Take Off, Ya Hosers: X-Men 121

X-Men #121 (May 1979)
"Shoot-out At the Stampede!"
Chris Claremont/John Byrne-Terry Austin

Doug: Shoot-out is right, kiddies! Today's fare is one big brouhaha, pitting our not-so-merry mutants against those novice heroes from the Great White North, Alpha Flight! So why waste any time?

Doug: As we open, Cyclops, Colossus, and Storm are now in full costume and breaking into the Calgary Stampede -- a large fairgrounds-type area. The blizzard we saw in last week's book appears to be over, and the X-Men have been scattered -- Wolverine and Nightcrawler were captured last issue by various members of Alpha Flight, and Banshee (now powerless due to events in X-Men #119) is hanging with Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. Cyke blasts some doors open, and is admonished by Colossus for the property destruction. See, that's just a nice bit of characterization, a theme we've continually come back to in this 3-issue look at the foundations of Alpha Flight. Once inside, Cyclops' thoughts wander to the events of the past day, serving as the obligatory recap of the last issue's events.

Karen: Cyclops does have a sound reason for it: if Ororo carried him and Colossus in, she'd make an easy target. But realistically, could she lift Colossus over the wall? I guess the winds would do most of the work, but still...

Doug: Ororo has flown ahead on reconnaissance, looking for Kurt and Logan. Returning, she calls to Cyke and Peter that she's found them, albeit apparently unconscious and bound in a large open area (the rodeo arena, I'm guessing). As our heroes arrive, they are met by an imposing team of super-beings -- this is our introduction to Canada's finest. Isn't Sasquatch imposing?? Cyclops confronts James Hudson, now known as Vindicator, and they argue over Wolverine. But as they bicker, Colossus is suspicious of the movements of Alpha Flight's speedster, Northstar. For whatever reason (and we are led to believe it's unfounded), Peter thinks Northstar is maneuvering behind Cyke's back. Taking a page from the Hulk, Colossus stomps the ground and creates a shockwave. Well, now everyone's edginess comes to the fore and it's game on!

Karen: It's a fantastic group shot, and yes, Sasquatch, who looks like he may be punching his fist in preparation, does look very intimidating. I think it's interesting that just before our X-trio encounters Alpha Flight, Peter questions the rightness of what they are doing. If Wolverine is wanted by his government, is it right for them to go after him? That is the kind of thought I might expect from someone who has lived under totalitarian rule. Cyclops dismisses it, saying that Professor X would never have admitted Wolverine if he was a criminal. No, but he would admit a homicidal maniac! But I digress.

Doug: The X-Men are engaged and seem at a disadvantage. It's obvious from the beginning that Alpha Flight has some intelligence on the X-Men -- certainly Hudson had briefed everyone and they'd practiced since his scrape over a year earlier. As is typical in super-hero tussles, the main guys are by necessity depowered, disorganized, and on the verge of demoralized. But the wild card is evident right at the beginning, as Wolverine and Nightcrawler were not out, but merely "playing possum". Down only Banshee, the X-Men are still picked apart by Alpha Flight. When will they learn? What do you think of this as a plot device? I can't give you a specific list off the top of my head, but it just seems like every time we do a team book the good guys come out playing like amateurs and just get pasted.

Karen: We've seen this lack of team-work with these X-Men over and over again and honestly, I can't tell if it was really intentional on the part of Claremont/Byrne or not. It does seem pretty pathetic, especially considering that we see Cyclops trying to be a good leader, stressing the importance of training, but these guys are a bunch of loose cannons. There are some nice match-ups, and the playfulness between Nightcrawler and Aurora is fun. I believe Byrne slipped himself into a cameo on page 16, when the ever-growing storm blows out a window in the Calgary Tower. During the Sasquatch - Colossus throw down, Claremont has Sasquatch say he's "taken worse from the Steelers' front four." A fan would point out on the letters page of issue 126 that Sasquatch's civilian ID, Walter Langkowski, was a linebacker, so how could he face another teams' defense? This brings to mind the baseball game from X-Men 110 and how it was obvious Claremont knew nothing about the sport. Why include it if you don't know what you're talking about?

Doug: The rest of the book is basically one big brawl. Opponents are chosen with no surprises -- Storm and Snowbird take to the air, Colossus and Sasquatch lock horns, Cyclops and Nightcrawler try to hold down Northstar and Aurora, and Wolverine tangles with some constructs of Shaman. Vindicator runs loose throughout all of this, which seems to tip the scales in Alpha Flight's favor. But as the teams duke it out, the blizzard that was a central part of last issue's plot begins to intensify, to the point that it is becoming dangerous. Storm is finally able to snare Snowbird in her cape, and then she flies off into the eye of the storm to attempt to squelch it. She is successful, which further reveals the extent of her powers. But as she lands, exhausted, Northstar cheap-shots her with a blow to the back of the head, knocking her out. Cyke retaliates with a knock-out beam of his own.

Karen: I liked Snowbird's look but her powers never impressed me. She could transform into arctic animals. Ho hum. Storm should defeat her easily. Once again, we have an impressive, heroic moment from Storm as she dissipates the tempest. Northstar's dirty punch pretty much summed up his character for a long time: he always seemed like a punk. Scott's protectiveness of his team-mates, and pure anger, was nice to see.

Doug: With the fight elevated to a less-than-honorable pitch, Cyclops picks up Northstar by his shirt and is about to pummel him when Wolverine, of all people, stops him. It's a great scene, just further adding layers to not only Logan's character but to the relationship between he and Cyclops. Wolverine tells that the fight needs to end, that it should never have gotten out-of-hand -- but that he was just enjoying the scrap too doggone much! Wolverine then surrenders to Hudson and is loaded into a specially-made van for transport. Of course the guards utter the obligatory tough-talk, and Logan gives it right back to them.

Karen: It's a nice turnabout, with Wolverine as the voice of reason. This was a character that was still mysterious and appealing. I loved the development of the relationship between him and Cyclops. It was very reminiscent of what happened with Captain America and Hawkeye back in the early days of The Avengers.

Doug: In the last scene, the X-Men are on a plane being escorted to U.S. airspace by the Canadian Air Force. Cyke is raising the troops to return on a rescue mission. Everyone's all in, when suddenly a dissenting voice comes from the co-pilot's chair -- it's Wolverine! You know, the cage hasn't been built that can hold him!

Karen: That was a beautiful ending. No need for any explanation - all you need to know is Wolverine is a bad mother!

Doug: This was a fun 2-parter, I guess 3-parter if we count the first appearance of Vindicator. Claremont and Byrne/Austin remain on top of their collective game, and many enthusiasts would say that the best was still yet to come. That's a tough act, as what's already in the rearview mirror is pretty awesome! Perhaps the best thing about this little series was the extension of the Scott/Logan relationship.

Karen: We got character growth and a tantalizing taste of a new team. What more could you ask for?

Discuss: 3D Movies

Karen: With the Star Wars prequels starting to hit the big screen again, this time in 3D, and most of the big summer movies coming out with 3D versions, we thought we'd throw out this opportunity for you to have your say regarding the whole 3D phenomenon. Are you a fan of 3D films? Could you not care less? Have there been some films which you thought did a great job with 3D, while others perhaps were less successful? Karen: I'll start the ball rolling by saying that I've seen films in the old anaglyph format, with the little cardboard red and blue-lensed glasses. It was fun, but pure gimmick. Today's 3D seems to vary wildly. I enjoyed Disney's Tangled in 3D, and I think animated films may fare better in 3D than live action ones. I thought the 3D in Avatar was amazing, although I thought the film itself was incredibly boring. The heavy glasses required are kind of a pain. Honestly, I'd just as soon see a film in 2D. What say you all?

Face-Off: The Who and Led Zeppelin

Doug: Perfect storm day today, kids. Music history is full of super-groups that were in the right place at the right time and magic was created. Our topic at hand is a battle of the bands between The Who and Led Zeppelin. They are of course linked forever by Keith Moon's scoffing at the potential formation of members of the Yardbirds and the Who as going down like a "lead balloon". The rest is history.

Doug: There's a lot to love here -- for rock vocalists in the Bronze Age of Comics, it's hard to beat either Roger Daltrey or Robert Plant. For both men, their voices are instruments in and unto themselves. Guitar gods? Jimmy Page is at the top of almost every list, but Pete Townshend's certainly no slouch -- and how about Pete's stage presence? Either band was adept at the rocker and the ballad. Creatively, both bands were influential and pushed album rock as the 1960's became the '70's. And what to do with John Entwistle and John Paul Jones? Good lord, find me two better bass players! Keith Moon remains in a class by himself...

Doug: Here's a link to an interesting collection of Who songs, but all sung by Townshend. Enjoy this!

Doug: I know many of our readers have a heckuva lot more knowledge of rock and roll history than I do, so I'm wanting to just sit back and hear some good anecdotes, personal appreciations, etc. If we're going to start listing favorite songs, some of your comments may be very, very long. I'll start by saying The Real Me is unquestionably my favorite song by The Who; for Zep, I can't pick between The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair, Houses of the Holy, and Hey, Hey What Can I Do. I saw a YouTube user comment on a Led Zeppelin song that the greatness of the band is wrapped up in the fact that no two songs of theirs sound the same. I have around 50 cuts in my iTunes, and I can testify to that truth. Their scope is amazing.

Let the music be your master
Will you heed the master's call?

So now it's your turn -- sock it to me!

Caveat Emptor!

Doug: Last week in our discussion of creative runs we'd liked to have seen continue, the conversation turned to great runs suddenly interrupted, or even replaced, by comic production ranging from less-than-stellar all the way to gawdawful! Perhaps the "poster child" for this is the four-year period that followed the Shooter/Perez run on Avengers. Beginning with a mish-mash of creators and finally settling in with the artwork of Al Milgrom, this era is for many fans the most forgettable in that magazine's history -- that is, until one Brian Michael Bendis got hold of it and destroyed a lovely history.

Doug: Also of note is the second Vision and Scarlet Witch maxi-series, penned by Steve Englehart with artwork by Richard Howell and various inkers (though mostly Frank Springer). Although I was not in general fond of Englehart's storylines in this series, I'm telling you that he could have written the second coming of "Secret Empire" or the "Celestial Madonna" and I'd have found fault with the book on it's (lack of) art merits alone!

So what are other great runs that had an egg laid squarely in their wake? Our regular-commenter-friend Richard mentioned that a good extension of this topic could be killer covers with rubbish underneath -- got any suggestions there? As always, have some fun dusting off those memories!

The Gary Friedrich Situation: Of Corporate Ethics, Intellectual Property, and Contract Law

Karen: As I am sure many of you have heard by now, former Marvel Comics writer Gary Friedrich had sued Marvel claiming he had ownership rights to Ghost Rider. Friedrich has been successfully counter-sued by Marvel/Disney, who are now seeking $17,000 from Friedrich; the writer is reportedly destitute. Comics Beat published an article which explains the situation pretty well.

Doug: One of the issues involved is Friedrich's sale of Ghost Rider/Marvel related goods at conventions and appearances. Marvel/Disney is hacked off that Friedrich has been able to make a buck (regardless of how modest his income would be in relation to the multi-million dollar empire that is Marvel Comics) selling items to which he has no legal title.
Karen: The question of who actually created the Ghost Rider character has been much debated in the past. It seems clear that Friedrich, artist Mike Ploog, and editor Roy Thomas all had a hand in it. But of course, they did it during the work for hire era, and technically none of them own the character. However, regardless of that, Marvel's action in demanding $17,000 from Friedrich seems not only petty but incredibly stupid. That sum is nothing to them, and everything to Friedrich. I can only conclude that Marvel is doing this to send a message to other artists and writers out there, to prevent any further suits.

Doug: Of course Marvel's much larger, and more public, litigation is against the Kirby estate.

Karen: But the legal department should have spoken to the PR group first. Here they have three Marvel films coming out this year, and now they are faced with bad publicity, to the extent that people are calling for boycotts. Dumb move, particularly in the time of the 99% vs. the 1%. Marvel comes off as just another greedy corporation, wringing blood from the poor worker.

Karen: I can only hope that someone at Marvel will show both business sense and some ethics and say, "Let's drop this thing." It should be enough for them that Friedrich not only lost his suit, but cannot sell anything with a Marvel character on it. Don't grind the man into the dirt too.

Doug: When I read creator biographies that talk about the writers and artists taking on book after book, and how to them it was just a job... This just sounds like that. These guys were trying to put bread on their tables; that there would ever be royalties or profit-sharing wasn't even on their radar screens, so they did their jobs with pride and hoped that they'd get another assignment. Neal Adams worked diligently to change these conditions. In the midst of all of this, the anecdote that Roy Thomas really didn't create any substantial characters while at Marvel -- he often re-tooled existing properties -- seems to make sense. Roy knew that anything he did that might "take off" would be owned by "The Man" (and I don't mean Stan). To a degree, this seems an awful lot like the Siegel and Shuster mess at DC.

Doug: On the other hand, all of these creators did sign contracts...

Discuss: the Punisher*

* What, did you think we'd get all lovey-dovey on you because it's Valentine's Day?

Canadian Club: X-Men 120

X-Men #120 (April 1979)
"Wanted: Wolverine! Dead or Alive!"
Chris Claremont/John Byrne-Byrne/Terry Austin

Karen: What could be better than a comic with a super team? How about a comic with two super teams?! Yup, that's what we've got here, two teams -that's 12 super-heroes in all. It's a game of six on six, with the X-Men squaring off against Alpha Flight in their first appearance.

Karen: On a huge monitor inside some sort of military complex, we see the battle between James Hudson and the X-Men from issue 109. Hudson is there, along with then-Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau. The PM tells Hudson that he wants Wolverine -Weapon X -back in the fold, by any means necessary. Hudson slides some data-punch cards into a computer (this opening sequence is showing its age!) and we get five one-panel shots of each Alpha Flight member in their civilian IDs. Was it just me, or did Trudeau look cartoony?
Doug: Funny you should mention that, as I was thinking the same thing. I checked the time between issues 109 and 120 -- one might think it would be 11 months, but in reality it was 14 months. It's still hard to fathom that the X-Men were published bi-monthly for quite some time after the revival! But my point is that Byrne's art has really evolved from last Monday's review of the introduction of Weapon Alpha. I think we see his stamp on facial expressions really emerge -- he was always a master of lips and chins; one could almost hear the sounds being uttered from the character speaking. Additionally, a hallmark of his later years on the X-Men and especially on the Fantastic Four were the lanky, angular figures -- particularly seen when walking. That begins to emerge here.

Karen: Meanwhile, half-a-world away, our merry mutants are leaving Japan, saying their good-byes to the always charming Sunfire. In addition, Wolverine says a quiet -and surprisingly sweet -farewell to Mariko, Sunfire's cousin. Byrne and Austin give her a very traditional look, and I have to say, I think this might have been a little over the top. The team boards a private plane provided by lawyer Jeryn Hogarth, who is connected to Misty Knight and Colleen Wing (remember the Daughters of the Dragon from our Marvel Team-Up review?). Everyone has crashed out on the plane, including Cyclops and Colleen , who appear to be quite close. Jean's been presumed dead for what, a few weeks comic-time? Hmmmph. But suddenly, a freak blizzard appears. Storm tries to redirect it but discovers that someone else is controlling it! To avoid tearing the aircraft apart, they let the blizzard guide them where it wants: that turns out to be Calgary.

Doug: In regard to Mariko, I wondered if Sunfire had a noble background that might explain her traditional dress. But, upon refreshing my memory, it turns out that Sunfire's mother was a "normal" civilian made ill by the atomic bombs dropped by the United States and his father was a government diplomat. However, Mariko's brother was the Silver Samurai, and a samurai is a title of military nobility. So whatever... The panel where Wolverine hands Mariko a chrysanthemum dovetails nicely with the scene we discussed last week, about hunting. Those sorts of insights are great examples of character development.

Karen: I was thinking more about how Byrne designed her facially. There's no missing the fact that she's Japanese, but it's like he used a model from an 18th century woodcut or something. Extremely round face, tiny mouth and eyes...I don't know, it just struck me as odd.

Doug: Hey, the X-Men do have a tough time with planes, don't they? Jeez, what's the aerial body count by issue 120? And yes, I thought Scott was a little too snuggly with Colleen for my liking. Of course at this time we all assumed that the Phoenix was really Jean; some of us still do. The manipulative blizzard was a cool plot device, and somewhat scary when Storm couldn't alter or control it.

Karen: The plane lands and is directed to a runway far from the terminal. From the cockpit, the X-Men can see the figure of 'Major Maple Leaf' -aka James McDonald Hudson. He says if Wolverine surrenders, no one will be hurt. Wolvie is about ready to carve himself up some Canadian bacon but Cyclops stops him. Cyke orders the pilots to take off, but a huge, mysterious figure underneath the plane not only overcomes the plane's jets, but tosses the vehicle away like a toy! Now considering we're told the plane weighs 250 tons, this is a very impressive feat, along the lines something the Hulk would pull. Since everyone already knows, I'm going to tell you that the powerful mystery man is Sasquatch. He sure seems a lot stronger here than he would ever be again! Heck, if you go by the old Marvel Universe handbooks, Hulk and Thor were only rated as being able to lift 100 tons (Hulk a little more when he was completely nuts). Of course, the handbook didn't come out 'til 1983, so how was Claremont to know where the ceiling was on super-strength?

Doug: I just wasn't buying Sasquatch's strength. Even when I read the story the very first time, I thought "no way". That is definitely Hulk-level strength; I'm not certain I could envision Thor pulling that off. And that the plane didn't come apart on the force of the throw? Ah, it's a comic book.
Karen: Sasquatch's throw is so forceful that the plane literally goes flying backwards on the tarmac and collides with a derelict hangar, the impact demolishing both. Hudson quickly flies over to look for survivors, but finds nothing, not even a body, in the wreckage. The weather suddenly becomes brutal and visibility drops to zero. It's Storm's work. She and the X-Men escaped, and are making their way towards the terminal. Scott tells Wolverine he wants some answers, but decides to have the team split up and regroup at the Calgary Tower in the center of town.

Doug: Interesting that Storm couldn't interrupt the earlier blizzard, but now Hudson's guys can't do anything with this new development. Claremont does a great job of giving us the whole story of Wolverine's relationship to James Hudson in one page. Ya hear that?? One page. Today, two issues. Easily.

Karen: Poor Nightcrawler. Not only is he the first to be captured by the Canadian team, he's taken out with one punch. Although we see only their feet, it is Aurora and Northstar who bring him down. Aurora feels badly for harming a fellow mutant. I always wondered why Byrne (and I believe it was Byrne who developed Alpha Flight) would make two of the members mutant twins, the male of the pair being a super-fast jerk. Sound familiar?
Doug: I thought the most interesting panel in the book, and maybe even since Nightcrawler's introduction back in Giant-Size X-Men #1, was the knock-out punch delivered in the blinding light. For the first time we see Kurt's face with no shadows on it. It just struck me that this was new territory for him. He's not a bad looking guy in the light, but the shadows certainly do give him that demonic ominous-ness. New word, by the way. Speaking of Northstar and Aurora, they do hold hands when they fly... sounds like "Ultimate Alpha Flight".

Karen: Cyclops, Colossus, and Misty (and the two pilots?) have made it to the tower, but there's no sign of the rest. But in a near-by clothing store, Banshee waits as Storm tries on some outfits. It seems ridiculous, but is explained by having Colleen think it a good idea to try to disguise the stand-out-in-a-crowd Ororo. However, Hudson has a way of tracking the mutants, and blasts his way into the shop. It's worth noting that he realizes a moment later that his unnecessarily dramatic entrance has frightened the by-standers, who are not used to seeing super-heroes. Banshee tries to use his scream but is still in bad shape from pushing himself past his limits in Japan. The strain is too much for him, and he keels over. This enrages Storm, and an enraged Storm is a scary thing indeed. She essentially creates a hurricane in the shop and Hudson is shocked by her power. He makes a strategic retreat. Interesting to note here is that as Storm grows more furious, even her word balloons change to take on a sinister appearance, much as they would with Phoenix in later issues. As Hudson flies off, Cyclops and Colossus see his energy trail and lightning from the building.

Doug: Banshee's a hero, isn't he? Ororo is so exotic -- I don't know if it's her stature, her white hair, or the way her eyes are drawn like Little Orphan Annie (uh, not that I mean Little Orphan Annie is exotic), but there's just something about her -- even in the heavy Canadian haute coutere, she's alluring. Hudson's entrance is just stupid, and he's self-deprecating in his thought balloons. Marvel's feet-of-clay heroes, even north of the border. A nice touch. Back then, Claremont "got it". Great comparison of Storm to Dark Phoenix -- not only do the word balloons change, but her speech patterns become overtly aggressive.

Karen: That leaves one member of our troop unaccounted for: Wolverine. As he walks through a seedy section of town, lost in his thoughts (and surprisingly off-guard), Sasquatch reaches out from an alley and grabs the runt, smashing him against one side of the alley and the other, which knocks Wolvie out. Ah yes, these were the days before Wolverine became invincible. Storm and Banshee have rejoined Cyclops and Colossus (the non-mutants have gone off to procure legal aid!) and a determined Cyke tells his team that, "The X-Men didn't start this fight, people--but we're sure as Hell gonna finish it. If necessary, over Alpha Flight's dead bodies!" Hoo boy! Next issue is gonna be a knock-down, drag-out battle royale!

Doug: OK, question on the sneak attack. Why didn't Wolverine smell Sasquatch? Were Logan's mutant powers still pretty undefined at this point? Correct me if I'm wrong, but his main power is his healing factor. He is, however, a tracker of supernatural skill. So why didn't he smell the attack coming? Cyke's big and bad at the end, isn't he? You know, we've run some Open Forums on leaders -- Cap, Reed Richards, Cyke... This is certainly a unique fellow among team leaders, is he not? I mean he's a decent tactician, cares for his troops -- but his brooding personality really spills over into this scene. Well if it's going to be all that, then I can't wait!

Discuss: Dr. Who

Discuss: Any Vehicle You Can Think Of!