X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Seven (1987)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 7 (1987)
"Out with the Old"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #7 (March, 1987)

Here it is, gang -- the Vignette that launched one idiot's into a mission and levels of completionism he didn't even realize he had!

As I mentioned, maybe in the very first installment of our Vignettes dive, Classic X-Men/X-Men Classic was always a series I'd skipped when I happened across 'em in the wild. Looking back now, I can't even begin to wrap my mind around why I had no interest in 'em -- but, it's true! As a completionist and self-proclaimed fake-ass comics/X-Men historian, you'd think these added bits of lore would be right up my alley! But, alas -- no! I grabbed the... wuzzit two (?) Vignettes Trade Collections, but never prioritized the individual issues.

That was... before The Hellfire Gala. Now, if you've listened to the twelve episodes of X-Lapsed dedicated to the "crossovent", you'll know that I found it to be -- um, uneven? A little too "twitter-baity" with the gaudy "Jumbo Carnation Abominations", with only a few chapters worth even glancing at. But -- it was the first part of the Gala, Marauders #21 (August, 2021), which included the very story we're going to be discussing today, as a back-up. For whatever reason, this caused a switch to flip in my primitive completionist mind. I saw these added bits of lore as being more "essential" and worth familiarizing myself with.

Sure, I've read a bunch of em thru various means -- but, as I said -- it wasn't a priority. Post-Hellfire Gala, however, my opinion has changed, and my mission ever since has been to grab each and every issue of Classix I happen across. So far, that mission is becoming closer and closer to wrapping up by the week! I think, at last count, I need something like 28 issues? It's worth noting, however, that only the first sixty-something of Classix includes a back-up -- and, I think, of those, I only need a slight handful. It wasn't until the second half of the run that Marvel seemed to forget they were even publishing the thing.

Anyway -- I say all of that, so I might say this: If you're enjoying the Vignettes feature here at the humble blog, you have this story to thank. If you hate it, well... you have this story to blame!

Let's Gala!

--

We open, and it's somewhere between Christmas and New Years... and it's time for the annual Hellfire Gala -- even thought the bloated and wildly uneven 2021 event claimed to be the very first (then again, it also included a reprint of this story... so, who the hell(fire) knows?)! We see Sebastian Shaw and... the woman we have to blame for this entire x-ercise: Lourdes Chantal, as they dance in the foreground. In the background, we see the White King and Queen of the Club sat upon some ornate-looking chairs. This White Queen, by the way, is not Emma Frost. Don'tcha worry none, she'll show up soon enough! As they dance, Lourdes suggests to Shaw that he'd be quite foolish to trust this White King. The White King and President of the Hellfire Club, by the way, is Edward "Ned" Buckman. He's a human, and openly not a fan of mutants... he is, to be completely frank, kind of a prick. Lourdes, in case you've never read this Vignette and/or you're not following the "current year" stuff, is a mutant.

Sebastian, being the weaselly so-and-so he is, heads over to pay his respects to the White Royalty. During the chat, Buckman posits that he thinks Shaw's got the makings for a fine Black King... a suggestion which rather moves our dear Sebastian. The White Royalty breaks away for a dance of their own. Lourdes approaches Shaw again to express the uneasy vibe she gets from the Whites. She wonders why they view the X-Men as enemies, when all they want to do is protect all mutants -- meanwhile, the a-hole they're attempting to chum up with would just as soon see them all plopped in unmarked shallow graves. And, well... lady's got a point, don't she? From here, she wanders over to Tessa... who we now know as Sage, and together they observe the behavior of Nedward.

Shaw heads out to the terrace to psychically chat up Emma Frost. He tells her how Lourdes is a bit troubled by the White King... which, doesn't surprise Emma in the slightest. He then asks about their "guest", which facilitates a scene shift over to a compound in East Hampton where Frost is keeping a comatose Colonel Michael Rossi. Rossi was last seen (linearly) in X-Men #96 (December, 1975), and he's been in a kayoed state ever since his plane was shot down during that ish. Rossi had met with Steven Lang about Project Armageddon -- during which, he'd discovered the true purpose of the Project, which was to -- doy, eradicate mutants. But, that's not all folks - Emma was also able to glean that Rossi found out that Nedward Whiteprick is mixed up in it as well! This rightly ticks off our man, Sebastian.

Just then -- a Sentinel!

Back to the Gala. Shaw demands that Lourdes use her teleportation powers to send he, Tessa, and herself to Emma's pad. She's not sure she's powerful enough to pull off such a feat -- and so, our hero motivates her, by -- ya know, wrapping his hand around her throat! And so, she does the thing, biggity bam -- our Hellfire Heroes are Hampton bound. They are greeted by our old friend, Harry Leland, who is tickled pink by the sight of them!

The Sentinel ensnares Shaw in a coil -- but, Lourdes is quick to rush to his side, and she teleports him safely out of the rigging. However, when she returns to her tangible form, the Sentinel harpoons her right thru her back -- killing her. Or, well... if you're following the current year books -- we may as well wrap some quotation marks around the word killing.

Harry Leland then uses his powers of mass manipulation to cause the Sentinel to go crashing through the floor. You might be asking yourself "Self, why in the hell didn't Leland do that in the first place?", to which I'd respond -- "huh... good question!". From here, Shaw proceeds to punch the hell out of the big bot until it ceases operation.

Once the dust settles, Shaw heads over to Lourdes -- who lay dying. Before she perishes, she asks Sebastian why it is that Buckman hates them. She gives her a kiss, telling her that Nedward hates them out of fear -- and, hey, ya know what -- it's high time they justified ol' Ned's fears.

And so, they head back to the Hellfire Gala -- though, without Lourdes alive to teleport them, I'm guessing they had a pretty long drive down the L.I.E. By now, it's midnight, and Buckman is there to welcome both the elites and the henchman grunts of the Hellfire Club. He then takes one of the Hellfire Hench's pistols, and shoots them all to death!

He then shoots his White Queen (not Emma). Immediately after this, he appears to be released from whatever trance he was just in. He asks himself what he'd just done. At this point, Shaw and Frost approach to tell him that they done effed with his mind and caused him to kill his allies and lover. Shaw then takes Buckman's pistol and crushes it in his hand, before hoisting the big bad up by his throat... annnnnd, snapping his neck.

We close out with Shaw vowing that Mutants will rule the Hellfire Club forevermore... and, eventually, they will rule the world!

--

There ya have it! The story that launched a stupid little project on a stupid little blog!

And, it's a pretty good one, innit? I definitely dug this little ditty -- though, I mean -- with hindsight, it's kind of a deep-cut to add to the "current-year" landscape. That said, this isn't a discussion about the current-year -- so, I probably shouldn't compla-- err, make observations about recent months-stuffs.

Instead, let's just go back to ye old 1987.

One thing I hadn't considered about this story when I covered it on X-Lapsed was... that at this point in the run (Classic X-Men #7 reprinted X-Men #99), the Hellfire Club was still thirty issues away from making their first appearance! The Club first appeared in X-Men #129 (January, 1980). This is kinda surprising to me, as part of me wonders what any potentially new readers (because back then such a thing did exist) to the X-Men thought upon reading this ish. Seeing these hoi-polloi types who they'd never seen before having their Gala. Characters they wouldn't see again for at least a little while. It's pretty crazy, innit?

And, as we've said a few times already throughout this project -- these lore-bits add so much to the world, without really contradicting anything. We see some pre-#129 Hellfire stuff here -- which, since they were a Claremont (co-)creation, doesn't feel forced or "wrong". What's perhaps one of the more subtle interesting beats of this story is the fact that, while the X-Men don't (appear to) know the Hellfire Club, the Club definitely has our mutant heroes on their radar.

Like I've said (probably too many times so far), it's been a long time since I've read the Classix Backups... and, my reading of them in the first place is spotty at best. So, I'm very interested to see what other sort of premonetconition -- that there's my awful (so awful it should be illegal) attempt at portmanteau-ing "premonition" and "retcon", by the way. Getting these flavor bits... and engraining characters and concepts that are yet to appear in the fore-story, is a really cool way to x-perience this era. If you're a first-time reader (without any conteXt), you're getting breadcrumbs that will eventually pay off -- if you're a tenured X-Fan, you're getting a look at some previously unknown bits that were occurring right under our noses... but, just out of sight!

I'm having a good time with this... and I humbly hope you're enjoying it too!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Six (1987)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 6 (1987)
"A Love Story"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #6 (February, 1987)

Deja vu all over again!

When I sat down to read today's little ditty, it actually took me a few pages to realize what I was looking at had... no words. I mean, once I did realize it... I realized it -- but, it was so well-crafted that it didn't matter. Compare this with that other silent story we recently discussed, and well -- nah, let's just forget that one ever happened at all, eh?

Worth noting that this back-up appears in the same issue of Classix where X-Men #98 (April, 1976) is reprinted. This is the "Merry Christmas X-Men -- the Sentinels Have Returned" story, which I'd covered back in 2020 as part of Merry X-Lapsed Year One. If you recall (or are just familiar with the ish yourself), the X-Men were hanging out in New York City during Christmastime... and were attacked by Sentinels -- some of our heroes were even dragged into space! One in particular might just be returning to Earth via a dip into Jamaica Bay. So, yeah -- there's our set-up... even though this backup appears to occur earlier that evening, it's chock full of... hmm, can we call it foreshadowing when it's as blatant as this? We'll get there -- and, when we do, you can be the judge!

Anyway... I don't think this'll be a long one (famous last words), so let's get to it!

--

Our story opens in the afternoon of the day where the X-Men got all merry at Rockefeller Center. Jean's headed back to her apartment with some shopping bags to prepare for her big date/outing later on that evening. Once inside, she... uhh, visits the Wikipedia page for mutants? This was the point in which I realized we were getting a more gimmicky story this time out. We see casual definitions for Mutant, Telekinesis, and Telepathy... on the inside of the refrigerator or pantry door? I think? I dunno...

From here, we follow Jean in for a bath... where she spends a half-hour soaking. The grandfather clock starts BONGin' at 6:30pm... which, I don't think I've ever seen one do that when not "on the hour". Oh well. From here, Jean spies a framed photo of she and her roomie, Misty Knight painting a wall of their ridiculously gargantuan apartment. Under the pic is a note from Misty, basically telling Jean to "get some" tonight.

Our gal then heads over to her nightstand to confirm that she does... maybe... possibly... have dinner plans with one Scott Summers. She looks at another framed photo -- which is of Scott, and... is signed by Scott. Jean better get that sucker CGC slabbed and sold before Marvel decides the X-Men ain't worth anything anymore! Here's a question for y'all... have you EVER (outside of a yearbook situation) signed a photo of yourself for someone? Maybe I was born too late for this phenomenon? Anyway, we learn that today's date is December 21 (1975?)... which was a Sunday. Paloma Herrera, whoever that is, was born this day. The Number One Song in the United States was That's the Way (I Like it) by KC and the Sunshine Band... Number One in the UK was Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Finally "Very Good Eddie" opened at the Booth Theater in New York City -- maybe Jean and Scott were planning on taking in a show before the Sentinels struck?! Okay, enough'a that...

Next, Jean shares a dance with her telekinetic Scott puppet -- which, I don't wanna say this is weird or nothin'... it's actually kind of sweet. But, yeah -- also a bit weird. Then again, as far as I know, I've never been a teen-age girl, so maybe this is completely normal behavior?

I promised some blatant foreshadowing, yes? Let's get to it. After wearing herself out making out with the invisible Scott, Jean heads back to her bedroom, where there is a poster for The Phoenix and the Carpet, a (1904) British children's novel by Edith Nesbit, with illustrations by H.R. Millar. This is the second of a trilogy of novels, wherein some kids accidentally burned up a carpet by playing with fireworks... and they're given a second-hand rug that just so happens to have a Phoenix egg rolled up on it? Okay. The Phoenix hatches, and offers them wishes. There was a BBC adaptation in 1997 -- which makes Jean's poster here seem even weirder. I'd assumed there'd already been a film... hence the poster. Anyway, Jean spies yet another framed photo... this one is of her family. She places it in a drawer, so they can't watch if she and Scott decide to get busy later on that night.

Our gal then spends some time trying to decide between a black dress and a white dress. She ultimately chooses the black one. Now, since this was written (assumedly) in 1986/87... might this be a reference to her eventual Black Queening? Maybe? Maybe not? Does it even matter?

Then, Scott arrives! Worth noting, there's some x-cellent attention to detail here. Scott's wearing the same coat that he'd be shown wearing in at Rockefeller Center.

Our man presents Jean with a rose... then they make out for a bit before leaving. Jean does grab her fur coat... which is the very same one she's seen wearing at Rockefeller in the original ish.

They leave... evening turns into night... and, CH-BOOM! we've got a big x-plosion! The window of Jean's bedroom shatters... and through the bits of broken glass we can see a flaming figure soaring. Now, in case what we're seeing isn't totally clear, the camera zooms up to Jean's The Phoenix and the Carpet poster... really zeroing in on the first half of the title.

--

Okay, not gonna lie -- this one took a whoooooole lot longer to write than I thought it would! Last night, when I "read" this one, it took... I dunno, two minutes? That's certainly no indictment on the quality of the writing and art -- because it's good stuff. It's just a brief, (largely) silent story. So yeah, read it in two minutes -- smirked in a satisfied way, figuring I could knock out a discussion post on it in like... fifteen minutes, and, well -- here I sit, two friggin' hours later, and I've still gotta compile my actual thoughts about the thing!

Now, before we get into it - I wanna mention something that was pointed out by Chris U. in the comments (I promise I'll get around to responding to the comments soon -- I'm a bit outta practice) - also, I'm beyond happy to see Chris U.'s comments again! What he mentioned was that, Claremont seems to be alternating between writing "value-added" beats to enrich (without contradicting) the earlier/original stories - and giving us some neat character-focused "flavor". This little ditty blends the two columns, falling somewhere in-between.

This is very much a story we can "place", right? It most certainly occurs right before X-Men #98 opens. It enriches the story (a bit), but doesn't muck about/confuse/contradict anything. If anything, it makes the story the Classix series is about to cover all the more tragic. It also felt like it built on the Storm/Jean back-up from a few issues ago, wherein we're getting this unique look at Jean's "new normal" - away from the Xavier School, living with Misty Knight. It's all very neat.

Now, as much as this adds to the overall lore of the era, it also serves as a wonderful little character bit. As mentioned, it gives Jean and her "new normal" some screen time, but we're also getting a feel for Jean's maturation. As she pointed out a few issues back, she's not a kid anymore. She's now an independent young woman, involved in a (relatively) healthy romantic relationship -- living (mostly) on her own. This story could serve as one'a those "first day of the rest of her life" sorta things.

Only... it's not. What Jean doesn't know... and couldn't possibly know, is -- this is basically the last day of her life. At least for awhile. We seasoned X-Fans know how this arc goes -- the X-Men go to space... there's the Jamaica Bay scene -- Jean bursts out of the drink as the Phoenix! Of course, originally -- this was meant to actually be Jean -- and there was no cocoon gimmick at play.

Post X-Factor/Busiek-retcon, we know that this wasn't Jean but the Phoenix entity itself. The Phoenix would go on to become Dark, barbecue some broccoli asparagus and, ya know - die. Now, we could talk at length about that whole mishigas, but we won't -- at least not yet. I mean, a) it's been talked to absolute death, and there's very little I can possibly add to it, and b) we'll undoubtedly get there when we get there.

What matters for this Vignette is, we're seeing some of Jean Grey's final moments (again, for now). And, ya know -- it didn't even dawn on me until sitting down to collect my thoughts on the story! Now, this is important (to me) for a couple of reasons. First, narratively speaking -- it's quite powerful. What we see here is a woman bursting with love, excited for her future -- all the while, we readers know what her future actually holds.

Second, focusing on the "sausage being made" aspects of this story... gotta hand it to Claremont for playing ball here. Again, we're not gonna go too deep on "the Phoenix mishigas" (yet), but -- Claremont's original plans for the Phoenix were quite different than what we saw play out on panel. The way in which he crafts this story -- kinda straddles the fence, in a good way. Lemme x-plain. Sure, we get the anvil-dropping Phoenix foreshadowing -- but, it doesn't actively "hurt" anything.

This story could work using Claremont's original plans... or the Jamaica Bay-cocoon retcon. I, personally, feel it's more tragic with the retcon, but it works both ways. Something I'd neglected to mention since starting this little dip into the Vignettes is the Shooter Effect. I've talked about my respect for Jim Shooter a whole bunch, both here and on the air. Among other things, I respect Jim's... respect for the characters he'd been tasked with stewarding and protecting. You know this fella was x-amining these "yester-tales" with a fine-toothed comb to ensure they properly "fit". That's just the kind of Editor-in-Chief Shooter seemed to be. He knew that the characters came first -- and, while nowadays - in the age of twitter-bait, fashionable faux-outrage, and superstar writers, that's almost a laughable statement to make -- it doesn't make it any less true.

It's almost a statistical impossibility that Classix was given these extra pages to add flavor to existing stories and characters at all -- especially when we consider how Claremont and Shooter bumped heads with regularity (at least as the stories go). That said, the fact that these stories x-ist in the first place, and perform at such a high-level really adds to my enjoyment in this endeavor.

Overall -- I mean, like I said -- this'll take ya under five minutes to read twice. The story it's telling and the gorgeous art it gives ya, is well worth your investment of time. Next time out, we'll be taking a look at the Vignette that kinda forced my hand in actively hunting and collecting the Classix!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Five (1987)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 5 (1987)
"Prison of the Heart"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #5 (February, 1987)

While yesterday's piece took a pretty optimistic and pollyannaish look at how our Mutant friends might be viewed by the public, today's is... well, today's is gonna take a different tack. Today, my friends, we're getting a sippa some'a that good ol' fashioned "Fear and Hate" cocktail.

Will it be as painfully contrived as we've come to x-pect? Well, yeah -- sorta. But, let's chat it up all the same!

--

We open at Brighton Beach, in Brooklyn -- also referred to as "Little Odessa", known for its high population of Russian-speaking immigrants... which is probably the perfect place for a homesick Colossus to spend a little time during this first stint away from the Motherland. And yes, here he sits, lookin' kinda like a young Elvis -- sketchbook in hand, drawing some of the folks he sees. But, since this is a superhero ditty, his peace is short-lived. Ya see, he overhears a screaming woman... and when he goes to investigate, he witnesses this poor gal getting stuffed in the trunk of a car by two Russian baddies (I think this might be Ben Percy's favorite Classix back-up!).

After several dozen Claremontian captions, our man armors up, and begins -- ya know, punching the car. The baddies swerve a bit, before deciding - screw it, I'mma just run this hooptie into that there brick wall! Which, is exactly what he does. Unfortunately for him, however, he's not trying to shake off just any Coney Islander... he's dealing with a metallic giant. Colossus easily hoists the rig up, and -- I dunno, crushes the front end of it?

The Russians are all "screw this noise, you can keep her!" before scurrying away down an alley. Piotr metals-down to his flesh-and-sinew Young Elvis visage before popping the trunk and informing its occupant that she is now safe. At first, she freaks out a bit -- fearing that our hero is one of the baddies, but she comes around to her savior pretty quick. Pete helps her out of the trunk before returning to the beach to fetch his sketching materials. There, some Coney Islanders tell him how gifted an artist he is -- he awkwardly takes the compliment, but assures them that he's just doodling these bits to send back home to his sister, Illyana. He claims that he can speak much better through his art than his words.

Next we know, Pete and the former hostage, Anya Makarova, are swappin' stories on the boardwalk. Well, Anya is -- Piotr's just standing there listening like a lovable goof... more on that in a bit. He and we learn here that Anya is a ballerina, in fact, the youngest prima ballerina ever to perform in the Kirov Ballet. Now, the Kirov Ballet was a real dance company, which is now known as the Mariinsky Ballet. Kirov was its "Soviet Name". As this is a story written before the fall... we'll stick with callin' it the Kirov. Interestingly (well, maybe interesting), in 1989 - the Universal Ballet Academy in Washington, D.C. would be renamed the Kirov Academy of Ballet. As of this writing, the Kirov will be shutting its doors in May due to lack of funding. Now ya know! Anyway, so yeah - Anya left the Soviet Union to come dance in the United States. This, back then, was seen as an act of defection -- and, one that wouldn't go ignored. Hence the heavies who chucked her in the trunk.

Piotr points out that such an act may preclude her from ever going home again -- which, she seems cool with. She asks what he's doing in the States... and he gives a pretty surface-level response. He's "a student"... who came here with his parents' full blessing. Here we learn that Anya is planning on performing at Lincoln Center for the Handel Company that night, likely named for George Frideric Handel, the German composer.

And so she does. And she's wonderful.

Following the performance, Piotr meets up with Anya backstage to present her with a sketch he'd drawn of her while she was performing. In return she plucks him a single rose from on of the several bouquets that'd been left in her dressing room. They share a kiss... half-worried and half-excited that their romantic relationship might be moving a little bit too fast.

From here -- well, I promised you some FEAR AND HATE during my pre-ramble, so it's high time I delivered, eh? To this point, it's just been a lovely little story... well, let's jam a fork into the electrical socket and change the tone with the quickness! It's here where Anya is once again confronted by one of the Russian Thugs. I'm not sure I mentioned this yet, but they were sent here to collect Anya... by her father. These goons are a little bit higher in the Thug-Pecking-Order, and this time, they've decided not to take no for an answer. And so, Colossus armors up to let them know that, if they're planning on taking the gal -- they're going to have to go through him.

Pete makes with the punchin' and scares the -- I don't think I'm allowed to refer to them as "Commies" anymore, am I? Whatever the case, he chases the Russian Thugs off. When he turns to Anya, she -- well, she freaks the eff out! She calls Piotr a liar and a monster. She thought she was falling in love with a human dude -- not a steel-skinned, heartless [insert word for freak here]! She shouts a bit... she gives him back his sketch... and runs off into the neighborhood.

We close out with Piotr back at the Boardwalk where he and Anya had their first chat. He stands there for several hours... before tearing his sketch in two and walking off into the night.

--

Ya know, it's funny -- I've talked/written a time or two how long it takes for me to put together a piece for the site/channel/wherever -- but, it's with a written bit like this where it's most "visually" apparent. Hopefully it isn't quite that noticeable to y'all, but as I roll back through my photos to get 'em ready for uploadin', I can tell that -- during the course of my synopsizing, the Sun's come out! If you've been following my stuff for any length of time, you'll be somewhat familiar with my "process". I try and get all my content-creation hoo-doo outta the way before beginning "the day proper". That is to say, before the wife gets up -- before the work-day begins.

So yeah, I'm up before Sun-up to get these addled words committed to digital paper. Over the course of the past couple of years, those efforts have been mostly focused on audio output -- so, a Google Doc script that I'd take into my fake-ass recording studio to spit into a microphone. For the recent li'l while, however, it's been text-and-pics based -- so, I'm snapping panel pix in the dark -- by the time I'm done, however, it's light outside. When I'm prepping my pix, it's crazy to see them go from dark to light -- as mentioned, I hope it's not too noticeable after the half-assed tinkering I do on 'em!

And wow, that might've been among the more boring couple'a paragraphs I ever bothered to include in a post here! Thanks for stickin' around, if in fact ya did!

Let's actually talk a bit about this story, eh?

It was... ya know, fine. As a long tenured reader of X-Men comics, it felt like any old "Fear and Hate" story... nothing we haven't seen before. Nothing we won't be seeing again... and again... and again. It's such an "evergreen" (and overused) trope in the X-Books that it's difficult for your dimwitted host to frame it in its proper context.

Sure, we've seen it before -- and, as usual -- it's a bit heartbreaking. Like I said skatey-eight times in yesterday's post, "I get" what Claremont's going for here. Does it land? Well -- yeah. It definitely lands a bit better than Nightcrawler [not] creeping everyone in Salem Center out. It makes more sense for Anya to be freaked out and repulsed by Colossus' sudden steely appearance -- though her more "hateful" reaction here might've been a bit overblown for my tastes.

Should Anya feel betrayed here? I suppose... maybe? I mean, she's away from home -- a "defector" -- so, we might assume that she's always kinda "on edge". In Piotr, she's found a protector... and now, she finds out he's not x-actly what she x-pected. I get her being freaked out -- but, pounding on Piotr's chest, proclaiming that (for whatever reason) he doesn't have a heart? I think Mr. Claremont might've been piling it on a bit much here.

I almost feels like the final scenes were written in reverse -- Claremont wanted to end with the poignancy of Colossus saying that he in fact, does have a heart -- and needed a semi-organic way of getting there. Nothing wrong with that tack... but, it makes the story feel a bit spasmodic. Maybe it's just me, but I lost any ability to relate to either of our spot-lit characters by the end of this.

That said, up until the (extreme tonal shift of the) ending -- I really enjoyed my time with this. It's not often we get a Piotr-centric story... especially one where he isn't just spending page upon page whinging about Illyana. So, this was nice to see. Now, if I can try and take my cynic-cap off and replace it with my context-sombrero - let's explore Anya's reaction from Pete's point of view.

Piotr is still a very young man. He mentions in the Claremontian Captions that open this story how he's new to the Western World. He's new to anywhere that isn't his old Soviet farmstead. We could assume that he is quite unfamiliar with the concept (at least first-hand) of the ol' FEAR AND HATE Machine.

We might assume that this is the first time Piotr's had to face this sort of prejudice. We talked a bit yesterday about judging folks by the "content of their character"... and how, we -- as tenured X-Fans -- know that Nightcrawler is a top-tier dude. Here, we get a bit of a play on that as well. If nothing else, Colossus proved that he's a solid fella (pun possibly intended) in his attempts to protect Anya. He led with his heart... he led with his character. He's a caring individual.

But, he's also a dude who can summon up an organic steel hide... which, literally and figuratively conceals his heart (and, if I can get a bit precious, his soul?). He's judged here by his literal surface-level. All of the good he'd done is reframed as some sinister sort of misrepresentation. Colossus is still a very young and naïve man -- who isn't equipped or prepared for Anya's rather extreme reaction.

Which may be why he spent such a long time processing it. While I feel as though they may've skimped a bit in the subtlety department with Anya -- Claremont and Bolton brought it in spades with Piotr. We see him standing there at the Boardwalk... motionless, expressionless... absorbing the realization that, no matter how he behaves, he's going to face challenges with relationships. Even those who come from the same Motherland -- and have shared similar upbringings, can (and will) view him as being different -- and will, as a result -- instinctively, FEAR and HATE him.

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Four (1987)

 

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 4 (1987)
"The Big Dare"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #4 (January, 1987)

Well... here's a weird one. It's no less important in building relationships between our new X-Men than Ororo and Jean's shopping trip, and it allows us to see the genesis of a friendship that's been able to stand the test of time... but, it's weird. Not much of a pre-ramble from me this time out (lucky you!), so -- let's just get into it!

--

We open with Nightcrawler and Wolverine in the midst of a game of tag. We watch as Wolvie attempts to lay paws (and claws) on the Fuzzy Elf, however his acrobatic prowess... paired with his BAMFability, makes this quite the challenge. It does allow Claremont to remind us all of Kurt's past in the Circus -- it also subtly drives home the point that, acrobatics is neat and all, but -- when in a confrontation it's more sizzle than steak. Wolverine is able to catch him unawares... and delivers a wallop of an elbow to his fuzzy blue gut!

Logan then pins Kurt down and ceremonially SNIKTS to show his rival that the contest c'est fini. Worth noting, he mentions that he's got unbreakable Adamantium-laced bones, which retroactively might be the first time he's spilling these beans to a teammate? Heck, retroactively, this might be the first mention of it period! I think, in reality, the first time we found out about this was in X-Men #98 (which will be the lead-story in Classic X-Men #6), the Sentinels-Christmas story I looked at as part of Merry X-Lapsed, Year One. Though, when the Essentials catch up to this era, I might realize how wrong I am! Anyway, Wolvie pops the claws, Nightcrawler begs off... and readies himself to head back to the Xavier School to supply the brews.

Wolverine, however, ain't feelin' like any ol' bee'a from da friggeratah -- and suggests they head into town for something outta the tap. Kurt's cool with it, but first has to engage his brand-new image inducer... ya know, to hide the fact that he looks like a happy demon. This is (just barely) retroactively the first mention of Nightcrawler having/using a Tony Stark-brand Image Inducer. The actual first mention was is X-Men #97... which will be the main-feature of the very next issue of Classix. Now, here's where things start to get weird... ish. Wolverine kinda lambastes Nightcrawler for using something that will hide his true nature. He kinda calls Kurt out on not being proud of who he is. And yeah, I get that -- but, all the same, if poor dude just wants to hit the town, grab a beer, and not be chased through the streets of Salem Center by a mob of pitchfork wielders... maybe just let the fella use his little gimmick? I dunno...

Anyway, from here we arrive at Harry's Hideout aka. Harry's Hideaway. Ya know, that little bar/pub the X-Men hang out at all the time... which, shockingly enough, has only ever appeared in the comics 33 times! That... seems low, dunnit? Well, the Wiki certainly wouldn't lie, would it? Now, this is retro-canonically the first appearance of the Hideoutaway -- it's actual first appearance was New Mutants #23 (September, 1984). Well, maybe it's not the retconned first appearance... but, it does predate the actual first appearance. Does that make sense? I dunno, I'm too flustered wondering if I need to get this one slabbed ASAP.

Anyway, we're at the bar -- where our fast friends are talking a little bit about their past. Well, Nightcrawler is anyway... Wolvie, as per usual, is keeping things close to vest. Then again, what he actually knows about his past at this point can probably fit in a thimble. The conversation comes back around to Logan shaming poor Kurt for using the Image Inducer... and so, he dares him not to. Kurt (rightly) calls Wolverine out on not being able to understand what he goes through -- since, Wolverine -- though, uglier than sin, especially back in the long ago -- still looks like a regular ol' human.

Ultimately, Nightcrawler is triple-dog-dared or whatever to shut off his gimmick, and since nobody can argue with nor deny a triple-dog, he does. Moments later, Harry Q. Hideaway wanders over to drop off some drinks -- and, he's completely unaffected by the fact that there's a smiling, brimstone-smelling demon now sitting in the booth. The waitress, however, is a bit "what da hale?", and when she points out the fact that there's, ya know, a demon in their midst -- complete with a tail, Harry comments on how handsome a tail it is. And, I mean -- I know what Claremont's trying to do here... but, c'mon. C'maaaaaaahn... are we really saying that the "normal" reaction here, at seeing a demon sat where there was once a man, is... disinterest? Like, no questions asked? Where'd the guy go? Did the demon kill him? I mean, this might just be a little too Pollyanna.

Anyway, the boys finish their drinks and head out... and Nightcrawler, still on something of a high by the fact that Harry Q. Hideaway didn't come at him with a fire extinguisher, is kind of on cloud nine. He's sashaying down the street, with his little derby hat and cane... as though he's running about five-minutes ahead of schedule before his next chimney-sweep appointment. He makes sure to smile at everybody he passes... which, ya know... again, I get it -- but, let's do that stupid thing where we "real world" this. You really want a demonic critter looking you in the eyes and smiling? I mean, it beats the alternative, I suppose... but, still!

Kurt then spies a damsel in distress... a woman who's bobbling her bags of groceries. And so, he saunters on up... helps her out... then, kisses her on the cheek? I mean, I know this isn't "current year", but you'd figure had something like this happened today, there'd be at least a half-dozen REEEEing twitterers trying to stoke this into something. Even back in ye old 1986... it's weird, no? And, well -- perhaps the oddest part is the fact that this damsel didn't, ya know scream her head off -- but, instead, actually seemed a bit into it? She refers to the smoothing satan as an "extraordinary young man".

From here, Kurt chats up a couple of science fiction fans... who have just seen Star Wars -- Kurt tells them that his favorite character is Chewbacca... which, might just be the least believable thing said this entire story! These two British (?) children then scamper off to tell Mummy and Duddy that they just met a real-life alien. Oy.

You might be asking yourself... if there's going to be any actual conflict in this story... or, will it just be Kurt Wagner Dick Van Dyking down Main Street for another couple pages? Well, here comes the conflict -- in the form of a meathead who doesn't take kindly to Kurt's... uh, well -- I don't even know what. Because the meathead initially believes that Kurt's face is just a mask. Maybe he just doesn't like Germans? Maybe he didn't like that Kurt kissed that broad? Maybe he hates Chewbacca? Whatever the reason, they very nearly get into it.

Then, quick as a cricket, Wolverine spears the baddie out of his boots... err, sneakers. He then, as he's wont to do -- especially back in the long ago, pops his claws. Nightcrawler is able to regain control of the situation, BAMFing them both to the rooftop of a nearby building so his buddy might calm down a bit. We wrap up with Kurt thanking Wolverine for shaming him into taking his dare (his words, not mine) -- and, thus, a bond is formed.

--

Well, there ya have it!

A weird one, right? And, as I said a few times during the spoilery-synopsis, I get what Claremont was going for here -- and it truly is a very sweet story, with a valuable message -- however, in practice? It just doesn't fly... at least it doesn't for me.

To properly lose ourselves in this story, we need to accept that the normal Salem Centerer... Westchesterer... Upstate New Yorker, wouldn't be freaked out at the sight of a demon walking down the street. Okay, like I say on the show(s) -- we are in the fantastical Marvel Universe, so there's at least something of a precedent for weirdness. But, the message here (well, one of the messages here) -- and, it's a good one -- is that we, as a people/species/whatever ought to accept everyone, regardless of our differences.

Fair point, no? Judging others, not by the way the look or appear -- but, by the content of their character. It's a good message... it's the right message -- but, I mean -- we're dealing with a demon! That's not to say I wanna see our man chased outta town by a mob of torch and pitchfork wielders -- but, I feel like we're going way too far in the other direction. I think we're supposed to think that, if we were to see a demon walking down the street -- our gut reaction should be indifference and unquestioning acceptance.

As if to say, and to be fair -- the story does NOT say this... but, if you were to feel a twinge of discomfort at the sight of a demon trompin' down the mall, you're not a good person. I might be thinking way too hard about this... which is something I almost never do (right?), but I think the proper reaction to seeing... again, a friggin' demon... is, at the very least -- cautious curiosity? Having Harry Q. Hideaway not even bat an eye... then to comment on how the tail he just saw on the back of what he thought was a regular ol' human being was "handsome"? Like I said above: c'maaaaaaahn.

The other "message" at play here... is another important one. It has to do with not being ashamed of who or what you are. Another excellent point, yes? This is very important stuff... and easy for all of us to relate to. No matter what we look like or who we are -- we've all got differences that cause us to stand out. They may be physical characteristics... mental, lingual or motor differences... the differences can be big or small. The message here is to not be ashamed -- it's to embrace who and what you are -- and, it's a sweet sentiment, right?

I'm all for Nightcrawler being the Fuzzy Elf smiling at every passer-by, and having a nice day out. But... the thing is: I/we know Nightcrawler. We know that he's a good person, with a good heart -- we know he's a hero, who would never do anything to harm another. The rando on Main Street, however - especially this early on - hasn't the foggiest idea. And, here's the thing, Nightcrawler's so good a guy, that he knows that -- and seems as though he uses the Image Inducer more to keep those around him comfortable rather than for himself.

Wolverine kinda misses that point... and instead, turns this into some sort of Mutant Pride mission. He doesn't do that by reasoning with his pal, either -- instead, he shames him into it. That... I don't so much dig. And, again -- I get what this story is trying to do -- it just feels more like Wolverine's trying to force Nightcrawler into doing something he isn't quite ready to do. Sure, the end justified the means, but still -- I'm left feeling, I dunno, a bit bad for Kurt. It's like he was forced into putting on a show just to get Logan off his back.

I really don't know where I land with this one -- it's beautiful to look at, the facials by Bolton really just got to be seen to be believed -- the story has a few very important messages... it's just told in so heavy-handed a way that, I dunno... it kinda takes the oomph out of itself.

Agree? Disagree? Wanna just tell me to shut my hole? Please, comment below!

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter Three (1986)

X-Men Vignettes, Chapter 3 (1986)
"Mourning"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Art - John Bolton
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Edits - Kavanagh, Nocenti, Shooter
From: Classic X-Men #3 (November, 1986)

Today's piece is a pretty special one -- not for anything I have to say, of course -- but, for the content of the story we're about to check out. We're going to get a "between the panels" look at the fallout of the death of that one character Marvel would never, ever be desperate nor creatively-bankrupt enough to bring ba-- err, nevermind.

Yes, friends -- today we're looking at the "mourning after" of John "Thunderbird" Proudstar. That X-Man who died... and has served as the symbol of Xavier's arrogance ever since. A man, whose legacy and memory might be even more valuable to X-Men lore than the character itself. We'll talk more about that out the other side.

But first, if you're following semi-recent episodes of X-Lapsed, you'll know that I kinda took issue with the way X-Men: The Trial of Magneto wrapped up [spoiler warning]. I posited that the John Proudstar reveal was a halfhearted attempt to over-romanticize his tenure as an X-Man (both in overall import and impact he left on his teammates)... where he, lasted all of, ya know - a week or two. I was (rightly) taken to task for this statement, and was advised that Claremont did a good job of fleshing out Proudstar's time with the crew in these Classic X-Men backups. As it had been literally ages since I'd last looked at them, I "mea culpa'ed" and conceded that I might just be talking out my ass (as per usual).

So, let's take a peek at this chapter of Vignettes, and see if I can see the error in my ways. Oh, by the way -- the "main story" of this issue of Classic X-Men is X-Men #95... in which, ya know, somebody dies.

--

Our story picks up shortly after the passing of John Proudstar. Professor X silently sits somewhere in New Mexico... though, I thought the Proudstars were from Camp Verde, Arizona? I dunno, maybe that change would come later. Anyway, he's deep in thought... and regret, when he's joined by Jean Grey -- who's been away from the X-Men for a whole eighteen minutes. It's confirmed here, prior to Jean's arrival, that Charles and John were in full mental-rapport at the time of the latter's passing -- something that Xavier suggests will stick with him for the rest of his life. Jean understands and appreciates what her Mentor is dealing with, having gone through something very similar when her friend Annie was hit by that car. Of course, this is something we'll eventually go into, as it fundamentally changes Jean's origin -- and her original take as only a telekinetic -- who was then "given" the powers of telepathy by the Professor.

Speaking of telepathy, our mind-readers are then alerted to a bit of panic coming from the Proudstar homestead. It's one of the new X-Men, the youngest of the group - Piotr Rasputin. Ya see, he's freaking out because he's just discovered that Thunderbird's corpse had been stolen! The X-Men assemble to try and get to the bottom of this, however, before they can do all that much -- Mr. and Mrs. Proudstar ask them to kindly get the eff off their land. There's definitely a feeling of "you took our son" at play -- hell, they pretty much say just that.

Upon hearing this request, Wolverine does what he always does... which is, whatever the hell he wants. He's going to find Johnny's body. Cyclops suggests that they respect the Proudstar family's wishes -- but, Wolvie ain't havin' none of it. They're a team... and teams look out for one another, even after death. Storm and the rest of the newbies agree... and Scott does ultimately come around to the idea as well. They leave Charles and Jean behind to start combing the plains. Our two telepaths already have a sneaking suspicion who is behind this: John's younger brother, James "eventually-Warpath" Proudstar.

What follows is a brief and seemingly innocuous little scene. The X-Men are trying the body... and, well, they're not exactly working all that well together. I love this, as it puts a much-needed focus on the fact that -- these characters, despite all being mutants, shouldn't automatically be "chums". Not only are they the "international team", meaning they all come from different cultures and ways of life -- but, they're also of varying ages. This isn't five teen-agers sequestered at the Special School - these are disparate personalities... who have all, largely, lived lives before the X-Men. We get a shot of Wolverine silently tracking... only to have Banshee screaming overhead -- ya know, spoiling any element of surprise.

We see Nightcrawler and Colossus chatting a bit about how the hot arid weather of the American Southwest isn't quite to their liking. Which, is overheard by Cyclops -- who basically tells them to nut up or go home. To which, the newbies both seem kinda shaken -- Kurt even goes as far as to assure Scott that he WILL do his fair share going forward.

This bit shifts us into Flashback Land, wherein we see a shared memory Kurt and Piotr have about their brief time with John Proudstar. We're in... I wanna say the Danger Room... but, it's mostly lookin' like an empty gym with nothing more than a heavy bag in it. John is wailing away at the thing... and, has apparently been at it for hours. Kurt and Pete ask him why... and, he really doesn't have an answer. They then ask him why he's chosen to remain with the X-Men -- to which, he does have an answer... he doesn't have anywhere else to go. Back in the present, Kurt suggests that while John's words may've been in jest, there was a lot of truth behind them. He wishes he had more time to talk... and especially listen to John.

Just then, overhead -- Storm provides some much needed coolness to the plains with a brief and sudden... uh, ya know, storm. She reports in to Cyclops that Wolverine's already reached the mountain -- which comes as a surprise to Scott. But, I mean, it's Wolverine... and it's Claremont -- so, we'd best get used to blowing sunshine up his skirt. Ororo tells Scott that the newbies are all full of surprises, which takes us back into Flashback Land.

Storm thinks about a recent visit she's had with Proudstar... up in her attic garden. She mentions that he snuck up on her... which, in what might be a bit of meta-commentary from Claremont, he compares himself to Wolverine. Well, sorta -- he says he's nowhere near as sneaky as Wolvie... but, he's no slouch. Now, if that statement feels kinda outta nowhere, allow me to share a Dave Cockrum quote from Comics Creators on X-Men (2006, Titan Books). When asked about Thunderbird by Tom DeFalco, Dave would say:

Comics Creators on X-Men (2006, Titan Books) p. 86

Maybe I'm just reading into a simple throwaway line... maybe I just wanna look like I know more about how the sausage is made than most. I dunno -- it's a fun comment all the same. Anyway, Ororo and John start speaking in Claremontian while discussing their homes... and their wishes for the future. It's a pretty downbeat chat.

Back to the present, and we join Wolverine who has tracked down young James Proudstar. He watches from afar as James sets up a funeral pyre for his fallen brother. Logan does not intervene nor interfere. He does, however, spy a bunch of John's belongings scattered around nearby. It's here he learns that John was a highly decorated military man, with medals and an honorable discharge from the service... also that he lied about his age so he could go to war early. He wonders why John never discussed any of this with the X-Men, before concluding that Proudstar likely wanted to prove his courage to them all firsthand... and not live off past glory.

Wolverine watches James' ritual for a few moments before leaving him to it. He reconnoiters with the rest of the X-Men to inform them that they're going to leave the Proudstars in peace to mourn and celebrate John the way in which they choose. We close out with James picking up John's Thunderbird costume... and vowing to avenge and take the name of his big brother!

--

This chapter put me through a bit of a wringer, emotionally and "reactionally" speaking.

Upon initially revisiting the story last night, I was left with a bit of an odd taste in my mouth. Not that it was bad or anything (it's actually quite good!), but -- I dunno, it felt like the sort of story that would have left a much greater impact on me, had I read it back in 1986. This was some pretty groundbreaking stuff for superhero comics. Ya know, I will probably say "quiet" and "downtime" a lot during our Vignette Visits, probably to the point of self-parody. But, that's exactly what these stories are. I'm sure back in 1986, when such a tack was still something of a novelty, this would have been pretty mind-blowing stuff. Revisiting in "current year", it's lost a bit of its luster, but is still insanely well-done.

Did any of that make sense? Probably not -- but, like I said -- I'm in the "reactional wringer" ova' hea'.

So yeah, upon first read -- I was a bit non-plussed. I enjoyed my time with it, but... really, that's all it was. A pleasant ten-minutes, spent with some old friends. However, when I started to actually write today's piece... that changed. It became something more. That happens from time to time... and, it never fails to smack me across the face. I've gone from absolutely hating a story (which wasn't the case here), to not only "getting it" but also adoring it during the course of my writing.

That was kind of the case here. In the writing, I began to appreciate the nuanced way in which Claremont was, not only telling the story of the aftermath of Thunderbird's passing, but also using this "quiet" "downtime" beat as an opportunity to further flesh out this fledgling team. We see that they haven't quite gelled yet -- hell, they don't even seem to like each other just yet., there are still "growing pains" at play here. These beats were given to us subtly... and felt organic. These were "value added" bits.

With that said, however -- hindsight's kind of a bitch. Here we are in current-year, post-HoXPoX/post-Resurrection Protocols/post-Wanda's Waiting Room -- and, Thunderbird is back. I don't wanna hold "current-year" against a classic tale, but -- well, I'm a screwed up individual, so it's kinda what I do.

To address the Thunderbird "problem", I wanna start by talking a little bit about two fellas: Barry Allen and Stan Lee. Bear with me. I promise this will make sen... err, well, I promise it makes sense to me - your mileage may vary.

First: Barry Allen. The Silver-Age Flash, we've talked about him a bunch here at the blog. Barry, to several generations of comic book enthusiasts was less a character, and more a "symbol". He was symbolic of an entire Age of comics, his final (at the time) act of heroism facilitated there being a subsequent Age. For decades, we heard the tales of, not just "Barry" -- but, Saint Barry. He'd become bigger than a character... he transcended superheroics -- he was The Symbol.

Then, Johns and Didio decided they wanted him back... thus cheapening his "final" exit, his heroic act, and before long -- turned this iconic figure into... just another dude. I guess when you're on a keyboard like I am pining for things past, you're an "entitled manbaby" -- when you're a professional getting paid to pine for things past, you're a-okay. Gotta love the internet!

On to Stan Lee -- who has had a quote attributed to him for ages now, though I don't think I ever found its original citation... so, apologies if this isn't 100% accurate. Stan's noted as having said, "Never give the fans what they think they want." Whether of not Stan actually said it, doesn't make it any less true. Let's apply that to Thunderbird -- who, I mean, c'mon... I doubt there's a single soul who was chomping at the bit to have him back on the table. But, he's back -- so, now what?

Well - first of all, he's no longer the Symbol that he once was. For four-decades, John Proudstar could be viewed as Professor X's "original sin" -- his oversight, his arrogance in assuming that, as he mentioned in this very story: he could just keep sending his charges into battle over and over again, and expect them to all return safely... and, ya know, alive. Sure, we didn't know much about John -- but, we really didn't need to. Ultimately, the loss of John is more of an indictment on Xavier and a change to how we view super-characters.

John became the symbol of loss. He was important because of his selflessness... his bullheaded final act of heroism. He was the first (and only, to this point) X-Man to... die an X-Man. Ya know? This act, not only showed his willingness to go down with the ship jet, but it also illustrated to Xavier and, perhaps more importantly, the readership that... the X-Men ain't kids anymore.

Gone are the days of "demerits" and "drills"... this is a whole new ballgame. We're dealing with adults... who, as we learned here, come with their own baggage and points of view. Xavier wasn't just going to be able to tell a John Proudstar to back off. This was one hell of a wakeup call -- and, the catalyst for him to change the way in which he viewed (and dealt with) his charges.

And today, since Marvel (and current-year comics, overall) is... in the words of a dear friend, "creatively bankrupt", we've got Thunderbird back on board. The question is: What now? We take a character who has been immortalized as a "Symbol" -- I mean, the X-Men have renamed their jet the "Proudstar" in honor of his sacrifice... so, we take this symbol -- and, turn him into "just another dude".

And so, those words of (maybe) Stan Lee ring out: "Never give the fans what they think they want...", because really: what comes next? The return of Thunderbird, while never a hugely hot button issue... was always something of a "what if?" scenario. What if... the one guy who never came back -- ya know, did? It's the "Bucky", "Gwen Stacy" and "Jason Todd" thing. Where, you have to step back and ask: are these characters more valuable to the lore dead or alive?

What does a dead character mean? Not just to their own legacy, but to those around/near-and-dear to them? Do they symbolize (and I apologize for the "symbol abuse" in this piece) failure? Do they symbolize sacrifice? Do they symbolize arrogance and oversight? Are they "lessons learned"? And, if so -- what of those lessons when they arrive back on the scene?

It's probably pretty clear by now where I stand on this issue. I don't see any value in bringing John Proudstar back... in fact, bringing him back actually ruins some old stories (in my opinion). As a screwed up individual, I often attribute the "sins of the sons, unto the father" -- which is to say, if I don't like something that's happening in "present day", it hinders my ability to lose myself in the stories of yesteryear. It's certainly not healthy... but, I've never claimed to be all that mentally stable in the first place.

That all having been said... it's current events that stopped me from dropping my defenses and allowing myself to truly love this story. And, it's a shame, because there is a lot to love and appreciate here. It's honestly a beautiful story... that actually makes me second-guess my position that Thunderbird's time on the team has been overromanticized!