Readthrough: Uncanny X-Men 103
14 Mar 2019 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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x_men_classicFirst, a bit of art, because the Classic fronstispiece for this story was great:
I like drama bats!
Onward to the story (and the promised leprechaun rescue)...
Kurt’s leprechaun rescuers take him to castle steward Eamon, who explains that Black Tom has taken most of the keep’s leprechaun population as hostages and used them to coerce Eamon into helping him ensnare the X-Men. Eamon also reveals that Black Tom is taking orders from a fellow in red armor, who Kurt easily identifies as Erik the Red.
The leprechauns also let Kurt know about his “disappear in the shadows” power; again, this section was removed from the Classic reprint of the story.
Another leprechaun (a number, all apparently male, seem to have escaped capture so far) comes running to warn the others that Black Tom is planning to torture the captured X-Men in order to lure Xavier into the Juggernaut’s clutches.
Lucky Kurt still has his image inducer…
Black Tom notices that “Xavier” is far too bouncy to be real, but the infuriated Juggernaut punches a hole in the wall anyway. And through that hole, the sky is visible.
Up until this point, Storm had been restrained more by her claustrophobia than her (ridiculous) bonds. Once she can see the sky, neither is able to hold her, and both the X-Men and the leprechaun families are freed as well.
There’s a brief interlude as everyone pulls themselves together: the leprechauns dig Kurt out from under rubble, Storm picks the lock holding Wolverine’s shackles on and tells her friends about that part of her history, and Cain apologizes to Tom for losing his temper and messing their plan up. It’s a nice pause. Of course, then the villains fall back on their plan B, declaring that they’ll kill Banshee if the X-Men don’t come fight them at the top of the castle right now.
Nice to see Wolverine warming up to his teammates, even if he's still a jerk about it! All the same, I love Piotr standing up for Ororo again here.
Also, I do believe that was the first Fastball Special! Out of a moment's annoyance, one of the classic X-Men team-up moves is born...
While Storm dodges lasers and Colossus climbs up the castle wall, Wolverine finds himself in an unexpected pickle…
Yes, this is the first appearance of Wolverine's real name. No, I don't know how the leprechauns know it either. (I've seen people argue that the "talking wolverines" crack is a reference to the "evolved wolverine" backstory that was considered for Logan, but honestly, it works just as well as a joke about his codename.)
On top of the castle, Nightcrawler (who was, of course, just fine) manages to use his shadow-vanishing to sneak up and free Banshee. At that point, Banshee and Tom attack each other with some convenient ancient weaponry while the rest of the X-Men face the Juggernaut.
Eventually, Black Tom thinks he’s got the drop on his cousin… but Sean flips them both over the wall and clings there as his cousin plummets to the sea. (Tom seems to think that Sean was dooming them both with this move, which seems questionable even if Sean hadn’t been able to keep his grip; he can fly, after all!)
The Juggernaut—who had been winning his own fight up until then—immediately jumps into the sea instead, desperate to help his partner.
That wasn't insulting at all! The narrator is actually pretty nice to the Juggernaut, really...
Storm commands the weather to calm down (“Wind and wave, sea and storm—hear my words—and begone!”), and the X-Men do try to find their foes’ bodies—without success.
And meanwhile, Erik the Red is on thephone communication screen thingy with his boss, who wears a crown and has bedraggled feathery hair and markings around his eyes. Erik promises that he will see to it that the X-Men die before Princess Neramani can contact them…
...for "Kurt stands up for Ororo" obviously read Piotr; I can't fix that because I only noticed it after I clicked post. Sorry!
Any other thoughts on this issue, or Black Tom and the Juggernaut as characters (since we won't be seeing them for a bit)?
And, in honor of the leprechauns of Cassidy Keep: are there any creatures from mythology or folklore that you'd like to see in the X-Men? Favorite canonical examples?
I like drama bats!
Onward to the story (and the promised leprechaun rescue)...
Kurt’s leprechaun rescuers take him to castle steward Eamon, who explains that Black Tom has taken most of the keep’s leprechaun population as hostages and used them to coerce Eamon into helping him ensnare the X-Men. Eamon also reveals that Black Tom is taking orders from a fellow in red armor, who Kurt easily identifies as Erik the Red.
The leprechauns also let Kurt know about his “disappear in the shadows” power; again, this section was removed from the Classic reprint of the story.
Another leprechaun (a number, all apparently male, seem to have escaped capture so far) comes running to warn the others that Black Tom is planning to torture the captured X-Men in order to lure Xavier into the Juggernaut’s clutches.
Lucky Kurt still has his image inducer…
Black Tom notices that “Xavier” is far too bouncy to be real, but the infuriated Juggernaut punches a hole in the wall anyway. And through that hole, the sky is visible.
Up until this point, Storm had been restrained more by her claustrophobia than her (ridiculous) bonds. Once she can see the sky, neither is able to hold her, and both the X-Men and the leprechaun families are freed as well.
There’s a brief interlude as everyone pulls themselves together: the leprechauns dig Kurt out from under rubble, Storm picks the lock holding Wolverine’s shackles on and tells her friends about that part of her history, and Cain apologizes to Tom for losing his temper and messing their plan up. It’s a nice pause. Of course, then the villains fall back on their plan B, declaring that they’ll kill Banshee if the X-Men don’t come fight them at the top of the castle right now.
Nice to see Wolverine warming up to his teammates, even if he's still a jerk about it! All the same, I love Piotr standing up for Ororo again here.
Also, I do believe that was the first Fastball Special! Out of a moment's annoyance, one of the classic X-Men team-up moves is born...
While Storm dodges lasers and Colossus climbs up the castle wall, Wolverine finds himself in an unexpected pickle…
Yes, this is the first appearance of Wolverine's real name. No, I don't know how the leprechauns know it either. (I've seen people argue that the "talking wolverines" crack is a reference to the "evolved wolverine" backstory that was considered for Logan, but honestly, it works just as well as a joke about his codename.)
On top of the castle, Nightcrawler (who was, of course, just fine) manages to use his shadow-vanishing to sneak up and free Banshee. At that point, Banshee and Tom attack each other with some convenient ancient weaponry while the rest of the X-Men face the Juggernaut.
Eventually, Black Tom thinks he’s got the drop on his cousin… but Sean flips them both over the wall and clings there as his cousin plummets to the sea. (Tom seems to think that Sean was dooming them both with this move, which seems questionable even if Sean hadn’t been able to keep his grip; he can fly, after all!)
The Juggernaut—who had been winning his own fight up until then—immediately jumps into the sea instead, desperate to help his partner.
Juggernaut: Hold on, Tom! I’m coming!
He was the only friend I ever had, X-Men—and so help me, if you’ve killed him—
—I’ll make you pay!
Narrator: In an instant, Juggernaut is gone, swallowed up by the Force 12 surf, almost as if he had never been…
… His life risked—perhaps lost—in a desperate attempt to save his friend.
Not a bad epitaph, that…
That wasn't insulting at all! The narrator is actually pretty nice to the Juggernaut, really...
Storm commands the weather to calm down (“Wind and wave, sea and storm—hear my words—and begone!”), and the X-Men do try to find their foes’ bodies—without success.
And meanwhile, Erik the Red is on the
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Leprechauns to the rescue!
0 (0.0%)
Kurt saves the day with his image inducer
2 (40.0%)
Ororo frees everybody
1 (20.0%)
Kurt stands up for Ororo (and invents the Fastball Special)
1 (20.0%)
Banshee vs. Black Tom
0 (0.0%)
Juggernaut throws himself into the sea to save Black Tom
2 (40.0%)
Something else, as I will explain in the comments.
1 (20.0%)
...for "Kurt stands up for Ororo" obviously read Piotr; I can't fix that because I only noticed it after I clicked post. Sorry!
Any other thoughts on this issue, or Black Tom and the Juggernaut as characters (since we won't be seeing them for a bit)?
And, in honor of the leprechauns of Cassidy Keep: are there any creatures from mythology or folklore that you'd like to see in the X-Men? Favorite canonical examples?
