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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 20, 2017 23:12:19 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 272 "Weirdsong of the Wen-Di-Go"Cover Date: June 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The Wendigo Guest Star/s: Sasquatch, Rick Jones, Betty Ross, & Bereet Official Plot: The Hulk returns to Earth from Rocket Raccoon's world, arriving in the Northern part of Canada/US. After reverting back to Banner's form, he seeks shelter and finds it in a nearby cabin, which appears to be abandoned. He soon discovers some dead people inside who have, in fact, been eaten. Horrified, he tries to leave only to find the Wendigo at the entrance to the cabin. The Wendigo nearly succeeds in eating Banner alive, but Sasquatch saves him. While Sasquatch attempts to keep Wendigo at bay, Banner realizes that his fear has not triggered the change into the Hulk. Banner, believing that he may in fact be cured due to recent bombardment of radiation, realizes the desperate need he has for the Hulk's power to survive the Wendigo. He therefore triggers the change through a genuine desire to change. This results in Banner's ability to control Hulk's form. Hulk fights a vicious battle with Wendigo. Sasquatch realizes that the only way to defeat the cannibalistic monster is if they both fight Wendigo together. It's impossible to kill Wendigo, but if he can be subdued long enough, a spell can be generated to destroy the Wendigo curse. The battle ends with Hulk and Sasquatch crushing Wendigo "sandwich" style with the two large trees. Brodie's View: So, yeah....as promised, I'm going to review a second (smaller) run, now that I'm a decent way into the X-Men run, and that run is going to be Incredible Hulk #272-300 (AKA: The Banner-Hulk run, or the first sustained period where Bruce Banner had gained the ability to control the Hulk, and transform at will). We're going to start this with the Hulk/Banner returning from a few adventures in space (and being exposed to tons of gamma radiation, which is theorized as the reason Banner was able to gain control of the Hulk), including a guest appearance the previous issue by Rocket Raccoon (Yes, THAT Rocket Raccoon). Anyways, Bruce/Hulk is dropped back to Earth, landing smack dab in the Canadian wilderness, and upon finding a cabin full of corpses, Banner finds himself face to face with the Wendigo (a Bigfoot style creature, but one that is a cursed human that committed the act of cannibalism). Now, normally, this would cause Banner's pulse rate to rise, transforming him into the Hulk, but this doesn't happen. Luckily, Sasquatch from Alpha Flight (Canada's super hero team....we'll talk about them more in future X-Men issues) shows up, and begins to battle the Wendigo. Meanwhile, Banner wonders why his transformation to the Hulk hasn't happened, and decides, for the sake of both Sasquatch and himself, to make it happen, and for the first time, wills the transformation into the Incredible Hulk (but still retains his intelligence), and teams up with the Alpha Flight-er against the Wendigo. Once Sasquatch gets over the initial shock of the Hulk speaking as Bruce Banner, he and the Hulk subdue the Wendigo by smashing him with two trees, with the Banner Hulk standing in triumph, but acting a little more like the Savage Hulk in the way of reveling in smashing his enemy down. So, we find ourselves at the beginning of this run, and it's clear while this is kind of the direction Mantlo wants to go in, but I think it takes him a few issues to decide exactly how to do it, or where he's going with it. However, this is a decent start, and bonus points for including a cool threat like the Wendigo (who also was the villain in Hulk #181....AKA, the first appearance of Wolverine), and a cool guest star with Sasquatch. Plus, and I'm sure I'll mention this often when talking this run, great art by the awesome Sal Buscema (who, for my money, draws the best "Classic" Hulk), and solid writing by Mr. Mantlo (who I kind of dissed during his X-Men fill ins, but he did a great job on this book....some people just don't write teams very well....coughcoughbendiscoughcough). This is a good start to what would later be seen as a classic run. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 21, 2017 2:05:29 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #112"Magneto Triuphant!"Cover Date: August 1978 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Phoenix (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Magneto (And his robot, Nanny), Mesmero (Unconscious) Guest Star: The Beast Official Plot: Continued from last issue... After just freeing themselves from the control of Mesmero, the X-Men had stormed the villains carnival trailer to find that he has been already defeated by Magneto, who has hijacked the mutant hypnotists revenge plot against the X-Men. When the X-Men try to back out, Nightcrawler is sent ahead and he almost falls to his death upon teleporting out of the trailer, as Magneto has lifted it high into the air and is carrying it to some location miles away. With no other choices, the X-Men learn of Magneto's latest plot against them. The Master of Magnetism tells the group that following his battle with them on Muir Island, he sought to get final revenge against them after a brief interruption with both Captain America and Dr. doom. However, when he arrived at the X-Mansion he found it empty for quite some time, and when the Beast arrived searching for his former comrades, he followed along. Realizing that Mesmero was attempting to kill his hated foes, he decides to steal away such a victory in retaliation of Mesmero's previous use of a robot in his own image. As the carnival trailer is followed by air fighters tracking it's progression, Magneto uses his magnetic powers to send Mesmero out of the ship to get them off his tail. The X-Men are then taken to a volcano in Antarctica. When the trailer lowers into the lava, it's protected by Magneto's powers until they reach his secret base inside. There he shatters the trailer, sending the X-Men sprawling. The group then attempts to fight off Magneto, however they are all over powered easily. Colossus's metal body is tossed aside, Beast is shocked into unconsciousness, Storm has a brief advantage using her weather powers against Magneto until he blasts her as well. Even Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Banshee and Phoenix are easily defeated by the Master of Magnetism. Wolverine uses this distraction to slash Magneto from behind with his claws. Angered by the feral mutant, Magneto uses his powers to try and make Wolverine stab himself in the face. In order to save himself, Wolverine sheaths his claws and ends up landing himself a knock out punch instead. With the X-Men defeated, he delivers the most ultimate revenge: For the indignity of being transformed into a child, Magneto in turn traps the X-Men in a similar fate: Strapping them into a machines that restrain them, they are given collars that not only neutralize their mutant powers, but also reduce their motor functions to that of children while retaining their adult intelligence, to be waited on hand and foot by a robot named Nanny that Magneto had especially created for this occasion. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: When last we found our heroes, they were in deep shit, as they once again find themselves face to face with their greatest enemy......MAGNETO, and to say the Master of Magnetism had gotten the drop on them would be a HUGE understatement. As Magneto explains how he happened across the X-Men (after paying a visit to the X-Mansion under the guise of attacking them, only to find them all gone, other than Beast, who was also looking for them), he has secretly turned Mesmero's carnival trailer into a flying machine, and is on route to Magneto's base in the Arctic. Once there, the X-Men try to attack him, but, once again, do so in a very sloppy, one on one fashion, and thus are quickly beaten by the prepared Magneto in various ways (Phoenix does have him on the ropes for a second, but interior circuit breakers put in her by Xaiver, to keep Jean from being overwhelmed by her new powers, kick in, causing her power to falter at a time she needs it most, allowing Magneto to put her down for the count), and as the issue ends, we see the revenge Magneto spoke of did not involve killing them, but mechanically regressing them to the level of infants (as he had been), and for them to remain that way for the rest of their lives, while being waited on by a sickeningly sweet robotic Nanny. There are some interesting things to note about this issue......one, this is the first issue in the run of the New X-Men to run on a monthly basis, something that the X-Men book hadn't been since the end of the original team's run (#66). This definitely meant this new team was here to stay, as sales on the book must have risen enough to justify it going monthly....which is a very good thing, as I can't imagine readers of the book liked having to wait 2 months to see what happened next in the adventures of the mutant team. Second, you can definitely tell that Claremont/Byrne must have not thought very much of Mesmero. He gets briefly used for one issue, and then tossed away before he can even put up a fight against the assembled team. Hell, Magneto kind of just sends him gliding down to Earth as a complete afterthought, and we don't even see the guy for the rest of Claremont's run on the X-Men (Hell, I think the next time we see him in one of the main X-Men books, he's infected with the Legacy Virus (Kind of an AIDS virus for mutants), and killed off by Apocalypse's Dark Riders (but that's like 15-20 years later). In other words, he gets jobbed out in a MAJOR way for Magneto, which, I can see why, but on a another level......Ouch. The third thing to notice is that while the X-Men fare a bit better against Magneto than they did in #104, he still beats them handily. As I stated in that review, I kind of like that, as it shows that the New X-Men have a hell of a lot of work to do. They must bond as a team in order to be the team they really Could be (And eventually will be), as Magneto, at this point, is their Final Boss, as far as villains go. The final thing would be that we start to see a little more complexity in Magneto himself, which would deepen each time we see him from this point on. You can tell that Claremont saw a lot more in Magneto than the one note villain he had been previously, and as the character grew more complex, it was harder and harder to depict him as merely a mustache twirling super villain, which is why he's so revered today as a great villain/anti-hero, and you can see the hints of it even in this storyline. This was a solid issue that, while not as great as last issue's events, definitely set the stage for next issue's even bigger showdown between these age old foes, and truly start the next direction for this book. As always, great writing and art. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 21, 2017 2:13:24 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 273 "Once a Hulk, Always a Hulk" Cover Date: July 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: Wendigo (briefly), X-Ray (From the U Foes) Guest Star: Sasquatch (briefly), Rick Jones, Betty Ross, & Bereet Official Plot: After defeating Wendigo with the aid of Sasquatch, the Hulk is surrounded by the Canadian army. Banner in control of the Hulk's form, reacts like the savage Hulk and leaps away. Reaching a farm, he's told by the farmers that alien bugs, the Insectoids, are stealing their crops. The Hulk reaches the starship and destroys the compartment where the seeds are contained. The alien leader explains to the Hulk that they needed the seeds to help end the Earth's hunger. The Hulk's intrusion erased this possibility and the aliens leave the planet. Banner understands how dangerous the use of the Hulk's might can be. Brodie's View: Okay, we're in the second issue of the "Banner Hulk" run, and one can tell that Bill Mantlo is still trying to work out the kinks on how this whole deal was going to go down, as, once again, there had never really been a significant run where the Hulk retained Banner's intelligence. Oh, sure, they did it a few times in the early days of the comic, but it was pretty clear from the get go that it wouldn't last long, as the Hulk's savage nature would quickly overwhelm the Banner persona, and Mantlo threatens it a few times early on in this run (once this issue, and once the next), as upon being angered, the savage Hulk persona would temporarily take over before reason re-asserted itself. In this case, it provided the Hulk an out on the whole Wendigo story, and into this new story, where the Banner Hulk would find himself defending a group of farmers from what looks like an alien invasion from insect looking aliens. However, things weren't as they seemed, as the aliens, despite their creepy looking visage, were actually helping the Earth by introducing nutrients into the soil that would eventually end world hunger. Of course, the Hulk wouldn't discover this until after he destroyed the stockpile of the nutrient, but, the lesson learned is obvious, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, and if Bruce Banner is going to be gifted with the power of the Hulk under his (mostly) complete control, then he needs to start acting responsible with it, and not go charging into battle without thinking, like the savage Hulk would. I would call this and the next issue the "Spider-Man" issues for that reason, as Banner starts to really feel out this whole "Having the Hulk's power" thing, and this would all lead towards the events of #278/9, which, we'll get to shortly, but for now, we're still in uncharted territory here. However, Mantlo's doing a solid job making the Hulk's adventures still be life lessons at times, even with an intelligent Hulk being the lead character, rather than the classic child-like Hulk of the 70's/early 80's. GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 1:36:58 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #113 "Showdown!" Cover Date: September 1978 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Phoenix (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Magneto (And his robot, Nanny) Guest Star/s: The Beast & Lilandra Official Plot: Continued from last issue.... With the X-Men all prisoner in his Antarctic base, Magneto renews his acts of terror on the human world. His most recent attack is on the Royal Australian Aerospace research facility in Woomera, Australia, leveling the location in just under six hours. With Magneto unchecked, the media wonders where the X-Men could be. This is also of grave concern of the X-Men's teacher, Professor X who is vacation on the Greek isle of Kirinos along with his lover the Shi'ar empress Lilandra. As he attempts to contact his students telepathically, he finds that his rapport with them has been severed, making him fear for their well being. While within Magneto's base, the X-Men are still locked in the restraint chairs that force their motor functions to be those of small children. As Magneto's robot Nanny dotes over them, Storm waits for her to leave the room and concentrates very hard on removing her headdress. Hidden inside are a series of lock picks which Storm carefully selects with her mouth and attempts to pick the locks on her restraints. When she fails, Nanny returns and places Storm's headdress back on, making her cry in frustration. While high in space, Magneto returns to his newly rebuilt Asteroid M where he monitors his progress with altering the Earth's magnetic field to make long range telepathic communication impossible, When his computers alert him of a minor malfunction at his Antarctic base, he decides to go and investigate. However, when he arrives he finds that the lights are out and that Nanny if malfunctioning. He realizes that he's walked into a trap far too late and is attacked by the X-Men. This time the team is ready for him, and psi-linked by Phoenix, the group manages to work together as a team to stop Magneto. With Storm using her weather powers to create a localized field of humidity around Magneto, the group begins beating him down. When Nightcrawler removes Magneto's helmet, he is almost defeated when the collateral damage around the base causes lava from around the base to seep inside, threatening to kill them all. Magneto uses this distraction to escape, while the collapsing base separates Beast and Phoenix from the others. Magneto just barely makes it out before the base explodes. Thinking that the X-Men are dead, Magneto streaks off into the sky to begin plotting his continued attacks on humanity. Short moments later, Phoenix bursts out of the ruins of the base with Beast, but the strain causes her to black out. Trapped in the harsh Antarctic environment, the Beast attempts to carry Jean to safety, but soon the elements begin taking their toll on him and he collapses as well. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: Last issue, we saw Magneto pretty much hand the X-Men's asses to them (again), and now we get to see the full extent on his revenge on the mutants, as they are all attached to machines that regress them to the level on infants (at least on a physical level), and they are humiliated the way Magneto felt he was humiliated, after living for a period of time as an infant on Muir Island. The Nanny robot left to attend to them is sickeningly sweet, and, therefore, makes a great villain in her own right for the helpless X-Men. However, the X-Men are able to get out of this, due to Storm's ingrained pick pocket skills, which allows her to access the lock picks in her head dress. Magneto makes his way back to his base to find the X-Men ready for him this time, and they almost manage to defeat him before his base (which is inside a volcano) starts to give way, allowing Magneto a chance to escape, and splitting the team up (Phoenix and Beast going in one direction, the rest of the team going in the other), and as we end the issue, only Phoenix and Beast are the only guaranteed survivors of the team.....if you wanna call freezing to death in the cold of the Arctic surviving.......Gulp. Damn, so many things happen in this issue, it's kind of hard to name off everything, but I will do my best. We get Magneto re-established as a major threat, not only to the X-Men, but the world itself. We get to see where Professor X has been the last few issues (chilling on a beach with Lilandra, having freaky deaky bird/alien sex, I imagine). We FINALLY get to see the New X-Men fight as a team, combining their efforts to weaken and then pounding Magneto to the point where he is on the ropes for the first time in the New team's history. However, Magneto, while beaten up, is not fully beaten, and winds up fleeing to fight another day, leaving the mutant team to their apparent death in a collapsing volcano. Splitting the team off from Phoenix and Beast was a great touch, as it allows for two things: one, it gives The Beast an out to head back to the team he actually was a member of at this point, The Avengers (BTW, always preferred Beast as an Avenger), and it forced the rest of the team to have to make their way without their super powerful ace in the hole of the Phoenix, as, let's face it, there weren't too many threats that they would go on to face in the next 10 or so issues that Jean couldn't just steamroll through. Plus, it leaves her very open and vulnerable to certain.....things that would happen to her over those next 10 or so issues, stuff that probably wouldn't have happened had Cyclops and the rest of the team been there to notice it sooner, but you'll see what I'm talking about later. For now, damn solid ending to the last three issue's little arc, and a nice transition to the next arc, which I like to call, "The X-Men's World Tour." One more note: We're officially out of the whole "All New, All Different" era, and next issue would begin a new era for the X-Men. One that was truly......Uncanny. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 1:42:54 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 274"Home the Hard Way"Cover Date: August 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: Jackdaw (cameo) Ironclad (From the U Foes) (cameo) Guest Star/s: Rick Jones, Betty Ross, Bereet Official Plot: The Hulk cuts hundreds of trees and brings them to a Canadian sawmill. He feels sorry for pushing the Insectoids away, and promises to use his might more cleverly. On the way back to the US, he spots a broken bridge before the train goes through it. His weight breaks the bridge even more and the train falls to the pit. Hulk grabs it and puts it back in the rails. The passengers claim he's a monster and Banner reacts like the savage Hulk. But he soon leaps away heading for the frontier. He wants to walk in but the army tries stopping him. Grenades and bullets can't halt the green giant who just wants to come back home. Finally, the Hulk leaps towards the desert cave where he last saw Betty Ross and Rick Jones. Meanwhile, Beeret takes Betty and Rick to Gamma base in her techno art plane. Brodie's View: We reach the second part of the "Spider-Man" issues of this run, where the new intelligent Hulk learns that he has to be responsible with the great power he has. Of course, throughout the course of this issue, we start to see subplots come back in, and the tease of villains officially returning to the book. The biggest subplot would involve long time Hulk allies Rick Jones (who exposed himself to gamma radiation in order to help the Hulk in #269, only to give himself radiation poisoning) and Betty Ross (Who is trying to aid him), and the alien movie maker, Beeret (who also had a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, as the alien chick Starlord kicks out of his ship, post sex), who attempts to help the two in order to better document the Hulk. We also a shadowy cameo of the villainous Jackdaw (a female bird-like being who serves long time Hulk villain, The Leader), and at the very end of the issue, Ironclad from the U Foes (a nightmare version of the Fantastic Four, which we'll go into more in a couple of issues) shows up, letting us know that, once again, after these few issues of the Banner Hulk exploring his new existence, we'll be back to the Hulk fighting super villains next issue, which is a good thing. However, in this issue, we see the Hulk try to make up for his mistake last issue by supplying a small logging town with enough wood to last them several winters, and explaining to them the new status quo, where he is no longer a monster, and then bidding good bye, he decides to take the Hulk's body on a real road test. During this, he spots a train approaching a damaged track, but as he tries to save the train, he misjudges his landing, and ends up destroying the track. Acting quickly, he grabs the falling train, and leaps it back onto the track. However, the passengers are not thrilled, and one of them calls the Hulk a monster, which he reacts to momentarily as the Savage Hulk before returning to his senses. He leaps away before he can make the situation worse, and finally manages to return to the United States, despite the military trying to stop him. As he leaps back towards where he last saw Betty and Rick, he unintentionally opens a crater, which had been keeping Ironclad prisoner, freeing the Thing-like U Foe, and teasing the return of the rest of the group. This was a decent issue, where, while not of things overtly happened, quite a bit of future things were hinted at. This would also be the last time we see the Savage Hulk in any form until the mid 290's, as Banner would apparently submerge this part of his persona as deep as he could (of course, the Savage Hulk is never completely buried, hence, why he comes back with such force by #295/6), which would eventually ask the question of whether or not a Bruce Banner controlled Hulk would be as formidable of a warrior as the Savage Hulk had been? Only time will tell on that one, but for now, I'll give this issue an....... GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 3:17:49 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #114 "Desolation"Cover Date: October 1978 Writer/s: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Sauron Guest Star/s: Phoenix, The Beast, & Lilandra Official Plot: Continued from last issue.. Following their battle with Magneto, Phoenix and Beast are only seeming survivors when Magneto's Antarctic base was destroyed in a violent volcanic explosion. Now, carrying the unconscious Jean across the frozen wasteland, the Beast struggles to not succumb to the elements. When he spots a scientific research helicopter and tries to hail it. When Jean awakens she immediately begins digging for Scott, however Beast gets her to stop, telling her that Cyclops and the other X-Men are dead. Jean's Phoenix effect however has alerted the helicopter of their presence and the descend to rescue the two heroes. Beast is wrong however, the other X-Men are still alive, having tunneled through bedrock to escape from the exploding base, they blast their way free and find themselves in the Savage Land. Free from the confines of the cave, Storm shakes off her claustrophobia and flies off into the air with Banshee tailing after her to get her to come back. Both are attacked by a pterodactyl, prompting Wolverine to have Colossus do a Fastball Special. Wolverine hacks the prehistoric creature to death with his Adamantium claws. Scouting around, Banshee finds a village and the group begins to head there. They are unaware they are being watched by Dr. Karl Lykos, who despite the change in costume recognizes Cyclops as one of the X-Men. A week later, Jean and Hank return to the X-Mansion where Jean has the unfortunate task of telling Professor Xavier that the other X-Men are dead. During this week, the surviving X-Men have come to be welcome guests of the Fall People, and have been spending their time recovering from the battle with Magneto. Cyclops, thinking that Jean and Hank are dead spends time by himself shaving his face down near a pond. Looking at his reflection in the water, he notices his striking resemblance to the Starjammer known as Corsair and finally makes the realization that the space pirate was really his father. When he confronts Storm with this, Storm reveals that Jean had learned this but decided not to tell him because they would likely never see each other again. When Scott talks about losing Jean, he admits that he feels no loss over her seeming demise. While Colossus takes up the hospitality of the native women, Wolverine vows to avenger Jean's supposed death. Storm decides to take some time having a relaxing swim, and as she rests in the sun she does not notice Karl Lykos approaching her. Lykos absorbs some of her mutant life energies, however he takes too much, causing his transformation into Sauron once more. Hearing Storm scream and seeing a lightning flash, the other X-Men change into their costumes and rush to her side to find Sauron with her pledging to kill her and the rest of the X-Men. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: So, we pick up shortly where we left off last issue, with The Beast carrying an unconscious Phoenix through the howling wind and cold of the Arctic. However, he spots a rescue helicopter, and waking Jean up, she goes into a frenzy, trying to free the trapped X-Men, only for Beast to reassure her that the X-Men couldn't have survived the cave in, and we leave the two thinking that the rest of the team is dead. However, in another part of the Arctic, a much warmer part, the X-Men free themselves from the collapsed volcano to find themselves in a hidden part of Antarctica that Cyclops and the original X-Men had been before, The Savage Land (a prehistoric jungle land created by the High Evolutionary). Banshee used his newly found freedom to take to the sky, only to be attacked by a pterodactyl (!!!), which Wolverine takes down and out. The team are found by a group of natives, who allow them to clean up and relax after their ordeal. Meanwhile, Jean and Beast make the terrible trip back to the X-mansion to tell Professor X that his other students are dead. This would, in his mind, be the end of the X-Men, and he would later go into space with Lilandra, while Jean would go off to Europe. Back in the Savage Land, the X-Men would deal with the fall out of what had happened, with Cyclops and Wolverine dealing with the apparent death of Jean Grey in their own respective ways.....and Colossus would get laid (No, seriously....while it's left up the audience in this issue, the Classic X-Men side story would show that this indeed does happen, and later on, we'd reveal that Peter might have very well gotten one of the native girls pregnant, and that the steel Russian most likely has a bastard child running around somewhere.......so much for all of his moral ramblings in the Deadpool movie, am I right? Storm would chill by a small body of water, lost in her own thoughts, unaware that she was being watched by one Karl Lykos, a mutant who feeds off the life energy of others. Of course, too much energy causes him to mutate into the dinosaur-like, Sauron, and at the end of the issue, the team find themselves face to face with this deadly threat. This made for a great transition issue away from the Magneto storyline, and showing that the gloves were off with the adventures the Uncanny (and yes, they are now, officially Uncanny) X-Men would be getting into, as this "World Tour" would allow the team to visit new locales, and fight threats they might have not otherwise, like, say, dinosaurs and dinosaur like mutants (Of course, I like to think Byrne (who became a co-plotter with Claremont with this issue) just convinced Claremont to set their adventures in the Savage Land because he wanted to draw the X-Men fighting dinosaurs). This would lead to a three issue arc that would have long term ramifications on both the X-Men and the Savage Land. We also get to see the interesting reactions to the two rivals for the affections for one Jean Grey, as both would internalize their emotions to an extent (Wolverine, hiding under his usual tough guy bluster, while Cyclops would hide his behind his leadership abilities, as he would often do). Cyclops would also come very close to discovering the truth behind the Starjammer, Corsair, but would be distracted before he could fully put 2 and 2 together (Don't worry, he does find out eventually). We also see the grief shown by Jean, Xaiver, and The Beast (who heads back to The Avengers after this) over what they think is the death of the other X-Men. Their assumptions, and their reactions to this, would set in motion the march towards an actual tragedy, but we'll get to that later. For now, I'll have to say this was a pretty kick ass issue, and give it an..... GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 3:26:40 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 275"Megalith!" Cover Date: September 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain/s: Jackdaw/Megalith (With The Leader pulling the strings, and a tease of The U Foes) Guest Star/s: Rick Jones, Betty Ross, Bereet Official Plot: The Hulk doesn't find Betty Ross and Rick Jones at the desert cave and heads for Gamma base. Jackdaw reaches the base and steals Megalith, a huge fighting robot, from secret chambers. Hulk finds out and attacks it. But she can easily handle the green giant. Bruce understands that he should fight as the Hulk and not as Banner to win the battle. He does and destroys Megalith. Jackdaw escapes and comments her failure to her master, the Leader. Brodie's View: Finally we get the threat of some actual villains in this issue, even though Jackdaw is merely a lackey for The Leader, but at least we get the tease of everyone's favorite flat topped super genius to come in the future, so, that's a good thing, right? Plus, we get the Hulk finally finding Betty, Bereet, and the radiation poisoned Rick Jones, which is good for Mr. Jones, as a Banner controlled Hulk is a better thing to have in your corner, as it related to potentially being cured of radiation poisoning. However, this is delayed somewhat by the intrusion of Jackdaw, who was sent by the Leader to spy on the Hulk, but tries to take him out herself, using a giant robot called.....well, Megalith. Within Megalith are controls that allow the user to basically bond with the robot, Pacific Rim style. At first the robot gets the upper hand on the Hulk, until the Banner Hulk realizes that he's fighting a robot, and then he dismantles the thing (almost killing Jackdaw in the process, or at least make her feel like she's being killed). She ends up having to skulk back to her master for further punishment, while the Hulk attempts to cure Jones once and for all. At the end of the issue, we get a nice tease for the villains that we'll see large and in charge over the next couple of issues, the Fantastic Four inspired U FOES (!!!). This was a cool issue, as we got to see this new Hulk just dismantling a threat by himself, and realizing that he would need as much of the Hulk's ferocity as he would Banner's intelligence to take out threats like Megalith. Of course, this is a lesson he'd have to be reminded of quite a bit during this run, as some villains take complete advantage of the somewhat loss of the limitless rage and power the Savage Hulk would be able to call upon in battle. One of those villains would be the very same flat topped gamma spawn that we mentioned earlier. GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 23:07:55 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #115"Visions of Death!"Cover Date: November 1978 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Sauron/Zaladane/Garokk, The Petrified Man Guest Star/s: Ka-Zar, Sabu Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Trying to absorb life force energy from the X-Man Storm, Karl Lykos has transformed once more into Sauron and now has the mutant weather master his hostage before the X-Men. Wolverine acts first, lunging at their foe with claws ready only to be struck by the creatures hypnotic powers. Sauron makes Wolverine see the other X-Men as demons, and he starts attacking his comrades. Cyclops is forced to use his optic blast to knock Wolverine out so that they can focus on stopping Sauron. As the others fight the mutate, Nightcrawler tries to revive Wolverine. Wolverine however is still under the influence of Sauron's hypnosis and strikes down Nightcrawler. Seeing Cyclops blasting Sauron, Wolverine's warped perceptions sees it as Cyclops attacking Phoenix and tries to stop him, only for Cyclops to blast him again. Caught between Cyclops's optic blast and Banshee's sonic scream, Sauron is weakened almost to the point where he is about to transform into Lykos again. Attempting to prevent this, Sauron targets Colossus and attempts to absorb life force from him. Under Cyclops's orders, Colossus transforms into his organic steel mode, causing feedback that throws Sauron aside. Sauron then reverts back to Karl Lykos once more, and before Wolverine can slay him he is stopped by Ka-Zar and Zabu who consider Lykos a friend. Cyclops, remembering Ka-Zar from their previous encounter tells Wolverine to stand down. Going back to the Fall People's village, Karl Lykos explains that following his previous encounter with the X-Men where he attempted to commit suicide in Tierra Del Fuego, he really survived and followed the many caverns to the Savage Land. There he would stumble across a woman named Zaladane and her cult that worships Garrok the Petrified man. He would witness as Zaladane would conduct a ceremony that would transform an ordinary man into a vessel for Garrok's essence, making him the living embodiment of the godly entity. He would witness as Garrok would use his powers to remove the invading Sheenars from the Savage Land, and soon after Lykos would team up with Ka-Zar in warring with the cults forces as they attempted to construct a giant citadel that would threaten the stability of the Savage Land. With the tale over, Wolverine is interested in getting involved in the fight, however Cyclops declines Ka-Zar's request for assistance as they need to get back to America and let the Professor know that they are still alive. Ka-Zar agrees to show them the way out of the Savage Land, however as they approach the waters leading out, they notice that it has been frozen. Just then it begins to snow, which at first is seen as a delight to the X-Men, Ka-Zar points out to the team that snow in the Savage Land will spell out doom for the entire region. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: We are in the second part of this three issue run in The Savage Land, and we definitely kick things off with a doozy of a fight: The X-Men vs. the deadly Sauron, who not only has pterodactyl like powers, but can also manipulate people with his eyes, which he does to an impetuous Wolverine, who charges into battle (as always) without knowing the score. This causes Wolverine to see the X-Men as demons, which forces Cyclops to have to take him completely out of the fight with a massive optic blast. The team then tries to bombard Sauron, forcing him to expend the energy he gained from Storm in the last issue, transforming him back into the more rational Karl Lykos. This winds up happening, and an un-brainwashed Wolverine is about to gut him, until he is stopped by the protector of the Savage Land, Ka-Zar (Ugh....sorry, never liked his Tarzan rip off ass) and his pet Sabretooth tiger, Zabu. Once tempers have been calmed, Ka-Zar and Lykos tell the X-Men about the strange goings on that have been happening recently in the Savage Land, as a woman that deems herself a high priestess, Zaladane, has transformed a man into a being known as The Sun God (AKA Garokk: The Petrified Man), who has had a giant techno-dome built in the middle of their pre-historic land. By the end of the issue, we find that this is all more dangerous than it seems, as this dome is causing a change in the tropical weather of this hidden land, and is changing it into being as cold as the rest of the Arctic, thereby dooming all of its inhabitants. Heavy shit, and after getting teased by what we thought would be the Big Bad of this little arc in the form of Sauron, we are led to our actual Big Bads: Zaladane (who would become a bigger threat down the line) and Karokk (who.....really wouldn't, but is a huge threat now), and The X-Men having to delay their return to civilization a bit longer in order to aid the Savage Land against this deadly duo. We get some great art (as always) and writing here (ditto), that covers a LOT of ground in a small amount of pages, and a set up for a big battle next issue (after getting a nice scuffle at the beginning of this one). One can tell by this arc that Byrne has REALLY picked up his game, art-wise, and the fact that he's a co-plotter with Claremont is allowing him to get personally invested in this whole X-Men thing, and the book would benefit greatly in the next 20-30 issues (and beyond) because of it. I would say my only complaint about this issue would be the involvement of Ka-Zar, but that's just my being petty, as I never really liked the character. Besides, Ka-Zar and the Savage Land kind of go together like pasta and a sauce of some sort......it's kind of unavoidable. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 22, 2017 23:18:26 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 276 "The Return of the U Foes!"Cover Date: October 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The U Foes (Vector, Vapor, X-Ray, and Ironclad) Guest Star/s: Rick Jones, Betty Ross, Bereet Official Plot: Bruce uses gamma devices to pull the gamma energy out of Rick Jones' body saving his life. Rick is happy that Bruce can control the transformations, but Betty is not. She loves Banner, not the Hulk, and wants the monster out of her life forever. The U-Foes show up, but Dr. Banner, in control of the power of the Hulk easily gets the better of them, until X-Ray forces a change back into Banner and Bruce is captured. Brodie's View: Yay! The U Foes are back! To explain, the U Foes were a group assembled by corrupt businessman, Simon Utrecht, who sought to create his own Fantastic Four by replicating the experience that transformed Reed Richards and his crew. However, their experiment was somewhat ruined by the Savage Hulk, and although they did gain powers, they became more freakish looking than....well, most of the FF, and they blamed the Hulk for this. The Savage Hulk handily defeated them upon their first battle, but upon spotting the Banner Hulk heading to gamma base (the former military base created to destroy the Hulk) in order to cure Rick Jones (He does), they take their opportunity to try for their revenge. At first, the Hulk is beating them just as easily as he did as the Savage, child like Hulk, but X-Ray (The Human Torch of the group, who can blast people with different forms of radiation) zaps the Hulk with gamma radiation, forcing him to change back into Bruce Banner. Thus, the U Foes have defeated the Hulk, and they plan on executing him on live television. This leaves the undiscovered Rick, Betty Ross, and Bereet (and her various alien tools) as the only ones able to potentially free the Hulk from this fate. Once, again, I've always dug the U Foes, and love how they became the nightmare version of the Fantastic Four (Simon became Vector, who has telekinetic/psychokinesis abilities allowing him to accelerate, attract, block, and, most prominently, repel matter and energy, directing it away from himself. The one female of the group became Vapor, who can transform into any form of gas. Ironclad, the Thing of the group, grew a metallic skin, that makes him highly impervious). This is the first major dealings with this new Hulk and villains of the old Hulk, who attempt to get revenge on what they feel is a weaker Hulk (and perhaps they're right to think this in some ways, but I've always felt a smarter Hulk is an even more dangerous Hulk, which we'd see in more detail later during Peter David's run). This was a pretty great little arc, and one that perfectly sets up the major events of #278/79, but we'll get to that later. For now..... GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 1:55:16 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #116"To Save the Savage Land"Cover Date: December 1978 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Zaladane/Garokk, The Petrified Man Guest Star/s: Ka-Zar, Sabu, Karl Lykos (Sauron) Official Plot: Continued from last issue... With the construction of a massive citadel by the Sun-People threatening the ecosystem of the Savage Land, the X-Men have agreed to help Ka-Zar prevent the destruction of the land. As they approach the citadel, they are attacked by an army of Pterodactyl riders that are loyal to Garrok. During the fight, Cyclops, Colossus, Banshee and Ka-Zar are taken prisoner and carried away. Wolverine convinces Zabu to follow him, Storm and Nightcrawler the rest of the way to the citadel. Sneaking inside through the lower levels where the citadels waste is stored, the uncaptured X-Men are attacked by small carnivorous dinosaurs until Storm sweeps them away with a gale wind. They manage their way to a giant hall of worship where Garrok and Zaladane have the captured X-Men tied to posts. They are attempting to execute Colossus first by having flames lit underneath him. As his organic metal body becomes red hot, Colossus wonders how much heat his body can withstand or if his skin can melt, when Storm and the others burst in and free them. During the fight, Garokk flees the scene with Cyclops in pursuit. Chasing Garokk to the roof, Cyclops attempts to blast the supposed god with his optic blasts. Garrok matches his own eye beams against Cyclops and the two clashing forces cause the citadel to begin to crumble. As the base collapses, both Cyclops and Garrok fall down a shaft that leads to the center of the Earth, Cyclops is rescued by Banshee while Storm races after Garrok. However, he the combination of extreme heat and Storm's claustrophobia prevent her from saving Garrok and she flees the scene leaving Garrok to fall to his seeming death. As the last of a the fortress collapses, the other X-Men flee the scene and fear that they have lost Storm when she blasts herself free. Wolverine is the first to notice that she came back up alone and stops Banshee from going to see if she's all right. Two weeks later after the weather in the Savage Land has returned to normal, the X-Men bid farewell to Ka-Zar and Karl Lykos, taking a boat out into the oceans surrounding Antartica on their trek back to the civilized world. As soon as they travel through the tunnel out of the Savage Land, they find themselves in the middle of a powerful and raging storm. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: We come to the end of the first mini arc within the larger arc of "The X-Men's World Tour," and the last part of this whole Savage Land storyline, as the X-Men and (Ugh) Ka-Zar attempt to stop Zaladane and her pawn, Garrok: The Petrified Man, from destroying the Savage Land. However, some of the team are captured, and they are held up to be sacrificed to the so called "Sun God" by being burned alive. Colossus is the first to feel the flames, but before he can be melted like a big, metal Popsicle, the rest of the team (and Ka-Zar's sabretooth tiger, Zabu) rescue the team, and all hell breaks loose, causing Garrok's techno-dome to completely crumble. This causes the Earth to open, and Garrok to fall (Storm tries to save him, but her claustrophobia takes hold) to his seeming death. The X-Men leave the Savage Land, only to sail into the path of a huge storm. This was a fun and action packed ending to this whole deal, with a few long term (well, somewhat) ramifications for stories to be told down the line. Garrok would return a couple of times, but would never be a threat on the level of what he was in this and the last issue. However, Zaladane would pop up quite a bit during the last few years of Claremont's run, and become the leader of the Savage Land mutates, somewhat taking over that land. We also get to see some more character development for some of the X-Men, specifically Wolverine, who we learn has a rapport with animals, and Storm, who goes through the traumatic experience of trying to save a life, and failing completely. Little things like this would build for the former "Goddess," causing the eventual change that would occur within her by the time we reach the 170's. However, for now, we just get another reminder that, despite the great heroes the X-Men are, perfect they are not, and failures can happen. This is great, because it adds complexity to the characters by not having them win all the time. That's why I've always preferred Marvel characters over DC characters, especially from this era......Marvel would allow their heroes to fail. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 2:02:56 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 277"What Friends Are For!"Cover Date: November 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The U Foes, (Vector, Vapor, X-Ray, and Ironclad) Jackdaw, and The Leader (Hidden in the shadows) Guest Stars: Too many to name....look below. Official Plot: Having finally defeated their hated foe, the Hulk, the U-Foes intend to go down in infamy as the ones who slew the Hulk by displaying his execution on international TV. The U-Foes international broadcat from the gamma base is picked up and seen by civilian and superheroes alike. Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and the Soviet Super Soldiers, are among the heroes who view the pitiful form of Bruce Banner hanging and helpless on an anti radiation grid which prevents him from affecting the change into the Hulk. The heroes equally are as helpless in helping him because they are unable to track the signal of the broadcast, due to the fact that Vector, the U-Foes leader, is repelling their tracking attempts. Doc Samson a friend of the Hulk, however, recognizes the site, and shows up next issue. There is hope though as the other Hulk friends, Rick Jones, Bereet and Betty Ross, come to Banner's rescue. Bereet unleashes her robotic creations to engage and distract the U-Foes long enough so that Dr. Banner is freed and changes into the Hulk. Once free, the Hulk makes short work of the U-Foes. He takes out the radiation wielding X-Ray by using the selfsame anti-radiation grid which he himself was just hanging from. He defeats the deadly gaseous Vapor and the super strong Iron Clad by turning them accidentally against each other. And Hulk delivers the coup de grace by overcoming Vector's matter repelling powers and crushing his hands. Brodie's View: This is the second half of the conflict between the Hulk (who has been transformed back into Bruce Banner, and is being held on an anti-radiation grid, while being blasted by anti gamma rays by X-Ray) and the U Foes, as they have him dead to rights, and are going to broadcast his death on live TV. We get to see the reactions to this by various friends, allies, and foes; most of whom will appear over the next couple of issues. Things seem to be mighty dark for our green skinned hero, but little do the U Foes know, Bereet, Rick Jones, and Betty Ross are hiding in the shadows, cooking up a plan on freeing the Hulk. Finally, Bereet reaches into her bag of tricks, and unleashes a gaggle of robot creations to distract The U-Foes while Banner is freed. Once this happens, Banner transforms into the Hulk, and unleashes a whooping on the U Foes of Biblical Proportions. Seriously. This is probably the most decisive victory the Banner Hulk would have over this entire run, as The Hulk quickly takes the three most powerful members of the group out of the battle almost instantly, and pits his strength against Vector's power, managing to not only prevail, but breaking Vector's hands as a slam dunk on this win. So, yeah....this was a pretty kick ass issue, and one that perfectly sets the table for the events to follow over the next couple issues, as the world is forced to reappraise this new Hulk, and Bruce Banner probably experiences the greatest day in his tormented life. Things don't get much better for the guy than what takes place over the next few issues, and owning a formidable team like the U Foes is just the prelude. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 19:06:21 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #117"Psi War!" Cover Date: January 1979 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Amahl Farouk (The Shadow King) Guest Star/s: Phoenix, Lilandra Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Following their departure from the Savage Land, the X-Men find themselves caught in the middle of a terrible storm at sea. While Storm attempts to control the raging weather with her mutant powers, the team are found and rescued by Jinguchi Maru, a Japanese ship out on a government mission. The captain of the ship welcomes the X-Men aboard, but tells the group that they are unauthorized to make radio contact until the ship returns to Japan. While at the X-Mansion, Jean Grey decides to leave the mansion for a vacation finding that the old house carried too many memories of the friends she believes to be dead. As she departs, Lilandra considers how someone so young can go through so much grief. She then goes to check on Charles, who is still reeling over the supposed death of his students. When she gets him to talk about things, he tells her how he keeps on thinking of the beginning when he decided to dedicate his life to peace between humans and mutants. It all began years ago when he and Moira Kinross were in love, when he was drafted into the military she would promise to wait for him. He would be injured in combat, and learn while recovering the hospital that Moira would go on to marry another. Upon his release from the hospital, Charles would spend his time wandering the globe until he found his way to Cairo, Egypt. One day he would be robbed by a young female pickpocket -- a girl that Charles would now recognize as his future student, Ororo Munroe -- and chase after her, he would easily stop her with his mental powers. He would end up being struck by a mental attack in the process of recovering his wallet. Reeling from the attack, Xavier would track it to a cafe where he would meet a fat telepath calling himself Amahl Farouk. Recognizing the man as evil, Charles would engage him in psychic combat. As the two would combat each other in the astral plane, Farouk would initially have the advantage in battle until Xavier would focus his entire psychic might in one final attack that would defeat Farkou, seekingly killing him. Xavier would finish his recollection by telling Lilandra that after that battle he became devoted to fighting evil mutants and shortly thereafter was crippled by the alien named Lucifer. Now with the X-Men seemingly dead, Xavier would not know what to do next, and Lilandra would convince him to join her when she would returns to the Shi'ar empire, Xavier decides to follow her. While at JFK Airport, Jean Grey runs into her roommate Misty Knight, where the two tell each other of their plans: Jean plans on taking a vacation, while Misty and her colleague Colleen Wing are heading off to Japan on one of their missions. With Misty's flight leaving soon, Jean bids her farewell completely unaware that Misty is heading to where the other X-Men -- who are very much alive -- are also heading. Brodie's View: We get a little something different in this issue, as instead of really following the adventures of the X-Men (we see them briefly at the beginning of the issue, still sailing the rough seas towards Japan), we focus instead on Charles Xaiver, and see a story from his past that led to him becoming the wheelchair bound de facto leader of the X-Men he would eventually become. We follow one of his adventures in Cairo, including a run in with the young pickpocket who would eventually become the X-Man, Storm. However, the main part of the tale concerns Xaiver finding a mind as powerful as his, but evil as evil can be. Amahl Farouk, AKA The Shadow King, who engages him in a deadly battle on the psychic plane that only one can survive. Xaiver manages to barely beat Farouk, which causes the death of his sizable body. However, to paraphrase Ben Kenobi from the original STAR WARS, striking Farouk down only ends up making him more powerful, for as The Shadow King goes on to exist merely as an entity on the psychic plane, he becomes a MAJOR threat for the X-Men (and other X-Teams) down the line, but for now, the battle with Farouk remains a lesson to Xaiver of the importance of standing against evil mutants like him. However, with his team seemingly dead, Xaiver makes the decision to follow Lilandra back to the Shi'ar empire to claim the throne that is rightfully hers. This would end up being extremely costly as it relates the eventual fate of Jean Grey, as, once again, the intervention of Charles Xaiver at certain points over the next ten or so issues might have prevented what happens to Jean Grey during those issues. The long term tragedy set in motion during the fallout of the Magneto conflict is almost Shakespearean in many ways, as it's a tragedy that could have been prevented, had different actions been taken. All in all, this was a solid issue; more interesting than exciting, but it does definitely set the table for a great many storylines, some of which reach all the way to the end of Claremont's run (IOW, like ten years later.....how's that for a storyline having legs?). We return to the main X-Men team next issue, and the return of one of the original members of the All New, All Different team (Hint.....it aint' Thunderbird), and Wolverine gets a new love interest. Be there or be L 7. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 19:11:50 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 278"Amnesty!"Cover Date: December 1982 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The Leader, Jackdaw, and The U Foes (briefly) Guest Stars: The Fantastic Four, Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, Alpha Flight, ect. Official Plot: Doc Samson arrives to Gamma Base looking for Bruce Banner, but he only finds Betty. Bereet, Rick and Bruce have left, but Betty has remained because she thinks she can't live with a man who likes turning into a monster. Banner goes to the Baxter Building to ask the Fantastic Four for help for a public acceptation. The US President (Ronald Reagan) agrees to sign an Amnesty redacted by Matt Murdock against the opinion of General Thaddeus Ross. Right then, Krylorian ship fakes, created by The Leader, attack the White House. Hulk and the rest of the heroes who were there supporting him, fight the ships and win. The Hulk is then taken over Ben Grimm and Thor's shoulders and honored as a hero. Brodie's View: This is a major turning point in the life of Bruce Banner/The Hulk, while closing the door on a few long standing storylines, as we bid good bye to Betty Ross as a regular character for a while. Doc Samson, who is still trying to save the Hulk from last issues' seemingly hopeless situation, arrives at Gamma Base to find only her there (Yeah, Doc Samson has always made a much better therapist than he did a hero), explaining that she really doesn't want to be in the life of a Bruce Banner controlled Hulk. Meanwhile, the Hulk goes to the Fantastic Four, who at first think he's there to attack them, and goes into attack mode, only for the Hulk to do nothing in defense, as he is merely there for their help. We then skip ahead, as the FF have indeed helped the Hulk, by convincing the U.S President at the time, Ronald Reagan, to give the Hulk a full pardon and amnesty for any of the crimes/damage caused in the past by the Savage Hulk, with pretty much all of the Marvel Heroes in attendance (and against the protests of long time Hulk enemy, and Betty's father, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross) for support. However, before the celebrations can begin, the heroes fall under attack by what appears to be an alien invasion. The Hulk instantly proves his worth to the world by leading the heroes in a counter-attack against the aliens, quickly disposing of them. The Hulk is then celebrated even more by the heroes, as it's secretly revealed that the whole alien thing was a ruse created by The Leader in an effort to build the Hulk's confidence up to a higher point to fall from, once the Leader defeats him, setting up a future storyline. For now, though, it's party time, as we'll see next issue. This is a pretty damn good issue, as it's nice to see a tortured and tormented character like Bruce Banner/The Hulk finally get the respect due him, and as previously stated, this is only Part One of the good times. The next issue makes this one seem downbeat, and it's really not at all. The only sad thing is that knowing in the life of Banner/The Hulk, the good times are only high points, and the drop is always coming. It won't come for a while, but it will come.....BOY, will it come. For now, though....it's all good in the hood, and wait until we get to the next issue. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 23:24:06 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #118"The Submergence of Japan"Cover Date: February 1979 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Moses Magnum (and his Organization/Mandroids) Guest Star: Sunfire, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Iron Fist (briefly), Lilandra Official Plot: Continue from last issue.... The X-Men arrive in Japan aboard the ship Jinguchi Maru, they find that the city Agarashima is ablaze by a great firestorm caused by an unnatural earthquake. Coming to the mainland, Wolverine reads a local newspaper to learn about the series of strange and unnatural attacks. With a clear disaster on their hands, Scott suggests that they find their old ally, Sunfire and see what they can do to help while at the same time contacting Professor X and letting him know that they are alive. This would seem to be almost too late, as at that very moment, the Professor is aboard a Shi'ar ship back to Lilandra's world, having decided to leave Earth because he would believe the X-Men to be dead. While in Japan, the X-Men sneak into the Yashida estate and are surrounded by soldiers and Sunfire who order them to surrender. The tense confrontation is halted when Misty Knight shows up and tells Sunfire that the Prime Minister wants to get the X-Men's help. With Cyclops before the Prime Minister, Sunfire demands in Japanese that the Prime Minister allow him to deal with the crisis alone and not allow the American detectives Misty Knight and Colleen Wing or the X-Men interfere. Despite his angry demands, the Prime Minister does not change his decision much to the chagrin of Sunfire. Not understanding the conversation, Cyclops decides to find a phone so that he can call and tell the Professor that they're still alive and tell him that Jean and Hank are dead and still can't believe that Jean is really gone. As he walks away, Colleen thinks about how attractive Cyclops is. When Misty is done calling in on her boyfriend Iron Fist, who can't come to help because he's on a case with Power Man, Cyclops calls the mansion to find that the phone has been disconnected and wonders what could have happened to the Professor. When Cyclops tells Banshee that they need to check back on the mansion, he's told that Colleen is looking for him. Elsewhere in the house, Wolverine comes across young Mariko Yashida, although the gentle woman is at first frightened by Wolverine's sudden interruption of her meditation she is eased by the fact he is able to speak fluent Japanese and knows much about their culture. The two begin to bond when suddenly the palace is struck by another seeming earthquake. In reality, the house is being attacked by an army of men dressed in Mandroid armor. While the Mandroids manage to knock out Sunfire, the X-Men take them out with relative ease, smashing their armor and preventing their escape. In the aftermath of the battle, a hologram of the Mandroid's leader appears, he introduces himself as Moses Magnum and demand that the government of Japan name him the ruler of the country in the next 24 hours or he will use his Magnum Force to sink the island of Japan. This story is continued next issue.... Brodie's View: Now that we've had our side issue with an Xaiver story last issue, we're back to our regularly scheduled program this issue, as the X-Men find themselves arriving in Japan just as all hell is breaking loose.....literally, as a series of strange earthquakes have caused the city of Agarashima to be engulfed in flames (The X-Men learn the backstory from Wolverine, who due to his ability to speak/read Japanese, reading the story in a local newspaper; BTW, this is the first time Wolverine's bi-lingual ability is revealed to the others, and us). Docking, they realize that the Ex X-Man Sunfire resides in this city, and go to seek his help in the matter. Meanwhile, Wolverine is introduced to what would become one of the great loves in his life, Mariko Yashida, and we see softness in the character for one of the first times in the book. This would be nice, as giving Wolvie a love interest....well, other than lusting after Jean Grey, would give the character more complexity, and eventually lead to the mini series that would fully define him as a character (The same mini series that THE WOLVERINE would be somewhat based on). We are eventually introduced to our villains of these two issues, in the form of Mandroids (which are exactly what they sound like, goomba run robot attack suits, kind of the stormtrooper versions of the Iron Man suit), who attack Sunfire, but are taken out by the X-Men. Their leader, the terrorist Moses Magnum appears via hologram to state that either Japan declares him the ruler of the island nation in 24, or he'll sink the place. Ruh Roh, Raggy! Now, I will say the only thing I didn't really dig about this issue and the next is the main villain, as Moses Magnum, despite the earthquake causing power (given to him, as we later find out in a retconny kind of way, by a villain that would become a BIG deal in the late 80's-90's, Apocalypse), is a pretty lame villain that only the 70's could have cooked up. I mean, look at the name.....Moses Magnum. He even sounds like a bad blaxploitation villain, and someone that the X-Men could easily wipe up in a page or two. Heck, he fought Spidey and the Punisher last, and I'm sure they didn't have much of a problem with him, but yet the X-Men are troubled with him for two issues (?!?). Ah well, at least we some good side stuff going on, with some gratuitous guest appearances by Iron Fist (whose book Claremont/Byrne were also collaborating on during this period) regulars, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing (who has her eyes on Cyclops....damn, not even letting the non existent body get cold, is she?), and Sunfire, who always adds some nicely needed arrogance to the whole deal. Plus, as previously stated, this would be an important series of issues for Wolverine, who we can tell Claremont/Byrne are taking a special liking to. He would be the focus of quite a few issues in the near future, but we'll get to that as it comes. For now, the X-Men World Tour rolls on for a few more issues. GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 23, 2017 23:32:19 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 279"Everybody Loves a Parade, Right?"Cover Date: January, 1983 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Mark Gruenwald Villain: The Leader/Jackdaw (briefly, but the U Foes shown in flashback) Guest Stars: F**king EVERYONE hero-wise; including Asgardian Gods, Inhumans, The Watcher, Silver Surfer, Willie Lumpkin.....seriously, EVERYONE on the good guy side of things is in this MF'er. Official Plot: Heroes and warriors from all countries honor the Hulk as a hero. Brodie's View: Jeez! It's obvious the recap person for this issue didn't wear himself out too much on THAT description, so, I'll try to do better. The issue starts with the huge parade featured bellow, with the guest of honor being, of course, The Incredible Hulk (In his spiffy new Reed Richard designed purple shorts with unstable molecules, which will allow Banner to transform into the Hulk without tearing his clothes.....how nice of Reed, don'tchathink?). They make their way to a giant stage, where The Hulk is presented the key to the city of New York by Ed Koch, I believe. We see various reactions to this by various Marvel characters. We also see Reed Richards and Iron Man talking about the origins of the Hulk, and his time as an Avenger. We see a conversation between Dr. Strange and Hellcat, asking if this new Hulk would still be considered a Defender, which Strange responds in the negative. We then see brief shots of Rick Jones and former sidekick, Jim Wilson, thinking about their time with the Hulk in the past. The Thing then brings a giant covered object onto the stage, which is revealed to be a statue of the Hulk created out of adamantium (with a Vibranium blade) by Alicia Masters, which touches the Hulk. Then, the Inhumans show up, and they pledge their friendship to the Hulk. Thor then whirls his hammer, opening a portal to Asgard, as all of the warriors of that fabled land hail the Hulk as a hero. The Sub Mariner then shows up with a conch, and upon blowing it, the warriors of Atlantis show up, also hailing the Hulk. Namor leaves The Hulk the conch as a token of friendship. Heroes from around the world each step up to praise and welcome the Hulk officially to their ranks. The Silver Surfer then shows up and praises the Hulk, as does The Watcher, who presents the Hulk with The Rememberance Crystal, showing all the alien races the Hulk has aided and helped in the past. Next up is Willie Lumpkin, who delivers a huge bag of Hulk fan letters, which causes the green guy to tear up from gratitude. We then briefly see The Leader, who is watching the events unfold, while plotting his eventual revenge. Reed Richards then takes the podium, ending things off with a round of applause for the Hulk, just as the Hulk spots Betty Ross (with Doc Samson) in the crowd. Upon being spotted, she leaves in embarrassment, causing Banner/Hulk to feel alone, just as Richards is saying "Well, Hulk.....it looks as if your lonely days are over," as he is surrounded by the army of heroes. Wow, what an issue. As I said, while the last page is kind of bittersweet for our green hero, the rest of this issue is probably the greatest single hour or so of his life. Things would never go that good for him again, even later on when he gains Banner's intelligence again during Peter David's run. This was the heroes of Earth (and beyond) celebrating what they perceived to be one man's triumph against the curse that made him a misunderstood, but sometimes dangerous, monster. The difference in art here was kind of striking, as I was used to Sal Buscema's art, but in a way, it fit, as this was truly a new era in the life of the Hulk, and it needed a new look. Sal would be back in the next issue, but even his art would look a bit different from here on, and he would evolve his art to fit the different changes the Banner Hulk would undergo from here to the end of his run. This is probably one of the best issues of this run, and Mantlo does a great job with the story. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 24, 2017 3:53:13 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #119 "Twas the Night Before Christmas...."Cover Date: March 1979 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Moses Magnum (and his Organization/Mandroids)/Mutant X (briefly) Guest Star: Sunfire, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Phoenix, Havok, Polaris, Jamie Madrox, & Moria MacTaggert Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Moses Magnum has issued an ultimatum to the government of Japan: Turn the country over to him, or he will use his Magnum Force to sink the entire country. With the 24 hour period to turn over power to him running short, the Prime Minister of Japan has asked the visiting X-Men to help stop him from destroying the country. After briefing the X-Men and Sunfire on Magnum's past the group splits into two teams to try and stop Magnum's operation that is located within the Kuril Islands. While Storm, and Banshee attack from the air (with Nightcrawler teleporting into the base solo), Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine and Sunfire burrow their way to the island from under ground. When Cyclops and the others burst through the floor, Colossus is attacked by Magnum who surprises them with his newly acquired super-human strength. Although the group does well against Magnum, the tide of battle is turned to the villains advantage as he calls in his minions in new Mark II Mandroid Armor. Outmatched, Cyclops orders Sunfire to get Storm and Banshee and have them join the battle. As the battle rages, Magnum flees the scene to activate his laser weapon to sink Japan. When Banshee sees the villain flee, he flies outside of the base and pushes his sonic scream to the limit blocking Moses Magnum's weapon, destroying the base as the other X-Men flee. As they wait for Misty Knight and Colleen Wing to rescue them by plane, the X-Men realize that Banshee has tapped out his mutant powers saving the entire country and may not be able to use his powers again. Ten days of recovery later, Banshee is released from a hospital and returns to the Yashida house and finds that the other X-Men have put up a Christmas tree to celebrate both Christmas and Banshee's release. While the others celebrate, Wolverine wanders off to spend more time with Lady Mariko, while Colossus deals with the loneliness of being away from his family during the holidays. While in Scotland, Jean Grey exists a train and is welcome by Alex, Lorna, Jamie Madrox and Moira MacTaggert. The group plan on showing Jean around all the sights before returning to Muir Island to celebrate the holidays. Unknown to them, the bitter boat owner Angus MacWhirter has come to the island to get revenge against MacTaggert for the damage done to one of his hovercrafts during the X-Men's battle against Magneto. However before he can do anything he is confronted by a strange being that takes possession of his body. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View: We finish this whole deal with Moses Magnum in this issue, with the team splitting up (With Sunfire) to attack Magnum from two different fronts. Colossus tries to take Magnum on himself, only to be humbled, causing the metal X-Man to have a crisis of faith. Finally, Banshee decides to end things by amping his sonic scream up to its absolute limit, and destroying Magnum's entire base (and seemingly causing Magnum to fall to his death), but in the process, completely ruining his power for a long time. This issue would kind of mark the end of Sean Cassidy's run as a super hero until we reach the late 80's (although he would tag along with the X-Men for a bit longer, he would forced to use his wits, as his power was null and void for the time being). We then end the issue with a Christmas/Welcome Back celebration for Cassidy, as he returns from the hospital. However, Colossus and Wolverine don't really participate in the party, as the Russian would brood over missing his family, while Wolvie seeks out Lady Mariko. We then cut to Scotland, as Jean Grey is welcomed by Moria MacTaggert, Havok, Polaris, and Jamie Madrox (The Multiple Man) to Muir Island. However, they don't notice a disgruntled former employee, Angus MacWhirter, who is crept up on by the mysterious Mutant X (remember him, from #104?), who takes possession of Angus' body, killing him instantly......Gulp. So, yeah....as one would hope, the X-Men make short work of the lame Moses Magnum (although, they basically lose one of their own members to do it), and we move on to various subplots, setting up future stories. Of course, some of those subplots would simmer for a bit longer, but one can tell some long term thought is being put into future stories. However, first things first, as Wolverine would take prime focus for the next couple issues; the X-Men find themselves flying over Canada, only to find themselves up against a past foe (#109), and the new team he's assembled. I'm sure most of you know who I'm talking about, but I figured I'd toss out the tease anyways. The art and story, as always, are solid to great, and I'm glad this whole Magnum thing didn't stretch into another issue. Onward and Upwards. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 24, 2017 4:01:35 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 280"Alone in a Crowd!"Cover Date: Febuary, 1983 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The Leader/Jackdaw/The Leader's Humanoids Guest Star/s: Rick Jones, Bereet Official Plot: Banner has to fight a new and unexpected danger: journalists. A group of journalists ruins his dinner with Bereet and he becomes an angry Hulk and leaves the place. Bereet tries to calm him down, taking a walk to Central Park. She not only calms him but kisses him. When they get back to the New York hotel where they were staying, they are attacked by the Leader's Humanoids. The Banner Hulk can't fight so many Humanoids. The Humanoids kidnap Rick and Bereet and the Banner Hulk can't prevent it. Brodie's View: And we go from the heights of last issue to the reality of this issue, as the Banner Hulk has to deal with one of the greatest threats of all; the media. Suddenly, he starts to realize that with this sudden fame and notoriety comes public scrutiny, as everyone now expects a piece of this new, media friendly Hulk, while all he wants is what the Savage Hulk wanted, to be left alone. This also leaves him open to attacks from enemies from the past, who want to try this new intelligent Hulk, to test him to see if the loss of his savage nature would equal weakness. This is basically the story of the next ten issues or so, as Bruce Banner would find out that being a hero is not what he thought it would be, and it starts in this issue. Bruce/The Hulk is almost trapped in his hotel room by various reporters, and even a simple dinner with Bereet is ruined by the onslaught of reporters, causing him to turn into the Hulk and start trashing the place, before Bereet can calm him down. They take a walk in the park, where Bereet puts the moves on him, which, missing Betty, he accepts (Don't worry, this wouldn't be a long standing relationship, as Bereet would be pretty much gone by #288, never to return). However, little does he know, he is being watched by The Leader, who sends his Humanoids to kidnap Rick and Bereet, which the Hulk is helpless to stop, giving the win in this first battle to Mr. Green Flat top head. This was a good issue, although, a let down from the last issue (although, I think any issue would be a let down after last issue), as we see that a Banner controlled Hulk is definitely not going to be the easy ride Bruce thought it was going to be when he pushed for his pardon. However, we finally get to see The Leader make his major play, ending five issues of behind the scenes scheming and plotting from the shadows. We'd see The Leader quite a bit over the next five issues, and then we wouldn't see him again until Peter David's run a few years later, looking VERY different than he does here. In many ways, this is the last "Classic Leader" story, and how fitting is it that it's against this new intelligent Hulk. It's nice to see Sal back in the artist's chair, and as I said before, he does alter his depiction of the Hulk to fit this new era, which is nice, as he could have very easily just drew the same Hulk in a pair of shorts. He does a great job adapting his art to the various changes the Hulk goes through in these next 20 issues (and following this, leading up to his departure from the book, ending one hell of a run), and we can tell that Mantlo, now realizing the story he wants to tell, is finding his way with this new Hulk. A lot of fans at the time were pretty pissed, as they missed the old formula the book had followed since the late 60's, but one does have to change with the times, and with a character like the Hulk, change is necessary. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 24, 2017 22:37:16 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #120 "Wanted: Wolverine! Dead or Alive! " Cover Date: April 1979 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Department H/Alpha Flight Guest Star: Sunfire, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing Official Plot: Following the news of the X-Men's battle with Moses Magnum in Japan, the Canadian super-hero known as Vindicator meets with the Prime Minister in order to determine how best to capture Wolverine and force him back into service for the Canadian government after his first failed attempt to capture him. Vindicator believes that the X-Men's eventual return to the United States would be an ideal time to try and recapture Wolverine and calls in his newly formed team of super-heroes, Alpha Flight: Jean-Paul Baubier, Northstar; Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen, Shaman; RCMP corporal Anne McKenzie, Snowbird; Dr. Walter Langkowski, Sasquatch; and Jean-Paul's twin sister Jeanne-Marier, Aurora. Meanwhile, in Japan, the X-Men bid farewell to their ally Sunfire who is thankful for the groups aid in stopping Moses Magnum. Before leaving, Wolverine pays his own goodbyes to Mariko Yashida by presenting her with a white chrysanthemum and tells her his real name is Logan. As the X-Men take a 474 back to the States with Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, they fly into a freak winter snowstorm. Storm warns Cyclops that there is something unnatural about the storm and that it refuses to respond to her mutant powers. Soon the plane is forced to make a diverted landing in Calgary, Alberta Canada. When Vindicator appears on the runway and orders Wolverine to surrender, the X-Men try to take off again but the plane is stopped and tossed into a hanger by Sasquatch. When Vindicator searches the wreckage he finds no sign of the X-Men. This is because the X-Men managed to sneak out of the aircraft before it was wrecked, and now in their street clothes they manage to sneak into the airport and get lost in the crowd. Nightcrawler, without any disguises for his normal appearance teleports ahead of the others and is easily knocked out by Northstar and Aurora. The other X-Men meanwhile split up Banshee and Storm slip into the Toronto-Dominion Mall and decide to take in a little shopping. Vindicator manages to track them down to the mall and attack. When he confronts Banshee, Sean attempts to use his sonic scream but topples over in pain. Seeing her comrade on the ground, Storm unleashes the full fury of her weather powers on Vindicator causing him to flee the scene to continue searching for Wolverine. As Cyclops and Colossus try to lose themselves in the streets, Wolverine wanders through an old neighborhood he used to hang out in and remarks that somethings haven't changed when remarking on the drunks in the alley. This distraction allows Sasquatch to get the drop on Logan and beat him into unconsciousness. When the other X-Men regroup, Cyclops notes that both Wolverine and Nightcrawler are missing and tells his team that if Alpha Flight intends on keeping them, they will learn that the X-Men are a force to be reckoned with. This story is continued next issue.... Brodie's View: We get a blast from the recent past (#109) in this issue, as the former Weapon Alpha (Now known as Vindicator) sees his chance to make another grab at ex patriot, Wolverine, as The X-Men find themselves heading back to the U.S from their adventures in Japan (and elsewhere), and must make the passage over Canada to get to New York. We see the reveal of the team of super powered Canadians he has assembled to handle the rest of the team, so, he doesn't find himself outnumbered as he did in #109. Meanwhile, the X-Men are saying good bye to Sunfire and Japan, oblivious to the forces conspiring against them. Upon their being in the target zone, the X-Men are struck by horrible weather (which Storm finds suspect, as she can't control it in any way, meaning it was manufactured by other means), forcing the X-Men to land. Once they land and separate, they find themselves attacked by the various members of Alpha Flight (Wolverine and Nightcrawler are the first targets to be completely incapacitated), and we end our issue with a stand off between the two teams, setting up a major fight in the next issue. It's easy to see John Byrne's influence in this issue, as being a natural born Canadian, one can tell he revels in being able to actual draw a couple of issues set in his native land, and getting to influence what would eventually be the first Canadian Super Hero team to boot (which he would front for it's first 20-30 issues). Alpha Flight is an interesting mix of characters, which would become even more interesting once the actual book was launched, and we would develop a full team and side characters (some of them directly linking to Wolverine, allowing guest appearances by the clawed X-Man, who was growing immensely popular by that point), and what better way to debut these new super powered characters than by testing their powers against established super characters? That's what this issue (and #121) is really all about; the test drive for Alpha Flight, basically, and a fine test drive it is. Definitely a step up from the X-Men fighting a B rated villain like Moses Magnum (Sorry, I know I'm being harsh on Mr. Magnum, but, yeah, dude was lame). The next issue would deliver some great action, but this was definitely a nice set up issue. GRADE:[/b] B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 24, 2017 22:42:40 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk # 281"Audition!" Cover Date: March, 1983 Writer: Bill Mantlo Artist: Sal Buscema Villain: The Leader/Jackdaw/The Leader's Humanoids Guest Stars: The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, She Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye), Rick Jones, Bereet Official Plot: Bruce Banner takes an Avengers Quinjet in order to rescue Rick and Bereet who were kidnapped by the Humanoids, and are kept by the Leader in the Omnivac, his space station. When the Hulk arrives at the station, the Humanoids attack him and destroy the Quinjet and the Hulk's helmet. Although the savage Hulk has instinctively take air, the frightened Bruce Banner doesn't, so soon after his helmet is destroyed in space, he runs out of air, and falls unconscious. The Humanoids take him to Omnibus, where the Leader reanimates him and offers him to join him to govern the whole world as gamma brothers. Hulk denies the offer and the Leader sends again the Humanoids against him. Banner does not find a way to destroy the unbreakable Humanoids, and after a long, tiring fight, he gives up. The Leader returns Bruce, Rick and Bereet to Earth, since he feels the intelligent Hulk is no long a menace to him. Brodie's View: I like how we're slowly bringing the Avengers into this whole deal with The Leader, as the super group allow The Hulk to use one of their Quinjets to try and rescue Rick and Bereet (who were kidnapped by The Leader's Humanoids last issue), as The Leader has them prisoner on his space station. However, once he reaches the station, his Quinjet is swarmed by Humanoids, and is destroyed, along with the Hulk's helmet. Not using the Savage Hulk's instinctive survival instinct, the Banner Hulk instead falls unconscious due to the lack of air. He re-awakens to find himself, Rick, and Bereet sitting at a dinner table headed by The Leader, who offers Banner one chance to join him. Of course, Banner refuses, and The Leader once again swarms him with Humanoids, who end up taking the Hulk down due to Bruce Banner's tendency to think his way out of everything, rather than just smash like the Savage Hulk would. Considering this new Hulk no longer a threat, The Leader dumps a glass of campaign on him, and returns Hulk, Jones, and Bereet to Earth. Ouch! Poor Hulk. The Leader kind of takes his measure, and finds him wanting in this issue. We've never seen the Hulk just dominated the way he was in this issue, and the story of the issue is that this new Hulk was defeated for exactly the reason he was so successful against the U Foes in #277; using Banner's intelligence to fight, rather than the raw power of the Hulk of old. It's clear that after this issue, that the Banner Hulk would need to at least somewhat gain the "Eye of the Tiger" to defeat The Leader in his schemes. Luckily, this new Hulk has friends, and the next few issues will bring The Avengers (Including the Hulk's cousin, She Hulk) fully into the fray, but for now, this is definitely the "crashing back to reality" moment for the Banner Hulk, after the highs of #277-79. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 25, 2017 1:58:17 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #121"Shoot Out at the Stampede!" Cover Date: May 1979 Writer: Chris Claremont & John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Team: Cyclops, Banshee, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus (Professor Xaiver) Villain: Department H/Alpha Flight Guest Star: Misty Knight, Colleen Wing Official Plot: Continued from last issue... With Wolverine and Nightcrawler captives of Alpha Flight, Cyclops leads Colossus and Storm to the exhibition grounds for the Calgary Stampede. There they find their two friends bound up, as they approach the members of Alpha Flight make their presence known and tell the X-Men that they can take Nightcrawler and go, but Wolverine stays with them. Outside, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing and Banshee arrive and Banshee tries to enter the fare grounds but finds that some sort of barrier prevents him from entering. Inside, the X-Men refuse to turn over their comrade and a fight breaks out. As Wolverine and Nightcrawler were only playing possum they break free of their bonds and join the fight as well. As the battle rages, Shaman uses his magics to create a miniature snowstorm to keep Wolverine at bay, however this combined with the magics he used to create the massive snowstorm to divert the X-Men into Canada combine causing an even greater storm. The battle eventually comes to a halt when both teams realize that the storm could cause untold damage if not put back in check. Storm would then fly into the sky and tax her abilities to the limits to stop the snowstorm. When she lands on the ground she is attacked by Northstar, and he in turn is blasted by Cyclops. Before another fight can break out, Wolverine calls everyone to stop and decides to surrender over to the Canadian authorities, deciding that he doesn't want his friends to get hurt because of him. With Wolverines' decision made, he willingly turns himself over and Alpha Flight allow the X-Men to leave, however when they fly out of Calgary they are escorted out of the country by the Canadian air force. When back in American airspace, Cyclops and the others decide that it's not right to just leave Wolverine with the Canadian government and they all agree to turn around and rescue him, however when Cyclops enters the cockpit and tells the pilot to turn around he is shocked to see that Wolverine is in there, having broken himself out and climbed aboard the plane. When Cyclops asks him what he will do next time the government tries to collect him, he tells his leader that he'll worry about it when the time comes. Brodie's View: The X-Men vs. Alpha Flight....the big ass fight teased last issue finally breaks down, as the two teams fight over the fate of Wolverine, who the Canadian Government wants back after his splitting in GIANT SIZED X-MEN #1 to join the mutant team. Weapon Alpha AKA Vindicator tried in #104, and failed due to being outnumbered, so, he went and assembled his own team to even the odds, and here we are, with both teams pretty evenly matched, and neither team giving an inch. This goes on until both teams realize that the storm created by AF's resident medicine man/magic user, Shaman, has grown out of control, and could cause damage to innocents if not stopped. Storm manages to calm the storm, but upon doing so, is cheap shotted by Northstar (the arrogant speed flyer of the team). Cyclops blasts Northstar, and just as the fight is ready to begin anew, Wolverine surrenders to the Canadian Government, seemingly giving the win to Alpha Flight. A pissed off X-Men depart Canada to find Wolverine sitting in the cockpit of their jet, having snuck out of AF's cell he had been contained in. This leaves the issue unresolved, setting up a potential rematch between the two teams that never really happens, as the next time we see Alpha Flight members, they are begrudging allies with Wolverine, with the Canadian Government, I'm assuming, just throwing their hands in the air, and saying, "f*** It!," and just deciding to just create more potential Wolverines, rather than wasting more money and resources trying to get the original back. A certain "Merc with a Mouth" would be one of the results of this. This was a pretty kick ass finish to the whole "Alpha Flight" thing, which definitely shows off some of the members of this newborn team, and the powers they possess. The next time we would see them, they would be portrayed more sympathetically, obviously, as a decision had been made by that point to give them their own book, which Byrne would front after leaving the X-Men. However, this wouldn't be for another 20 issues or so, and we still have the best of the Bryne era to get to, and we will, but first we get a little bit of a breather issue for the team, who finally make it back to the X Mansion to find......no one there. GRADE: B+
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