There’s a lot of firsts in this particular issue of Uncanny X-Men. New characters, an old character’s new name, and the best costume that a certain Canucklehead has ever donned. Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of X-Men #139 awaits!
X-MEN #193
Writer: John Byrne/Chris Claremont
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Louise Simonson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: 50 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $45.00
Release Date: July 29, 1980
Previously in X-Men: After debuting in an issue of The Incredible Hulk, the mutant called Wolverine joined a number of other new heroes as part of an all-new, all-different group of mutant heroes. For nearly five years, Wolverine divulged little about himself or his past, preferring to maintain a professional relationship with his mutant pals. The events of The Dark Phoenix Saga changed that, as he watched one of his teammates (and a woman he quietly loved) die on the moon. As the X-Men try to get used to their new status quo and membership, Wolverine finds himself in a new role (experienced team player) and in a new costume.
With Cyclops gone, Professor X has named Storm the team’s new leader, with Wolverine stepping up for her in a way he never would with Slim. When Angel nearly kills Nightcrawler, Wolverine saves his teammates’ life, setting off a chain reaction of heroic recoveries that illustrates how well the X-Men have come to know one another. It’s an important bit of character work that also allows the newest X-Man to see her teammates in action, leading to Kitty’s announcement of her new superhero identity: Sprite!
It’s a truly terrible name.
So terrible, in fact, that Wolverine immediately makes a run for the Canadian border, as his cool new red-and-tan suit is too cool to hang with a Sprite. Or, if you believe the dialogue, Wolverine informs Professor X that he has some unfinished business back home in the Great White North, the kind of trouble that might follow him to the X-Men’s door. The unspoken part of the conversation is the fact that Wolverine intends to stick around for a while, and for the first time since Giant-Size X-Men #1, wants to make sure that his new home stays a home. He even accepts Nightcrawler’s company, heading out for Ottawa to meet with an old friend.
Heather McNeil Hudson, the wife of Alpha Flight leader Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian/Vindicator/Guardian/Vindicator/Third Base/Guardian/Vindicator von Hauptkopf of Ulm, greets him like dear friend, a moment that shocks Nightcrawler not only in the heartfelt connection between the two, but Heather’s use, for the first time in comics history, of Wolverine’s preferred civilian name. Claremont and Byrne are firing on all cylinders at this point in X-Men history, with Wolverine rightfully pointing out that no one ever ASKED what his name was, and the art expertly showing us Nightcrawler’s glee and Wolverine’s good-natured ribbing of his new friend. Heather tells the duo where to find her husband, currently going by Vindicator, and his two super-best-friends are located.
By a startling coincidence, James Hudson and Alpha Flight are on the trail of ANOTHER of Wolverine’s loose ends, a creature that he encountered with The Hulk back in ’73 and/or twenty minutes ago, depending on whether you go by Marvel time. It’s a creature known for its distinctive cry, like the cuckoo or the whip-poor-will, but far more likely to kill and eat Nightcrawler when he goes to get the bags from the car.
People often refer to Dark Phoenix as the height of Bronze Age X-Men, but this issue sets us off onto a whole new X-era, one that brought the team to the apex of its popularity. The key to X-Men #139 is a concerted attempt, in-universe and out, to clean up Wolverine-related loose ends, giving the Kurt/Logan friendship some room to blossom, and most of all, to show off some of Byrne’s cleanest and most impressive layouts to date, earning 5 out of 5 stars overall. I wasn’t yet reading X-Men in 1980, but reading this run of comics makes me wish that I had been.
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X-MEN #139
Two Vindicators, Wolverine's better-looking costume, Alpha Flight in action and Claremont/Byrne at the height of their collaborative prowess make for a turning point in X-Men and Wolverine history.
Plus, they finally clear up that whole Wendigo loose end, seven years later!
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Writing10
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Art10
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Coloring10
