x_men_classic | Entries tagged with character: thunderbird

In this issue, the X-Men return Thunderbird's body to his family, and mourn him. Along the way, both they and the reader learn a little more about John Proudstar, and why he made the choices he did.

This is the story that made me care about John Proudstar. I still think it’s one of the best of the Classic backups.

(Apologies in advance—some of my scans have a blurry edge, on account of being taken from a large and not entirely cooperative hardcover.)

( Mourning )

I adored this story as a teenager; it made me care about (and yes, mourn) John Proudstar, when before all I'd felt was that it was a shame he'd died before getting fleshed out at all.

I’m fairly sure that this was published after James Proudstar made his first appearances in New Mutants and X-Men; that surprised me, as this story read like foreshadowing, and as a teenager I assumed it really had been his first appearance. And James’s furious speech in the end is by far the weakest part of the story, for me. I’m afraid it put me off of the character for years; I thought of him as the ‘boring’ brother even though he’s had much more characterization, simply because he’s so much less nuanced in this story.

Poll #21162 Favorite Scene

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3

View Respondents

Which scene(s) are your favorite?

View Answers

Jean and the Professor
2 (66.7%)

Sean's internal monologue
0 (0.0%)

Kurt and Piotr's flashback
0 (0.0%)

Ororo's flashback
1 (33.3%)

Logan putting the pieces together
2 (66.7%)

James at the funeral
0 (0.0%)

Something else, which I will explain in the comments.
0 (0.0%)

What did you think?

Next Thursday: Cyclops mourns, and also quarrels with the narrator, with catastrophic results.

Next Sunday: Wolverine and Nightcrawler bond.

Current Mood: contemplative

sheliak

Last week, we left the X-Men hurtling through the air towards certain doom! (More literally than usual, but otherwise, pretty normal for them.)

( Warhunt! )

Poll #21141

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

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Should Thunderbird continue to stay dead, or is it past time for a resurrection?

View Answers

Yes. Someone should stay dead in comics.
2 (33.3%)

No. Everyone else seems to get to come back eventually; why not him?
1 (16.7%)

The 616/main universe version can stay dead, but I'd like to see more alternate versions.
3 (50.0%)

What do you think of this issue, and of Thunderbird’s brief X-career? Relatedly, does the flexible nature of death in comics annoy you or do you like it?

(And finally: if anyone wants to stick up for Count Nefaria and/or the Ani-Men in the comments, please feel free to do so! They will not be appearing in X-Men again, so this post is the place to do so if you so desire.)

Next Sunday, the X-Men and Thunderbird's family mourn in Classic X-Men 3. And next week, in Uncanny X-Men 96, Cyclops angsts so hard about Thunderbird's death that he accidentally unleashes a demon. (Professor X should really put up warning notices around that cairn...)

Current Mood: tired

sheliak

In this issue, Chris Claremont comes aboard as scripter! Len Wein is still plotting, though, and I assume Wein is the one responsible for splitting the story into chapters (which he also did in Giant-Sized), since later issues don’t use them.

Sunfire storms off on the first page, giving a speech about how he will definitely not be helping the X-Men again, because they’re “a pack of idealistic fools” and his duty is to Japan anyway. Given his absence from last issue’s backup story, I’m going to assume that he spent that evening in his guest room, planning his dramatic exit. Everyone needs a hobby!

The original X-Men—aside from Cyclops, of course—also leave, although more politely. (Given how quickly Claremont brought Jean back, I tend to assume that her departure was Wein’s choice as well, and Claremont was just stuck with it.)

( The Doomsday Scenario! )

Poll #21105

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

View Respondents

Which character would you have liked to see remain on the team longer?

View Answers

Sunfire
1 (16.7%)

Jean Grey
2 (33.3%)

Iceman
0 (0.0%)

Angel
1 (16.7%)

Havok
1 (16.7%)

Polaris
3 (50.0%)

Thunderbird
4 (66.7%)

Also, on the subject of Classic X-Men and the new material it added: in that situation, what would you add? Which characters would you like to spend more time with, or introduce early?

sheliak

Classic X-Men reprinted the early Claremont run a few years after the fact—but with a lot of edits and new material. Ads were removed and replaced with new pages and panels of story; dialogue was edited to bring it into line with later continuity or characterization (e.g. Ororo would not say ‘Good Lord’ in a moment of stress, so in the reprints she says “Goddess!” instead; Kurt can’t teleport blind). There was new cover art, fancy frontispieces (some of those are pretty cool) and most importantly, a new short story in each issue.

Most of the new stories were character-focused standalones. The best of them are some of my favorite X-Men stories ever.

The first issue was a bit of an odd case. Giant-Size X-Men #1 was huge; there wasn’t room to stick in a backup story. So, they cut a lot out to make room. Classic X-Men #1 kept the character introduction scenes from Giant-Size, and nothing else. It opens with a new version of Cyclops staggering home from Krakoa (costume in tatters, of course) and Professor X deciding to recruit a new team. (Remember when I said that I always misremember the order of events in Giant-Size? I'm pretty sure that this story is why.) Cyclops gets to angst a bit about the return of his powers, which he’d briefly hoped were gone for good; the Professor advises against self-pity, but sympathizes more with Scott’s worries about losing his friends. Then it segues to the original intros, and then quickly summarizes the actual fight against Krakoa before settling in to tell a new story about the combined team at the mansion, the evening before half of them decide to leave. That's the bulk of the story, and my favorite part of the issue.

It’s a bit of a mission statement for what Classic would be at its best: character studies and slice of life.

( First Night )

Poll #21078 Favorite Scene

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

View Respondents

Which interaction did you like the best?

View Answers

Scott and the Professor
0 (0.0%)

Alex and Lorna
2 (33.3%)

Scott and Jean
0 (0.0%)

Sean, Piotr and Kurt
3 (50.0%)

Sean, Kurt, and Bobby
2 (33.3%)

John and Bobby
1 (16.7%)

Jean and Logan
1 (16.7%)

Jean and the Professor
3 (50.0%)

Something else, as I will explain in the comments
0 (0.0%)

Current Mood: content

sheliak

Okay, this one isn't actually Claremont—the writer is Len Wein, working with artist Dave Cockrum—but it seemed like a good place to start! This issue relaunched the series after the Silver Age, and introduces the All-New All-Different team.

This post is a bit image-heavy; future installments will probably be less so.

( Second Genesis! )

Poll #21061 Who has the best intro?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14

View Respondents

Who gets the best introduction?

View Answers

Nightcrawler (and pursuing mob).
7 (50.0%)

Professor X (to the rescue).
0 (0.0%)

Wolverine, aka Weapon X.
1 (7.1%)

Banshee, thwarted concertgoer.
0 (0.0%)

Storm, weather goddess.
8 (57.1%)

Sunfire, who owes you nothing.
1 (7.1%)

Colossus, foe of tractors.
7 (50.0%)