X-Men 80's Style

The X-Men #129

January 1980

by Chris Claremont & John Byrne

"GOD SPARE THE CHILD... "

The Dark Phoenix Saga begins with the introductions of the Hellfire Club and Kitty Pryde as the X-Men find themselves at half-strength and well-scouted.

Summary:

The X-Men bid farewell to Muir Island, as Banshee decides to remains and console Moira MacTaggart, having lost her son, and allow his mutant ability to heal.  Multiple Man, Havok, and Polaris turn down offers to rejoin the team.  As the team flies home, the villainous Jason Wyngarde, continues to mentally seduce Phoenix in an effort to unlock her "immoral side" and recruit her to the Hellfire Club, an elite group of powerful mutants in New York.  She regains her senses as Cyclops approaches her and the two reaffirm their love for one another.

The X-Men are surprised to find Professor Xavier at the mansion, which leads to a disagreement in training methods between he and Cyclops.  Cyclops argues that the new team is far different from the teenager team Xavier once taught and should be trained differently, with Xavier stating Cyclops has failed as a leader.  Suddenly, two new mutants are located in Chicago and New York.  The X-Men split-up to locate them, unaware that the Hellfire Club have the mansion's Cerebro system bugged via Warhawk, who was sent on their behalf back in issue #110. We learn that the Hellfire Club consists of Wyngarde, the White Queen (Emma Frost), and three other members, including Sebastian Shaw, who can only be seen in the shadows.

In Deerfield, Illinois, 13 year-old Kitty Pryde returns home with headaches and falls through her bed to the living room floor as the White Queen speaks with her parents about enlisting in her private academy.  The X-Men arrive moments later, with the Professor speaking to Kitty's parents as Storm, Colossus, and Wolverine take the girl to a malt shoppe.  Inside, heavily armored Hellfire Club soldiers attack the team, each designed to neutralize a specific mutant power.  Eventually, the soldiers are defeated when the X-Men switch opponents.

Moments later, the White Queen easily knocks out the three X-Men with a telepathic blast, then detonates her three soldiers for their failure.  She has her captives taken aboard a hovercraft and heads to New York, unaware that a frightened Kitty Pryde has used her powers to sneak aboard as they depart.

Notes:
This is the beginning of The Dark Phoenix Saga epic.

First appearance of Kitty Pryde, her father Carmen, and mother Terri.

First appearance of the White Queen (Emma Frost) and the Hellfire Club's soldiers.  Their chairman, Sebastian Shaw, makes a cameo and is shown speaking in the shadows, with only his last name given.  The shadowy figures of Donald Pierce and Harry Leland can be seen, as well.

Banshee leaves the X-Men.

Jamie Madrox, Havok, and Polaris refuse X-Men membership offers.

Wolverine reads Penthouse magazine while at the Malt Shoppe.

X-Mail:
The editors state the Comic Code Authority mandates that "Heroes must win.  Villains must lose.  The trick is to compensate for the inevitable conclusion by making the events leading up to it as exciting and interesting as possible."

80's Goodness:
You can send $1.00 and a Whoppers candy wrapper in for a 4-pack of t-shirt iron-on's featuring Cheryl Ladd, Suzanne Somers, KISS, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Overall Grade:  A