X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Fourteen (1987)

 

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 14 (1987)
"What Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of..."
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #14 (October, 1987)

Ya know, I had this whole pre-ramble prepared today... was going to delve a bit deeper into the concept of my comixistential crisis. I've had some chats with a few of my closest pals about it, and planned to share some of my takeaways here with you all. Buuuuuut...

Realizing that, ya know... nobody really cares whether or not I still wanna read comics... I'll spare ya all the trouble of having to scroll or finger-flick to today's actual "content".

I do wish I could think of something (anything!) to vamp and kill some time here above the dashes though... because, friends, we're heading into Shi'ar space for this one! Joy.

--

Well... hrmm... if you know anything about my likes and dislikes when it comes to comic book storytelling, whether we're talking X-Men, Teen Titans, Superman, Spider-Man... really most any character... mine eyes usually glaze over during stints of "space sh*t". So, as we open this Vignette with a full-page splash of... Lilandra, I'm already trying to work out the physics on where I should lay a pillow or two, just in case my brain turns off and I pass out while attempting to discuss it! Okay, let's do it... Lilandra and her crew of rebels are attempting to flee from her brother D'Ken's Shi'ar Imperial fleet. It's funny... sometimes I'll use the Marvel Wiki to help me confirm minor characters I can namedrop... this time out... not even the Wiki cared enough to name anybody besides Lilandra herself! Man, if only this thing had six or seven variant covers, then I'm sure somebody at the Wiki would've given half a damn! So yeah, Lil's being threatened by a hologram of D'Ken. He calls her a traitor, and pretty much vows to take her out.

Just then, a fleet of Pathfinders arrive on the spacey scene. These are Princess Lil's "elite exploratory fleet", and they're here to aid in rescuing her. The Pathfinders proceed to blast, and amid the distraction, Lilandra is able to disarm one of D'Ken's armored imperials. She then uses their laser blaster to start shooting her path to freedom.

She manages to escape to a little jumpship or something. Once inside, she finds herself bombarded by some stray psychic energies coming from Earth. Ya see, this is occurring parallel to X-Men #65 (February, 1970), when Professor X linked all minds on Earth to stop the invasion of the Z'Nox. This is a heckuva callback... though, was also revealed in the main story of this issue of Classix (X-Men #107). Lilandra like, immediately falls in love with the Prof... or, at the very least is quite enamored by him. Pretty odd how Xavier is usually overt with his mental perversion... whereas, here, it's completely by accident that he's able to mentally woo and win over an intergalactic Princess.

Lil's still pretty shaken... and things begin to go wonky. It's as though she's become part Lilandra/part Xavier... mentally, that is. Sorta kinda? Her appearance has not changed... she's still the birdy-lookin' Shi'ar Whateverthehell. So, the Xavierish bits of her brain are surprised to see vestigial feathers on "their" forearms. The Lilandra bits realize that her legs can no longer carry her. It's really not easy to explain with my limited writery abilities... so, here are the panels:

Our gal is able to make her way to a wall in order to hold herself up... while still struggling with the Xavierian hoo-doo that's occupying her brain. She realizes that none of this makes any sense -- as, this creepy bald man is but a stranger to her. But... she recognizes him as a friend, comrade, and maybe more. Once again, her legs give out. She wonders aloud what's happening to her... and is reminded that "her" legs were once crushed by Lucifer. B-b-b-b-but, who's Lucifer (don't ask)?! What's more... who is she?! I can't say this isn't well done... but, I also sadly can't say that I give much of a hoot.

Lilandra drags herself over to a med-bed to undergo a health scan... or something, and discovers that she is in 100% tip-top perfect health. But, why then... won't her legs work?! She notes her reflection in a monitor... and notes that her image has kind of merged with Xavier's. Though, to be completely honest, it isn't immediately clear to this observer. I mean, Lilandra's design is fairly basic, right? She could very well have a bald head under that odd ugly headdress. I mean, does she? I honestly can't remember! So, the image we see here... is only "telling" if we focus on it for a few moments. Thankfully the next panel clarifies it a bit more by removing the Shi'ar elements from the reflection.

This (rightly?) freaks her out to the point where she starts pounding the bejeezus out of the poor, defenseless monitor... causing it to actually explode? I guess BIG Jim Shooter said this one needed an x-tra beat of action? Maybe Claremont's (already too long) script came in a page or two short? I dunno...

Anyway, as the dust (literally) settles, Lilandra changes into her more militaristic costume. She then checks out the situation outside, and finds that her fleet of Pathfinders have been soundly slaughtered by D'Ken's Imperials. She buries her head in her hands knowing that the universe is doomed (to have to endure some x-tremely boring space stories).

Seeing as though her options are quite limited at this point, Lilandra recalls her odd connection with the creepy bald Earth mutant... and decides to don that off Minnie Mouse-lookin' helmet we saw her in during her first few "Xavierian Nightmare" appearances... and... we're off to the races. Odd, and barely worth noting... this story appears to have "run long", and so this last bit is actually printed on the inside-back cover of the issue.

--

During several of our recent visits, I've commented on how deftly and concisely Claremont was able to tell his tales. In an era where even a single bowel movement would take five or six issues, seeing CC give us fleshed out, thought-provoking, and insightful stories... feels like such a feat. I've mentioned a few times already that in the age of decompression, many of these Vignettes would've spanned entire trade-paperbacks' worth of pages.

I've thanked the comics deities for these concise, to-the-point, little ditties -- and used our discussions here to poke a little bit of fun at the "current day" method.

Then... we get this chapter. Which, sure it doesn't span multiple issues... but it still feels incredibly decompressed to fit a certain page count. That's... I mean, I can't really complain, as every issue of a comic book has a page count it needs to meet. Whether or not a story merits that page count is another matter altogether. Being that these are Vignettes, focused squarely on one character and/or moment in time, there are stricter parameters in play. Claremont can't give us a "Meanwhile..." or an "At that very moment..." sort of segue, because the mission statement here kinda prohibits it.

Question is... did we need this story to be told at such length? Well, maybe it's my own space-bias talking here, but I'd say no. From this very same issue of Classix, Lilandra basically tells this entire story over the course of a single page. I tell ya what, even this oner was a bit of a chore to read.

From X-Men #107 (October, 1977)

So yeah, not my cuppa tea... but, then again, this could've been the greatest eight pages ever put on paper, and I'd barely be able to even muster a shrug. If you dig the Shi'ar, if you enjoy intergalactic civil wars, if you have an affinity for bird-lookin' humanoids -- you'll probably like this a whole lot more than I did!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Thirteen (1987)

 

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 13 (1987)
"Lifesigns"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Petra Scotese
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #13 (September, 1987)

If this were an audio outing, this would be one'a them "interesting episodes". Not interesting as in I'll say anything worth hearing -- that's almost never the case, but "interesting" as, I'd just had a(nother) crown put in... and so, much of my speech has come through gritted teeth for the past 24-or-so hours.

Folks who have followed X-Lapsed will likely be familiar with the last few "gritted teeth" episodes. To be honest, those were the shows I did the least amount of back-end touch up on... because I just didn't wanna know how awful they sounded! So, I guess, thankfully -- this is a text-only affair. If you really want the "full x-perience" read these next several dozen paragraphs aloud through your own gritted teeth. Heck, that might actually make the story we're about to discuss a little bit interesting!

--

We open with Jean on the beach sat before, what else, a fire. Much of this story is told in her Claremontian captions -- and, I tell ya, it's... odd. Not bad odd or good odd... just plain ol' odd. Claremont is in a bit of a weird spot here, having to treat this character as something not entirely Jean, and not entirely Phoenix -- but, somehow both in order to make it work. And, don't get me wrong, I'd say he's successful in doing so -- it's just a bit... ya know, odd. So yeah, Jeanix is sitting in front of a bonfire on the beach. A little ways down the shore is her roommate, Misty Knight - who after succumbing to a sudden blast of narcolepsy, begins to dream about her partners, Danny "Iron Fist" Rand, and Colleen "That other Daughter of the Dragon" Wing. Okay, it's more that she's thinking not dreaming -- but, she's drawn to look like she's a corpse that washed up on the beach. I really thought this was a dead body!

Anyway, Jeanix can sense Misty's worry -- and so, she telepathically tells her where Danny and Colleen have gotten off to. They're back at the beach house they're sharing for the weekend, digging through the fridge for a midnight snack. Jeanix then facilitates Misty having an out of body experience fighting a gang of dancing (?) street toughs called the Sharks. She's joined by Colleen. I... why?

Misty turns her head, and instead of seeing the inner-city, she sees a lush green field where Iron Fist is standing with a dumb look on his face. Our gal busts out of her DotD costume and into a white gown -- but finds herself stuck between her love for Danny and her hetero-affection for Colleen? I think?

But, ya see, those two aren't the only people vying for Misty's affecattention -- there's yet another -- there is Jeanix, who shares the bejeezus out of her by... ya know, performing that big ol' flaming bird gimmick. I mean, didn't Jean and Misty like just meet a couple weeks ago? Jeanix's got some interpersonal issues, methinks.

It's here where Misty snaps out of the Astral Whateverthehell. She let's out a shout, which Jeanix asks her about. Misty sits down beside her to chat a bit. She brings up how, they've only known each other a little while, and yet -- she feels closer to her than folks she's known her whole life. She also comment on how Jean's changed since her stint in the hospital. I think at this point we can safely say the jig is up, and that Misty knows that Jean is/was Marvel Girl. Jeanix comments on how she has in fact changed since her time in space. She's no longer the woman she was. She knows she looks, feels, and acts like Jean Grey -- however, there's this ever-lingering "but". This deep-dive into her psyche is cut short at this point, by a distant cry for help.

This story was... borderline, up to this point. It's here that my thumb will go from "leaning down" to... just plain "down". Jean rushes to the shore where she spies a small speedboat. She TKs her way onto the thing... then nabs her roommate with a TK fist to drag her along. So yeah, I'm goin' with the idea that Misty does know about Jean's Mutantness, eh?

The Daughters of the Phoenix arrive in... well, the middle of nowhere. Like a few miles out in the sea. Jean stops the boat and dives into the drink. Misty is left there, probably a little bit more bamboozled than we all are in the reading. She then sees a shark fin come up to the surface. Realizing that, if Jean gets eaten, she'll have to come up with the entire rent next month -- she dives in as well.

Underwater, Misty proceeds to punch the shark in the face. I guess that's what you're supposed to do if you're in a shark-attack situation? I suppose it helps that Misty's got a bionic arm or whatever. Too bad it really doesn't do all that much to slow the shark down. It's too bad she doesn't have a can of BaT ShArK rEpElLeNt... that would'a be the wOOoooOOooorst hilaaaaaaaaaarious. Misty winds up getting quite the shark-tooth back massage... which is usually the sort of thing you need to pay extra for.

Before Misty can be completely gobbled up, the shark is headbutted by a dolphin! Misty gets back up to the surface and safely into the speedboat. Jean is already there, and claims responsibility for sending in the dolphin to save her. I mean, if Jeanix is able to "dur hur, talk to fish", why didn't see, ya know, just tell the shark to back the eff off? I dunno. Anyway, it's here that Jean informs Misty that they were out here to save that family of dolphins. This, as you might imagine, ticks Misty off. Which, I mean -- sure, dolphins are cool and all -- but, if I see one being attacked by a shark, jumping in to save the poor thing is wayyyyy down my list of priorities.

From here we get a couple of pages of Jean putting Misty's mind into a dolphin to show her why she wanted to save it. I'm sorry gang, I've pretty much already checked out at this point. I get what Claremont's getting at... I just don't care. The story wraps with Misty and Jeanix hugging it out -- with the latter saying that she. is. phoenix. for like the fiftieth time, and how she hopes Misty will "take her as she is"... which, I didn't even know was a worry she had?

--

Wow... talk about a case of x-whiplash. We go from yesterday's amazing Magneto Vignette to... this?

I didn't really care for this one. While I like the idea of seeing how "Jean" is dealing with her new normal -- this just felt a bit forced. Like, we know this isn't actually Jean, they spoiled that whole eventual reveal several chapters back. We know from the main X-Men series that the Phoenix was supposed to actually be Jean, so it stands to reason we get a bit of... I dunno "personality dissonance"? The character who Claremont and Byrne crafted during their original go-round... wasn't actually the character they thought. So, it takes a bit of straddling to smoothly add to the Jeanix mythos without contradicting anything that's come before. It's a big ask, and a big task -- which, while successfully done here, just wasn't all that fun a read.

This was kind of a "Dagwood Sandwich" story... in that, all we really needed to have was the Jeanix/Misty conversation on the beach. We didn't need the Danny/Colleen bits, we damn sure didn't need the shark attack. Just have the chat. We know Claremont is more than capable of writing an effective discussion... so, why not just do that? It's not like this was the lead-off story in the issue, where it required "x amount of panels" of action or superheroics... it could've just been two new-ish friends becoming closer and comforting one another.

It's clear from the telling that Misty is having some sort of concerns about Danny and Colleen... whether she feels like they're both vying for her time/attention... or, perhaps it's something more akin to distrusting them being alone together. I (like most people on the planet, then and now) never read Iron Fist, so I couldn't say. While I maintain that this wasn't a necessary nugget to drop into the story -- the fact that Claremont did... and then did eff-all with it... makes it feel like an afterthought. Or, worse yet, CC plugging his own work from a decade prior... that, as mentioned -- very few people seemed to have read?

I tell ya what, I usually give these stories a quick flip-thru before actually sitting down to read 'em... and, when I saw that panel of Misty laying on the beach (who I didn't realize was Misty -- I thought it was just a random corpse), I assumed we were going to be getting into some sort of murder mystery... or, at the very least a Jaws situation where Jeanix was going to make the beaches safe again. I... think I'd have rather discussed either of those stories than the one we actually got!

Overall -- a case of "ya can't win 'em all"... but also (hopefully) a case of "your mileage may vary". I hope you all enjoyed this one more than I did!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Twelve (1987)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 12 (1987)
"A Fire in the Night!"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #12 (August, 1987)

Before we get into today's discussion... wanted to speak in (hopefully) brief about a Comixistential Crisis I'm currently experiencing. Maybe it's something some of the folks reading might be able to relate to.

If you've been following my BS for the last several years, you'll be familiar with many of my "chestnuts"... the stuff I say over and over again -- sometimes pertaining to the act of comics content creation. I'll drone on (and on) about the loneliness of the endeavor, the thanklessness of the endeavor... pretty much the prison it can become. Wow, why do I still do this?

Anyway, this weekend I came face-to-face with another challenge presented by content creation. This is almost certainly a "Chris Problem", but if anybody gives a toss, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well. I sat down with the intention of catching up with the last couple of issues of Fantastic Four. I'd decided I'd give the FF (and Dan Slott) another opportunity to disappoint me with the current The Reckoning War story arc.

So, I sit down with the books... lean back on the couch, and prepare to give it a go.

Annnnnd, well -- I came to the scary realization that... I think I've forgotten how to read comic books "for fun". I think this content-creation hobby has... broken me. I don't know how to read comics anymore. If I'm not planning on writing too many words here, or spitting too many words into a microphone about a given comic -- I no longer have the ability to allow myself to just read the thing.

This brought up a lot of questions and concerns... most pressing among them was: Do I still like comics? Am I still a fan? If so, how do I just let go and, ya know read the damn things again -- and, if not -- then, just what the hell am I even doing?

I really don't know, gang.

Has my comics fandom, no pun intended, mutated? This is a toughie. I really dunno. Am I just a dude who hoards comics and content anymore? Is there anything intrinsic to this anymore (outside of the compulsivity and addiction, anyway)? Again... I dunno.

If anybody reading (well, if there IS anybody reading) who's faced a similar comixistential crisis... please lemme know!

Anyway, apologies for droning -- and with all that hoo-ha out of the way, let's get to today's Vignette -- it's a good one!

--

We open in Paris, where Magneto is sleeping off his recent battle with the X-Men -- or, trying to anyway. We can probably assume that this story takes place very shortly after the lead-off story in this ish of Classix (which reprints X-Men #104 - April, 1977). Anyway, Magneto is trying to catch a nap, but finds himself haunted by dreams of his past. Now, Magneto's early years had received quite a bit of filling-in during the Claremont run, starting with Uncanny X-Men #150 -- which, was where we first began to learn of his plight during the Holocaust, as well as his marriage to Magda. Unlike the Phoenix-Retcon being "spoiled" in the Jean Vignette a few chapters back, I don't see any problem telling Erik's story here, as it should effect much of the x-perience from here to the "canon" revelation. He's only going to be showing up a handful of times between X-Men #104 and Uncanny #150. Anyway, Magneto's dreams have to do with the end of the Holocaust, and the shutting down of the Auschwitz prison camp. The remaining Nazi guards were picking off prisoners as to leave no witnesses. Magneto bashes one of 'em over the bean with a 2x4 just as he's about to put a bullet in Magda.

We get a shot of our man still restlessly sleeping before popping back into flashback-dreamland. Erik and Magda have escaped into the frozen winter wastes. Magda is fearful that they'll be hunted down and hilled. Erik swears that he will protect her always. Worth noting, Erik is speaking here as just a man... not as a metal-manipulating mutant.

Next we know, we get a montage covering the next several months (years?) of the Mags's's life. Erik and Magda move to a village in the Carpathian Mountains, where they made a new life. Made new friends, learned how to live among and as normal folk, they'd marry -- and even have a daughter (Anya) together. Anya is a new addition to the Magneto lore... and, well -- don't get too attached.

From here, Erik decided he wanted more for his little family (ya know, like... food) -- and so, would travel to the "Socialist Workers Paradise" of Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Magda swears she can feel the eyes of the locals on them -- which, Erik doesn't seem too concerned about. The Ukrainians just aren't used to seeing "country bumpkins" beboppin' around their workers paradise. He kisses his gals goodbye, and tells Anya to take care of her mother.

We jump to the end of the workday, where Erik goes to collect his wages from -- well, some asshole. This guy only pays him half of his promised earnings, keeping the other half for himself as a "commission". Our man pitches a bit of a fit -- to which, he's warned to shut uppa his face and keep his head down, otherwise he won't work another day. Our man, as you might imagine, isn't cool with this. He's so angry, in fact, that he somehow manages to hurl a crowbar into the wall next to the dude -- ya know, without using his hands. I'm not sure if this is still considered the first time Erik realized he had powers -- as, I'm pretty sure they've tried retelling bits and pieces of this one a dozen or so times since. Anyway, Magneto winds up getting his full wage... but, we're about to find out that it'll come with a much higher price.

Erik heads back to the inn where he and Magda are staying... where he plans to share with her his newfound amazing powers. Only, upon arrival, he finds that their building has been set ablaze with Magda and Anya still inside. It doesn't seem like this was arson -- or an attack on the Lehnsherr family, just a fire (unless I'm missing something obvious). Anyway, Erik rushes in and collects Magda, who was on the ground level. He unwittingly engulfs them both in a protective magnetic bubble while he scans for Anya. She is trapped upstairs.

Erik deposits Magda safely outside before going to rush back in to save their daughter. Before he can, however, those assholes from the workers paradise jump him! The proceed to pummel him for "extortion and assault"... all the while, his little girl is literally burning to death within his view! He begs them to let him save his child -- and gets the "you brought this upon yourself" response.

Anya lets out one final scream while Erik is being restrained. It's quite a powerful scene... and it makes you angry just looking at it. The Wage-Man is all "Welp, sucks to be you...", and once more suggests that Mags only has himself to blame. Here's where the stuff hits the fan, my friends...

Erik lets out a shout... and, rather than showing us exactly what happens next, we get a blacked-out panel instead. Claremont chose wisely here -- I feel like this "quiet approach" is far more powerful than a full-blown early-90's style gore-fest of bubbling skin being torn from smoldering bone. We do, however, see the aftermath -- which is, well -- basically bubbling skin and smoldering bone. But, it's more of a solemn and... I dunno, it just doesn't feel like it's being done for "shock". I wouldn't say it's "tasteful" or anything -- but, like the blacked-out panel that proceeds it, it's powerful. Magda, having seen this all go down first hand (while her daughter was literally burning to death a few yards away) is... well, she's pretty freaked out. She has a reaction the likes we haven't seen since the last time we visited the ballet!

Full'a FEAR AND HATE, she calls her husband a MONSTER... and runs away from him. Thus ends Erik's nightmare. He snaps up in bed shouting Magda's name. As he sits there awake, he smells fire. Looking out the window, he, well, he sees fire. Also a woman and her baby trapped in that fire crying out for help. He figures that this might've been what triggered his fiery flashback. He stands there for a beat, considering intervening... before deciding that this isn't his concern, and the Parisian Fire Brigade are more than capable.

This takes us to our ending, where Magneto does in fact intervene -- saving the woman and her child, returning them both to their husband/father down below. They treat our man as a hero -- and ask if there's any way they might repay him. Without missing a beat, Erik says there is a way. He wants them to spread the word that they'd been saved by... Magneto. Magneto the Terrorist, Magneto the Super-Villain, Magneto... the Mutant.

--

Now, this was a great Vignette.

I tell ya what... this one runs the gamut of emotions, tells an excellent story, and humanizes a character who, up to this point (Classix-wise) has been portrayed as little more than a ranting supremacist lunatic. It's stories like this that can remind us how powerful a medium comics/sequential art can (and should) be... even in the realm of superheroics.

What this story also does is... remind me how much I dislike the fact that we're currently living in this age of decompressed storytelling. I know, I know... there's no such thing as "decompression", it's just a mass-hallucination we "entitled manbabies" have independently concocted to justify why we dislike something. But, that said -- Claremont and Bolton are able to share with us this story in, what, 8-10 pages? In those 8-10 pages, they tell us everything we need to know -- while also giving us a framing sequence to squeeze it comfortably into the "now". They wouldn't be able to fit this much story into 8-10 issues nowadays -- hell, three of those issues would just be Magneto staring at a wall or turning his head a bit to the left.

In these scant pages, we learn so much about Magneto. Where he came from, where he's been -- what he's seen, what he's experienced... and what he's lost. Let's talk about loss... but, not the loss you might be thinking of. We're not gonna talk about Anya... yet.

Instead, I'd like to chat a bit about Magneto's faith in humanity. If we flip back a page or two before the Inn-Fire... we see Erik getting ready to trudge off to the "workers paradise". It's Magda who is wary of the people around them. And, sure, it stands to reason that a Holocaust survivor would be a bit antsy in a new locale... surrounded by new people, who might give an odd look or two.

This is very subtle... and perhaps even unintentional (though, I doubt it). While Magda is expressing her fear... it's Erik who tells her not to worry. Despite the fact that he too survived the horrors of the Holocaust at Auschwitz -- he hasn't yet lost his faith in humanity. He comforts his wife, telling her that people aren't giving them strange looks because they are Jews... but, because they're "country bumpkins". Is he speaking truthfully here? I dunno... but, I feel like this line speaks to Erik's want/need to believe in the goodness of humanity. He's been robbed of so much by his fellow man, but he's not quite ready to give up on them. Like I said, it's subtle... and, as usual I'll drop my "I might be thinking too hard about this" tagline.

Keeping with the linearity of the flashback -- Erik is stiffed by the Wage-Man, and is expected to just grin and bear it. His rage is what causes his mutant power to manifest (at least in this telling), which results in, not only his getting his full earnings -- but, his revelation that there's something a little x-tra about him. Now, here's another subtle bit -- from what we know/knew about Magneto, from everything we've been told, and all the stories we'd seen him in -- we might be trained to expect that this would be a whole different sort of tipping/turning point for him.

Most of our previous x-periences with Magneto feature him as... pretty much a foaming at the mouth loon, yes? Now, with the added wrinkles of his oppression at Auschwitz... we might think that the realization that he has these amazing abilities would cause him to go all power-mad, right? Like, just full-blown "Bwa ha ha" villainous insanity. But -- he doesn't! His first (and only) impulse here is to go home and share this newfound knowledge with his wife. Again, he hasn't lost his faith in humanity... yet. He knows he can do things most men can't... but, hasn't applied the concept of "superiority" to it. He also doesn't seem to think that this is something that ought to be FEARED AND HATED. That might speak to naivete -- or, again -- just faith in his fellow man. Perhaps both?

From here, however, no matter how many times our man presses his luck -- every spin comes up Whammy. There's the fire at the Inn... he's beaten by the Wage-Men... he's witness to his precious daughter literally burning to death... and, finally -- after snapping, Magda runs away from him in fear... referring to him as a "monster". Sure, Claremont just treated us to a similar reaction in the Colossus Vignette -- but, this story is strong enough where it really doesn't matter how tropey some of its beats might come across.

The ending, with Magneto in the present rescuing the mother and daughter from a burning building feels like his "making good" on a lingering regret. A dark day in his past that, he can't (and perhaps shouldn't) ever get over. Him asking the family to spread the word that they'd been saved by... a terrorist, a villain, a mutant... is pretty powerful, as -- in that moment, he wasn't being seen as any'a that. To this family, he was a hero, a miracle, a gift from God... he might as well have been an Angel.

But, he wanted them to know who kept their family whole. A man who has become all too familiar with being FEARED AND HATED -- for a multitude of reasons and in a multitude of ways. And yet... here he is, saving lives instead of endangering/threatening them. Like I said, it's powerful... and, for a story that pretty much kicks your ass emotionally -- it's very, very subtle.

Worth a look, to be sure! Probably the strongest Vignette yet -- maybe even the strongest one we'll ever get!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Eleven (1987)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 11 (1987)
"Hope"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #11 (July, 1987)

We've got a particularly odd Vignette to visit with today. One I read while in a waiting room yesterday afternoon -- that, I actually scanned through twice, as I wasn't quite sure how to approach it. Well, maybe that's not entirely true -- I'll approach it the same way I approach any comic... by overanalyzing it, attempting to sound intelligent as I do so, and dropping little passive-aggressive digs at the fact that ain't nobody gonna bother reading this.

My real dilemma, and this might just become a "thing", is -- I honestly can't tell ya whether I liked it or not. We talk about X-Men side-stories a lot, yes? We discuss how there's a spectrum that goes from "Essential" to "Unlimited". Unlimited, of course is referring to X-Men Unlimited... which, I'm pretty sure hasn't told a story anybody would consider "Essential" since... well, that first one back in 1993, where Magneto came back! If you're following along with/listening to X-Lapsed [insert passive-aggressive comment here], you'll know that the current X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic hasn't fared all that much better in the relevance department.

I say all of that, so that I might say this -- writing a new backup story every month, with an emphasis on (relatively) quiet character moments, isn't always going to result in "must-reads". We'll probably vary on how we receive these stories... which, is totally cool. I'd love to hear and discuss your thoughts on each and every one of these. Is this where I jam a passive-aggressive comment about how little engagement I get? Nah, I kid, I kid. Sorta.

Anyway, I'll stop wasting yer time pre-rambling here so we can get into a... weird, and, in my opinion, viery "Unlimited" feeling Vignette.

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Our story begins in a London Office, not that anyone'd bother to tell us that just yet. Heck, not that it really matters either. It's here we meet a writer named Phil Halloran. He's suffering from... well, a few things, writer's block and depression among them. We see his bin (that's London for garbage can, no?) full of crumpled-up paper and we witness him screening his phone calls. He ain't interested in talking to anybody... especially about having to hit his upcoming deadline. Our man decides to get up and take a late night walk around the city to clear his head. Here, we find out a little bit more about him -- he speaks, via narrative captions, with a thick Claremontian accent. He's evidently a very successful news writer... who has been driven to hopelessness due to what he's been forced to write about all these years. Ya see, reporting crimes isn't a) pleasant, or b) his dream. He wants to be known for writing what he's passionate about... but, nobody cares. Wow, join the club, pal!

Phil tells himself to "quit whining", which is like he's actually participating in self-talk I engage in daily... he thinks to himself why he got into writing in the first place... and cites reading Eagle as a child. He namedrops its flagship character, Dan Dare. By now, his walk has taken him to the closed-to-the-public GPO Tower. GPO (General Post Office) Tower now goes by BT (British Telecom) Tower, and was the tallest structure in England until 1980. And with that, I've done more research on London than Tini Howard did during the entirety of her Excalibur (vol.4) run!

The Tower's been closed off for a bit due to a terrorist bombing. Not sure exactly when this story is meant to be taking place, but the actual real-world bombing occurred on Halloween, 1971. The bombing was performed by the Angry Brigade... which, sounds like a group of silly-hatted supervillains in a Marvel-UK comic -- but under the guise of it being pulled off by the IRA. Since then it's been closed off. Our man Phil decides to try jigglin' the door handle, and is shocked to discover that it ain't locked. He figures "what da hell?" and goes inside to give it a goo. The top level of the tower is one'a them rotating restaurant gimmicks. Our man mentions that his folks promised to take him her for his birthday dinner... but, that was before the attack. He continues his climb, and winds up on the roof of the place... noting that it's a lonnnnng way down.

He stands there, contemplating his next move. It's pretty clear he's trying to make peace with the idea of ending his own life. He's got nothing here but wants... and he assumes that he'll never be happy. Just then, a soft gust of wind... and the arrival of: Storm! Oh yeah, this is an X-Men ditty, innit? Did she detour through this part of London after dealing with the Leprechauns of Cassidy Keep?! Let's assume that's why she's here -- otherwise, this doesn't make all that much sense. She inquires as to why Phil's up here... to which, he shuts her down by simply saying "My business."

Storm lands next to our man, and tells him that he looks familiar. He introduces himself as Phil Halloran, a name Storm immediately recognizes. Okay, now that might be the most unbelievable part of this story. Storm expresses that she's happy to meet him, to which... he tells her that it'd be best that they remain strangers. Worth noting, however, Phil does appear to be immediately smitten, however... because this is a Storm story written by Chris Claremont.

What follows is a page and a half of Phil contemplating suicide, in a very Comics Code Authority approved sort of way. Nebulous and non-committal to say the least. Storm tells him that he'd be missed -- he replies that, those feelings will pass with the quickness. Storm then grabs our man by the arm, and flies with him over the skies of London.

While (or is it "whilst"... or is "whilst" just a word jagoffs on Reddit use to appear intelligent?) in the sky, Phil relaxes a bit, and shares with Storm some of his current dilemma. Words were his "gift" -- like flight and weather-manipulation are hers -- but now, all his words do is bring pain. He's only ever been good at one thing... and it's the one thing that's driven him batty. He has no love nor passion for his craft anymore. Writing, to him, has become rote. Wow, welcome to the club... again, pal!

Storm lets Phil back down on the roof of the tower. She encourages him to try and find a new passion -- to which, he reminds her that he's a writer... this is all he's got. With his back turned to her, he asks how she would feel if he was able to take her powers away. Hey, who does this guy thing he is, Forge? Storm... does not reply... but, that's only because he's just been clubbed over the head by some dude in a rent-a-cop outfit!

The security guard is revealed to be a wanted serial killer. He drags Storm inside to finish the job while encouraging ol' Phil to swan dive into the afterlife. Our man picks up Ororo's bloody headdress and... proceeds to walk to the edge of the tower! Wow, I didn't realize that this security guard was Superman, as written by J. Michael Straczynski!

Fortunately (for Storm), Phil briefly comes to his senses -- and heads back into the rotating ress'arant to confront the creep. Phil... gets his butt kicked. But, he's the killer's punching bag just long enough for Storm to somewhat recover from the clubbering. She manifests a bolt of lightning and zaps the baddie.

We wrap up with Phil tying up the killer. Storm thanks him for running interference, and begs him one more time not to end his life. We actually close out without clarification as to whether or not he did! He says something very "teen-age deep" about what it means to throw ones life away -- do you "throw it away" by dying... or by staying alive. Like I said... very deep. And, well -- that's that!

--

So... pretty odd little ditty, yes? Now, what'd we think?

Well, I'm of a couple minds on this one. First: did this need to be an X-Men story? Probably not. This is definitely in the vein of "Nightcrawler sees dead people" -- which, is to say -- decent enough, but wildly inessential. Hey, that oughta be the tagline for this site! Though to say my stuff is "decent" might be overselling it.

Storm's appearance here... was, I dunno -- I don't wanna say "forced", because -- I mean, it's fiction -- everything in fiction is forced, yes? It's just the odd way in which this story came together. Phil's on the roof of the tower, contemplating taking the quick way back down -- then, Storm just... appears? It's like we're seeing a couple'a cartoon kids thinking about playing with matches, when they're suddenly met by Flint and Lady Jaye. Just so inorganic and outta nowhere.

Just like with the aforementioned recent Nightcrawler Vignette, this really could've been any character (with the power of flight -- except maybe a JMS-written Superman). It didn't have to be Storm... it didn't even have to be an X-Man. It's these stories that I have the hardest time connecting with, as they feel as though (and I might be/probably am projecting) they were just sitting in Claremont's desk drawer collecting dust before he realized he could apply it to a Classix backup. Like I said in the pre-ramble... this one's more "Unlimited" than Essential.

And, while it might sound like I'm bashing or that I didn't like the story... and well, to be honest, it's sorta-kinda the opposite. I can't rightly say that I "enjoyed" it... maybe because it was a bit too relatable? It was good/enlightening, however, as a look into the mind of a depressed writer. A writer who has perhaps lost that spark -- that twinkle in their eye -- their passion. We see Phil's plight/struggle here -- and his dissatisfaction with what makes for "good reading". As a news writer, he's gotta deal with the concept of "if it bleeds, it leads". As we saw during his walkabout, the front pages of all the papers had to do with the "Woman Killer" still being on the loose.

He's made his name writing about tragedy -- to the point where he's become dull to it. As his crumpled up attempts at writing pile up to the point of overflowing his garbage can bin, he realizes that -- maybe, he's just outta words. He's got no more to write/say. Back in the long ago, when I was toying with the idea of writing "professionally" -- I'd say, when talking about how difficult it is to get noticed -- "Everybody's got words, and we were all born with a lifetime supply." Perhaps it's here that Phil's realized that his supply has dried up?

When Storm suggested he find a new passion... our man kinda laughs it off. I appreciated this, as it -- not so much puts Storm in her place, but speaks to the differences in their mindsets. To Storm, writing is a vocation -- not something to define one's life by. To Phil, however, that's all there ever was. To simply say "just find something new" is tantamount to an insult... though, Storm certainly didn't mean it that way.

Writers, and I'm sure a lot of my blogging peers would agree, are a precious bunch. For many of us, this is all we've got as a creative outlet. For many of us, like Phil, it's something we (can) find joy in... but, it's also something we have a measure of control over. I might be projecting... or, maybe even pulling my own personal curtain back a few inches too far -- but, the ability (or, at least the passion) to "create", is almost something you can become a prisoner to. Phil speaks of losing the spark... he sees what "sells" as far as stories go, and realizes that, if he were to follow and write his heart -- it would never be able to compete with a "bloody" front page.

This is... relatable. Ask any writer you know -- real or, in my case, fake-ass. In serious news, prose, or even stupid-hobby sh*t -- we all know how to get noticed. It's mostly a matter of the writer's willingness to do what needs done in order to compete. In our story here, it's as though Phil's been unconsciously denying these inconvenient truths... until right this very moment. It was with this realization he realizes that... he's done. He's said everything he's going to say. He's... outta words.

Ya know what... I think I'm probably projecting a bit too much of myself onto poor Phil... so, I think I'm gonna tug the reins a bit. Suffice it to say, if you're a writer or know any writers, this story will be relatable... though, perhaps not to the extremes that Phil seems/seemed willing to go to. For this reason, I can say that -- while I liked this story... I didn't really enjoy it. Does that make sense?

Probably not... but, when does anything I say?