Well, I don't know what it is for sure. Yeah, but if it like electricity, how could it be something else?
00:49:02
Speaker
All right, whatever. it Allegedly, electricity. Yeah.
00:49:08
Speaker
Rogue rips out the wires leading to Cerebro and Nightcrawler immediately teleports the stunned Xavier to the infirmary. Wolverine has Kitty examine the machine to see how this could have possibly happened, and she discovers that the safety locks were disengaged and the machine reversed, causing x Xavier's telepathic power to reflect on himself a hundredfold.
00:49:28
Speaker
All right, fine. So it wasn't electricity. Yeah, fine. It was psychic electric energy. You win this one. All right, next time I see one of my friends get electrocuted, which happens from time to time, I'll call the ambulance. I'll call 911, and I'll be like, hey, my friend just got shocked by what looks like electricity. Might be electricity. He's allegedly electrocuted.
00:49:58
Speaker
i we do have a sick new outfit for Kitty. I love this one. It's like a jazz size. It is. It's like a jazz or size, 80s jazz or size outfit with a karate kid style headband. You could say Corsair inspired headband and a shawl for, for no reason, just a white shawl over her shoulders. She just finds stuff in a closet and she's like, this is my uniform.
00:50:28
Speaker
It's like how I put together a superhero uniform when I was a little kid. ah Yeah. When the X-Men begin to ask how this could have happened, not the costume, the rest of the stuff, Cyclops has a message for them.
00:50:42
Speaker
It's the end of the world. All right. He bursts into flames before them and collapses to the ground as the dark phoenix emerges from his body. What? Hi, guys. Miss me?
00:50:54
Speaker
Wait, do you think she's out? Okay. So you're, you, you read this as if she sounded like the Joker. Yes. I think as the dark Phoenix, she has sort of a Joker. hi guys. my guys. Yeah.
00:51:08
Speaker
ah The X-Men leap into action immediately. Storm sends a bolt of lightning at the woman, but it turns back on her in midair. Colossus charges, but doubles over in pain at a gesture from the Phoenix.
00:51:23
Speaker
Kitty phases through her and finds herself shocked while Lockheed gets backhanded across the room. oh damn. Rogue charges only to be halted and punched through the wall with astonishing force.
00:51:35
Speaker
wolverine pops his claws and just stands there no you see things and he watches her disappear into a burst of flame leaving the x-men alone to care for an unconscious cyclops and search for help she's like no i'll do i guess i'll do the joker voice Thank you, Wolverine. i see you've extended your claws. Care to try your luck?
00:52:01
Speaker
And he says, Nope. Yeah. He just says, Nope. And then Storm's like, who What?
00:52:13
Speaker
ah And his reason for, I think this is maybe a little suspect, but his reasoning for it is i we were going to lose. Like, we already lost this fight.
00:52:24
Speaker
What's the point in me trying to fight her? Let's revisit this fight at the end. Okay. After dealing with some scrambled signals, they managed to radio the Starjammers and see Corsair in shambles. The Phoenix the phoenix has attacked their ship. Lalandra and the other Starjammers are dead. What? He asks them to pass his love to Scott and Alex before a bright burst of flame engulfs him and the screen goes dead.
00:52:48
Speaker
what This is like everything Chris Claremont has been building for like five years. Just next, they radio the Avengers and begin to tell Captain America about the threat before he too is engulfed in flame.
00:53:03
Speaker
The look out the window to see a massive fire. They look, they look out the windows. Jeez. See, this is why i' was stretching my face.
00:53:14
Speaker
ah They look out the window to see a massive firebird incinerating the entire city of New York just to make sure Kitty hacks into a military satellite, seeing nothing but a crater where Manhattan used to be.
00:53:29
Speaker
on, let me just hack into ark. here on just a second. Let me hack into a military satellite real quick. All right. Yep. Confirmed. It's just a crater.
00:53:40
Speaker
Yep. I've got the the CIA's imagery of the Earth. ah Now, okay. I want to say, if I were reading this comic book, even as a kid, this is where I would have said, okay, this isn't happening.
00:53:58
Speaker
ah yeah Yeah, once you see that Manhattan is completely destroyed, you're like, okay, well, this isn't happening in Captain America. Exactly. Yeah, this would be this would be a a Marvel event.
00:54:13
Speaker
Yeah. this can't This can't be occurring. Which is one of these fucking downsides of having a shared universe, actually. Sure, yeah, yeah. i But in the in the moment, i it's it becomes one of those like, oh, how are they going to work their way out of this? Okay, I see what you're saying. Moments. Like when you see ah a trailer for a movie and the main characters ah hanging off the side of the train and their head is plummeting towards an object.
00:54:45
Speaker
You know they're not going to, yeah. You know they're not going to die, but the interest is, oh, howard the how could they possibly... Get out of this. Right. So you can say decapitated at this point, be like, OK, if Captain America just died and Manhattan was destroyed, I know it's not going to be by the end of the issue.
00:55:02
Speaker
So how do they fix Manhattan and bring Captain America back to life? I see you're saying. OK, OK. Curt and Aurora examine their wounded in the infirmary. We find that x Xavier is stabilized and Scott is actually physically fine.
00:55:16
Speaker
But he's lost the will to live and his life is fading. Jesus. That's such I don't think that's a thing a doctor can measure. It's like they're looking at a screen. Looks as like his will to live is down.
00:55:32
Speaker
like it's Like they're looking at the... His will to live levels are a little low. The meters on a fucking sim. I need 30 cc's of will to live stat.
00:55:45
Speaker
Somebody put seven fancy couches in this room. His comfort level is dangerous. Then fucking wildly. Yeah. We see Cyclops emerge as a ghost from his own body.
00:55:59
Speaker
He looks down at himself and sees something. We don't see a charred and blistered husk of a corpse. We, of course, see a perfectly normal and healthy-looking Cyclops. Ghost Cyclops sees a ray of white light and begins to move toward it, first scared, then excited about the afterlife.
00:56:17
Speaker
He sees the silhouetted form of Jean Grey in the light, but as he draws closer, it's someone else entirely. A woman with silvery blonde hair, enshrouded in white and silver.
00:56:29
Speaker
She tells him that he cannot come any further. It's not time. And if he looks within himself, he'll find the answers to lead him to his heart's desire. His heart's desire.
00:56:42
Speaker
And then he's jettisoned from the light back into his own body, yelling, Mom! It was his mom. It was his mom. i I guess it was his mom. You know, something... we are going to have to revisit so much of this after we find out what's happening. Because...
00:57:00
Speaker
This was definitely not part of the plan. No. What the fuck happened here? Maybe Chris Claremont's idea of what happens when you die? we're Paul Smith?
00:57:13
Speaker
So Cyclops literally died here. He lost the will to live so hard that he died and he was still hallucinating. Like he was still...
00:57:24
Speaker
he was So he had an out-of-body experience as his body died. It's a very like Disney cartoon moment yeah where yeah somebody is walking into the light, runs into a dead relative, and their dead relative says, it's not time, and sends them back into their body. Exactly. Come on.
00:57:44
Speaker
At the same time, he is still under the influence of whatever's happening here because he looks down and sees himself charred and destroyed. So, like, right. How? he imagines himself as a... This... this Whatever's... happened We have to revisit it. Sorry. Okay, keep going. you're Cyclops comes to his first thought.
00:58:06
Speaker
Gene is dead. He begins to try and unravel what the hell has been happening. His body is perfectly fine, despite Madeline burning him to a crisp twice. x Xavier was zapped just before he could investigate what was happening. The time between Madeline's transformation and Scott's appearance in New York was around 12 hours, roughly the time it takes to fly a plane between Anchorage and New York.
00:58:30
Speaker
Someone who is trying to trick them into believing Phoenix has returned. Someone who can play with reality, create illusions, and has an obsession with Dark Phoenix. He knows who it is.
00:58:41
Speaker
course he does. Yeah. I mean, not for you. Jason Wingard's been introducing himself to people. Okay. So can we revisit it now? We know it's Mastermind, right? Like we can just say by now we know it's Mastermind. So how is Mastermind's power working on Scott when he's literally dead in a literal ghost?
00:59:00
Speaker
Well, I mean, it's still is clearly still got some brain function there. So maybe that's yeah the the brain function is the part that his functions work on.
00:59:11
Speaker
So like for a minute you're like, oh, is Mastermind doing this to Cyclops and making him have an out-of-body experience or like making him think he's dying? But that's not the case because he meets his actual mom in heaven. Yeah, yeah. Why would Mastermind be like, get back there and fix this? ah and Okay, so now let's revisit the fight. So if if if this is all an illusion from Mastermind.
00:59:35
Speaker
Yeah. Who grabs Rogue by the throat and throws her through a wall? Her imagination. who She can fly. She can bust through walls. she Who turns Storm's lightning around in in midair back on her?
00:59:53
Speaker
Her imagination. i don't I can't explain how that lightning didn't actually hit her. Other than like maybe ah it's an ah the figure itself is an illusion.
01:00:09
Speaker
the figure of gene i i don't yeah there's there's a lot here that i don't and i don't understand how it's happening um but scott scott runs to warn the x-men cooking up plans as he does 10 minutes later with a weird remote control on his hip he finds colossus and storm in the hallway it's so conspicuous too it's like it's like front and center it's like scott's thrusting his hip at us you'll need to know that it's there They instantly attack him, calling him murderous and refusing to believe him that nothing is as as it nothing is as it seems.
01:00:45
Speaker
Knowing the team's strength and weaknesses, Cyclops holds his own as the rest of the team rushes in to take him down. They seem to think he's the Phoenix, and he seems to have planned for almost every move they make. This is so fun.
01:00:58
Speaker
It is. It's very Batman. But before Batman does this. Yeah. Running from the only variable he knows nothing about, Lockheed, he's tackled by Kitty straight through the floor into the danger room. This, too, seems anticipated as he nerve pinches her unconscious once she materializes and they land into specially placed airbags. How did he how is he like and then Kitty will be upstairs and she'll tackle me from ah the nearby room over the banister.
01:01:29
Speaker
Because he what he thinks through it in the moment. I think this is really... yeah i think this is justified because he's like, okay, I haven't seen Kitty, which means when I run out this door, she's probably going to phase through the wall and then tackle me. Yeah, but he he knew this before that. like He planned for it by making sure he confronted the X-Men above the danger room, and then he had big pillows. Yeah. All right.
01:01:52
Speaker
I think that maybe maybe you're thinking a little too hard. to No, he... Definitely. But that is exactly how would he have the airbags there? Well, how do with the airbags are automatic in the danger room? No, they're not. Yes, they are. When they they see an X-Man falling from a deadly height, they deploy it.
01:02:11
Speaker
I don't think that I do not know where you're getting that. I'm pretty sure that's what happened. don't know where you're getting that from. Kurt, believing his own life forfeit against the Phoenix, pops into the danger room control booth and, as Scott silently apologizes for, finds himself electrocuted into unconsciousness. So he knew that too. Nightcrawler would pop into the booth and zap him. Okay.
01:02:35
Speaker
As the rest of the X-Men rush in, Cyclops pulls the remote control from his hip and turns the danger room into the Savage Land. He explains that somewhere in that 10 minutes, i he spent precious time after he woke up transferring the danger room control systems into this portable module. Yeah.
01:03:00
Speaker
Which is a good plan, but can you really do that? Can you just take full control of the danger room, including turning its control panel into an electric shock machine? i I thought I'd just invent something that has never been invented before real quick.
01:03:17
Speaker
This next part is something that, like, a lot there's a lot of times the danger room doesn't make any sense to me. And here is one of those times. Yeah, it's there is a point in the future where they will justify it very well. But right now, this makes absolutely no sense. Right. Because they talk about how it's like the Danger Room is a combination of um holograms and actual real world obstacles.
01:03:48
Speaker
Right. That are essentially doing the same thing with the light that Mastermind does with Brains. Right, right, exactly. But it's not, yeah. So what happens next? They're all standing on the floor of the danger room.
01:04:05
Speaker
So how could this suddenly, okay, so go ahead. Wolverine and Colossus plummet off a cliff and Rogue and Storm are distracted, saving them. Wolverine begins to become suspicious of this dark phoenix,
01:04:19
Speaker
Why would she need to use tricks like this? the smart But smart Storm doubles down as Scott watches, hidden in the underbrush. We cut to Madeline Pryor in a realm of fire and rock, dazed and wearing a dark phoenix uniform.
01:04:33
Speaker
I hate how often villains in... Undress and redress unconscious people. Exactly. i fucking hate it. I hate it. It happens so often. In front of her, smarmy as hell, sits Jason Wingard, mastermind,
01:04:49
Speaker
Watching the battle on a monitor, he tells her that this is all a revenge plot as the room transforms back into the mansion's study. He's going to toy with the X-Men for a while until he can lure them back to Maddie and trick them into killing her.
01:05:03
Speaker
Jesus, man. What an insane thing. He also... We get... i for a moment he lets the guys drop just to further tease Madeline and be like, this is what I really look like and shows his real face. And Paul Smith's interpretation of his face is like the best we've gotten of mastermind so far. So far it's been, his real face has been like unrealistic and cartoony, like Jack Kirby originally drew it in issue two or three or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And yeah,
01:05:34
Speaker
This is the first time I've seen him and been like, that could be a real person. That's a real ugly person. And it's so funny that he knows he is just so comfortable with how ugly he is. He's like, hey, look at who you're kissing. It's my fucking ugly ass, ugly face.
01:05:54
Speaker
Maddie attempts to attack him when his form disappears and he's standing behind her. mocking her for the plane crash she lived through and those who died in it. Mastermind tells her that Phoenix forced his mind to merge with the universe, driving him mad and thrusting him into torment, knowing he can never touch the glory of godhood again.
01:06:13
Speaker
Since she's dead, he's decided to take his revenge on the X-Men instead. He'd been planning this for months, following the X-Men around, posing as various characters to ruin their lives. What a weird creep.
01:06:26
Speaker
He reveals that he was behind Wolverine's abandonment at the altar. He was the priest on the plane and he would have used any girlfriend of Scott Summers for his plan. But Madeline was perfect. She looked just like Jean Grey.
01:06:42
Speaker
Theory dismissed. Oops.
01:06:47
Speaker
Why not do that? I know at this point, why not just be like, oh yeah. And I made you look just like Gene instead being like, you're actually a genetic identical match. And you could do, you could fucking do like, so, okay. I happen to know that Chris Claremont, he intended this to just be a coincidence.
01:07:10
Speaker
And we'll talk about this again later, way later in the in X-Men, in this podcast. But, um, He intended her to just, it just to be a coincidence. why not do what exactly what you said, Pat? Why not have it be, she looks kind of like Jean Grey and then have like a really touching scene about her being like, well, Scott, do you still love me?
01:07:39
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
01:07:45
Speaker
Mastermind disguises himself in an illusion as Scott for a moment, tricking Maddie into kissing him as he shifts back to his original greasy, ugly ass face, causing her to recoil and spit and retch. Yeah, she's like going to throw up. How did she fall for that?
01:08:01
Speaker
He's standing there and he's like mocking her and changing his appearance and then changes to Scott Summers and she's like, oh, Scott, so glad you're here. Thank God I was having this terrible dream. ah ah ah Back in the danger room, Cyclops is running through the jungle. He's taken Kitty and Nightcrawler off the board so no one can surprise him, and he's generated a dense tree cover so Storm and Rogue can't spot him from the air.
01:08:27
Speaker
Fucking so smart. He sneaks up on Wolverine and optic blasts his flippin' head into the ground. Cyclops then runs away, leading Colossus into quicksand.
01:08:38
Speaker
Everything is going according to plan. The X-Men are falling one by one, but not in such a way that they can't fight by his side later. god hit yeah The only hitch is that Colossus cracked his ribs earlier and it's slowing him down.
01:08:54
Speaker
He is. Yeah. Just to to add an extra level of cool to all this, he's running around with cracked ribs and like consistently talking about it. It's not a thing that he mentions in a panel and then it gets forgotten about. He is dealing with the pain as he goes. Yeah, like he like, yeah, Colossus cracked his ribs. He mentions it when it happens. And then he's just consistently everything he does. He's like, fuck, that hurt.
01:09:19
Speaker
That hurts so bad. My ribs are cracked. Or like, I could have run faster here. i almost like I almost got caught by Wolverine or whatever, because my ribs are cracked.
01:09:30
Speaker
Suddenly sporting a breathing mask, Scott sprints across a field of flowers to the door of the danger room disguised as a cave. The door, not Scott. Yeah, what Scott disguised as a cave running around. No one will suspect me ah me. Like putting a cardboard box on your head. and yeah hey Storm begins to doubt herself. Why is Phoenix running on the ground?
01:09:56
Speaker
Oh,
01:10:07
Speaker
and the last part of his plan comes to roost as he shoots a wide burst across the field of poppy flowers oh oz poppies because this doesn't work with regular poppies. No.
01:10:19
Speaker
The dust knocks her out and he carries her from the danger room, hitting some buttons on his way out to shut down the whole house, blinding Mastermind. Damn. So the final piece of his plan was opium. ah and it all's coming true.
01:10:37
Speaker
Rogue wakes up in the infirmary next to x Xavier with Cyclops placing her head, with Cyclops placing her hand on his head. She absorbs his psychic powers and it's instantly overwhelming until she hears Scott in her mind walking her through how to control it.
01:10:53
Speaker
She Still so cool. Like so cool. It's just on so many levels. Everything he does is a different kind of like, yeah, this is earned. Scott Summers has learned all of this and you know when he learned it and you know how he learned it.
01:11:09
Speaker
Yes. And you know why he's good at it. It's fucking brilliant. We cut to the perspective of the X-Men, recovered and bursting into the infirmary to see Dark Phoenix standing there.
01:11:22
Speaker
She's telling them not to trust their senses, and we cut back to Scott continuing the speech, asking them why the all-powerful Phoenix would bother running or talking. He explains about Rogue having a Xavier's powers and asks them to let her in their heads. She begins to snap them out of it as they hear a voice behind them, It's the Dark Phoenix again. yeah Let's pause here for a second. So Mastermind, just to make sure everyone's following, Mastermind had Scott arrive and created just like ah it just a straight up illusion. Like the first Phoenix, I guess, was nothing, right? Was nobody.
01:11:59
Speaker
Or I mean... Madeline is here, so it could have been Madeline yeah dressed up and being crazy. Then, when when he has Scott wake up, when Scott wakes up, he has all the other X-Men see Scott as the Phoenix.
01:12:14
Speaker
And so that's what's been happening. They've all been chasing him, trying to kill him, and he has finally snapped out of the illusion. So ah he's trying to... he's he's He's manipulating all of this so that he can get rogue,
01:12:29
Speaker
Into the room with Professor X. So that he can absorb his psychic power and psychically show the rest of the X-Men that he is not the Phoenix. He's actually Cyclops. Right. So now that worked and suddenly there's another Dark Phoenix behind them.
01:12:53
Speaker
Okay. Scott stands in front of the X-Men, telling Mastermind that the game is over. He can't hurt them with illusions, but then he falls to a blast from the Phoenix. Wolverine, however, hears a silenced gunshot.
01:13:07
Speaker
This convinces him, and he tells Storm that Mastermind is in the room. She summons a monsoon instantly, buffeting and drowning both friend and foe alike. The X-Men attempt to shield each other, and Kitty phases through the wall.
01:13:21
Speaker
But when the storm clears, Mastermind lays unconscious on the ground. Wolverine pops his claws and moves to kill the man, but Storm, violent as she was moments ago, stops him.
01:13:34
Speaker
Rogue, with her last bit of psychic power, even notes that Storm was ready to kill everyone in the room to stop Mastermind. But now, Aurora is calm and suggests sedating the villain. Jesus Christ.
01:13:46
Speaker
Kitty returns with a medical kit to treat Cyclops' as gunshot, but he's more worried about Madeline. She's drowned in the middle of the soaking wet room, and Cyclops rushes to her, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He panics. He cannot watch another woman he loves die.
01:14:03
Speaker
But then she coughs and opens her eyes. Hi, she says. Hi yourself, as he clings to Madeline. Man, this panel, dude, it is...
01:14:15
Speaker
Maddie in the dark Phoenix outfit in Scott's arms as like the water drips all around them. It it it kind of looks like that that classic Spider-Man panel.
01:14:31
Speaker
He's just, he's clinging to her and in the background, it's just like smears of black and blue and water is kind of dripping and like ah splashing on the ground around them. And it is...
01:14:45
Speaker
It's really, really... It's just a really brilliant and moving panel. Yeah, yeah.
01:14:54
Speaker
Epilogue. We're at the end of this double-size issue, Matt. Oh! Scott Summers is dressed in a white tuxedo, standing over Jean Grey's grave at the cemetery of St. Stephen's Chapel at Bard's College.
01:15:09
Speaker
Wait, that's... That's not what you wear to... This isn't where Jean's body is. She was scattered molecular dust on the moon, but he speaks to her anyway. He tells he tells her he loves her.
01:15:21
Speaker
He tells her he loves Madeline. He hopes Jean will understand, but he's glad that Maddie isn't her. Which would be way more impactful if she didn't look like Jean Grey anymore.
01:15:32
Speaker
later in a massive tent in the yard of the X mansion, everyone we know is gathered. Lalandra, Carol, Amanda, Moira, Corsair, Scott's grandparents, western old and new.
01:15:46
Speaker
We finally see them. Yeah. They're just there. They're just front and center. It's like he knows. After Scott spent months with them and we never got a single appearance. Wait, we get, we get names to Philip.
01:16:01
Speaker
and of course deborah philip and deborah philip and deborah summers yeah and corsairs behind them going there's my parents those are my parents the star chambers even watch on a screen from their ship everyone with how is lalandra still here by the way her planet is in civil war and she's the only one that can stop it Okay, I'll stay for a wedding.
01:16:28
Speaker
Everyone is gathered to watch Scott Summers stand at the altar. Logan puts on a brave face, tortured by his recent wedding. Kitty looks doughy-eyed at Peter. The best man, Alex Summers, makes fun of his brother as his bride, Madeline Pryor, walks down the aisle.
01:16:44
Speaker
They say their vows, their pronounced husband and wife, and the last page is a full spread of their wedding kiss.
01:16:52
Speaker
The end. The end. That's sweet. That's sweet. It's sweet. It's, I think, obviously, the emotional crescendo of the issue is Scott holding Maddie.
01:17:06
Speaker
But then this wedding is the wedding sweet enough, right? Like, it doesn't, it doesn't, I don't think it moved me as much. It's also, it's very clearly marked as an epilogue just to be, just to be like, yes, and they got married.
01:17:21
Speaker
one interesting note here because we don't really mention it in the recap but storm her position as leader of the x-men more than once is like we have to kill the dark phoenix and it doesn't matter who else dies as a result right it culminates in the danger room and at this point she's just focusing on mastermind but she's willing to bring in a storm that would potentially do as much damage to the X-Men as it would to Mastermind. But especially in the face of the Dark Phoenix, she is like, hey, if she's holding someone hostage, I will shoot through them if I think it means it will kill the Dark Phoenix.
01:18:03
Speaker
It's that important. Yeah, I mean, there's ah there's a kind of there's a conversation at some point between her and Nightcrawler. Yes. Where... like I don't remember... Do you remember what the... She says, against this foe, our lives are expendable. And he says, verstehe.
01:18:26
Speaker
Which translates to what i understand. Yeah. Nuts. And it makes sense. I mean...
01:18:38
Speaker
it there were empires that were fighting to destroy the dark Phoenix because she was, she was dangerous to all of existence. Yeah. Yeah.
01:18:50
Speaker
who Wow. Well, good thing she's dead and never coming back. Yeah. No more Dark Phoenix. It's um over. It's over. We're calling it right here. The Phoenix out of our lives. We're calling it now. They'll never see the Dark Phoenix again.
01:19:03
Speaker
This was just a... this was a that that's all this That's what this issue's telling us. It's just a little joke. It's over. If you see it in the future, it's probably just a joke. It's probably just a joke.
Uncanny X-Men #176 Adventure
01:19:15
Speaker
All right, Pat. I want to tell you about another issue that reads like... About an issue that reads itself like an epilogue. Yes, please. ah x Uncanny X-Men number 176.
01:19:30
Speaker
Decisions.
01:19:32
Speaker
Chris Claremont, writer, John Romita Jr., penciler, Bob Wyacek, in-ger, in-ger, glint is ween colorist, Tom Orszakowski, letterer, Louise Jones, editor, and yeah dim butthole.
01:19:49
Speaker
Sheep.
01:19:53
Speaker
Release date September 6th, 1983, cover date December 1983. Chris Claremont opens the issue by letting us know that Scott and Madeline definitely have sex while flying themselves to Boragora.
01:20:11
Speaker
Not a real place. I looked it up. In a seaplane for their honeymoon. A thunderstorm is on their tail, but they should be able to make it as they continue to mull over their decision to join the Starjammers.
01:20:22
Speaker
There's no time for that now, though, as a line squall. Fucking squall. it It's a line squall. ah God, this guy can't stop talking about airplanes.
01:20:38
Speaker
It extends from the storm behind them and puts them in the thick of the storm. We get some aeronautical weather nerd stuff just before the plane is struck by lightning and begins plummeting to the Pacific Ocean below them.
01:20:49
Speaker
Oh, no. a garish Yeah, go ahead. they so Claremont and Claremont alone makes it explicit that they have sex between panels because what the artist here does is draws two people sitting neck or two people in a cockpit one of them Scott is standing and giving a kiss on the cheek to the other and then we see Scott taking his chair in the next panel and
01:21:24
Speaker
The dialogue suggests that instead of this being one so fluid motion, they actually put the plane in autopilot, went off to the cabin, had sex, came back.
01:21:36
Speaker
And sat in the same position. And now Scott's sitting down in his chair. Yeah, yeah. I i think... Chris Claremont is just obsessed with letting us know characters get naked and have sex. Like he loves yeah taking characters clothes off. He loves telling us when characters have sex. It's just.
01:21:57
Speaker
Dude's a little, dude's a little pervo. Yeah. I i mean, yeah fucking eight, man. People have sex. That's not. It's, it's real. Is it real?
01:22:08
Speaker
Sex. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, wait till you get married, dude. Yeah. Agarashima Japan, Wolverine sneaks into Mariko's heavily guarded bedroom to return the Ashida Honor Sword, which he received in the mail.
Wolverine's Personal Struggles
01:22:23
Speaker
Didn't we just see him do this?
01:22:25
Speaker
ah Yes. But he received it in the mail just a few days after the whole Mastermind thing was sorted out. Can you imagine after all that just sending it to him by mail?
01:22:39
Speaker
Mariko insists he is the rightful owner of the sword, to which Logan replies that he wants her, not the sword. She only caught off the wedding because mass because of Mastermind, and x Xavier has cleared all that out of her mind, so why can't they get married now?
01:22:55
Speaker
Mariko carefully explains that under the influence of Mastermind, she fully bonded the Yoshida clan in the Japanese criminal underworld. oh no. She must undo these bonds herself to prove herself worthy of Logan as he proved himself worthy of her.
01:23:11
Speaker
Wolverine picks the sword back up and says, Sayonara. Sayonara. Sayonara. I mean, okay i mean this is superhero brain rot, right?
01:23:26
Speaker
Wolverine can't understand. Like they beat the bad guy. Why is everything not fixed? I beat him up. Yeah, that's true. I beat him up. Why is everything not fixed? Things are supposed to go back. Marry me.
01:23:39
Speaker
But that, that said, her reasoning here is pretty thin too. Like it's sweet. But it's it's pretty thin. Like he's like, I can help you deal with that. And she's like, nope, got to do it myself. Why? You're seconds away from marrying this guy. Just what? what I think she puts up a good argument that like what she has to do now to consider herself worthy of Wolverine is go through what Wolverine went through to consider himself worthy of her.
01:24:11
Speaker
Back in the mid-Pacific, Scott and Madeline try to repair the engines on their sitting duck plane as the storm behind them gets closer and closer. They stop for a moment to make out, breaking Scott's careful concentration and causing him to slip.
01:24:25
Speaker
Stop it. There's no time for this now. Fix the plane. As he hangs off the what the win the wing of the plane, ah great white shark jumps out of the water and tries to eat him.
01:24:38
Speaker
Missing by only inches. This is what Claremont thinks happens if you're just in the water. ah ah Scott hobbles back up onto the wing and fires a blast at the at the shark as revenge. He did not have to do that. Hey, man!
01:24:56
Speaker
I'll show you. As the shark swims away, we see it grassed by two large tentacles from off panel and dragged to the depths of the ocean. over Phew! Threat averted.
Mutant Threats and Government Plans
01:25:10
Speaker
Washington, D.C. Henry Peter Gyrick enters a Pentagon briefing room where a meeting called by Judge Petrie, National Security Advisor.
01:25:21
Speaker
So... He's not a judge. He's a national security advisor to the president. His first name is judge.
01:25:33
Speaker
it's This meeting's already started. Frank Lowell from the CIA is talking about Magneto's destruction of the Siberian military base from X-Men 150.
01:25:45
Speaker
He's talking about how Magneto hasn't been heard of, heard from since that, that, military base was destroyed. i I think this is very cool. I think it is so cool that they are holding on to these things, right? Rather than just like a supervillain does a supervillain thing and then 25 issues later, it's it's a whole new world, right? Yeah, yeah. They're like...
01:26:09
Speaker
The shit this guy did, we have to fucking talk about it because this is an international incident. And we, as the reader, if you've been paying attention, know the reason that he hasn't been active since then. But the government has no idea and it scares the hell out of him.
01:26:26
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. And it and it as it should. Like he sank a nuclear submarine. He caused volcanoes across the world. Like this is wild shit. And because of that, the subject turns to the danger of mutants as Pat.
01:26:43
Speaker
Dr. Valerie Cooper makes her first appearance. Val. Val Cooper. Val for short. She's here. She takes the podium and she talks about the danger of mutants internationally, potentially being harnessed by their governments and used to attack the U.S.
01:26:58
Speaker
Her solution is for the U.S. to start using American mutants for military purposes. oh boy. Huh. Gyrick challenges that.
01:27:09
Speaker
Mutants are certainly a danger to society, but if this is seen as enslaving mutants, it could prove Magneto right and further radicalize mutants nationally. Hey, good fucking point, dude. Yeah, is surprisingly astute and not trigger happy.
01:27:24
Speaker
The plan for now is to wait. Man, Val Cooper. I'm excited. I'm excited to see some more Val Cooper. Back in the Pacific, Scott and Madeline are still trying to fix the plane and still trying to decide whether or not they should join the Starjammers. It's almost as if there's a metaphor happening here. The storm descends upon them.
01:27:48
Speaker
Oh no. A thousand feet below Manhattan and we see Caliban returning to his room, shocked to see that Callisto, Mask, and Sunder are all hanging out there. They're understandably pissed that he interrupted their fight with the X-Men on the side of Kitty pride, but sympathize with him following his heart and getting burned by Kitty's promise to stay with him if he helped. She didn't stay.
01:28:11
Speaker
Sort of like they take his picture of Kitty and they start kind of like mocking him for it. so Like, oh, hey, you like this little girl? yeah Hey, buddy. Well, guess what?
01:28:22
Speaker
We can help you with this little girl. Right. And then Callisto takes him aside and is like, hey, I understand you are following your heart. She burned you. It's shitty, but we're we're here to help.
01:28:34
Speaker
Yeah. She promises Caliban they will force Kitty to make good on her word. And if Storm objects, Callisto is happy to fight for the title of a leader of the Morlocks. Which would be the death, remember.
01:28:47
Speaker
Scott and Madeline fight a damn octopus for like six pages before finally getting their engines working, taking off, and flying above the storm. It's not a strong enough metaphor for us to walk through that whole fight.
01:29:04
Speaker
Madeline has changed bikinis for some reason. ah just yeah that's in the description here she changed her bikini that's in the description here is that Madeline changed her bikini the electronics are still out still ah including autopilot so they can't have sex again but they can chat and they both decide that they'd like to build a life together here on earth the beginning did you cry
01:29:39
Speaker
Yes. Okay. Very funny that at the end, they openly discuss the fact that they can't have sex. Like the autopilot's out.
01:29:50
Speaker
We can't have sex right now. We're just flying to our destination. And then we can. i guess we've just got to talk to each other. They are just. And look, they're on their honeymoon. I'm happy for him. Me too.
01:30:03
Speaker
Get your get to your destination. You're flying the plane. So like legitimately the intention here of Chris Claremont is just Maddie Pryor was just a woman who looked like Jean Grey.
01:30:16
Speaker
And now Cyclops is marrying her and they're going off to be normal people.
01:30:22
Speaker
Like, yeah, that's that's what Claremont wanted. He wanted Scott to be gone. He's out of the book. And this is his second attempt to do that, right? I guess so. And Scott's out of the book. He's married. He's he's not coming back. And the X-Men are just going to have to be different X-Men from now on. Not the impression I got from this.
01:30:44
Speaker
Oh, yeah. ah like it seemed to me like they were going on a honeymoon. They decided that they wouldn't be joining the star jammers. I guess he does say like, I'd like to just be normal for yeah a little bit, but I assumed that was for like a month or two until they went back to the X-Men. Yeah. I mean, i think that's not a bad assumption.
01:31:07
Speaker
um And it's not like in, we're not, it's not like we're not going to see ah Cyclops again in Claremont's arc. But he's taking a break? But he's taking a little break. And yeah and I think, like, yeah. yeah it's And I don't think that was his plan. Like, we'll never see Cyclops again. I think his plan was more... Well, Cyclops isn't an X-Man anymore. He's moved on. He got to graduate. Like, this is his graduation. He is move he is now... get He spent all this time as a fucking soldier.
01:31:36
Speaker
Now he just goes to live his life. And at the same time, let's actually fully refresh the team. Right, right. He's the last hanger on. right. Well, that was the X-Men for today, Pat.
01:31:51
Speaker
That's it. Well, I mean, that's all the X-Men we're going to read for today. But we didn't even get to check in on my new friends, the New Mutants.
New Mutants: Challenges and Dynamics
01:32:01
Speaker
Well, okay. Then instead of reading the X-Men, why don't you read me some New Mutants?
01:32:07
Speaker
I will, Matt. Why don't I read you New Mutants number seven? okay Flying Down to Rio. That would make sense. You could do that because the last one we read was New Mutants six. So I think like I would like if, yeah.
01:32:20
Speaker
Stan Lee presents the latest pulse-pounding adventure of The New Mutants, brought to you by Chris Claremont, writer, Sal Beshema, penciler, Bob McLeod, anchor, Tom Orzakowski, letterer, Glynis Ween, colorist, Louise Jones, editor, Jim Stupid, editor-in-chief.
01:32:35
Speaker
Release date May 24th, 1983. Cover date September
01:32:42
Speaker
On the shore of Big Sur, California, Roberto DaCosta stands wet and despondent. After the explosion at the end of last issue, the new mutants were scattered to the ocean.
01:32:54
Speaker
Roberto saved a drowning Sam Guthrie, and one by one, each of his teammates made it to safety. All except one. What? Jeanne Coiman is nowhere to be found. What?
01:33:06
Speaker
The rest of the team finds Roberto. It's been days since the explosion. The mutants, the X-Men, and Professor Xavier's psi scans all couldn't locate Shan. They're starting to lose hope.
01:33:18
Speaker
The kids walk back up the shore and meet with the base camp. Professor X and Lalandra are poring over a map while Colossus has been checking local hospitals and Nightcrawler is making everyone hot cocoa.
01:33:29
Speaker
ah That's his contribution. Storm laments that Wolverine isn't there to help as he's still off in Japan. And glumly tells Rain that her wolf form tracking abilities probably aren't up to the task yet.
01:33:45
Speaker
Damn, dude. you were you Come on. We know you just wanted to use her like. this Actually, probably like this month in X-Men. Remember, she was like, hey, Professor, ah since Wolverine's not here, can we use Wolfsbane?
01:34:01
Speaker
And he was like, no, stop it. Right. So this is actually, like, chronologically, this is right before that happens. Or release date, at least. where oh Okay, so in May...
01:34:17
Speaker
She, hold on, let's let's figure this out. In she. She asks the professor, or no, in May. In May, she tells Wolfsbane, hey, you can't track. You're a little baby.
01:34:32
Speaker
And then, like, June or July or something, she calls the professor and she's like, hey, can I have Wolfsbane so she can track? What?
01:34:43
Speaker
Yeah. Well, despite all of this, Professor Xavier has a surprise. Roberto's mother is here.
01:34:56
Speaker
She recently learned that her son is a mutant as she was on an archaeological dig when everything with Juliana went down. It's like, hey... it's like hey Yeah, your friend's dead, but guess what? Your mom is here! Berto is frustrated with her for always being gone, but she's attempting to make up for it by taking him and his friends on an expedition down the Amazon River.
01:35:22
Speaker
Oh, cool. but Absolutely not, Roberto said. What? Rounding on the professor. He was so busy with the motorcycle dorks that he let Shan get killed. Professor pulls him Roberto is right.
01:35:33
Speaker
Roberto is right here, 100%. Professor pulls rank and demands obedience, so Roberto quits and storms off. Yeah, quits the team. He's like, I'm not a new mutant anymore.
01:35:44
Speaker
Professor Xavier then reveals his true intentions to Nightcrawler. The powerful psychic entity he and Jan kept encountering is a danger to the kids. He wants them far away in case it happens to strike. Additionally, he doesn't believe Karma is dead, and he would have felt it happened.
01:36:01
Speaker
Instead, he wants the mutants to believe she's dead, so they stop looking for her. Come on, man. This is like this is like old Professor X. like It's his old ways coming back. This is so manipulative. Just tell them what's happening. Yeah, yeah.
01:36:17
Speaker
well yeah Yeah, he's like, oh, well, they're going to want to try and help. Well, just don't let them. You're an adult. They're children. And, like, fucking, he, like, don't make them think their friend is dead.
01:36:31
Speaker
Right. So, and if you think there's some sort of danger, them know there's some sort of danger. Yeah. What do you think about the fact? Okay. just A slight change of so topic there. What do you think about the fact that there is a second psychic entity threatening people that's not mastermind?
01:36:53
Speaker
I always assumed that was the case because mastermind can't really like, yeah you can't really do psychic attacks. Okay. All right. All right. So as soon as you realized it was mastermind, you were like, okay, those threats are different.
01:37:05
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Roberto shifts shifts to sunspot form and starts smashing rocks in his grief. But his friends come to console him and talk him into giving up the outburst and joining his mother.
01:37:19
Speaker
A week later in rido in Rio de Janeiro, the kids pile out of a limousine onto the palatial estate of Emmanuel da Costa. The butler, Simone, greets them at the door and shows them to their rooms, insulting their appearance. Yeah. Later, they sit down to dinner with Roberto's millionaire father, Emanuel, and absentee mother, Nina.
01:37:41
Speaker
Soon, an argument erupts between the two as Emanuel thinks Nina's expedition is too dangerous and Nina thinks Emanuel's mining operations in the exact same area are harmful to the planet.
01:37:52
Speaker
The mutants are all wildly uncomfortable and Emanuel storms off. That is right. It's not just like a like your friend's mom and dad are fighting. They're fighting over deep moral issues. people Right. They have immense amounts of money and can actually make an impact.
01:38:10
Speaker
And they're fighting over like where they're where the kids are about to go. Like the trip that the kids are on. Right. You shouldn't be on this trip because I am doing mining in that area. You shouldn't be doing mining in that area because I am on this trip.
01:38:27
Speaker
And because it's not cool to do that to the rainforest. Later, the kids walk through the streets of Rio. It's carnival and everyone is dancing and wearing very little clothing for which Sam is embarrassed. Danny is delighted and Rain is scandalized.
Rio Carnival and New Mutants' Adventure
01:38:44
Speaker
Danny's like, oh, we should all take off our clothes. And Rain's like, this isn't right. if i cover Yeah.
01:38:51
Speaker
a random ass woman full-on kisses sam guthrie on the the child wanders off further inflaming the situation just a random ass woman walks up to a child kisses him on the lips well from what we know sam guthrie looks like an adult right like i don't know i think he's tall but he looks like a gawky teenager as soon as the hellfire club saw him they were like you're a soldier get in get in uniform it true okay ah Nina takes the kids to a costume shop and they all pick outfits. Danny picks a one piece that's basically not even clothes. Yeah. Rain wears a big flowy yellow dress. Sam dresses up like the Scarlet Pimpernel and Roberto dresses up like Conan the Barbarian.
01:39:35
Speaker
As they all show off, Dina is called outside and immediately kidnapped by some Hellfire Club goons. Wait, what the fuck? What? Where did this come from? All of a sudden, she's not know. They're just like having fun in Rio and suddenly Hellfires? What the fuck?
01:39:51
Speaker
The mutants see this happen and somehow back in their regular clothes already give chase. Yeah. it' So they had to put him back in their regular clothes because they have to talk about whether or not they should save her without their costumes. Yeah. Because if they still had the costumes they were just wearing.
01:40:08
Speaker
Now they're wearing costumes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, oh, the Scarlet Pimpernel and a naked girl saved that one. Cannonball rockets after the car when an axe head smacks him and knocks him in into an empty building, collapsing it on himself.
01:40:24
Speaker
Oh. The mutants are torn. Do they save Sam or save Roberto's mother? But while they're arguing, a giant muscle Mr. T looking ass speaking jive introduces himself as Axe and warns them against getting involved. This guy, what the fuck?
01:40:41
Speaker
He also is holding an axe and he's named Axe. He's named Axe. He's holding an axe. He's named Axe because he holds an axe. Axe is here. ax is here
01:40:55
Speaker
He has four appearances ever, two of which are in the New Mutants. This is his very first appearance. He also appears a Wolverine at one point and in a Thunderbolts like 40 years in the future. I mean, this is prime Thunder. I mean, okay.
01:41:16
Speaker
Loser League for sure. Absolutely. If he didn't make later appearances, this would be a an immediate Loser League candidate. We are... I know i think he could still be because he makes so few appearances. like Let's see what his next new Mutants appearance is like. But...
01:41:34
Speaker
Also, great candidate for the Thunderbolts, right? If I was writing Thunderbolts and digging back through Marvel villains, I'd be like, oh, fuck. Have Axe show up for one issue and fail out of the Thunderbolts.
01:41:49
Speaker
Because he sucks so bad. It's a man named Axe carrying an axe. Yeah. Who speaks jive, like the most offensive jive.
01:42:00
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. ed So he tells them not to get involved. Sunspot doesn't listen and attacks immediately, being swatted aside. Psyche tries to pull Axe's fears out, but he's not afraid of anything. So he calls her a slur and backhands her. Yeah, yeah. Rain runs down an alleyway and Axe hops into the car that kidnapped Nina DaCosta.
01:42:23
Speaker
While the team picks themselves up, they notice that Rain is missing. And Danny suddenly gets a mind call. Wolf Spain is in wolf form tracking the kidnappers. Oh my God. He's not afraid of anything, Pat.
01:42:37
Speaker
This is Chris Bermond being like, let me come up with a cool supervillain. Are his powers just that he's kind of strong? Like he's not too strong. I think his powers is he's has an ax.
01:42:49
Speaker
No, no, no. That's just an ax. No, think his powers is I have an ax My mutant power is I found an axe.
01:43:04
Speaker
That night, Psyche, Cannonball, and Sunspot creep up on an old abandoned mansion or church or something like that the Hellfire goons are using as a hideout. Wolfsbane is already inside spying on the kidnappers. She's in wolfman form.
01:43:19
Speaker
yeah Yeah. The mutants realize they can't risk going to the police and they can't just attack straight up. So they devise a plan inspired by Magnum P.I. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I guess.
01:43:34
Speaker
Is this, ah is it it, it's inspired. Okay. We'll talk about it once we see what the plan is. Inside the hellfire goons hear a howling sound and worry that it's ghosts. Axe makes fun of them because he's not scared of anything, but they go to check it out anyway. One goon sees a glowing group of pretty ladies at the top of the stairs. And for some reason thinks they're real boost chasing after them, but they suddenly turn into demons and he falls down the stairs.
01:44:01
Speaker
Ooh, some ladies. ghost ladies. Yay! Here I go! My greatest desire. ah The other goons start firing at the balcony where Danny and Rain are, but Danny pulls their fears fears out of their heads too, and they start panicking while Rain shifts to wolf form and attacks them.
01:44:21
Speaker
Danny even finished one off with a fucking righteous left hook. It's, man. Good punch, dude. She's fighter. love that about her. Yeah. i Okay, the Hellfire goons, we get four of their greatest fears. Four separate Hellfire goons in their greatest fears. All right, give me them.
01:44:38
Speaker
Demons. Oh, yeah, that's scary. Fire. ooh Oh, my gosh. Geez. Yeah. Giant rats of a swarm of giant rats. All right. Yeah, i I could see some some sort of pink goo.
01:44:55
Speaker
Like a Nickelodeon slime, but pink is just on his body and he's going, oh, this is disgusting. I hate this. I'm scared. i hate this so much. I'm scared.
01:45:09
Speaker
i will say this is a very Magnum PI plan. How? You know what? I've heard root cause we look Magnum PI is smart.
01:45:23
Speaker
He's handsome, but his big thing is he's always got a, he's always outnumbered and he's always got ah to face stronger guys than him. Okay. So what do you would do in a situation like this? If he had heard that there's a rumor that the place is haunted is try to create the illusion that there are ghosts to get the goons scattered and then try to take them out one by one. That's that's how, that's the way that, because i here I was like, how is this Magnum P.I.? Just because it is a plan?
01:45:55
Speaker
Like, oh, I've got an idea about, I've got an idea straight from Magnum P.I. It's do a plan. yeah It is. I mean, when he's see his plan is trick them. That's that's the parallel to Magnum. OK, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's very sly.
01:46:16
Speaker
And he's got superpowers. Axe, with all this going on, realizes something is up and grabs Roberto's mom when he comes bursting in through the wall with Sunspot.
Amazon Expedition and Combat Training
01:46:28
Speaker
He meaning Roberto. Yeah, yeah. He punches the floor, causing Axe to fall through it, and Cannonball rockets Nina to safety. Sunspot, angry as hell, squares off against Axe and beats his whole friggin' ass off. It's so good! he'd be beats the fuck out of Axe!
01:46:45
Speaker
Again, what are Axe's powers supposed to be? Getting his ass beat! He mentioned he's a mutant. He found an axe. But yeah, it's just like Roberto. Okay. I'm looking at it. Punches him across in the face.
01:46:57
Speaker
Axe throws a punch. Roberto ducks it. Punches him right in the stomach. It says wood. Then does he this massive ah ah right cross and sends axe flying into the wall.
01:47:15
Speaker
there's this great it's it's like okay you caught me by surprise no such luck this time says roberto and then does a punch and then acts just like ha if that was the best you could do and then after he kicks his whole ass he goes it wasn't but so good fucking good it's good roberto's cool all right i like roberto now yeah yeah he's uh he's cocky but he can back it up yeah A few days later, the kids are helping pack up Nina DaCosta's plane to fly to the Amazon, while Emanuel looks on from the back of a car.
01:47:49
Speaker
That's normal. He's disappointed in the Hellfire goons and having second thoughts about joining the Hellfire Club. Wait. Oh, yeah, okay, because the Hellfire goons came and tried to kidnap his wife, so he's like, well, I'm not going to join the Hellfire Club. You tried to kidnap my wife. That makes sense. Okay. He tells this to Sebastian Shaw, who blames the failure on Emmanuel wanting Nina to be captured unhurt. Wait, what?
01:48:12
Speaker
Also, they underestimated the New Mutants and overestimated Axe. Ha ha ha ha ha!
01:48:20
Speaker
But they still are prepared to help. Not necessary, though, as Emmanuel has plans of his own. The expedition will never reach the Medaria. What? Even if it means the death of his wife and son.
01:48:33
Speaker
Hey, hey, hey. What the fuck? Interesting story. Okay. We do get... I believe we're counting this as number six for near invulnerable when I'm blasting.
01:48:47
Speaker
Sam says it when he's rescuing Berto's mom. Okay, we're at six. Should we have been counting Magnum PI references too? No, I think they will be ever present. If these first seven issues are any to sign.
01:49:04
Speaker
All right. We're in South America. the new mutants are traveling. Yeah. So, okay, let let me try and figure this out. So Emmanuel was telling his wife not to go on this trip because it's too dangerous.
01:49:18
Speaker
Right. So then he hires, and so the Hellfire Club, who's trying to recruit him, he hires them to kidnap his wife so that she can't go. That fails because they think Axe is going to be good at something.
01:49:35
Speaker
But also they're saying because he said, kidnap her, but do not hurt her. Okay, so if Axe was allowed to hurt her, he would have he would have succeeded. Right. That's that's the Hellfire Club's perspective on it.
01:49:51
Speaker
um And they didn't think the New Mutants were going to be any good. Right. Already underestimating him. They didn't learn their lesson with the X-Men. They're like, oh, these are other mutants. We can underestimate them. Other mutants trained by Charles x Xavier. Like, what are you fucking doing? yeah So then, ah yeah okay, wait, why so why is he doing this? He's doing this because he has interests in the Mediera.
01:50:14
Speaker
Right. And he doesn't want ah her to discover anything interesting there that'll cause the government to say, hey, don't do stuff here. Don't mine here. I think they do a little more clarifying in the next issue. But ah yeah, essentially the expedition is potentially going to discover some like valuable.
01:50:38
Speaker
parts or uh it seems like there's some conservation effort related to this expedition too that would definitely shut down mining in the area well i guess i mean if it's like the unesco would be like you can't mine here if you found like the you um united nations you know ah world heritage foundation or whatever um wouldn't if you found something archaeologically important, right? So maybe it's that.
01:51:07
Speaker
But also, he tries one time, fails, and then he's like, all right, fine, kill my wife and son. I don't think he says kill my wife and son. Well, but that's what Sebastian Shaw says. He's like, you ah you're going to go through this, even if it means the death of your wife and son. And he's like, yeah.
01:51:24
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Should we... wrap this episode up with one more New Mutants issue? Yeah, I want to see if Emmanuel DaCosta kills his wife and son.
01:51:37
Speaker
All right, let's find out in New Mutants number eight, The Road to Rome. Chris Claremont writer, Sal Buscema penciler, Bob McLeod, inker, Tom Orzakowski letterer, Glynnis Ween colorist, Louise Jones editor, and i don't know,
01:51:58
Speaker
dump Dummy, dumb, idiot, idiot, dummy man, chief. Release date, June 6th, 1983. Cover date, October 1983. Jim Shooter. We start in the Amazon jungle where rain prowling in full wolf form hunts down Danny Moonstar.
01:52:18
Speaker
They're playing hide and seek. ah A little training exercise as they trek through the rainforest that's cut short when rain overheats and starts to feel faint. Roberto and Sam, after hiding for way too long, walk up to see Danny creating a small snowstorm illusion and rain rolling around in it like a puppy.
01:52:37
Speaker
We learn that Danny's honed her abilities and to be able to discern between fear-based and desire-based images. Nice. When Sam gets bored and goes off for a workout, we also learn that he's been practicing his maneuvering as he rockets through the forest like a slalom, zipping in and around the dense growth. He does eventually hit a tree, though, and Birdo destroys it in sunspot form before it can fall. And when he punches a tree apart, pretty good. Just a real good punch. Tree explodes once they wrap up their games. I can do that, by the way.
01:53:13
Speaker
What? Yeah. Once they wrap up their games, the gang hooks up a satellite comm to reach out to x Xavier and ask if there's been any update around Jan. I do. i I love. There's two things we get here. Number one, seeing just their powers evolve. right Yeah. Issue eight. It took so much longer. i mean, they were training. They were honing. But for there to be like an actual. Yeah.
01:53:40
Speaker
yeah tangible evolution in their powers. ah The other thing is the tech. the head They set up a whole satellite and a little computer situation to contact the professor.
01:53:54
Speaker
The professor? Well, he tells him to accept the reality that Jan is gone. Fuck off, dude. Jesus Christ, man. We thought he had learned his fucking lesson.
01:54:06
Speaker
Anyway. And focus on the expedition they've joined. He's busy training Team America. Oh, my God. And can't provide them constant updates on the situation. You can't just keep calling me. I am training the motorcycle guys.
01:54:23
Speaker
what's see true Like, okay. it show First of all, I'm so glad they didn't appear in the X-Men. Yeah. But second of all, he it shows them, like, in the danger room. So sweaty. Yeah.
01:54:36
Speaker
What is he trying? What are they so sweaty about? Is it that taxing? Summoning a fifth guy? Maybe it's a lot of work to ride a motorcycle. I've never actually i've never actually ridden one.
01:54:49
Speaker
But maybe it's... be Oh, God. i wrote I rode my motorcycle for so long. I got to catch my breath.
01:54:57
Speaker
It's so it's a so... I got so mad when I saw their face, even though it's just... Sort of in the the bottom corner of a panel to show us that they're still there. Why are they still there? There's no reason for them to still be there. Are they going to be back? get Get rid of them. Let them die. Let them die.
01:55:14
Speaker
After the call, Danny notes there's something in his voice. He's not telling the whole truth about Shan. You're right. Yes. Good fucking instinct. Maybe she talked to the X-Men and found out he lies all the fucking time.
01:55:27
Speaker
The team heads back to the expedition boat and Danny decides ah she's going to take a so shortcut by swimming through the Amazon River, despite everyone's warnings not to go swimming in the Amazon River.
01:55:39
Speaker
Haven't you ever seen Anaconda?
01:55:46
Speaker
uh an evil looking crew member sees this from the boat privately chides her for being so foolish and dumps a slop bucket overboard to school stir up a school of piranha near danny oh my god danny's able to use her powers on the whole school of fish and they start swimming away
01:56:10
Speaker
you know you're scared salb you which we didn't talk about salb you sama is drawing he's been drawing new mutants for a little while we didn't talk about him um we have seen him before he drew remember he drew x-men number 66 where yeah they kidnap bruce banner by after they fight the hulk yes um it's like it's the issue that got the x-men canceled um But yeah, like, okay. So Sal Buscema and Chris Claremont wisely decide like, okay, we're not going to show what a school of piranha are afraid of. It's going to stay off panel.
01:56:49
Speaker
But they do a great job. Sal Buscema does a great job of showing showing that these fish are scared. Yeah. eat on their faces. He's like, he he spent a lot of time in the aquarium banging on the glass and then writing kick down notes about what the fish's face looks like.
01:57:14
Speaker
Uh... piranha are one of those things that we mentioned from time to time that seemed like a huge deal when i was a kid and have not come up in a long time for just like i've got to figure out how to deal with these things because they are they are clearly a part of adult life yeah yeah ah Despite knowing it will reveal his powers to the expedition crew, Sam rockets over the water and picks Danny up, crashing them both into the mud on the other side of the river, right at the feet of a native tribe sporting spears and shields and bikinis.
01:57:52
Speaker
Yikes. Yikes. This is... I mean, we all know about Chris Claremont's...
01:58:02
Speaker
history with indigenous people. He does not seem to like or understand them. No, no. And he doesn't understand what's different between one group of ah indigenous people from another one. They're all just, they all just do the same things and wear the same things.
01:58:19
Speaker
They start, these the natives, they start beating the shit out of Sam, but Danny steps in and takes the lot of them out. She kicks ass. Yeah. She kicks three girls' asses while Sam just tries to, like, hold one. Yeah. Fuck.
01:58:35
Speaker
all but one of them run away. Sam managed to grab one of them to bring back to the boat as a prisoner. Why? Why are you kidnapping people? What? What?
01:58:51
Speaker
Why did you just take a random woman from the Amazon? Fucking what? I guess we'll just take her back to the boat. I guess I'll just take her. Oh, hey, these, uh, we, I guess we scared these indigenous people and they attacked us. So let's take one.
01:59:10
Speaker
They were clearly watching the boat and maybe this woman can tell them for how long. Why? Why? What's the purpose? Yeah. Just get on the boat. They can't, they haven't, Back on the boat, the crew discusses whether or not they're comfortable with mutants on board.
01:59:25
Speaker
a man named Silvera is threatening mutiny if they don't kick the mutants off the boat. But Castro, the man that just tried to kill Danny, tells them to calm down. They're good kids.
01:59:36
Speaker
This... There must have been another conversation planned here that ends up taking place off panel because there's no reason for him to.
01:59:46
Speaker
Yeah. Like it doesn't. Yeah. I mean, and Roberto and Rainer are sit standing on the ship. Yeah, they're right there. How did they get there? What? Did they swim across the Amazon also? Like, what are you doing? Okay. Roberto's mother tries communicating in every local language she knows, but can't get a word out of the prisoner. She also notes that her arrows appear to be from different locations and her knife is made with a level of craft craftsmanship that none of the local tribes are capable of.
02:00:14
Speaker
I guess they couldn't have fucking traded with somebody. Are they shut off from the rest of the world? Even if they weren't like, okay. All the while, the rest of her tribe watches from the banks with bows and arrows ready to strike whenever Lady Amara gives a signal from the boat. Look, fucking Chris Claremont clearly knows absolutely nothing about what an anthropologist is.
02:00:36
Speaker
Yeah. they They either invent robots or do they make weird guesses about fucking where somebody found a knife.
02:00:46
Speaker
This is impossible. They say that a lot. Yeah. Cut to Rio de Janeiro, where Emmanuel da Costa, Roberto's father, is explaining his plan to mine the lands of Brazil, the Madeira specifically, to Sebastian Shaw.
02:01:04
Speaker
Only his wife's expedition could stop it, which is why he's enlisted the help of the Hellfire Club to stop the exposition, with the only condition being that they don't harm Roberto or his mom. As the new mutants reach that very same the Madeira, but the Madeira, yeah, the Madeira, Madaria, the Madeira,
02:01:25
Speaker
Mountains towering into the sky. The captain explains to them that, according to legend, there's a secret city of gold hidden somewhere in the mountains ruled by gods. o I saw a ah movie about that once, a Disney movie about that one. He also explains how dangerous the waters around there can be if you take a wrong turn. Uh-oh.
02:01:47
Speaker
Rain wanders down into the cabin, excited about what a great adventure this has all been. But when she hears violent noises coming from the one of the rooms, she bursts in to find Castro beating the tied-up prisoner to try to to try to extract info. Fuck.
02:02:05
Speaker
When Rain tries to stop him, he strikes her, and she transforms into wolf form, sending him running out of the room in terror. Fuck. wolf man
02:02:18
Speaker
She shifts back to human and starts untying the prisoner, checking for injury. Even though she can't speak English, Rain knows she can at least introduce herself. The prisoner understands and introduces herself as Amara.
02:02:30
Speaker
Rain breaks down a little, reflecting on how awful it feels to be looked at the way Castro looked at her when she transformed. So similar to the way the people of her hometown looked at her.
02:02:41
Speaker
in horror and cannonball one time remember oh yeah that she sheds a few tears and thanks god that amara can't understand any of the very vulnerable things she said when rain goes to tell him castro though she finds the captain dead with an arrow in his back before she can calm herself castro shows up and hits her across the head with the butt of a rifle When she comes to, she finds herself in one of the bedrooms with all the other new mutants, Roberta's mom and Amara, all just regaining consciousness.
02:03:17
Speaker
Although, like, they all just had their food drugged. It was only rain that got in there. When she comes to, she's like, why do I always have to get bashed in the head? Oh.
02:03:28
Speaker
but They burst out to find the boat empty, save the captain's corpse, and the boat is headed straight for a waterfall with all the controls dead. Oh, no. The boat flies off the water's edge and down, nose first, onto a big rock at the base of the waterfall, sending bodies flying everywhere. Sam thinks fast, grabbing Danny and rocketing her to shore before going back for more. There's a little flirty thing here.
02:03:50
Speaker
A little bit, yeah. Yeah, where Danny's like, hey. Danny seems to have a flirty thing with everybody. She's like, hey, I could get used to this. And Sam's like, hey, me, ah me too. Sam, ah Roberto sees his mother and tries to save her, but gets bonked on the back of the head and starts sinking into the river when Sam rockets in and pulls him out.
02:04:09
Speaker
But there's no sign of his mom. Oh, Rain is able to shift between wolf and girl form to make her way up on some rocks and grabs Amara as she sees her floating by. When she manages to pull her out of the water, she sees the woman that the water has washed away Amara's wig and the makeup On her skin, she's actually a blonde white woman.
02:04:30
Speaker
Oh no, Amara. Amara, come on. You can't do that. What? I wish you weren't actually about to become a big character of the New Mutants.
02:04:41
Speaker
Oh no. And what's more, she speaks English. Rain is mortified, but still, of course, saves her. As they regroup on the shore, they try to comfort Roberto about his missing mother. Another another woman drowned that he can't save. When they're interrupted by a legion of Roman soldiers declaring them slaves of Imperial Rome to be continued.
Confrontation with Roman Soldiers
02:05:08
Speaker
What? I swear to God, if this is the living Pharaoh again, going to it's shit my pants. It's not the living Pharaoh. Keep your shit in you. It's not the living Pharaoh, but it might be Maha Yogi.
02:05:23
Speaker
that the ah That one I'm okay with. If Warlock, a.k.a. the actual Merlin, a.k.a. Maha Yogi comes back. Man.
02:05:35
Speaker
Man. Ooh, what a wow rush. That's a lot of stuff. Okay, so in the X-Men, we get kind of like an ending. Like, okay.
02:05:49
Speaker
We are bringing ah sort of an era to a close, right? Yeah. We're bringing the Cyclops thing to a close. We are finally closing the door on the Dark Phoenix. It's over.
02:06:00
Speaker
Like sort of bringing it back to be like, okay, everybody has been adjusting to the death of Jean Grey for 30 issues now. Yeah, yeah. This is us all. This is saying goodbye. It's over.
02:06:14
Speaker
And because it's over, Scott can move on with his life. And introducing, like, there's a new it's there's a new whole dynamic, right? Kitty and Colossus are now clearly, they've moved forward in their relationship.
02:06:31
Speaker
Wolverine has moved on from Mariko. Yeah. Because he has to. Storm is a different person now. uh rogue is part of the team and lalander's gone the star jammers are gone and we have a new set of threats government uh sponsored mutant teams maybe um val cooper uh the morlocks we have a whole new world like x-men are about to enter a new era
02:07:06
Speaker
But they they have they're wrapping this one up first. And then in New Mutants, we're starting a brand new adventure. Yes. Right? Which seems to be going somewhere. It's at least a three-story arc, which is exciting.
02:07:23
Speaker
But also, with their story is a little... rough we're back to like these late 60s early seventy s well i guess we didn't really get through too much of the early 70s but these late sixty s early 70s sort of plot lines and villains and just sort of like even though there's an arc that covers the two issues that we read and however many we'll read next time uh
02:07:56
Speaker
they don't feel like the same story at all right what we're missing here from the new mutants is ah team effort at something okay it is cool when they convince the hellfire goons that the house is haunted and like work together to take them out but that's all we get when they're in the amazon it's all a lot of like individual or or pair scenes it's it seems more like a just display of powers right across these two issues than it does like a team effort or a cohesive story or anything like that
02:08:37
Speaker
Well, this is kind of what we said in the last New Mutants episode is yeah like the stories aren't good. Like there's not a lot, there's especially compared to what's happening over in X-Men. There's nothing really impressive going on. Like like the villains so far aren't great.
02:08:55
Speaker
the artwork is fine, right? The adventures that the new mutants seem to find themselves in are kind of like, eh, bland. But what's really good is the this character work, right? Like, yeah i'm yeah I'm really growing in affection for the new mutants with every scene, and Yeah, there's some power showing off, but a lot of it is not super heroics, right? Like a lot of new meat the mean New Mutant stories are them just kind of goofing off and having fun and being kids. Yeah, being little weirdos. Rather than bursting in and saving the day.
02:09:31
Speaker
They're going on little capers. Little capers. Little capers. So it's not like I like acts. It's not like I think this Hellfire Goon or Emmanuel DaCosta plotline are like that great, right? Or whatever the fuck is going on here in the Amazon. But I do like them sneaking up. I like them like coming up with a little plan and sneaking in and trying to like.
02:09:51
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what you come here for. But you, but I mean, just with the way that we're reading it, you know that it could be better. hmm. You know what might be interesting to do in one of these future episodes is to sort of look at the early X-Men and look at these New Mutants issues and sort of compare what it was like to develop the X-Men versus what it was like to develop the New Mutants.
02:10:15
Speaker
Which is what we would is one of the things we loved about the beginning of the New Mutants is it seemed like they were speed running the first five years of the X-Men. Yeah, yeah. And now it's just kind of stagnated.
02:10:29
Speaker
I just don't think Chris Claremont has the ideas for the New Mutants that he's having for X-Men. Yeah, that's fair. He's writing lot of words. We'll there. Mutants going become...
02:10:44
Speaker
we'll get there right like new mutants is going to become a great book, but good. We're just not, we're just not there. And I think we have another arc, maybe two to go before we start feeling like, okay, this is, this is what I wanted.
02:11:04
Speaker
He's got an eye out. Stuff that you could buy out. If you had time machine that you would like to try out. He can't steal, steal.
02:11:16
Speaker
that's right folks it it is time once again for pat's steals and deals matt that today i have one it's not so much something you can buy as much as it's just a moment in history okay uh marvel's new cover format leaves more room for the art it's more marvel magic just letting us know that they've removed the banner from the top of every marvel comic that says marvel comics group and instead they just put marvel in the little um what do you call that thing i call it the stamp because if i were mailing it to somebody that's where i would put a stamp i i don't yeah i see what you mean yeah i don't know i know it has a name the box in the top left corner is what we're talking about yeah
02:12:07
Speaker
What I love about this is that they have a before and after picture. And number one, the before is a quarter of the size of the after. So it it makes i the after picture look huge. Each one is supposed to be just like an extreme close up on the thing's face, Ben Grimm's rocky face. And they want you to think it's the same image. But in the before image, he's grimacing and crossing his eyes and in the after image he's uh smiling and his eyes are normal and they've also moved the logo so it's not in the middle of his eyebrow right this is like this is like one of those commercials where they're like they show a before and the person is like
02:12:57
Speaker
not only and unhappy and slouched over and they're in a dark room and there's like toilet paper hanging off the walls and then they show the after image and they're standing like they're in a professional shot yeah of like them on the beach it's exactly that very makeup and glistening yeah and they're doing the same thing here like yeah very cheeky okay so they're they're called corner boxes they make the so they take away the banner but they make the corner box way bigger yeah this just so what are you doing what's the point of the corner box
02:13:32
Speaker
why did Why is that there? And, like, they've they've done this in Marvel forever. Why put that there? I don't, yeah, no, I don't know. Why not just say ah Marvel Price Comics Code Authority approved?
02:13:43
Speaker
Anyway, I would buy this. i I think it's, I don't know. I'm guessing it's just tradition, right? Like, I mean, they used to they've done this as far back as comic, but and not just Marvel. DC used to do it, too. Yeah.
02:13:57
Speaker
So I don't know. It's very silly. It's kind of silly. Not as silly as when DC did those checker boxes. Remember in the 70s? DC did what one side of their comic books was all checker boxes.
02:14:10
Speaker
Oh, I wasn't alive for that. ah Well, ah yeah, i I would buy comic books too. so na out of the sp out time machine try out
02:14:31
Speaker
All right, everybody. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for being here. And if you want to support the show, if you like the show and you want to support it, there's a brand new way.
02:14:44
Speaker
either it'll either you'll either find it in this episode show notes or you know our keep an eye on our social media socials the discord you can go to at me this mutant menace pod on uh instagram you can also follow the discord link in the show notes uh to find us on social media any of those places We will put a link as soon as it's up to our new Patreon.
02:15:09
Speaker
Go check it out. There will be a free tier with a reading list for the episodes coming up. And then there will be many more bonuses for the paid tiers. Also, you want to email in into Pat's email corner. It's mutantmenacepod at gmail.com. We would love, love, love to hear from you. We'd love to hear from our regular ah emailers. But, hey, new emailers are...
02:15:34
Speaker
Make new friends, but keep the old. Right? Is it to that? Is that the? Is that the? I don't. I have no idea what you're doing. One is silver and the other is gold. No, you've never heard that?
02:15:47
Speaker
You're making up songs. I think it's a Girl Scouts thing. You're making new words to Christmas songs. I think that's what they use. I think they do. the Anyway, we want new friends to email us.
02:15:59
Speaker
Also, let me, think yeah I have something to say, Matt, before you shut it all down here. okay. I would like to give a big thank you to Julia Selle for providing the voice of Trish Tilby, as well as Krils Wilson for probably providing just about every song you've heard on the episode today.
02:16:15
Speaker
Okay, I will let you do that. Go ahead. I would like to give a huge thanks to Julia Selle for providing the voice of Trish Tilby and to Krils Wilson for most of the music that you heard today.
02:16:26
Speaker
Okay, you can go ahead and do it now. Big, big thanks to Julius Ellie and Krils Wilson for, respectively, the voice of Trish Shelby and the music that you heard today. All right. Finally, he he gets it out. Look, thank you guys for listening. And you ah we're going to wrap up the show the way that we always wrap up the show, right?
02:16:47
Speaker
That's right, Matt. As always, like father, like son. Yum. And remember, good Lord, tentacle?