Thing 1 and Thing 2: Fantastic Four #163

Fantastic Four #163 (October 1975)
"Finale!"
Roy Thomas-Rich Buckler/Joe Sinnott

Doug: Here's our big finish to what I've called Roy Thomas' version of DC's famed "Crisis on..." team-ups. Last week I was pretty critical of the "everything but the kitchen sink" elements, as well as some dopey deus ex machina maneuvers by Thomas. We'll see how this turns out today.

Doug: If you recall at the conclusion of our last installment, Ben was charged with spiriting a device to a nexus in between dimensions. Said device would shut down the portal, effectively negating Arkon's ability to funnel atomic power to his own world. Trouble is, an inter-galactic hockey goalie named "Gaard" showed up to protect the nexus. And that's where we begin, with a tussle between Ben and this Gaard character. Gaard, complete with ice skates. Uh huh. No wait -- I'm going to try to be civil this issue. Anyway, Ben's not sure on his own skates, and Gaard obviously knows what he's doing, so this isn't going well. Ben attempts to throw the doohickey he was sent to deliver, but Gaard parries that as well. As they battle, Ben thinks to himself that Gaard's voice is familiar -- and why not? We've seen two Bens and two Reeds already. Maybe it's Doc Doom in the hockey get-up!

Karen: Oh, the utter indignity that would be! I still don't know why anyone thought a hockey goalie would make a great villain. That's a head-shaker. And why would Arkon, from a planet presumably without the sport of hockey, devise a guardian like this? Shouldn't he look more like an ancient Greek warrior or something? Doug: As Ben continues to meet defeat, he's about to give up when Reed pops into his head, offering not only encouragement but impressing on him that the fate of three worlds hangs in the balance. Of course Ben decides to soldier on, and squares with Gaard again. Reed, Sue, and DeVoor are watching on a monitor on our Earth. We get a recap of the first three issues, and DeVoor explains how Arkon became involved in the first place. It's a plausible story, I suppose, although as I've said -- Roy's execution in the third issue got a bit sloppy. Anyway, Sue has found Johnny on another monitor, and as they tune in we see the Torch and Reed-Thing's onslaught against Arkon's royal guards.

Karen: I'm not even sure how Arkon could put this plan together, since he seems like a high-strung maniac. He came across better in the earlier Avengers story, and later on in X-Men.
Doug: Our heroes infiltrate the palace all-too-easily, and Johnny flies off to the throne room to engage Arkon directly. It doesn't go well. And as Johnny's about to be put down for good, a giant orange-plated arm bursts through the wall; Reed's on the scene. But wait... did he really say he used the sound of Arkon's voice to determine their location? Huh? Oops -- supposed to be nice this issue. While Arkon's occupied, Johnny flames on and severs Arkon's quiver of lightning bolts, leveling the playing field. It doesn't take Reed-Thing long to put him down. Roy does give us some nice, melodramatic dialogue from Reed as he compares Arkon to both Hitler and Napoleon; in the midst of this soliloquy we also learn that the Johnny Storm of his Earth had been killed in Vietnam. It's a poser for the Torch, as Sue comes on the vid-comm.

Karen: The Torch sure came across as a lightweight in these issues. First Reed-2 takes him out last time, now Arkon. The reference to Johnny dying in Vietnam certainly dates this story. It also brings a certain somber tone to an otherwise ridiculous romp.

Doug: Reed's been told by DeVoor that only two beings can occupy the hyperspace in front of the nexus: Gaard and one other. Arkon devised it that way so that world's would send only their champions. But Reed's onto something, and as Ben begins to mount another offensive, both Reed's appear in his mind and urge him to stay back for a few minutes. It's at this point that Gaard remarks that he feels like he's fought Ben before. Curious... Suddenly another Thing appears, complete with the disk-bomb Ben has been carting around. Gaard is distracted, as Arkon had told him that only two lives could inhabit the space at once. Seeking a solution, he hurls his "scepter" (hockey stick) at the new creature, who turns out to be a phantom. Now unarmed, he's a sucker for Ben's big punch and is knocked away from the nexus long enough for Ben to deliver the bomb. As expected, the nexus implodes, cutting off Arkon's attempt to steal energy from the destruction of three worlds.

Karen: The atomic hockey puck saves three worlds. Oh boy.
Doug: Disgraced, Gaard gives Ben his leave. As Ben departs, he muses to himself that for once he's curious about a foe. He feels there was something more to this particular super-baddie, but he leaves anyway. As we see Gaard sulk away, he removes his mask. The Johnny Storm that had been destroyed in Vietnam was claimed by Arkon and brought back to life, conditioned as the guardian of the nexus. Not who he was, but something different; it's no wonder he and Ben seemed familiar to each other. Soon, our own Johnny and Ben return to the Baxter Building and some brief explanations are given. And as our story began with Alicia seeing Ben on the streets, we end with the two of them meeting up in Reed's lab. It's a joyful reunion.

Karen: I am again confused -why would Arkon go to all the trouble to get the dying Johnny Storm and turn him into Gaard? This just doesn't make any sense to me. And why was Gaard such a hulking brute? I guess he must have altered Johnny's body too. It wrapped up a little too easily, with no reference to the Fifth Dimension at all. Nor did we get a 'good-bye' from Reed-2.
Doug: OK, so summary evaluation? I thought this was a story that had an "epic" feel to it. Overall it was pretty good -- I recalled that I enjoyed it as a kid, and for the most part it holds up. I'm still not totally sold on the execution of certain elements in the third issue (FF #162), but you generally can't go wrong with time travel and alternate dimensions. The suspension of disbelief has to be ratcheted up a notch, as anything becomes possible. So if I look at this through that lens, I suppose my complaints could be considered misplaced.

Karen: I have to say, I'm pretty unimpressed with these issues. Typically I enjoy these kind of things, where everything but the kitchen sink is tossed at the reader, but this just left me cold. I did enjoy the Buckler/Sinnott art.

Thing 1 and Thing 2: Fantastic Four #162

Fantastic Four #162 (September 1975)
"The Shape of Things to Come!"
Roy Thomas-Rich Buckler/Joe Sinnott

Doug: After some nice build-up over the past two issues, things... devolve. That's my opening impression -- we'll see what we come up with by the time we're done. It may be up to Karen if this one's to get a rave review.

Karen: Fraid not!
Doug: So when we left off, Johnny had taken command of the troops of the 5th Dimension (qualifications there?), Ben had been imprisoned on another Earth, and the Reed Richards of an alternate Earth, who just happened to get the cosmic ray effect that our Thing got, was also in jail. The old Avengers villain Arkon was somehow mixed up in this, and underlying all of it was a plot to steal the technologies of both Reed Richards as well as of the 5th Dimension. Wow -- that was indeed a lot to digest over the past two issues, and creators Thomas and Buckler provide us with a couple of graphics to help us along. It's a decent recap, and to be honest, this is one story plot that needs that synopsis.

Karen: What's the old saying? "You can't tell the players without a scorecard?" In this case, it's more like a text book diagram! I laughed at the goofy picture of the three worlds and the arrows indicating who was attacking whom. Complicated story indeed.

Doug: On to the new stuff. Our Reed (writing this series has been a pain-in-the-butt with all of the same-name characters!) is working on a device that will melt the glaciers that are suddenly moving across the world. Suddenly a caveman invades the lab (what the heck did he use to break in?), followed by "an Indian with a tomahawk" -- yep, this Reed is accused of unleashing all sorts of weirdness due to the selling of Dr. Doom's time platform. Reed makes quick work of the invaders, when a vision suddenly appears in his mind; and then in the room above so that Sue can also see it (Duh Point #1). The Reed-Thing tells Mr. Fantastic what's been going on, how Mr. Devoor has deceived technology masters on three Earths, and how he's shackled and unable to break free. Mr. Fantastic says, hey -- how about if I apply my will to yours (Duh Point #2)? What the heck? OK, so Reed-Thing was using Arkon's "scopitron" to connect to our world, but how in tarnation did they exchange mental powers through what was basically an inter-dimensional TV?

Karen: I think Roy was inspired by the Interociter from "This Island Earth." I have no idea how Reed-2 used that device to project his thoughts to Reed-1, or how 'combining wills' allowed Reed-2 to break adamantium chains. Of course, I probably didn't question it at all when I read this as a kid.
Doug: Anyway, once Reed-Thing has Mr. Fantastic's "will", he's able to burst his bonds and discovers that he's been imprisoned on his own world. Which is pretty convenient (Duh Point #3), because that's where our Thing is locked up. So you guessed it -- in a pretty cool visual the two orange-plated behemoths break out of jail and are greeted by none other than "Thunderbolt" Ross and the army (never mind that he identifies himself as a general in the Air Force). Soon Ben Grimm shows up (seriously -- if you haven't read this series of issues or don't happen to have them in front of you, I don't know how you're following all of this!) to point out what apparently no other person could see: a gaping hole in the sky, through which the 5th Dimension army storms. And led by the Human Torch, no less! Johnny, being the hot-headed fool that he is, attacks first and asks questions later. He takes down the Thing pretty quickly, but then Reed-Thing dispenses a whuppin' that extinguishes the flame. After brief explanations that are too-soon-believed, the Torch commands the 5D army to go back. Just like that... "Uh, sorry guys..." (Duh Point #4).

Karen: Johnny being in a position of responsibility may be the most difficult thing to swallow in this whole story!
Doug: Johnny, Reed-Thing, and the Thing then pow wow, and suddenly, somehow, Mr. Fantastic appears in the sky (Duh Point #5 - the "scopitron" isn't on Earth, after all) with Devoor in hand and explains what will have to happen to right this crazy ship. Johnny and Reed-Thing will have to take an assault to Arkon's world, while the Thing must enter the inter-dimensional space and break up "the nexus" through which Arkon was going to funnel the energy of three worlds. Mr. Fantastic then tosses some skates through the rift in the sky (we've seen these before, back in the Kirby days) for Ben. And away we go! Johnny and Reed-Thing land where they belong (hey, whatever happened to Lockjaw in all this?), and the Thing heads off into space. As he approaches the nexus, he's opposed by an intergalactic hockey goalie who identifies himself as... Gaard! Yeah.

Karen: Oh man...Gaard. Even as a kid I thought that was just about the stupidest thing I'd ever seen. Honestly. A hockey goalie? I mean, sure, a guy flying around space on a surfboard makes no sense either, but at least it looks cool. This just looks ludicrous.
Doug: You know what Roy's up to here? It took me three issues to figure it out. This is his version of "Crisis on..." Think about it -- multiple Earths, all similar. Heroes on all three (well, Johnny had to be transplanted). Universal menace in Arkon stealing energy. And some serious dimension-hopping to solve it. I suppose when I look at it through that lens, and accepting it as being part of DC's heritage of such tales, this is not quite as bad. But reading it at first impression... not good. As you said earlier, I'm sure I didn't react so negatively when I was a wide-eyed 9-year old.

Karen: I like alternate realities, time travel, science fiction...but I'm just not warming up to this one. I don't care much for Arkon, and neither of the alternate worlds seem all that interesting. I have to agree, this story isn't terrible, but I'm just not feeling it.

Thing 1 and Thing 2: Fantastic Four #161

Fantastic Four #161 (August 1975)
"All the Worlds At Once!"
Roy Thomas-Rich Buckler/Joe Sinnott

Doug: Better strap in for this one, kids -- talk about a breakneck pace! This mag's near and dear to me -- it's one of the very first I can recall buying off the drugstore shelf myself, right around what would have been my 9th birthday. I got it in Milwaukee at a drug store across from the Boy Blue ice cream store near the corner of South 76th Street and Howard Avenue -- a six-block bike ride! Crazy that after all of these years I can remember that...

Karen: Don't you love memories like that? Completely insignificant, but I bet you can still feel the wind in your hair as you rode your bike away, comic in hand!
Doug: Opening this one up, a reader could be under the impression that they missed something! We find Reed in the FF's "Danger Room", testing himself against an assortment of missiles and lasers. He fares pretty well, but suddenly shuts down the test. He sulks as he returns his body to its normal form, and then self-declares that he's losing his stretching power, a suspicion he first arrived at a few issues earlier in battle against one of Dr. Doom's constructs. His sullen musing is interrupted by Sue, who ask him what is wrong. Reed lies, and says it's Johnny he's worried about. If you recall, Johnny was upset when Reed signed away the FF's rights to the mysterious Mr. Devoor last issue. Of course, Sue ain't buyin' it...

Karen: Reed really isn't playing around here! Explosives, lasers -and from Professor Xavier to boot! It was a nice slam-bang beginning. I like the way Reed's failing elasticity is shown -with his limbs not quite snapping back to normal shape right away. Boy, that's a terrible thought: what if he got stuck all stretched out? Eww! As for Sue not buying Reed's explanation, that he's worried about Johnny -well, I can only imagine that he has the worst poker face on the planet. The guy may be a genius but he's a dope when it comes to people.
Doug: We then cut to find Johnny just walking the streets in his FF uniform. He's talking to himself (and anyone else within earshot), when he reaches his breaking point and flames on -- to get to Reed in order to dispense a piece of his mind! Course, the locals cry out that he's a nut, which the Torch hears. So, mad at himself for making a bad scene, at Reed, and at the situation with Crystal, he flies off to the wilderness of Long Island to the portal to the 5th Dimension (last seen in FF #'s 158-159). Shoot -- nothing else is going right; might as well snuggle up with Valeria!

Karen: We got typical Reed, now we get typical Johnny: never thinking before he acts. The kid is a dang menace! I'd yell at him too if I were one of those people on the street. It was good to see that he was still smarting from Crystal dumping him, but of course his reaction is superficial -he just wants to find Valeria to take his mind off Crystal!
Doug: Once in the 5th Dimension, Johnny spies a couple of the city folk. Wanting to impress, and being the pompous jerk that he is, he flames on. Of course, no one recalls that he'd only recently saved the joint, so they attack. They level guns at him, calling him an androne. Johnny protests, but of course we have to have an altercation. He's knocked out of the air by rays of ice, and is being carried away when he's saved by Valeria and her father, Phineas. it's a good thing, too, as our lovable Torch was about to be dismantled as any "robot" should! Once freed, Phineas brings him up to speed on just what an androne is -- an android manufactured by the greatest enemy of the 5th Dimension: Reed Richards! But Johnny's thoroughly confused when Richards' photo appears on a monitor -- as the Thing! At that moment the andrones attack, but Johnny makes short work of them. Phineas asks the Torch if he'll lead the 5th Dimension against the attacks, and Johnny of course agrees.

Karen: I always liked the way the Torch's flames were depicted around this time, whether it was Buscema or Buckler drawing the book. He just looked much more dynamic, and well, fiery to me. But how hokey was it that the soldier's guns fired ice?
Doug: Next, we drop in on the Thing, in league with an other-worldly Ben and Sue Grimm. They are flying back to New York after their adventure in the castle headquarters of their Earth's Reed Richards. But as they swoop into the city's airspace they are shocked to see the downtown area being menaced by a T-Rex! The Thing prepares for action when a pterodactyl buzzes them. The Thing grabs the flying reptile's leg, only to be dropped right over the T-Rex! Our guy avoids the pearly whites (and the pearly gates) and eventually floors the big lizard with one punch (shades of Alex Karras in Blazing Saddles)! Our Ben then spies a television with the President speaking -- Nelson Rockefeller! Now I don't know about you, but the first thing I thought of (on the re-read, not originally) was that this must be the Squadron Supreme's world (see our review of the Serpent Crown Affair). But apparently it's not -- this scenario with Rockefeller must have been discussed by Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart at some point, as each writer used it only months apart. Anyway, as our Ben listens to the report of these strange occurrences, he's suddenly hit by knock-out gas and felled... by the other Ben Grimm. This one just keeps getting weirder.

Karen: I had the same reaction as you: was this the same Earth as over in the Avengers? But no, apparently both writers must have just liked the idea of Rockefeller as president. I have no idea what the popular sentiment regarding Rockefeller was, but I almost have to wonder if he was considered a buffoon or a joke. I also got the impression that Ben was disparaging Ford a little here. Or maybe Roy just wanted to throw in his two cents about the way by which Ford became president.
Doug: Back on our Earth, Reed is called to a monitor by Sue, who's found reports of glacial movements and a potential ice age! Reed arrives just in time to hear the announcer declare that the attacks may be from a Fifth Dimension! Honing in on that line, Reed cues up a connection he'd been working on so that Johnny and Valeria could video chat (that Reed -- ages ahead of Skype!) and what should his wondering eyes spy but an invasion force set on our Earth... with the Human Torch at the front! As they say, to be continued!

Karen: I sort of feel like I need to be taking notes, or putting together a PowerPoint demo to keep all the players straight!
Doug: OK, so we're halfway through this 4-parter, and I have to say that Roy Thomas is crafting a tale with everything but the kitchen sink! Think about what we've seen so far -- an old Avengers foe in Arkon, alternate realities, castles, movie monsters, dinosaurs, the 5th Dimension, and the revelation that Reed's powers may be waning. Wow -- that's a lot to pack into two issues! The art so far has been solid. Big John was able as always in the previous issue, and here we're back to the regular team (at the time of publication). Buckler's pretty good, and of course Joe Sinnott is his usual slick self. Although much of Roy's writing and references went over my head as a child, the plot here is pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to the second half!

Karen: This pretty much everything AND the kitchen sink writing! I honestly can't recall how this whole thing is resolved, so I'm looking forward to seeing how Roy juggles all of these disparate elements for another two issues. Of course, we know it's all connected via the big nasty corporation that seems behind all three worlds.

Thing 1 and Thing 2: Fantastic Four #160

Fantastic Four #160 (July 1975)
"In One World... and Out the Other!"
Roy Thomas-John Buscema/Chic Stone

Doug: We're back at the FF again, after a short break. If you recall, the last time we were in this era of the book, we had a pretty cool Dr. Doom/Silver Surfer story that segued into an Inhumans 2-parter. We pick it up right after that, in a nifty four-part tale that involves not one, but two Things! Of course, our title's a bit misleading, as you Dr. Seuss fans perhaps expected these guys; nope -- it's really two Things. But, as you know, all is not what it seems. Let's have a look-see...
Doug: Wow -- if it's action right off the bat for you, then this issue is right up your alley! Our splash page shows a very distraught Thing running for his life from the lightning bolts of Arkon the Invincible, astride a flying dinosaur no less! As the scene continues, we see New Yorkers reacting in an equally excessive state of dismay as our orange-skinned hero attempts to ward off the savage onslaught. Suddenly Alicia Masters enters the scene. At first she's admonished for not running the other way, but when informed of what is going on, and when a passerby notes that she is indeed blind, he points her in the way of the man she loves. She arrives just in time to see the Thing taken down. As she rushes to his side, she's surprised at his lack of familiarity, but also of his speech patterns. Arkon descends, and with one more bolt, vanishes with the Thing!

Karen: I have to say right up front, I'm not a fan of Chic Stone's inking. He really softens and blurs Buscema's work here. I thought it was interesting that Roy gave the date on the splash page: Feb. 14, 1974. Writers in that time weren't concerned (apparently) about dating a book or locking characters down to a specific time. Now, you never see a date in a comic -even the dates on tombstones are obscured!

Doug: Alicia finds a cabbie and asks him to take her to the Baxter Building. The hack is skeptical, as he relates a tale of yore when he had the Invisible Girl as a fare -- that would have been way back in FF #1, right? I thought this scene, maybe more than any other, hammered home your comment about Stone's inks; the second panel here really doesn't look like Buscema's pencils at all. Anyway, as they approach the FF's headquarters, a rocket (or was it the pogo plane -- hard to tell from Big John's rendering...) swoops low over Manhattan and lands. The FF are home! Alicia makes her way out of the now-all-too-anxious-to-get-away cab and into the Baxter Building. A short ride up the FF's private elevator and she emerges in the family's quarters. But who else is there? Ben Grimm! Alicia relates her story and asks how it is that Ben is now with her -- he assures her that he'd been in the Great Refuge with the rest of the team. Alicia is very upset, and produces a scrap of the other Thing's shirt as evidence of what she'd gone through. Ben gets an idea, and calls up Crystal on the omni-viewer. Of course Quicksilver is right by her side, and abrasive as ever. Ben brushes him off and asks Crystal for Lockjaw's services. No sooner is the connection cut than the big pooch appears. Dimension-hopping time, friends!

Karen: That was a fun bit with the cabbie and his dislike of the FF. Almost an Archie Bunker-type character, what with his "I'm not prejudiced, some of my best friends are..." comments. I share your confusion over the FF's vehicle -looks like the rocket but lands basically on its side? That was just odd.

Doug: Meanwhile, back at the Baxter Building, Reed has called a team meeting for an important matter. A certain Mr. Devoor is present to make the FF an offer -- due to some decreasing financial worth of Fantastic Four, Inc., Mr. Devoor has approached Reed about buying his majority share in the team, in effect relieving any part of the "family" from control over all of Reed's lucrative patents, etc. Reed informs Sue, Johnny, and Alicia that he is going to accept the offer!

Karen: This illustrates again why I have never liked Reed Richards. Besides lobotomizing his son and treating his wife like crap, he rules the FF with an iron fist! "I own 51% and controlling interest -so what I say goes" -that's just typical of Mr. Big Brain. Oh sure, it may turn out he has something up his sleeve, but he's gonna put everyone through hell before he's done.

Doug: I'm pretty hot and cold with Reed. You know, I'm sometimes against profound evolution of characterization, and I'll admit that I'm not up on Reed's doings much over the past 10-12 years (I do know what his role in "Civil War" was). He's just a guy who seems like he has all of the answers and doesn't need anyone else to even voice an opinion. Brainiac-5 would fit into this category as well.
Doug: Back to Ben and Lockjaw -- of course, as any dog would, Lockjaw lands in some crazy Dagobah-scene and begins to chase a refugee from the Cantina. Ben stops him, lets him sniff the shirt again, and they blink out. They rematerialize in a medieval castle, and are soon faced with baddies resembling figures from every monster movie one could imagine! Ben begins to make short work of them when he sees another disturbance. Fighting his way over to it, he's shocked to see himself, in the form of Ben Grimm, protecting Sue from more monsters! The Thing begins to talk to his alternate self when they are attacked by the largest robot yet -- the Frankenstein Monster! Ben tussles a bit and is actually beaten back, but wins out in the end by punching the Monster through a wall and into the moat below. Back to his discussion with Ben, the Thing tells that he's been to this world before (FF #118, we are told) and has met the "other" Reed Richards -- a man subjected to cosmic rays and forced to go through life as an orange-plated monster! As they walk, Ben remarks that Reed's just put up a sign that reads, "Reed Richards Robotics, Inc. A Division of Inter-Related Technocracies Unlimited".

Karen: The side-trip to the Ditko-style dimension was odd to say the least. The robot monsters were hokey but fun -although I have a hard time believing that stiff Reed would even think of designing robots like famous monsters. Actually, why he would live in a castle is also beyond me. I have to admit I have completely forgotten FF 118 - I may have to pull that out and read it before we go any further in this series.

Doug: Back on our Earth, our Reed is about to sign a contract with Mr. Devoor that will give over control of many of his inventions to a company called "Interlocking Technologies Unlimited", whose company logo bears a striking resemblance to the enterprise we'd seen in the previous scene. And at that point, the pen with which Reed signed blinks out of our existence. To be continued!

George Perez July: X-Men Annual #3

X-Men Annual #3 (1979)
"A Fire In the Sky!"
Chris Claremont-George Perez/Terry Austin

Karen: Welcome to our final entry for "George Perez July". It's a truly entertaining annual that features Perez on some characters he's not normally associated with - The X-Men.

Doug: I don't know about you, but I had a slight smile on my face during my entire read! From the opening splash page where Perez paid homage to regular series penciller John Byrne and then (of all people) Fred Hembeck, to the very last page of the book I just had a lot of fun!

Karen: However this issue starts with a brief visit to the home of a group Perez has deep connections to -The Avengers. Arkon, an extra-dimensional Conan-wannabe who has hassled the Avengers before, goes to Avengers Mansion seeking Thor. Apparently, he needs his help. He nearly throttles Jarvis when he tells him Thor has taken a leave of absence. However, Arkon's adviser, the Grand Vizier, tells him there is another who can aid them -the mutant known as Storm.

Doug: I always enjoy Jarvis. Poor guy -- he's taken his share of lumps through the years. I found it odd, though, that Jarvis said he'd checked the external scanners and sensors before he opened the door to retrieve the morning paper. Soon as he opened the door, BAM! Well hello, Mr. Arkon!


Karen: Cue a trip to the home of the X-Men, where a danger room session is in progress. Perez does a nice job on the different X-Men, and Austin's inks give the team the familiar look we all loved. The danger room session goes awry and we get a nice display of powers by the team. Shortly after this, Arkon shows up and battles the X-Men. Colossus really got a chance to shine in these scenes, finally stopping Arkon by hitting him with a tree! However, before the fight ends, the barbarian king uses a special 'lightning bolt' to teleport Storm to his world. Cyclops decides to use the remaining bolts to transport the whole team to recover Storm.

Doug: This scene seemed to stretch on forever, and I am certainly not complaining. What a tour de force for Perez and Austin. Even though it was one long (actually 2-part, though) superhero fight, it was one joy after another. These were the X-Men as they should be -- as you said, by powers but also by personality, this was the team unspoiled by the anti-hero movement and the blatant commercialism that would be the 1990's. Throughout the book Wolverine was very much in-character, but never hogging the limelight. He was dour, but never surly. Colossus was as noble as ever (I always wondered about the seeming triangle that was he, Ororo, and Nightcrawler and Peter's angry assault on Arkon further deepened my suspicions), and Kurt was his usual feisty self. Storm was regal yet sensitive, and Cyke just led. Like a rock he led. These were the golden days of the All-New team.

Karen: Yeah, this was the Cyclops I used to know and love. A guy who took his role very seriously, who cared about his team but nonetheless drove them to perform. As a strategist, he seemed second only to Captain America. That really comes across here, as Cyke directs the team through fight after fight.

Karen: Once the team is transported, Perez gets to draw one of his specialties: a gigantic fight scene overflowing with figures! What looks like hundreds of Arkon's warriors attack the X-Men. It's a spectacular fight.

Doug: Ah, yes! Part 3 of the never-ending battle. And just more fun!


 
Karen: Eventually the heroes locate Storm, only to discover that she is willingly working with her captors now! It turns out that Arkon's kidnapped her because the energy rings that encircle his planet and provide light and warmth have nearly gone out. This happened once before (Avengers 75 and 76); that time Iron Man built a device to charge the rings, and Thor used his lightning to power it. But the device has malfunctioned. Nightcrawler and Wolverine hurry to repair the device -yes, you read that correctly. Claremont throws in a line about how Banshee taught Nightcrawler electronics, but c'mon, really? These two are repairing a device Tony Stark built? I'm not buyin' that! Then Storm absorbs the lightning and projects it into Cyclops, who somehow converts it into optic blasts to charge the device. I thought the reasoning behind all this was weak, to say the least. But it did make for a very dramatic tableau, as Colossus serves to ground Storm, and Cyclops suffers through the fury of her electrical barrage.

Doug: As we mentioned back in our review of Giant-Size X-Men #1, problems often seemed to be spectacularly solved by the energy-powered mutants channeling their various forces through some conduit and at the situation. I agree with you that this was a bit contrived, but the visual was outstanding and really showcased what heroes are all about. You know, as Marvel touts their "Heroic Age", one need only look back to some of these Bronze Age stories to see how it should (always) be done. Why they went away from a good thing is beyond me.

Karen: Of course our mutant heroes succeed, and the life-giving rings are restored to Arkon's world. I know we've discussed this before, but Austin is definitely a 'strong inker' , in that his style is imposed on whomever he inks. You can still tell its Perez, but Austin has a particular style that is all his own. It reminds me of how Joe Sinnott's inking was always identifiable, regardless of the artist. Since I enjoy his work, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. It was fun to see how a Perez X-Men would have looked -and like all things Perez, it's pretty darned nice!

Doug: It was nice, and as you said -- consistent. About the only complaint I had was a series of panels late in the story (when Arkon was explaining how his planet had fallen into darkness) where the inks seemed really uneven. Between the first facial close-up and the last two there was an abrupt change from light inks that really showed Perez's pencils to very dark, heavy inks that almost evoked other inkers we've discussed.

Doug: As I said above, this was such a great period for the X-Men. Chris Claremont had yet to convolute the X-verse beyond recognition and in the regular book he and Byrne/Austin were really clicking. It's no wonder George Perez wanted in on the action, and like you said -- we're all better for it!